Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/29/06

INDIANS 1 MARINERS 0

Sowers’ shutout, homer from Choo lift Indians

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>TONY DEJAK ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Shin-Soo Choo homers in the sixth inning in his Indians debut. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


CLEVELAND — Indians manager Eric Wedge walked to the mound in the ninth inning last night with an open mind and inquisitive eyes.
Rookie pitcher Jeremy Sowers met him with a clear and determined voice.
Sowers had not allowed a run in 8 2 /3 innings, but there was a runner on base with Mariners slugger Richie Sexson at the plate and closer Fausto Carmona loose in the bullpen.
Wedge wanted to study Sowers’ demeanor before deciding who should pitch to Sexson. It did not take long for him to turn and jog back to the dugout, without making a switch.
"He had the right things to say," Wedge said of Sowers, who then had the right pitches in his repertoire.
Sowers retired Sexson on a flyout to complete a 1-0 win over Seattle. It was Sowers’ second straight shutout in only his sixth career start.
Catcher Victor Martinez smiled as he recalled the conversation on the mound.
"He said, ‘I’m going to finish the game,’ " Martinez said. "It was very impressive."
Sowers downplayed it, and he answered questions about the shutouts with the same even keel with which he pitches. Any excitement was buried beneath an effective poker face.
"I threw the ball well," he said, "but at the same time, I was the (beneficiary) of good defensive plays out there and just good positioning."
Left fielder Todd Hollandsworth snared a line drive in the eighth inning, and he threw out Ichiro Suzuki at the plate in the first inning. Martinez effectively blocked the plate, and Hollandsworth’s throw arrived without a bounce.
Sowers ran with it, becoming the first rookie to throw consecutive shutouts since the Marlins’ Dontrelle Willis in 2003, and the first Indians rookie since Dick Tidrow in 1972.
"If you have confidence throwing a pitch, you’re going to make a better pitch," Sowers said. "The wrong pitch thrown with confidence is going to be better than the right pitch thrown without confidence."
The Mariners’ phenom, 20-year-old Felix Hernandez, nearly kept pace. He walked six in six innings but stranded eight runners.
The only run came on the first career home run by rookie Shin-Soo Choo, who was making his Indians debut against his former organization.
After walking in his first two plate appearances, Choo went to a 3-and-0 count on his third time up.
Hernandez threw a sinker that did not sink, and Choo lined the pitch an estimated 426 feet to center field.
"I’m thankful for the manager giving me a chance to swing at the pitch," he said.
The crowd serenaded him with a chant of "Chooooo" as he crossed home plate, and again when he jogged to right field for the next inning. He has heard it frequently in his career, including regularly in triple-A Tacoma the past two seasons.
"But not in Seattle," he said with a smile. "I didn’t do good there."
Choo was 2 for 29 with the Mariners in the past two seasons.
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Dispatch

7/29/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK
Broussard improves his standing
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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CLEVELAND — Ben Broussard moved about 100 feet yesterday and gained 20 games in the standings.
Two days after being traded from the Indians to the Seattle Mariners, Broussard made his Mariners debut in Jacobs Field against the Indians.
In moving from the home clubhouse to the visitor’s, his role changed only slightly — he went from platooning at first base to platooning at designated hitter — but he went from a team 23 1 /2 games out of first place to a team 3 1 /2 games out of first place at the start of play yesterday.
"I’m excited about it," he said. "I’m coming into a situation where I can help the team win, and it can mean something, too."
Broussard will platoon with Eduardo Perez, whom the Indians traded to the Mariners last month.
Broussard seemed to fall out of favor with manager Eric Wedge in recent seasons. It’s also likely that Broussard will receive a significant raise in arbitration this winter, so the Indians were willing to deal him for outfield prospect Shin-Soo Choo.
Broussard acknowledged that he had hoped to play more often after Perez was traded, but he expressed no bitterness toward Indians officials and said he did not believe he was made a scapegoat for the team’s disappointing season.
"So many things were going bad," he said.
"Some people got called out. I was one of them. I don’t take it personal."
Boone to the bench

To make room on the roster for top prospect Andy Marte, infielder Ramon Vazquez was optioned to triple-A Buffalo.
To make room in the lineup, Aaron Boone was demoted from starting third baseman to utility infielder.
"He’s one of the greatest pros I’ve been around," Wedge said. "He understands where we’re at as a ballclub. He understands the situation with Andy."
At the other end of the spectrum, third-base prospect Kevin Kouzmanoff was promoted from double-A Akron to triple-A Buffalo. He hit .389 with 15 home runs for the Aeros and would have been promoted sooner if not for Marte’s presence at Buffalo.
Hit and run

Wedge flipped the duties of coaches Joel Skinner and Jeff Datz, making Datz the bench coach and Skinner the thirdbase coach. The Indians have had a handful of runners thrown out at the plate, but Wedge insisted he was "satisfied with both of them in their roles. This is just about getting a different dynamic." ... The Indians signed right-hander Paulo Espino, their 10 th-round pick in the recent draft, and have signed their top 15 picks and 32 of 53 overall.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/30/06

Offense slumbers against Seattle

Indians produce little to support Westbrook; Broussard hits homer

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Jake Westbrook should have taken his cue from Jeremy Sowers, who has thrown shutouts in his past two starts.
The only sure way to avoid a loss is not to give up any runs. Westbrook allowed two in eight innings, so maybe he got what he deserved, a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night at Jacobs Field.
On the other hand, that's probably being a little too tough on the Indians right-hander, who gave up only six hits and two walks. Sowers' recent achievements aside, starting pitchers are not held to a zero-run standard of performance.
``Jake was real good tonight,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He did more than his job.''
Ben Broussard rubbed salt in the wound and produced an insurance run by slugging a homer against Brian Sikorski leading off the ninth inning.
Only three days earlier, Broussard was the Tribe's platoon first baseman until being traded to the Mariners for Shin-Soo Choo.
``It was a little strange,'' Westbrook said of facing Broussard. ``I thought about that the day he was traded. I was thinking he'd probably be in the lineup when I pitched tonight.
``So it was a little weird. I tried not to make eye contact for that reason, but I pitched him pretty well.''
Broussard was 0-for-3 against Westbrook but reached on a first-inning error by second baseman Ronnie Belliard, who returned to the lineup after missing seven starts because of a strained hamstring.
Westbrook (7-7, 4.31 ERA) pitched well, but he needed five excellent defensive plays to keep the Mariners in check.
``They were unbelievable,'' he said. ``They really picked me up tonight.''
In the first inning, Jason Michaels made a diving catch in left.
Also in the first, Grady Sizemore charged in to make an excellent grab in center.
Sizemore followed that with an even better catch in the fifth, a lunging roll-over effort in deep center.
``That's one of the better catches I've seen all year,'' Wedge said.
Belliard ranged far into foul territory in the second to flag down a pop fly, and Westbrook turned a smash up the middle into an out in the seventh.
After winning 1-0 for Sowers on Friday night, the Tribe attackers were hardpressed to surpass that run total on Saturday.
Jarrod Washburn is no stranger to well-pitched games, though seldom this season has he limited a team to one run in 6 1/3 innings.
But he had no trouble dominating the Tribe, allowing only five hits -- three until the seventh inning -- and one walk.
His only slip-up came in the third inning, when Kelly Shoppach's two-out single, a walk to Sizemore and Michaels' double tied the score at 1-1.
After Michaels' hit, Washburn (5-10, 4.43 ERA) retired nine of the next 10 batters, the only hitter who reached, Michaels, blooped a single just out of the reach of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt with one out in the sixth.
The Indians had a chance for a big inning in the seventh, when Victor Martinez led off with a single and Belliard doubled to put runners on second and third with one out.
Washburn was replaced at that point by young Mark Lowe, who virtually blew the Tribe away. He retired Jhonny Peralta on an infield pop fly, walked Todd Hollandsworth intentionally and made Shoppach hit a harmless foul fly to left.
``We really had our chance in the seventh,'' Wedge said. ``But we weren't able to get it done.''
Washburn isn't unaccustomed to this kind of success against the Indians. He came into the game with a career record of 6-6 and 4.94 ERA against them. In two previous starts against the Indians this year, he lost 9-5 and 2-0.
Westbrook has not won since July 4 against the New York Yankees. In four starts since, he is 0-3 but pitched well enough to win his past two.
Against the Minnesota Twins last Sunday, Westbrook gave up three runs in six innings and lost 3-1.
In the third inning Saturday night, Betancourt led off with a double, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Willie Bloomquist's bouncer to short.
After the Tribe tied it in the bottom of the third, Raul Ibanez homered to start the fourth, giving the Mariners the lead for good.
With rookies Andy Marte, Joe Inglett and Choo in the lineup frequently, it might be more difficult to generate offense.
``This will be an adjustment phase for these guys,'' Wedge said. ``But I don't think it will be anything too collective (affecting the entire lineup). We will need our core players to get it done and protect the new guys.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/30/06

Ocker on the Indians

Moving Martinez has setbacks

Shapiro has right to keep catcher behind plate

By Sheldon Ocker

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - General Manager Mark Shapiro continues to insist that Victor Martinez will be the Indians' No. 1 catcher next season.
Good for him.
There seems to be consternation among the fans -- if my e-mails and the opinions of talk show callers are any indication -- over Shapiro's position. That's understandable, given that a team's partisans tend to ignore the big picture.
The logic of the fans goes like this: Martinez can't throw anyone out on the bases, so opposing teams have been running wild. It's apparent that he has to be shifted to first base.
There are several things wrong with this thinking.
For starters, if not Martinez, who will be the Tribe's everyday catcher? As Martinez's backup, Kelly Shoppach is waiting in the wings for a promotion. Certainly, he would be a defensive upgrade, but can he hit?
You don't care? A catcher's first responsibility is handling pitchers and stabilizing the defense? I'll buy that to a point.
Theoretically, that's true. In decades past -- probably up until the '70s -- teams frequently got away with offensive liabilities at catcher. But these days, especially in the American League, where batting orders often have legitimate threats at every position, it's more difficult to win with a catcher who is not a productive hitter.
Shoppach hasn't gotten enough at-bats to know for sure whether he can develop into a consistent hitter. So far, his prowess with a bat has not made anyone blink in the front office or the manager's office.
If the Indians' lineup were otherwise stuffed full of dangerous hitters, maybe Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge would consider installing Shoppach as the everyday catcher. But that is not the case.
Moreover, if Martinez plays first, what will happen to Ryan Garko? Who cares? Garko has consistently batted about .250 at Triple-A Buffalo all season.
I don't know if that's indicative of his ability. In fact, I doubt it, having seen him a few times with the Aeros (before this year), in spring training and in two big-league at-bats.
In one of those, he smashed a ball that the third baseman alertly picked, throwing Garko out at first. In the other, he ripped another liner down the third-base line for a double.
Garko isn't assured of emerging from spring training as the regular at first, but he'll probably get major consideration, barring an off-season move. That's fine with me.
There's another factor mitigating against Martinez playing first: He would much prefer to stay where he is. I know that's not necessarily controlling, but teams generally like to keep their .300 hitters happy, if possible.
And let's look at Martinez's deficiency without emotion. In 2004 and 2005, he threw out about 20 percent of would-be base stealers, which was good enough to keep opposing teams from taking too many liberties.
There's no logical reason why he can't do that again. Yes, I know that for much of the season, his success rate was about 7 percent, and that kind of ineptness cannot be tolerated for long.
At the root of Martinez's flawed throwing is not his arm strength but his footwork. This is nothing new for him.
Making it more difficult, I suspect, has been the attitude of many Indians pitchers, who concluded that Martinez wasn't going to throw anyone out, so why hold runners? They were going to end up at the next base no matter what.
That tortured logic, if true, was lethal for Martinez, who tried to throw twice as quickly, an impossibility that contributed to the inaccuracy of his throws. Worse, it actually took him longer to unload the ball.
As Wedge, a former catcher, says, ``You can't throw faster than you can throw. If you try, you will be slower.''
What does that mean? Every catcher's athleticism and mechanics fix the speed of his throwing motion at a certain level. If he tries to rush his throws beyond his ability, he will merely retard the entire process.
And hear this: Martinez's throws have improved in his past nine games behind the plate (through the Detroit Tigers series on Wednesday).
This is only a small sampling of plays, but since the New York Yankees embarrassed Martinez by stealing six bases on July 5, he has thrown out three of eight runners (actually three of seven; there was a double steal, and he couldn't have thrown out both runners).
More important, since the infamous Yankee debacle, fewer runners have attempted to steal on Martinez and the pitchers, who obviously have done a better job of keeping runners close to their bases.
Martinez never will be Pudge Rodriguez at controlling the running game. But he has the ability and the will to be an adequate catcher. And remember, there's more to being a proficient defensive catcher than throwing out runners.
The Indians are fortunate to have a catcher as productive at the plate as Martinez. So why not keep it that way?
Believe it or not
• C.C. Sabathia's career record against the Tigers is 10-5 with a 4.23 ERA; Paul Byrd's is 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA; Jake Westbrook's is 3-7 with a 6.54 ERA.
• Jason Davis has allowed 11 of 12 inherited runners to score; Rafael Betancourt has allowed four of 19 to score.
• Westbrook has a 4-2 record and 2.86 ERA at home; Guillermo Mota has an 8.02 ERA at home.
• Aaron Boone is batting .311 with runners in scoring position; Jhonny Peralta is batting .221, and the starters (Cliff Lee, Byrd, Westbrook, Sabathia) are batting .333 (3-for-9).
• With the bases loaded, Travis Hafner is batting .700 (7-for-10) and has five homers; Casey Blake is batting .600 (3-for-5); Jason Michaels and Grady Sizemore are batting .500 (3-for-6 each).
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[sears3820]

Tribe, Cards exchange infielders

Belliard dealt for Luna

MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- The Cardinals needed a second-base solution for the stretch run, and the Indians needed middle-infield depth for the long haul.

Both sides got what they wanted Sunday afternoon, as the Indians are believed to have shipped veteran second baseman Ronnie Belliard to the Cards for utility infielder Hector Luna. The trade had yet to be officially announced by either club, but an Indians team source confirmed it shortly after the Tribe's 7-3 loss to the Mariners.

Belliard exceeded all expectations in his three seasons with the Tribe. This year, he's hit .291 with eight homers and 44 RBIs. He missed six games recently with a strained left hamstring but returned to the lineup Saturday. The Cardinals reportedly wanted to ensure he was back to full speed before acquiring him.

"I'll go to St. Louis, it's a good city to play ball in," said a surprised Belliard. "I'll try to help them win the division. I know I'm going to make friends over there, but I have a lot of friends here. I feel good about them, and I know they feel good about me, so it's hard for me."
General manager Mark Shapiro had said Belliard was an option for his club at second base next season. But the 31-year-old Belliard is likely to command a multiyear deal in free agency, and the Indians aren't expected to want to go that route with him.


The 26-year-old Luna, known for a solid bat but inconsistent glove, will join the Indians in Boston on Monday. With the Cards this season, he's hit .291 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 75 games.

Luna is no stranger to the Indians' organization. He was originally signed by the Tribe in 1999. The Indians lost him to the Devil Rays in the December 2002 Minor League draft and returned to them in April of the following year.

They lost him again to the Cards in December of '03 in the Rule V draft. According to the source, the two sides discussed including Indians reliever Guillermo Mota in the deal, but that aspect didn't pan out.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/31/06

Belliard dealt to St. Louis

Utility man Luna sent to Indians; Shapiro might be done dealing

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Ronnie Belliard didn't seem in any hurry to get to St. Louis after the Indians traded him to the Cardinals Sunday afternoon.
Asked if he was happy to be going, Belliard said, ``I'm a baseball player; I was happy here, and I think I can be happy there. In baseball you can be here today and somewhere else tomorrow.''
Belliard is making a big jump in the standings, from a fourth-place club that is more than 20 games out of first place to a team that leads the National League Central Division.
In return, the Tribe received utility infielder/outfielder Hector Luna, whom they had in their organization twice before.
``This was an opportunity to acquire a player who could fit into our plans next year and beyond,'' General Manager Mark Shapiro said. ``His role is yet to be determined.''
The Indians signed Luna as an undrafted free agent in February of 1999, when he was 19. He was left unprotected in the winter of 2002 and taken in the Rule 5 draft by Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but he was returned to Cleveland the following April.
In December of 2003, Luna's name was omitted from the 40-man roster, and he was selected by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. This time, Luna did not return to the Tribe.
Players picked in the Rule 5 draft must be kept on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to their original clubs.
This year, Luna, primarily a middle infielder, has played every position on the diamond except pitcher, catcher and center field (though he has played center). The super utility player is batting .291 with four homers, 21 RBI, 27 runs and five steals (in eight tries) in 223 at-bats.
Asked whether Luna might work his way into the everyday lineup, Shapiro said, ``At the very least he has tremendous versatility.''
From now until the end of the season, the Tribe will not have one player who rightfully can be called the everyday second baseman.
``Probably not,'' Shapiro said. ``Hector will play a lot of second base. So will Joe Inglett. Both will play other positions as well. We want to see Luna on a regular basis and evaluate him as we go.''
When the Tribe signed Belliard before the 2004 season, he was not regarded as a top-flight second baseman. But after batting .282 with 70 RBI in 2004 and hitting .284 with 78 RBI last season, Belliard's stock rose.
His current average is .291 with eight homers and 44 RBI.
He also helped himself by playing a creative second base, often stationing himself in short right field and robbing players of hits.
``I came here in '04 to prove what a lot of people said about me was wrong,'' he said. ``I think I did that.
``I think I'll make a lot of friends over there, and I have a lot of good friends here. St. Louis is a good city to play ball in.''
Asked what he thought went wrong this year, Belliard said, ``We have almost the same team as last year, but everything went backward. We have a lot of young guys, and I've been proud to play with them. But nothing went our way.''
The Indians have no obvious heir apparent to Belliard, who will be a free agent in the fall. It's possible (but probably not likely) he could re-sign with the Indians. If so, he said that would be fine with him.
``Absolutely,'' Shapiro said, when asked if he would consider re-signing Belliard. ``I talked to him today and told him I hoped he would consider coming back.''
Shapiro said he did not think he would make another trade before today's 4 p.m. deadline, but that unexpected offers could change that.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/31/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Luna’s stock has risen in Indians’ eyes

Monday, July 31, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore robs the Mariners’ Yuniesky Betancourt of a hit in the second inning. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>MARK DUNCAN ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Jose Lopez of the Mariners singles off reliever Fausto Carmona with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to drive in two runs. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


CLEVELAND — The Indians declined to put Hector Luna on their 40-man roster in December 2002 and again in December 2003, leaving him exposed in the Rule 5 draft each year. They did not believe he would hit enough to become more than a fringe player.
After 2 1 /2 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Luna apparently has changed some minds. The Indians reacquired him yesterday in exchange for second baseman — and freeagent-to-be — Ronnie Belliard.
The Cardinals believe Belliard will solidify their lineup as they try to hold off the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central. The Indians, with no such title hopes, believe Luna’s potential production next season is more valuable than Belliard’s production during the final two months of this season.
Luna has played all four infield positions, plus both corner outfield positions. Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said team officials want to "evaluate him extensively at second base" but plan to use him all over the diamond.
"At the very least, he has tremendous versatility and the ability to play a lot of games at a number of different positions — more than the typical utility player," Shapiro said. "Certainly we’ll take the next 50-some-odd games to evaluate if there is something beyond that, as well."
Luna and Joe Inglett are expected to get the bulk of the playing time at second base down the stretch.
Shapiro said he will consider attempting to re-sign Belliard in the offseason, and Belliard said he is interested in returning.
Belliard said he was surprised to be traded. He walked locker to locker after the Indians’ 7-3 loss to Seattle and hugged his now-former teammates. He had a lengthy chat with catcher Victor Martinez.
"There are a lot of young guys in here that I’m proud to play with," Belliard said. "I know they’re proud I played with them."
Hit and run

Travis Hafner snapped an 0-for-19 skid with an infield single in the eighth inning. He has hit the ball out of the infield once in his past 20 at-bats. "I’m not seeing the ball as well as I normally do," he said. … Grady Sizemore grounded into a double play for the first time this season, in his 420 th at-bat. … Sizemore made a diving catch in the second inning, snaring a would-be double in the rightcenter field gap.
[email protected]

 

[NFBuck]

The 26-year-old Luna, known for a solid bat but inconsistent glove...

Great.:crazy:

 

[exhawg]

Please please please get Boone off the roster today.

 

[tsteele316]

Great.:crazy:

Player A - 315 AB, .291 AVG, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 2 SB, .981 FPCT, .782 ZR
Player B - 223 AB, .291 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 5 SB, .976 FPCT, .816 ZR (at 2nd)


The top is Belliard, the bottom Luna. The 976 fielding % is at all infield positions. If Luna's glove is considered inconsistent, then Belliard's is just as bad.

 

[scarletandgrey]

Please please please get Boone off the roster today.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/1/07

Early results not good

Carmona blows first chance at save, gives up three-run homer to Ortiz in ninth

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BOSTON - Maybe Fausto Carmona isn't the answer. Then again, it's early, isn't it?
In the wake of the trade that sent Bob Wickman to Atlanta, Carmona is auditioning to be the Indians' closer.
Even though Wickman was dealt back on July 20, no save opportunity arose for Carmona until Monday night at Fenway Park. And he blew it, giving up a three-run, walk-off home run to David Ortiz as the Red Sox rallied for a 9-8 win.
Carmona gave up a single to Alex Cora to start the ninth then walked Kevin Youkilis. Mark Loretta popped out to the shortstop, but after working the count to 2-and-0, Ortiz put a mighty swing on a knee-high fastball and sent it sailing over the center-field fence for his 37th home run of the season. Earlier in the game, he homered and doubled.
Carmona seemed to be trying to throw 180 mph, which isn't necessary for a guy who throws 95-97 mph without a lot of effort.
``He can have a tendency to do that,'' said Tribe manager Eric Wedge of Carmona's obvious penchant to overthrow.
As Wedge went through the inning, he indicated that the walk to Youkilis was key.
``After that, he had to fight through those guys, and he tried to do too much,'' the manager said. ``He doesn't need to do that. His stuff is good enough, that what he should be doing is playing catch with (Kelly) Shoppach.''
Not that the Carmona experiment is over.
``He will have to learn to work ahead of the hitters,'' Wedge said.
The game was a question of damage control after Paul Byrd and David Wells went out early.
Jason Davis and Rafael Betancourt stopped the Red Sox cold for four innings before Carmona's breakdown.
``Jason was outstanding,'' Wedge said. ``He and Betancourt. Jason gave us every opportunity to win that ballgame.''
It would only have been an academic exercise, of course, but it's intriguing to guess how many runs would have been scored if starters Byrd and Wells had remained in the game for all nine innings.
As it was, the ERA's of both pitchers took a beating. Byrd's expanded from 4.71 to 5.00, and Wells' ballooned to 11.08 from 8.64.
It was a festival of extra-base hits for batters of both teams. Wells yielded eight runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings; Byrd was raked for six runs and nine hits in four innings, but before he was replaced the Tribe took an 8-6 advantage.
Byrd gave up a two-run homer to Manny Ramirez in the first, a homer leading off the third to Ortiz and a leadoff homer to Wily Mo Pena in the fourth.
Pena had a career night by the sixth inning. In addition to his homer, he tripled home two runs in the second and singled off Davis in the sixth. Ortiz and Doug Mirabelli doubled off Byrd, who allowed six extra-base hits.
Mirabelli didn't start the game, but was pressed into action when Jason Varitek twisted his left knee running the bases in the second inning.
``Byrd just didn't have it tonight,'' Wedge said. ``He has to look at the video. He and (pitching coach) Carl Willis will have to have a good side (bullpen). Byrd's a smart guy. He'll figure it out.''
Wells was hit equally as hard as Byrd, giving up five extra-base blows, including two home runs by Casey Blake.
In the second, Blake began a three-run rally with a one-out homer, and Shoppach finished it with a two-run double.
The Indians scored two more runs in the third, on Travis Hafner's RBI double and a sacrifice fly to the track by Blake.
Wells finally succumbed to the siren song of the showers in the fifth. Jason Michaels singled with one out, Victor Martinez walked with two outs, and Blake went to work again, hitting a drive that cleared the wall in left for his 14th home run of the season.
Maybe Wells had an excuse or maybe he's just getting too old (43) to effectively deal with major-league hitters.
On the other hand, this was his first start since May 26, when he was hit on the knee by a line drive off the bat of Travis Lee in a game against Tampa Bay.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/1/06

Indians notebook

Inglett, Luna new puzzle pieces

Both can play second base, but their versatility in field gives Wedge several options for lineup

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BOSTON - Do the Indians have two second basemen, or do they have none? That might be the kind of deep philosophical question Socrates could have answered.
However, he isn't around; manager Eric Wedge is. And for the rest of the season, both Hector Luna and Joe Inglett will share second base.
Technically speaking, Luna and Inglett are utility players.
In more than one full season in the big leagues, Luna has played first, second, third, shortstop and all three outfield positions. He was acquired by the Tribe from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday for Ronnie Belliard.
Inglett was summoned from Triple-A Buffalo to make his major-league debut on June 20 and can play shortstop, second, left and right.
They are not being pitted against one another to see who will be the team's everyday second baseman next year. Chances are neither one will be the regular, though it's possible.
``It's not about second base,'' Wedge said on Monday. ``It's more about them as individuals and what they can do.''
How many utility players does a team need? Wedge said it's conceivable that Luna and Inglett could make next year's roster.
``Both of them could make it because of their versatility as outfielders,'' Wedge said.
As for this year, Wedge said, ``We'll use them both at second base. I think Luna will play a little more. We'll also use both of those guys all over the place.''
There might even be games when both players are in the lineup.
``We don't want to isolate them as second basemen,'' Wedge said. ``So maybe there will be times when Luna and Inglett are in there.
``From an organizational standpoint, having them will give us more options in the offseason because they play so many positions.''
Third or fourth?
The experiment is continuing with Travis Hafner batting third and Victor Martinez fourth.
``This is more about Hafner,'' Wedge said. ``I've had mixed feelings about (doing) it. The best argument is that you put your best hitter in the three hole. But you have to give it time.
``This is one of the things we have to know for next season. Is it better to have Hafner come up in the first inning or bat him cleanup?''
Hafner, Part II
If Wedge decided that Hafner should bat third next year, how does that affect the fourth and fifth spots in the order?
Wedge said that Martinez might bat fourth or fifth, and it's conceivable that General Manager Mark Shapiro would make a trade or sign a free agent to fill the vacant spot.
And what about Grady?
Grady Sizemore is not a prototypical leadoff hitter. But that doesn't mean he shouldn't bat at the top of the order, where he has been all season.
Sizemore might move to another spot in the lineup next year, but not necessarily.
``Right now, I would tend to leave Grady where he is,'' Wedge said. ``But if the opportunity presented itself in the offseason (to get a leadoff batter), we would have to consider batting Grady second or third.''
Farm facts
Jason Dubois hit his 15th and 16th home runs of the year, as Buffalo defeated Pawtucket 9-5.... John Drennen, Argenis Reyes and Jose Constanza each had three hits in Kinston's 14-5 win over Wilmington in Class A. Joe Ness (9-3, 3.40 ERA) gave up two runs and three hits in six innings.... P.J. Hiser had four hits, including a homer, triple and two doubles, as Lake County outlasted Kannapolis 9-8 in Class A. Maximiliano Ramirez singled, homered and drove in two runs.... Michael Eisenberg (1-0, 3.00 ERA) threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in Mahoning Valley's 2-0 win over Batavia in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game, Joshua Tomlin (3-1, 2.19 ERA) delivered six scoreless innings, as Mahoning Valley earned a 2-0 win in Class A.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/2/06

Pitcher unfazed by heat

Sabathia pitches strong for eight innings in win

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BOSTON - A benefit of trading Jason Johnson to the Boston Red Sox seven weeks ago was that the Indians might get a chance to hit against him.
It happened Tuesday night at Fenway Park with mixed results. Johnson pitched more proficiently than he did in most of his starts with the Tribe, but he still was tagged with the 6-3 loss, giving him seven in a row.
No question, the Tribe offense did its job, but the blue-collar star of the game was C.C. Sabathia, who commanded the mound for eight innings on a night when you could almost feel the weight of the air in the ballpark.
But the 89-degree temperatures and 62 percent humidity did not seem to bother Sabathia, who gave up 10 hits but issued only one walk and struck out eight, using 111 pitches.
To be fair, two hits never left the infield -- one was a bloop just out of the reach of shortstop Jhonny Peralta, and David Ortiz's double was a routine pop fly that Joe Inglett lost in the lights, or just misjudged, allowing it to drop into short right field.
``I can't say the heat bothered me,'' Sabathia (8-7, 3.64 ERA) said, ``but it was hot. I definitely can say that.''
When he wasn't pitching, Sabathia retreated to the air-conditioned clubhouse.
``I probably had nine or 10 bottles of water and three or four more since I came in (after the game),'' he said.
``I never felt tired out there, just hot.''
Since midway through last season, Sabathia has eased up on his fastball for the sake of commanding the strike zone. But Tuesday night, he threw 95-97 mph with almost pinpoint control.
``I wasn't trying to throw hard,'' he said. ``It was just warm. I looked up a couple of times (at the scoreboard radar gun readings). I definitely wasn't trying to throw that hard.''
Tribe manager Eric Wedge talked about Sabathia's lethal fastball.
``C.C. had a great fastball,'' Wedge said. ``I was really impressed.''
Sabathia needed help from Jason Michaels to thwart a rally in the fifth inning, but the one run saved, in retrospect, didn't seem so important in light of the Tribe's final run total.
However, at the time, the Red Sox trailed only 3-1. With two outs, Kevin Youkilis was on second and Ortiz on first.
Manny Ramirez singled to left, and Michaels came up throwing. Victor Martinez took a swipe at Youkilis as he slid across the plate, and umpire John Hirschbeck gave the out signal. Replays indicated that Martinez missed the tag.
``Victor did a good job of hanging in there and waiting for the throw,'' Wedge said. ``I didn't see the replay, but I thought he got him.''
At the outset of the game, Johnson (3-11, 6.25 ERA) looked very much like the pitcher the Tribe jettisoned with a 3-8 record and 5.96 ERA.
He needed 36 pitches to get through the first inning, which included RBI singles by Michaels and Martinez. But give Johnson credit: He yielded only two runs as the Tribe left the bases loaded.
The Indians stranded two runners in a scoreless second inning, but Casey Blake's third homer in two games leading off the third pushed the lead to 3-0.
``We did a great job in the first inning,'' Wedge said. ``But I think we let Johnson settle in a little bit after that. But he made some adjustments and did a pretty good job.''
And that's all the Tribe was able to muster against Johnson, who was removed after 5 2/3 innings, having allowed eight hits and two walks.
But the offense didn't rest. Craig Hansen relieved Johnson and allowed RBI singles by Martinez and Blake in the seventh.
When Bryan Corey took over for Hansen in the eighth, he was greeted by Inglett, who homered into the right-field corner, just inside the foul line. It was the second time he has gone deep since being called up from Buffalo on June 20.
In 40 Triple-A games, Inglett didn't have a home run. He had three in 18 games at Akron.
Johnson was rushed into the fray from Triple-A Pawtucket when Tuesday night's scheduled starter, Kyle Snyder, was forced to come to the rescue of David Wells, who lasted only 4 1/3 innings Monday night.
Snyder worked 4 1/3 innings, finishing the game to take him out of the picture for Tuesday's start. Johnson had been in the minors since July 10 after giving up nine earned runs in eight innings in two starts with the Red Sox.
Fernando Cabrera gave up a one-out, two-run homer to Alex Gonzalez before getting the final two outs to preserve the win.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/2/06

Indians notebook

Job can only get easier for Indians' new closer

Carmona's first chance at save a tough one, and he gives up homer

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BOSTON - No conclusions about Fausto Carmona's future will be drawn from his blown save Monday night.
It was the first save opportunity of his career and he had been dropped into a difficult situation: pitching in a packed Fenway Park to the hottest clutch hitter in the game, David Ortiz, who hit a three-run, walk-off homer to give the Boston Red Sox a 9-8 win.
``It should be easy after that,'' manager Eric Wedge said wryly. ``To face that ballclub and that hitter, a special hitter who has been doing special things.''
Carmona was named the Indians' closer after Bob Wickman was traded to the Atlanta Braves on July 20, but no save situation had arisen until Monday night.
``I talked to Fausto a little today,'' Wedge said. ``Carl (pitching coach Carl Willis) spent a lot of time with him. He's not pitching (Tuesday because he worked two games in a row), but I'm hoping he'll be in there again (tonight).''
Playing them all
Hector Luna has made two starts for the Tribe, one at second and Tuesday night at third. But he also plays short, first, left, center and right.
``I have two gloves,'' he said, ``an infield glove and an outfield glove. I only played three games at first for St. Louis (when Albert Pujols was hurt).''
Luna said his best position is shortstop, but ``I feel comfortable'' at the other spots, too.
Sox hurtin'
Catcher Jason Varitek joined outfielder Trot Nixon on the Red Sox disabled list.
Varitek twisted his knee running the bases Monday night but the club has released no details about the injury.
The Red Sox called up catcher Ken Huckaby from Triple-A Pawtucket to back up Doug Mirabelli.
How'd we do?
Wedge believes General Manager Mark Shapiro did a good job selling off players who were unlikely to return next year.
``We got ourselves into this situation,'' Wedge said of the team's disappointing record. ``But now we can answer some questions about players the rest of the season.
``We know we took a step back in 2006, so we want to make sure we do everything we can these last two months to take a giant step forward.''
Farm facts
Kevin Kouzmanoff homered, singled and drove in two runs as Buffalo beat Pawtucket 6-2 in Class AAA. Jeremy Guthrie (6-8, 3.06 ERA) gave up two runs in six innings.... Scott Lewis lowered his ERA to 1.41, allowing one unearned run in four innings, as Kinston routed Myrtle Beach 9-1 in Class A. Lewis has been limited to 65 pitches a game after returning from surgery this year.
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[NFBuck]

Uhhh, how many days until spring training? :!