Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/20/06

Ocker on the Indians

Expect bullpen makeover

Tribe's entire corps of relievers could change before start of next season

By Sheldon Ocker

<!-- begin body-content -->ST. PETERSURG, FLA. - For the Indians' sake, let's hope it's a buyer's market for relievers over the winter.
Seldom does a team replace its entire bullpen, but that is the task General Manager Mark Shapiro might be facing once the season ends. It's conceivable that no reliever who began the 2006 schedule will be on the Tribe's roster in 2007.
I don't know the last time a team was forced to replace all seven members of its bullpen, but it's indicative of the Indians' disappointing year, in that bad judgment (as well as bad luck) was an important part of the equation.
At the outset of the season, the Indians' bullpen looked like this: closer Bob Wickman; setup man Guillermo Mota; middle relievers Rafael Betancourt, Matt Miller, Fernando Cabrera and Danny Graves; left-hander Scott Sauerbeck.
Mota, Graves and Sauerbeck failed to keep their jobs because of poor performance.
Graves remains at Triple-A Buffalo and could enter the picture as a spring-training hopeful, but it's doubtful you will see him pitch for the Indians again.
Sauerbeck struggled on the mound and was busted by police, when he and a woman companion were infamously found hiding in the bushes behind a stranger's house long after midnight in a far west-side suburb of Cleveland.
Mota's malfunctions were particularly distressing, because he was anointed setup man the moment he was traded from the Boston Red Sox. It's still not clear why he was awarded such lofty status only two days after Shapiro canceled the deal based on the results of Mota's physical exam.
At any rate, Mota struggled almost from his first pitch and was relegated to far less demanding roles and finally to warming up in the bullpen, which became his only duty. His stock sunk so low, he was impossible to trade, forcing Shapiro to designate him for assignment Aug. 11.
Miller hurt his elbow in April, underwent surgery and might return to the roster for what amounts to a September tryout.
Wickman was traded to the Atlanta Braves in July, as the Indians implicitly surrendered to reality, and Shapiro tried to obtain promising youngsters for players who were not going to be part of the future.
For no apparent reason, Cabrera has struggled with his control the whole season. Last year at this time, he deservedly was touted as a future setup man or closer. You will not hear those words in connection with his name now, yet his stuff remains far above average.
Betancourt has been wildly inconsistent. Just when you think he has conquered the demons, he plunges back into the abyss.
During the five seasons Shapiro has been GM, he has repeatedly said that assembling a bullpen is a tricky enterprise fraught with danger, and that is true. Finding relievers who can retire batters consistently from season to season is no easy job.
Obviously, skill plays a part in picking the right pitchers but so does good fortune. It's clear that Shapiro made some bad choices (Graves, Mota), but he didn't have much luck either (Miller, Sauerbeck, Betancourt, Cabrera). Wickman, as usual, did his job. He was the only member of the original 2006 bullpen who did.
The current corps of relievers is mostly a group of young wannabes, which has no chance of returning intact next year. There is no designated closer or setup man, no left-hander, no pitcher assigned to work the seventh inning.
Betancourt and Cabrera are still around, but their futures are clouded. However, Cabrera is out of options, and his arm is too good to risk a visit to the waiver wire next spring.
Despite his early blowups, Fausto Carmona remains a candidate to close in 2007, but don't bet that it will happen. He might return to being a starter or even take up residence as a setup man.
In his brief time with the club, Brian Sikorski has displayed a live arm and a tendency to give up home runs that keep him from pitching at the back end of the bullpen. However, he has a chance to stick next year.
Andrew Brown and Tom Mastny are only beginning their auditions, so it's impossible to predict their chances for 2007.
Jason Davis will be out of options next season. Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge must find out now if and where he fits into the bullpen (apparently starting is no longer an option), before he turns into the next Brandon Phillips.
My guess is that Betancourt won't be back. Everyone else in the current bullpen will be given a shot. But that begins Shapiro's chores.
Undoubtedly, the GM will begin a worldwide search for a closer. But this time, he will not have Wickman to fall back on, if he is unable to make a trade or sign a free agent.
The pickings for veteran free-agent closers will be slim, unless Shapiro wants to take a chance on a pitcher who has suffered a major injury in the recent past: Eric Gagne, Keith Foulke, Troy Percival and Dustin Hermanson. OK, so none of these guys get your adrenaline flowing.
How about the relievers who probably are far over the hill: Jose Mesa and Eddie Guardado. Hey, I said they were over the hill.
There has been some talk about obtaining Octavio Dotel, who has had success as a setup man but was a bust as a closer. Mike Timlin might be adequate for a year, but he's 40 years old.
Below the closer level, prospects are better. For a change, there are qualified left-handers on the market: Steve Kline, Dennys Reyes and Jamie Walker. J.C. Romero has struggled this year but had success earlier.
Available right-handers with credible resumes include Francisco Cordero, Scott Williamson and possibly Cliff Politte, who was recently released by the Chicago White Sox. But Politte has had a nightmarish season and might be nursing a shoulder injury.
Then there's former Tribesman David Riske, who has pitched relatively well.
Don't like these options? Maybe Shapiro doesn't either, at least as it applies to a closer. He might opt for a trade. If so, a deal probably will be costly in salary paid and talent lost.
Growing one's own closer usually is a good idea. But for the Indians, if it's not Carmona, then who?
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ABJ

8/20/06

New reliever saves game

Tom Mastny holds Devil Rays scoreless in eighth and ninth innings

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Who does Tom Mastny think he is?
He's lucky to be a household name in his own house. Most diehard Indians fans probably have never heard of him.
Even now that he has thrown 6 1/3 innings in the big leagues, he is not exactly on SportsCenter's radar screen. Then again, after pitching the eighth and ninth innings Saturday night, maybe he is about to receive at least a little attention.
That's because he preserved a win -- 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- something the relief corps has failed to do repeatedly since the trade of Bob Wickman to the Atlanta Braves a month ago.
Fausto Carmona, Jason Davis, Fernando Cabrera, Rafael Betancourt and Brian Sikorski all have struggled to finish games. So this Mastny fellow comes out of nowhere to do the job.
Is he for real? Obviously, it's far to early to tell.
Indians manager Eric Wedge was asked if he felt better about the situation now that someone, anyone, has earned a save.
``I feel better about it today,'' he said. ``I feel better about the way Tom got it done today. So we'll see what happens tomorrow.''
Mastny retired the side in order in the eighth. In the ninth, he gave up a one-out single to Tomas Perez then struck out the final two batters, giving him three strikeouts in all.
Of course, he will get another chance, though Wedge wasn't sure he would use Mastny today after he threw two innings Saturday night.
Having to sit in the bullpen while chaos raged probably made it more difficult when Mastny got his chance, though he said, ``It's not harder. Maybe that's in the back of your mind, but you don't think about it. You try not to think about it.''
When Mastny walked out of the dugout for the ninth, he was intercepted by his catcher, Victor Martinez.
``Victor did a good job calming me down,'' Mastny said. ``He said, `Stick with me,' and I had confidence in him.''
Did Mastny need to be calmed down?
``My heart was beating a little faster,'' he said. ``But it's still baseball. I've done it for 20 years.
``The ninth inning is a different entity, though. The crowd is louder; you've got a little more adrenaline going. So you just have to try and relax.''
Jeremy Sowers (5-3, 3.48 ERA), who pitched six innings and earned the win, was Mastny's teammate at Kinston, Akron and Buffalo.
``Tom's composure and mound presence are extremely good,'' he said. ``And he throws strikes. Every time he's had a chance, he's been successful, and he puts the ball in the bottom of the zone.''
Considering Sowers' aversion to walks, he probably stayed up all night trying to figure out exactly why he issued four free passes in six innings.
In the first nine starts of his big-league career, Sowers averaged only 1.53 walks per nine innings, an achievement of high order for a veteran, let alone a rookie.
Saturday night, Sowers had good reason to be upset with himself, beyond the abstract notion that walks are bad for pitchers.
In the first inning, the only inning in which Sowers was vulnerable, he walked leadoff batter Rocco Baldelli, then two outs later, walked Johnny Gomes. Both runners scored when Dioner Navarro doubled.
Two walks, two runs. If Sowers had been in kindergarten, the teacher might have made him stand in the corner. But Sowers is a grownup and understands about living with the consequences of his own actions.
``That was a very good lesson I learned by walking two guys in the first inning, with both of them scoring,'' Sowers said. ``The way I pitch, especially -- I'm not going to strike guys out -- the more base runners, the more trouble I'm going to be in.''
Walks made life a little more difficult for Sowers, but they were downright lethal to Devil Rays starter Tim Corcoran (4-5, 4.13 ERA), who was forced to abandon the mound after only four innings, because he had thrown 85 pitches.
Surely, Corcoran could have thrown more. But he walked five batters, and even though the Tribe did not capitalize on any of the walks, Rays manager Joe Maddon didn't want to press his luck.
The Indians scored in only one inning against Corcoran, the fourth, when Jhonny Peralta drove in two runs with a two-out double, and Joe Inglett followed with an RBI single.
Travis Hafner homered for the fourth run in the seventh, and Andy Marte doubled home the final Tribe run in the eighth.
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[exhawg]

It looks like Andy Marte finally might be getting used to the majors.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/21/06

`Veterans' come through for Tribe

Hafner, Peralta lead young Indians lineup over lowly Devil Rays

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Mastny has come long way
• Tribe trades struggling reliever Mota to Mets
• MLB notebook: Mets' Glavine might have blood clot
• `Veterans' come through for Tribe

<!-- begin body-content -->ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - The lineup used by the Indians to confront the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday totaled 10.6 years of major-league service.
That's for all nine players. Combined. Including wizened veteran ``Pronk, don't call me Travis'' Hafner, who homered for the third day in a row.
Not that inexperience was a handicap for the Tribe, which throttled the Devil Rays 9-4 at Tropicana Field.
The fact that Hafner, with 3.8 years of service time, Jhonny Peralta (2.4 years) and Grady Sizemore (2.08 years) were the only players with more than one major-league season on their resumes didn't mean a thing.
``A lot of good things happened for these young guys today,'' manager Eric Wedge said, and added there was no particular method to his madness.
``It's really where we are right now,'' he said. ``We have a lot of young players, and a lot of them are going to take advantage of this opportunity.''
Despite the presence of six rookies, who certainly did their part to vanquish the Devil Rays, the Indians breezed to an easy win. But it was the workmanship of the veterans who led the way on offense.
Hafner hit his 38th homer in the third inning and doubled off one of the circular catwalks high above the field to which the ballpark lights are attached.
``I think that ball might have been caught on the warning track,'' Hafner said. ``So it was nice to get a double out of it. I wasn't really watching the ball. I watched the outfielder, and he stopped, so I knew something was going on.''
It was the seventh ball this season that struck one of the three catwalks in play.
Hafner's only RBI raised his season total to 110, a career best. His previous high was 109 in 2004.
Another impressive game to be sure. But Hafner was not the offensive star for the Tribe. That honor went to much-maligned Jhonny Peralta, who has been castigated by the fans, in the media and by Wedge, mostly for his careless play at shortstop.
But Peralta also has struggled at the plate. Coming into Sunday's game, he was batting .249 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI.
He did not struggle Sunday, capping a five-run sixth inning by walloping the first grand slam of his career. He also singled in the third, making him 4-for-6 with seven RBI and two sacrifice bunts in the past two games.
Peralta admitted to thinking about hitting the ball beyond the wall.
``Before I went up there, I saw that the bases were loaded,'' he said, ``and thought a grand slam wouldn't be too bad.''
Wedge took the opportunity to praise Peralta.
``I thought Jhonny played as good a game as we've seen him,'' he said. ``Obviously, he did the job on offense, but he also moved around well on defense and took charge out there.''
Wedge prefers not to put too much pressure on novices by using them in key spots in the lineup. But he installed Ryan Garko (15 days in the big leagues) as the cleanup hitter, and Garko responded by hitting his third homer and driving in another run with a single.
Garko scored three times and reached base five times, drawing two walks and getting hit with a pitch.
``I came to the park and saw my name in the four hole, and that's exciting,'' he said. ``That's kind of where you want to be this time of year. Coming up with the bases loaded and nobody out -- there's not a better spot to be in.''
Garko was accustomed to batting in the middle of the order throughout his minor-league career.
Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon remarked, ``Garko is turning into the `Mini Me' of Hafner.''
Kelly Shoppach (150 days in the majors) also had an impact afternoon in the dome, ripping a two-run double down the left-field line and getting two singles.
Indians starter Jake Westbrook delivered seven solid innings, giving up eight hits and two walks. He had to wriggle out of trouble a few times but gave up only one run after the third inning.
``Jake has been very consistent for us,'' Wedge said. ``He made some big pitches in the sixth and seventh to squash some opportunities.''
In the first three innings, Westbrook allowed two runs, five hits and one walk before settling down.
``The Metrodome and here are not my favorite places to pitch,'' Westbrook said. ``As a ground-ball pitcher, I'm not big on these artificial surfaces.''
Nevertheless, Westbrook lifted his record to 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA at Tropicana Field.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/21/06

Mastny has come long way

New closer was starter when traded in 2004

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Until the 2005 season, Tom Mastny was a starter. Period.
After he was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Indians for popular reserve infielder John McDonald on Dec. 14, 2004, things began to change.
As both Mastny and former Class A Kinston manager Luis Rivera -- now the Tribe's first-base coach -- recall, there were too many starters and not enough vacancies in the Kinston rotation as spring training 2005 wound down.
Starter Billy Traber was coming back from an injury and was sent to Kinston on a rehabilitation assignment, and the team had recently acquired starter Ronald ``Bear'' Bay from the Chicago Cubs.
That left Mastny in the bullpen, though he did make 11 starts for Kinston and three for the Aeros last season.
``Mastny was a priority pitcher for us, though,'' Rivera said on Sunday. ``He pitched almost as many innings a week as a starter.''
The ``priority'' designation meant the organization thought he had a future in the big leagues.
``I was fine with it,'' Mastny said. ``Whatever. As long as I was still playing, it was OK.''
Until Saturday night, only members of the Tribe hierarchy had any interest in the details of Mastny's minor-league career. After he earned his first major-league save and the Indians' second since the trade of Bob Wickman on July 20, Mastny's stock climbed.
Many players feel rejected when they are traded for the first time. Not Mastny.
``I looked at it the other way around, that Cleveland wanted me,'' he said. ``I was the player to be named, and they had a list to pick from and chose me. So I figured I was somebody they liked.''
Mastny isn't quite what manager Eric Wedge was expecting.
``We knew he threw a lot of strikes, but his secondary stuff is better than we anticipated,'' Wedge said. ``The fact he wasn't in (big-league) camp shows how far he's come, and the way he pitched (Saturday) says a lot about his mental toughness.''
How good is Mastny's command?
``He can hit the outside corner with his fastball any time he wants,'' Rivera said ``And I mean down in the zone.''
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ABJ

8/21/06

NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - Tribe trades struggling
reliever Mota to Mets
Reliever Guillermo Mota, designated for assignment Aug. 11, was traded to the New York Mets on Sunday for a player to be named or cash.
According to a Mets official, the Tribe was to pay $415,000 of the remaining $690,000 Mota is owed. The Indians are to receive a player from the Mets' farm system by Sept. 29.
Mota never was able to live up to the demands of being a setup man. Even when he was asked to perform less demanding duties, he struggled. In 34 appearances, he posted a 1-3 record and 6.21 ERA.
GROWING UP -- From his freshman to his senior year in high school, Tom Mastny grew nine inches, to 6-foot-4. He added two more inches at Furman University.
ROTATION CHANGES -- The Kansas City Royals revamped their rotation for the three-game set beginning Tuesday night. It will be Odalis Perez (0-1, 5.32 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (10-8, 4.61 ERA), followed by Jorge De La Rosa (1-1, 5.89 ERA) vs. Paul Byrd (8-6, 4.55 ERA) Wednesday night, and Mark Redman (7-8, 5.79 ERA) against C.C. Sabathia (8-8, 3.29 ERA) Thursday night.
FARM FACTS -- In his first start since being promoted from Lake County, J.D. Martin threw four scoreless innings, giving up two hits, as Kinston beat Potomac 6-1 in Class A.... Maximiliano Ramirez singled twice and drove in three runs in Lake County's 4-2 win over Lexington in Class A.... Richard Fairchild (4-3, 4.67 ERA) gave up two hits and no runs, as Burlington beat Bluefield 5-0 in Rookie League. Jerad Head hit his eighth home run.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

8/21/06

Westbrook again reaches double figures
Monday, August 21, 2006 <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]INDIANS NOTEBOOK ANDY CALL[/FONT]
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>

Jake Westbrook has won at least 10 games the last three seasons for the Indians.​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Jake Westbrook claims that statistics are not a big priority for him.
But, it appears, his numbers at the end of this season are going to look pretty good once again.
Westbrook reached double digits in wins for the third consecutive year Sunday when he pitched the Indians past Tampa Bay, 9-4, at Tropicana Field. Westbrook (10-8) allowed three runs over seven innings while lowering his season ERA to 4.18.
The 28-year-old right-hander won 15 games last year and 14 in 2004.
“You’d like to win as many games as you’d possibly can, but you know you can pitch well and lose,” Westbrook said. “Things just happen in baseball. If you get caught up in wins, you’ll be frustrated.”
Westbrook could easily be a frustrated young man. He has pitched in seven games this season in which the Tribe has scored three runs or fewer. He has persevered, however, with a 3.36 ERA over his last 15 starts. He has worked seven innings or more in each of his last five starts and 11 times overall.
“Jake has been very consistent for us,” Manager Eric Wedge said. “He was very good again today. He made some big pitches in the sixth and seventh (innings) to really squash some opportunities for (Tampa Bay).”
Westbrook struggled a bit early, allowing five hits in the first three innings, then settled in and allowed just one hit over a stretch of 14 batters.
“I’m not a huge fan of the Metrodome or here,” Westbrook said. “I’m a ground ball pitcher and it’s a hard surface. But it was nice to go deep into the game and give us a chance to win.”

COMING UP The Indians are idle today, then travel to Kansas City for three games beginning Tuesday.
MATCHING UP The pitching matchups for the Kansas City series — Tuesday, Cliff Lee (10-8, 4.61) vs. Odalis Perez (0-1, 5.32); Wednesday, Paul Byrd (8-6, 4.55) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (1-1, 5.89); Thursday, C.C. Sabathia (8-8, 3.29) vs. Mark Redman (7-8, 5.79).
MOTA TO METS The Indians traded relief pitcher Guillermo Mota and cash to the New York Mets on Sunday for a player to be named or cash. Cleveland must decide on the player by Sept. 29. The Mets will pick up $275,000 of the approximately $690,000 still remaining on Mota’s contract for this year. Mota was designated for assignment by the Indians on Aug. 11.
LOUSY WHEN LOADED Tampa Bay’s pitchers are allowing opponents to hit .382 with the bases loaded this season. The only big-league pitching staff that has been less successful with the bases loaded is Cleveland’s (.423).
WHO’S HOT Ryan Garko is 8-for-24 (.333) since Aug. 12.
WHO’S NOT Shin-Soo Choo has two hits in his last 21 at-bats (.095).
BOONE BOOSTERS A New York Yankees fan in Tampa held up a sign during batting practice that read, “NY loves Babe, Bucky, Buckner and Boone.” Indians third baseman Aaron Boone hit the game-winning home run for New York against Boston in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series.
LET’S PITCH TWO Tom Mastny on Saturday recorded the first two-inning save for an Indians reliever since Rafael Betancourt on Sept. 22 of last year.
ON THE FARM Three rookie-league Single-A Burlington pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout Saturday in a 5-0 win over Bluefield. Richard Fairchild (4-3, 4.67 ERA) allowed two hits over five innings and was followed by Scott Sumner (2.08) and Nathan Bunton (1.85). They combined to walk two and strike out 11.

Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

[NFBuck]

At least we're beginning to see some improvement in the last couple weeks...too little, too late obviously, but it's something. Hopefully the front office will be agressive in the offseason and fill some of these holes and we can put this disaster of a season behind us.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/22/06

Indians notebook

Westbrook is not one for statistics

Indians' pitcher not looking to accomplish any personal goals, even with playoffs out of picture

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->With any realistic hopes of playing in the postseason long gone, isn't it time for the Indians to think about individual goals?
Not according to Jake Westbrook.
``I can't really worry about that,'' he said. ``I'd like to win as many games as I can. But the way the game is, you can pitch well and still lose. So if I get caught up in wins and losses, all I'll do is end up getting frustrated.''
Westbrook won a career-best 15 games last year and 14 the previous season. At the moment, he is 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA.
Given the volatility of the Tribe bullpen and the number of rookies in the lineup, it will be difficult, but hardly impossible, for Westbrook to win 15 again.
With the likelihood of eight more starts, he has a chance to tie or surpass his previous career high, but he clearly understands that winning and losing is dependent on more than his own skill.
``A lot of it has to do with pitching on the right day,'' he said.
How about shooting for a career-low ERA? Westbrook's current ERA is his second best, behind the 3.38 figure he posted in 2004, when he compiled a 14-9 record.
Impressed
After watching designated hitter Travis Hafner go 5-for-12 with three home runs and a double in the weekend series against his Tampa Bay Devil Rays, manager Joe Maddon said, ``He's in a league that plays beyond this league. If there was a Hyper Baseball League, he'd be the DH.''
All the weapons
Unlike many relievers, who stick with two pitches, former minor-league starter Tom Mastny uses four: four-seam fastball, sinker, curve and change-up.
``I still warm up like a starter,'' he said. ``I want to get a feel for all four pitches. Sometimes you get in a game and you don't have one or two of them.''
Far too early
Despite being only the second Tribe reliever in a month to save a game, Mastny is not necessarily being counted on as the solution to Tribe manager Eric Wedge's bullpen woes.
``Nothing is going to be solidified for us in the ninth inning right now,'' he said.
Been there, done that
When first baseman Ryan Garko batted in the cleanup spot Sunday -- hitting a solo homer and an RBI single -- it was hardly the first time he had dealt with the pressure of performing in the middle of a lineup.
Throughout the minors and in college, Garko was accustomed to batting third, fourth or fifth.
``Whether you hit eighth or fourth, you have to put up good at-bats,'' he said. ``Plus Eric said he probably would mix and match guys in the lineup, so it might be a while before I hit fourth again.''
Other stuff
In 12 career games at Tropicana Field, Hafner is batting .396 and has hit seven homers.... Since the All-Star Game, Hafner has 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 36 games, most in the American League.... With 11 grand slams in 2006, the Tribe is one away from tying the franchise record set in 1999.... Devil Rays pitchers threw 208 pitches Sunday, compared to 141 by the Indians.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/22/06

Minor-league report

Tribe draft pick playing with heavy heart

Grandmother was super fan to Indians' second-round choice

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NILES - Nearly every game, from Little League through college ball, Stella Morales was in the stands, cheering loudly, for her grandson Josh Rodriguez, a second-round draft pick (57th overall) for the Indians in June from Rice University.
If there was any doubt how much her 26 grandchildren meant to her, consider that the first airplane flight Morales took was earlier this year to see Rodriguez play in a baseball tournament in California.
``Ever since I can remember, my grandmother was always at my games,'' said Rodriguez, a utility man for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. ``It didn't matter if it was baseball, football or basketball. She was there.''
Rodriguez's large family is tightknit. Staying close to his native Houston by attending Rice only made the bond between he and his grandmother stronger.
``My grandmother kept the family together,'' Rodriguez, 21, said. ``She took care of all the grandchildren. When I was growing up, in the summers she would take care of my sister and me along with five or six of my cousins.''
That's why this year has been bittersweet for Rodriguez. Just as his dream of playing professional baseball was coming true, his grandmother died of cancer at age 69.
``She began to get ill at the beginning of my junior season,'' he said. ``We knew she was pretty sick toward the end of the season. Later in the same day I got drafted, she was diagnosed with cancer in her kidneys.''
It wasn't long after Rodriguez had completed contract negotiations with the Tribe and reported to Mahoning Valley in July that he was summoned home.
``We were on the road when I got a call from my family,'' he said. ``My grandmother was in the hospital, and she wasn't doing well. As soon as I flew in, I went right to the hospital to see her.... She seemed to be pretty good to me. She put on a good front for all of us.''
Morales died three days later.
``Josh has been taking it well, but you can tell that emotionally, he's still not 100 percent,'' Scrappers manager Rouglas Odor said. ``He's a pretty quiet kid who doesn't say much anyway. But inside the lines, he's a leader.''
As for Rodriguez's baseball skills, Odor had an early look.
``He was drafted before the College World Series, so I was scouting him, knowing he'd be with us,'' he said. ``My first thought was, `Wow! This kid can play.' ''
In 28 games with the Scrappers, Rodriguez is batting .248 with 16 RBI while rotating between second base and shortstop.
``Josh is an advanced college player,'' Indians scouting director John Mirabelli said. ``Because he comes from a top college program that has played in the College World Series, and with the experience he has with Team USA, he has competed on some pretty big stages.''
The biggest challenge for the Tribe regarding Rodriguez's development will be determining his best position. He has proved he can play a solid middle infield.
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ABJ

8/27/06

Minor-league report

New Indians hopefuls starting careers in Mahoning Valley

Players not well-known, but there is talent on rise

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NILES - They conduct contests featuring frozen T-shirts and boast promotions touting free hair removal for a fan with the hairiest back.
While there's no music allowed during batting practice, there's usually plenty of good-natured ribbing in the batting cages between offerings from pitching coach Ken Rowe.
This is Mahoning Valley, home of the short-season Class-A Scrappers, where the newest group of Indians hopefuls play in a 6,000-seat stadium nestled behind a mall.
The names aren't household variety yet, but it might not be long before left-hander David Huff, catcher Matt McBride and utility man Josh Rodriguez get noticed.
``Right now, it doesn't feel a whole lot different than being in college,'' said Rodriguez, a second-round draft pick (57th overall) from Rice University. ``But it's still exciting to have finally made it.''
That's also how pitching for the first time professionally felt for Huff, the Tribe's top pick in the June draft (39th overall). With his contract negotiations taking longer then expected, he went more than five weeks without pitching competitively between the end of the college season at UCLA and his first outing for the Scrappers a week ago.
``After a month and a half, I'm just glad to be back out there,'' said Huff, who was 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 16 starts with the Bruins as a junior. ``But I guess I'm a little rusty, and I didn't throw as well as I wanted.''
In two outings, Huff is 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA. He has allowed five earned runs on seven hits and four walks.
McBride, drafted out of Lehigh University as a sandwich pick between the second and third rounds at 75th overall, didn't come as highly touted. McBride, 21, has started hot, however, hitting .296 in 38 games with nine doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI, which is tied for the team lead.
``It doesn't matter if you come from a small school,'' Scrappers manager Rouglas Odor said of McBride. ``If you have the talent and desire, you'll succeed. That's exactly what Matt has shown so far.''
``(McBride's) very athletic, runs well for a big guy and has a good arm,'' said John Mirabelli, assistant general manager for scouting operations. ``Right now, he's got a bit of a weakness in his throwing shoulder, so as a precaution we don't want to overdo it with him behind the plate until we get his shoulder built up through rehab.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

8/22/06

Sabathia weighs his future
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Andy Call REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>

Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia must decide after 2008 whether the Indians are his best chance for a World Series.​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

C.C. Sabathia is a grown man now — a man who thinks about the future rather than simply living for the moment.
The big left-hander was 20 when he first arrived in the big leagues with the Indians, a fun-loving kid who made a few of the mistakes that seem to accompany growing up. Today, he is 26, married with two children. He is putting up solid numbers (8-8, 3.29) for a bad team. The Indians gave him his first big contract last year. But when that contract expires in 2008, Sabathia will arrive at the an inevitable crossroads faced by All-Star caliber players.
The Indians will want him to stay. Another team will offer him more money. And Sabathia will face one of the toughest decisions of his career.
“I think about it a lot,” said Sabathia, who makes his next start Thursday in Kansas City, the finale of a three-game series that begins tonight. “It’s two years away, but that time can creep up on you pretty quick. It’s something I’ll have to deal with.”
The progression of Sabathia’s career to that point would be natural for a high-caliber pitcher. Two more victories this season will give him 79 in his career, pushing Sabathia into the No. 2 spot on the club’s all-time win list for left-handers behind Sam McDowell. Catching McDowell wasn’t the only motivation for Sabathia when he broke into the big leagues in 2001.
“When you’re young, you do play to get a contract, but it’s not your ultimate goal,” Sabathia said.
Money is no longer a problem. The three-year contract extension Sabathia signed last April will pay him more than $24.75 million through 2008.
Many veteran players, after becoming financially secure, change their priority to being able to play for a winning team. The Indians haven’t qualified for the postseason since Sabathia’s rookie year and have sunk to fourth place in the Central Division this summer with a 56-67 record.
“There does come a time in your career when your focus becomes winning a World Series,” Sabathia said. “If you have the opportunity to put yourself in that position, why not?”
Sabathia then answered his own question. The current direction of the team would seem to indicate that his odds of playing in a World Series might be better elsewhere.
“That would be a really, really tough decision, because I’ve been here so long,” Sabathia said. “I’ve been with the Indians since I was 17.
“It’s the only thing I know. I have a lot of relationships, a lot of friendships. My family is comfortable in Cleveland. But (winning) will definitely be a part of my decision as well.”
Could Sabathia stay in Cleveland and still play for a winner? It’s a question the Indians front office will need to address before next season, certainly before Sabathia’s contract and Travis Hafner’s contract option both expire two years from now.
The team has taken some positive steps by signing Sabathia, Hafner, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Jhonny Peralta and Grady Sizemore to long-term contracts. The Indians rank among the league leaders in runs scored and starting pitching but have been done in by poor defense, relief pitching and a garden variety of ill-timed mental mistakes.
“I really don’t think this team can stay like this too long,” Sabathia said. “If we take the core we have and add a few people, I feel like we can get back (to the playoffs). When I look at the future, I don’t think about our team being like this.”
Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail: [email protected]

Indians at Royals
8:10 p.m. today
Kaufman Stadium
TV SportsTime Ohio
scheduled starters
Cliff Lee (10-8, 4.61) vs. Odalis Perez (0-1, 5.32)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/23/06

Teahen trips up Indians
Royals third baseman goes 4 for 4 with homer and scores winning run

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Doug Tucker
ASSOCIATED PRESS
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Hector Luna of the Indians is tagged out by Royals catcher John Buck at first base after a rundown on a failed steal attempt. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mark Teahen is doing his best to make the Carlos Beltran trade turn out well for the Kansas City Royals after all.
A key in the deal that sent the All-Star center fielder to Houston, Teahen was thought to be a bust when he was shipped down to triple-A this spring hitting a paltry .195.
However, a month in Omaha apparently did wonders. After going 4 for 4 last night in the Royals’ 5-2 victory over Cleveland, the slender third baseman is hitting .295.
"He’s an impressive young player," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "He’s a great example of somebody that’s worked hard."
Teahen had a home run and two doubles and scored the go-ahead run on Victor Martinez’s throwing error, helping Odalis Perez (1-1) get his first victory in four months. Teahen also had two stolen bases.
"You go through the minors always being a good player," he said. "Then you get here and I struggled through last year and struggled the first month (this year). I think it was good for me to get there and regain that confidence that I’m a good ballplayer."
In his past 13 games, he’s scored 10 runs and driven in eight while hitting six doubles and three home runs.
"I didn’t change a whole lot mechanically," Teahen said. "I just got comfortable with what I was doing and got some confidence. I’ve just been building that more or less ever since I got back."
Perez gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings for his first victory as a starter since April 21 when he beat Arizona while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Teahen hit a two-run homer in the first inning and then hustled out his second double in the sixth. He bolted for an attempted steal of third a moment later and came home, making it 3-2, when Martinez’s throw sailed a couple of feet over the head of third baseman Andy Marte.
"The guy got a good jump," Wedge said. "Victor tried to rush a little bit and got underneath the ball."
Travis Hafner was 3 for 4 with two doubles to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
Cliff Lee (10-9) gave up three runs and five hits in six innings, taking his first loss in five career decisions in Kansas City.
Lee, whose 18 wins last season were the most by a Cleveland lefty since 1988, came into the game 4-0 with a 3.67 ERA in seven starts in Kansas City. He had two walks and struck out five, matching his highest total since striking out seven against the Royals on May 18 — 17 starts ago.
Like his manager, Lee is impressed with Teahen, especially the way he hit his opposite-field two-run homer in the first. "I gave up a leadoff double, got the next two guys and made what I thought was a good pitch to Teahen," Lee said. "A firstpitch home run. He hit it the other way. You’ve got to tip your cap to him. He’s locked in right now."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/23/06

Blake might play by the weekend

Veteran will field ground balls, fly balls today

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->KANSAS CITY, MO. - Contrary to earlier reports, Casey Blake rejoined the Indians today instead of continuing his workouts in Cleveland.
Blake has been on the disabled list with a sprained ankle since Aug. 6 and appears to be within days of being activated.
``I'm doing pretty much everything,'' he said on Tuesday. ``I'm running, throwing and hitting. I took early hitting today and did my running program. I've also done some cut 60s, which is like doing figure eights.
``I don't feel like I've been babying the ankle or favoring it.''
Blake hasn't taken ground balls or fly balls, but he will today.
He also will run the bases.
Head trainer Lonnie Soloff clarified Blake's program.
``This is a two-day thing where he'll take ground balls and fly balls,'' Soloff said. ``After that, we'll see. Casey could come back by Friday, but that would be the earliest.''
Tribe officials will make a roster move to accommodate Blake's return. He will not have to wait until Sept. 1, when rosters can be expanded to 40.
``When Casey is ready,'' Wedge said, ``we're getting him back.''
It's doubtful that Blake will have to go on a rehab assignment in the minors before he is activated.
``We haven't talked it out yet, but he probably won't,'' Wedge said.
Wedge isn't sure where Blake will play and how often. When he got hurt, Blake was the everyday right fielder.
But Shin-Soo Choo was acquired from the Seattle Mariners, and Wedge needs to see him in right on an extended basis. Consequently, Blake might play the outfield part time and fill in at first or third.
What has been the most difficult part of being on the DL for him?
``You just feel like you're not part of the team,'' Blake said. ``You can't do anything to help.''
First slump
Choo has cooled off considerably after a torrid start, going 5-for-30 in his past eight games. That probably was to be expected from a rookie.
``He didn't have any other way to go after that start,'' Wedge said. ``He looks like he's trying to do too much. He's overswinging.''
The past few games, a TV crew and a sportswriter from his native Korea have been following Choo, which might add to the pressure he faces in his first extended big-league trial.
``I don't know,'' Wedge said. ``I know I talked to an editor of a paper in Seoul, Korea. I don't know how much of that he's had in the past.''
Late scratch
Grady Sizemore has a sore back and was replaced in the lineup during batting practice.
Hector Luna took his place in center field and at the top of the order. Missing the entire game would end Sizemore's consecutive game streak of 157.
Got it
The baseball Jhonny Peralta hit for his first career grand slam at Tampa Bay was recovered for him.
``I have some stuff from the minors that I kept,'' he said. ``I also have the ball I hit for my 24th (and final) home run last year.''
Farm facts
Adam Miller made a spot start at Triple-A Buffalo, giving up three runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings in a 4-3 loss to Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Miller is scheduled to return to the rotation for the Aeros.... Joe Ness (9-5, 3.68 ERA) gave up two runs in seven innings, but Kinston lost 5-3 to Frederick in Class A. Jose Constanza got three hits to raise his average to .329.... Frank Hermann gave up one run in five innings but did not get the decision in Lake County's 3-2 loss to Lexington in Class A.... Luis Valdez (6-4, 2.14 ERA) yielded one run and four hits in six innings but Mahoning Valley lost 1-0 to Batavia in Class A.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/24/06

Tribe undoes nine-run deficit

RBI single by Garko in 10th brings victory

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->KANSAS CITY, MO. - It probably will take a while for this one to get on ESPN Classic. Then again, it depends what they're looking for.
Chevy Chase and maybe even Charlie Chaplin would have envied the moments of slapstick. If your misplaced reference point is baseball at the highest professional level, keep in mind that these teams are a combined 47 games under .500.
Of course, it's a lot easier to see the humor when you're on the winning side. Even though for most of the game the joke was on the Indians, they rallied from nine runs down to beat the Kansas City Royals 15-13 in 10 innings Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
It was a long climb, but Ryan Garko's RBI single with two outs in the 10th drove in Grady Sizemore with the game winner. Hector Luna then singled to drive in an insurance run.
It was Luna's fourth hit and fourth RBI.
Then there was the matter of keeping the lead. Tom Mastny was summoned from the bullpen to pitch the 10th. After giving up a leadoff single, Mastny retired the side for his second save.
Despite the deep hole the Indians dug for themselves, they rallied for four runs in the ninth to tie the score at 13. All they needed were RBI doubles by Victor Martinez, Garko and Luna, plus a pinch-hit RBI triple by Shin-Soo Choo.
The Tribe had to fall on its sword more than once to allow the Royals to leap to their huge lead. For example, take the first inning, please.
The Royals scored 10 runs, banged out 11 hits and sent 15 batters to the plate against Paul Byrd and Jason Davis. But guess what? If not for Garko's failure to catch an accurate throw from Byrd, the damage would have been limited to three runs.
Mark Grudzielanek reached after Byrd executed an athletic play to field a bouncer and make a throw to first that dinged off the middle of Garko's glove.
But Byrd can hardly hold Garko responsible for all seven unearned runs, since he had plenty of opportunity to end the inning. Among the key hits in the first were Mike Sweeney's three-run homer and Joey Gathright's two-run triple.
After the 11th batter had come to the plate, nine of whom scored, Byrd was mercifully led away by manager Eric Wedge, who gave Davis the ball. Before he could retire the third out of the inning, he gave up two singles and an RBI double.
Byrd was charged with 10 runs (three earned) and nine hits in making the Tribe's briefest start since Chad Durbin pitched two-thirds of an inning in August 2004 against the White Sox.
At that point, who would have guessed the fun was just beginning.
The Indians chipped away at the 10-1 lead (Travis Hafner homered in the first). Aaron Boone and Sizemore slammed consecutive home runs in the third, and the Tribe added three more runs in the fourth.
If you're keeping score at home, that made it 10-6 with more to come. Luna's double in the fifth fixed the score at 10-7, and Jason Michaels doubled two runs home in the sixth to trim the deficit to 10-9.
The Indians had the Royals on the run. It would be only a matter of time until the Tribe finished orchestrating the collapse.
But a funny thing happened on the way to nirvana: In the bottom of the sixth, the Cleveland bullpen reared its ugly head, abetted by a fallen soldier in left field.
Fausto Carmona retired the side in order in the fifth but gave up a leadoff single to Mark Teahen and an RBI double to Sweeney in the sixth and left the scene.
Fernando Cabrera took over. One out later, Ryan Shealy lifted a fly to deep left. Michaels had it all the way but suddenly fell in a heap, the ball bouncing away for an RBI double.
By the time order was restored and three outs were recorded, the Royals had added three runs to their lead, taking the air out of the Cleveland offense, which quit the fight until there was one out in the ninth.
Teahen continued to be a plague on the Tribe. In the series' first two games, he hit safely eight consecutive times then walked in seventh. Finally, in the ninth, he struck out.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

8/24/06

Sizemore streak not problem . . . so far

Center fielder's stretch of consecutive games played could get to point where it grabs too much attention

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->KANSAS CITY, MO. - Cal Ripken Jr. can sleep soundly. So can Miguel Tejada. Neither should worry about hard-charging Grady Sizemore.
That's because no matter how many doubles Sizemore hits, or how energized he is running to first base, he can only play one game at a time.
Ripken, of course, holds the record for consecutive games played with 2,632. Tejada is the active leader with 1,044 consecutive games.
Including Wednesday night, Sizemore will have played in 159 consecutive games, after narrowly keeping the streak going Tuesday night, when he was not in the lineup because of a sore back.
But with the Indians trailing Kansas City 5-2 in the ninth inning, manager Eric Wedge summoned Sizemore as a pinch hitter, preserving the streak.
``I didn't have a pregame feeling about getting him in the game,'' Wedge said on Wednesday. ``It was just the situation.''
The question arises whether it's wise to allow a lengthy playing streak to get a head of steam. Once the streak goes far enough, nobody wants to be the one to stop it, even though most, if not all players, perform better if they have an occasional day off.
``If we felt like it (the streak) would work against Grady's overall production, we'd give him more days off,'' said Wedge, who was noncommittal about whether at some point he would sit Sizemore down to avoid the inevitable consequences of keeping a streak alive.
When Wedge thinks someone needs a day off, he sometimes will get the player's input.
``If you ask Grady, he'll say no, that he wants to play,'' Wedge said. ``So you might as well not ask.
``Some guys you just do it, you don't put their name in the lineup. Other guys, you will have a conversation with, tell them what you're doing out of respect.''
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ABJ

8/24/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->KANSAS CITY, MO. - Blake working his way
back during practice
Casey Blake (sprained ankle) took batting practice and fielded ground balls and fly balls.
``We're hoping he's good to go when we get back home,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``I'm optimistic about that.''
Wedge still isn't sure how he will use Blake.
``It won't be seven days a week,'' Wedge said. ``He'll play a combination of the outfield and first base.''
WHAT HAPPENED? -- Wedge feels that much of Jhonny Peralta's first-half problems at shortstop were a result of circumstance.
``The ball bounces funny,'' Wedge said. ``I think Jhonny has had more difficult plays this year. It seems like he's had more plays in big situations. His overall numbers aren't much different from last year.''
That said, Wedge has hardly let Peralta off the hook.
``We've been tough on him, and he's been tough on himself,'' Wedge said. ``It all goes along with the expectations for him.''
Peralta has not made an error in 33 games, going into Wednesday night's action.
FARM FACTS -- Jeremy Guthrie gave up three runs in six innings but did not get the decision in Triple-A Buffalo's 6-4 win over Scranton-Wilkes Barre.... Scott Lewis (3-3, 1.59 ERA) took the loss but gave up only one run in 5 2/3 innings, as Class-A Kinston fell 4-0 to Frederick.... Jeffrey Stevens (7-2, 3.98 ERA) allowed two runs in five innings, as Class-A Lake County defeated Lexington 5-2.... Dustin Realini hit his fourth home run of the year and added two singles plus six RBI in Class-A Mahoning Valley's 13-3 win over Jamestown. Matthew McBride raised his average to .317 with four hits.

-- Sheldon Ocker​

​

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/25/06

INDIANS 8 ROYALS 4
Marte delivers key hit to break tie in eighth

Friday, August 25, 2006

Sheldon Ocker
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHARLIE RIEDEL </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Indians catcher Victor Martinez stretches toward the stands to catch a foul pop in the sixth inning. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Marte, minor-league phenom, might be turning into Andy Marte, solid major-leaguer.
Nobody will know for certain for quite a while.
But from the moment, the Indians summoned him from triple-A on July 28, he has played an alert and athletic third base.
But this guy is supposed to be a hitter, first and foremost. Well, maybe he is.
Last night in Kauffman Stadium, Marte had his second three-hit night and first three-RBI game, as he triggered an 8-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.
With the score deadlocked at 4-all in the eighth, Hector Luna led off by slapping a ground ball to shortstop Angel Berroa, whose throw pulled Ryan Shealy off the bag for an error.
Franklin Gutierrez’s sacrifice bunt moved Luna to second, and Marte followed with his second double of the game to give the Indians the lead.
The game became a blowout in the ninth, when Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko hit back-to-back first-pitch homers, and Gutierrez singled home Luna, who had doubled.
In his past six games, Marte is 10 for 22 with five doubles, one home run and five RBI.
C.C. Sabathia started and pitched relatively well, though not as efficiently as in his previous four starts, in which he had a 1.45 ERA. But lest you think these outings were ultra successful, keep in mind his record in this span was only 1-1.
Last night, Sabathia (9-8, 3.30 ERA) gave up four runs (three earned) and 11 hits in eight innings and got the win.
His worst sin was giving up a two-out single to Esteban German in the fifth inning, followed by a home run to Mike Sweeney, longtime Tribe nemesis, who also went deep Wednesday night.
One night after conducting a clinic on how to produce clutch hits, the Indians struggled to score against Mark Redman.
The Indians had plenty of chances, even though Redman pitched only five innings. And it’s not as if the Indians were totally shut down by the lefthander, who yielded four runs, 10 hits and three walks.
But considering the number of opportunities compared to the number of runs produced, the Indians did a poor job. With one out and runners at first and second in the second inning, the Indians were able to score only once, when Luna bounced into a force play with Martinez on third.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Dispatch

8/25/06

Recent comments by Indians owner Paul Dolan and general manager Mark Shapiro that the team’s payroll would increase next season were good news for fans. Unfortunately, it’s obvious the team has enough deficiencies that it might take a sizable infusion of cash to get it back up to speed.
When the Indians traded closer Bob Wickman, Shapiro thought he had a closer in waiting in Fausto Carmona. Now, it seems just as clear that Carmona isn’t ready for that. Because the other auditions for the closer role also haven’t gone well, Shapiro will be forced to go looking for one in the free-agent market.
At this point, the market doesn’t look promising; most of the available closers (Keith Foulke, Eric Gagne, Troy Percival and Dustin Hermanson, to name a few) are guys with major injuries in their recent pasts. The rest of the bullpen will likely also need a major overhaul, and the Indians likely will go looking for a No. 3 hitter who can add 90 or 100 RBI to the lineup. Casey Blake’s flexibility — he can play third, first, left and right field — at least gives them some options. They can go looking for a big bopper without worrying too much about his position. A more important worry is what he will cost.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

8/26/06

INDIANS 4 TIGERS 2
Rookie Sowers learns on the job
Left-hander cruises through six innings, but team taking cautious approach

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><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>Jeremy Sowers was pulled after throwing only 85 pitches. Indians officials might try to limit his innings over the course of the rest of the season. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


CLEVELAND — Jeremy Sowers’ final pitch in the fifth inning was a 94 mph fastball past Craig Monroe. Sowers needed only nine pitches to retire the side in the sixth. Clearly, he was strong last night.
But the Cleveland Indians are beginning to look toward next season, so Sowers’ evening ended after six innings and 85 pitches. He watched from the dugout as relievers Fernando Cabrera and Rafael Betancourt finished off a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers.
While young standouts such as Francisco Liriano, Justin Verlander and Josh Johnson are dealing with injury or fatigue down the stretch, the Indians can afford to be cautious with their prized rookie. Sowers already has thrown 168 innings —8 1 /3 more than he threw last season — and it is unlikely the Indians will let him reach 200 and the injury risk that such a workload would represent.
He figures prominently in their plans for next season, and he showed why against the Tigers. Sowers allowed two runs in the second inning, then retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced. He did not walk a batter and only once went to a threeball count.
"I felt very good on the mound tonight, and I hope it continues," he said. "But September is uncharted territory for me.
"It’s going to be interesting. You just have to stick to your routine and grind it out."
Sowers is on track to make seven more starts, which would put him over 200 innings. Numerous studies of young pitchers, including a recent internal study by the Indians, have shown that the bigger the increase in innings from one season to the next, the greater the risk of injury in the following season; an increase of more than 30 innings is considered dangerous.
General manager Mark Shapiro declined to comment yesterday, saying via e-mail that he did not want Sowers to "start to worry about it and have it affect how he pitches."
The Indians could skip his turn once or twice in September. They could add Jeremy Guthrie to the rotation to build in extra days off for all the starters. Or they could simply limit Sowers’ effort in each of his outings. He has thrown fewer than 90 pitches in his past two starts and has not exceeded 100 pitches since a complete game July 28.
"We’re keeping a close eye on him," manager Eric Wedge said.
The Tigers have paid attention, as well. They scored two runs on four hits in the second inning, although only one of the hits was well-struck. The others were flares and bloops just beyond the infield, all on inside fastballs, a pitch Sowers threw with much success in previous starts.
After the second inning, he began throwing more off-speed pitches to the outside half of the plate. Once he got the Detroit hitters to look outside, Sowers went back inside.
That willingness and ability to adjust on the fly sets Sowers apart from most young pitchers. So too does his steady demeanor.
"As we’ve seen from Jeremy multiple times, he doesn’t let anything fluster him," Wedge said. "He keeps pitching."
Wedge wanted to give rookie reliever Tom Mastny a day off, so he used Cabrera for two innings and Betancourt in the ninth. They retired all nine batters they faced.
[email protected]

Dispatch

8/26/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK
Blake’s return from disabled list leads to shuffling of outfielders
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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CLEVELAND — Casey Blake was activated from the disabled list yesterday and inserted into the Indians lineup in right field, pushing Shin-Soo Choo to left field, Jason Michaels to the bench and Franklin Gutierrez to triple-A.
Rookie Ryan Garko, who was promoted from Buffalo to replace Blake three weeks ago, will remain the primary first baseman.
"He made that decision for us," manager Eric Wedge said.
Garko entered last night’s game hitting .339 with eight extra-base hits and 15 RBI in 17 games.
Wedge would not commit to anything, but it appears Michaels will be the odd man out. He was a backup outfielder for Philadelphia the previous three seasons, and he has been underwhelming in his first extended stint as an everyday player.
Meanwhile, newcomers such as Garko, Choo, Andy Marte, Joe Inglett and Hector Luna have shown enough promise to warrant longer looks.
"They definitely brought more energy," Wedge said. "We’re definitely more athletic than we were before. And they brought an aggressiveness."
Gutierrez is expected to return when Buffalo’s season ends Sept. 4.
Still smarting

When he suffered a twisted left ankle Aug. 5, Blake feared it was broken, or the ligaments torn. He had to be helped off the field by two trainers, and he was on crutches for a few days. But the injury was diagnosed as a sprain, and he returned to the lineup quicker than expected.
Which is not to say it has been smooth sailing the past three weeks.
"I got hammered at home by my brothers for getting taken off the field," Blake said .
Unassuming , but unbeaten

Tom Mastny is 6 feet 6, but his fastball rarely tops 91 mph, and he cannot grow facial hair, so he looks younger than his 25 years.
"I’m not really intimidating, I guess," he said with a smile. "All I’ve got is my size.
"Maybe it works to my advantage. Guys think I’m just going to lay it in there."
Whatever the reason, Mastny has struck out 12 of the 33 batters he has faced. Ten times he has been ahead in the count 0 and 2. That proficiency of throwing strikes is the main reason he has risen from fringe prospect to closer du jour.
Mastny saved two games on the recent nine-game trip and pitched the ninth inning of a third win.
"Obviously there’s a little more noise, a little more adrenaline," he said.
"I’m just trying to stay relaxed. From what I’ve seen, with the good closers you never see emotion out of them; you see intensity." [email protected]