Indians Tidbits (2007 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Lee is really struggling but I have a feeling he will get more consistent......

ABJ

Tigers 9, Indians 5

Tigers pounce on shaky Lee

Struggling left-hander lit up again; defense is disaster in ugly loss

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Photos | Tigers beat Indians

CLEVELAND - It's all well and good that the Indians are in first place, but there's at least a little trouble in (Cuyahoga) River City.
And it's not the 9-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Jacobs Field. After all, it's about time the Tigers beat the Tribe, which had won all five games before Saturday night.
Cliff Lee is quietly digging himself a deep hole. Saturday night, he gave up five runs, eight hits and three walks, leaving a mess for Rafael Perez to clean up with one out in the fifth, one run home and two Tigers on base.
Perez finished the inning without allowing another run, which would have pushed Lee's earned-run average past thealready-sorry level of 6.35.
Lee's struggles against the Tigers are only part of a longer slump that began one start after he pitched a three-hit masterpiece against the Los Angeles Angels, a game won by the Tribe 5-1 on May 8.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Q&A with former Indians pitcher Tom Candiotti

New hobby is similar

Retired knuckleballer's success now depends on guiding bowling ball

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter

``You don't catch the knuckleball, you defend against it.'' -- New York Yankees manager Joe Torre
Mention the name Tom Candiotti to any Indians fan, and odds are the first thing they'll recall is his signature knuckleball. Ah, the floating, curving, twirling, slow-motion pitch that never lands in the same spot twice -- just ask the poor guy trying to hit or catch it.
But these days, the ``Candy man'' is as well-known for his bowling prowess as he is for his major league career.
In fact, at the end of the month, Candiotti will be inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame as a celebrity bowler. An avid bowler with a 200-plus average, he will join last year's inductee, former Pittsburgh Steelers great Jerome Bettis.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Ocker on the Indians

Not this season for Marte

Prospect from Crisp trade not yet ready to fill full-time role at third

By Sheldon Ocker

Indians deep-thinkers have come to the conclusion that Andy Marte isn't ready for prime time.
I think they knew it all along but tried to convince themselves otherwise. They are only human, after all.
Marte was a marquee prospect when the Boston Red Sox traded him and Kelly Shoppach (plus Guillermo Mota and a minor-league pitcher) for Coco Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard in January 2006.
It was the kind of trade that contenders don't often make. Crisp was an integral part of the offense, the fire starter. Why would a team trying to win now trade for a player who might not see the light of day in the big leagues for a year, maybe more?

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Tribe's rally was team effort


Sunday, June 03, 2007 Joe Maxse
Plain Dealer Reporter
You don't have to remind the Indians of what it's like to let one get away. Last-inning losses at New York and Oakland earlier this season never fade too far from memory.
So Friday's 12-11 win against the Tigers was a nice reminder of what it's like to be on the winning side. Rallying three times from four-run deficits, the Tribe won it with five runs in the ninth, David Dellucci capping the comeback with his two-out single.
"When you have that type of game, everybody is involved," said manager Eric Wedge. "You never know how it's going to end up, so you can't take anything for granted. It was a good game to have final at-bats."

Continued.....

 

[NFBuck]

WTF is with us and the Royals?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Royals a pain for Indians

Byrd can't maintain what Sabathia started. Late rallies fall short

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Photos | Indians vs Royals

CLEVELAND - Just when the Indians think they've figured out the secret to beating the Kansas City Royals -- holding them scoreless -- the Royals come up with a new strategy.
The Tribe is having a difficult time staying one step ahead of its last-place division rivals, who earned a 4-3 win Wednesday night at Jacobs Field to move ahead in the season series three games to two.

Continued...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Indians report

Happy to take their hacks

Pitchers look forward to their chance to swing the bat in National League parks

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

CLEVELAND - The next two weeks will be the favorite part of the season for many pitchers.
Why? Will opposing batters be required to wear blindfolds? No, better than that. The pitchers get to hit.
This weekend, the Indians will play the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, a National League venue. That means no designated hitter. Same for the three-game set against the Florida Marlins next week and three games at the Washington Nationals June 22-24.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

2-0 Indians in the bottom of the 5th.....Carmona is pitching well up to this point.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Carmona with another W. Indians win 8-3 and take 2 of 3 from the Royals. They are yet to lose a series at home.

 

[Big Papa]

Casey Blake has a 16 game hitting streak. Not bad for a guy that most "experts" feel is nothing more than a role player. Carmona is definitely the most pleasant surprise for me so far this year. I was ready to stick him in Buffalo and forget about him starting this season. So, C.C. and Carmona, A.L. Pitching All-Stars?

 

[tsteele316]

Casey Blake has a 16 game hitting streak. Not bad for a guy that most "experts" feel is nothing more than a role player. Carmona is definitely the most pleasant surprise for me so far this year. I was ready to stick him in Buffalo and forget about him starting this season. So, C.C. and Carmona, A.L. Pitching All-Stars?

unfortunately, the other 60% of the starting rotation is less than reliable. byrd has been pretty solid, but he's not pitched great lately. Lee and Sowers are trainwrecks.

 

[NFBuck]

unfortunately, the other 60% of the starting rotation is less than reliable. byrd has been pretty solid, but he's not pitched great lately. Lee and Sowers are trainwrecks.

I have a reasonable amount of confidence that Lee will get on track. He has good stuff that he just needs to start working better. Sowers, on the other hand, is a bit of a junkballer that relies more on location. When he's getting hit, he'll have trouble mentally which renders him basically useless. He needs to go back to Buffalo when Jake comes back to work on his game. Right now C.C. and Fausto are lights out, Byrd's solid and the other two slots are a problem. If Jake can come back, get his sinker going and Lee can get his head straight we'll be Ok SP wise. I'm interested to see what Shapiro is willing to do to sure up the back end of the bullpen.

 

[tsteele316]

I have a reasonable amount of confidence that Lee will get on track. He has good stuff that he just needs to start working better. Sowers, on the other hand, is a bit of a junkballer that relies more on location. When he's getting hit, he'll have trouble mentally which renders him basically useless. He needs to go back to Buffalo when Jake comes back to work on his game. Right now C.C. and Fausto are lights out, Byrd's solid and the other two slots are a problem. If Jake can come back, get his sinker going and Lee can get his head straight we'll be Ok SP wise. I'm interested to see what Shapiro is willing to do to sure up the back end of the bullpen.

the problem with lee is that he refuses to use his curveball to get ahead of anyone, and he's totally gone away from his cutter. He's become too reliant on the fastball/changeup combo, which isn't going to cut it at his velocity.

as far as the pen goes, mastny has fallen apart. betancourt is the only reliable guy at this point, which is scary. that's why cleveland's starters need to go 7 innings each time out.

 

[NFBuck]

the problem with lee is that he refuses to use his curveball to get ahead of anyone, and he's totally gone away from his cutter. He's become too reliant on the fastball/changeup combo, which isn't going to cut it at his velocity.

Agree totally...but the stuff is there. He just needs to start relying on that nasty curve a little more. The next couple starts will be very telling.

as far as the pen goes, mastny has fallen apart. betancourt is the only reliable guy at this point, which is scary. that's why cleveland's starters need to go 7 innings each time out.

Exactly. Go back and read any number of my posts. I know I'm not alone in being afraid of our pen. I said all along I was disgusted with the "attempts" to upgrade our bullpen this offseason. Everytime I see Hernandez come in, I damn near have a coronary...I still don't get why he's still on the team. We are going to have to make some upgrades if we want to go deep into October.

 

[NFBuck]

Why does Wedge continue to trot Hernandez out there?