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Indians Tidbits (2007 Season)

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ABJ

Lack of much offense again culprit for Tribe

Starter Carmona gets little run support, takes loss in series opener against Nationals

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WASHINGTON - Here's how the Indians are rockin' and rollin' these days: Travis Hafner, pinch hitting for Ryan Garko with one out in the fifth inning, bounced into a double play with the bases loaded.
That says all you need to know about the state of the Tribe, who lost the first of a three-game series against the Nationals 4-1 on Friday night at RFK Stadium.
``I think we're beginning to put some innings together, but not consistently,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``We're not as consistent as we're going to be.''

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ABJ

A little interleague enough, Wedge says

Manager Eric Wedge has seen enough of interleague play.
``Everybody has been politically correct in talking about it for how many years now?'' he said earlier in the week. ``If you just had the home-and-home series with your (interleague) rival, that would be enough.''
Friday, he expanded on his thoughts.
``I'm more of a traditionalist,'' Wedge said. ``I like playing more teams in your own league. We already have enough division games, and maybe too many of those.
``Without interleague, we could play teams (outside the division) in our own league twice. And without interleague, travel would be more consistent. The way it is now, you play some teams three games and don't see them the whole rest of the season.''

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ABJ

Indians report

Dellucci to be out about eight weeks

Outfielder to have surgery on hamstring

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WASHINGTON - The Indians will have to get along without David Dellucci until mid-August at the earliest.
After doctors examined his MRI results, they determined he suffered a high-grade tear of the left hamstring. He is to undergo surgery Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic.
``David will be sidelined roughly eight weeks,'' head trainer Lonnie Soloff said Friday. ``This is not career-ending or career-threatening by any means. He will return at 100 percent sometime this year.''
Doctors will perform surgery to clean the affected area and remove the tendon to which the hamstring was attached. The procedure will have no long-term effect on Dellucci's ability to play baseball.
``Doctors often remove that tendon to use in replacing torn ACLs,'' Soloff said, referring to operations to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee.
``The long-term prognosis for David is very good,'' he said.

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CPD

CLEVELAND INDIANS
Blake contends beard analogy is razor thin

Tribe's third baseman says 26-game hit streak not associated with his facial hair
Friday, June 22, 2007 Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter
The beard is still there.
When Casey Blake's 26-game hitting streak ended Monday against Philadelphia, Travis Hafner thought it would be gone when Blake came to Jacobs Field for Tuesday's game.
It wasn't.
"Maybe he likes it," laughed Hafner.
In Blake's way of thinking, the beard and streak were not connected, so why should they disappear together?
"People were kind of expecting me to shave," said Blake. "But I've had it quite a while. The beard's been there before the streak started."

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ABJ

Tribe catches victory in 9th

Shoppach turns `wacky' double play, Martinez blasts three-run homer

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter



WASHINGTON, D.C. - Usually the Indians have to look long and hard to learn a life lesson from a win or a loss.
Then again, maybe most people don't look long enough or hard enough. Paul Byrd is the exception.
The Tribe rallied, then held on for a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Saturday night at RFK Stadium in a game that ended on a ``wacky'' play, as catcher Kelly Shoppach described it.

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ABJ

Good veteran reliever

needed for success
? When Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro shops for a veteran reliever, he's finding other teams are doing the same. Teams close to home. Teams such as the Detroit Tigers, who are battling the Tribe in the Central. For all the Indians' gnashing of teeth about their bullpen, the Tigers have been worse. The Tribe's bullpen, heading into the weekend, had a 3.95 ERA that was ranked eighth in the league. The Tigers were No. 11 with a 5.17. The Chicago White Sox were last at 5.87. The Minnesota Twins (3.53) are pleased with their relief as they rank fourth. The Boston Red Sox (2.95) are the best.

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ABJ

Ocker on the Indians

Pitcher Sabathia is wasted asset

Player should be polishing up on hitting skills. Baseball thinking is too rigid for its own good

By Sheldon Ocker

WASHINGTON - C.C. Sabathia can hit. Flat out.
As manager of the Indians a few years ago, Charlie Manuel was so enamored of Sabathia's potential, he allowed him to take his hacks in a critical situation against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Both Manuel and Sabathia had their gaze fixed on the outfield fence at PNC Park, hard by the shores of the Allegheny River.
Sabathia bounced into a double play and the Tribe lost, prompting criticism of the manager. Manuel didn't flinch: ``You guys were thinkin' double play -- I was thinkin' river.''

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Big Papa;870983; said:
Dead bats. A whopping 4 hits today. Can someone put the real Travis Hafner back? I don't know who this guy is that looks like him, but certainly does not hit like him.
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This current swoon reminds me of the slow start we got off to in '05. The starting pitching and bullpen has been adequate, but the offense is stagnant. Seriously, when is Pronk going to wake up? I keep expecting him to go on one of his hot streaks and it just ain't happening. What's worse, is this slump coincides with Detroit going on a hot streak. When the bats woke up in late June two years ago, we were the best team in baseball for about 2 1/2 months. Hopefully that happens soon.
We should be OK, the bats will wake up. Hopefully Jake and Cliff can regain their form, C.C. and Fausto continue to pitch well, and Byrd can find some grey area between his hot start and recent disasters. The bullpen has been adequate, Betancourt and Perez have been real brightspots. My biggest worry is Borowski. He's a meltdown waiting to happen. Getting rid of Hernandez was definately addition by subtraction, now we just need to find a real closer.
 
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it's going to be live and die with borowski, which isn't comforting.

hafner is downright terrible lately. his hands are slow, and he's developed a bigger uppercut in his swing. the fact that every ball he hits is a soft pop-up to left or a slow roller to 2nd is a clear indication.

what really hurts the offense is that garko has been pitiful lately as has nixon. so the offense really lives and dies with grady and v-mart, which isn't enough.
 
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tsteele316;871080; said:
it's going to be live and die with borowski, which isn't comforting.
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I get that feeling too, downright alarming. A lot of contenders in the market for closers, and the crop is pretty weak.

hafner is downright terrible lately. his hands are slow, and he's developed a bigger uppercut in his swing. the fact that every ball he hits is a soft pop-up to left or a slow roller to 2nd is a clear indication.
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It's puzzling to me. It seems as though he's lost confidence and is over compensating by trying to whack every pitch out of the park leading to the uppercut issue you mention. He needs to come around if we want to go anywhere.

what really hurts the offense is that garko has been pitiful lately as has nixon. so the offense really lives and dies with grady and v-mart, which isn't enough.
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I almost would like to see them play Victor at 1B more allowing Shoppach more playing time. He's a big upgrade defensively behind the plate and he's been swinging a nice bat this year. Gutierrez has been playing well of late both with the bat and the glove, I'd like to continue to see more of him. Barfield has been coming around too after that horrendous start. If only he was more selective at the plate...
 
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