Indians Tidbits (2007 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Spring training report

On paper, offense should be better

Tribe lineup appears to be upgrade from '06, a solid year, but slumps, injuries always are risks

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - It's easy to take the Indians' prolific offense for granted.
Last year, the Tribe scored 870 runs, second most in the major leagues, trailing only the New York Yankees (930). Even so, General Manager Mark Shapiro made three offseason moves to improve the attack, acquiring second baseman Josh Barfield and outfielders David Dellucci and Trot Nixon.
Baseball, however, has a way of ruining the best-laid plans. Barring injury, there is no logical reason to think that Tribe batsmen will stumble. On the other hand, logic can give way to irrationality in baseball.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Lee's rehab progressing

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Indians lose to Astros;
Paul Byrd started on three days rest, and the Indians' continued to struggle at the plate, losing to the Houston Astros 6-2 Friday night at Chain of Lakes Park.
It has reached that time of training camp where manager Eric Wedge must line up his starters in the order they will pitch to begin the season.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Terry Pluto | Byrd could still be asset for Indians

By Terry Pluto

• Choo a celebrity in S. Korea
• Tribe looks for ways to use Garko's bat, not his glove

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - At 36, can Paul Byrd be reborn as a pitcher?
The Indians' veteran knows there are doubts after he was 10-9 with a 4.88 ERA last season. Some fans already have lumped Byrd in the same sentence with Jason Johnson, the free-agent pickup who flopped with the Tribe a year ago.
No one knows if Byrd will bounce back this season, but he's not Jason Johnson. Unlike Johnson, Byrd has found ways to win games throughout his 11-year career. Johnson has a 55-98 career record with a 4.99 ERA. The idea is not to dump on Johnson, but to underline the fact Byrd is a much different type of pitcher.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Tribe infield combo making plays
Saturday, March 24, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. Spring training is an appropriate time for unbridled optimism, and the Indians' new double-play combination has demonstrated no need for bridling.

Shortstop Jhonny Peralta and second baseman Josh Barfield combined to turn six double plays during Thursday's 5-4 exhibition loss to Detroit at Lakeland. The timing appeared flawless on each.

"When you spend that much time on it every day as we have, taking it into a game is going to be easy," Peralta said. "We practice a lot. It's working good. Right now, everything's perfect."

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

INDIANS INSIDER
Bullpen awaits progressing Davis


Friday, March 23, 2007 Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter
Lakeland, Fla.
Right-hander Jason Davis has apparently recovered from a sore right shoulder in time to make the Indians' bullpen.
Davis went 12 days without throwing before pitching a scoreless inning Tuesday against Tampa Bay. He threw two more scoreless innings Thursday night in the Tribe's 5-4 exhibition loss to the Tigers.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Sabathia dominant in Class AAA tune-up

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"]Dennis Manoloff[/URL] March 23, 2007 15:48PM

Categories: Indians

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Based on his performance Friday afternoon, C.C. Sabathia appears to be in regular-season form.
Sabathia pitched six shutout innings against the Houston Astros' Class AAA team at the minor-league complex at Chain of Lakes Park. He will make one more start in spring training before the season opener April 2 at Chicago.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Final roster cuts are easy

Garko's bat, Rouse's reliable glove make them good bets for Tribe

By Terry Pluto

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Scribbles in my notebook watching the Indians play the Atlanta Braves in spring training Saturday...
? The Indians don't consult with me on these matters, but it's simple to make the final roster cuts. Keep Ryan Garko for his bat and Mike Rouse to be the utility infielder. Rouse will be 27 at the end of April. He has been a starting shortstop in the minors and looks reliable.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Ocker on the Indians

A vote for cautious optimism

National media bonkers for Tribe; fans skeptical

By Sheldon Ocker

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Suddenly, the nation's sporting press has fallen in love with the Indians.
The question is why?
Ten days ago, a longtime baseball writer who works for a prominent Internet site was in Winter Haven looking at the Tribe for the first time this spring.
``Am I missing something?'' he asked me. ``Everybody is picking these guys to win, maybe even the World Series. I don't see that.''
Peter Gammons, Jayson Stark and Buster Olney of ESPN all have made lavish predictions about the Indians. A few days ago, Sports Illustrated picked the Tribe to win the Central Division, but to lose to the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Players have met before

Tribe to pick either Garko or Francisco, who were high school teammates

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - It's more than a little ironic that Ryan Garko stands in the way of Ben Francisco's aspirations to play in the big leagues.
Determining the Indians' final roster spot has come to this: If Garko makes the team, Francisco will return to Triple-A. What is General Manager Mark Shapiro trying to do, drive a Wedge (OK, bad joke) between two old high school buddies?
Manager Eric Wedge and Shapiro have worked things out this way: They see Garko as a future impact hitter, a guy who can drive in runs as easily as Howie Mandel says, ``Open the case.''

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Peralta admits 2006 was ?bad?
Sunday, March 25, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro has said Jhonny Peralta?s performance this season might be the most vital of any player on the roster.

If that is so, and three weeks of spring training games are any sign, there is cause for optimism. The 24-year-old shortstop has demonstrated a renewed vigor in the field, a sharper eye at bat and solid communication with his young fellow infielders during camp.

?Jhonny has been exceptional,? Shapiro said. ?It was important that he came in here prepared and with a sense of urgency and determination. If he sustains the attitude and approach he has now, we will go a long way.?

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Luna shipped down to minors
Sunday, March 25, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. Hector Luna, one of the primary candidates for a utility infielder spot on the Indians roster when spring training began, was sent to the minor leagues Saturday.

Indians manager Eric Wedge said Luna reported to camp out of shape and was never able to catch up. Luna, 27, was charged with eight errors in 17 games. No other Cleveland player has more than three.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

INDIANS SPRING TRAINING
Season nears, questions remain


Sunday, March 25, 2007 Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter
Winter Haven, Fla.
- The last week of spring training can bring upheaval and broken hearts. The next year it can go drawing as little notice as a freight train on a midnight run through town.
The Indians' last seven exhibition games before the season opener April 2 against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field should roll by without much drama. Most of the big questions, and there weren't many to begin with, have been settled.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Trimmer Shoppach thriving

Backup catcher excels throwing out runners

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Betancourt a candidate, but Wedge says role should be filled early
• Backup catcher excels throwing out runners

VERO BEACH, FLA. - Most backup catchers could walk down the busiest street in town without attracting a crowd.
Kelly Shoppach, the Indians' No. 2 receiver, is on the verge of becoming a cult hero. That's because the one thing that confounds regular Victor Martinez -- throwing out runners -- is something that Shoppach does exceptionally well.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Matt Miller expects

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - quick return to mound
Matt Miller says it feels like a cramp in his forearm, but he should be back on the mound shortly.
Indians manager Eric Wedge says the Indians' sidearming reliever is hurting, but he doesn't know how much or how long it will last.
``We're still working through it,'' Wedge said Monday. ``We're hoping it's something removed from the work he had done on his elbow.''
Miller underwent elbow surgery last year and missed most of the season, but he said the current twinge is unrelated.

Continued.....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Indians report

Brief stints add up to long haul

Reliever Hernandez has success in bullpen down to art form after 16 years

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Roberto Hernandez could write a book. Then again, maybe not.
What's the problem? He's continually being summoned to pitch on short notice. That makes it difficult to maintain his concentration, and there goes Chapter 3.
Hernandez was signed in the offseason by the Indians, his eighth team (the New York Mets twice) since 2000. Experience, thy name is Hernandez, who has been in the big leagues for 16 years and pitched in 960 games, making him 14th on the all-time list.

Continued....