Indians Tidbits (2008 season)

[buckeyemania11]

Looks like game over..

yea, horrible defense that inning

not shocking though, cant expect much from Andy Gonzalez and Andy Marte

 

[3074326]

I'm just happy that the game was fairly entertaining. I expect them to lose on a regular basis.

 

[Mac]

Did anyone see the Tigers pitcher barking at Shoppach after he hit his first HR last night?

 

[LitlBuck]

Did anyone see the Tigers pitcher barking at Shoppach after he hit his first HR last night?

I guess you are not supposed to flip your bat, like he did, when you hit a home run. I did not take it was any big deal but I never made it past AAA

Also what's the news on Pronk?

The last I read about him, and I believe the it was yesterday, he went back to South Dakota for "personal reasons". I wonder if his shoulder is worse off than they initially thought.

 

[LitlBuck]

Looks like Byrd is not going any place

Cleveland.com

Will Paul Byrd stay or will he go?
by Paul Hoynes
Thursday July 31, 2008, 12:00 PM

The deadline for making a trade without waivers is 4 p.m. today. This morning, with the Indians set to play Detroit at 12:05 p.m., Paul Byrd was still an Indian.

"I think there are some teams interested, but I don't know if anything will get done," said Byrd, the veteran right-hander.

Byrd said he heard the Yankees and Colorado were interested in him.
GM Mark Shapiro would not comment on whether Byrd (5-10) would be traded. Shapiro added that he didn't expect to make a deal before the deadline.

Continued

 

[itownbuckeye]

I guess you are not supposed to flip your bat, like he did, when you hit a home run. I did not take it was any big deal but I never made it past AAA
The last I read about him, and I believe the it was yesterday, he went back to South Dakota for "personal reasons". I wonder if his shoulder is worse off than they initially thought.

I believe his Father died recently which would qualify as a "personal reason". On the other hand, I heard a rumor that his injury is worse than originally thought and is potentially career threatening.

 

[LitlBuck]

Injury report on Martinez/Barfield/Hafner

PD

Cleveland Indians' Victor Martinez, Josh Barfield making progress toward a return to team
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Paul HoynesPlain Dealer Reporter
Fausto Carmona returned over the weekend. Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield could be the next Indians to come off the disabled list.
Martinez, who has been on the disabled list since June 12, played catch before Monday's game. Martinez underwent surgery on his right elbow June 13 to remove bone chips. He's also recovering from a strained left hamstring.


"I didn't get a report on how things went," said manager Eric Wedge, "but Victor has already caught a couple of bullpens. He obviously didn't throw the ball back to the pitcher.

"He's been working to keep his legs going and he'll make the next trip with us because he's going to start doing more baseball activities. Those are all positive steps."

Barfield, recovering from surgery on the middle finger of his right hand, hit in the cages Monday for the first time since his surgery. He's been fielding and throwing during infield practice for several days.

"I took about 10 or 15 swings," Barfield said. "I didn't feel any pain."

Continued

Travis Hafner returned home to North Dakota on Friday because of family concerns. "I'm not sure when he'll be back," Wedge said.

 

[NFBuck]

Better outting tonight from fausto, so that's encouraging.

Grady is having a MONSTER season. Too bad it's basically a wasted effort.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Trevor Crowe hit 2 HRs tonight for Buffalo

in 7 games in AAA he is hitting .324 with 4 HRs 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases

 

[NFBuck]

Trevor Crowe hit 2 HRs tonight for Buffalo

in 7 games in AAA he is hitting .324 with 4 HRs 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases

He's playing really well right now and should be a September call-up. Hopefully he's solid enough if given the chance to atleast compete next spring for a starting OF spot which could allow Grady to finally move down to the 3 hole. Grady has simply outgrown the leadoff spot and that move needs to be made post-haste.

Hodges is still hitting well in Akron. Not sure why he hasn't been moved up to Buffalo. I was hoping for him to get a September call up as well because it's quite clear Marte can't cut it as a ML 3B. That may not happen though without some time in Buffalo.

 

[itownbuckeye]

Hodges is still hitting well in Akron. Not sure why he hasn't been moved up to Buffalo. I was hoping for him to get a September call up as well because it's quite clear Marte can't cut it as a ML 3B. That may not happen though without some time in Buffalo.

Akron is in a playoff chase whereas Buffalo is not. Perhaps they want him to gain some experience playing some meaningful late season games. Also, it's not like the talent level is all that much different. In AA you have more prospects as opposed to AAA where there are a lot of major league retreads.

 

[buckeyemania11]

He's playing really well right now and should be a September call-up. Hopefully he's solid enough if given the chance to atleast compete next spring for a starting OF spot which could allow Grady to finally move down to the 3 hole. Grady has simply outgrown the leadoff spot and that move needs to be made post-haste.

Hodges is still hitting well in Akron. Not sure why he hasn't been moved up to Buffalo. I was hoping for him to get a September call up as well because it's quite clear Marte can't cut it as a ML 3B. That may not happen though without some time in Buffalo.

yea Marte isint really taking his chance very well

Andy Gonzalez is even worse than Marte though, especially in the field, he really doesnt have any business on the MLB roster either

I dont think they want to rush Hodges, thats probably why he has not been promoted to AAA yet

Id like to see David Huff get a September callup along with Crowe, he is pitching really well in AAA and has more potential than Sowers

 

[NFBuck]

Akron is in a playoff chase whereas Buffalo is not. Perhaps they want him to gain some experience playing some meaningful late season games. Also, it's not like the talent level is all that much different. In AA you have more prospects as opposed to AAA where there are a lot of major league retreads.

True.

yea Marte isint really taking his chance very well

He was hitting well those first couple games and now looks like the same old clueless goofball that was wasting AB's all year.

I dont think they want to rush Hodges, thats probably why he has not been promoted to AAA yet

Eh, it's not like he's a 20 year old kid they drafted out of HS. He played 4 years (I believe) of D1 college baseball and is almost 24. But I guess there really is no rush, though I'd like to see him get some September AB's, hopefully he'll get a look in the spring.

Id like to see David Huff get a September callup along with Crowe, he is pitching really well in AAA and has more potential than Sowers

With Laffey going in the tank the way he did, I'd like to see it too. Zach Jackson (from the C.C. trade) is looking solid in Buffalo as well.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Sizemore keeps slugging away Tribe player approaches career high for homers, RBI and stolen bases
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Friday, Aug 01, 2008
CLEVELAND: Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander wasn't having much trouble keeping the Indians in check until the fifth inning, when Grady Sizemore launched the first pitch that he saw over the wall in right field for his 27th home run of the season.
Verlander made the mistake of hitting Sal Fasano and walking Asdrubal Cabrera ahead of Sizemore, so the long drive gave the Tribe a 4-1 lead and a cushion that eventually led to a 9-4 win Thursday at Progressive Field.
''Grady really stepped up for us there,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''And Asdrubal had a real professional at-bat to get that walk and give Grady the opportunity.''
Despite the fact that the Tribe is hopelessly out of the American League Central Division race, Sizemore gets few if any days off. When Wedge wants to rest him, he writes his name in the lineup as the designated hitter rather than the center fielder.
Cont..

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Depleted Indians stillhave Verlander's number Published on Friday, Aug 01, 2008

CLEVELAND: The quality of the Indians' lineup has deteriorated because of injuries and trades, but that hasn't helped Justin Verlander, who continues to lose to the Tribe consistently.
The Detroit Tigers' starter lasted 52/3 innings and gave up six runs on only five hits but three walks, striking out nine. So far this year, he is 1-3 against the Indians with a 5.84 ERA. For his career, he is 4-8 with a 6.51 ERA against them. He has more losses against the Tribe than any other opponent.
''He had a real good breaking ball today,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''You know he's going to bring the fastball.''
LEFTOVERS ? Wednesday night's 14-12, 13-inning loss to the Tigers obviously wasn't just another game.
The length of the game created oddities. For example, 526 pitches were thrown, 271 by Tigers pitchers, 255 by Indians pitchers. In addition, it took 16 dozen baseballs (192) to complete the game. Normally, it is six to eight dozen.
Cont...