A Quest Called Tribe

Why are the Indians 6.5 games better than the Tigers?  It boils down to fundamentals.  When you get a runner on second base in the 13th inning with no one out, you do only one thing: bunt.  Brennan Boesch did not (oops, zero career SH).  Asdrubal Cabrera did.  Two IBBs and walk off later and your Cleveland Indians are now 18-8.

I am still not sold on Manny Acta as some sort of prodigal genius, but I will tell you one thing, the man keeps his entire bench involved.  On a day when Lou Marson and Austin Kearns started and both Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner sat through 37 outs, Michael Brantley chose to truly arrive on the North Coast.  His 6th inning tater and his single to lead off the final frame were, doubtlessly, the two biggest hits of the night.  Rick Porcello had quelled rallies at every turn, making the home run was essential, without it we wouldn't have seen the 10th, let alone the 13th.  Coming into that inning the Indians had mustered just a Matt LaPorta single off of the Detroit 'pen after looking queasy against Al Alburquerque (who?).  Brantley picked the perfect time.  Had the game been sent to the 14th, Acta likely would have trotted out Chad Durbin (ugh) and we all know that would have ended badly.  As it stands, the pitching was tremendous.  Kudos to Alex White on his debut and to the bullpen on seven (let's count 'en 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) scoreless innings.

I'm on board, gang.  Sometimes a quick start means a bunch of guys playing over their heads (see 1988's 16-6 April), but that simply is not the case with this team.  If anything the Indians have a couple of huge pieces still struggling to get their footing (Carmona, Santana) or banged and bruised (Talbot, Carrasco).  While Jack Hannhan is hitting better than his history suggests he should, a man hitting in the bottom third isn't going to take you to the top of your division.  Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin are combined 9-0 and they will eventually lose.  Still, I won't describe who has never failed to delivery a quality start as a flash in the pan, nor a dude who finally seems to have learned how to repeat his delivery as a one month fluke.  At ten games over five hundred and with talent coming, the Tribe needs only to hold serve to eclipse my 85 win projection.  Let's do it, boys.

For now, I will actively withhold further comparison to the 1995 squad.  In my mind that was the greatest team of all-time and won't sully their memory with premature analogies.  I will say this, back-to-back walk-off wins with a torrent of young talent and an untouchable memories does make me feel nostalgic.

Here's to another sweep and Masterson to 6-0.

See ya at 1:05p.

Cheers.

Clip Joint's Rollin'

Round about the time that Carlos Santana decided to walk it off, I lost track of the Clippers game.  Columbus was trailing 5-3 and, with the exception of a 4th inning homer by Jason Kipnis (.257), the offense was looking pretty sluggish.  After digging the Tribe win for a bit, I checked in.  Lo and behold, the Clips had pounded out five runs in the 8th and 9th to take an 8-5 win.

What happened?  Luis Valbuena and Luke Carlin happened.  Valbuena (.313), who some are suggesting may be DFA'ed tomorrow, cranked a two-run 8th inning long ball to tie the game.  Carlin (.341) followed with a bases loaded, bases clearing double in the 9th.  Clippers win.  Clippers win.  Their 9th in a row.

Corey Kluber (6.50 ERA) started and gave up four runs in five innings.  Jess Todd, pitching to save his spot on the 40-man, did throw a clean 6th, but his ERA is still 11.00.  Zach Putnam (1.26) earned the win and Josh Judy (3.48) his 4th save.  It would appear that Judy has now settled into the closer spot.

Kipnis, Carlin and Valbuena all had two hits, as did Ezequiel Carrera (.290) and Jerad Head (.339).  Cord Phelps (.303), on the other hand, was 0-for-5 and struck out four times.

Columbus starts a four game series in Charlotte tomorrow (7:15p).  Barring unforeseen circumstances, the starter will be Joe Martinez.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Akron kicked the snot out of Binghamton, 10-1.  Kelvin De La Cruz (2.88) started but didn't stick around long enough for the win (4 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 BB, 5 K) which went to CC Lee.  Lee (4.26) struck out five and allowed just a walk over three frames.  Chun Chen (.258) went deep for the second consecutive game.

Congrats to my buddy Tyler Tufts, who earned a promotion to AA Frisco yesterday and pitched tonight for the RoughRiders.  Ty got the final four outs of the game without allowing a base runner as Frisco lost 4-0.  Tyler's season numbers are pretty damn impressive (1.13 ERA, .148 OBA, 0.63 WHIP).  Keep it going, kid.

Cheers.

Guess Carlos Heard Chicks Dig the Longball

Double click the window to play.

Hey Cleveland, Are You Ready To Believe?

That's 11 in a row at home, the most since '96.

That's 17 April wins, the most ever.

That's a late inning comeback after being down 3-0 and 5-2.

Santana hit that ball ten minutes ago and I still have goosebumps.

I haven't felt this way about a team since 1995.  It's appropriate that Grover was in the booth.

Cheers.

The Indians Win It
Major League at MOVIECLIPS.com

Damn, Clip Joint's Crowded

We can now officially dub Jack Hannahan the Indians' starting third baseman.  That is because Jason Donald was activated from the disabled list today, and optioned to Columbus.  Wow.  I did not see that one coming.  With all of the rampant speculation surrounding the big league pitching staff recently, the fact that Donald's 20-day rehab stint had run its course slipped to the back burner.  One would assume that Donald (.250) will receive regular playing time for the Clippers, but they do have a glut of infielders.  Top prospects Lonnie Chisenhall (.270) and Jason Kipnis (.242) are well entrenched at third and second respectively.  That leaves shortstop open for Donald, an en fuego Cord Phelps (.324), and the just returned Josh Rodriguez.  J-Rod was taken by the Pirates in December's rule 5 draft and given back after collecting one hit in twelve MLB at bats.  It is likely that the trio will also find some ABs in the DH slot, though manager Mike Sarbaugh will want to keep the bats of Jordan Brown (.286), Travis Buck (.333) and Chad Huffman (.288) in the lineup.  The moves do not bode well for players like Wes Hodges (.150) and Jerad Head (.333, but 28 years old).

The Clips did indeed play a game last night, taking their third straight from Gwinnett.  The victory boils down to two men: Chisenhall and Zach McAllister.  McAllister (3.38 ERA) started and threw seven shutout innings (6 H, 0 BB, 6 K) to earn his fourth straight win.  Chisenhall, suddenly mashing, slugged a two run homer to account for all of the offense and added a double. 

I have to get it through my thick skull that the schedule structure at AAA is very different that that of MLB.  For instance, the Clippers play the fourth and final game of their series with Gwinnett tonight and move on to Charlotte tomorrow.  Corey Kluber toes the rubber at 7:05p, seeking his first W of 2011.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Catching prospect Chun Chen, off to a slow start, bashed his first dinger of the season last night for Akron.  Chun is batting .246 with more strikeouts (17) than hits (15).  The RBI from the solo shot was his 7th of 2011.

Lake County catcher Alex Lavisky doubled and launched his 3rd bomb for the Captains.  Lavisky's season is similar to Chun's with 14 hits to 24 K's and a .209 average.  Alex has driven home 13 in 17 games.

2010 #1 overall pick Bryce Harper has settled in nicely with the low-A Hagerstown Suns.  After a rocky first week, Harper has raised his OPS to 1.070 (.323 AVG, 5 HR) and has added 18 RBI and 4 SB.  Over his last 10 games Harper is hitting .419 with four of his home runs.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

And I thought that Jeff Francis was like batting practice.  He has nothing on Kyle Davies.  Choo (.250!) homered.  Then Santana (.192) went deep.  Next, Grady (.390!) left the yard.  By the time that Shelly Duncan (.348!) blasted the fourth dinger of the game, the rout was officially on.  Btw, I could have hit that beach ball out.  A tri-fecta of doubles later (including Sizemore's 8th and another from the Jack Attack) and Davies was sulking in the dugout.  I knew this KC team couldn't be for real.  It's called regressing to the mean.

'Twas more than enough for Fausto Carmona.  Bouncing back from a true stinker against the Twins, Fausto threw just 86 pitches over seven innings, 60 of them for strikes.  He 2-hit the Royals through six and finished allowing five hits and two runs.  More than any start that I have seen since, he looked like the Carmona of '07.  And that, my friends, is a good thing.

I will tell you what, these guys believe.  They're loose, they're confident and they're playing like winners.  The front office is on board as exemplified by the chutzpah of bringing up Alex White.  The dugout is full of smiles and the boys are having fun.  I've mentioned the infield defense before, but enough cannot be said.  Where they were merely a set of solid fielders on opening day, they are a unit now.  They're anticipating and complimenting each other.  What do we call that?  Teamwork.

In case you're wonder, Travis Hafner (.342) was a late scratch with right ankle inflammation.  Pronk will have an MRI on Friday.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Before I go, a shout out to Jack TheMan-ahan.  In the span of a month, he has gone from my the bane of my existence to my favorite Indian.  The man plays the game the way it was meant to be played.  He has great fundamentals and has put in the work to contribute significantly with the stick (.290, 4 HR, 12 RBI, SB).  His attitude and ethic have been infectious and the team, it is a rollin'.

Cheers.

I Love the White Stuff, Baby (In the Middle Of An Oreo)

Alex White will indeed start for the Indians on Saturday.

With that mystery solved we can move on to speculating who might be dropped from the 40-man roster to accommodate White.  Earlier, I suggested Jess Todd as the most likely candidate.  After discounting the 25 men currently in the majors, the three on the DL and those I would qualify as prospects (De La Cruz, Judy, Hagadone, Kluber, McAllister, Rondon, Carrera, Weglarz) only four names remain: Todd, Luis Valbuena, Travis Buck and David Huff.  Any of them is a possibility, although I still contend Todd is the best option.

Another scenario would involve the Tribe moving either Hector Rondon or Nick Weglarz, both of whom are injured and rehabbing in extended spring training, to the 60-day DL.  As was made evident by the Jared Goedert move, the Indians are not averse to the downsides: accumulation of MLB service time and payment of a big league salary.  Even so, I would put my money on a Todd DFA.

Let's try to focus on the game now.

Cheers.

Mysterious Ways

Carlos Carrasco was officially put on the 15-day disabled list this morning and RHP Frank Herrmann was recalled to take the spot on the 25-man roster.

This does not solve the quandary of who will be the Tribe's starter on Saturday against Detroit.

In my mind there are three possibilities, excluding David Huff, who would have to come back on short rest to make the start.  We'll go from simplest to most complex.

(3)  No further roster moves are made.  Justin Germano slides into the starting rotation until either Carrasco or Mitch Talbot is healthy enough to return.  Boo hiss.  Germano hasn't made a real major league start (he started the season finale in 2010, but threw only 35 pitches) in two years and he was never very good at it to begin with (8-17, 5.50 in 36 GS).

(2)  Herrmann is returned to Columbus following Friday's game and Zach McAllister is recalled to start on Saturday.  McAllister has won his his first three starts for Columbus and is not the top tier sort of prospect that the team would worry about starting the arbitration clock on.  They also thought enough of him to add to the 40-man roster in the off-season and he has 30 AAA starts under his belt.  So far, I'm the only one suggesting this, but regard it is a possibility.

Why?

(1)  This is by far the most complicated.  This scenario involves Alex White making his MLB debut on Saturday.  Again, Herrmann would be demoted to clear a spot on the 25-man, but at least one more move would need to be made.  White is not on the 40-man, thus someone would need to be DFA'ed in order for him to come up.  Perusing the roster, the only name that seems reasonable is Jess Todd.  Though Todd competed deep into spring camp for one of the bullpen spots, his performance at AAA this year has been atrocious, 12.38 ERA atrocious.  So.... we have several factors working against White.  Maybe the Indians don't want to expose Todd.  Maybe they don't want to start White's arbitration clock.  Maybe they want to be sure that when he comes up, he's sure to stay.  What would the team do if White made three or four great starts and then Talbot and Carrasco were ready to come back.  Organizations often structure the recall of top prospects so that they are not shuttled back and forth.

This is all food for thought, though not for long.  Manny Acta tweeted that he will "probably" announce Saturday's starter after tonight's game.

Cheers.

Southern Style Clip Joint

Have you ever been to Gwinnett County, Georgia?  Gorgeous.  My favorite climate is that of Tennessee and northern Georgia and Gwinnett compliments that with a laid-back suburban southern ease that makes every breath seem easy.  Anyway, that's where the Clippers played baseball on Wednesday night.

Scottie Barnes picked up his first AAA win by throwing six and two thirds scoreless against the Braves.  While Barnes (2.31 ERA) did not have what I would call pinpoint control (5 BB), he allowed just two hits and struck out seven.  Look for Barnes and Zach McAllister to step to the front of the Clippers rotation when the Tribe plucks Alex White for Saturday.

Carlton Smith finished up (2.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K) for his first save and extended his season long scoreless streak to nine and two thirds innings.  Smith, a virtual unknown, struggled last season in his first taste of AAA.  This year opponents are hitting .222 off him and he has become the Clips' dominant reliever.

On the offensive side, Cord Phelps (.343) continued to rake with two hits and an RBI.  The Travis Buck (.412) show rolled on with a two run triple.  Ezequiel Carrera (.277) walked, scored a run and stole his 8th base.

McAllister is Thursday's probable as Columbus finishes up in Gwinnett (7:05p).  He will look for his 4th consecutive win to begin the campaign.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Giovanni Soto, acquired last summer in the Jhonny Peralta trade, snared his first W of 2011 with six shutout for Kinston.  Soto (3.06) had lost his first three starts, but responded on Wednesday with his longest stint of the season surrendering three hits and a walk while striking out six.  Still just 19, the opposition is hitting .195 off of Giovanni so far.

Steven Wright continued his journey to become a real life knuckleball pitcher with a start for the Lake County Captains.  The first four innings were outstanding and unmarred.  Wright (3.12) gave up four hits and didn't walk anyone.  The Captains put up ten runs of support for him.  The fifth inning was quite a bit different.  A leadoff error preceded four straight hits.  Wright rebounded to get a ground out and his second K, but a wild pitch-homer-double sequence chased Steven to the showers.  Four of the six runs he allowed were sorted out as unearned and the absence of walks is either a great sign (control) or an awful one (his kunckler isn't moving).  Only time will tell.

Cheers.

Curses Are For Pussies

This is for real.  Boo-yah.

A Quest Called Tribe

Josh Tomlin pitches to contact.  He's going to give up the gopher ball.  We know this.  With a fastball that barely grazes 90 on his best day, Tomlin relies on throwing strikes and hitting his spots.  Tonight, with the exception of a couple of second inning solo jacks, he baffled the Royals for six innings.  As expounded on by Manny Acta, Josh has a very short memory.  The homers did not shake him at all, nor did the multitude of foul balls contacted by the Royals.  Of Tomlin's even hundred pitches, 73 were for strikes and he never allowed KC to get a real rally going.  The win tonight was his 4th of the season.  Acta says that he expected the tandem of Tomlin and Justin Masterson to be 9-0 at this point.  Yeah, right.  Still, it rocks.  I'm on friggin' cloud nine.

Tomlin's counterpart, Jeff Francis, topped out at a lowly 84 this evening and relied mostly on a 69 mph slow curve as his out pitch.  Francis did not get a lot of outs.  The Indians sent ten men to dish in the first, plating five highlighted by a bases clearing double from Orlando Cabrera.  Francis was gone a batter into the 4th having gotten knocked around to the tune of ten hits.  It honestly looked as if the man was throwing BP.

Acta announced after the game that a move to bring another reliever up from the minors will be announced tomorrow morning, seemingly because he cannot agree with GM Chris Antonetti on exactly which one.  That is striking as the only three AAA relievers on the 40-man are Frank Herrmann, Jess Todd and Josh Judy.  Todd has been an abomination thus far and Judy has zero major league experience.  Herrmann, on the other hand, was demoted only because Joe Smith came off of the DL.  If there is a discussion to be had, I have no idea on the argument.  Whoever gets the call will likely be around for just two days before returning to Clippers in exchange for Saturday's starter.  That is still expected to be Alex White, but I suppose Manny could just go ahead and start Justin Germano (please, no).

The Tribe has won nine in a row at home.  Everyone else in the AL Central lost tonight, so the lead grows to three and a half games.  The Indians are now officially the only team in the division above .500.  Keep on keepin' on boys.

In case you were wondering, Jack Hannahan leads the American League in hitting against left handed pitching.  Jack is 9-for-17.  That's .529.  Nice.

Cheers.

I'm Dreaming Of A White April

Carlos Carrasco will be placed on the 15-day DL.  Expect Alex White to be recalled and start Saturday in Carrasco's stead.

Should the dominoes fall logically, Joe Martinez would move into the Columbus rotation.  This would open up a spot in the Clippers' bullpen for one Nick Hagadone.  This is, of course, just idle talk.

Eric Berger, who made five starts for the Clips last summer, could be moved up from Akron.  Paolo Espino would be another bland option.  He too started for the Clippers in 2010 and began '11 in the AAA 'pen until six runs and a loss in his first two innings pitched led to a quick demotion.

We shall see.

Cheers.

The Day After the Clip Joint

It's amazing what a four hit game can do for your batting average in April.  Lonnie Chisenall entered last night's game having flirted with Mendoza all season long.  After a 4-for-5 effort (2 R, RBI) the Chiz Kid's average now sits at a reasonable .258 and all of us that were beginning to worry that he might not be all he's cracked up to can remain quiet.  Yet, even in Chisenhall's best AAA performance thus far, Lonnie was far from the only offensive hero.  Chad Huffman (.283) has been on fire since beginning 0-for-18 and contributed three hits and a pair of RBI, while Jason Kipnis (.246) tripled, homered and brought home two.  Still, the offensive MVP at this early stage has certainly been Cord Phelps.  Phelps (.328) has shown why he was in the running for the big club's utility infield spot until the final week of spring camp.  In yesterday's 7-5 win, he reached base three times (2 H, BB) and scored twice.  Cord's OPS sits at .976 and he is reaching base in nearly 50% of his plate appearances.

David Huff (3.00 ERA) took the pill for the Clips and provided a yeoman's effort.  Huff went seven to earn his second win, surrendering four earned runs on nine hits with neither a walk nor a strikeout.  David threw 94 pitches and I would officially classify him as unavailable for Saturday.

Zach Putnam threw perfect ball for the final two frames.  He struck out three to notch his third save.

I know I've said this before, but Scott Barnes IS supposed to pitch tonight for Columbus against the Gwinnet Braves.  If he doesn't make it out for tonight's 7:05p first pitch, we will know something is amiss.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Nick Hagadone tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and K'ing four, to secure the win for Akron in the second game of yesterday's double header.  Hagadone (0.00) has allowed just eight baserunners in 13.2 innings this season and has fanned 18.  The Columbus bullpen is already crowded, so, if Nick continues his outstanding work, some have speculated that he might jump straight from AA to the Jake this season.  I doubt it, but his performance in 2011 doubtlessly bodes well for the future.

Akron starter Austin Adams did fare so well in the first game.  Adams (1-2, 3.86) began the season hot, cooling off significantly in recent appearances.  Yesterday, he lasted just eight hitters, six of which he put on base (3 H, 3 BB) before getting yanked.  He was not pleased with his removal.  Austin remains a prospect with great upside, though a start of less than a full inning will give all the scouts some pause.

Before I go, I'll share yet another odd baseball occurrence that I saw for the first time in 2011.  On Monday, I was watching Phil Humber dazzle the Yankees.  Rafael Soriano came in to pitch the top of the ninth.  After he got two strikes on Alexei Ramirez the Yanks' infield move back to the cut of the grass.  Ramirez proceeded to pop the ball up on the infield.  Soriano followed through to first base side of the mound and stood there, rooted like a tree, while pointing to indicate the pop fly.  Derek Jeter sprinted in but the ball fell in front of him for a single.  The ball hit, I swear, two feet from the pitcher's mound.  I know that pitchers aren't generally supposed to chase these, but Soriano absolutely needs to go after it until someone calls him off.  A 65 foot fly ball hit.  Never seen it before.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Aaaaah, it's Wednesday afternoon!  Stupid world.  By now, you have all savored the Indians' victory and the new cushy 2.5 game lead in the Central.  So, as opposed to picking apart the contest with a fine toothed comb, let us instead celebrate a few guys that no one expected much from.

#3) Grady Sizemore - Sure, he's Grady Sizemore, but the perception of Grady coming into the season was, at best, cautiously optimistic.  I myself only hoped for about 80% of the Sizemore that we had come to know and love.  Instead, we have been treated to a hitting show that is everything that it ever was and might be more.  After two doubles and his 3rd dinger against KC last night, Grady is hitting .406 with a 1.332 OPS.  He is raking in a way that no one, no one could have predicted.  Sadly, it seems that, coming back from microfracture surgery, Sizemore has lost a step off of his once blazing speed.  I'm not drawing this conclusion from one failed steal attempt, but, rather, from his general unwillingness or inability to take the extra base.  It remains to be seen if he can return to former glory on the basepaths, but, wherever he  lands in the lineup, his hitting is the sort of rare treat that it is simply a joy to behold.

#2) Justin Masterson - Masterson is now 5-0.  In 2010, Justin started 0-5, didn't win his 5th game until the end of August and finished 6-13.  In fact, six is the highest win total that he has accumulated in any of his three previous MLB seasons.  While his last two starts have not been as stellar as the first three, Masterson's ERA still sits at 2.18 and his WHIP at 1.12.  All five of his starts have been quality.  In the off-season, I suggested that Justin's future success would be found at the back end of the bullpen, that he simply did not have the type of consistency to become a front line starter.  So, what changed?  I have previously discussed how he has shown excellent command of all of his pitches, especially within the strike zone.  How has he made the leap?  As is the case with every pitcher, repetition of delivery is paramount to Masterson.  At a lanky 6'6" with a funky arm slot, it had always been difficult for him to utilize the same mechanics pitch after pitch.  Justin seems to have solved that problem in 2011.  Although he has more work ahead of him (on, say, avoiding clusters of hits) the production he has provided this April has been the cornerstone of a pitching staff that has led the Tribe to the top of the division.

#1) Jack "Mother E'ffing" Hannahan - Again, I was not a fan during spring training.  I could, perhaps, be described as the furthest thing therefrom.  Then on opening day his home run sliced through my haze and turned by bold prediction prophetic.  Since then, Jack has done nothing but play the best third base I have seen from an Indian in my lifetime and hit at a level that he has never even approached in the bigs.  Following a game that featured two solo blasts off of Luke Hochevar, Hannahan is hitting .286 with an .872 OPS.  His four homers are tied for the team lead.  His 13 runs scored are tied for the team lead.  His 11 RBI are tied for third.  The guy bats 9th and plays about five times a week.  Of all of the things that had to go exactly right to push the Indians into first, none was an unexpected or unlikely as this boon from a dude who hit .237 at AAA last year.  During March, I wrote that he could never be the next Casey Blake.  I stand by that.  Instead, Jack is carving out a niche all his own that will make taking his starting job away nearly impossible.  Put succinctly, the Jack attack is back, baby.

Oh, and Vinnie Pestano?  N to the asty!  Unreal.

Cheers.

HuffIn', White Out?

The Columbus Clippers web site has been updated to indicate David Huff as tonight's starting pitcher against the Gwinett Braves.  It is highly unlikely that the Indians would allow Huff to make this start if they intended to use him on Saturday against the Tigers.  As explained yesterday, Alex White would slot into that start on normal rest.  While it is still possible that Carlos Carrasco will not miss a start or that a wild card (Zach McAllister?) could fill in, the White option now seems at least plausible.  More to come as it unfurls.

Update:  A Tuesday MRI revealed that Carrasco sustained no structural damage to his pitching elbow.  He will throw a bullpen session prior to Wednesday's game, the results of which will determine if he starts on Saturday.  Given his history with the elbow (it held him out of a number of starts last year at Columbus) the Indians are prepared to exercise extreme caution with the young righty.  If Carrasco feels any pain at all, he will be DLed and a replacement for his spot in the rotation will be needed.

Cheers.

Rickey Henderson Says "Rickey Henderson Drinks Pepsi MAX!"

Why only one dead guy?

Clip Joint's Got Young Talent

Today is Monday.  Five days from now it will be Saturday.  If the Tribe does indeed place Carlos Carrasco on the DL, as they are expected to, the team will need a starter for their Saturday tilt.  Tonight, Alex White started the first game of a double header against Indianapolis.  He started and he was, again, masterful.  White (1.90 ERA) threw five and two thirds, giving up a 1st inning solo dinger, but nothing else of consequence.  In gaining his first AAA victory, he allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out eight.  Alex has thrown 23.2 innings in four starts with a WHIP a whisper over one and 28 Ks.  While the presumption is that we will see David Huff get the call, the table could not be set any better to give the kid a shot.

The Clippers offense continued to roll, giving White more support than he needed.  Chad Huffman (.250)  launched his 5th bomb, Travis Buck (.545) drove in two more, Jordan Brown (.275) doubled twice and brought in a run and Luis Valbuena (.309) doubled in a pair.  If only we could get Lonnie Chisenhall (.213, 0-3, BB, R today) going.

Carlton Smith got the final four outs of the seven inning affair to maintain his perfect ERA.

Brown struck again in the night cap, bashing a 5th inning grand slam to get the Clips back into the game.  Run scoring singles in the 6th by Valbuena and Ezequiel Carrera (.298) gave Columbus the 6-5 lead that held to be the final.

Joe Martinez (6.75) started, but was gone in the 4th after allowing three earned.  Get used to him.  If the Indians do bring another starter up, Martinez will likely slide into the Columbus rotation.

Jess Todd (12.38, no really) is a train wreck.  In a mere inning and a third Todd surrendered 3 hits and 3 walks en route to two more runs.  He's pitched 8 innings this season and put 24 men on base.  The opposition is hitting .486 off of him.  These are the kinds of numbers that can lead to release and end a career.  I foresee a DL stint in his future.

Jensen Lewis (0.00) threw a clean sixth and earned his second win in as many days.  Josh Judy was effective in the 7th for his 2nd save.

It was a great home stand, in spite of the rain.  My seal of approval (I'll come up with a more clever name soon) goes out to Indianapolis Indian Garrett Olson.  One of the most talkative players that I have encountered, he oozes a zen perspective that is shocking in a pro player.

The Clippers take to the road tomorrow, headed to the rolling hills of Gwinnett to visit the Bravos.  As we continue to speculate on who might start for the Tribe on Saturday, we can rest assured that it will not be Scott Barnes, who toes the rubber Tuesday for Columbus.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Another successful, albeit brief, start for Drew Pomeranz (2.00) with Kinston on Monday.  Drew tossed just three innings, allowing a solo homer and two additional hits, while mowing down five.  No worries on his health, Pomeranz is fit as a fiddle, high A-ball is just wacky with starters sometimes.

Update: Word on the street is that Pomeranz felt some "hamstring tightness" and his removal was precautionary.  All indications are that Pomeranz is simply "day-to-day," as are we all. 

Kyle Blair continued to throw well for the Captains, notching his second win.  Blair allowed five hits, among them a bases empty dong, and struck out four in his five innings of work.  True, Kyle has only made four pro starts, but he is a 22-year old with NCAA experience under his belt.  If he continues to perform, the 2010 fourth round pick, could rise quickly through the organization.

Cheers.

Clip Joint Easter Special

It's not very often that a team wins when their starting pitcher lasts all of three and a third innings while walking six and throwing barely 50% of his pitches for strikes.  Yet, that is exactly what happened this Easter Sunday for the Clippers.  Corey Kluber (6.23 ERA) got the start and danced into and out of trouble until Jensen Lewis relieved him in the fourth.  Despite the wildness Kluber struck out five and surrendered just three hits as two Indy runs (1 ER) came across.  Lewis (0.00) was masterful over 1.2, putting just one man on base and securing the win when Columbus put up five in the bottom of four.  Zach Putnam (0.87) threw two clean innings following Lewis and Josh Judy (3.68) closed for his first save.  The only bump in the road came in the 8th when an erratic Frank Herrmann (6.75) gave up two earned and let Indianapolis back into the game.  The final was 6-4.

Travis Buck (.625) got the Clips on the board with a second inning solo shot and added a walk and a second run scored.  Buck certainly has made an impression in his first two Cow Town appearances.  The five in the fourth came on a triple-homer-homer set from three straight hitters.  Jordan Brown (.250) brought in a pair with his three base hit then came home himself on a Paul Phillips (.227) long ball.  Luis Valbuena (.280) followed with a jack of his own to give Columbus the four run lead that would hold up through nine.  Jason Donald (.250), still recovering from a broken hand and a strained quad, was back in the lineup going 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout as he handled the DH role.

The Clippers play a pair tomorrow to make up for Saturday's rain out.  I'm kind of afraid to guess, but maybe Scott Barnes and Alex White for the twin bill.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Not much to tell with Akron and LC taking the day off, but friend of the family Tyler Tufts did throw a clean ninth in Myrtle Beach's series finale with Kinston.  Ty worked around a leadoff double by CF Tyler Holt (.259) and wiffed formed top prospect Abner Abreu (.254) to finish the inning. 

Since I have all of this extra space, I'll treat you to my favorite Easter Sunday baseball story of all time.  Back in '98 I was sitting at my grandmother's house watching the Indians get their teeth kicked in by the Angels on good old channel 43.  This also happened to be the day that wunderkind Kerry Wood started his first MLB game.  43 cut to a studio update on the matter which featured this quote, "Many find it appropriate that Kerry Wood makes his debut on this day that celebrates the greatest resurrection, just as he is poised to resurrect the Cubs franchise."  Wow.  Talk about hyperbole.  All these years later it seems painfully laughable as well, especially after watching the Big K sputter through his tenure with the Tribe.

Now nap time.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Was it enough to lose another one to the cellar dwelling Twins?  Was it enough to put just three runs on the board again?  Was it enough for Rafael Perez to betray his humanity for the first time in 2011?  Short answer: Hells, No!  On top of all of that dissapointment, Carlos Carrasco left after three innings with pain in his right elbow.  To be filed under "Be Careful What You Wish For," expect David Huff to rejoin the big league club during the coming week.  Huff missed his last AAA start due to the weekend tempest in Columbus. 

Excrement.  I mean excellent.  Or maybe not.  With Mitch Talbot on the shelf for another four to six weeks and Jeanmar Gomez showing himself only minimally more effective in relief of Carrasco, the dream might just be dead.  I know, doom and gloom, but that's what we're used to here on the north coast and we're in line for a bit more.  Think about who might be in line for a recall should another starter go down.  Joe Martinez, a rehabbing Anthony Reyes or ... jeez, that's it.  They're not going to call up a kid.  Welcome back to 2010.

We could talk about instant replay and how you can't have it both ways.  Either review literally everything to remove any chance of error or accept the human factor in the game as it has always been.  I'm not going to get up on a soap box for either, but get off the damn fence Bud!  Or you could call Goodell (he's doing a bang up job) and ask to borrow a few red flags.  Bah!

It is still not as bad as it seems.  The Tribe still resides at the top of the division and this might just be the storm to be weathered en route to a breakout season.  Troubling to me is the inability to take advantage of a sun-drop single and tie the game off of a bunch of chump relievers in the 8th.  Worrisome is Asdrubal Cabrera hacking at the first pitch with Grady Sizemore on second in the ninth.  Disheartening is how important today's game became after the team's inability to produce against a pack of no name starting pitchers over the past week.  Just plain disgusting is the single home run that the Indians have cracked on the road trip.

Aaaaahh, I hate losing!  Even for the best of teams it is going to happen 50 or 60 times a year, but I don't have to like it.

Still, Vinny Pestano's nasty. And Justin Masterson pitches on Tuesday.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Labels are dangerous things.  Fausto Carmona was anointed the Indians' #1 starter last summer and the opening day starter long before spring camp even opened.  Now the ace of our first place Tribe sits at 1-3, his ERA an ugly 5.76.  Fausto's success waxes and wanes with his command.  He must establish the propensity to throw quality strikes or the opposition will fail to flail at the wicked nasty stuff that he leaves out of the zone.  Carmona did not have any sort command on this day.  He walked four in his five innings, throwing just 49 of his 86 pitches for strikes.  More problematic is that when Fausto comes out and discovers that he doesn't have his A game, his approach changes dramatically.  Unable to spot his out pitches, Carmona relies more and more on those that he can get over the plate.  He succeeds in controlling the ball, yet ultimately fails as these pitches, regardless of type, are quite hittable.  When the dust settled today, the Twins had six runs and seven hits on the board and Fausto was off to an early shower.  We all know that Carmona has a bit of a fragile psyche, so perhaps relieving him of the weight of top billing might allow him to flourish somewhat beneath the radar.  Just a thought.

The starter was far from the only issue against the Twins.  Chad Durbin (ugh, it's back) removed any realistic possibility of an Indians' comeback by surrendering four runs in his two innings of "relief."  Durbin (7.56 ERA) had put together a couple of consecutive clean outings, but he got hit hard today, really hard.  Among the four hits allowed were a line-shot home run and a double to the gap that almost got out as well.  Let's start an official "DFA Durbin" chant.

All of this against an offense that entered play batting a robust .233 and averaging a whole three runs per game.  There is no excuse for this kind of pitching display.

Still, the offense could have done a lot more.  Outside of Grady Sizemore's 8th inning two-run shot down the right field line, the lineup was meek and ineffectual.  They have appeared unable to take advantage of some sub-par opposing starters.  Brian Duensing?  Bruce Chen?  C'mon guys.  Of Sizemore's 9 hits since returning from the DL, five (3 2B, 2 HR) have been for extra bases.  Even after an 0-for-4 today, Michael Brantley is still hitting .296 with an OBP dancing right around .400.  While Manny Acta seems reluctant to redesign his lineup card, wouldn't it seem much more sensible to bat Brantley leadoff and take advantage of Sizemore's power deeper in the lineup?  There is, of course, the theory that batting Brantley at seven effectively creates a second leadoff man that utilizes Sizemore's production anyway.  There might, emphasis on might, be some merit to this thought, but when your club cannot outslug the opposition with the likes of Sean O'Sullivan on the mound, it is likely time to get back to basics.

In case you're wondering, the Clippers have been rained out on back to back days now, although Johnny Cueto did sign for me during warm-ups yesterday.  I officially remove my hex.  He can keep his arm.  I do not think the man speaks English as well as, say, Shin-Soo Choo.

Cheers.

Trevor Crowe Contributes!

This is a candy store mascot doing an impression of Chris Perez.  I believe that Trevor Crowe filmed this.  If not, he is at least the man who made Perez aware.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe A.K.A. Clip Joint Washout

Cheers.

9 Spot For the Clip Joint

Nine times.  Nine.  Times.  Chad Huffman pushed a run across nine times.  Huffman (.261) socked three homers and amassed nine runs batted in as the Clippers battered the Bats 19-3.  I have no desire to discuss the Indians, so I'm going to give you the full run down.

The crisp evening began with quiet a bit of anticipation.  One of the treats of minor league baseball is when a bonafide major leaguer comes through on a rehab assignment.  Such was the case tonight.  Louisville sent once and future Cincinnati Red Johnny Cueto to the hill.  Cueto's first rehab start had been brief yet successful.  This evening, not so much.  Johnny managed to retire five batters before getting yanked.  Unfortunately for the young righty, Columbus pounded him for 8 runs on 9 hits in that time.  Three of the runs were later determined to be unearned.  Still, the Clips' lineup crushed Cueto to the tune of .692.  Wait, .692 what?  That was their freakin' batting average off of Johnny tonight.  Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.  Following the game, the scrub hid in a shuttle bus, refusing to even acknowledge his fans, as Dontrelle Willis signed for everyone in sight and even posed for a few pictures.  I hope Cueto's arm falls off.

The Clippers' offense was so productive that I could tell you about all nine hitters.  Each player had at least one hit.  Eight reached base at least twice.  Seven scored at least one run and six drove in one or more.  The aforementioned Huffman also cracked four hits and scored five runs.  Travis Buck, making his debut for Columbus, got a hit in each of his first four ABs, doubling twice and driving in three.  Lonnie Chisenhall (.222) rapped two hits, scored four and collected an RBI.  Cord Phelps (.333) was just 1-for-2, but scored three times because he drew four walks.  Jordan Brown (.250) doubled, homered and walked.  And on.  And on.

Let us not neglect a quality start from Zach McAllister.  The 6'6", 240lb right hander, acquired in last year's Austin Kearns deal, won this third straight start to begin the season.  Zach went six allowing 2 earned on seven hits, striking out a pair and walking nary a soul.  McAllister (4.76 ERA) began the year as the #4 starter in the Columbus rotation.  This is a guy with big league make-up who is buried in the ridiculous pitching depth that the Indians' organization possesses.  This is a good thing.

Oh and Jess Todd gave up Louisville's third run.  He did pitch two innings to lower his ERA to 12.15.  Night and day, the man's performance between pre and regular season.  The difference must be in his head.

The Clippers wrap up a four game set with Louisville tomorrow.  If the rotation holds, David Huff should get the start.  The game is at 7:05p.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Nick Hagadone extended his scoreless streak to 10.2 innings by tossing two more clean frames in a 6-3 Akron win over Reading.  Hagadone allowed a hit and a walk and fanned four.  Opponents are hitting .162 off of him this season.  Jordan Henry remained absent from the Akron lineup.

Steven Wright, who had previously advanced as far as AAA as a conventional pitcher, tonight made his first pro start as a knuckleballer for Lake County.  Wright lasted 4 innings and allowed just one hit.  He walked three, K'ed 1 and allowed two runs, one of which was earned.  If Wright can harness the power of the knuckler he could distinguish himself as quite the unique prospect within the organization.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

The Tribe wasted a gem tonight.  Props to Josh Tomlin.  Boos to Chris Perez.  Maybe the offense could score more than 2 runs.  There's nothing else to say and I don't want talk about.  Watch the "highlights" and move on.

Cheers.

P.S.  Thank goodness that Carlos Santana did not injure himself on this play.

I Always Thought That It Would Be Manny

Word now is that the cup is in about 10 separate pieces.

A Quest Called Tribe

I think I hear a chicken.  Luke Hochevar sure did.  Perfect for the first five innings, Hochevar pulled his best Jeremy Sowers impression and imploded in the sixth.  After retiring 31 straight over two starts, the former #1 overall pick balked twice among five 6th inning hits (we can add balking in a run from third to list of baseball plays that I have seen for the first time this season), helping the Tribe to score four runs and take a lead that they would not relinquish.

Justin Masterson (4-0, 1.71 ERA) didn't bring his A game either.  Battling for command all night, Masterson walked two in the first and gave up three hits, but escaped allowing just two runs.  Justin continued to gut it out through six innings, eventually walking five and striking out 3, but did not allow another run.  His ability to compete despite the absence of the pinpoint control that showed in his first three starts is the most telling of anything the big righty has accomplished this season.  Assuming that the erraticness is not a regression, it is tremendous to know that Bat Masterson can keep the Indians in the game even when he has an off night.

The lineup produced up and down tonight, so I'm going to give my gold star to my boy Jack Hannahan.  Hannahan (.240) stroked a two run double in the 7th that provided key insurance as Tony Sipp decided to forget how to get people out in the 9th.  Jack is 7-for-12 with both of his home runs off of left handers this season.  He's as confused as the rest of us, but I'll take it.  After the production tonight, the Tribe features seven players with 9 RBI or more.  That's what I call a team effort.

Also, Vinnie Pestano is nasty.

Coming off of another quality start we need to put Jeanmar Gomez's performance last night into better perspective.  Let us compare to a man with whom he was in direct competition with during spring camp.  Through three starts (all wins), Josh Tomlin has surrendered six runs and 15 hits in just shy of 20 innings.  Yesterday, Gomez gave up nine hits and four runs in four innings.  Jaysus.  Tomlin refined a cutter during the off-season that some credit with his success thus far.  To reiterate, this is the sort of repertoire addition that Gomez would need to be successful at the MLB level.

Lastly, let's talk about defense.  Everyone has their favorite defensive statistic and I an no different.  My stat du jour is called Total Defense, abbreviated Rtot by BaseballRefernce.com (explanation here).  Basically the metric compiles data to estimate the average fielder at each position and then compares each individual thereto.  The value can be positive or negative depending on whether the defense is above or below average.  Thus, the league average is always zero.  Given all of that, just understand that big positive numbers are good, big negative numbers are bad, and numbers close to zero are average.  The Indians' total defense in 2011 is 24.  The number itself is irrelevant, but the fact that it is nearly double their closest competition (the Brewers at 13), speaks to the stellar level of play that Tribe has exhibited while in the field.

Despite the glowing review above, opponents are now 8-for-8 in stolen bases against the Indians.  After Tuesday night's five swipe explosion from the Royals, it is high time for Sandy Alomar to give the young guns some serious direction.  It is unacceptable to give the bad guys extra runners in scoring position, especially since the rest of this team is so darn productive.

Cheers.

Clip Joint Comeback

On a team littered with top prospects (Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis) and major league ready talent (Luis Valbuena, Jason Donald), three less heralded guys led the charge tonight.  After Alex White (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 7 K, 2.00 ERA) spotted Louisville two runs in the fourth, the Clippers tied it up on solo blasts from Chad Huffman (.195) and Luke Carlin (.379).  Carlin's third hit of the night was an RBI double to give Columbus a 3-2 lead in the 8th.  In the ongoing closer experiment, Josh Judy (4.26) blew his second save opportunity and allowed the Bats to equalize again in the 9th.  One more no-name solved that in the bottom half when Jerad Head (.389) laced his third single of the game to bring home the winner in walk-off fashion.

The Clips were in the whole because Louisville started former 22 game winner Dontrelle Willis.  Willis, who has battled anxiety and inconsistency over the past three season, came into the contest having not allowed a run in his first two starts, both wins.  His scoreless streak continued through the first five frames before Huffman's dinger and a walk to Kipnis chased D-Train from the game.  His ERA ballooned to 0.53.  I had the opportunity to meet Dontrelle after the game.  He was friendly, polite and very accommodating to all the fans.  It was a pleasant surprise from a man I had heard to be a bit of a pill.  D-Train is all aces in my book.

Columbus closes out their series with Louisville tomorrow at 6:35p.  Zach McAllister is scheduled to face rehabbing Red Johnny Cueto.  I plan to be there.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Down at AA, Austin Adams was a tough luck loser for the Aeros.  Adams (2.30) tossed four and two thirds surrendering four hits, 2 walks and an unearned run while striking out 7.  Akron fell to Bowie 3-0.  Jordan Henry was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game.  No word on an injury.

Also, the Aeros sent Brett Brach back to Kinston following Tuesday's impressive spot start.  Left-hander TJ McFarland was added and will make his first start on Thursday.

In Eastlake, the Captains split a double dip with the Lansing Lugnuts.  2010 4th round pick Kyle Blair (3.21) earned his first professional win in the front end.  Blair allowed just a solo home run and four singles over six innings.  He struck out four.  Cole Cook, last year's 5th rounder, pitched just as well in the nightcap, but came up empty.  Cook (3.21), still looking for his first pro W, gave up 3 hits, a walk and a unearned run.  Cole stuck around for five innings and fanned four.

Good stuff comin' as the Myrtle Beach Fighting Tyler Tufts open a four game set at Kinston tomorrow.

Cheers.

Saturday At the Clip Joint #2: Few Words, Many Pictures

David Huff shows nice repetition.

Jeanmar Gomez takes a walk and forgets to grab a ball.

Then tries to conjure one,

Before Corey Kluber joins him in the bullpen.

Ever wonder where the phrase "fair weather fans" comes from?

This is what Huntington Park looked like in the 8th inning on Opening Day.

It was in the 50's and kinda rainy, but c'mon man!

A Quest Called Tribe

Two hours ago I would have said, "Don't worry about Carlos Santana."  In fact, I did.  After watching him take three consecutive fastballs to make the 27th out of a 5-4 loss, I have changed my tune.  Shin-Soo Choo had just walked to force in the penultimate run and the young slugger strode to the dish with a chance to play hero against a struggling closer.  Instead, Joakim Soria sent three straight heaters over the outside corner and we have to deal with losing to the GD Royals.  Take the bat off of your shoulder, Carlos!

As opposed to every game over the past ten days, tonight I sat down and I was scared.  Having heard from a variety of sources that the league now has a book on Jeanmar Gomez and that he would have to make significant progress to sustain major league success, I was quite wary of the recall.  And rightly so.  Gomez delivered the first awful GS since the second game of the season.  Jeanmar looked pedestrian, a certifiable AAAAer, in surrendering all five KC runs on nine hits over four and a third.  I never thought that I would be calling for David Huff, but "Call up David Huff!"  We can hope that Mitch Talbot will miss only one more start (he'll probably miss 2 or 3).  We can hope that Tim Belcher can help Gomez with some adjustments (likely won't happen).  We can even concede that one game in five (ugh), but I don't have to like it.  So, straight to Jeanmar Gomez, "Boo!"

Given the 5-0 deficit, the offense made a laudable effort at a comeback.  And who got the clutch hit?  Lou-Lou Marson.  I'll give the dude credit.  He said that he was going to hit and, in the early going, hit he has.  In a game where three of your highest profile players look foolish in the late innings, after 17 games during which the #3 & 4 hitters are barely hitting .400 combined, the .357 from Marson in a pleasant surprise.  Five stolen bases allowed is not.

One more tidbit of note.  As we lament the poor production of several key offensive cogs, we have to recognize that American League batting averages are way down so far this season.  In 2010, only one AL team hit under .247.  So far in 2011, only six teams, including the Indians at .269 coming into tonight, are batting above .247.  The likelihood is that these numbers will regress to the mean as the season progresses.  So, for now, let's take our 12-5 first place record and assume that Santana (.203) and Choo (.215) and others will eventually hit.


Cheers.

P.S. Quick shout out to Chad Durbin, who tossed 2.2 scoreless in relief tonight.  Alas, the team lost.  Durbin still has done nothing to help them win.  ;-j  Just kidding, Chad.  Nice outing.

First Time At the Clip Joint

Scottie Barnes made his AAA debut tonight.  It could have gone better.  Barnes, who walked 2 and struck out 17 over 11 innings for Akron, walked five in five innings en route to giving up four runs (4 H, 3 ER, 3K) against Toledo this evening.  The inconsistent Clippers offense could not overcome the deficit.  No one in the lineup produced more than one hit and the lone RBI came on a Wes Hodges (.129) ground out.

Despite the 4-2 loss, each of the relievers is notable.  Jensen Lewis pitched the 6th and 7th (H, K), indicating that he may have been relieved of his responsibilities as the primary closer.  Frank Herrmann threw the 8th (H, K) for his second strong appearance following a rocky first game.  Unheralded right hander Carlton Smith closed it out (H, BB, 2 K) for his 4th consecutive scoreless appearance to begin the season.  We'll keep an eye on him.

The Clippers take on Louisville again tomorrow at 6:35p with Alex White expected to start.

Other Minor Points of Interest -

That Brett Brach character threw six scoreless (2 H, BB, 4 K) in his debut for Akron.  I guess he might stick around for a bit.  Bryan Price (7.36 ERA) followed with two clean innings (H, BB, 2 K), bouncing back from a shaky showing his last time out.  Th Aeros won 3-0.

Drew Pomeranz started for Kinston and looked human for the first time.  Over four innings Pomeranz gave up three earned on 3 hits, 3 walks and 5 K's.  His ERA rose to 1.80 and he did not stick around long enough to earn the W in the Kinston victory.

After the Myrtle Beach Pelicans exploded for five runs in the bottom of the 8th, Tyler Tufts slammed the door on Winston-Salem.  Ty (1.59) cruised through a perfect 9th, striking out a pair swinging, to pick up his 3rd save.  There are not often consistent closers at the single-A level, so I won't jump to any conclusions, but the numbers are superb.  I'll clue you in soon to the reason that we're following Tyler.

Over the weekend the Indians traded RHP Yohan Pino to the Toronto Blue Jays for "cash considerations."  I think it's funny that the transaction log no longer reads that a player has been "sold."  Ha.  Pino, who pitched all of last season at Columbus, but had been demoted to AA this year; was the Tribe's sole compensation in the Carl Pavano trade of 2009.  Pino is a more than competent AAA pitcher with a reasonable chance of making the bigs.  His departure is indicative of the organization depth in starting pitching.

Cheers.

Saturday At the Clip Joint #1: Your Jeanmar Gomez Primer

In about two hours Jeanmar has the yeoman's task of continuing a pitching cavalcade that has shocked the world. Here is some in house video of Gomez throwing his bullpen session on 04.16 in Columbus at Huntington Park.

Tickets Punched

Everything is official now.

Jeamar Gomez to the Tribe to start tonight.

Travis Buck demoted to AAA to clear space for Gomez.

Scott Barnes up from Akron to Columbus to fill Gomez's spot in the rotation.

Anticlimactically, Brett Brach (never heard of him) was promoted to the Aeros.  Brach has started in the past but has been working out of the bullpen for Kinston.  It remains to be seen what Akron does with the starting rotation.

Cheers.

Morning At the Clip Joint

Classy.  Through the haze of my fever I did follow the Clippers game via Gameday.  I wish that I had not.  The Columbus pitchers were bound to throw up a stinker and Monday morning affair was it.  Corey Kluber (7.45 ERA) started and was bad (4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR, 2 WP), Joe Martinez (7.27) followed and was worse (2.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB, K, 2 HR, WP), but neither has anything on Jess Todd (15.43).  Todd surrendered 3 earned on five hits, including a homer, in his inning of work.  The Clips lost 13-5.

There was no offensive standout.  It was one of those games where if you have to pick a player of, you look at the stat lines and just shake your head.  The most interesting thing that I can tell is that Lonnie Chisenhall went 0-for-2 with 2 walks, a run scored and a K, dropping his season average to exactly .200.

Louisville comes to town tomorrow at 6:35p.  With Martinez throwing today, a starter will need to be promoted from Akron to take the pill.  All indications are that that man will be Scott Barnes.

Other Minor Points Of Interest --

One reason that Barnes is nearly a lock to get the recall is that Kelvin De La Cruz made his scheduled start tonight for Akron.  De La Cruz (1-2, 1.80) earned his first win of the season by scattering six hits over five innings.  Kelvin allowed just one run while walking one and striking out nine.  Nice.

Nick Hagadone (0.00) followed with his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance of the year.  In eight and two thirds Hagadone has allowed five hits and struck out ten.  The most encouraging number is the goose egg in the base on balls column.  Even though Nick has been labeled a starter in the past, he averaged less than three innings a start before his conversion to the 'pen last season and only commands two pitches.  Most project the big lefty (6'5", 230) as a dominant back end guy.

Also, props to Drew Pomeranz (pictured at top), who took home the Carolina League pitcher of the week honors.

Cheers.