Best Of the Clip Joint

Scott Barnes

The wait is over!  The ballots are in!  The International League announced its all-star roster today!  Manager Mike Sarbaugh heads to Salt Lake City with four of his best in tow.  Starters Zach McAllister (8-2, 2.93) and Jeanmar Gomez (8-2, 2.49) are joined by 2B Jason Kipnis (.301, .907 OPS, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 10/10 SB) and UT Luis Valbuena (.309, .909 OPS, 11 HR, 51 RBI).  Congrats to all.

Scottie Barnes was not tabbed an all-star, but he sure did pitch like one tonight.  Just two Mud Hens (H, BB) reached base over the first seven innings and Scott might have made it through 8 except a Jason Donald error opened the door for two Toledo runs.  Barnes (7-2, 3.40) ended up allowing three hits and an earned run while striking out five.  Yeah, I would say he has settled in to AAA.

The offense was the very definition of balance as every hitter reached base via hit or walk and none did more than twice.  Jerad Head launched his 11th home run.  Recently, there has been a lot of chatter about why Head (.303) is not patrolling the outfield corners at the Jake.  At nearly 29 years old, he has had ample opportunity to distinguish himself from the herd and he has not.  Make-up wise, he is a line-drive hitter with gap power who lacks both plus speed and defense.  This sounds a lot like former farm hand Jordan Brown... except Brown had two MVPs and a batting title in his pocket.   Obviously, given that Brown, 27, was traded for oatmeal in April, that sort of player does not interest the club at the big league level.  Put it out of your head.

The Clipper ship stays anchored on the Maumee for one more night.  Zach McAllister takes the hill at 7p sharp, looking for win #9.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Adam Everett officially cleared waivers on Thursday and has been released by the Indians organization.  No comment.

Nick Weglarz has broken .200!  With a single and a double, Wegz is now clipping at .218 with an .867 OPS.  He is also 5 for his last 7 over three games.  Expect him to move to Columbus as soon as a spot opens up.

2011 3rd round pick, Jake Sisco, the highest Tribe draftee to sign thus far, had his second successful start in the Arizona League.  Jake (1.50) surrendered a run on four hits and two walks in three innings of work.  He fanned a man of inning for the second straight outing.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Tuesday, as I passed through the Yahoo! sports page on the way to edit my fantasy lineup, I decided to double check Wednesday's game time.  You see, I had heard a rumor that it was to be played in the afternoon.  My fears were quickly assuaged by the Indians team page, which indicated first pitch at the same 9:40p start time as games 1 & 2.  Suffice to say, I did eventually figure it out, but a big boo on you Yahoo!

More importantly, big props to Carlos Carrasco.  I admit that I did not give the dude a fair shake and he has been remarkable over the past month (4-1, 0.98).  Yesterday, for the first time, I began to dissect what has changed about the young right hander.  A lot of talking heads try to over-complicate the method, when, in fact, it is phenomenally simple.  Throw strikes.  Change speeds.  Hit your spots.  How?  Consistency of motion.  Repetition of delivery.  Keep a clear head.  Not to say that this is easy, but Carrasco (8-4, 3.54) has found the groove on all of these fronts.  The most obvious is his mental state.  The man is locked in, channeling his competitive spirit into the singular focus of making his pitch.  It was wonderful to see how pumped up he was after each of his last two punch outs.  Stuff-wise, two significant improvements have bred success: throwing his fastball for strikes early in the count and commanding his slider inside of the zone.  Any pitcher will tell you that he cannot be successful without getting ahead, but, on its own, it is insufficient.  The slide piece has become devastating, dipping and diving and remaining away from the meaty part of the plate.  Carrasco kept the Tribe's head above water during the worst of the losing streak and has become the team's most consistent starter as they fight to remain in contention.

It was certainly heartening to see the bats rap out fifteen hits.  Orlando Cabrera is suddenly en fuego (8-for-14 in his last four games) and, Wednesday, produced his first four hit game of the season.  Even so, I have been more impressed with Travis Buck.  After bottoming out at .220 with his 0-for-24 streak, Buck (.241) has cracked 6 hits in 18 AB's with 3 doubles and 3 RBI.  Just when I was about to express how disappointing his performance had been following a monster spring, the man shoots three bullets in his last three plate appearances, recapturing the stroke of March.  If Travis can keep this up, the 8-10 weeks that Shin-Soo Choo will spend on the shelf will be much less painful.


Over the past ten days or so, I have found myself a bit put upon by things that are not baseball.  As such, I had not watched every pitch of an Indians game in awhile... until Tuesday.  And, boy, did I pick a jim-dandy.

Despite a walk-off loss, despite watching his tenth win flit away, the night belonged to Josh Tomlin (9-4, 3.86).  Not since Charlie Nagy in the 1992 All-Star game have I felt such a thrill for an Indians pitcher getting a hit.  The bunt bonus was good enough, but the hard struck RBI single?  Unbelievable.  "I can't hit a fastball," he said.  What a sandbagger.

Sadly though, Grady Sizemore looks old.  It is not only the plummeting average (.226), his bat is slow to the ball.  It is not just the absence of stolen bases (0-for-2), he badly misplayed two deep drives (one hit his glove) that he would have made into web gems in his heyday.  Worst of all Grady's face is haggard, worn.  He does not know what is wrong or how to fix it.  As always, the best of luck to him, but I am not optimistic.

I promised to explain why the Indians will continue to win.  This is always easier in the rosy glow of an actual victory, so here we go.  (1) The Bullpen Mafia - an unfortunate performance on Tuesday notwithstanding, the corps (minus Chad-Chad-Oh-So-Bad) is the heart and soul of the team and the best in the American League.  Personally, my favorite is Vinnie Pestano, who showed an 81 mph curveball yesterday that appears unhittable if he can command it.  (2) The Starting 4.5 - Since June 7th; Carrasco, Tomlin, Mitch Talbot and Justin Masterson have combined for a 2.99 ERA, a .248 OBA, and 1.10 WHIP.  We are going to abstain from Fausto Carmona, currently your league leader in losses and earned runs allowed, for now.  (3) Defense, Defense, Defense - While unable to maintain the standard that they set in the season's first month, the D has still saved 21 runs in 2011, third best in the AL.  (4) The Bats are waking up -  Buck and O-Cab are raking.  Lonnie Chisenhall is here and lacing line drives.  Travis Hafner is back after Cincy.  Even the slumping Michael Brantley had an RBI single last night.

There is only one caveat ...

“The Tribe is currently striking out an average of 7.3 times a game, which projects to 1,183 Ks on the season. That total would put this year’s team just outside the Top 5 all-time in team history for most strikeouts in a single season. And the numbers have been worse since Bruce Fields took over for Jon Nunnally – even though one of the reasons given for Nunnally’s firing is the team was striking out too much.” - Red Right 88

Nothing is perfect, but they are tied for first again.

Cheers.

Clip Joint Open For Lunch

Tim Fedroff

You could not ask for a better day to play afternoon baseball.  Sunshine, a light breeze and temperatures in the high 70s.  Bee-you-tee-full. The Clippers lineup dug it the most.  The top 3 cracked 8 hits and the team produced 15 overall to bring in a dozen in a 12-4 victory over Toledo.  Recently promoted Tim Fedroff (.333) joined headliners Ezequiel Carrera (.292) and Jason Kipnis (.302) in the three hit parade and drove in three runs.  Fedroff and Luis Valbuena (.316) went deep, four players drove in multiple runs and five scored at least twice.

All of that in support of David Huff (8-2, 3.74), who allowed just a run on four hits over six quality innings.  Dave struck out seven and walked four as he finished June a perfect 5-0 with 2.70 ERA.  The numbers that Huff has posted are difficult to ignore, especially for a team without a lefty in their starting rotation.  Still, lest we forget, he was 2-11 with a 6.21 for the Indians last season and the opposition batted a healthy .304 against him.  I cannot see him as legitimate option.

The Clips play two in Toledo, starting tomorrow with Scott Barnes on the mound.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Despite loading the bases on two singles and a hit batter, Adam Miller pitched a scoreless ninth to seal a 4-1 Akron Aeros win and earn his first AA save.  Miller (1-1, 2.77) fanned pair, one with the bases juiced and one out, and, since a couple of rocky outings early in his tenure, has tossed nine straight shutout frames allowing just five hits.

Beau Mills provided half of the Aeros' offense with a two-run double.  Mills (.292) has now driven in 32 in his 41 games with an .813 OPS.  If he continues at this pace, he will see AAA for the first time before season's end.

Bryce Stowell showed definite control issues as he allowed his first run of 2011 for Lake County.  Stowell (0.93) threw 1.2 innings, walking 3 and allowing 2 hits, but striking out three as well.  Overall, he has walked 6 and fanned 13 in 9.2 innings.

Cheers

Solo Time @ the Clip Joint

Jason Kipnis

The Clippers put up five runs tonight as they sneaked past the Toledo Mud Hens in the first of a four game home-and-home.  Four of those runs came via the solo home run.  Jason Kipnis played big bopper, launching his 10th and 11th round trippers.  Kip finds the spotlight a bit brighter with top prospects Cord Phelps and Lonnie Chisenhall now traveling with the big club and he seems to like it. Over his past three, Jason (.295) is 6-for-12 with 3 dingers. Also chipping in, Jared Goedert (.202) raised his average above Mendoza with three hits including his own solo shot.  The fourth bomb came off of the bat of Paul Phillips (.229), who is now the only active catcher on the Columbus roster.

Jeanmar Gomez started and pushed his record to 8-2 with the victory.  Gomez (2.49) scattered six hits over the first five before finally allowing Toledo on the board with a three run sixth that sent him to the showers.  Jeanmar has found his groove and finishes June 4-1 with a 2.18.

CC Lee, one of three recent recalls (Tim Fedroff, Matt McBride), pitched a scoreless eighth, fanning a pair.  After posting a 12.71 K/9 with Akron, CC has punched out 4 in his first 2.1 with the Clippers.

David Huff starts tomorrow in a business man's special at 12:05p.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Someone needs to explain Nick Weglarz to me.  Still an legitimate power prospect, Wegz has lingered at AA Akron after initially joining the club for rehab.  Why has he yet to be promoted?  Well, that would be because he was hitting .163 coming into action tonight.  Now, Nick did single twice to raise his average to .196 and he also walked for the 22nd time in 17 games.  In addition, the one base hits this evening were only his second and third of the season.  All of this boils down to a guy with an average under .200, but an OPS of .850!  In case you are not the stat head that I am, such a thing is nearly unheard of.

In his first start for High-A Kinston, neophyte knuckleballer Steven Wright gave the little Indians eight solid innings, his longest outing at any level in 2011.  Wright, who has pitched for 4 different farm clubs this year, allowed three runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out 7.  Believe it or not, Wright (3-2, 3.38) will be an option for the Indians as early as next spring should he not encounter any setbacks.

LeVon Washington is showing some signs of coming out of the doldrums for Low-A Lake County.  Now sporting a modest six-game hit streak, Washington (.230) has 6 hits in his last 16 AB's.  Tonight, the speedy centerfielder singled, tripled, scored three times and swiped his 9th bag.

Speaking of triples, 2010 third-rounder Tony Wolters socked his 3rd tonight.  Wolters (.310) also singled and drove home a run and has hit in nine of Mahoning Valley's first ten games.

Cheers

Believe It When You See It

(1) Troy Tulowitzki hits the ball twice (listen for it), en route to a base hit



(2) The #4 pick is a freak!



(3) You thought maple was dangerous.



Cheers

While I Was Sminking

Once again, last to the party.  The Chiz Kid arrived tonight.  I found out at about 5:30 (looooooong day), when the news broke at aboot 4p.  But, really, who gives a monkey's knuckle about that.  Lonnie Chisenhall is here tonight.  Or, rather, in Phoenix.

On the heels of two-out, 9th inning error on Sunday, one that set up a grand slam that cost the Clippers the game, Chisenhall got the call to the bigs.  Mercifully, the Adam Everett era came to an end.  Lonnie did not disappoint.  After slashing a a double down the right field line for his first MLB hit, Chiz the go-ahead RBI in a two-run sixth that would prove invaluable in a sorely needed victory.  Some might lament Manny Acta for lifting a starting pitcher, who had retired his last ten faced, to allow Travis Hafner to make the final out of that inning.  The STO boys chirped about "firing his bullet" and a "National league mindset."  The simple fact is that the bullpen is wicked awesome and they showed up once again tonight to prove it.  I know that Vinnie Pestano gave up a bleed and a blast to tie the game, but the effort that he and Rafael Perez mustered to get three outs with a man on third cannot be overstated.  It gave the Indians their chance to win.  And whatever we say on O-Cab's O-fense, he certainly has a penchant for the big moment.

Tonight, Mitch Talbot pitched well enough to win (3 ER in 5 IP), which continues a disturbing trend on this west coast swing.  Since posting a 5-0 April, Justin Masterson is 0-6 despite a 3.38 ERA.  Saturday was perhaps the most egregious offense as took the loss without allowing an earned run.  Blame that one on an offense that could not muster a single run.  Friday was little better as Carlos Carrasco suffered his first loss in three weeks (3-1, 0.61) with Carlos Santana wearing the goat horns.  That brings us Sunday and our old friend Fausto Carmona.

Honsetly, we cannot blame Sunday's loss, or the Giants' sweep, on Fausto.  I would very much like to.  I would very much like to have one scapegoat for all of the woe that has befallen the Tribe over the past six weeks.  Unfortunately, it cannot be done.  The truth is that if Fausto pitches like he did for the ESPN national audience, he will remain in the rotation for the entire season.  A 06.21 Cleveland.com poll revealed that 38% of readers want Carmona in the pen with only 15% affording him the opportunity to return to form.  I was part of the plurality.  While I have no desire to welcome Jeanmar Gomez or David Huff back to the lakefront, I would enjoy seeing if Zach McAllister (8-2, 2.93) can translate his International League success into some AL wins.  Incidentally, Zach should have somewhere in the region of 11 W's, as he has been robbed not only by Sunday's 9th inning collapse, but also by two games suspended by rain.  Even with the message the front office sends by promoting Chisenhall to catalyze an anemic offense, something dramatic would have to occur in advance of a McAllister recall.  To get kicked to the relief corps, Carmona would have to pitch like the May 19th to June 10th stretch (0-5, 9.55) rather than the 1-2, 6.89 set that has followed.  Seriously, two middling games (hey, 66% strikes is an improvement) sandwiched around a stinker will be more than enough to keep him on the hill once every five days.

That Clippers loss yesterday was part of a four game series with the Gwinett Braves in which Columbus won only game 1.  That victory landed in Huff's pocket (7-2, 3.91) with Chisenhall slugging a first inning grand slam as part of a 5-game stretch in which he hit .429 with 2 bombs and an astounding 14 RBI.  That was more than good enough for IL player of the week in advance of his Indians debut.  Saturday featured another strong outing from Scottie Barnes (5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 K).  This might have been good enough to win had the bats not run into a buzzsaw named Julio Teheran.  Atlanta's top prospect and Baseball America's #4 overall, Teheran (8-1, 1.79!) limited the Clips to four hits over 7 innings with Luis Valbuena's 10th round tripper the only mar on his score sheet.  Still, Columbus has won twice as many as it has lost (52-26) and with the big club floundering, it is nice too see the cavalry thriving. 

Yeah, I do not like thinking about how bad the offense has been, so I will not.   No numbers.  No retrospective.  Forget it.  It has now past.  I proceed forward under the assumption that Chisenhall's addition will serve as the shot in the arm that the batsmen so sorely need.  This thump will equal a glut of chalk marks in the win column as the hurlers maintain success.  Even in getting swept the Tribe kept it close through the entire series on the bay, the mark of a solid ballclub.  With the win tonight, the Indians remain a single game behind the Tigers.  Given all the adversity that our club has endured recently, one cannot ask for a better opportunity to contend.  Why will they contend?  For the same reasons that the team was once running away with the division.  Now that I have whet your appetite, enjoy the win and I will break it down for you tomorrow.

Ha!

Cheers.

P.s. If Asdrubal Cabrera does not make it back to Chase Field for the All-Star festivities, I am going to write a very nasty letter to Major League Baseball.

Jensen Says It Best

Completely shell-shocked.. Never thought this would happen..

Jensen Lewis tweeted at noon on Friday.  Although the corresponding move has yet to be officially announced, the Indians have promoted RHP CC Lee from Akron to Columbus.  Based on the above communique, we have to believe that Lewis has been released.

On the post-season roster in 2007 and the closer in the second half 2008, Lewis was coming off a strong 2010 (4-2, 2.97).  Heading into camp he was a favorite to snare a bullpen spot with the big club, but an horrific spring (14.29 ERA, 2.82 WHIP) resulted in a demotion to AAA.  His 2011 with Columbus has been inconsistent at best (5.14 ERA, .342 OBA).  Jensen began the campaign in fine fashion, picking up one-run saves in each of the season's first two games.  He made both interesting, putting two on in game 1 and loading them up with one out in game two before escaping.  Despite not officially allowing a run, he blew the save in an April 12th loss at Louisville, sat for a week and returned in a lesser role.  Lewis responded well and did not surrender his first run of the season until May 2nd, the same day that he earned his third win.  Then, the wheels came off.  His ERA in May was 6.75, 9.64 in June.  His OBA climbed from .226 in April to .365 in May and has been .435 since June 1.  Now he has become the fourth former high profile prospect (Jess Todd, Jordan Brown, Wes Hodges) that the Tribe has parted ways with in the first half.

I have always been of the opinion that Jensen Lewis has closer stuff and make-up and, for many reasons, he just did not fit well in the Indians organization.  It began with a personality conflict with Eric Wedge and never truly recovered.  Still, in addition to his talent, Lewis is a great clubhouse guy, rallying his teammates pre-game and delivering the shaving cream pies afterwards.  The very best to a class act in Lewis, wherever he may land.

Cheers.

Clip Joint Is the Place To Be

At least if your name is Jeanmar Gomez.  As I have stated previously, the kid looks much more comfortable at AAA and the results certainly speak for themselves.  Gomez (7-2, 2.30) provided eight shutout innings last night as the Clips won their 15th of 16.  Jeanmar allowed five hits as he walked four and fanned five.  Over his past seven starts he is 4-1 with a tremendous 1.76 ERA.  Gomez dances on that razor's edge of MLB talent.  While he can dominate in the minors, he just does not have enough stuff or command to consistently retire big league hitters.  In 2011, his OBA at Columbus is .235.  With the Indians?  .341.  He is what we call a AAAA player.  When Wins Above Replacement are calculated he is the the replacement player.  Honestly, Jeanmar is a good guy and I wish him as much success as he can find at the next level, I just do not see his cup overflowing.

Nick Hagadone, who has had some noticeable issues adjusting to the International League, finished up with a scoreless inning.  Nick (2-1, 6.60) loaded the bases on two hits and a walk but, having secured the first two outs via the whiff,  induced a inning ending fly ball to preserve the shutout. 

The offense used a balanced approach to provide six runs of support.  Ezequiel Carrera (.301) reached base four times on two hits and two walks and scored a pair of runs.  Jason Kipnis (.290) stroked an RBI triple, his 9th three-bagger of the season.  Every Clipper has a hit save Lonnie Chisenhall (.257), but the Chiz Kid did his part, driving home two runs.

The Clips open a four game set with the Gwinett Braves at Huntington Park tonight.  First pitch is at 7:05p with David Huff on the hill.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Nick Weglarz, who has slumped horribly over the past week, continued last night for the Aeros, going 0-for-3 with a walk.  Since homering twice on June 16th, Wegs (.146) is hitless in 14 AB's, although he has walked 8 times.  So, even though his batting average over that span is an endless string of zeros, his OBA is a healthy .364.  Nick, seemingly primed to return to AAA just seven days ago, now finds himself in a limbo only escaped from with hits.

Rob Bryson pitched effectively again for Kinston, with two innings of two hit, two strikeout ball.  Bryson now has seven punch-outs in 4.1 scoreless High-A innings as he works his way back the AA level that he reached last season.

2010 third round pick Tony Wolters, derailed by a broken hamate bone in spring training, is back to work with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  Wolters (.292) tripled twice last night and has put up an .808 OPS thus far.

Josh Rodriguez, selected by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft and then returned, has been traded back to the Pittsburgh organization for a barrel full of well-handled one dollar bills. No word on the exact count, but I'm sure it was an equitable deal.

Congrats to Jason Kipnis and Drew Pomeranz on being named to the All-Star Futures Game.  Part of the MLB All-Star weekend, the contest takes place July 10th at 3p with a US team taking a World team.

Cheers.

Feelin' Good At the Clip Joint

Lonnie Chisenhall

Concussions are funny things.  Sometimes a player will sustain such trauma and return only to perform as a pale shadow of his former self.  Take Justin Morneau, a former AL MVP with four straight 100 RBI seasons.  Last July 7, Morneau, then hitting .345 with 18 homers and 56 RBI, caught a knee to (k)noggin out at second base and sat for the rest of 2010.  He's back in the lineup this year for the Twins, but, clearly, something is not right.  Sporting a .225 batting average and just four dingers, Morneau is more of a hindrance than a help to a Minnesota team that is fighting to get back into contention.

Fortunately for Indians fans, there is another side of the coin.  On June 10th, top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall smacked his skull on the third base and sustained a concussion himself.  After sitting him for a week, Columbus reluctantly (and retroactively) placed him on the 7-day disabled list last Friday.  Some speculated that the scrutiny accompanying his projected value got to the young man as well and, perhaps, that might have had something to do with the break as well.  Either way, Chisenhall (.261) returned to action last night, showing no ill effects from either affliction.  As the Clippers battered the Mud Hens 13-7, for their 14th win in 15 games, the Chiz Kid put on a show for the folks of Toledo.  He cranked four hits, peppering in a triple and a moon shot, scored twice and drove in six.  So, I guess the guy is okay.

Better than okay?  How about Luis Valbuena?  Begging for a call-up and riding the highs of a 19-game hitting streak and a 7-RBI game in the past month, Luis (.307) just continues to rake the cover off of the ball.  He added two more hits, including his 8th home run, last night, and raised his RBI total to 45.  We all know, of course, that the kid can hit at AAA.  The question is whether he has turned a corner and can (ever?) deliver consistently at the big league level.  I have said it before and I will say it again -- kick Adam Everett to the curb and let Valbuena play.

Not so okay?  That is your Corey Kluber.  After putting together a run of worthwhile starts (4-1, 4.42) over the past month, Kluber completely forgot how to pitch yesterday.  Imagine Jason Hammel's queer balk, except stretched over 3+ innings.  Corey (4-4, 6.35) walked six and allowed four hits en route to surrendering six earned.  Luckily his mates picked him up.  Still, Kluber is clearly the rawest pitcher in the Columbus rotation. At 25, he needs to develop the ability to avoid implosions like the above if he is to progress to the next level.

The Clips finish their brief two-game series tonight with Jeanmar Gomez taking the pill at 7:05p.  Since the Indians have an off day, the game is on STO.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Despite sustaining a sixth inning blown save (does that even count?), Adam Miller did pitch reasonably well for Akron yesterday.  In his 8th AA appearance Miller (1-1, 3.27) allowed two hits and a walk while fanning a pair in 1.2 innings.  Barring another injury, and with Adam we never know, we will see him with the Tribe in September.

Our friend Tyler Tufts continues to impress at AA Frisco.  Ty (2-1, 2.03) has thrown three straight scoreless outings, including a shutout inning last night, and has a 1.42 ERA over his last 10.  Among his sterling statistics are a 1.15 WHIP, 8.78 K/9, and an incredible 8.67 K/BB.  Go, man, go.

Speaking of sterling, 18-year old Indians prospect Felix Sterling's 2011 debut in the rookie league was anything but.  Following up on a tremendous 2010, Felix labored through two innings, getting roughed up for four runs (3 earned) on four hits, a walk and a blast.  The kid who posted 9.99 K/9 last season was nowhere to be found as he K'ed exactly no one.  He is a ways off, but keep an eye.

Lastly, with Kinston and Lake County at their respective All-Star breaks, a check on the first half statistics of a few key prospects ...

LeVon Washington, OF (LC) - .209, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .622 OPS [8/9 SB]
Alex Lavisky, C (LC, MV) - .202, 8 HR, 26 RBI, .619 OPS [73 K in 208 AB]
Anthony Gallas, OF (KIN, LC) - .306, 6 HR, 28 RBI, .886 OPS [27 2B]

Drew Pomeranz (KIN) - 2-2, 1.93 ERA, .201 OBA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.42 K/9
Giovanni Soto (KIN) - 4-4, 3.02 ERA, .232 OBA, 1.18 WHIP, 9.21 K/9
Michael Goodnight (LC) - 5-5, 3.04 ERA, .191 OBA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.24 K/9
Steven Wright (COL, AKR, KIN, LC) - 2-1, 3.38 ERA, .279 OBA, 1.52 WHIP, 6.29 K/9
Rob Bryson (KIN, LC) - 0-1, 2.84 ERA, .208 OBA, 0.95 WHIP, 14.21 K/9
Bryce Stowell (LC, MV) - 0-0, 0.00 ERA [1 SV], .056 OBA, 0.50 WHIP, 10.5 K/9

Cheers

A Quest Called Tribe

We all go a little crazy sometimes.  Such was the case of Josh Tomlin between May 27th and June 12th (1-3, 8.61).  Last Friday, he tossed 6.2 innings of one run ball to begin the sweep of the Pirates and I was there to watch.  In fact, in the two Tomlin starts that I have seen this season (May 21 vs Cincy), he has allowed just 2 earned in 13.2 and notched two victories.  I might have to go back and rally him out of his next slump.

It gets a bit scary when a an inexperienced pitcher lacking phenomenal stuff goes into a bit of a slump.  One might think that the book has finally caught up to him, the book and the long ball.  Still, tonight Tomlin extended his 5+ inning start streak to 27 to begin his MLB career.  Even during the struggles, Josh (9-4, 3.95) was able to pitch past the halfway point and, most importantly, did not allow his control to falter.  Although he gave up 39 hits in the 23 innings of those starts, Tomlin did not try to alter his approach.  Even when the opposition took advantage of the spots that he missed, the 26-year old remained locked in, weathered the storm and now seems to have arrived safely back to his early season form.

In earning his 9th victory tonight (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR) Josh prevented what would have been a demoralizing sweep that would have wiped away all the momentum that the team recouped against Pittsburgh.  With three more scheduled starts before the mid-summer classic, Tomlin is, in my very humble opinion, poised to make a run at the All-Star roster.  I believe that Asdrubal Cabrera is a virtual lock (see previous post, did you know that he is 12-for-12 in stealing bases?), but it would seem that the next best argument could be made for Josh (Did you know that no one has even attempted to steal off of him this season?), assuming that he stays plus for the next three weeks.  He is now tied with six others for the AL lead in wins.  If he could make that total, say, 11 by break time, I cannot see him being excluded.

In a more general sense, the Tribe seems to be returning to the standard that they set in getting out to a 30-15 start that featured 25 games (15-10) with a margin of 3 runs or less.  Then came the 6-16 stretch leading into the Pittsburgh series wherein only 8 games were decided by fewer than four runs.  Now, the two excrurciating one-run losses to the Rockies notwithstanding (How clutch was Travis Buck braking an 0-for-24 to tie the game on Tuesday?), the Indians took 4 of 6 in a home stand that included four games within the aforementioned spread.  The recipe is simple: timely hitting (Pronk!!!!!!!!!!), quality starting pitching and a set-up staff that just will not quit.  In fact, the entire 'pen (minus a goat named Chad of course) has allowed just four earned in 46.1 since June 3.  That rounds out to a 0.78 ERA.  Hell, the Mafia put the first four they faced tonight on strikes.  Nice.

Like it.

Love it.

Gotta have it.

Roll Tribe.

Cheers.

P.s. Isn't it weird that we can now hear the umpire saying where the pitch misses on a ball?

While I Was Sminking

Sometimes rookies come of age ...

Sometimes people get hurt ...

Matt LaPorta to the 15-day DL with a mild high right ankle sprain.

Lonnie Chisenhall, who has not played since June 10, to the 7-day DL @ AAA with a concussion.

Sometimes just being there is more than enough ...

I sat in section 511, row L for the 5-1 Indians victory on Friday.  We were so obscured from the right field wall that we all high fived, assuming Hafner's ball was gone.  It was college ID night (half-price lower reserved and mezzanine seats) and a ton of kids showed.  Many found that the promo seats were sold out and bought $8 seats to join us in the upper deck.  That did not include the buddy of a group in the row behind me who was quoted as saying "he couldn't afford the $8 ticket."  I will tell you that I would have never expected the torrent of talent that walked past row L.  I felt like a diabetic in a chocolate factory.

I had never been further from the action, not even when I sat in the dimly remembered "auxilliary bleachers" that were set up on the site of the Batter's Eye Bar in the late 90's.  Still, as an Indians fan, there is nothing that can approximate the sensation of enjoying a Tribe win with 38,000 of my closest friends.  Even if this season should not culminate in a playoff appearance, we can still enjoy the ride.

Sometimes careers die ...

Fausto Carmona lost his league leading 9th game of the season tonight.  Over his past seven starts, Fausto is 1-6 with 9.73 ERA, a .333 OBA and a 1.78 WHIP.  He allowed seven earned runs to raise his MLB worst total to 66 and allowed his 15th round tripper of 2011.  He has never allowed more than 17 in any season.  Sadly, the most rope that Carmona will get is to the All-Star break.  If he has not sufficiently recovered his command, and the Indians continue to contend, he will be demoted to the bullpen.

Sometimes the impossible happens ...

And sometimes seasons are resurrected by a visit from some stinking Pittsburgh bums.  It may not be PC to kick a franchise that has not had a winning campaign in two decades, but you will always be judged by the company that you keep.  My ire for the Steelers will fall upon all Pittsburgh franchsies, at least until the Brownies win a Super Bowl.

And then there's this ...

Cheers.

Clip Joint Caught A Niner

Nick Weglarz

Yup, nine in a row.  On a rain soaked night in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Zach McAllister was once again robbed of his 8th vicoty, yet the Clippers dominated the Yanks 8-1.  Zach (7-2, 2.96) did not come back out for the 5th, following a lengthy rain delay, and thus did not qualify for the win.  At least the four shutout (2 H, BB, 3 K) that McAllister provided today are official.  That is more than he got for three innings of one run ball in his last outing.

Jason Kipnis (.304) continued his hot hitting, falling a triple short of the cycle and scoring three runs.  Jason racked up the third three hit game of a current six game hitting streak in which he is 14-for-26 (.538) with a mind-boggling 1.740 OPS.  Ezequiel Carrera (.291) added three hits and two RBI of his own.

Lonnie Chisenhall, mired in a 2-for-27 slump that has dropped his season average to .250, sat again and has not played since the 11th.  The word on the street is that the Chiz Kid is getting some time off to clear his head.  I mean that in both the literal and figurative senses.  Lonnie cracked his noggin on third base last Friday and is also getting some mental health time.

SWB and the Columbus tee-off again tomorrow at 7:05p.  Corey Kluber takes the ball.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

The rehabbers certainly came to play tonight for the Aeros. Travis Hafner (.500) singled, doubled and scored in four trips.  Might he be back on the lake tomorrow?  Nick Weglarz did him one better.  No, wait, two.  The outfield prospect jacked a three run homer in the 7th and followed with a solo shot in the 9th.  Weglarz (.222) should be ready for AAA within the week.


On Wednesday, Jason Donald (.227) began his second AA rehab stint of the year with a 1-for-3 effort.  The real story, though, was Joe Gardner.  Joe (4-5, 3.81) shut out New Hampshire for 8 full innings allowing six hits and a walk, while fanning 3.  Gardner is sort of tough to figure.  Over his first 11 starts, he has allowed one earned run or less seven times.  Sounds quality, right?  Well, he has also failed to get out of the fifth inning in six of them and the 3rd in three.  Over his past five, Joe has put up two brilliant eight inning efforts allowing a total of one run.  In the other three outings he pitched a total of 11.2 innings and posted 10.80 ERA and a .421 OBA.  Gardner will have to develop a great deal more consistency to move up to AAA... or head to the bullpen.

Another sterling performance from Drew Pomeranz tonight.  That means seven innings of 1 run, 5 hit ball with a walk and 7 K's.  Pom (2-2, 1.93) responded nicely after looking rather shaky (L, 5 IP, 5 R, 7 H) his last time out.  No word on when he might get the call to Akron, but he does seem completely recovered from an earlier hamstring strain.

St Ed's grad Alex Lavisky made his last game (for the moment) as a Lake County Captain a memorable one.  On Wednesday, Lavisky put together a three hit game, including a double, a homer, two runs and 2 RBI.  He has been reassigned to Mahoning Valley, which opens its season tomorrow night.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

ETrain: "So, Fausto Carmona has already allowed three runs in the first inning.  His stride is flying all over the place and he cannot throw strikes.  On top of that Jack Hannahan made a stupid error.  As someone who blogs about the team, how long am I required to watch this game before I give up?"

Jerry: "It's a minimum of six innings."

ETrain: "Six innings?  That's ridiculous."

Jerry: "Well, I could give you a break if you weren't at opening day.  Were you?"

ETrain: "Uh... Does it count if I don't remember it?"

Jerry: "As long as you're not wearing any Indians gear right now."

ETrain: "I really shouldn't wear my hat inside..."

Jerry: "Six innings!  No matter how bad Fausto looks."

ETrain: "God damn it."

Ahh, the wisdom of Seinfeld.  In the wake of the only two wins over the past 12 games coming by 1-0 scores, in the shadow of being 2-hit last night, under the weight of a 3-0 first inning deficit, the Indians played as we had seen play so often through April and May.  They strung together hits.  They did the little things.  They kept everyone involved.  And, hell yes, they won.

Orlando Cabrera had 3 hits and 2 RBI.  He had produced 5 hits and one rib-eye all month coming in.  Shin-Soo Choo reached base 3 times.  He had not done so since May 22nd.  He scored three runs.  He had not done that all season.  The game went so well that the official scorer took away Hannahan's error in the aftermath.

The bullpen mafia was out in full force.  In his last two games Chris Perez has faced six hitters and struck out 5.  Rafael Perez (1.32), Vinnie Pestano (1.52, nasty!) and Tony Sipp (2.22) put together three shutout innings to pick up the luckiest man on earth: Fausto Carmona.  Carmona: 7 H, 2 BB.  Mafia: 0 H, 2 BB.  Fausto was "gutty" enough to earn the win tonight, but please realize that the man leads the league in earned runs allowed (59) and did little to help his cause this evening.  Carmona (4-8, 5.79) actually saw his ERA rise from its pre-game level with the removal of the E-5 and he needed 103 pitches to make it through 5 frames and qualify for the win.  Was it an improvement over his last 5 starts (0-5, 9.55)?  Well, yes, but an invasion of CHUDs would have been as well.  We shall see.


Cheers.

Clip Joint Ready For Prime Time

Jason Knapp

Your Columbus Clippers have completed a four game sweep of the Buffalo Bisons and have won 8 in a row overall.  The Clippers now sit at 44-22, the 4th best record in all of minor league baseball.  Personally, I am in favor of just recalling the entire team and assuming that they can do better than 2 wins in 12 games.

Scottie Barnes picked up the victory and has shown, hold your breath, a great deal of consistency over his last seven starts.  Over that streak, Barnes is 3-0 with a 2.17 ERA and 12.29 K/9.  Nice.  Tonight, he was removed after 5.1 as he had thrown 104 pitches.  While only 58 were for strikes, he walked just two, while allowing a run on five hits and punching out 7.  Scott has elevated himself into the big league mix.  One would have to assume that he would be a better choice than David Huff, with only Zach McAllister and Jeanmar Gomez higher on the radar.

Jason Kipnis tripled twice and has become the hottest Clipper hitter since Luis Valbuena's hit streak came to an end.  Kip is 11-for-22 in his his past five games with three triples, two homers and seven runs scored.  Non-options Jerad Head and Chad Huffman added long balls of their own.

The Clips move on to Scranton tomorrow Thursday with McAllister again looking for his 8th victory in a 7:05p start.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Jason Knapp, the most highly regarded talent acquired in the Cliff Lee trade, has been shut down for the season with soreness in his pitching shoulder.  He had surgery today and will begin rehab in six weeks.  This, in all likely hood, indicates that Knapp will not pitch until the fall's instructional league.  Knapp's season ended even before it started as he never made it out of extended spring training in Arizona.  Jason has thrown just 40 innings in the organization since being acquired in 2009, although he has fanned 59.  He is still just 20 years old, but this is his second shoulder procedure.  In the words of another pundit, "Be worried."

Travis Hafner had a successful beginning to his rehab assignment at Akron as he put up a 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.  If you like to be optimistic, there is a possibility that Pronk could rejoin the big club for the weekend series with the Pirates.

Bryce Stowell, think Ricky Vaughn before he got the glasses, made his 2011 debut for Lake County tonight.  Stowell, who progressed as far as AAA in 2010, was utterly unable to command his pitches in spring camp.  He made one appearance on the big league side and walked a pair around a two run dinger.  If Bryce has his head back on straight, he is a great talent (11.7 K/9 career) that could be in Cleveland by September (no pressure).  Today, he threw two scoreless innings with a walk.  Assuming consistency and command (big if), he should not be with the Captains for very long.

Aeros infielder Matt Lawson, the player that the Tribe acquired in the March trade for Aaron Laffey, has retired.  Lawson, 25, had been dealt twice in the past year and was not receiving steady PT in Akron.  Still, he was hitting .267 in 2011 and had produced a career .282.  The best of luck to Matt, who I had the pleasure to meet once, on the rest of his endeavors. 

Home town hero Anthony Gallas has been promoted to Kinston.  In his first two games at the High-A level, Gallas cranked a pair of doubles and drove in three.  Anthony had hit .314 with a .910 OPS for the Captains.  Always the best to the undrafted free agent, who is truly living the dream.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

I will be the fist to admit that I have not posted extensively during the losing streak.  Every day has dawned with the hope that the skid would come a halt and the minutia of the mess could be dissected in the bold light of winning.  Still, day after day it has endured.  On May 1st the Indians were 19-8, 4.5 games up.  As late as May 23rd, the lead was 7.  On June 1st, they were 33-20, a full five games on top and visions of playoffs danced in our heads.  Even I chose to believe, tacking a +5 onto the wins that I expected from the Wahoos.  Now, reality has come crashing down.

Over their last 26 ballgames (9-17) the Tribe has scored 77 runs.  That is 2.96 runs per game, which is awful.  Take into account that 45 of those 77 runs have been scored in just five of those contests and the RPG in the remainder drops to an inconceivable 1.52 over twenty-one games that the Indians have managed just five victories in.  Since June 1 the team is 2-10 and has scored 20 runs (1.67 per) with seven of them coming in the near comeback during the first game in the Bronx.  The Tribe has been shut out in five of their last 18 and has scored one run in four more of those.

Today, on the heels of posting six times as many strikeouts as hits, the Indians have fallen out of first place for the first time since April 7th.  The team needs an infusion of offense, from anywhere.  Cord Phelps (1-for-14) has not been the answer over his first 4 games.  Something must be done.  Unless some sort of trade can be executed, and soon, the only option is a wholesale call-up from Columbus.  By wholesale, I mean Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Jared Goedert, Ezequiel Carrera, Luis Valbuena and anyone else with a chance to knock the ball around.  I am sure that there exist a myriad of arguments that can be made against this strategy, but, simply put, the kids could not possibly do any worse.   As opposed to young pitchers, who might get shelled for ten runs without recording an out, the batsmen can only register a plain old 0-for-4.  You cannot score fewer than zero runs.  There.  Is.  No.  Downside.  To do nothing aside from sitting and waiting for the drought to end is sheer madness.

The impotence with the stick is not just the responsibility of the scrubs.  Grady Sizemore is batting .200 with 1 homer and 26 K's in 60 at-bats since returning from the DL.  Orlando Cabrera lost his everyday job because he is striking just .153 over his last 21 games.  Matt LaPorta's average is .186 since May 20th.   After seemingly getting his train on the tracks, Shin-Soo Choo has driven in just one run over his last 13 while knocking at .160.  And on, and on, and on,

A good friend commented the other day that, although the inexperience of the club is now on full display, the season will likely result in a .500 record or slightly above.  As fans, he suggested, we should be grateful both for this and for the two months that young'ns spent in first.  I am inclined to agree with this assessment, but it does nothing to quell my anger in the moment.  The dudes on the 25-man roster are playing like chicken fried shit.  In fact, if we are no longer playing for today, then all the more reason to get the prospects on the lake front.  I mentioned five recalls and there might not be room for all of them.  Adam Everett, Austin Kearns and Chad Durbin, though, could be cut tonight without a single person, outside of their families, shedding a tear.

Enough of my mad lament, time to eat some crow.  In the midst of this abomination, Carlos Carrasco has thrown very well.  He has earned both of the team's victories since the first of June by throwing a combined 15.1 shutout innings, allowing eight hits and four walks, while fanning 13.  I had called for quick trigger with Carlos prior to those two outings and, admittedly, he has risen to the challenge.  It remains to be seen how much consistency the young man can establish in 2011, but he has earned enough of my respect that I will support him through the growing pains of his first full MLB season.

At least it cannot get any worse tomorrow.

Cheers.

Hurricane Clip Joint

A day after the Clippers became the first AAA squad to reach 40 wins in 2011, the skies cracked opened and delay #41 at least another 24 hours.  I have never been out in, nay never seen live, weather such as what touched downtown Columbus last night.  After a 90 degree pre-game, clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped and the contest was eventually delayed in the third when the rains came.  Initially, the drops fell straight down, then, about 15 minutes in, the winds arrived.  Within about 5 minutes I was ensconced in what I have to image the gulf coast has nightmares of.  The rain was flying horizontally, swirling.  I was in an L-shaped hallway leading to a men's room and the precipitation found its way around two right angles to speckle me as I watched.  Wowza.

Suffice if to say, the Clippers did not complete their game last night.  That is quite as shame as the boys has put a five spot on the board in the first and Zach McAllister was in line for win #8 when mother nature intervened.  A couple of quick notes about the game that may never count for anything.  Lonnie Chisenhall laced an RBI double to bring home Columbus' first run.  He made an outstanding adjustment during the at-bat, having smoked the previous pitch down the right field line foul before straightening out the double into the corner.  The Chiz Kid is always more impressive in person than he is on paper.  Luis Valbuena, the hottest hitter in all of chistendom, had not yet extended his 19 game hit streak and looked to be pressing just a bit.  Luis took an awful cut on a 2-1 pitch during an AB that ended in a strikeout for him and the play on the field for everyone.  Shelley Duncan, who had walked in 3 of his first 8 PA's, added another 2 bases on balls, but, again, all of this is pending for the moment.

Should the Buffalo area remain calm, the Bisons host our Clippers at 7:05p with Corey Kluber scheduled to pitch.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

CC Lee completed his 5th straight scoreless outing for the Aeros yesterday.  A hit and a pair of walks accompanied two more punch outs for the 24 year old right hander.  Lee (1-1, 2.57) has thrown 8.1 innings over the stretch, surrendering just 3 hits and 3 walks while fanning 12.  His K/9 is a brilliant 12.60 on the season.

There has been a lot of chatter recently about Akron righty reliever Matt Langwell, who picked up his 3rd save of the season last night.  Lagwell (2-1, 1.27) was an 11th round pick in 2008 out of Rice and has not been score upon his last 10.1 innings.  Over the past three seasons (one each at Low-A, High-A, and AA) his ERA is an even 2.00, his OBA .217, his WHIP 1.05 and his K/9 a flat 9.00 (or one an inning).  He has been described as "still under the radar," but with a real opportunity to contribute as a big league middle reliever.  I will be digging to get a bit more information of the kid.

Rob Bryson took a 10th inning loss for the Lake County Captains.  Bryson (0-1, 3.38) put the game winning run into scoring position via a walk and a hit batter, then allowed a two-out walk-off single.  Control is not a huge concern for 23-year old RHP and more focus should be on keeping healthy a player who has missed significant time in each of the past four season.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

I did not watch it as I was too busy with the deluge at Huntington Park.

I can only consider myself lucky.

At least the boys hit, that is a damn good sign.  Unfortunately our 3-8 ace could not find the strike zone long enough (45 of 93 pitches for strikes) to get anybody out.  If I saw Fausto Carmona on the street and he was like 8 inches shorter, I would kick him straight in the nuts and ask him what the fudge he thinks that he is doing.  Come on man!  Is it too much to ask your "best" pitcher to keep the team in the game.  Maybe po Fausto got a little too much sand in his vagina.  Whatever the excuse is, I do not want to hear it.  Someone needs to slap the man in the face and tell him that he needs to pitch to his ability.  If he cannot, the Tribe should trade him some bubble gum and a good tarp.  Sheesh.


The sad bit is that Carmona looks like Cy friggin' Young compared to Chad Durbin.  Can anyone out there muster an argument as to why this man is still sucking the life out of a roster spot?  Oh, I know that he is our huge free agent signing, but, for pete's sake, if we cannot eat the $800K then the Indians should just shut down operations now and see if Brad Paisley can play every GD weekend.  ERA: 6.67.  Awful!  WHIP: 1.78.  Awful!  OBA: .321.  Good god man, how do you even accept the ball and go back to the mound?  Have some self respect.  You want more?  Over his last four outings, and remember that includes a duo of scoreless appearances in garbage time, his ERA is 17.18, his OBA is .474 and his WHIP is 3.54.  3.54?!  Durbin is putting three and a half guys on base every inning.  Oh, and Durbin has now surrendered 20 earned runs this season.  The sum total of Chris Perez, Tony Sipp, Joe Smith, Rafael Perez and Vinnie Pestano is 24.  I am unsure that release is enough.  We might need to shoot him and throw him into a wood chipper. 

Not to worry, Mitch Talbot is throwing tomorrow.  He is the stopper.

Cheers.

Minor Points Of Interest

Kinston
Drew Pomeranz earned his second pro win and showed no lingering signs of injury during a five inning start on the 6th.  Pom (2-1, 1.85) was erratic, walking four, but allowed just two hits and one run as he fanned five.  Barring any further injury setbacks, expect Drew in Akron no later than July.  Oh, by the way, his OBA is .185.

Giovanni Soto got knocked around but good in a June 5th loss that evened his record at 4-4.  Soto (3.02), who has sandwiched two stinkers around a six shutout, 10 K performance, allowed five earned on nine hits over five innings.  Soto just turned 20 in May.  You have got time, kid.

Lake County


LeVon Washington (.221) cracked his first professional home run on Wednesday, a two-run shot.  Although Washington is just 3-for-his-last-15, he has drawn six walks and stolen a base over those five games.  That on-base percentage rounds out to .429, exactly what you want from your leadoff man.

Alex Lavisky continues a growing pained first season that has seen him strike out 61 times in 170 at-bats.  Alex (.206) does have seven long balls to his credit and has hit safely in a modest three in a row.

Steven Wright produced the first truly awful start since his conversion to the knuckleballer.  Against Wisconsin on the 8th, Wright (1-2, 3.13) lasted just 3.1 innings in surrendering eight earned (11 total) on 12 hits.  That is the caveat of the knuckler; if you take the hill and it is flat, you are just throwing BP.

Rob Bryson, the lost arm from the CC Sabathia trade, has finally been activated, after missing the first two months with a broken foot.  Bryson has pitched twice, striking out four and giving up just one hit over two strong innings.  He made it as far as Akron in 2010 (13.5 K/9 overall) and should move quickly back up as soon as his stamina is proven.

With a name like Goodnight, he has to be good.  And so Michael was in hurling six shutout on Tuesday.  He allowed three hits and one walk, while whiffing four and inducing 11 ground ball outs.  Since a bum start on May 8, Goodnight (5-3, 2.14) is 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA and a .162 OBA.  I shall always be rooting for this kid to make it to the North Coast.

Since topping out at .358, local product Anthony Gallas (Strongsville, Kent St) has been mired in a 1-for-20 slump.  His average (.327) and OPS (.944) are still exceptional, but Gallas needs to stay strong mentally to avoid prolonging the downward skid.

TNT

Friend of the blog and all-around stand up dude, Tyler Tufts had a streak of six consecutive scoreless appearances ended last night.  Ty allowed a run on two hits over two frames and K'ed 3.  The most phenomenal number about Tyler is 30-2 K-to-BB ratio overall in 2011 and, following some near unhitability (he fanned all five he faced in over two early week games), he has raised his K/9 to a hearty 10.00 and dropped his WHIP to a glistening 0.96.  Ty seems to be completely integrated into AA ball, which means the next level is only a matter of time.  All the best, kid.

Cheers.

P.s. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers (or Crappers as they call them in Y-town) open their season next Friday, the 17th.

Clip Joint Offer Business Man's Special

And, boy, oh boy, was it fun to watch.

While I could not get down to Huntington Park this afternoon (I hope to be there tomorrow night), STO did show the game in prime time on tape delay.  It was my first opportunity to see Scott Barnes pitch from a quality angle (nice job with the cameras guys!).

Scottie looked crisp in tossing seven shutout innings.  He allowed three hits and struck out 8.  The key was that he walked only two.  The most striking aspect of the performance was simply watching 6'4" Barnes (4-1, 4.21) throw the ball.  If you have not had the opportunity, let me tell you, it is a sight to behold.



The video does not even do him justice.  Imagine the same motion, except caricaturishly exaggerated. The arms and legs skit-skat and be-bop even more when the man throws a breaking ball.  This, of course, translates into some control issues (4.38 BB/9 @ AAA), but he has pitched very well recently.  Over his last four starts he is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA.  This is another quality arm that we will see on the lake no later than 2012.

The bats were on hand as well.  Jared Goedert (.233) went yard and drove home three.  Jason Kipnis (.284), who seems to flourish in the leadoff spot, knocked three hits, including his sixth home run.  Still, all eyes were on the hottest hitter in baseball, Luis Valbuena.  Luis (.319) singled, doubled and scored as he extended his hit streak to 19.  Although he is hitting almost .450 during the run, Valbuena has been truly en fuego over his last four.  Batting a scorching .600 (9-for-15), he has delivered three doubles, a homer and driven in six.  His OPS has been [cough] 1.600.  And we still think that we need Adam Everett. 

Jensen Lewis, who pitched the 9th and surrendered the only run in a 7-1 win, may have his days numbered in the Tribe organization.  After a truly horrific spring, he still began the season as the Clippers' primary closer.  That experiment was short lived as Lewis proved wholly unreliable.  On the season his OBA stands at .349 with lefties clipping him at .404.  His WHIP is a disgusting 2.04 (how is that even possible?) when the league average is at around 1.40.  To top it all off, Jensen has saved his worst for the last two weeks.  Over four appearances, he is 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA and an even .500 (10-for-20) OBA.  As the younger pitching continues to develop it seems as if Jensen Lewis will soon be another casualty of mediocrity.

The Clips close out with Rochester tomorrow at 7:05p with stud Zach McAllister toeing the rubber.  See ya there. ;-j

Other Minor Points of Interest --

It has been awhile, so bear with me.  I am going to break it down by affiliate and hopefully deliver the prospect updates that you surely look to me for religiously.

Akron

We'll begin with Beau Mills.  The man has been on a gosh darn tear over the past week, hitting .429 (12-for-28) with a pair of dingers and five knocked in his last seven games.  Mills (.293) has driven in 17 in 23 games since returning from injury and may be re-emerging as an actual prospect.  Oh yeah, his OPS since June 2 is 1.214.

Chun Chen, too, has been stroking.  Chen (.292) is at .370 over his past seven with 3 doubles, 2 bombs and 7 RBI.  He is precisely where the Indians want him to be and a 54-13 K-to-BB ration is easy to excuse when accompanied by a .335 OBP.

Nick Weglarz has seen his first action of 2011, coming back from a knee injury, by mashing 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles, 2 RBI and 4 walks in three games for the Aeros.  The organization is expected to to play it safe, but his right-handed power, sorely needed at the Jake, may force a change in plans.

Kelvin De La Cruz, who I believe has been on the 40-man since he was 5 months old, continued a roller coaster season with a 3 inning, 3 run, 5 walk effort on the 2nd,  and then six innings of one hit shutout ball yesterday.  Here is how the numbers for Kelvin (4-3, 3.42) can be confusing.  Good - .199 OBA.  Bad - 4.94 IP per start.  Good - 10.90 K/9.  Bad - 6.51 BB/9.  Good - .093 OBA vs. LHB.  Bad - 0.56 GO/AO.  Go figure.  The big lefty turns 23 in August, so it is high time for him to get his act together.

Joe Gardner (3-5, 4.47) has been rocked in each of his past two starts, losing both and posting 9.82 ERA.  He has pitched a combined 7.1 innings allowing 15 hits and five walks, while striking out only 2.  Math time - WHIP: 2.73, OBA: 4.17.  Ouch.

Adam Miller (1-1, 7.20) has pitched well in two outings since taking the loss on the 1st of June.  Miller has allowed a run on three hits over three innings and has fanned three as well.  Baby steps, Adam, baby steps.

Dude, that is, like, totally enough for now.  Kinston and LC on the morrow.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

As far as major league debuts go, it could have gone better.  Cord Phelps went 0-for-4 with a striekout in his much anticipated coming out party on the lake.  Phelps, who was added to the active roster at the expense of Shelley Duncan (Alex White was transfered to the 60 day-DL to make room on the 40-man, will platoon with Orlando Cabrera for the foreseeable future.  The fact Adam Everett did not get the axe flat out flabbergasting.  The only explanation is that the Indians' brass must regard Everett as a significantly better defender at third than Phelps.  So why not Austin Kearns?  Oh wait, he's a big money free-agent.  Do not ask me to explain it.  I do not understand it either.  It seems like an awful lot of infielders.



Speaking of third basemen, this happened...

Otherwise, the offense still looks like shite.  Justin Masterson still has not won since April.  And the Tribe dropped two of three to the lowly Twins.  Ugh.

O-Cab is said to be handling his new platoon role "like a professional." Thank goodness, because what does that man have to gripe about.  After all, his OPS (.589) is the 7th worst in baseball for qualifying players.  Veteran leadership only goes so far and can be provided from the bench.

Still, the triumphant return of Jack Motherfuckin' Hannahan (sorry, kids) almost makes it worthwhile.

Cheers.

P.s. MLB.com has yet to post the metafile so I can embed the Manahan's dinger, so let me take a minute to pimp for a new site that I came across today, Dougstats.com.  Doug's page includes plain text MLB statistics through the previous day's games.  For legal reasons, he has to describe them as "un-official," but they are dead on.  This becomes useful as they can be directly imported into Excel and, for a stathead like me, hours of good-time manipulation ensues.  Today, I learned that Orlando Cabrera is actual worse than his raw OPS shows.  If you look at (OPS-(2*AVG)) or what I will call QAB (I dunno if there is already a fancy name), O-Cab is the 4th worst in the game.  QAB can stand for Quality At Bats.  Ideally, it is a measure of whether the batter is making the pitcher work (taking a lot of pitches and drawing walks) and driving the ball for extra base hits or simply slapping the ball for weak singles.  If you cannot follow all of that, it means that Orlando ain't so good with the stick.  Thanks, Doug.

P.p.s  Still waiting, so I will dig into more Tribe draft picks.  At pick #67 (believe it or not, that is the top of the 2nd round as there were a ridonkulous 28 compensatory picks this year), the Indians grabbed Dillon Howard, RHP, Searcy HS, Arkansas.  In a nutshell, he is a beast with mid-first round talent that slipped to the Tribe due to signability issues.  As a Scott Boras client, he will demand a lot of coin and has a commitment to the U of Arkansas as a safety net.

Check out the IPI dissertation here for the whole spiel, but here is some video from MLB because they are a-pissin' me off right now.

Got it. What a project. ;-j

Sad Day @ the Clip Joint

Before we dig into some numbers, let us bid a fond farewell to Wes Hodges.  Wes, a former top 5 prospect in the system who struggled with injuries last season and poor production this, was released to create a AAA roster spot for the rehabbing Nick Johnson (1-for-3, R last night).  Hodges was hitting just .219 with a .601 OPS this year and was mired in a 2-for-20 slump prior to his dismissal.  A player who always had a smile and an autograph for anyone who approached him, I wish the very best of luck to Wes on latching on with another organization and getting to the show.

Among the Clippers that are riding high are former Indians Luis Valbuena and Jeanmar Gomez.  Valbuena is in the midst of a 17-game hit streak raising his season average from .254 to .311.  He is batting .443 with 12 RBI over the span and his OPS sits at a healthy 1.050.  Gomez (2.36) dazzled for the 4th straight start in chalking up his 5th victory on Tuesday.  His seven innings of six hits, one run, two walks and seven strikeouts has come to be the expected.  Since May 19th, Jeanmar is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a .198 OBA.

A couple of troubling numbers at the dish go as follows -- left handed hitting Lonnie Chisenhall (.265) is batting .299 with an .848 OPS against right handers, but just .185 with a .593 OPS against lefties.  This is the kind of dichotomy that will have to be rectified prior to a promotion.  His .338 average with runners in scoring position is nice though.  Also, in 14 games since his demotion, Ezequiel Carrera (.277) is batting just .183 with an hellish .441 OPS.  I know that it must be a let down, returning to meaningless games, but Zeke has to get his head on straight.

David Huff starts tonight at 7:05p as the Clips host Rochester and Twins #1 prospect, RHP Kyle Gibson.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

As I resurfaced from my doldrums, I found the least likely ambassador of victory pitching for the Indians.   I guess that the Tribe could have re-acquired Andy Marte and send him to the hill rather than Carlos Carrasco.  Andy could have throw 8.1 3 hit innings and stopped the losing streak that I remain purposefully ignorant as to the length of.  That would have been a slightly less predictable, but not much.

Oh, good lord, winning feels so wonderful.  I had forgotten.

Sure, the good guys managed only four hits of their own in a 1-0 victory. Sure, over the past six games (dammit, I just had to research and discover that the losing skid had stretched to 5) the offense has produced 1.8 runs per and batted at a woeful .184 clip.  Sure, Manny's boys have dropped 10 of 13 and have been left clinging to a one and a half game lead in the central.  But, help, my friends, help and hope are on the way.  While a corresponding roster move has yet to be announced (bye-bye, Adam Everett), Cord Phelps has packed his bags and received his well-wished.  Cord Phelps, ladies and gentlemen, is on the way to Cleveland.  I am not here to anoint him as the savior, though it might seem like that from the build-up accompanying the prolonged procrastination of the Indians front office.  Phelps is here to do three things: (1) hold his own two or three games a week in rotating platoon at second and third, (2) lead the charge of the youth movement (can't do it from the DL, Alex) and (3) most importantly, hit the goddamn baseball.

When last we spoke, before I was once again swallowed by the abyss, I called for three roster moves.  One, now, is done.  Nick Hagadone earned his second AAA yesterday with two scoreless innings and should still be on board by August.  Chad Durbin remains gainfully employed despite not pitching in a meaningful situation in a month.  He has slid into the garbage role formerly held by Justin Germano and, two scoreless innings over the weekend notwithstanding, has continued to pitch like complete refuse.  Carrasco's performance tonight, combined with Zach McAllister's first poor outing of the season on Sunday (5 IP, 12 H, 7 ER) and the seeming regression of Josh Tomlin makes move #3 seem foolish and impulsive.  Even so, I stand by the assertions that Carrasco is a long way from consistent success and McAllister will make a positive cointribution in 2011.

Expect a brief rundown on the Tribe's mid-round picks and round-up of minor league actions tomorrow.

Cheers.