Just In From the Desert

A 10.80 ERA is nothing to smile about, but Mitch Talbot threw significantly better today than in any of his previous starts.  After a 1st that featured an "Arizona sunshine triple" based run, Talbot showed more dominance in each progressive inning and became the first Indians pitcher to work 5 innings this spring.  He scattered 6 hits, struck out 3 and retired the last 6 hitters he faced.  Mitch was also able to keep the ball down after a number of hard hit balls in the first two innings.  Given the exhibition nature of these games we have to make use of a real "what have you done for me lately" attitude and, thus, Talbot is all aces until his next start.  Today's performance was happily reminiscent of the first half of 2010 and the sort effectiveness we need out of our presumptive #3.

Both Carlos Santana and Matt LaPorta went deep to break out of significant slumps.  Santana (.286) was a triple short of the cycle, scored thrice and drove in a pair, his first of the spring.  LaPorta's dong was his only hit of the day, but I'll take anything I can get from the guy hitting .158.

I am not a fan of Anthony Reyes.  Maybe it's his weight, maybe it's because he's always hurt, and maybe, just maybe, it's because he stinks.  Seriously.  In 3 rehab starts an Akron last year his ERA was 23.51.  Not a typo.  In 5 and 2/3 he gave up 8 runs, 11 walks and threw 5 wild pitches.  Today he got 2 outs and surrendered 2 runs.  I shan't waste any more time on him.

Jensen Lewis (10.80 ERA) "relieved" Reyes in the 7th and promptly gave up 2 three run homers to blow a 6-1 lead.  Of Lewis' first 14 pitches, 9 were balls, 1 was a single and 2 left the park.  Jensen was visibly upset leaving the field as this is the sort of outing that might cost him a job.

Utility OF Battle:  Chad Huffman (.455) hit a "wall-scraper" home run, his second of the spring, and is still knocking the ball well to all fields.  He also drew a walk and remains a viable candidate.  Travis Buck (.371) did not play.  He did give an outstanding interview that reinforced my understanding that baseball is most essentially a mental game.  Citing the stress of injury and inconsistency during his time in Oakland, Buck said he is thrilled about a fresh start with an organization that can showcase his talents and new-found maturity.

Who's Got Third?:  Luis Valbuena (.250) singled twice and remains my pick for the utility infield spot and Jason Donald's understudy.  Cord Phelps (.154) looked timid in taking a called third with the bases loaded.  Jack Hannahan (ugh) (.393) drove in a run with an infield single.  In case anyone is wondering, no, he cannot be the next Casey Blake.  And for the following 3 reasons - (1) Hannahan is 2 years older (31) than Blake was when he joined the Indians in 2003, (2) During his last AAA season, Blake hit .309 with an .874 OPS.  Last year, Hannahan hit .237 at AAA with a .714 OPS  (3) Before coming to Cleveland, Blake had gotten just 112 major league ABs.  Despite the fact that Casey hit a mere .232, that's still better than the .224 that Hannahan has put up in 856 at bats.  So, no, no, no.  Please, I am begging you.  I am down on my knees.  Do not give Hannahan a roster spot.

Backup Backstop:  Paul Phillips (.409) replaced Santana in the 7th and delivered a go ahead single.  If Phillips can compliment his solid defense with a few clutch hits, he's exactly what the Indians are looking for.

25th Man:  Justin Gemano pitched a clean 8th and has not yet allowed a run this spring.  Vinnie Pestano (1.93) came in for the 9th to protect a 2 run lead and sent the Brewers down in order, finishing off the final 2 hitters via the K.  Also, after today, you can add Jensen Lewis to the list and open up spot 24 as well.

The Tribe has an off day on 03.16 (their first of the spring). We'll keep an eye on Josh Tomlin, who will start a minor league game.

Just In From the Desert

As dazzling as Justin Masterson was his last time out, he was just as troubling today.  Masterson (6.00 ERA) retired the first six, but gave up 2 in the third and 3 in the fourth on a total of 7 hits.  The good news is that Justin struck out 4 and didn't walk anyone.  The bad news is that we are all familiar with his Jekyll and Hyde act.  Masterson certainly has the stuff to overpower major league hitters, but he has to harness his wildness in order to be effective.  "Wildness?" you say, "I thought he didn't walk anyone?"  True, true.  Justin's problem is his lack of command inside the zone.  Even on days when he avoids the free pass, Masterson often allows clusters of hard hits as he unintentionally leaves the ball over the meaty part of the plate.  Remember, Acta is willing to shuffle starting pitchers 2 through 5, though I think Masterson is safe at the top of that list... for now.

Jeanmar Gomez continued to throw like sweaty goat crack.  Gomez (6.30) surrendered 3 earned on 3 hits and 2 walks today.  He was touched up for a pair of gopher balls and got pulled before he could finsih his third inning of work.  A quote on Gomez from an unnamed scout (via IPI) "Not ready. Very inconsistent secondary stuff. Impressed early last year but league quickly adjusted."  Given this, I question if Jeanmar will ever be a real MLB option.  Expect an announcement soon that either Gomez or David Huff has been removed from the 5th starter race.  My guess is [coin flips] Huff.

After today's cuts the Indians' roster is down to 47.  Zach McAllister, Lonnie Chisenhall, Nick Weglarz, Jason Kipnis, Alex White, Zach Putnam and Juan Apodaca were all sent to minor league camp.  So pffffft on all of you who said that Chisenhall would be at third on opening day.  Also, you should notice that Cord Phelps' name is not on this list.  He remains a viable infield candidate.  The Tribe was impressed by the performance of all of these players during the spring.  You can expect at least the first 5 in Cleveland sometime this season.  Putnam, a right handed reliever, will also have a shot.  Forget the name Juan Apodaca.

A quick Adam Miller update: He's thrown 8 bullpen sessions so far this spring with the Indians restricting the "volume" of pitches that he's thrown.  This basically means that Miller hasn't been cleared for the amount of pitches that both warming up and throwing in a game would entail.  He has dropped the change-up from his repertoire and is focusing on just his fastball and slider.  This should actually result in better performance as the change was his least effective pitch and he won't need 3 as a reliever.  The Tribe and Miller hope to get the righty into a minor league game or two before they break camp and Adam will start the season either at Columbus or in extended spring training... unless he's hurt.

Joe Smith hasn't pitched since Wednesday and will not pitch again until Friday, at the earliest.  Jojo has an abdominal strain.

Utility OF Battle:  Shelley Duncan (.304) had a day - single, double, walk, 3 RBI.  He looks good for that last guy on the bench.  Travis Buck (.371) added another hit, but struck out twice and stranded 4 runners.  I still think that he's in the lead and that, in some, way both of these guys make the club.  That leaves Ezequiel Carrera (.300, 0-1 today) and Chad Huffman (.500, SF, RBI) on the outside, looking in.

Backup Backstop:  Lou Marson (.125) and Luke Carlin (.111) each went 0-for-2 today with a K.  Serve held.  Paul Phillips (.400) maintains his hold as the #2 catcher.  It suits him.  Think about it.

Who's Hot:  Jack Hannahan (ugh) (.370, .950 OPS, 2-4, 2 RBI).  We cannot give this guy a spot.

Who's Not: Shin-Soo Choo (.200, .539 OPS, 0-3, R, RBI)

Pitchers for 03.15: Mitch Talbot (starter), Chris Perez, Anthony Reyes, Jensen Lewis, Justin Germano and Vinnie Pestano.

Cheers.

While I'm Writing

Do you care about Bryce Harper's struggles in middle class Las Vegas?  Read about it here.

Wanna feel bad for a bunch of people who are tremendously athletes, got to play pro ball, and enjoyed all of the perks of being the best player on their high school baseball team?  Do so here.

See ya soon.  Cheers.

Just In From the Desert

No sooner had I penciled Jason Donald (.308) in as the opening day third baseman, than he was scratched from a Saturday start with soreness in his left hand and has been instructed not to swing a bat for three days.  The hand, which was hit by a pitch on March 5th, held Donald out of Cactus League action for a week and was aggravated by a couple of hot shots that JD fielded at the hot corner.  A Saturday MRI revealed a bone bruise and, for those who have never had one, the pain therefrom is intense and inescapable.  With April 1 less than 3 weeks away, the Indians must now consider the very real possibility that they will have to find a replacement for their out-of-position third basemen without rushing their best 3B prospect (Lonnie Chisenhall) to the show and lacking the option of the second best (Jared Goedert) due to injury.  Again, I submit that Jayson Nix (.071) is NOT an option.  His unabashed butchery of the position is well documented and the Tribe would be better served with Carlos Santana returning to his natural position (not a real suggestion).  The pickings being slim, there are only three feasible options.  Luis Valbuena (.167) has gotten a ton of PT this spring, including significant reps at third.  While Luis has not shown the ability to hit with any consistency, he was my pick as the utility infielder before this whole debacle and I shall anoint him the #4 third bagger now.  Another (poor) option is (ugh) Jack Hannahan (.348, 0-3 today).  Hannahan has certainly shown up this spring and may benefit from the circumstances that have come to be, but Jack is a AAAA player with no future in Cleveland and no business taking up a roster spot.  Hannahan has proven that he can also play first, but with several players (Santana, Shelley Duncan, etc) also able to make spot starts, this utility is rather worthless.  The most intriguing option is Cord Phelps (.167).  Though Phelps cannot handle short, he is more than sufficient at both second and third.  Moreover, the Indians do not feel the need to "protect" him as they do Chisenhall.  It is unclear whether this is because Cord is better equipped mentally, not beset by Brobdingnagian expectation or is simply more "Major League ready."  My course of action would be to include both Valbuena and Phelps on the roster and platoon them until Donald is healthy or the Super 2 deadline passes.  The powers that be in the Indians organization do not consistently agree with my assessments, so their interpretation of reality remains to be seen.

This is the last time that I will mention David Huff (7.45), unless, perhaps, he is released.  Over two and two thirds today, Huff got shelled.  In giving up 4 earned on 6 hits and a walk, Dave looked awful.  The Padres nearly killed 2 or 3 fielders because they were hitting to ball so GD hard.  From here on out assume that Huff is on his way to Columbus.

Carlos Carrasco (5.63) started and got knocked around as well, to the tune of 3 earned runs on 6 hits in three innings.  Carrasco walked 1 and struck out 2 in taking his second loss of the spring.  As mentioned yesterday, performances like this may lead to a shuffling of rotation spots and perhaps a Josh Tomlin (1.13) ascending from the 5 spot.

Chris Perez (1.80) and Jensen Lewis (3.86) have bullpen spots secured and each tossed a clean inning with a K today.

Utility OF Battle:  Travis Buck (.375) had a hit and an RBI and was robbed of extra bases by a great catch in center.   Shelley Duncan (.250) struck out in his only plate appearance.

Backup Backstop:  Paul Phillips (.400) stood tall, stroking a homer and a double.  He is firmly entrenched to be the #2 catcher.  I haven't seen Luke Carlin in a week and it would take a monumental explosion of offense from Lou Marson (.143) to win the job.

25th Man:  Frank Herrmann (1.69) was slick in stranding two runners to get out of the 7th and close the book on Huff.  Herrmann is learning a split from '86 NL Cy Young winner Mike Scott (a close friend of Tribe third base coach Steve Smith) and throws it with more confidence in each appearance.  Big Frank has my vote for the last bullpen spot.

Who's Hot: Orlando Cabrera (.375, 1.037 OPS)

Who's Not: Um, Matt.  La.  Porta.  Down to .147 after another 0-fer.

Pitchers for 03.14: Justin Masterson starts against the A's @ 4:05 on STO.  They won't tell me who's in the pen, but I would guess Chad Durbin and perhaps Jeanmar Gomez are on the menu.

Cheers.

Just In From the Desert

I have been a Josh Tomlin fan since very early last season.  He's the sort of pitcher than I enjoy watching.  Sure, a 105 Cuban missile is damn impressive, but I appreciate a pitcher changing speeds, hitting his spots, and out-thinking his opponent.  This is Josh Tomlin.  Now I know that we have 2+ weeks left in camp, but I'm gonna call this one right now.  Barring a dramatic turn of events, Tomlin (1.18 ERA) has won the 5th starter job.  I said this at the end of 2010 and the Indians' brain-trust seems to be coming around.  Tomlin threw 3 more scoreless innings today, dancing around 4 hits and a walk.  His numbers don't reflect a "B" game start that Bart Swain (Indians Media Relations Director) described as "brilliant."  Tomlin has done everything that has been asked of him, while David Huff (5.14) and Jeanmar Gomez (4.91) have been inconsistent.  Again, Tomlin might have Talbot-esque starts down the stretch and Huff might throw a perfect game, but I doubt it.  Write it down.

Tomlin should actually be more concerned with pitching himself up through the rotation.  Manny Acta admitted on Saturday that the Indians do not have a set rotation behind Fausto Carmona.  The assumption was that Justin Masterson (3.38), Mitch Talbot (17.55) and Carlos Carrasco (.360) would follow Fausto, in that order.  While those three are still locked in as starters, Acta is flexible on the sequence.  Curiouser and curiouser.

Speaking of Carmona (5.25), he was outstanding against the Angels.  Over 4 shutout innings, Fausto's sheet was marred by just a hit and a walk as he piled up 5 Ks.  I look forward to a dominant opening day start and a strong season for the big right-hander.

Grady Sizemore is right on track with his rehab program.  He should start running the bases on Sunday and could see game action as soon as Sunday the 20th. 

Rafael Perez made his Cactus League debut, throwing a clean 8th, despite a hit and a walk. 

Utility OF Battle:  Everything stays the same because no one did anything on a day that the Tribe scratched out just 5 hits.  My standings:  Travis Buck (.393, 0-3, OF assist), Shelley Duncan (.263, 0-2), Chad Huffman (.500, 0-1), Ezequiel Carrera (.310, played but no AB).

Who's Hot: Asdrubal Cabrera - .409, 1.136 OPS, 2 SB

Who's Not: Matt LaPorta - .156, .538 OPS, 6 K, 5 H

Pitchers for 03.13:  Carlos Carrasco (starter) and David Huff are scheduled.

Just In From the Desert

Chad Durbin pitched for the first time today!  He threw a hitless 4th!  All of our problems are solved!  Sure, he walked a guy and hit another while giving up a run, but who cares!  October here we come!  Durbin for Cy Young!

Mitch Talbot continued to struggle.  Over three grueling innings, "The Fury" surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk (2 K) to lower his ERA to 18.90.  I'm sure that the sound bytes will be the usual BS, something like "Oh, I was just working on getting better command of my slider" or "Mitch showed a lot more today.  He hit his spots and competed against every hitter."   Yes, it's spring training, but Talbot still stank like a diaper full of Indian food.

Lonnie Chisenhall (.478) seems to have come back to Earth.  The Chiz Kid K'ed in both of his plate appearances today.  That's three in a row counting yesterday's AB.  Just as there was no reason to become so excited about his scintillating start, there is no reason to be concerned now.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, I consider the 2B and 3B starters set with Orlando Cabrera (.429) and Jason Donald (.308) locked in.

Utility OF Battle:  Ezequiel Carrera (.310) reached base 3 times (H, 2 BB) and laid down a great sac bunt that helped the Indians tie the game in the 8th.  Chad Huffman (.529), back from injury, went down on strikes in his first 2 ABs, then singled in the 9th.  Shelley Duncan (.294) struck out and singled in 2 trips.  Travis Buck (.440, DNP) remains the favorite.

Backup Backstop:  Lou Marson (.154) has struggled with the bat and, despite his excellent showing defensively (he picked a runner off of 2nd today), is ticketed to Columbus unless he can turn it around.  Marson, himself, remains supremely confident, forecasting that he will be playing "a lot" for the Indians this season.  No matter what Paul Hoynes says, Juan Apodaca is not an option.  That leaves Luke Carlin and Paul Phillips.  Phillips (.353) has both performed better and gotten more PT than Carlin (.143).  I would judge that Phillips currently has the upper hand, although I favor Carlin. 

25th Man:  This will be the 7th bullpen guy.  My, how times have changed.  Back in the day it was a 5 man 'pen, but with so many specialists and so much worry about overuse, expansion has ensued.  There are too many players still in contention to pick a leader, but three of the candidates did pitch today.  Doug Mathis (4.50) walked 3 and allowed a run scoring single in the 6th.  The non-roster invitee was already a long shot and did not help his cause.  Jess Todd (2.08) pitched a clean 5th (H, K) and is favored by several pundits.  Justin Germano has thrown 5 scoreless innings thus far, conjuring memories of his first month in town last summer.  I would say Germano is in the middle of the pack.  We'll dig into this more in the coming days.  Manny Acta has stated that this decision, as well as that of the 2nd catcher, will likely not be made until the final week of camp.

The Tribe made their first round of cuts today as pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz, Bryce Stowell, Kelvin De La Cruz and Nick Hagadone were all sent to the minor league camp.  While De La Cruz (W, 4 IP, 3 H, 3/2 R/ER, BB, K, HR) and Hagadone (2 IP, 2 H, HBP, BB, K) merely held serve, Pomeranz (3 IP,BB, 5 K) has fans champing at the bit to see him on the Lake.  In contrast, the fireballin' Stowell (IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, HR) found the strike zone elusive and may take a step back to AA to begin the season.  Corey Kluber hefted his 108.00 ERA and joined them, as did catching prospect Chun Chen, who had a challenging game behind the dish yesterday.  Two injured players, Hector Rondon and Jared Goedert, round out the dismissals.  The Indians roster stands at 54.

Pitchers for 03.12:  Fausto Carmona (starter), Josh Tomlin, Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez.

Cheers.

Just In From the Desert

Today's most intriguing story is that Jayson Nix (.105) has switched competitions.  We had thought him to be challenging Jason Donald (.400, back in the line-up today) and Luis Valbuena (.190, we'll get to Chisenhall in a bit) for the vacant third base job.  Yesterday, it was reported that Nix was getting significantly more reps at 2B and today Manny Acta confirmed that he has yet to name Orlando Cabrera (.364) as the starter.  I have to imagine that the statement was made to keep Jayson's confidence up during a tough run at the plate.  It is unlikely that anyone will unseat Donald at 3B or Cabrera at 2B.  While injuries are always a possibility, the probability is that the true competition is between Nix and Valbuena for the utility infield spot.  Nix's biggest upside is on offense and, his long ball today regardless, if he continues to flounder at the dish, he becomes worthless.  Valbuena, despite his low average, has popped three homers already and can play second, short and third.  To be clear, of the two, Valbuena is the better option and I hope that Acta et al can recognize this as well.

On to the Chiz Kid and his early tear.  We all have to keep a number of factors in perspective -- (1) The sample size of his .524 average (0-1, K today) is tiny (21 ABs) and against Spring Training pitching.  Manny Acta reminds us that the two biggest boppers last spring were Wes Hodges and Donnie Webb, (2) Lonnie has yet to see a single inning at AAA, (3) Similar to the Carlos Santana situation in 2010, this season would not count towards Chisenhall's arbitration eligibility should he come up in June or July, (4) As so many of us forget, baseball is 90% mental, as Justin Matserson noted yesterday.  When the Tribe (or any MLB team in this day and age) promotes a prospect, they strive to have him completely set up for success, & (5) There is no urgency to win in 2011.  I contend that, if everyone plays to form and the team stays healthy, that Indians can win 85 games.  This stance is awfully optimistic and, realistically, contention is a year away.  So, here is the plan:  the Chiz Kid gets comfortable this spring, opens at Columbus, rakes for a couple of months and makes his wildly anticipated debut on the North Coast after the Super 2 cutoff.  With Jason Donald easily dislodged from a starting role, the transition should be painless.  I'm completely on board with this.  So is Lonnie.  The man either recognizes his own best interest or just knows what to say to the media.  In an interview today, he made the statement that he's just "trying to make their decision difficult," rather than actively pushing for an opening day slot.  I know Chisenhall looks great right now (we'll never even get to see the catch he made on a foul pop in the 8th), but let us (and I mean the 71% who voted on Cleveland.com that he should be the starter) keep our eyes on the big picture.

Masterson (3.38 ERA) certainly righted his ship today, throwing 3 perfect innings and striking out 5. Justin threw 25 of 37 pitches for strikes (I charted myself.  This is the only place you will find those numbers.) and looked dominant.  As described by Jim Rosenhaus, his sinker was "great," his change "good," and his slider "sharp."  Masterson caused Blake DeWitt to flail so wildly in the 2nd that DeWitt's bat ended up in the stands above the Cubs dugout.  If Justin can throw anything like this on a consistent basis during the season, then we'll have our true #2.

I'm not ready to officially return Jeanmar Gomez (4.91) to contention for the #5 spot, but JG was certainly outstanding today.  He extended perfection to 1 out in the 6th and allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3 in three scoreless innings. 

Matt LaPorta (.138) continued to hit like unflushed excrement.  Matty was 0-for-3 with a K.

Frank Herrmann (1.80) gave up the lead in an 8th inning that featured the infield sprinklers going off with 2 outs.  Herrmann gave up a double and a wild pitch before Chun Chen's throwing error brought home the run.

Vinnie Pestano got into trouble in the 9th by allowing an infield single and then making a poor choice to try for the lead runner on a bunt attempt.  After putting the 2 on, Vinnie induced a pair of pop-ups, but gave up a game winning, walk-off single to Brett Jackson.  Still, after the staff allowed 41 runs over the past 3 games, giving up just 2 today was a nice change of pace.

Utility OF Battle:  Travis Buck (.440) played all 9 innings in right, showed good discipline in going from 1-and-2 to a walk in the second and added a single.  Shelley Duncan (.267), who started in left did not fare so well, going hitless in three trips while striking out twice.  No change here, Buck is still the favorite.

Pitchers for 03.11: Mitch Talbot (starter), Chad Durbin, Doug Mathis, Justin Germano and Josh Judy.

Cheers.