It finally happened!  The Cleveland Indians won their second consecutive game, defeating the Los Angeles Angels last night, 14-2.  It was the first time they won two in a row since July 1-4 when they won four straight against the Reds and the Yankees.  Since that point, one at a time has been the Tribe’s mantra.

 

However, Cliff Lee celebrated his new contract extension with his 10th win, and homers by Travis Hafner and Ryan Garko paced the offense along with a three hit game by Shin-Soo Choo.  Hafner is having a marvelous season, an MVP type of campaign which is being overlooked by many because of the Indians lot in the standings.  Pronk is tied for 2nd in the AL in HR’s with 34, is second in OPS, and is third in the Junior Circuit in RBI’s.  Unfortunately, his team’s fourth place standing makes most people unaware of his huge stats.

 

This weekend, fans will finally get a look at Jeremy Guthrie as a starter when he takes the hill in one of the games against the Royals on Saturday.  Previously, all of the former first round draft pick’s appearances have come out of the bullpen.  Guthrie has had a solid season at Buffalo this year and deserves a shot at a start. 

 

Speaking of young pitchers, Adam Miller continued his dominance in the AA Eastern League with a four hit shutout last night, striking out 11.  Miller has ascended to the top of Baseball America’s Hot Prospect List with his pitching since the beginning of July.  Miller will probably be with the big club in September, but as a spectator.  The front office does not want to put more wear and tear on the youngster’s arm, especially with an elbow problem in his past.

 

The trade of Todd Hollandsworth means that Franklin Gutierrez has returned to the big club.  Gutierrez picked up his offense after being returned to Buffalo, raising his batting average to .281.  An outfield of Sizemore, Gutierrez, and Choo could really cover some ground, and with both rookies having good arms, would upgrade the defense immensely.  GM Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge said the defense was a big problem, and every change made recently has made that part of the team better. 

 

Anyway, it’s four with the Royals this weekend before a trip to Minnesota, Tampa, and Kansas City.  The auditions continue for 2007, and it looks right now like the Tribe picked up some guys who can play in the deadline deals.  Are Mota and Boone the next to go?

 

JK

 

The Plain Dealer jumped all over the problem with stopping the running game as the reason the Indians lost to the Angels last night, 5-4.  However, there is another reason for the defeat that was missed.  That would be the lack of a lefty in the bullpen.  The Tribe has been without a lefty since Rafael Perez was returned to Buffalo a few weeks ago, and last night’s game cried for a southpaw to be used.

 

With the score tied going into the eighth inning, righty Rafael Betancourt came on and gave up a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero.  Another right handed hitter, Juan Rivera was next and he flew out to center.  Lefty hitter Garrett Anderson followed, and with Betancourt pitching carefully because Anderson has some pop, walked.  Tim Salmon (R) was next and he struck out, with the Angels working a successful double steal to put runners on second and third.  Angels’ pilot Mike Scioscia then pinch hit the lefty hitting Adam Kennedy for Robb Quinlan, and Kennedy singled to break the tie. 

 

If a lefty was in the ‘pen, he could have been used to face Anderson, and then another righty could have come on to face Salmon.  Or either Scioscia would have kept Kennedy on the bench knowing a lefty would come on, and if Kennedy had come up a lefty could have been used at that point.  The Indians were beat as much because they had no lefty reliever as by the successful double steal. 

 

Even though the Wahoo’s are playing a lot of young players, the object is still to win the game.  Cleveland hamstrings itself in trying to win because they don’t have a southpaw in the bullpen. 

 

It’s nice that radio talk show hosts can evaluate talent so quickly.  I’ve heard hosts on WKNR pretty much proclaiming Andy Marte as a bust after 22 at bats.  On the other hand, Shin-Soo Choo is being hailed as the next big thing.  Do these guys realize that Travis Hafner just went through an 0 for 17 streak?  Or that Joe Inglett was hitting .350 after 20 or so at bats?  It takes a little bit bigger sample to evaluate a player than 20 plate appearances. 

 

I do like Choo’s patience at the plate, but at this point he has to prove he can hit a breaking pitch.  Marte has made some nice plays defensively, and has hit in a little tough luck.  He’s whiffed 5 times in 22 official at bats, so he’s not been Russell Branyan or Jason Dubois so far. 

 

Willie Mays started out something like 0 for 24 to start his big league career.  Good thing talk radio wasn’t around then.

 

KM

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians return from a 2-5 road trip to take on the Los Angeles Angels tomorrow night at Jacobs Field.  It was a trip in which the Tribe led six of the seven games.  Not only that, they led those six games in the seventh inning or later.  It was an amazing because the optimists following this team realize they could have been 6-1 in this period, easily.  However, the game isn’t over until the 27th out is recorded, and currently the ballclub doesn’t have anyone who can do that. 

 

The amazing thing is how this team continues to bounce back.  I realize many people are critical of Manager Eric Wedge because of the disappointing season and the club’s record in one run games somehow suggests he is deficient in game management.  However, I think the skipper’s most important job is to manage the players in the clubhouse.  Wedge’s message of one game at a time is more important than ever after tough losses, and obviously the fact this team took early leads in the following game after one of these devastating defeats shows his message is still getting through.

 

One of the criticisms I do have of Wedge is his failure to use his entire roster.  Right now, the Tribe has a five man bullpen because of the manager’s reluctance to use Guillermo Mota (for obvious reasons) and rookie Tom Mastny.  Mota should be dealt for a low level prospect or released, and if the pilot isn’t going to use Mastny, he should be returned to Buffalo.  Apparently, Jason Davis is the new closer, and since we have been critical of Davis in the past, it’s funny that JD attributes his recent success to not thinking.  That is what we felt the problem was all along. 

 

The Tribe may have lost Casey Blake to an ankle injury on Saturday night.  Since Ryan Garko is struggling, I would like to see the team bring up Kevin Kouzmanoff from Buffalo.  Kouzmanoff has hit a combined .380 at Akron and Buffalo this year, and has belted 3 HR’s in his time in AAA in a little over a week.  This move would be assuming that Kouzmanoff can play a passable 1B.  The 25 year old is a lifetime .300 hitter in the minors, proving he can flat out hit.  He doesn’t have any overwhelming "tools", except for the ability to hit ’em where they ain’t.  It would be a message to all in the minors, that if you produce, you can get a shot on the big club.

 

This week’s action features a match up of young pitchers on Tuesday, when Jeremy Sowers takes on the Angels’ Jared Weaver.  Sowers passed his test against the Red Sox in Fenway, allowing two runs in five innings.   These are the things a Tribe fan has to look forward to in 2006. 

 

MW

 

Various thoughts going through our heads as the summer starts to wind down:

 

Roger Brown:  Really, you does this guy have pictures of?  His so called conversation with a National League scout on Shin-Soo Choo was very odd.  Choo was recently named the best arm in the PCL in Baseball America’s recent tools survey.  But, Brown’s source said Choo’s arm was just average.  Whether or not, the outfielder acquired from Seattle ever becomes a good major leaguer is up for debate, but the guy has a very good arm.  Heck, he used to be a pitcher.  Also, why does he think the Indians are going through a major overhaul in the off season.  They may make some deals, but their best players are not going anywhere.  Tinkering with role players and the bullpen is not a major rebuilding situation.

 

Michael Reghi:  When LeBron James is on the team, people will watch no matter who the play by play guy is, but Dan Gilbert blew it with this move.  I like Gilbert, because he lets his basketball people run the show.  But, my recollection of Fred McLeod is that he brings the same excitement as watching paint dry.  Gilbert needs to figure out that (to paraphrase Sam Wyche) we live in Cleveland, not Detroit.  We like our guys.  We don’t want some Detroit guy (yes, I know McLeod grew up here) doing the Cavs games.  When it comes to the stuff not concerning personnel, Gilbert should think about the fans and what they want.  Cavs’ fans want Reghi doing the games, they would like a new PA announcer at the "Q" as well. 

 

Owing the Yankees?:  After Fausto Carmona’s second blown save against Boston on Wednesday, ESPN Radio’s Mike Greenberg commented that the Indians owed the Yankees to not use an untested closer against the Sox.  That’s a load of crap!  The only thing the Tribe owes anybody is to find out who can help the team in 2007 and in what role.  Besides, as Greenberg’s partner Mike Golic pointed out, it is not like the Indians have an established closer after the trade of Bob Wickman.  Really, after the Yankees’ grand theft of Bobby Abreu does any team in Major League Baseball owe the Bronx Bombers anything?  I don’t see the pinstripers doing anything to help the Tribe. 

 

More help on the farm:  One of the Tribe’s best prospects, Adam Miller, has been on a roll at Akron, and not many people have noticed.  Miller went 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA in July and had 30 strikeouts in 31 innings.  Last night, he threw 6 innings allowing one run on three hits, whiffing 11.  Miller had some elbow problems last season, but it appears he has recovered.  Also, at Class A Kinston, lefty Chuck Lofgren won his 14th game, and was named the best pitching prospect in the Carolina League.  Also, Trevor Crowe returned to the Akron line up yesterday, after injuring an ankle.  Crowe was named the best hitting prospect in the same league, and also has the best strike zone judgment.  Keep an eye on these three players, as they (especially Miller and Crowe) could be wearing Cleveland uniforms next season.

 

JK

 

After last season’s drive to the playoffs fell short, people realized that the Cleveland Indians would not have the same team that finished the 2005 season with a 93-69 record.  There were free agents who would leave, and trades that would be made.  How would GM Mark Shapiro reconstruct the team?

 

The players you hear about most often on talk shows are Kevin Millwood, Bob Howry, Arthur Rhodes, and Coco Crisp.  Most reasonable supporters of the team realize that Millwood would sign elsewhere because he wanted a four or five year deal.  Virtually all major league teams give out that long of a contract to starters with the same frequency that they take poison. 

 

Granted, Millwood is hurling in an extreme hitter’s park, but his numbers currently show a 10-7 record with an ERA of 4.62.  He has allowed 24 more hits than innings pitched this season.  He clearly is the ace of the Rangers’ staff, but he also is not pitching as well as he did for the Tribe in 2005.  The man who supposedly replaced him, Paul Byrd has struggled in his last two starts, but has put up comparable numbers to Millwood.  Byrd is only under contract through next season, whereas Millwood has four years left on his deal.

 

Arthur Rhodes, at age 36, has had a terrible season for the Phillies, his second bad year in the last three.  Rhodes is 0-3 with a 5.67 ERA and one save in Philadelphia, and has allowed 61 base runners in 33-1/3 innings.  Scott Sauerbeck washed out in trying to replace Rhodes in the Tribe bullpen, but Rhodes has not been much of a loss.  Getting Jason Michaels for him has to be rated a good deal by Shapiro.

 

Speaking of Michaels, the man he replaced is not having a good season either.  Coco Crisp showed up on trade rumor lists before the deadline, so clearly the Red Sox are not enamored with him.  Coco is batting .272 with 4 HR and 20 RBI in ’06, and missed considerable time early in the year with a broken finger and kidney stones.  Having a hand injury can hurt a hitter all season, and it appears that Crisp is no exception as his slugging percentage has dropped 80 points from last year.  Michaels has a higher on base percentage and higher slugging percentage this season than Crisp.

 

Only Howry has comparable stats to 2005.  He is currently 3-3 with 3 saves and a 3.35 ERA for the Cubs.  That said, his ERA is almost a run higher than his 2.47 mark of ’05.  There is no question the Tribe misses having Howry available to pitch the eighth inning, but he also has three more years remaining on his deal.  Let’s say Howry’s ERA jumps a run again next year.  Will the Cubs be happy to pay him $4 million for an ERA of over 4?  Paying players based on a career year is a huge mistake, is that the case with Howry?  We will find out in the next three seasons.

 

Mark Shapiro gets paid to make these decisions before he can see how the moves turn out.  Based on these four players seasons in 2006, he made the correct call on three out of four, and the Howry decision was based on how many years the reliever signed for.  That’s why the biggest free agent to be Larry Dolan needs to sign is his General Manager.  Baseball America recently included Shapiro in an article of 10 men who will impact baseball in the future.  Let’s hope that future includes continued employment by the Tribe. 

 

KM

 

The Cleveland Indians dealt 2B Ronnie Belliard to the Cardinals for utility player Hector Luna, a player who was formerly in the organization, having played in Akron in 2003 before being picked by St. Louis in the Rule 5 draft.  The trade took many by surprise since Belliard played hard and was fairly productive, but he was a free agent at the end of this season, so it was no lock he would return next year.

 

Luna is no stiff, with a .276 career batting average in limited opportunities (533 career at bats).  He has some speed, stealing 10 bases in 12 tries last year, and can play multiple positions, including SS and the outfield.  The plans are to platoon him with Joe Inglett at 2B, so he will be in the line up tonight against the Red Sox and David Wells.

 

GM Mark Shapiro said the team is done trading, but he is probably still trying to find new homes for OF Todd Hollandsworth, P Guillermo Mota, and 3B Aaron Boone.  It is somewhat amazing that Boone is still on the roster, but apparently the Tribe cannot find any takers.  The Indians don’t want to release Boone so as not to embarass him, but there he was starting at third yesterday against Seattle.  Of course, Boone failed to deliver with runners on second and third with one out and the infield in yesterday.  He grounded the first pitch to short, where Shin-Soo Choo made a base running error (nothing like trying to fit in!) and got caught off second.

 

Jim Donovan blamed Choo for short circuiting the rally, but Kelly Shoppach made an out right after that, so Choo’s mistake did not cost the team a run, Boone’s failure to hit a fly ball did.  Also, there was another media cover up in the ninth inning.

 

Inglett, playing SS, looked to third after making a tough stop, and missed retiring the batter, Greg Dobbs, by a step.  Rick Manning correctly pointed out that the Tribe gave the Mariners an extra out, with came back to haunt them when Jose Lopez got the go ahead hit with TWO outs.  However, The Plain Dealer did not mention the play in its game story.

 

Inglett made a nice play on the ball, and wasn’t playing his normal position.  But, imagine the uproar if Jhonny Peralta made the exact same play.  It would have been portrayed as another bad defensive play by Peralta.  Since it was Inglett, the play was swept under the rug.  The point is this, if Inglett had thrown to first right away, Dobbs would have been out, and it would have been man on third with two out.  Carmona would have had a much better chance to get out of the inning with a tie score. 

 

It’s on to Boston and Detroit for Kid Tribe to see where they stack up against two of the AL’s best.  Here’s looking forward to seeing Jeremy Sowers battling the Sox on Wednesday evening.

 

MW 

 

The Cleveland Browns lost All-Pro center LeCharles Bentley to a season ending knee injury yesterday, and the fans of the team regressed into the "Woe is Me" attitude that GM Phil Savage has condemned.  Savage and Head Coach Romeo Crennel had the correct attitude when the word came out the Bentley was indeed ruled out for the season, they related to the media that the show must go on.

 

Crennel doesn’t want any excuses for the team not doing well in ’06.  Bob Hallen is a veteran free agent signed to back up at guard and center, and he will be thrust into a starting role.  He is not a raw rookie being asked to replace Bentley.  But, hearing fans talk about Bentley’s injury, they now expect the team to finish with the same 6-10 record as last season, or maybe even worse.

 

I don’t buy it.  Bill Livingston from The Plain Dealer always talks about the free pass given the Browns from the fans.  The orange and brown never receive the vitriol from the public that the Indians get when they are mediocre.  Ever since the Dolan’s owned the Tribe, they made the playoffs once, and missed the post-season twice by one game.  Since the Browns returned in 1999, they made the playoffs as a wild card once, and have been terrible every other season.  But, it’s the Dolans who get all the criticism.

 

I like Phil Savage, and I like Crennel too.  I think they have the Browns headed in the right direction.  However, I expect this team to improve from last year’s 6-10 mark and I’m sure Savage and Crennel expect the same, even though Bentley is out.  They set the tone that the season has to go on, with or without the team’s biggest free agent aquisition.  The Browns’ fans should follow suit.

 

MW

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians took the next step in their retooling process, by dealing 1B Ben Broussard to Seattle for outfield prospect Shin-Soo Choo.  Choo will be in the line up tomorrow night against his former teammates and presumably will play RF.  This was an excellent deal by Mark Shapiro in getting a major league ready prospect for a guy having a career year.

 

My guess is the cash included by the Indians (I thought they were a cheap organization) pays the remainder of Broussard’s contract for this year.  Doing this allows Shapiro to get a better prospect, and that they did.  Choo is hitting .323 with 13 HR and 48 RBI with Class AAA Tacoma this season.  He also has speed, stealing 26 bases in 30 tries.  Frankly, he is what the Tribe hoped Franklin Gutierrez would be by this point. 

 

There is no question that Broussard was having an outstanding season, a year out of character with the rest of his career.  He came into the season with a lifetime average of around .260, and he is currently batting well over .300.  The Indians would not have paid him the $5-6 million he probably would have received if he went to arbitration during the off-season. 

 

It’s interesting that the Mariners will use the Tribe’s old 1B platoon at DH.  That should tell you both Broussard and Eduardo Perez were not contenders for the Gold Glove. 

 

I agree with the folks at Diatribe, that this is not a fire sale.  They call it a rummage sale and I totally agree.  Shapiro is simply just getting rid of players who would not have been here next year.  With a little tweaking here and there, this team can contend for the Central Division title next year. 

 

Also, to those grilling the Tribe GM for the Wickman trade, it appears that Wicky told the Tribe he would only accept a deal to the Brewers or the Braves.  With those limitations, getting a good prospect, albeit one at the Class A level, was remarkable. 

 

There will be a few more trades by Monday.  I still think the Tribe is shopping Guillermo Mota, Ronnie Belliard, and Todd Hollandsworth.  Whether or not they can get anything for Aaron Boone is up for debate.  They may have to just bite the bullet and release them.  I heard Tom Hamilton on the Wills & Coleman show on WTAM yesterday, and he admitted that the difficulty in releasing Boone was due to Boonie being a class act.  I understand that Shapiro is trying to do the right thing, but it is obvious that the former Red can no longer play. 

 

I’m looking forward to seeing Choo in RF this weekend, and maybe, just maybe seeing Andy Marte at 3B before the home stand ends.

 

KM

 

It is a well known fact that the 2006 edition of the Cleveland Indians is not a very good defensive team.  The unearned runs being yielded by the pitching staff is adding up, and the miscues continue mostly from the infield.  Thankfully, the fans and the talk show hosts have found a scapegoat, SS Jhonny Peralta.

 

As is typical of our fair city, we have identified the non-white athlete.  This is not to say that Peralta has had an excellent year defensively, far from it.  He has made 13 errors, some in the worst situations imaginable.  But, he is not the only player making key miscues.  Peralta’s neighbor at third base, Aaron Boone, has booted the ball 15 times, many on very easy chances.

 

Ben Broussard, who plays with a daily brain cramp, is arguably the worst 1B in the league.  His failure to come up with Curtis Granderson’s ground ball on the first hitter of the game led to five unearned runs last night.  I can count at least five errors or bone headed plays made by Broussard in the last six weeks. 

 

However, Peralta has become the poster boy for the problems.  Granted, he does play the most important and difficult position on the diamond.

 

Again, this is not to say that 24 year old is the perfect shortstop.  He has to do better on routine plays, but he has a strong arm and can make the play in the hole.  He does have problems going to his left, but so does last year’s Gold Glove winner at SS, Derek Jeter.  According to Baseball Prospectus, Peralta’s ranks in the middle of the pack defensively among all major league shortstops.  His range factor is very acceptable for the position. 

 

Peralta is NOT the problem, he is PART of the problem.  He has become the target because he doesn’t say a lot to the media.  I keep hearing about how great it is that Aaron Boone didn’t hide after kicking yet another ball Friday night in a 14-6 loss to the Twins.  That’s outstanding.  His best quality as a player is answering questions after he contributes to a defeat.  I’d rather have a guy who doesn’t blow the game, and leaves the locker room immediately after the game.

 

JK

 

I watch Channel 19 News, I guess it’s one of those guilty secrets that you don’t want to admit since it’s the same as reading the tabloids in the checkout line at the grocery store.  They are sensationalistic and trashy, not exactly the type of news show we are used to seeing in Cleveland. 

 

In this vein, the station recently aired a 911 call by Browns’ owner Randy Lerner’s sister, Nancy Fisher, after discovering her 6 year old daughter drowned in a creek.  The tape obviously fit in with the station’s tabloid mentality, using stories like this to raise ratings, and appeal to the lowest common denominator of viewers. 

 

What they didn’t think about was how it would affect the Lerner family, or any family for that matter.  The difference is the station promotes itself as the TV "Home of the Browns", and has based many shows on fall weekends on the team.  It also televises the team exhibition games, which I would assume is a huge advertising boon for the station.

 

Lerner and his family were naturally very upset at the invasion of privacy, and pulled the exhibition games from WOIO effective immediately.  The station is taking legal action against the Browns for violating the contract. 

 

I would guess the station can’t win in the court of public opinion.  Airing the call was tasteless, and most reasonable people agree that stance.  If you want to market your news program in this matter, the station’s management has to accept the consequences of their actions.  Losing the Browns’ programming is the result, and no one blames the Browns, nor the Lerner family for doing it. 

 

JD