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Indians 4, Blue Jays 2 (box)
Indians 4, Blue Jays 0 (box)

I’m not sure what has gotten into Paul Byrd, but if this is a showcase, he is doing one heck of a good job.  He and Cliff Lee combined for 17 innings of two-run ball, finishing off the three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.  While Lee nailed down his 16th win of the season, Byrd was the man who allowed only six hits in eight innings, taking his once sky high ERA down to 4.53 on the year.

It was Byrd’s fifth straight quality start.  And while he allowed two runs early, he strapped in and outlasted typical iron man (and All-Star) Roy Halladay for the win.  It also helps when the two, three and four hitters for the Jays combined to go 0-for-11. 

Speaking of…

In both games, David Dellucci hit second and went 4-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored.  Our third batter was Kelly Shoppach, who didn’t fair as well with an 0-10 weekend that included seven (seven!) strikeouts.  Ugh.

Thankfully, Shin-Soo Choo, Ben Francisco and Ryan Garko all did fairly well in the series.  Choo’s 3-for-4 was one of the best lines of the third game, making up for a misplayed ball the day prior. 

Oh, and though not a save opportunity, Rafael Perez finished off the ninth for Cliff Lee by striking out the side without allowing a baserunner.  Eleven pitches.  Nine of them strikes.  In 10 games since the All-Star break, Perez has tossed 16 and two-thirds, striking out 18 with a WHIP of 0.60.  Not too shabby.

Minor League Update

For the Buffalo Bisons, David Huff took a no decision despite only allowing one run (three hits) in five innings.  Trevor Crowe is in quite the slump, amassing one hit in his last 13 at-bats.  Nine of said outs were of the strikeout variety, so here’s to hoping he rebounds soon.  But on a better note, Aaron Laffey rebounded from an awful previous start to strike out nine in eight innings of four-hit ball the game before. 

Like their big brothers, the Kinston Indians swept their opponents, the West Salem Avalanche.  Catcher Carlos Santana went 2-for-4 with a double and a run on Sunday, taking his batting average to a stellar .396.  His OPS now stands at 1.061 through 53 at-bats.  Beau Mills is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak, and is now batting .341 over his past 10 games.  Overall, his splits stand at .290/.372/.494.

Injury Update

- Tony Lastoria is reporting that prize prospect Adam Miller may be done for the season following his finger surgery.  Terrible news given our current state of flux.

- Travis Hafner has started to take some swings, and could be taking full batting practice by week’s end.  The fact that he is listed at 75 percent strength still worries me a bit.

- Victor Martinez is a step ahead of Travis.  He has already taken some BP and has done a few baserunning drills.  We could see a rehab game or two, so we’ll keep you posted in the event that V-Mart plays in Akron or even Lake County.