May 16, 2012

Box Score: Athletics 5, Indians 1

April 22, 2012 By 11 Comments

Someone finally cooled off the Tribe offense. That man was Tyson Ross, who pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 run and 4 hits, as the A’s avoided the sweep with the 5-1 victory. Justin Masterson did not look sharp for the third straight outing, letting in four runs and walking six in five innings. The Indians got their lone run in the first on a RBI double from Travis Hafner. Seth Smith hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth, and Cliff Pennington added two runs batted in as well. The Tribe finishes their nine-game roadtrip through Kansas City, Seattle, and Oakland at 7-2 and remain one game behind Detroit in the AL Central at 8-6. They head home to face the Royals on Tuesday night with Derek Lowe facing Jonathan Sanchez.

 

Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Cleveland
- T. Hafner doubled to deep right center, S. Choo scored
Bot 3rd: Oakland
- C. Pennington doubled to deep right center, J. Weeks scored
Bot 4th: Oakland
- S. Smith homered to deep right, K. Ka’aihue scored
Bot 5th: Oakland
- K. Suzuki singled to right, K. Ka’aihue scored, S. Smith to second
Bot 8th: Oakland
- C. Pennington singled to shortstop, E. Sogard scored
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .196
J. Kipnis 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .232
S. Choo rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .250
T. Hafner dh 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 .357
J. Lopez 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .176
J. Hannahan 3b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .341
J. Donald ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 .212
A. Cunningham lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .176
L. Marson c 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 .111
 Totals 28 1 4 1 0 6 5 0 15
 Batting
2B - J Kipnis (1, T Ross); S Choo (5, T Ross); T Hafner (3, T Ross).
RBI - T Hafner (8).
2-out RBI - T Hafner.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Choo 1, J Lopez 1, A Cunningham 1, L Marson 1.
GIDP - T Hafner, J Hannahan.
Team LOB - 6.
 Base Running
CS - J Hannahan (1, 3rd base by T Ross/K Suzuki).
 Oakland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
J. Weeks 2b 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 .197
C. Pennington ss 5 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 .222
J. Reddick rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 .266
Y. Cespedes cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 .255
K. Ka’aihue dh 3 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 .370
S. Smith lf 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 1 .205
K. Suzuki c 4 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 .196
D. Barton 1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .189
E. Sogard 3b 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 3 .167
 Totals 33 5 9 5 1 6 5 4 15
 Batting
2B - C Pennington (5, J Masterson); K Ka’aihue (2, R Perez).
HR - S Smith (1, 4th inning off J Masterson 1 on, 0 Out).
RBI - C Pennington 2 (3), S Smith 2 (4), K Suzuki (6).
2-out RBI - C Pennington 2, K Suzuki.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Pennington 1, Y Cespedes 2, K Suzuki 2, E Sogard 2.
Team LOB - 10.
 Base Running
SB - C Pennington (3, 3rd base off J Masterson/L Marson), J Reddick (2, 2nd base off J Masterson/L Marson), Y Cespedes (4, 2nd base off J Masterson/L Marson), E Sogard (1, 2nd base off N Hagadone/L Marson).
 Fielding
E - C Pennington (2, throw).
DP - 3 (J Weeks-D Barton, C Pennington-J Weeks-D Barton, E Sogard-C Pennington-D Barton).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Masterson (L, 0-2) 5.0 6 4 4 6 2 1 1.62 6.65
R. Perez 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1.05 4.05
N. Hagadone 1.0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0.90 2.70
 Oakland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
T. Ross (W, 1-0) 6.2 4 1 1 5 4 0 1.26 2.13
J. Norberto (H, 2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.12 3.38
R. Cook (H, 4) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.68 0.00
G. Balfour 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.50 0.90
Pitches-strikes - J Masterson 111-61; R Perez 29-18; N Hagadone 15-10; T Ross 101-58; J Norberto 1-1; R Cook 10-6; G Balfour 15-9.
Ground balls-fly balls - J Masterson 9-7; R Perez 2-1; N Hagadone 1-3; T Ross 9-4; J Norberto 1-0; R Cook 1-0; G Balfour 0-2.
Batters faced - J Masterson 27; R Perez 7; N Hagadone 5; T Ross 27; J Norberto 1; R Cook 3; G Balfour 3.

 

Game Details
Umpires: HP–Ron Kulpa. 1B–Jim Wolf. 2B–Derryl Cousins. 3B–Alan Porter.
Weather: 64 degrees, clear.
Wind: 10 mph, out to right.

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Huff Activated, Sent To Columbus

April 22, 2012 By 2 Comments

The Indians announced today that left-handed starting pitcher David Huff was activated from the 15-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Huff, 27, went on the DL with a strained right hamstring that occurred on March 29th in Spring Training. Huff was in competition with Jeanmar Gomez and Kevin Slowey for the fifth starter spot prior to the injury, and could have potentially earned a spot in the bullpen as well. In 11 games (10 starts) last season, Huff was 2-6 with a 4.09 ERA, allowing 17 walks, 55 hits, and striking out 36 in 50 2/3 innings. He joins a Columbus rotation that already includes Slowey, Scott Barnes, Zach McAllister, Corey Kluber and Chris Seddon. The Tribe now has two players on the DL in centerfielder Grady Sizemore and starter Carlos Carrasco, both on the 60-day DL.

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Offensive Positions Outside QB Are The Way Browns Should Go

April 22, 2012 By 30 Comments

With the NFL Draft set to begin on Thursday night and the Browns heavily involved in the first two days with three picks at 4, 22, and 37, there’s plenty of different routes that the Browns could take in attempting to improve an anemic offense and a defense with a need for more playmakers. You don’t hear me talk NFL Draft too often, primarily because I fail to see the point of getting entrenched in draft talk months before the draft or before the season is over. With that said, here is some of what I’m thinking about the Browns’ plan of attack for Thursday through Saturday.

  • I want Trent Richardson at four. Yeah, running backs don’t have the shelf life that quarterbacks do. But, if you keep drafting left tackles, quarterbacks, and defensive ends only because they have longer careers, it’s going to be hard to find the playmakers you need in the lower rounds and in free agency. If Richardson truly is the biggest running back in the draft since Adrian Peterson, you’ve got to take him. Peterson has been in the league for five years now and been at the top of the league from the beginning. If Peterson gives only 2-3 more years at the top, that’s a pretty good run. I’ll take 7-8 years of a top flight running back with a higher chance of success than a QB I don’t believe in who if he hits could be here 10-12 years. That’s if we’re able to sign him to a second contract. [Read more...]

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UniWatch: Time For An Indians’ Name Change?

April 22, 2012 By 125 Comments

Yesterday, UniWatch had their first post of submissions for their new running contest. Their goal is to find the most creative idea for name changes for two of the more ridiculed Native American-based team names in all of sports: The Cleveland Indians and The Washington Redskins. With 35 entries in all for the Cleveland baseball team alone (the first half were revealed yesterday), I thought it would be a fun practice to point out some of the best in my opinion and touch upon if now is the time for a change.

Let me start by saying that if you had asked me this question as little as two years ago, you couldn’t find someone more opposed to a name change. The Indians were named to honor Louis Sockalexis, and the tradition of something nearly 100 years old is not something I’m willing to give up at the drop of a hat. In art class in elementary school, this writer with a lack of even a single artistic bone in his body took to drawing Chief Wahoo. I love wearing Wahoo gear, and even if there’s a name change, I’m not likely to stop wearing it. I even wrote a persuasive paper in high school chronicling why the Indians shouldn’t be forced to change their name. One of my arguments was that if you were going to make my baseball team give up their name, you’d have to take out the Fighting Irish, Vikings, Cowboys, Seminoles, Redskins, Chiefs, Fighting Illini, Braves, Celtics, and Warriors. I’m 12.5% Irish. Maybe I’m offended by the Fighting Irish and Celtics mascots. It’s an all or nothing proposition for me. Remove everything that could be even possibly misconstrued as politically incorrect if you’re going to do it at all.  [Read more...]

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Kipnis With Four Hits, Tribe Keeps On Rollin’

April 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

When a team is locked in offensively, even when they go quiet for a few innings, you have an overwhelming feeling that they’re just waiting for an opening to burst things wide open. The Indians had 10 hits in the first seven innings of this one with only two runs to show for it. But, in the turning point that was the eighth inning, Jason Kipnis had the biggest hit of the game with a two-run triple that rightfielder Josh Reddick misjudged that stretched the lead to three. The Tribe took the second game of the series 5-1, and they’re looking at going for a whopping 8-1 road trip this afternoon. This team has grown an awful lot on this road trip through Kansas City, Seattle, and now Oakland.

The Indians tacked on a first inning run after singles by Kipnis and Choo, a walk by Santana, and an RBI groundout by Travis Hafner. They added another in the sixth with Jason Donald coming home to score following a single, stolen base, and a RBI single from Jason Kipnis. Cleveland stranded 11 runners on base for the second straight night, but they finally broke through in the eighth inning. That’s when after two-out singles from Donald and Brantley that Kipnis delivered with his fourth hit of the night, a two-run triple that right fielder Josh Reddick misjudged at the wall. A wild pitch from Brian Fuentes let in the third run in the inning, and the Tribe took the 5-1 lead. Seven different Indians had hits in this one, with Hafner, Choo, Hannahan, and Donald collecting two each. Early in the season, when the Tribe was going right last year, their bread and butter was scoring with two outs. That seems to be happening again.  [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Loving the NFL Draft, Passing Time in the Minors, and Spring Game Losers

April 22, 2012 By 3 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

First up, Doug at CST has a brilliant take asking why exactly we love the NFL draft so much. As someone who gets really heavy into the NFL Draft only a few weeks before it unfolds, I couldn’t agree more with his pointing out of some of the overanalysis, “That means five months of dissecting exactly what the Browns need to reach the Holy Grail of 8-8 within the next three years. Draft talk essentially overshadows everything else this town has going sports-wise. Folks may be excited about the promise of Kyrie Irving and were pretty ticked at the Indians for not getting an impact bat in the off-season, but that talk usually circles back around to sizzling topics like Mo Claiborne’s 40- time and what Mike Holmgren will have for breakfast on the day of the draft (Wheat germ and two raw eggs, shells included, according to unconfirmed reports).” [Cleveland Sports Torture]

Tribe Minor Leaguer Cole Cook had a really entertaining blog entry about life in the minors, “Of all the skills need to succeed in the minors, passing time may be the most important. Good hands, the ability to read the ball, a resilient body – most people would correctly guess these will help one rise to the top of a heap of struggling minor leaguers. But you can have all the talent in the world, but if your brain rots in your skull as a result of sheer boredom, those talents will never hit the field. Thus – a true minor league talent, will also learn to master the talent of killing time. ” [Cole Cook's Dugout Chatter]

[Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 5, Athletics 1

April 22, 2012 By 3 Comments

The Tribe offense was getting plenty of hits, but for the second straight night, they specialized in leaving guys on base. That is, until the eighth inning. The Indians broke this game open in the top of the eighth with a two-run triple by Jason Kipnis and a wild pitch which allowed him to score. Kipnis had four hits and drove in three runs. Four other Indians (Hafner, Donald, Choo, Hannahan) had two hits apiece, and Jeanmar Gomez was brilliant in 5 1/3 innings as the Tribe moved to 7-1 on the road trip with the 5-1 victory over Oakland. The Tribe goes for the sweep tomorrow afternoon and a 8-1 trip with Justin Masterson facing Tyson Ross.

Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Cleveland
- T. Hafner grounded out to pitcher, J. Kipnis scored, S. Choo to third, C. Santana to second
Top 6th: Cleveland
- J. Kipnis singled to shallow center, J. Donald scored
Bot 6th: Oakland
- Y. Cespedes hit sacrifice fly to deep center, C. Pennington scored
Top 8th: Cleveland
- J. Kipnis tripled to deep right center, J. Donald and M. Brantley scored
- J. Kipnis scored on wild pitch
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .212
J. Kipnis 2b 5 2 4 3 0 0 0 0 2 .226
S. Choo rf 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .250
C. Santana c 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 .239
T. Hafner dh 4 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 .350
S. Duncan lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 .268
    A. Cunningham lf 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .214
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 .157
J. Hannahan 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 .342
J. Donald ss 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .241
 Totals 39 5 14 4 0 4 5 2 18
 Batting
2B - S Choo (4, B Fuentes); J Hannahan (3, B McCarthy).
3B - J Kipnis (2, B Fuentes).
RBI - J Kipnis 3 (11), T Hafner (7).
2-out RBI - J Kipnis 3.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Brantley 1, J Kipnis 1, C Santana 1, S Duncan 2, C Kotchman 2.
GIDP - C Kotchman.
Team LOB - 11.
 Base Running
SB - S Choo (3, 2nd base off B McCarthy/K Suzuki), J Donald (2, 2nd base off B McCarthy/K Suzuki).
CS - J Kipnis (1, 2nd base by B McCarthy/K Suzuki).
 Oakland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
J. Weeks 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 .209
C. Pennington ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .207
J. Reddick rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .283
Y. Cespedes cf 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 .255
S. Smith dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .195
J. Gomes lf 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .259
D. Barton 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .176
K. Suzuki c 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 .192
E. Sogard 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .148
    K. Ka’aihue ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .333
 Totals 34 1 8 1 0 1 6 3 15
 Batting
2B - C Pennington (4, J Gomez); D Barton (2, J Asencio).
SF - Y Cespedes.
RBI - Y Cespedes (15).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Weeks 1, S Smith 2, K Ka’aihue 2.
Team LOB - 8.
 Base Running
SB - J Weeks 2 (3, 2nd base off J Gomez/C Santana, 3rd base off J Gomez/C Santana), Y Cespedes (3, 2nd base off J Gomez/C Santana).
 Fielding
DP - 1 (D Barton-C Pennington).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Gomez (W, 1-0) 5.1 4 1 1 1 3 0 0.54 1.93
D. Wheeler 0.2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.60 5.40
T. Sipp 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.14 11.57
V. Pestano 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.78 2.35
J. Asencio 0.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.45 4.35
C. Perez (S, 6) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.43 3.86
 Oakland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
B. McCarthy (L, 0-3) 7.0 10 2 2 3 4 0 1.47 3.38
B. Fuentes 1.0 4 3 3 0 1 0 1.35 5.40
P. Figueroa 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.00 0.00
WP - B Fuentes.
IBB - T Hafner (by B McCarthy).
Pitches-strikes - J Gomez 88-53; D Wheeler 19-11; T Sipp 11-7; V Pestano 11-10; J Asencio 17-16; C Perez 3-1; B McCarthy 113-65; B Fuentes 23-14; P Figueroa 11-7.
Ground balls-fly balls - J Gomez 8-5; D Wheeler 0-2; T Sipp 1-1; V Pestano 1-2; J Asencio 2-1; C Perez 0-1; B McCarthy 9-9; B Fuentes 1-3; P Figueroa 2-0.
Batters faced - J Gomez 21; D Wheeler 3; T Sipp 3; V Pestano 4; J Asencio 4; C Perez 1; B McCarthy 33; B Fuentes 7; P Figueroa 3.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Alan Porter. 1B–Ron Kulpa. 2B–Jim Wolf. 3B–Derryl Cousins.
Weather: 75 degrees, clear.
Wind: 6 mph, out to right.

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OSU Spring Game: Scarlet 20, Gray 14

April 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

In lousy weather at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes opened the Urban Meyer Era with plenty of passing and offensive flashes as offensive coordinator Tom Herman’s scarlet team defeated defensive coordinator Luke Fickell’s gray team 20-14 in front of over 80,000 in attendance.

The two headliners were Scarlet’s Braxton Miller and Michael Thomas. Miller was 24-for-31 passing for 258 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. Thomas, a 6’2″ freshman receiver out of Los Angeles, caught 12 passes for 131 yards and turned a lot of heads in a receiving group in need of strong performances. For the Gray squad, quarterback Kenny Guiton was 17-for-26 for 191 yards with 2 touchdowns (1 rushing) and 1 interception. Sophomore receiver Corey “Philly” Brown added 7 catches for 90 yards for Gray. Scarlet got a pair of rushing touchdowns from running backs Carlos Hyde and Rod Smith.

For a full list of stats from the game, OhioStateBuckeyes.com has you covered. Patrick will have more on the OSU Spring Game in the coming days.

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Cavalier Tidbits As The Season Winds Down

April 21, 2012 By 12 Comments

A sect of Cavalier fans would like their favorite NBA team to cut the engines for the rest of the season right about now (this writer has at least one foot in on that proposition).

The Cavaliers were having none of that, however, as they soundly defeated the New York Knicks for the tenth straight time in Quicken Loans Arena by the score of 98-90. They did so with their star Kyrie Irving back to his old self (21 points) and the bench playing scrappy and bringing it home down the stretch. The Knicks with Stoudemire back in the fold looked like a team still searching for how they want to play as they will now be the 7th or 8th seed which brings an unfavorable matchup in either Miami or Chicago. Factor all that in, and the #TankStrong initiative was put on hold for one night.With that in mind, I have some thoughts on the Cavaliers with the season coming to a close.

  • Let me start by saying that if you let me choose, I’d prefer that the Cavaliers would lose their four remaining games and improve their odds to what could still be the third best heading into the NBA Draft Lottery, guaranteeing a top six pick. But, I’m also not going to be someone who can’t take solace in positive takeaway points from an enjoyable basketball game. The people who are upset that the Cavaliers win games are the same ones that complain the loudest when they completely fail to compete at all (see: Detroit, 50 point deficit). You can’t have it both ways all the time, and with all the injuries and coming and going, the Cavaliers have been wildly unpredictable and inconsistent. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Sign Guard/Forward D.J. Kennedy

April 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

The Cavaliers announced this afternoon that they have signed guard/forward D.J. Kennedy to fill the roster spot vacated by the departure of guard Lester Hudson following his two 10-day contracts. Kennedy, 22, played this season for the Erie Bayhawks of the D-League, averaging 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in over 37 minutes per contest.  The 6’6″ Kennedy played four seasons at St. John’s, where he averaged 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds as a four-year starter. Kennedy becomes the fourth player currently on the team to have spent time this season in the development league (Donald Sloan, Manny Harris, Luke Harangody) and could get some playing time with Alonzo Gee’s ankle injury keeping him out of the past three games.

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Buckeye Basketball: Amedeo Della Valle Commits To Ohio State

April 21, 2012 By 8 Comments

It was announced today that the Buckeye basketball team will get their first and possibly only recruit for the 2012 class, as Findlay Prep HS (Nev.) guard Amedeo Della Valle announced that he will be a Buckeye next season. Della Valle is a 6’5″, 185-pound guard with point guard experience at the high school level. Known as a sharpshooter, ADV also displays a strong handle and a quick first move to the basket. He is a 3-star prospect ranked as the 29th best shooting guard by Scout and 43rd by ESPN. Della Valle had offers from Texas A&M, Arizona, Michigan, and Gonzaga as well as the Buckeyes. He will be the team’s 10th scholarship player for next season, helping to alleviate the burden of losing guard Jordan Sibert and forward J.D. Weatherspoon to transfers. With any luck, the Italian-born guard who impressed at the Under-18 European Championships (15.1 ppg, 50% 3PT in 7 games) can provide some outside shooting to a team that struggled in that department last season.

 

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Cabot: Weeden Senses Browns Like Him

April 21, 2012 By 12 Comments

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden senses that the Browns like him enough to select him with either their 22nd or 37th pick in the NFL Draft later this week.

“‘I know Colt had a good year last year, and he’s a good football player,’ Weeden said in a phone interview this week. ‘But I’m a competitor, and I want to play as soon as possible. I’d be excited about the opportunity to come in and compete with him and see how things pan out.’”

Weeden, 28, is regarded by many as the fourth best quarterback prospect in the draft behind Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Ryan Tannehill. He threw for 4,727 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions last season with the Cowboys. His age, however, remains a concern as he will turn 29 in October, and the Browns will have to weigh the value of drafting a quarterback with a limited shelf life that may be able to make an impact sooner rather than later.

 

[Related: Weeden: Treat Me Like I'm 22 Years Old]

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Hannahan Does It Again As Tribe’s Hot Road Trip Continues

April 21, 2012 By 15 Comments

This road trip the Indians are currently on has proven to be a fulfilling one. The Tribe is 6-1 thus far after last night’s 4-3 victory in Oakland, as they’ve awakened their offense, settled down their closer, and continued to get solid starts all in that short span. For the second straight night, it was Jack Hannahan turning in a multi-RBI effort, with the Tribe’s plate discipline remaining an asset in these hard fought victories the past two nights.

What a treat! It’s my weekend at WFNY, and Ublado Jimenez pitched last night. Now, if you guys have read this or follow me on a regular basis, you know that I’m far from Ubaldo’s biggest fan. In fact, my Twitter profile lists me as a “Ubaldo Trade Skeptic”. Anyway, back to the action on the field where Ubaldo earned his second straight win by pitching good enough against an admittedly weak Athletics lineup. The eye-popping portion of Jimenez’s statline is, of course his five walks over six innings. Worse than that, however, and the root of my frustration in watching him pitch, was the startling number of hitters that he started with a 2-0 count. Six, yes SIX, of the first nine hitters last night saw two outside the strike zone from Ubaldo to begin their at-bat. Against a better offense with an element of patience, Ubaldo will get eaten alive with that type of output. Jimenez has avoided being hit hard at all in the ’12 campaign, but his pitch count has been driven up early in his last two starts, and that’s only going to continue as AL hitters get the book on him. Ubaldo’s stuff is undeniably tough to hit. He made one mistake on a hanging breaking ball to Josh Reddick in the third inning that he deposited in the right field seats. That happens, and I’m not holding it against him. No, it’s far more frustrating to me when you consistently work from behind in the count and give guys a free pass on base. Are we sure Tim Belcher didn’t step down from his pitching coach role primarily because he couldn’t stand Ubaldo’s lack of first pitch strikes? I’m not ruling it out. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… OSU Spring Game, Brandon Weeden, and Rethinking The NBA Draft

April 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Leading off, the Ohio State Football Spring Game is this afternoon at 1:30, and there’s no doubt that with over 60 thousand tickets already sold, the house will be packed for Urban Meyer’s debut in the ‘Shoe. Sarah at Eleven Warriors shares some spring game thoughts, “In that scenario, the spring game would be the equivalent of a webisode, a mini-episode that provides new content for diehards during a long hiatus. Often, the supporting cast will star in these chapters while the main characters perhaps make a cameo appearance. Their story lines may hint at the overall arcs of the show, but in large part, they are separate, extraneous pieces. That doesn’t mean the spring game is completely useless. As Meyer told the press the other day, “the intent is to watch guys perform in a gameday atmosphere”, a scene that can’t be replicated in practice, even one that is attended by thousands of students. ” [Eleven Warriors] You can also find the Scarlet and Gray rosters here.

Next, Red Right 88 takes a look at quarterbacks drafted in the second round for those of you hoping the Browns take 28-year-old Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden with the 37th pick, “The last time a team drafted a franchise quarterback in the second round was 2001, when the Chargers selected Drew Brees. Since then, the following quarterbacks have been drafted in the second round: Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Clausen, Pat White, Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, Kevin Kolb, John Beck, Drew Stanton, Kellen Clemens and Tavaris Jackson.” [Red Right 88] [Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 4, Athletics 3

April 21, 2012 By 3 Comments

The Indians are making it look pretty simple these days. Timely hitting, quality starts, and their closer nailing it down in the ninth inning. The Indians took the series opener 4-3 led by Jack Hannahan’s 3 RBI effort. Hannahan added the team’s first run with a sac fly in the 2nd then doubled home two in the fourth inning. Yoenis Cespedes had three hits and two RBI for the Athletics. Ubaldo Jimenez went six innings for the win, allowing six hits and walking five. Tony Sipp, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez combined for 3 innings allowing for just 1 run. The Tribe is now 7-5 on the season and 6-1 on the current road trip. Game two of the series is tomorrow night at 9:05.

 

Scoring Summary
Top 2nd: Cleveland
- J. Hannahan hit sacrifice fly to right, C. Santana scored
Bot 3rd: Oakland
- J. Reddick homered to deep right
Top 4th: Cleveland
- J. Hannahan doubled to shallow left, T. Hafner and S. Duncan scored
Top 5th: Cleveland
- S. Choo singled to right, J. Kipnis scored, S. Choo to second advancing on throw
Bot 5th: Oakland
- Y. Cespedes singled to left, J. Reddick scored, Y. Cespedes to second on left fielder S. Duncan’s fielding error
Bot 7th: Oakland
- Y. Cespedes singled to shallow right, J. Weeks scored, C. Pennington to second
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .213
J. Kipnis 2b 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .167
S. Choo rf 5 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 .234
C. Santana c 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 .262
T. Hafner dh 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 .333
S. Duncan lf 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 .270
    A. Cunningham pr-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .214
C. Kotchman 1b 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 .170
J. Hannahan 3b 2 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 .324
J. Donald ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 .200
 Totals 29 4 7 4 0 9 5 1 18
 Batting
2B - M Brantley (4, J Norberto); S Choo (3, J Blevins); J Hannahan (2, G Godfrey).
S - J Kipnis.
SF - J Hannahan.
RBI - S Choo (9), J Hannahan 3 (11).
2-out RBI - J Hannahan 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Duncan 1, A Cunningham 2, J Donald 3.
GIDP - S Choo, C Kotchman.
Team LOB - 11.
 Base Running
SB - J Kipnis (2, 2nd base off G Godfrey/A Recker).
 Fielding
E - S Duncan (1, field).
DP - 1 (C Kotchman).
 Oakland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
J. Weeks 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .206
C. Pennington ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .204
J. Reddick rf 5 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 2 .286
Y. Cespedes cf 4 0 3 2 0 1 1 0 0 .265
S. Smith lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 .189
J. Gomes dh 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 .217
K. Ka’aihue 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .348
A. Recker c 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .200
    D. Barton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .167
    K. Suzuki c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .188
E. Sogard 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 .167
 Totals 34 3 9 3 1 7 7 0 17
 Batting
2B - J Weeks (4, V Pestano); J Reddick (5, U Jimenez).
3B - J Weeks (1, T Sipp).
HR - J Reddick (2, 3rd inning off U Jimenez 0 on, 2 Out).
RBI - J Reddick (3), Y Cespedes 2 (14).
2-out RBI - J Reddick.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Weeks 1, C Pennington 1, J Gomes 1, K Ka’aihue 2, E Sogard 2.
Team LOB - 11.
 Base Running
CS - S Smith (1, 2nd base by U Jimenez/C Santana).
 Fielding
Outfield assists - S Smith.
DP - 2 (K Ka’aihue-C Pennington-G Godfrey, E Sogard-J Weeks-K Ka’aihue).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
U. Jimenez (W, 2-0) 6.0 6 2 2 5 3 1 1.50 4.00
T. Sipp (H, 3) 0.1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2.73 14.73
J. Smith (H, 4) 0.2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1.65 2.70
V. Pestano (H, 3) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.75 2.70
C. Perez (S, 5) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.50 4.05
 Oakland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
G. Godfrey (L, 0-3) 5.0 3 4 4 5 3 0 1.38 5.06
J. Blevins 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.11 2.84
F. De Los Santos 0.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2.33 0.00
J. Norberto 2.0 1 0 0 3 1 0 1.17 3.52
IBB - C Santana (by J Norberto).
HBP - J Kipnis (by G Godfrey); T Hafner (by G Godfrey).
Pitches-strikes - U Jimenez 107-61; T Sipp 11-5; J Smith 20-12; V Pestano 11-9; C Perez 17-11; G Godfrey 93-53; J Blevins 33-17; F De Los Santos 8-2; J Norberto 42-22.
Ground balls-fly balls - U Jimenez 7-5; T Sipp 0-1; J Smith 1-0; V Pestano 1-1; C Perez 0-2; G Godfrey 2-6; J Blevins 2-1; F De Los Santos 1-0; J Norberto 3-0.
Batters faced - U Jimenez 27; T Sipp 3; J Smith 4; V Pestano 4; C Perez 3; G Godfrey 24; J Blevins 7; F De Los Santos 2; J Norberto 9.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Derryl Cousins. 1B–Alan Porter. 2B–Ron Kulpa. 3B–Jim Wolf.
Weather: 67 degrees, clear.
Wind: 5 mph, out to right.

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