May 18, 2013

Tribe Pen Living Up To Billing

May 3, 2013 by 9 Comments

Chris PerezAs much as we all worried about the Indians starting rotation heading into the 2013 campaign, I think we can all agree that the bullpen was the one spot where we felt the most confident. During the Spring, there were several candidates for only a few spots. A month into the season, Tribe manager Terry Francona has an embarrassment of riches and literally doesn’t have enough room for everyone.

Look at how things are breaking down starting from the back end down.

Chris Perez is the unquestioned closer. While “Pure Rage” has not had as many save opportunities as he would like, the man with the golden arm and mouth to boot has allowed just one earned run in his eight appearances. He is 3-4 in save chances and carries a WHIP of 0.88 with nine strikeouts. Vinnie Pestano mans the eighth inning and like Perez, has made eight appearances totaling eight innings of work. He has given up just two runs, has eight strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.13. His four walks aren’t great, but so far, Vinnie has been Vinnie. The triumverate of late inning guys begins with Joe Smith. Smitty is once again performing like a champion. He hasn’t allowed a single run in his 10 outings, has 11 K’s in eight and a third innings of work, and hasn’t walked a single batter.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Red Sox 6 Indians 3: Stumbling Offense, Bumbling Defense Lead To Sox Sweep

April 19, 2013 by 5 Comments

Ryan RaburnIt doesn’t get much worse than yesterday in the wacked out world that is Cleveland Sports. Late morning brought us the news that the Cavaliers had relieved Byron Scott of his duties leaving Terry Francona, on the job all of 13 games and all of six and a half months as the longest tenured manager/coach of our three major sports franchises. Then we all learned that the man who was as popular as The Beatles in this town, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, had his company and “first love” Pilot/Flying J under FBI investigation for the past two years on charges of alleged rebate fraud. According to a 120-page affidavit, Haslam had direct knowledge of the wrongdoings. Meanwhile, the Indians were trying to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, who have done just about everything right in the first two games of the series.

Well this is Cleveland, and sometimes when it rains, it doesn’t just pour, it monsoons on us.

This is supposed to be a time of excitement and hope. The NFL Draft is a week away. The NBA Playoffs are starting this weekend. The baseball season is just getting off the ground. The Indians are fresh with new players and a manager that is about as respected as they come. But yesterday the sports world was the dog, and our three teams were the tree.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Indians 3, Blue Jays 2: Ubaldo’s alive, Reynolds shows why he’s here

April 4, 2013 by 55 Comments

Mark ReynoldsSometimes when you go into something with low expectations, things work out in your favor. For the second consecutive season, arguably the most important pitcher on the Indians is right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez. His success or lack there of is a gigantic key in the success of this team in 2013. If we get the 9-17, above five-ERA guy we saw in 2012, the odds that the Tribe will be contending for a playoff spot are just about slim to none. So it was with a huge grain of salt that I took the reports of how “well he threw” this Spring in Goodyear. Last night in Toronto, Jimenez got his first chance to translate this into real game action that counted.

For six innings, Manager Terry Francona got the kind of start he would love to see on a regular basis from Ubaldo. Sure, he got himself in a couple of jams, but for the most part, Jimenez was in control. His six innings of one run, three hit, ball was a far cry from his last start in Toronto last July where he couldn’t get out of the third inning.

“I remember the last time I was here,” he said. “I want to forget about it, but tonight was a really good game.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Roster Is Set, Any Concerns?

March 26, 2013 by 17 Comments

Scott KazmirWe are a week away from Opening Day! Your 2013 Cleveland Indians have finally come to complete form. Manager Terry Francona and GM Chris Antonetti had a vision on how they wanted their roster to come together. Throughout the spring, things seemed to break exactly how they wanted them to.

Heading into Goodyear. there were two bench spots, one rotation slot, and four bullpen openings to be won. The signings of DH Jason Giambi and utility man Ryan Raburn were both talked up big time by Francona.

”The day I got the job, Chris and I were talking,” said Francona in late February. “I said if this guy [Raburn] ever comes off the Tigers’ roster, he’s a guy I like. Chris said he liked him, too. So we targeted him early.”

From the jump, Raburn made himself noticed with an 11-23 start (.478). His ability to play second, third, and corner outfield, plus the pop he has shown with hit bat made it an easy decision for Francona and Antonetti to keep him. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

MLB News: Kazmir, Giambi, Raburn make Indians roster

March 25, 2013 by 4 Comments

As expected, the Indians made some decisions and announcements this afternoon as it pertains to their Opening Day 25-man roster. The team’s official Twitter account broke some of the nuances, none of which were all that surprising based on existing predictions.

Notably: LHP Scott Kazmir, RHP Carlos Carrasco, LHP Nick Hagadone, RHP Bryan Shaw, 1B/DH Jason Giambi and IF/OF Ryan Raburn all officially will be on the team’s roster. Technically, Carrasco will be serving a six-game suspension at the start of the year, so the Tribe will be down to 24 men.

The fact that Kazmir and Carrasco might both make the team was not news today. Because of Carrasco’s suspension, and the fact the Indians start the season with 13 straight gamedays, it was thought that the front office might decide to roster 6 starters. This also delays the eventuality of deciding who might be the No. 5 starter long-term, as Kazmir had the better spring, but both haven’t pitched much since 2011.

On the position player side of things, both Giambi and Raburn were expected to land near-final 25-man nods. Along with C Lou Marson, these three beat out IF Cord Phelps and C Yan Gomes, who both were sent down to Triple-A Columbus.

The last decision remaining is for one final reliever on the roster. The two most likely candidates are RHP Matt Albers and LHP David Huff.

Finally, the @Indians added one vital caveat to these tweets today: “barring injury.” That’s almost the entire for now and we’ll see for certain if anything changes between now and next Tuesday, when the Tribe open the season in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

[Related: Four Stat-Lines to Watch on the 2013 Indians]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pestano and Perez to the WBC gives others their shot

February 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

Nick HagadoneChris Perez and Vinnie Pestano are the backbone of the Tribe bullpen. Joe Smith is right there with them. There is no denying that the success of these three relievers will have a huge impact on which was the 2013 season will go for the Cleveland Indians. Each is at the top of their game and have the personalities to match. They are the core of the “Bullpen Mafia.”

Today, CP and Vinnie leave Goodyear to join the Team USA squad in the World Baseball Classic. Smith is still nursing an oblique injury and is about two weeks behind the rest of the pitchers. There is an opportunity that has arisen. The question is, who will step up and make manager Terry Francona take notice?

Tito was quoted as saying that CP, Vinnie, And Smith are the only locks at this point for the pen. That leaves four spots open with a lot of arms in the mix. Depending on how Francona and pitching coach Mickey Calloway want to go, there could be one or two lefties in that opening day mix. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

WFNY Top 10 Cleveland Sports Stories of 2012: #9 The Trade of Shin-Soo Choo

December 24, 2012 by 2 Comments

2012 was one crazy year in the wild wacky world of Cleveland Sports. Some would tell you 2012 was as bad as it has ever been here. As the year comes to a close, like we have done the last four years, WFNY will take a look at what we view to be the 10 biggest sports stories affecting our local sports scene. Each day through the rest of the year, we will be counting down from ten to one. We started earlier today with the Buckeyes Final Four trip . Number nine is something that happened just a short two weeks ago.

#9 The Indians send Shin-Soo Choo to Cincinnati in a blockbuster three-team deal that netted them the ace of their future, Trevor Bauer.

It literally came out of nowhere. Sure, there was a lot of speculation both at the 2012 trade deadline and all winter long that the Indians would move perhaps their best player, Shin-Soo Choo, but the price was reported to be very steep. No true rumors have been floated or names bandied about. All seemed quiet on the Choo front. After the Winter Meetings ended with Choo’s name never mentioned, I was resigned to the fact that the Tribe would hold Scott Boras’s flavor of the month, hope he had a great year, and then move him to the deadline.

Then it happened. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians, Top 10 Cleveland Sports Moments of 2012 Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Antonetti pulls off a coup for Choo

December 11, 2012 by 43 Comments

To quote the great Nick Gilbert…. “What’s Not To Love?”

I have killed Chris Antonetti time and time again for his head scratching roster decisions, but none of those will be mentioned in this piece. I am here to stand up, clap, and give the much maligned Tribe GM his proper due.

Throughout this offseason, the Indians have been in the center of activity in baseball’s hot stove league. They have a powerful and well respected new manager in Terry Francona, and a roster with a young core group of players, four of whom were prime trading chips. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Indians needed a makeover.

But would they actually have the stones to go through with it? And if so, how would they go about it?

It started with the trade for Mike Aviles. It seemed like a small move, but it was one that would start the facelift. On Sunday, the Indians decided they no longer wanted to wait on Kevin Youkilis and instead signed free agent first baseman Mark Reynolds for half of the cost (one year, $6 million) of Youk (who signed a one year, $12 million deal tonight with the Yankees).  But as I said on Monday, there was no chance Antonetti was done. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,