June 20, 2013

MLB News: Indians claim Robert Whitenack off of waivers

April 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Cleveland Indians announced that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Robert Whitenack off of waivers today from the Chicago Cubs and optioned him to Double-A Akron.

Whitenack, 24, was designated for assignment on Monday and has gone 19-18 with a 4.13 ERA (142 ER/309.1 IP) in 69 games (65 starts) across four minor league seasons since being selected by Chicago in the 8th round of the 2009 draft out of SUNY Old Westbury.

After undergoing ‘Tommy John’ ligament transplant surgery in June of 2011, the Queens, NY native returned to make 15 starts for High-A Daytona last season. At one point in 2012, Whitenack struck out seven consecutive members of the As organization, including longtime Indians outfielder Manny Ramirez. He had, at times, been considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Cubs’ organization—MLB.com had Whitenack listed 15th heading into 2013. Prior to the injury, Whitenack went 18-12 with a 3.77 ERA (108 ER/258.0 IP) over 54 games (50 starts) from 2009-11.

Not a power arm, Whitenack has a sinking fastball that tops out in the low 90s, but compliments it with location and strong use of multiple off-speed options—a slider, a knuckle curveball, and a change-up.

To make room for the 6-foot-5-inch Whitenack on the Indians 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Frank Herrmann has been transferred to the 60-day disabled list following Tommy John surgery earlier this year. Herrmann appearened in 15 games (19.1 innings) in 2012 with an ERA of 2.33. He recorded 14 strikeouts, four walks and a WHIP of 0.83. He did not record a decision.

[Related: Indians 4, Blue Jays 1: Let the 162-0 Speculation Begin!]

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MLB Rumor: Indians Among Teams Interested in Ryan Dempster

July 14, 2012 by 5 Comments

The Cleveland Indians have been the subject of several trade rumors already this July, mostly circulating around a bat. But a new name has now emerged among the possible targets, and it just happens to be one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago has the details:

After pitching six shutout innings Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to extend his scoreless innings streak to 33, Chicago Cubs starter Ryan Dempster could not avoid questions about his seemingly inevitable departure from the organization.

With a little more than two weeks until baseball’s trade deadline, 10 teams have shown legitimate interest in acquiring Dempster’s services for the remainder of the season, according to industry sources. Those clubs include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves.

On the season, the 35-year-old Dempster is 5-3 with a 1.86 ERA in 14 starts for the Cubbies. He certainly would be the cheaper option compared to his rotation partner Matt Garza, another player the Indians supposedly have been scouting recently.

We’ll see soon if there’s any more traction on these latest rumors. But given the fact the Indians seem to be competing against some of the top spenders in baseball for Dempster’s services, I’d put the odds at fairly doubtful for now.

[Related: Indians All-Star Break Review: The Starting Rotation]

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Rosenthal: “What about Soriano to the Indians?”

June 12, 2012 by 19 Comments

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wrote today about possible MLB trades, and brought up an interesting proposal for the Indians-

“JUST A THOUGHT … And let’s be clear, this is my speculation only. But what about the Cubs’ Soriano to the Indians?

No NL team will want the defensively challenged Soriano, but the guy can still hit. In fact, he leads the majors with 12 homers since May 15 after hitting none in his first 30 games. The Indians struggle mightily against left-handed pitching, and Soriano could be a relatively inexpensive solution. The Cubs know that to move Soriano, they will need to pay the bulk of his remaining obligation — about $42 million through 2014.

Indians skipper Manny Acta managed Soriano for the Dominican Republic’s entry in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Indians DH Travis Hafner is in the final year of his contract; his deal includes a $2.75 million buyout on a $13 million option for 2013.”

Adding further intrigue, Rosenthal went on to say that rival executives expect the Indians to be aggressive-

“Rival teams expect the Indians to be aggressive; remember, the Tribe acquired right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez last summer to take advantage of a window that likely will remain open through next season, after which right fielder Shin-Soo Choo will be a free agent.

The Indians surely would prefer a more consistent, better-rounded player than Soriano. But the Cubs left fielder has a career .866 OPS against left-handers, and an .834 OPS against them this season.”

Would this be a move Cleveland fans could get behind?

[Related: OF Jeff Francoeur available]

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Report: Indians One Of Six Teams With Interest In Yoenis Cespedes

January 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

According to a report from Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes, the Cleveland Indians are one of six teams showing interest in Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes is an OF prospect who projects as a center-fielder with above average power. He is believed to be 26 years old. I say believed to be, because as we’ve seen with prospects coming out of Cuba, you can sometimes add a couple years to the total. The six teams reported to have interest are the Marlins, Cubs, WhiteSox, Orioles, Tigers, and Indians.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York wrote that the Yankees were out of the picture because they weren’t interested in spending $30-$50 million that they think it would take. If that is the case, I can’t imagine the Indians are truly ‘in’ on him either.

Clay Davenport of Baseball Prospectus wrote the definitive guide to Cespedes.

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Touring Wrigley Field

August 3, 2011 by 22 Comments

I took the family to Chicago last weekend. You may not think of the Windy City as a family destination, but it most certainly is. Tons of things to do and see for the kids and grown-ups alike. Unfortunately, the Cubs were out of town during our visit. Having no interest at all in going to see the White Sox, I instead opted for the tour of Wrigley instead of catching a game.

As we were getting ready to leave the hotel Thursday morning, my twitter-feed started going bananas. The Indians and Cubs were on the verge of a trade. How convenient for me. By the time the Blue line pulled into the station the trade was being reported. Fukudome was headed to Cleveland. I had an Indians hat on, and was carrying around an Indians backpack (Smuckers stadium give-away from a few years back) all day and not once did anyone say anything to me about the trade. Not once. I was pretty surprised. In fact, I broke the news of the trade to the tour guide and clubhouse attendant at Wrigley. [Read more...]

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It’s Good to Be Miserable?

July 10, 2011 by 2 Comments

This week, the sharp Sports Illustrated columnist Steve Rushin wrote a column about the sports fan’s misery index.  Rushin writes that for many of us, it’s good to feel bad.  We create methods and calculations to quantify our misery and look for any way to inflate that quantification.  For example, “When we’re miserably hot, we create a Heat Index to feel hotter than the actual temperature. When we’re miserably cold, we conjure windchill to help us feel more frigid still.”

This desire to despair is nowhere more applicable than the sports community.  Sports fans are perpetually lamenting their team’s shortcomings.  Rushin argues:

“No one is happier to be unhappy than sports fans, which is why Cubs fans (zero titles in 102 years) are legion and Marlins fans (two titles in 14 years) are non-existent…that’s where every fan secretly wants to be, because misery doesn’t really love company after all — it wants to be alone, at the very top.”

To inflate the misery, Rushin comes up with an indiscriminate index that each fan base can use to tout their woe.  [Read more...]

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Milton Bradley’s Tumultuous Career Could Be Over

May 16, 2011 by 7 Comments

On March 17th when all pre-season stories are still exceptionally rosy, I wrote about Eric Wedge having to, once again, deal with Milton Bradley since signing on to manage the Seattle Mariners.  At the time, the quotes were all positive from both sides of the equation.  As the Seattle Mariners leave town after this weekend’s rain-soaked series in Cleveland just under two months later, Milton Bradley is gone.  He was designated for assignment on May 9th.   The Mariners, meanwhile, face the very real possibility of having to cough up the roughly $10 million remaining on Bradley’s gaudy deal.

One would have to think that this might finally signal the end of a tumultuous career for Bradley.  At 33, he would seemingly have enough gas left in the tank physically.  Mentally, it’s a completely different story.  I don’t say that lightly or with humor, either.  The lasting impression of Bradley will probably be of him getting ejected, fighting with umpires, or his actions when the Indians visited Seattle earlier this season. [Read more...]

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These Are My Confessions: DP

June 2, 2010 by 18 Comments

Replicated from the efforts of Eleven Warriors and EDSBS, WFNY continues to bring you our confessions.  Rick started us off.  Denny went multimedia.  Scott put some baseball cards in the spokes. And I copied him a little. So, now, here are mine…

1. I was a Cubs fan first and an Indians fan second up until about age 16. My first experiences with cable TV were in the summers before I was old enough to have a summer job, and every afternoon the Chicago Cubs were always on WGN. Couple that in with my odd decision to make 1B Mark Grace my favorite player growing up (which stems from the 1989 NLCS, actually), and I was hooked. I still have about 50 Mark Grace baseball cards in a binder at home, and not far behind him are the Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson cards. Since I was 11 or 12 when I really, really started watching baseball, and it was during the day when I was home, the Cubs were a natural team for me, and remain my NL team to this day.

2. I rooted for Ohio State up until about 4th or 5th grade, and then pulled an Anakin Skywalker and switched allegiances to Michigan. Most of you know I root for Michigan (and have plenty of fun at my expense because of it), but many of you may not know that I was once like you. I went to Chris Spielman’s first collegiate game against West Virginia with my parents; my folks actually have a picture of me and my brother as lads wearing matching OSU jersey t-shirts. And they have no qualms about trotting those out as needed. I’ve touched on why I switched in the past here, but I really did it just to tick my folks off initially. It was the 1990 team with Elvis Grbac and Desmond Howard that hooked me. I’ve never looked back. [Read more...]

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Seen Around Wrigley Field

June 23, 2009 by 10 Comments

What else do you do when your team is blowing leads at Wrigley Field? Why not do a little investigative work for your favorite website? Andy was at Wrigley last weekend, and returned with these gems. Thanks Andy!

wrigley5

[Read more...]

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Tribe/Cubs Open Thread, take 2

June 21, 2009 by 14 Comments

The Indians close their series at Wrigley today at 2:20 PM.  Hopefully they can avoid the sweep.  After today, the Tribe have an off day Monday before they head to face the fearsome Buckos at PNC park in Pittsburgh.

So feel free to leave comments here if you’re watching the game and have computer access.  The US Open should also be on, Tiger and Phil tee off at noon, with the leaders up about half an hour later.  Should be fun to watch, though we likely won’t see a finish today.

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Kerry Wood will forever be a Chicagoan.

June 21, 2009 by 7 Comments

kerrywoodadI had to watch yesterday’s game on WGN, and deal with their home announcers.  One thing they brought up was the fact that when he left town, Kerry Wood took out a whole page ad (much like our boy CC) in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times thanking Cubs fans for the support over the years.  I don’t really know why I’m pointing this out, but I just wanted to do so.

Anyways, about the game.  Bright spots: Luis Valbuena.  The setup guys pitched really well for once.  That’s right – they did well!  6 scoreless innings.  Wowza.

The bad: pretty much everything else.  Vic the Stick was 0 for 6.  Kelly Shoppach embarrassed us all.  Tribe batters were 10 for 46.  Also known as a .217 batting average for the game.

What’s worse is the false hope that we were given, once again.  In the top of the eighth the Cubs walked the bases loaded, only to have Kelly Shoppach strike out on three straight pitches.  Finally in the 13th the Tribe got a run from Luis Valbuena via his second home run of the day.  I, like many of you, was foolish enough to get excited about this.

In came Kerry Wood for a save.  He immediately gave up a hit to Fukodome.  Fukodome stole second and advanced to third after Kelly Shoppach put the pickoff throw into center field.  A single into center field scored the runner.  Boom – tie ballgame.  Another single pushed the winning run to third base.  Then came the wild pitch that is still replaying in my mind.  Ballgame over.  Not on a hit, just on horrible, horrible pitching.

Best part?  Hearing all about the “Cardiac Cubbies” who have come from behind to win three games in a row.  One more game today.  I feel sorry for the folks that made the trip to Chicago for the games, only to sit through two heartbreaking losses.  Here’s to you folks – have a safe trip home.

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Indians 7, Cubs 8 – A tale of two bullpens

June 20, 2009 by 2 Comments

medium_kerry-wood-on-the-moundThe good: the Indians got a seven-inning, three run start from Cliff Lee.  They put up seven runs in the first three innings.  They got some great defensive stops from Shin-Soo Choo and Jamey Carroll.  The game was streamed live in video to my iPhone for the first time ever.

Everything looked dandy for the Tribe in the first seven-ninths of the game.  But, at the top of the eighth it became apparent that Cliff couldn’t throw the whole game.  That’s right: the bullpen would be involved.  And I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Tribe bullpen hasn’t been tossing gems this season.

At the start of the eighth, the Indians were up 7-2.  By the end of the eighth, the following things happened: Tribe goes down 1-2-3.  Joe Smith threw to four batters.  One got out.  The other three got hits.  Raffy Left came in and Jhhhhhony gives up a run on an error.  Then Raffy gives up an earned run.  Theriot flies out to center, inning over.  Cubs score 4 runs, get momentum, and in case you missed it the Indians were up 7-6 and that feeling of inevitability started to creep in.

The Tribe got two on with two out in the ninth, which was nicely followed up by a timely strikeout.  In comes Kerry Wood for the save.  Against his former team.  Oh, how we were all ready for this one.  Right?  Wood came in, and got a great stop at third by Jhhhhonny.  Then Wood got taken yard by Derreck Lee.  Two flyouts later, the game is going to extras, but the damage was done. [Read more...]

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Indians vs. Cubs Open Thread

June 19, 2009 by 44 Comments

wrigley_field

If you read The Diatribe (which you should) then you know Paul and friends are up at Wrigley Field for the series against the Cubs. I point this out mostly to say that I’m jealous. That’s all. Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood have a ‘homecoming‘ of sorts. Look for new Indian Mike Gosling to make an appearance today. Personally, I think the Indians are just going for some sort of record for in-season transactions. As always, the comment section is open.

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While We’re Waiting… Lue to Orlando, Eric Mangini Still Quiet, and a Possible Roadtrip

February 6, 2009 by 23 Comments

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing.  Have something you think we should see?  Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

Third Quarter Collapse discusses the addition of Tyronn Lue to the Magic.  Sure, Bogans’ contract may have deserved a bit more in a deal, but what they fail to mention is the fact that Lue has been downright lethal at times when facing the Cavaliers.  The Philadelphia 76ers are the only team in the league to allow more points per game to Lue in as many contests as the Cavaliers.  While I doubt Orlando added Lue for this reason, it definitely doesn’t hurt matters for the Magic.  [Ben Q Rock/Third Quarter Collapse]

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…

January 2, 2009 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing.  Have something you think we should see?  Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.

“Drew Gooden is not necessarily known for his sense of fashion—unless you have a thing for a patch of hair on an otherwise entirely bald scalp, that is. Nevertheless, his shades, designer jeans and gold neck and wristwear, much of which likely came from the spoils of the lucrative contract he was given by the Cavs, help him sit perfectly in his luxury vehicle.” [SLAMOnline]

[Read more...]

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Well, At Least We’re Deserving

October 7, 2008 by 11 Comments

Just found this bit thanks to Bugs and Cranks.  For the record, I would love to see the Cubs win the World Series, assuming that it was not against the Indians.  If anything, it would allow us to be done with this whole curse thing and direct all attention back to our dreadful history.  From ESPN’s Page 2…

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More Sabathia Rumors

June 12, 2008 by 12 Comments

Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs logosA potential World Series title may not be the only thing the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs are battling over this season.

As the Indians continue to find ways to lose games this season, their chances of getting back into the division title hunt get slimmer and slimmer. And according to the rules of inverse proportionality, as the chances of the Indians getting into the playoffs decrease, the chances of Tribe ace C.C. Sabathia being traded increase. In other words, not only are rumors of Sabathia being traded not going away before the trade deadline, they will actually get louder and more prevalent as the Indians continue to consistently lose baseball games.

It wasn’t that long ago that I felt that trading C.C. Sabathia was the key to saving this season for the Indians. According to most reports, though, that just wasn’t going to be possible as teams like the Rockies weren’t looking for a soon-to-be free agent in return for guys like Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins. Instead, they were looking for prospects a la the now infamous Bartolo Colon trade. Now, it’s possible that trading Sabathia could be the key to saving the future of the Indians.   [Read more...]

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I have to tell you this story…

April 1, 2008 by 5 Comments

priorwood.jpgAlright, so I’m living in Cincinnati at the start of the ’06 baseball season. I’m managing a restaurant that has a sports bar in it. One of our bartenders, we’ll call him John (because that’s his name), is a huge Cubs fan. He wore his Cubs hat everyday, went to all the games when the Cubs came to Cincy, even made a few road trips during the season to see Chicago. Anyway, one day I’m reading through the Cincinnati Enquirer sports section and come upon an article about Kerry Wood and Mark Prior landing on the DL. It just so happens that John walks in just as I was finishing the article.

Wanting to take full advantage of my buddy’s misery I asked him if he had read the Enquirer yet today? (Of course I knew he hadn’t, he always waited until he got to the restaurant and read our copy, way to save a quarter.) He says no and I proceed to tell him that they did a write up about the Cubs, but made a mistake. He asks of course what the mistake is, and I tell him that the Enquirer ran the same article as last year. He takes one look at the paper and shakes his head…

Mark Prior has moved on. Kerry Wood has been anointed the new closer in Chicago, but you have to wonder how long this experiment will last. But the question on your mind is probably, “what does this have to do with Cleveland sports?” [Read more...]

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