May 23, 2013

Chris Perez: “I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distraction”

May 21, 2013 by 20 Comments

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez released an official statement following the much-discussed deactivation of his Twitter account.

“The decision to deactivate my Twitter account was a personal choice I made in order to maintain the greater focus on the success of the team this season and our shared goals moving forward.

We have an extremely positive and supportive group of players, coaches and staff members in our clubhouse and I want to participate in activities and routines that contribute positively to the culture we’re building here.

Out of respect for my teammates, I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distractions so this is the only time I will comment on this topic. Thank you for your understanding.”

Perez deleted his account following Cleveland’s 10-8 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday afternoon. The two-time All-Star allowed his third home run in two consecutive outings which led to a slew of personal attacks via the microblogging platform.

[Related: Indians 10 Mariners 8: Yan Freaking Gomes and the Mariners Defense – a Lethal Combination]

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Indians 10 Mariners 8: Yan Freaking Gomes and the Mariners Defense – a Lethal Combination

May 20, 2013 by 43 Comments

yan GomesI have been to hundreds and hundreds of baseball games in my 37 years on this earth. I don’t think I have ever witnessed a game like this one. The beauty of baseball is that every time out, you may see something you have never seen before. Today was one of those days.

Like the great Mr. Skin says, “Let us fast forward right to the good parts.”

The Indians carried a 6-5 lead into the eighth inning and turned it over to resident set up man Vinnie Pestano, who was activated off the DL Friday. Vinnie is still trying to work himself back into a groove and showed some immediate signs of rust. Kyle Seager hit a rocket shot, no-doubter to the seats in right field to tie the game before Pestano could record an out. The 19,390 fans in attendance sat in stunned silence. However, the Indians still had two more shots to finish off the sweep.

“With this lineup, you can go back in the dugout look guys in the eyes and say, ‘Come on, boys pick me up,’ ” said Pestano. “And they’re all in. It’s not deflating by any means. It’s like, ‘OK, let’s go back to work.’ ” [Read more...]

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MLB News: Indians closer Chris Perez deletes his Twitter account

May 20, 2013 by 110 Comments

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez has had enough. Following Monday afternoon’s extra-innings win against the Seattle Mariners, thus completing a four-game sweep at Progressive Field, Perez deleted his Twitter account largely in part to the barrage of hate-laced tweets being sent his way.

Chris Perez Twitter Feed

Perez, a two-time All-Star with the Indians, has become a bit of a target on the microblogging platform following his comments last season regarding fan support. On Tuesday afternoon, Perez gave up his third home run in what was his last two outings, forcing the Indians to come from behind via the heroics of reserve catcher Yan Gomes.

When Perez allowed two home runs this past weekend, he tweeted out that one of the most useful tools on Twitter was the “block” feature that allows him to not receive messages from select fans. On Tuesday, the closer seemingly had enough of the tasteless barbs being thrown his way, oftentimes anonymously.

Despite saving 90 percent of his chances (81-for-91) since becoming the Tribe’s closer in 2011, a cabal of Indians “fans” have decided to carry along a narrative that Perez “always” blows saves and—despite being just a few saves shy of long-time Indians reliever Doug Jones—has provided no benefit as the anchor of one of the best bullpens in the major leagues. More importantly, he’s a human being.

Perez often used Twitter to interact with fans, hand out free tickets to games, and reveal his “song of the day” each and every morning. It appears that the costs associated with his profile, at this stage, far outweighed the benefits. Tough to imagine why…

[Related: Indians exemplifying “next man up” thus far]

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Scott Raab on Chris Perez, Browns vs. Klosterman, NHLinCLE and relationships with editors – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-20

May 20, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoScott and I spent a lot of time talking Tribe today. We also touched on Brian Hoyer and whether we should be talking about it or not and also the Chuck Klosterman controversy with the Cleveland Browns.

  • Scott Raab will be on the Ken Carman show weekly every Friday at 9 PM
  • Talking about not talking about Brian Hoyer and his signing
  • Which team should win a championship if you had a choice?
  • Losing in 2007 and a hated Red Sox team in 2007
  • Cleveland fans and the amount of palpable hate for a fanbase that’s never won
  • If the Indians put up a statue in center field it ought to be Steve Olin
  • Is Jacob’s field a pitcher’s ballpark?
  • You have to get down to the seventh or eighth hitter to find a slow player
  • The contrived nature of the save in baseball
  • Chris Perez = Joe Borowski with a six pack in him
  • Julio Franco and the obsession with the holes in his game
  • Chris Perez talked about the organization and not just the fans
  • How much of the credit goes to Terry Francona?
  • Writing and how important it is to work with a good editor
  • David Granger and how important a good editor is for writers
  • Do novel writers have to have adversarial relationships with themselves?
  • The disadvantages of blogging are the lack of working it over and over
  • Balancing speed and quality / length
  • Guys who cover the NFL and how they feel about the Browns P.R.
  • The Browns and their adversarial relationship with the media
  • Chuck Klosterman whining about lack of access
  • It’s to Tony Grossi’s credit that Art Modell isn’t in the Hall of Fame
  • Access in the NFL is tightly tightly controlled
  • It’s better to be out there and not saying a lot than not out there at all
  • Talking about hockey with @NHLinCLE
  • The Cleveland Barons and Freddy Glover
  • Hockey fans and how they’re a different breed than the other sports
  • BrianHoyerSuperBowl.com

Check out this episode

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Tribe Weekend Recap: How Does First Place Sound To You?

May 13, 2013 by 11 Comments

Nick SwisherSay it loud. Say it proud. Your Cleveland Indians are a first place baseball team. Sure, you can tell me how two years ago they were 30-15 and how last year they spent time on top of the AL Central during the first two months of the season, but this just feels different, doesn’t it?

Manny Acta’s clubs were fools gold. They won a lot of low scoring, one-run games thanks to a fantastic bullpen and timely hitting. The roster was not exactly loaded. The Terry Francona version play with a different sense of urgency and confidence. This is a group that expects to be good and plays like it. Of course it helps Francona to have veteran additions like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and Mark Reynolds to go along with the maturation of Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, and Carlos Santana. Having that deep and solid bullpen certainly doesn’t hurt.

Francona and his Wahoos ended their 8-1 homestand with a four-game sweep of Oakland and headed to Detroit for a measuring stick series with the AL Champion Tigers, who entered the weekend in first place. The pitching matchups for the most part weren’t going to favor the Tribe, but all weekend they battled and came out with a series win and a move into a tie for first with the team from that state up North. [Read more...]

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Indians 4, A’s 3: Its Better To Be Lucky Than Good

May 9, 2013 by 31 Comments

Bob MelvinWhen this series with Oakland began, I wrote that umpire Angel Hernandez was arguably the second worst umpire in the game behind C.C. Bucknor. Tonight, the crew chief was at second base. Three nights ago he did the Tribe a favor when he didn’t toss Oakland starter Jarrod Parker for throwing at the head of Mark Reynolds after giving up two homers earlier in the inning. If he had, we would have been robbed of the Reynolds revenge blast in the 7-3 Indians win. Last night, Hernandez may have topped himself.

I always like to begin my recaps start to finish, but in this case, I have to make an exception.

With the Indians nursing a 4-3 lead with two outs in the ninth inning, closer Chris Perez looked like he was on the verge of closing out another win. The usually light-hitting Adam Rosales took a 1-1 Perez pitch deep to left center, which looked to hit high off the wall for a double. At closer glance, it was thought to bounce off the railing above the yellow line on the high wall in left. Hernandez was the closest umpire to the action. A conference of the umpires was called after A’s manager Bob Melvin came out to argue that the ball should be ruled a home run. [Read more...]

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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...]

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Tribe’s RP Chris Perez is on short list of trade candidates according to Buster Olney

April 26, 2013 by 9 Comments

In his latest blog post, ESPN’s Buster Olney speculates as to a number of young players that could become part of the trade market. Among the names on the list are Philadelphia’s Chase Utley, New York’s John Buck, Chicago’s Matt Garza and Cleveland’s Chris Perez-

“Chris Perez | RHP, Cleveland Indians. He’s making $7.3 million this season, and the Indians were open to trading him during the winter but got little traction. The 27-year-old Perez is off to a good start, and it’s worth remembering that the trade market for relievers appears as if it’s going to be absolutely terrible — an extremely thin group.

Perez does have a lot of experience as a closer for a team looking to fill that spot (St. Louis, for example, knows Perez well, having drafted and developed him). Even if the Indians stay in the AL Central race, they might be open to moving Perez because they have Vinnie Pestano and because Cleveland would seem to be very unlikely to pay Perez the $10 million or so he could get next winter as an arbitration-eligible player.”

This is certainly not the first time we’ve heard rumors about Perez being available for trade. Our own Jon Steiner has advocated a Perez trade for some time, most recently here.

Generally speaking, it is way too early to know which teams will be sellers and which will be buyers at the deadline. If the Indians become buyers, perhaps Garza could be a target for the Indians to consider.

[Related: Tribe Notes- a Kansas City preview]

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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...]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-03 – TD talking Tribe after 2-0 start

April 3, 2013 by 3 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoTD sounded like garbage, partly because he was sick and partly because wherever it was in these United States of America that he was holed up in a hotel this week had garbage internet connections and equally garbage cell phone reception. What wasn’t garbage was our conversation following a Tribe win in Toronto as they made up for a Chris Perez blown save.

  • The Tribe start 2-0
  • Perez blowing a save isn’t that big of a deal
  • Ubaldo and his upcoming start in the home opener
  • Brandon Phillips
  • Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana in the 5-6 holes
  • Protection from Swisher
  • Eric Wedge and how Mark Shapiro had to fire his “partner”

[Read more...]

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

April 3, 2013 by 34 Comments

Drew Stubbs Michael BrantleyOh how I have longed for this day…..

Your boy is back for year four of the Tribe recaps. It is a true labor of love for me. This year for me holds something special for all of us. I actually like the fact that the Indians started the 2013 season on the road in Toronto against one of the best teams in the AL. Let us see right away what Terry Francona’s bunch is made of.

Well it is only one game, but you have to love the way things started for the Wahoos. The new look lineup would have to face last year’s NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey. The knuckleballer would be no easy out. The Indians approach against Dickey was fantastic all night as they worked deep into counts and didn’t seem to chase bad pitches. [Read more...]

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WFNY 2013 Tribe Predictions

April 2, 2013 by 16 Comments

WFNY_roundtable

It is Opening Day! Rejoice! Terry Francona! Nick Swisher! Michael Bourn! Do you believe the Dolan Family Ownership ponied up for free agents? Do you believe not one, but TWO big name free agents signed long term deals here in Cleveland? The offseason was as exciting as any we have seen in the long history of the Tribe. The organization wants to get the fans back and they everything they could to do so. So here we are.

As we get set for another season of Cleveland Indians baseball, I got the WFNY group together and asked them some simple questions regarding the 2013 season. What do we expect for this club? Can they contend? Who will step forward? Who will disappoint? Lets take a look and if you would like, answer along with us in the comments section. [Read more...]

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Indians, Baseball and a couple movie reviews involving James Franco – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-25

March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoIt’s a WFNY Joncast…

  • Traveling and eating
  • Hotels all need to have bars in them
  • Are the Indians the most inconsistent pitching staff in the majors?
  • Not the worst, but most inconsistent?
  • Manny Acta and Chris Perez helped pave the way for the Dolans’ spending spree
  • Did the Indians overpay this off-season or is it just participating in free agency?
  • The Minnesota Twins, the Houston Astros and real sucking
  • Cord Phelps vs. Josh Barfield vs. Kevin Kouzmanoff
  • Oz the Great and Powerful vs. Spring Breakers vs. James Franco

And much much more…


Check out this episode

Listen at Stitcher

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Sunday Indians Notes: Bullpen depth, backups and prospects

March 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Chris PerezSpring Training is finally on its final leg and the MLB season begins for the Cleveland Indians in just nine short days. It certainly has been an exciting offseason, for once, in Cleveland, so Opening Day at Progressive Field another six days later should be a delight.

In typical Sunday fashion, I’ll break down a handful of items that have been on my mind recently when it comes to Tribe talk. In a fitting sense, none of the three items are that sexy, but could mean quite a lot to the 2013 Tribe. Let’s start with a much-hyped strength:

– The stout bullpen: Quick trivia question — Out of the 30 MLB teams from 2011-2012, where did the Indians bullpen rank in ERA? How about out of the 14 American League teams? One would normally think that with the impressive back-end of Chris Perez, Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith, that the Indians would logically rank fairly high. Wrong. [Read more...]

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MLB News: Indians’ All-Star closer Chris Perez tweets he is ready to return

March 23, 2013 by 5 Comments

Cleveland Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez tweeted that he will be ready for the team’s Opening Day contest against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In one inning of a rehabilitation game against the Dodgers’ High-A club on Saturday, Perez through 30 pitches, 19 for strikes, allowing two hits and a walk with a strikeout. Six batters were faced, one scored.

Perez has missed the last several weeks with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the World Baseball Classic. Originally considered to be an issue that could linger into the start of the 2013 season, Perez appears to be ready to lock down the back of the Tribe bullpen that could hold as many as eight players come Opening Day.

A recent ESPN The Magazine preview forecasted the Indians to finish second in the AL Central, falling just a few games shy of the Detroit Tigers. Perez’ availability should only serve to help the team’s case as they make their run in 2013.

In 2012, Perez provided his second consecutive All-Star campaign, saving a career high 39 games for the Indians. In 57.2 innings (61 games) pitched, the closer struck out 59 and walked just 16.

[Related: The Ubaldo Problem]

 

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Spring Training: Reynolds Sidelined With Back Soreness, Perez Throwing

March 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Earlier today, it was announced that Indians corner infielder/DH Mark Reynolds will miss a few days with back soreness.

Reynolds tried to downplay the issue, saying its customary Spring Training stiffness.

Reynolds was signed to 1-year, $6 million deal in the offseason by the Tribe which came as the first in a flurry of offseason signings. Last year with Baltimore, he hit .221/.335/.429 with 23 homers and 69 RBI in 135 games.

Today was also the first day that Indians closer Chris Perez resumed throwing (from 60 feet). Tribe trainer Lonnie Soloff reportedly called it a “good first day”. It is yet unknown if Perez will be on the team’s Opening Day roster, as he is in a similar time crunch to last season, where he did make the roster but struggled early.

If Perez cannot answer the bell for Opening Day, the team would likely look to setup man Vinnie Pestano to hold down the closer spot for a short period of time.

Related: The 2013 Tribe and jWAR

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MLB News: Indians’ Chris Perez decided to not pitch in WBC

March 4, 2013 by 10 Comments

While the Cleveland Indians started a rumor and conspiracy firestorm on Friday with their handling of All-Star closer Chris Perez’ injury, it turns out that the pitcher was the one who decided on skipping the impending World Baseball Classic — it was not a team-directed mandate.

Per The Plain Dealer’s Bud Shaw, Perez, suffering from pain in his throwing shoulder, told manager Terry Francona that he should not go forward with pitching in the global display.

“I said, ‘What do you want to do?’” Francona state. “He said, ‘I don’t think I should pitch in the World Baseball Classic.’ I said, ‘OK, that sounds fair enough.’ I was ready for him to say, ‘Hey let’s give it a couple days.’ But he said, ‘I probably shouldn’t do that. I like what we’re doing here. I want to be a part of this.’ I was happy to hear that.”

When leaving the facility on Friday, Perez seemed visibly upset, but this appears to be out of frustration rather than petulance. Perez, in turn, will be shut down for at least the next week, and could miss up to a month of action. While a different injury, this is similar to the injury sustained by Perez last spring which kept him out until the final days of March. Perez made three spring training appearances, blew a save on Opening Day, then went on to convert 24 consecutive save opportunities.

“It’s gotten better every day I’ve come in, so that’s a good sign,” Perez said this weekend. “Noticeably better, too. I was more concerned last year with my oblique strain. If this were the regular season I’d manage it myself and keep playing. But there’s no reason to rush it.”

[Related: An early look at Cleveland Indians prospect rankings]

 

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Indians Closer Chris Perez Will Miss WBC With Strained Shoulder

March 1, 2013 by 16 Comments

About an hour ago the Indians scratched closer Chris Perez from his scheduled appearance today. Then Tribe beat reporters were tweeting in a frenzy that an announcement would be made by the club, but that manager Terry Francona was mum about it when talking to them earlier today. What occurred over the next 20 minutes was a mix of rumors and speculation.

According to Indians.com’s Jordan Bastian, the PD’s Paul Hoynes, and WTAM’s Nick Camino, Perez left the Tribe complex in his car and said out his window “I’m not saying anything.”

The Indians then tweeted out the following:

 

 

Missing games for “three to four weeks” would put Perez’s status for opening day up in the air. Perez also was very much looking forward to pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, calling it the biggest honor of his career. The injury won’t allow him to do so.

If Perez does miss time to start the regular season, expect set up man Vinnie Pestano to assume the closer’s role.

UPDATE: Perez just tweeted out the following:

 

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Indians’ Chris Perez scratched for undisclosed reasons

March 1, 2013 by 5 Comments

Cleveland Indians All-Star closer Chris Perez was scratched from his Friday appearance for undisclosed reasons.

Indians manager Terry Francona would only say that he will have more information about Perez this Saturday. Perez is currently slated to pitch for Team USA (along with fellow bullpen stud Vinnie Pestano) in the World Baseball Classic, but this would obviously be questionable if an injury was sustained.

In a rather ominous fashion, the Indians — per The Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes — stated that they are “working through some things with [Perez].” Hoynes added that it does not sound like a trade is brewing.

The 27-year old has notched 75 saves over the course of the last two seasons, and is coming off of a 2012 season that married off-field controversy with high on-field production, striking out 59 and walking just 16 in 57.2 innings pitched.

[Related: Pestano and Perez to the WBC gives others their shot]

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Cleveland Sports Life Boat – Indians Closers

February 20, 2013 by 42 Comments

Closer Life Boat

I am a huge fan of the Ron and Fez show on Sirius XM Satellite radio. They do a bit on the radio called life boat, and I’m borrowing it for Cleveland sports. Here’s how it works. There are four people and only three seats remaining on the life boat. You must work your way through the list of candidates and, unfortunately, someone is designated to try their hand at long-distance swimming.

A couple rules.

1. You MUST pick three people to ride in the boat. “Let them all drown!” isn’t an interesting answer and frankly, you’re not funny. It’s been done, so skip it.

2. Don’t use an overly silly premise for your answer. Life boat is a silly enough premise where you aren’t going to “wow” anyone with your take that you should “keep the fatter guy because at least when we turn to cannibalism, we’ll have someone tasty to eat!”

So, the second Cleveland sports life boat is Indians closers. The candidates are:

Jose Mesa, Mike Jackson, Bob Wickman, and Chris Perez [Read more...]

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