May 24, 2013

Shin-Soo Choo to Indians: “I will always be thankful”

February 23, 2013 by 6 Comments

It’s easy to dismiss some of the meaningful stories that can occur with success in baseball. For Indians fans in February 2013, filled with optimism after the signing of two high-profile free agent outfielders, that means the amazing ascent to relevance by former fan-favorite Shin-Soo Choo.

In a fairly emotional article by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that just posted early this morning, Choo made public a letter that he sent over to Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti this offseason shortly after the trade that landed him in Cincinnati and Trevor Bauer (among others) in Cleveland.

Choo’s letter said: “I want you to know that my family and I will always be thankful for this opportunity and want you to know how much I will remember the chance I was given in Cleveland … Because I firmly believe that without this opportunity, there is no Shin-Soo Choo and I would not be remembered.”

Rosenthal’s article also shared Choo’s initial reaction (shock) when he heard he’d be playing center field for the Reds. Among the other quotes related to Antonetti and the Indians, this also was very touching: “You have a lot of young and talented players … but most importantly … players that will listen and follow your leadership … As a result, I know you will get great performances and results in the near future.”

Of course, going to the way-back time machine as you might recall, Choo was one of several Mariners prospects the Indians somehow poached in the mid-’00s. Acquired along with Shawn Nottingham for Ben Broussard and cash in July 2006, he appeared in only 14 MLB games with the Mariners.

With more steady playing time in Cleveland, the now-30-year-old South Korean then blossomed into one of the better outfielders in the American League, as highlighted by back-to-back 5+ WAR seasons in 2009-10. He is likely to reel in a huge payday this coming offseason after his potential one-year rental stint with the Reds.

[Related: Cleveland Indians makeover is fun, but will it work?]

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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...]

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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...]

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MLB Trade Rumors: Indians and Reds nearing deal for Choo

December 11, 2012 by 25 Comments

The Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds are reportedly in advanced talks in a deal that would send Gold Glove-nominated outfielder Shin-Soo Choo down Interstate 71.

CBS Sports’ Danny Knobler reports that the Indians would receive center fielder Drew Stubbs and shortstop Didi Gregorius in return. The Reds are expected to receive another player in addition to Choo. Choo would play center field for the Reds while batting lead-off. Gregorious would provide even more depth at the shortstop position as the Tribe continues to work the phones in hopes of trading All-Star Asdrubal Cabrera.

Choo had a .373 on-base percentage and an .815 OPS last year for the Indians. As Knobler points out, he led off 98 times, and had a .389 on-base percentage in those games.

The 2012 season was rough for Stubbs as the 28-year-old hit .213 with an OPS of .610. He did manage to steal 30 bases, giving him three consecutive seasons of such a feat. In 604 at-bats in 2011, Stubbs nabbed 40 bases, scoring 92 runs. He has seen a considerable year-over-year regression since his 2010 season of 22 home runs, 77 runs batted in and 91 runs scored (.773 OPS).

Stubbs would likely play center field with the Indians sliding Michael Brantley to left. Given his speed, he would undoubtedly be in contention to be the team’s lead-off hitter.

[Related: Tribe Adds Reynolds, But Can’t Stop Here]

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Shin-Soo Choo Trade Rumors Heating Up

July 29, 2012 by 52 Comments

After getting swept by Minnesota this weekend, it is pretty reasonable to assume the Indians won’t be buyers at the trade deadline. The rumors are also heavy that they could be sellers with Shin-Soo Choo at the top of the list.

Suitors include the aforementioned Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s all so sad for Indians fans. Instead of being contenders themselves, the Indians can potentially make small market dreams come true for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This comes only a few years since the Indians helped fuel a playoff run for the equally small-market Milwaukee Brewers with the C.C. Sabathia trade.

Maybe some day the Indians’ small market dreams will come true. It doesn’t appear to be happening this year, though.

[Related: Defining Sports Failure]

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MLB News: Indians Trade 1B Beau Mills to Cincinnati

June 22, 2012 by 25 Comments

The Beau Mills era in Cleveland has officially come to an end as the Indians have traded the long-time minor league first baseman to the Cincinnati Reds for cash.

Mills, the 13th-overall selection in 2007, had long been the poster boy for underachieving draft picks of the naughts, selected one pick ahead of Atlanta’s Jason Heyward who was an All-Star during his first year in the league.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound Mills had a promising start, clubbing 21 home runs and driving in 90 for the Kinston Indians at age-21, but failed to gain any traction though the other, more-elevated clubs, seeing his OPS drop year-over-year with the Akron Aeros and presently hitting .197 (with 34 strikeouts compared to 25 hits) as a 25-year-old in Columbus. Following the trade, Mills was immediately assigned to the Reds Double-A franchise in Pensacola.

In a recent address, Indians manager Manny Acta exclaimed his disappointement with the bats at the higher levels of his team’s system, but reiterated that the hitting at the lower levels is improving by the day.

[Related: Expanding the MLB Playoffs and Unintended Consequences]

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Tribe Sweeps Reds In A Masterpiece

June 21, 2012 by 10 Comments

For the first two months of the season, the Cleveland Indians were a first place club despite several underachieving parts. Nowhere was that more evident than the front end of the starting rotation. Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, slated to be the 1-2 punch that would allow the Indians to compete, were in no way meeting expectations. The Tribe relied on hot starts from Derek Lowe and Jeanmar Gomez to carry them, but as both of them have regressed back to the mean, it was time for Masterson and Jimenez to step up. In his last three starts, Justin Masterson has been nearly unhittable. He continued that last night as Justin stifled the Reds and led the Tribe to a 8-1 victory to complete the sweep of Cincinnati.

Masterson was able to keep the Reds lineup, an absolute dynamo in Cincinnati and the first game of this series, whisper quiet. His sinker and slider were both on, with Acta pointing to the sinker as his best on this evening, “He pounded the strike zone with that heavy sinker 1 , and then he was able to throw the ball by guys with the four-seam [fastball] at 95 miles per hour and mix in a few good sliders. He was under control the whole time.” Masterson scoffed when asked what’s working for him right now. He said he was able to throw strikes early and locate. He makes it sound so simple, and right now for Justin, it is. Masterson went the distance in this one, allowing just one unearned run due to an Asdrubal Cabrera error, which ended his 18 inning scoreless streak. However, Masterson allowed just three hits and one hit batter while striking out nine and walking none, needing just 110 pitches in the effort. With just six walks in his last five appearances and six of his last seven starts being quality, Masterson has been in total control. On a night where the bullpen needed it, they took the night off. [Read more...]

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  1. That sinker helped induce 13 groundball outs [back]

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Box Score: Indians 8, Reds 1

June 20, 2012 by 16 Comments

Justin Masterson couldn’t possibly be more dialed in right now. The Tribe right-hander has assumed his rightful role as the ace of the staff, throwing his third straight gem as he led the Indians to a 8-1 victory to complete the sweep of the Cincinnati Reds at Progressive Field and split the six games of the Ohio Cup. Masterson went the distance, scattering three hits and one unearned run in the eighth inning while striking out nine. The Indians put a five spot on the board in the fourth with home runs by Johnny Damon and Asdrubal Cabrera. Lonnie Chisenhall added a three-run double for good measure in the bottom of the seventh to put the game out of reach. The Tribe is now 36-32 and currently sits in first place, one game ahead of the Chicago White Sox, pending the outcome of their game tonight. The Tribe is off tomorrow before opening a three-game series in Houston on Friday night. Ubaldo Jimenez will face Lucas Harrell.

Scoring Summary
Bot 4th: Cleveland
- J. Damon homered to deep right, C. Kotchman scored
- A. Cabrera homered to deep right center, L. Chisenhall and S. Choo scored
Bot 7th: Cleveland
- L. Chisenhall doubled to shallow right, C. Santana, C. Kotchman and J. Damon scored
Top 8th: Cincinnati
- W. Harris grounded out to second, J. Bruce scored, T. Frazier to third
 Cincinnati
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
Z. Cozart ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .262
C. Heisey cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 .265
J. Votto 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .367
B. Phillips 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .288
J. Bruce rf 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .251
S. Rolen 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .175
T. Frazier lf 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .265
W. Harris dh 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .114
R. Hanigan c 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .288
 Totals 29 1 3 1 0 0 9 0 4
 Batting
2B - T Frazier (11, J Masterson).
RBI - W Harris (2).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Hanigan 1.
GIDP - J Votto.
Team LOB - 2.
 Base Running
CS - C Heisey (3, 2nd base by J Masterson/L Marson).
 Fielding
E - J Votto (3, throw).
DP - 1 (B Phillips-Z Cozart-J Votto).
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 4 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 .276
A. Cabrera ss 4 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 2 .300
M. Brantley cf 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .282
C. Santana dh 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 .232
J. Lopez 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .238
C. Kotchman 1b 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .228
J. Damon lf 2 2 2 2 1 2 0 0 0 .203
    A. Cunningham lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .194
L. Chisenhall 3b 3 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 2 .271
L. Marson c 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 .242
 Totals 35 8 11 8 2 6 6 0 17
 Batting
2B - S Choo 2 (22, B Arroyo 2); J Lopez (8, A Simon); L Chisenhall (2, A Simon).
HR - A Cabrera (8, 4th inning off B Arroyo 2 on, 2 Out), J Damon (3, 4th inning off B Arroyo 1 on, 1 Out).
RBI - A Cabrera 3 (31), J Damon 2 (13), L Chisenhall 3 (9).
2-out RBI - A Cabrera 3, L Chisenhall 3.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Choo 1, C Santana 1, L Chisenhall 1, L Marson 1.
GIDP - C Santana.
Team LOB - 9.
 Fielding
E - A Cabrera (7, field).
DP - 1 (J Lopez-A Cabrera-C Kotchman).
 Cincinnati
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
B. Arroyo (L, 3-5) 4.0 8 5 5 2 2 2 1.31 4.19
A. Simon 2.2 3 3 0 2 2 0 1.39 1.98
J.J. Hoover 0.1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.06 3.00
L. Ondrusek 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.31 3.04
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Masterson (W, 4-6) 9.0 3 1 0 0 9 0 1.30 3.98
HBP - C Heisey (by J Masterson).
Pitches-strikes - B Arroyo 90-57; A Simon 42-26; J Hoover 10-4; L Ondrusek 16-10; J Masterson 110-76.
Ground balls-fly balls - B Arroyo 6-6; A Simon 4-4; J Hoover 0-0; L Ondrusek 1-0; J Masterson 15-3.
Batters faced - B Arroyo 21; A Simon 14; J Hoover 2; L Ondrusek 4; J Masterson 30.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Ron Kulpa. 1B–D.J. Reyburn. 2B–Jim Wolf. 3B–Derryl Cousins.
Weather: 107 degrees, clear.
Wind: 10 mph, out to center.

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Contest Time: Celebrate the Battle for the Ohio Cup!

June 20, 2012 by 55 Comments

With the Cleveland Indians officially staying ahead of the Cincinnati Reds in terms of all-time head-to-head record, we thought it would be a good time to celebrate the ongoing battle for the Ohio Cup by having a bit of a contest.

Hey, at least it’s not “The Barge.”

Today’s giveaway is brought to you by the kind folks at Team CLE Tees. This specific contest will reward one of you with the t-shirt pictured to the right, but they also have plenty of team-specific threads for the having over at their website TeamCLETees.com.

Like what you see there? Then follow them on Twitter and/or become a Fan of their swag on Facebook.

In order to walk away with today’s prize, answer the following question:

[Read more...]

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Indians 3 Reds 2: Asdrubal Blasts Tribe Into First Place

June 20, 2012 by 12 Comments

He owed us after Sunday’s three-error debacle. He knew it, we all knew it. And with one mighty swing of the bat, Asdrubal Cabrera got his redemption.

A long night of ill-fated run-scoring opportunities looked like a painful loss as the Indians headed to the bottom of the 10th inning. Tribe starter Josh Tomlin was long gone at this point, despite putting together a solid performance for six and two-thirds innings (one run on six hits).  Gone too were the Tribe’s “Big Three” in the bullpen, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez. All had entered the game and had been replaced. Also missing was the air that had come out of Progressive Field after the Reds scored a run in the top of the 10th thanks to two wild pitches with two outs from left-hander Nick Hagadone (the second of which Carlos Santana has to come up with in that spot. Breaking balls in the dirt happen all the time).

Reds flame-throwing close Aroldis Chapman entered the game with a 1.06 ERA. He had 59 strikeouts in 34 innings and lefties were just 4-41 against him. The odds certainly didn’t seem in the Wahoos favor.  [Read more...]

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Indians 10, Reds 9: Its Bizarro World as Tribe Outslugs The ‘Nati

June 19, 2012 by 8 Comments

I said yesterday that the Indians are going to have to win this division with their pitching and defense. Naturally a night later they come out and tear the cover off the ball. I believe yesterday I also wrote the following sentence “the bottom of the order continues to be a black hole.” The 7-8-9 of the Tribe order then proceeded to drive in seven RBIs while the guys who have been carrying the offense, Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera, didn’t get a hit. This was just another in a long line of reasons of you never know what you are going to get on any given night in baseball.

This one was supposed to be the big rematch between the Indians Derek Lowe and the Reds Mat Latos, less than a week after the Lowe/Baker flap in which Latos got himself involved. Instead, it became a battle of the bats. All-World first baseman Joey Votto got Lowe with a two-out solo shot in the first to put the Reds on top. Shin-Soo Choo led off for the Tribe and answered with a deep solo blast of his own. It was on from there.

The Reds pounded Lowe with a double and three singles to take a 3-1 lead in the second. However, the Tribe countered with some offense of their own. Michael Brantley opened the second with a ground-rule double. Carlos Santana, moved to the six hole to help his slumping bat, singled sharply up the middle moving Brantley to third. He would score on Johnny Damon’s groundout. With two out, Lonnie Chisenhall blasted a two-run shot into the Reds bullpen to put the Tribe on top 4-3. [Read more...]

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Reds’ Latos Accuses Indians of Stealing Signs

June 19, 2012 by 17 Comments

While Cleveland Indians starter Derek Lowe answers every Reds-based question with a roll of the eyes, Mat Latos, the formerly feather-haired hurler for Cincinnati, has taken last week’s drama a bit further by accusing the Indians of stealing signs.

“I was a little up in the zone,” said Latos after giving up a seven runs in four innings and seeing his ERA baloon to 5.20. “I thought I made some good pitches that they spit on with a runner on second. I suppose it was kind of ironic. We changed up the signs, for the last hitter unfortunately. The outcomes changed when we changed up the signs today.”

When asked about the path that he was taking, Latos continued.

“When you go back and look at video, a couple runners on second base, they put better swings on the ball than they did most of the time without a runner on second base.”

Two of the Indians’ three home runs off of Latos on Monday night came with a man on second base. Five of the Indians’ hits against Latos came without a runner on second base, and all of those went for extra bases.

It was Latos who was on the mound during the Indians-Reds series last week when the Reds and manager Dusty Baker were accused of head-hunting Indians starter Derek Lowe.

[Related: The Little Offense That Couldn’t and Its Struggling Pitching Staff]

(h/t WFNY reader Josh N)

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Box Score: Indians 10, Reds 9

June 18, 2012 by 6 Comments

A wild one in Cleveland tonight, but the Indians outlast the Reds. Homers from Choo, Kotchman and Chisenhall in this one. Chisenhall was a double short of the cycle. Perez gave up a ninth inning run, but gets the save.

 

Scoring Summary
Top 1st: Cincinnati
- J. Votto homered to deep right center
Bot 1st: Cleveland
- S. Choo homered to deep right
Top 2nd: Cincinnati
- S. Rolen singled to right center, J. Bruce scored, R. Ludwick to third
- R. Hanigan singled to shallow right, R. Ludwick scored, S. Rolen to third
Bot 2nd: Cleveland
- J. Damon grounded out to second, M. Brantley scored, C. Santana to second
- L. Chisenhall homered to deep right, C. Santana scored
Top 3rd: Cincinnati
- R. Ludwick doubled to left, B. Phillips scored, J. Bruce to third
- S. Rolen singled to shallow right, J. Bruce scored, R. Ludwick to third
Bot 4th: Cleveland
- C. Kotchman homered to deep center, M. Brantley scored
- S. Choo doubled to deep left, L. Chisenhall scored
Top 5th: Cincinnati
- B. Phillips doubled to left, J. Votto scored, B. Phillips scored on left fielder J. Damon’s fielding error
Bot 6th: Cleveland
- C. Kotchman grounded out to second, C. Santana scored, J. Damon to third
- L. Chisenhall singled to shallow center, J. Damon scored
Top 7th: Cincinnati
- J. Bruce homered to deep right
Bot 7th: Cleveland
- M. Brantley hit sacrifice fly to deep center, A. Cabrera scored
Top 9th: Cincinnati
- J. Bruce singled to shortstop, B. Phillips scored

 

Cincinnati
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
Z. Cozart ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 .260
C. Heisey cf 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .266
J. Votto 1b 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 .368
B. Phillips 2b 5 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 .294
J. Bruce rf 4 3 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 .259
R. Ludwick lf 4 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 .224
S. Rolen 3b 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 .188
T. Frazier dh 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 .269
R. Hanigan c 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .294
 Totals 38 9 14 8 2 4 6 0 14
 Batting
2B – J Votto (29, D Lowe); B Phillips (10, D Lowe); R Ludwick 2 (11, D Lowe 2).
HR – J Votto (13, 1st inning off D Lowe 0 on, 2 Out), J Bruce (16, 7th inning off J Smith 0 on, 2 Out).
RBI – J Votto (45), B Phillips (42), J Bruce 2 (46), R Ludwick (31), S Rolen 2 (13), R Hanigan (7).
2-out RBI – J Votto, J Bruce 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – C Heisey 1.
GIDP – C Heisey, T Frazier.
Team LOB – 6.

 

Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 5 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 .265
A. Cabrera ss 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 .299
J. Kipnis 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .280
J. Lopez dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .241
M. Brantley cf 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 .285
C. Santana c 4 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 .232
J. Damon lf 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .190
    A. Cunningham lf 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .197
C. Kotchman 1b 4 1 1 3 1 0 1 0 1 .221
L. Chisenhall 3b 4 2 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 .269
 Totals 35 10 13 10 3 1 6 0 7
 Batting
2B – S Choo (19, M Latos); M Brantley 2 (20, M Latos 2); J Damon (4, S LeCure).
3B – L Chisenhall (1, M Latos).
HR – S Choo (6, 1st inning off M Latos 0 on, 0 Out), C Kotchman (6, 4th inning off M Latos 1 on, 2 Out), L Chisenhall (3, 2nd inning off M Latos 1 on, 2 Out).
SF – M Brantley.
RBI – S Choo 2 (24), M Brantley (32), J Damon (11), C Kotchman 3 (26), L Chisenhall 3 (6).
2-out RBI – S Choo, C Kotchman 2, L Chisenhall 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – S Choo 1, A Cabrera 1.
Team LOB – 3.
 Base Running
CS – L Chisenhall (1, 2nd base by S LeCure/R Hanigan).
 Fielding
E – J Damon (2, field).
DP – 3 (J Kipnis-A Cabrera-C Kotchman, L Chisenhall-J Kipnis-C Kotchman, C Kotchman).

 

 Cincinnati
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
M. Latos 4.0 8 7 7 0 4 3 1.41 5.20
S. LeCure (L, 2-2) 2.0 3 2 2 0 0 0 1.33 3.76
J.J. Hoover 1.0 1 1 1 1 2 0 1.02 3.06
L. Ondrusek 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.32 3.16
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Lowe 5.0 11 7 7 1 2 1 1.58 4.30
J. Smith (W, 5-1) 1.2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1.30 3.38
V. Pestano 1.1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.04 2.00
C. Perez (S, 22) 1.0 2 1 1 0 2 0 1.06 2.73
Pitches-strikes – M Latos 62-41; S LeCure 35-20; J Hoover 19-9; L Ondrusek 15-10; D Lowe 83-54; J Smith 33-17; V Pestano 30-20; C Perez 19-13.
Ground balls-fly balls – M Latos 8-6; S LeCure 5-1; J Hoover 0-1; L Ondrusek 1-1; D Lowe 10-7; J Smith 2-1; V Pestano 1-1; C Perez 2-0.
Batters faced – M Latos 20; S LeCure 8; J Hoover 5; L Ondrusek 4; D Lowe 25; J Smith 7; V Pestano 5; C Perez 5.

 

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While We’re Waiting… A Tale of Two Cities, Matt LaPorta’s Future, Will Barton, Rivalry BBQ

June 15, 2012 by 7 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.

Literature and summer baseball. What could be bad? “To that end, I’ve been reading Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities, to be specific. It’s a gorgeous novel about love, both unrequited and not, about sacrifice and atonement. The plot of the book revolves around the French Revolution of 1848. It is not a baseball novel. Now you may ask what A Tale of Two Cities has to do with the Indians 12-5 loss to Cincinnati. As it turns out, there are a number of surprising parallels.” [Susan Petrone/It's Pronounced "Lajaway"]

[Read more...]

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Reds 5 Indians 3: Where Exactly is Ramon Vazquez These Days?

June 14, 2012 by 12 Comments

Brandon Phillips kills the Indians. Its a bit that comes up every single year and sticks in the craw of Tribe fans to an endless degree. It was April 7th of 2006, more than six years ago, but it is a day that will live in Indians infamy. It was the day they gave up on a talented and uber confident kid second baseman because he was out of options and the manager didn’t like his attitude. Swagger is a better word for it.

Then GM Mark Shapiro and his manager Eric Wedge were in the midst of their “partnership,” which we all know now was horrible mistake on Shapiro’s part. The GM always picks the players, and the manager’s job is to play the hand he is dealt and make it successful. Instead back in 2006, Wedge’s affinity for utility man Ramon Vazquez and his dislike of Brandon Phillips rough exterior won out. Shapiro made the final call and dealt Phillips to the Reds for reliever Jeff Stevens. They gave up on him at age 25.

Vazquez played 34 games for the Indians that season as a backup and 310 games total over the next three years. He is now out of baseball. Phillips has gone on to become a two-time all-star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, and one of the best second baseman in the game. On top of that, the Indians watch him torture them year in and year out in interleague play.

Last night was no different. [Read more...]

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Derek Lowe has no love for Dusty Baker

June 13, 2012 by 2 Comments

Jordan Bastian has the story following the Indians’ loss in Cincinnati. Apparently Derek Lowe had some choice words about Reds manager Dusty Baker-

“Dusty will deny it. It has everything to do with him. You can go ask him. He’ll deny it like he has no idea. They’ve been trying to do this [stuff] for years. I’d always come up with men on base. To say it didn’t come from Dusty, Mat Latos was with the San Diego Padres the last four years. He has no idea what’s going on. Again, you can ask him and he’ll say he doesn’t know [anything] about it like he always does. This goes back to my last year with the Dodgers. He made up some [bogus] story. A lot of people got involved. People almost got fired over it. You can go ask him right now and he’ll say he has no idea what you’re talking about. But just watch the game. Mat Latos has nothing to do with anything that has gone on. How would he know? Why in the [world] would you throw a 96 mph fastball, first pitch, inside to a pitcher? Ask him.”

Wow. There’s a little more. Go read about it on Bastian’s blog.

[Related: Box Score: Indians 3, Reds 5]

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Indians 3, Reds 10

June 26, 2010 by 3 Comments

The Indians opened a weekend series in Cincinnati last night, and came away losing the 9th of their last 10. While managing 9 hits, the Tribe only managed to produce 3 runs which come off of home runs from Carlos Santana (2-run) and Jhonny Peralta.

Pitching-wise, the Aaron Laffy got hit early and often by the Reds. Laffey went 4 innings, giving up 5 runs. Reliever Joe Smith did the team no favors, giving up 4 more runs in 2 innings of work. In a sharp contrast, Cincy starter Aaron Harang went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. [Read more...]

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Phillips Adds Insult to Injury

May 23, 2010 by 4 Comments

The Indians lost their sixth game in row, their longest losing streak of the season, and remain winless on this homestand.  Overall, they are just 6-12 at home and continue the recent trend of being dominated by the Reds in interleague play.  There was another good crowd on hand Saturday night, by Progressive Field standards but by all accounts Reds fans were in the majority.  The Indians will rely on the extremely shaky David Huff this afternoon to avoid their third straight series sweep.

Poor pitching, fielding, and hitting – other than that – the night went well for the Indians.  I think everyone had low expectations for this season but expected improvement as the season progressed.  There are still four months left in the season but the Indians seem to be getting worse as the season moves forward.  Recent injuries have played a part in the regression.  But did the loss of Grady Sizemore dramatically affect the arc of this team’s season?  Trevor Crowe has been raking in his place since being called up last weekend and he contributed again last night.

[Read more...]

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Choo Moves Up, Tribe Falls Down

May 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The Indians’ freefall continued on Friday Night at Progressive Field in the “Ohio Cup.”  Jake Westbrook, who had been dominant is his previous two starts, was unable to last past the 5th inning.  Westbrook gave up four runs, three of which came via the longball.  In the 3rd inning Laynce Nix hit a solo homer to right.  The following frame, DH Jonny Gomes hit a two run homer to left.  The Reds 4th run would cross later in the inning as Laynce Nix scored again on a Ryan Hanigan single.

Westbrook was hit hard in the 5th inning but managed to escape unscathed.  His night, however, was over.  It was an inefficient start for the veteran who had been stellar recently but is still rounding into final form after the long layoff from Tommy John surgery.  Despite his early exit, the damage on the scoreboard was somewhat contained and the Tribe remained within striking distance.

[Read more...]

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12 Days of a Cleveland Christmas: Day 6

December 14, 2009 by 120 Comments

ornament1 copyOur 12 Days of Christmas giveaways reaches the half-way point today. Congratulations are in order to Alexander who won the pair of tickets to see the Browns play the Raiders on the 27th. Alexander’s favorite defensive Brown was Clay Mathews. (Alexander was not alone in that thought however, a strong showing by number 57 in our comments.) Hope you are enjoying the answers as much as we are.

Today we go back to the ticket drawer and specifically back to the diamond. Today’s prize is a pair of tickets to see the Indians take on the Cincinnati Reds, May 22nd. It is a Saturday game, which means there will be a giveaway!

Once again, here’s the skinny… [Read more...]

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