May 20, 2013

Tribe Weekend Wrapup: ActaBall Reigns Supreme

May 7, 2012 by 72 Comments

Can you climb on board the bandwagon now? There is plenty of room to join us. Still time too! After a weekend in which your first place Cleveland Indians took two of three from the best team in baseball, the Texas Rangers (and really, they were a sac fly away from a sweep), how can you not be impressed by what you are seeing? How could you not want to come out and support this team?

They spent the weekend pitching their behinds off and showing that power stroke that had been missing but seemed to re-appear this week. Manny Acta’s club is starting to come together. I know, we saw this last summer with the 30-15 start, but doesn’t this feel much better than the Eric Wedge Aprils and Mays? I will take this all day, even with an offense that still leaves a lot to be desired.

We saw great starts, a budding star player continue to crush opposing pitching, a big time hit in a home debut, and disappointing attendance figures. All of it added up to a successful weekend at Progressive Field. Let us take a look back as we do every Monday morning at this time. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Rangers 5, Indians 2 (11 innings)

May 5, 2012 by 2 Comments

Derek Lowe pitched another strong game but the Tribe couldn’t get anything going against Texas right hander Derek Holland. Astrubal Cabrera collected four hits, including a RBI double but the Indians had just eight as a team. Adrian Beltre’s pinch-hit homer off of Joe Smith (in his second inning of work) was the difference.

 

Final 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Texas 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 12 0
 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 8 0
WP: A. Ogando (1-0) S: J. Nathan (7)
LP: J. Smith (1-1)
Scoring Summary
Top 2nd: Texas
- I. Kinsler singled, M. Napoli scored
Top 4th: Texas
- M. Moreland doubled to right, N. Cruz scored, M. Napoli to third
Bot 8th: Cleveland
- A. Cabrera doubled to right, M. Brantley scored, J. Kipnis to third
- J. Kipnis scored, A. Cabrera to third on passed ball
Top 11th: Texas
- A. Beltre homered to deep center, N. Cruz and M. Moreland scored
Texas
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
I. Kinsler 2b 6 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 .286
E. Andrus ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 .298
J. Hamilton cf-lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 .383
M. Young 1b 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .318
D. Murphy lf 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 .282
    C. Gentry ph-cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .270
N. Cruz rf 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 .224
M. Napoli c 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .241
M. Moreland dh 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 .277
A. Gonzalez 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .259
    A. Beltre ph 1 1 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 .321
    B. Snyder 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .357
 Totals 41 5 12 5 1 5 4 0 17
 Batting
2B - M Moreland (4, D Lowe).
HR - A Beltre (5, 11th inning off J Smith 2 on, 2 Out).
RBI - I Kinsler (17), M Moreland (7), A Beltre 3 (16).
2-out RBI - I Kinsler, A Beltre 3.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - I Kinsler 1, D Murphy 1, N Cruz 2.
GIDP - M Young.
Team LOB - 8.
 Base Running
CS - I Kinsler (4, 2nd base by N Hagadone/L Marson).
 Fielding
PB - M Napoli.
DP - 2 (E Andrus-M Young, M Young-E Andrus).
Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .247
J. Kipnis 2b 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .296
A. Cabrera ss 5 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 .333
C. Santana 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 3 .247
T. Hafner dh 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 .263
S. Choo rf 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .211
S. Duncan lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .222
    J. Damon ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .154
J. Hannahan 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .293
L. Marson c 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 .062
 Totals 39 2 8 1 0 3 11 0 13
 Batting
2B - M Brantley (7, D Holland); A Cabrera (8, M Adams).
RBI - A Cabrera (9).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Kipnis 1, T Hafner 2, S Choo 1.
GIDP - J Hannahan, L Marson.
Team LOB - 7.
 Fielding
Outfield assists - S Choo.
DP - 4 (A Cabrera-C Santana, A Cabrera-C Santana, S Choo-N Hagadone-C Santana-A Cabrera, S Choo-C Santana).
Texas
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Holland 7.1 5 2 1 3 6 0 1.23 4.43
M. Adams (BS, 1) 0.2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.94 2.31
A. Ogando (W, 1-0) 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.41 0.61
J. Nathan (S, 7) 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.03 3.09
Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Lowe 6.0 9 2 2 2 1 0 1.49 2.39
N. Hagadone 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.55 1.23
V. Pestano 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.95 2.13
J. Smith (L, 1-1) 2.0 1 3 3 3 0 1 1.30 3.07
IBB - M Moreland (by J Smith).
Pitches-strikes - D Holland 106-66; M Adams 10-6; A Ogando 28-19; J Nathan 17-12; D Lowe 104-58; N Hagadone 18-13; V Pestano 17-14; J Smith 32-16.
Ground balls-fly balls - D Holland 14-3; M Adams 2-0; A Ogando 2-2; J Nathan 1-1; D Lowe 20-2; N Hagadone 2-1; V Pestano 1-1; J Smith 3-3.
Batters faced - D Holland 29; M Adams 3; A Ogando 6; J Nathan 4; D Lowe 27; N Hagadone 6; V Pestano 4; J Smith 9.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–CB Bucknor. 1B–Angel Campos. 2B–Dan Iassogna. 3B–Dale Scott.
Weather: 58 degrees, clear.
Wind: 16 mph, in from right.

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Tribe Weekend Wrapup: Progressive Field Magic, Starting Pitching, and The Sun

April 30, 2012 by 6 Comments

It was another odd weekend of baseball down at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. In case you hadn’t heard (and judging by the attendance, you haven’t – ha ha) the Indians offense has just a tad bit of trouble scoring these days. This weekend was no exception. It certainly didn’t help matters when the Los Angeles Angels sent Jeff Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana out to the mound.

It is no secret how the Indians win games; good pitching and timely hitting. Well, the first part of that equation showed up and the Indians used a little help from the elements in taking two of three from the reeling Angels. This was a good time to catch them. They have a loaded rotation and a great lineup, but they happen to be struggling mightily. When they return again in July, I can guarantee they will be a much improved club.

So how exactly did the Indians take this series? What all went right? What are we going to do about this stagnant offense? As we do every Monday morning during the season, let us take a look back at the weekend that was in Wahooland. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 4, Angels 0

April 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

Right on cue, Derek Lowe shut down the Angels to give the first-place Indians (11-9) a 4-0 victory over the visiting LA Angels (7-15).

Lowe (4-1) was dominant through 7 2/3 innings, exiting the game in the top of the eighth with runners on first and third — the most damage the Angels did all game. Vinnie Pestano then allowed a walk before getting a strikeout to end the inning, and the Tribe tacked on the final two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to provide for the final score. Chris Perez came in the ninth to close out the game and secure the series victory, although he didn’t earn a save.

Torii Hunter, who homered in each of the first two series games, had a bonehead sun-induced error in the fifth that allowed the first two Cleveland runs to score. Carlos Santana finished 3-for-4 with a double and Michael Brantley continued his recent hot streak with a 2-for-3 performance.

 LA Angels
  AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Trout cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .000  
H. Kendrick 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 .250  
    B. Wilson c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200  
A. Pujols 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .216  
K. Morales dh 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .281  
T. Hunter rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .284  
M. Trumbo 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304  
V. Wells lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .221  
M. Izturis ss-2b 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 .278  
C. Iannetta c 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .235  
    P. Bourjos pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167  
    E. Aybar ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .218  
 Totals 29 0 3 0 0 3 4 1 7  
 
 Batting
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Trout 1, H Kendrick 2.
 
Team LOB - 5.
 
 Base Running
SB - M Izturis (5, 3rd base off D Lowe/C Santana).
 Fielding
E - T Hunter (1, field); K Jepsen (1, throw).
 
Outfield assists - T Hunter.
 
DP - 2 (E Santana-M Izturis-A Pujols, T Hunter-M Izturis-E Aybar).
 
 Cleveland
  AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 3 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 .250  
J. Kipnis 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 .256  
A. Cabrera ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 .286  
T. Hafner dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .295  
    J. Donald pr-dh 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206  
C. Santana c 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .262  
J. Hannahan 3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .290  
S. Duncan lf 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 .230  
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .149  
A. Cunningham rf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .243  
 Totals 31 4 9 1 0 2 3 0 16  
 
 Batting
2B - C Santana (3, E Santana).
 
S - J Hannahan.
 
SF - S Duncan.
 
RBI - S Duncan (8).
 
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Cabrera 1, T Hafner 2, S Duncan 1.
 
GIDP - A Cabrera.
 
Team LOB - 7.
 
 Fielding
E - C Santana (1, throw).
 
DP - 1 (C Kotchman).
 
 LA Angels
  IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
E. Santana (L, 0-5) 7.0 7 2 0 2 3 0 1.47 5.58  
K. Jepsen 1.0 2 2 1 0 0 0 1.57 10.29  
 
 Cleveland
  IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Lowe (W, 4-1) 7.2 3 0 0 2 1 0 1.42 2.27  
V. Pestano 0.1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.03 2.79  
C. Perez 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.33 4.00

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Indians’ Derek Lowe Surprises with Hot April Start

April 29, 2012 by 3 Comments

Entering today’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Cleveland Indians remain in first place in the AL Central with a 10-9 record. That’s quite an odd feat alone, but then one must discern which individual has been the most impressive thus far for the Tribe. After looking around a little bit, I’ve got a top four candidate, and it’s someone no one expected to be in this position.

Derek Lowe, a 38-year-old starter, made his way to Cleveland in a small late October 2011 trade with the Atlanta Braves. After notably collapsing down the stretch last year while the Braves faltered to miss the playoffs, Lowe was pretty much given away to Cleveland. Atlanta ate up $10 million of his $15 million salary, and hardly got anything in return (just Single-A LHP Chris Jones). [Read more...]

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Indians 4 Royals 3: Tribe Keeps Royals Sinking, Move Into First

April 25, 2012 by 34 Comments

As a baseball fans, you know there are those games in which your team should win but end up losing. Then there are the games that your team has no business winning, yet does anyways. Last night in front of a sparse crowd at Progressive Field, your Cleveland Indians pulled off the latter. How else can you explain the 4-3 victory in which the Tribe loaded the bases with nobody out TWICE and failed to score? Or tell me how they won while leaving a whopping 13 men on base while going 2-12 with runners in scoring position? That’s not easy to do. But this is Actaball, where the strange usually outweighs the normal.

It also helps when you are playing the Kansas City Royals, losers of 12 straight.

This one was a matchup of veteran right-hander Derek Lowe and lefty villain Jonathan Sanchez, the man who ignited the benches clearing controversy 10 days ago. The first batter Sanchez faced, Jason Kipnis, was hit in the hand with a curveball. Nobody thought the pitch was intentional. It would become obvious within an inning. Sanchez was all over the place, nibbling at the corners all night and putting runners on base like that was his job. He lasted just four and two-thirds innings and walked seven. He would exit after throwing 115 pitches, just 56 of which were strikes. [Read more...]

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Report: Derek Lowe’s World Series ring and trophy stolen

April 23, 2012 by 6 Comments

Cleveland Indians pitcher Derek Lowe was a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won a World Series. Asking him to show you the ring might be a touchy subject today-

“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of a 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series ring and a gold World Series trophy from Major League Baseball pitcher Derek Lowe’s Fort Myers residence. A housekeeper told investigators on Friday someone had broken into the residence on Terabella Way and stole the ring, trophy, necklaces, and women’s shoes and purses. The total value of the items taken was about $90,000.”

[Related: Wahoos Close Nine Game Trip Winning Two of Three in Oakland]

(Source: The News-Press online)

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Mariners 4, Indians 1: Lowe Wild, Offense Sinks Back to Earth

April 19, 2012 by 12 Comments

When the Indians took the field in search of their fifth straight win to take on the Seattle Mariners, things immediately looked different. First and foremost, The Grinder Eric Wedge sent lefty Jason Vargas out to the hill and as we know, left-handed starters, no matter how good they are, have been known to give the Wahoos problems. Acta countered by using as right-handed heavy a lineup as he could. Without Asdrubal Cabrera available and with Michael Brantley given the night off, you had a top two of Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis. Also getting the start were Jose Lopez and Aaron Cunningham. Hey, why not give it a shot. Its early, everyone could use the at-bats, and over the last four games, no matter who Acta put in the Tribe nine, they were delivering the goods. [Read more...]

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Indians’ starting staff lead the majors in ‘pace’

April 17, 2012 by 9 Comments

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Indians starting rotation is the quickest working group in MLB-

“The Indians have two of the fastest-working pitchers in baseball, with Derek Lowe (17.1 seconds between pitches) and Justin Masterson (17.2) rating behind only Phillies ace Roy Halladay in pace between pitches. In fact, the slowest member of the Indians rotation—Josh Tomlin (19.2)—is still two seconds faster than the league-average starting pitcher so far in 2012.”

Obviously it is still early, but pitchers tend to have the same pace, or relatively close all season. Lowe and Masterson have always been quick workers. Gomez only had a couple of innings to demonstrate his pace before an early exit sticking up for Choo the other day.

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Tribe Weekend Wrapup: The Offense is Alive

April 16, 2012 by 31 Comments

At this time Thursday, Indians fans all over Cleveland were very concerned about the state of the offense. It was clear that the Tribe front office was feeling the same way as they went out and signed 38-year old Johnny Damon. We were all thinking doom and gloom. Yet here we are on Monday morning, feeling completely different and much better about our Wahoos.

Baseball is an amazing game. A team that couldn’t catch a break or come up with the big hit to save their lives over the first five games, suddenly caught fire and turned into a run-scoring juggernaut. The three-game sweep in Kansas City started with a seven-run first inning on Friday and ended with the Tribe hitting back to back eighth inning homers Sunday. Maybe all they needed was the threat of the Damon signing to wake up. Whatever it did, it worked. The Indians are back to .500 at 4-4 and the vibes in Wahooland are positive. [Read more...]

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Indians Weekend Wrap Up: Things Are Better Than They Seem

April 9, 2012 by 58 Comments

Step away from that ledge Tribe fans, its only one weekend. The first three games of the season in fact. Things aren’t always as good or as bad as they seem this early. Heck, the Tampa Bay Rays started 0-6 last season, as did the Boston Red Sox. Both finished with 90-plus wins. This weekend, the New York Yankees and the Red Sox were both swept. Of course, the sky is falling there, especially in Boston where the Bobby Valentine era has gotten off to an inauspicious start to say the least. Remember, the Tribe lost their first two to the White Sox last year and then went on a 31-13 run.

The Indians lost two of three to the Toronto Blue Jays, but in reality, they could have and probably should have swept the series. There were plenty of things to discuss after the home opening debacle 16 inning loss, Saturday’s 7-4 extra inning heartbreaker, and yesterday’s 4-3 win. There was GREAT starting pitching, a surprise power display with the struggling bats, and a closer quandary solved in one day.

[Read more...]

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Game 3: Derek Lowe’s Debut

April 8, 2012 by 10 Comments

If the Tribe wants to avoid getting swept by the Blue Jays in this opening weekend series, they’re going to need a strong performance from the 38-year old Derek Lowe.

*gulp*

So their two games thus far, the Indians have gotten great starts out of Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, only to watch the bullpen squander the anemic leads the offense managed to procure.

The Tribe faces 25 year old RHP Joel Carreno. He’s fairly untested (just 15 major league innings) so this could be an opportunity for the Indians to get their offense going. What I would give to see the bats wake up and but up some crooked numbers without having to rely on a home run.

Happy Easter everyone. And if you don’t celebrate Easter, well, have a happy Sunday.

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Indians Report: David Huff and Derek Lowe both leave game with injuries

March 29, 2012 by 5 Comments

Derek Lowe left after 3 innings pitched today with back spasms. Manny Acta said that the injury isn’t believed to be serious, and that Lowe should still make his next scheduled appearance.

The news on David Huff isn’t as good.

Huff left after facing just one hitter, after straining his hamstring fielding the ball. The injury likely takes him out of contention for being the 5th starter out of camp. Not that the Indians will need that 5 starter for a couple weeks after camp breaks anyway.

In other injury news, Chris Perez made his return to the mound today, setting down 3 hitters in 5 pitches.

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Significant Nothings: Thoughts on The Indians & Spring Training

March 5, 2012 by 15 Comments

As I continue to battle my annual case of Spring Training writer’s block,* I thought I’d just ramble a bit about some of the Tribe issues on my mind.

Left Field – I keep wondering: how was this team so ill-equipped to handle the inevitability of an injured Grady Sizemore? Had no one in the front office considered the possibility that Grady would miss part of this season? We’re currently left with no palatable options to fill our third outfield spot. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, I guess—we do have some upside offensive capability at positions that most teams employ glove-only specialists (catcher, second base, short stop). But I can’t help but think that the two easiest positions to find a bat—left field and first base—have been black holes for the team for as long as I can remember. When you pine for the days of Ryan Garko and Javid Delichaels, something is amiss. [Read more...]

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MLB Trade Rumors: Would You Trade Travis Hafner for A.J. Burnett?

February 13, 2012 by 41 Comments

I love Hot Stove talk. Pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks and it appears as if the Indians are still looking to improve their roster. With Asdrubal Cabrera signing his one-year deal on Friday avoiding arbitration, the Tribe has everyone under contract for the 2012 season….and that’s it.

It’s now the worst kept secret in town, but the Tribe literally has nobody signed past 2012. Of course, they control the rights to many of their young players as well as club option years for the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Travis Hafner, and the man formerly known as Fausto Carmona. Many people are viewing this is a bad thing. I say, good for them. Remember all of these years where we have been saddled with the noose that is the Hafner contract, the deal that is considered among the most untradeable on the game.

That contract is finally going to be off the books after 2012 with the Indians surely buying out the remaining option year. But is it as untradeable as we all think? Yes, of course it is. However, GM Chris Antonetti could shed Hafner for the equivalent of the pitching version of his deal – Yankees starter A.J. Burnett. [Read more...]

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Tribe Offseason Review and What Happens After 2013?

February 8, 2012 by 24 Comments

We are so close to pitchers and catchers reporting to Arizona, that baseball starved fans like me can taste it. Football season officially ended Sunday with the New York Giants holding the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in four years. While I am a hardcore college basketball junkie (which in this town is like being a leper), I always have one eye looking towards my first love, the Cleveland Indians.

The upcoming season has a ton of intrigue. The winter leading up to this campaign had so many ups and downs. Everyone looked at the offseason as a time where the Indians would do everything they could to get that middle of the order, right-handed power bat to place between a healthy Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana.  GM Chris Antonetti wasted no time improving his roster. Just after the World Series, he acquired veteran pitcher Derek Lowe from Atlanta presumably as the fifth starter. The thought was that he would stabilize that final spot, throw his usual 200-plus innings, and offer some veteran presence to the clubhouse of this young team. Little did we know how valuable adding Lowe would be. [Read more...]

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On Tribe Fans’ Winter of Discontent (And Why It’s Not So Bad)

December 21, 2011 by 29 Comments

The Indians off-season has been fairly compelling so far.  I say that knowing full-well that there is some anger out there in the Tribeville regarding the front office’s decisions to date.  For reasons I’ve discussed before, re-signing Grady for one year seems to me to be an efficient use of $5 million.  Derek Lowe comes almost free.  The additions of Aaron Cunningham, Jose Lopez, and Felix Pie are not game-changers, but they certainly don’t make the team appreciably worse.

As the child of billionaire once said, “What’s not to like [about being the child of a billionaire and signing players to minor league contracts and gambling on low-risk, high-reward reclamation projects]?”

On top of that, we’re going to get a full year of Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis and Ubaldo Jimenez in 2012—three players who figure to be improvements over the likes of their predecessors.  It would be nearly impossible for Shin-Soo Choo to play worse than he did last season.  Carlos Santana is only going to get better.  In a weak division, the team looks poised to contend.  And for someone who writes about this team, that’s something I haven’t been able to say for several years.  This feels good.

So why all the angst out there?  Well, I’m pretty sure I know where it comes from.  For one, we have a gaping-sized hole at first base.  For another, left field doesn’t look so hot either.*  For (c), ownership told us that when the team was ready to contend, they’d spend to add talent, and this off-season doesn’t feel like the sort of spending we were promised. [Read more...]

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On Groundballs, and Those Who Hope to Field Them

November 3, 2011 by 9 Comments

After the Indians traded for Derek Lowe, Aaron Gleeman from Hardball Talk tweeted the following:

Which is sort of amazing if you think about it.  Here are the details on the probable five Indians starters going into the 2012 season: [Read more...]

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Antonetti: Tough Decisions Being Made, Goals Being Reached

October 31, 2011 by 19 Comments

Following a weekend that was dominated by football both extremely fortunate and abhorrently banal, the Cleveland Indians took over the headlines following their decision to part ways (at least in the meantime) with longtime outfielder Grady Sizemore while bolstering their rotation via the likes of Fausto Carmona’s club option and trading for veteran right-hander Derek Lowe.

Addressing the team’s latest bout of moves, Indians’ general manager Chris Antonetti repeatedly stated that the team felt that all of the decisions recently made were based on goals set forth to build the best 2012 roster possible despite the tough decisions that needed to be made.

“We have to make some very difficult decisions as we look to build the best baseball team possible for next year,” said Antonetti regarding the declined club option of Grady Sizemore. ”As we looked at the way we allocate our resources, we thought that we are best served at this point declining Grady’s option, as difficult as that decision is for us.” [Read more...]

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Breaking News: Derek Lowe To the Indians

October 31, 2011 by 28 Comments

According to John Krieger of CBSSports.com, the Indians have acquired starting pitcher Derek Lowe from the Atlanta Braves. SI.com’s Jon Heyman has also reported on the deal.

ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that the Braves will absorb $10 million of the $15 million left on Lowe’s deal, which expires after the 2012 season. Olney’s follow up tweet has the Indians sending a “Class A left-hander” to the Braves. (edit: Its now reported that lefty will be Chris Jones)

The thing about Lowe that you can love – he is an innings eater. In each of the past 10 seasons, he has made at least 32 starts. He is extremely durable and is a perfect guy to fill out the back end of the Indians rotation, which will now have Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Tomlin, Fausto Carmona, and Lowe.  [Read more...]

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