May 19, 2013

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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Tribe Weekend Recap: Streak ends, but series Tribe takes series

May 6, 2013 by 7 Comments

Jason KipnisRemember back just eight short days ago heading into the night-cap of the double-header in Kansas City, the Indians looked completely lost. They were sunk. They couldn’t hit. The couldn’t get any semblance of quality starting pitching outside of Justin Masterson. They were banged up and sitting in the basement of the AL Central. And then, with one big win, the light switch just turned on.

A four-game winning streak (two against Kansas City and two against Philadelphia) had energized the club and had them riding high into the weekend, primed to go over .500 for the first time since the first week of the season. The Indians welcomed the Minnesota Twins to town, who look like a shell of the team that spent close to a decade at or near the top of the division. While Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are still there, there isn’t much else to speak of outside of these two and Josh Willingham. With the way the Tribe has been playing, you had to like their chances to take the series and potentially keep the winning streak going.

The Wahoos ended up taking the first two games of the series behind more big time offense and stellar starting pitching, but the six-game winning streak came to an end yesterday as Minnesota’s Mike Pelphrey of all people finally shut them 4-2. But it is all about winning the series, and that is exactly what the Tribe did. But how did they do so? As we always do, let us take a look back on the weekend that was in Wahooland. [Read more...]

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Indians News: Vinnie Pestano Looking To Avoid Trip to DL

May 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Tribe setup man Vinnie Pestano was unavailable to work Friday night’s game. Instead, Cody Allen was sent into the game to allow Joe Smith to be saved for the eighth inning. Allen promptly allowed a go-ahead homer to Chris Parmelee. After the game, it was communicated by Tribe skipper Terry Francona that Pestano had a “cranky elbow” and he was unavailable that evening.

Yesterday, Pestano threw a bullpen session, and the hope is that he will be able to avoid a trip to the disabled list. Plain Dealer write Dennis Manoloff reports this morning that today is the decision day on whether or not Vinnie will head to the DL.

This season, Pestano in 8 innings has allowed 2 runs, walking 4 and striking out 8. Vinnie has been an incredibly reliable 8th inning option, and in his absence, the team would have to rely further on right-handers Joe Smith, Bryan Shaw, and Cody Allen to work the seventh and eighth innings.

Related: Indians Rack Up Sixth Straight Behind Kazmir, Early Power

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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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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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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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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 sign Perez, Smith, Masterson and Albers to one-year deals

January 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Just as they had late Thursday evening with Drew Stubbs and Lou Marson, the Cleveland Indians have agreed to terms with relief pitchers Chris Perez and Joe Smith. Both players have signed one-year deals that effectively avoid arbitration.

Perez, who made $4.5 million last season, agreed to a $7.3 million deal with the team. He is coming off of consecutive All-Star appearances, saved 39 games in 2012 and struck out 59 batters in 57.2 innings of work. Perez was largely considered to be a potential asset in the trade market this offseason due to his volatility in the clubhouse and expected increase in compensation following his second straight season of at least 36 saves. He will be the second-highest paid player on the Indians heading into 2013.

Smith made $1.75 million in 2012 and will make $3.15 million in 2013. Through 67 innings of work, Smith struck out 53 and walked four, serving predominantly as specialist against right-handed hitters.

Smith exclaimed his happiness over being finished with the negotiation process via his Twitter account:

In addition to the bullpen arms, the Indians have agreed terms with one-time ace starting pitcher Justin Masterson ($5.68 million) along with Matt Albers ($1.75 million). Masterson is coming off of a 2012 season to forget, appearing in 34 games and finishing with an ERA of 4.93 and 14 wild pitches and 13 hit batters. He received a $2 million raise.

The Indians have avoided arbitration every season since 1991. Mike Aviles remains the only players who are eligible to head to arbitration if they remain unsigned. Any unsigned arbitration-eligible players were required to exchange proposed salary figures with their team by 1 p.m. ET on Friday.

[Related: Indians’ Pestano aims to make up for a rough finish to 2012]

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Indians Rumors: Perez and Smith on the trading block

November 11, 2012 by 3 Comments

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com dives into the possibility of the Indians trading some of their top bullpen arms to fill other areas of need throughout the organization.

“Every team tries to deal from an area of strength. For Cleveland, its bullpen — filled with young, controllable arms — has been a bright spot over the past few seasons. It has also been an area the team has drawn from during trade discussions.

“Cleveland might not be shopping its players, but the club is fielding phone calls.

There are obvious holes at first base, left field and designated hitter, as well as in the rotation. In the upper level of the Minor Leagues, the Indians lack the kind of impact prospects a developing organization needs. Under the circumstances, the club is not limiting its approach to this offseason.”

[Related: Indians trades need to look like more than cost cutting]

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Tribe Takes A Key One From Detroit – Yours Truly Rejoices

September 17, 2012 by 3 Comments

My Twitter followers know how much I dislike the Detroit Tigers. My poor brother has been a sports radio guy in Detroit since 1996. He is known as a big time Tribe homer by listeners of his station. Its a stigma he has carried since he arrived on the scene there. He makes no apologies for it and never hides from it. See, my brother truly only loves one team – The Indians. So imagine being him, working for the Tigers flagship station, and having to deal with Tiger fan callers day in and day out, especially these last two years. So when the Indians and Tigers square off during the season, the games are a lot more meaningful than any others throughout a 162-game schedule. He will go to Comerica Park and listen to the taunts from Tiger fans. He takes abuse on the air, but he doesn’t care, he just loves his Wahoos.

This collapse has been even more painful for him because since the July 26th comeback win against Justin Verlander, he has had to sit and watch his team fall deep into the abyss while the team in the city he lives in has stayed in the race. So now September has rolled around and all he and other Tiger haters like me have is the hope that the Motor City Kitties and their crusty old billionaire owner (aka Scott Boras’s puppet) Mike Illitch don’t make the playoffs and become the biggest disappointment in baseball. [Read more...]

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Indians All-Star Break Review: The Bullpen

July 11, 2012 by 29 Comments

As we do each summer at WFNY when the Cleveland Indians hit the All-Star break, we take a look back at the four facets of the team on the field – the starting rotation, the bullpen, the infield, and the outfield. There’s been been a lot to talk about with this club. Their 44-41 record is good enough for second in the American League Central, but the team has shown some serious flaws. GM Chris Antonetti continues to tell us that the Indians have not played their best baseball yet. I hope he is right. Additions will need to be made and in-house improvements will be a must if the Tribe plans on playing October baseball.

Yesterday, we looked at the starting rotation. Today we will examine the guys who follow those starters; the bullpen.

This was thought to be the strength of the team coming into the 2012 season. Last year’s crew, The Bullpen Mafia, was essentially the same seven guys the entire season. As the club broke camp, the last two guys – Frank Herrmann and Chad Durbin – were replaced by waiver wire claim Jairo Ascencio and veteran free agent Dan Wheeler. They didn’t seem to matter much as they would be pitching in the mop up roles. Neither made it through May and both were designated for assignment. Wheeler didn’t deserve to make the club in the first place as he was below average during the Spring and then played the roll of gas can while with the Tribe. [Read more...]

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Indians 7 Orioles 2: The Zach Attack and the Home Run Ball Get Tribe Back On Track

June 29, 2012 by 3 Comments

It was a perfect night to be a Cleveland sports fan. I for one sat in front of my TV, popped on the Ipad, had my Iphone next to me on one side and my five-year old son on the other. I was ready for action. ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt always says “the great thing about sports is they always deliver.” Last night was no exception.

While I obviously had my eyes on the NBA Draft, the one night of the year that I actually shed the “NBA Free” tag (because of my passion for the college game), the Tribe needed some love and attention as well. Coming into Baltimore losers of five straight for the first time all year, Manny Acta called for a 4:30 team meeting to clear the decks so to speak.

“It was just basically to talk to the guys,” Acta said, “and make sure they know it’s a very long season, a roller coaster where you go up and down — how just a week ago when we left Cleveland we were sitting pretty in first place and then a week later you go through a struggle and you’re where you’re at. It’s about staying positive, sticking together and just making sure you do what you’re supposed to do and not panic and try to do too much.” [Read more...]

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Indians’ Struggles By The Numbers

June 28, 2012 by 4 Comments

Taking a page from Rick’s book today, I’m here with some illustrious stats about the Cleveland Indians. These aren’t the prettiest, so you might want to spare your kids from seeing these.

-51 – Indians’ run differential this season, sixth-worst in MLB. The team with the sixth-worst record is Houston at 32-43 (.427).

12-3 (.800) – CLE’s record in one-run games, the best percentage-wise in MLB. Baltimore is second-best at 13-6 (.684). This might explain how the team is shockingly still at .500 on the season. For comparison’s sake, no team has finished with a win percentage better than .636 in one-run games over the past three seasons.

10-9 (.526) – Indians’ record in two-run games, tied for 12th-best percentage-wise in MLB. San Francisco is best at 11-5 (.688). While this isn’t sensational, it’s still above average. [Read more...]

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Video: Indians’ Joe Smith Jumps the Gun, Quickly Retreats

May 25, 2012 by 5 Comments

Mid-way through Thursday afternoon’s big win, Manny Acta payed Justin Masterson a quick visit, asking his starting pitcher if he has one more ground-ball inducing pitch in him. Being late in the game, side-armer Joe Smith assumed that he would be getting the nod to take the bump in relief. ‘Twas not the case and Smith had to hurry back to his bullpen seat as the game resumed.

The crowning moment came post-game when Masterson was made aware of the folly and asked reporters if his teammate “forgot his ID.”

[Related: Indians 2, Tigers 1: Break Out The Brooms]

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Indians’ Joe Smith Reportedly Involved in Bar Altercation

May 22, 2012 by 20 Comments

Reports obtained from Put-in-Bay Police Department allege that Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Joe Smith was involved in an altercation wherein the player attempted to enter an establishment without proper identification and was detained following his attempt to use “being a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians” as suitable response.

Per the report, “Mr. Smith” grew upset with local authorities — as he did with the security guards of said establishment — for not knowing who he was. Per Smith, the incident began when the security guards began calling him choice names, subsequently met with a reactionary lunge and verbal confrontation from the pitcher. Following the discussion with police, Smith and his party were released without citation.

On the season, Smith is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.95, six holds and one blown save.

[Related: Tribe Weekend Wrapup: The Pure Rage Edition]

(Source: NewsNet5 via Vince Grzegorek)

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Closer Talk: Tie Games, A Look Back to ’07, and When To Throw Your Best

May 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Editor’s Note: Jon and I had a friendly Twitter debate over this issue on Tuesday night. Read his solid take on using Chris Perez in such a scenario.

On Tuesday night, Chris Perez entered the 10th inning against the White Sox at home with the game tied at three. He exited with the White Sox leading 5-3, after allowing two runs on two hits in just his third non-save appearance in 2012, collecting his first loss of the season. This wasn’t the first time that I cringed as Manny Acta sent his closer into a tie game at home. In fact, I said as much several times last season prior to Perez breaking ties. Given the small sample size I have to work with, it’s easy to dismiss the claim. However, in my opinion, Chris Perez is largely ineffective when pitching in tie game scenarios, and Manny Acta should avoid doing so automatically.

Perez has entered a tied game 16 times in the past two seasons, and he has now broke that tie in six such scenarios. Here are the stats that communicate my concerns.

Chris Perez, in 2011 and 2012, combined:

Tie games: 16 1/3 innings pitched (16 appearances), 3 wins, 6 losses, 4.96 ERA

Non-tie situations: 57 innings pitched (63 appearances), 1 win, 2 losses, 3.00 ERA

[Read more...]

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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 Agree to One-Year Deal with RP Joe Smith

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Chris Antonetti and Company are hard at work this Tuesday afternoon, reportedly agreeing to terms with side-armed relief pitcher Joe Smith, per MLB.com’s Jordan Basitan.

On the heels of their agreement with third baseman Jack Hannahan, this deal – reportedly for $1.75 million – allows the Indians to avoid arbitration with the veteran bullpen arm.

In 67 innings pitched (71 games), Smith compiled an ERA of 2.01 with a WHIP of 1.090, fanning 45 and walking 21. The right-handed Smith has largely made a career out of being a specialist against left-handed hitters, allowing opposing lefties to hit .152 with an OPS of .460 in 2011.

Five members of the Cleveland Indians presently remain eligible for arbitration including relivers Chris Perez and Rafael Perez

[Related: Arbitration Estimates for 2012 Cleveland Indians]

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Arbitration Estimates for 2012 Cleveland Indians

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Indians currently have seven players eligible for salary arbitration. Cleveland rarely if ever allows it’s cases to go all the way to the arbiter, preferring to settle them in-house.

MLB Trade Rumors.com has a fairly accurate track record when it comes to predicting the numbers for salary eligible players. Here are their predictions for the Cleveland Indians eligible-

  • Asdrubal Cabrera – $4.8MM
  • Shin-Soo Choo – $4.3MM
  • Chris Perez – $4.2MM
  • Justin Masterson – $3.6MM
  • Rafael Perez – $1.9MM
  • Joe Smith – $1.6MM
  • Jack Hannahan – $1.3MM

(Hat tip: @MLBastian and Paul Hoynes)

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Indians Unveil “New” Uniforms for the 2012 Season: Joe Smith Approves of One of Them

November 25, 2011 by 16 Comments

At least that’s what I think this link means.  Or maybe this is just a Black Friday ruse designed to make people buy jerseys that don’t really exist.  You decide.

The differences here seem minimal.  Slightly less trim around the “Indians” script, and the red-brimmed cap in both iterations.  Whatever.  They look pretty rinky-dink to me–like a replica you buy when you can’t afford the real thing.  Either way, I’ll still prefer the cream-colored alternates they wore on Sundays this past season. [Read more...]

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