May 24, 2013

Tribe splits with Yanks in front of larger-than-expected crowd

Justin MastersonI attended last Thursday afternoon’s 9-2 Indians win over Oakland at Progressive Field. It was an absolutely perfect day; mid-70′s and sunny. We are talking shorts and t-shirt weather. Fast forward four days and I was breaking out the winter coat and gloves that I had put away about three weeks ago as the Indians and the New York Yankees played a traditional doubleheader.

There is certainly a buzz in the city about our Tribe. They entered this double dip winners of 12 of 14 and tied for first place in the AL Central. While the vibe was palpable, it had yet to translate into any real attendance spike.

Talking about attendance at Progressive Field is my least favorite topic. The Indians have been bad for five straight years. There hasn’t been a lot of trust between the fans, ownership, and the front office. The season ticket base had dwindled down to historic Progressive/Jacobs Field lows (though the Indians never speak on the subject, it is believed that the base is about 6,500). It takes years to build that trust back up. With Terry Francona and his shiny new toys on board, the Wahoos want to be more than just relevant in Cleveland again. They want to be the top dogs. [Read more...]

Justin Masterson shuts out the Yankees in game one of Tribe double-header

How do you save a pitching staff from getting overworked? Throwing a complete game shutout in game one of a double-header sure helps.

That’s exactly what Justin Masterson (6-2) did this afternoon. The Indians right-hander made a Jason Kipnis solo home run stand up for his second one to nothing shutout of the season.

The only hint of trouble Masterson had all game came in the second inning. After getting the first two batters out, Chris Nelson got an infield hit. Masterson then walked Joseph, and gave up another infield single to Chris Stewart to load the bases. Masterson ended the threat with a punchout of Alberto Gonzalez.

Justin Masterson had great control of his slider, using it as his strikeout pitch for most of his nine strikeouts. He allowed four hits and walked three, but was dominant all afternoon.

With the win Cleveland moves .5 game ahead of the Tigers for sole possession of first place in the Central Division. The Tigers play Houston tonight while the Indians finish the double-header against the Yankees. Trevor Bauer pitches for the Indians.

[Related: Indians promote David Huff, demote Lonnie Chisenhall]

MLB News: Indians will call up Bauer to start Game 2 of Monday’s doubleheader

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com Terry Francona has confirmed Trevor Bauer will be making his return to the big leagues on Monday. Bauer is set to start the second half of Monday’s doubleheader against the Yankees.

This will be the third time Bauer has been called up already this year, and once again it appears to be a quick trip for a spot start. In his last outing against Philladelphia, Bauer went five scoreless innings, walked six, and only gave up one hit. Only 98 times in MLB history has a pitcher had such a stat line, the last Indian being Justin Masterson back in 2010.

While Bauer’s six walks against Philly didn’t get him in too much trouble, his seven walks in his first start against Tampa Bay did. Bauer gave up three runs to the Rays in five innings, and became only the 51st pitcher in MLB history to start a season walking at least six batters in each of his first two starts.

Despite showing command issues, Bauer has also showcased his exceptional talents. While he hasn’t clicked on all cylinders for a whole start, the rookie has made big pitches in big spots.

“When he got into some traffic out there, he made unbelievable pitches. He attacked hitters when he had to with really good stuff,” said Francona following his start against Philly.

Bauer will get another opportunity on Monday to show why he’s regarded as such an exciting prospect for the Tribe, but then will most likely head back down to Columbus on Tuesday. The Indians will continue to be cautious with Bauer, holding him to a pitch count and restraining from throwing the 22 year old into the big league rotation just yet.

[Related: How good of a starting prospect is Danny Salazar?]

Scott Raab taking Ann Coulter to a Mets game, quitting nicotine, Josh Hamilton, Kyrie Irving and Tiger Woods – WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-15

WFNY Podcast LogoDon’t worry, we didn’t get overly political even as we talked about Scott’s trip to see the Mets with Ann Coulter in order to do a feature for Esquire. It was all just a ramp to Cleveland sports and some Cavs talk.

  • Ann Coulter at a Mets game

  • Quitting smoking

  • Josh Hamilton and quitting chew

  • Nolan Ryan and his critiques of him quitting mid-season

  • Humans breaking addiction

  • $123 million for Josh Hamilton

  • Cavaliers and trying to compete this year

  • Kyrie Irving and the Uncle Drew campaign

  • Flukey injuries and Kyrie Irving

  • Parsing failure

  • Huge leads and no-shows and blowing games

  • Tiger’s penalty and non disqualification [Read more...]

Yankees’ Girardi rips MLB scheduling after back-to-back rainouts in Cleveland

I don’t think you can go to cold-weather cities if you only go there one time. I think you have to stay within your division the first month. Or, I know teams want night games, but if we would have had a day game today, it gives you a longer window to play the game. I mean, it’s snowing in Minnesota and the Mets are there. I don’t know who can make the best snowman. [...] It’s not what you want. We were swinging the bats really good. But you’ve got to deal with it.

— New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, to the New York Daily News, after his team was rained out in consecutive games against the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees are not scheduled to return to Cleveland this season so the teams will be forced to make up games during days when both teams are scheduled to be off. May 13 appears to be one of the first days on the potential docket. No official announcement has been made, but Girardi was under the impression that the Yankees and Tribe would play a doubleheader on that date.

[Related: The Diff: On quality starts and the Indians bad pitching]

Yankees 14, Indians 1: One week in and the rotation is a big problem

Carlos CarrascoI am not one to panic. Especially with 150-plus games left on the schedule. The hot starts for the Tribe the last two years resulted in nothing. But obviously you would like to see the lesser parts of your team do well early to give them confidence as the season starts to build.

It was no secret that the weak link of the 2013 Cleveland Indians would be their starting rotation. All five spots offered question marks. Would Justin Masterson regain his 2011 form? On perhaps his last chance here, would Ubaldo Jimenez ever be the guy he was in Colorado? Would Brett Myers be able to transition back into being a starter after spending 2012 in the bullpen? Was Zach McAllister ready for prime time? Who would emerge from the group of candidates to become the fifth starter?

Well we aren’t even two turns through the rotation and the Indians are already going to be on their seventh different starting pitcher tonight when someone – probably Corey Kluber –  will be called up from Columbus. This doesn’t even include the man who won the fifth starter spot this Spring, Scott Kazmir. His injury set things in motion and they haven’t stopped. [Read more...]

Travis Hafner bombs and so does John Sterling

I personally wish Travis Hafner the best. I was obviously disappointed in how his Tribe career worked out, but I think he was too. I think he always wanted to do well for himself and for the team. With that, I wish him nothing but the best even as he now plays for the New York Yankees.

However “the best” are not words I’d use to describe John Sterling’s shticky homerun calls that he incessantly shoe-horns into broadcasts whenever a Yankee hits a home run. Hear how he called Travis Hafner’s first bomb as a member of the Yankees.

“Ha ha Hafner” was the best he could do? Ew. Thank goodness the Tribe has Tom Hamilton.

[Related: WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-03 – TD talking Tribe after 2-0 start]

Cleveland Indians announce Home Opener sells out in six minutes

Singles game tickets went on sale, and it didn’t take long for Cleveland fans to sell out the Home Opener against the Yankees.

It sold out in six minutes.

In fairness, the opener always sells out, and Yankee games always sell out. With the additions the Indians made this off-season added to the mix, it was the perfect storm for a quick sell out. From the team-

“The Cleveland Indians 2013 Home Opener, on April 8 at 4:05 p.m. against the New York Yankees, is SOLD OUT, marking the 21st consecutive home opener sellout and the 20th at Progressive Field, which opened in 1994.

The game sold out in 6 minutes, one of the fastest sellouts in Indians history. Since the Indians in 2009 moved the public on-sale date to Spring, Opening Day sellouts have become official on March 30 (2009), April 8 (2010), March 24 (2011) and March 15 (2012), another reflection of the heightened attention for 2013.

Fans wanting to attend 2013 Opening Day — which marks the Indians’ 113th year as a charter member of the American League — still can secure tickets by purchasing full-season ticket packages, which offer the best value and greatest savings over single-game ticket prices.”

Of course, the secondary ticket market will be alive and well for the opener. Use WFNY Tickets, your local ticket aggregator to find your seats.

[Related: The weekend that was in Wahooland]

MLB News: Travis Hafner close to inking deal with New York Yankees

(Update: Hafner has reportedly signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Yankees)

While he was rumored to be in the mix for the Cleveland Indians’ vacant designated hitter job, it appears that long-time Tribe slugger Travis Hafner could be rocking a half-buttoned pinstrip jersey for 2013.

WEEI’s Rob Bradford followed up on an earlier report from CBS Jon Heyman, both with terms going undisclosed.

Hafner hit free agency after the Indians chose a $2.75MM buyout over a $13MM option earlier in the offseason. The 35-year-old provided a slash line of .228/.346/.438 with 12 home runs in 263 plate appearances for the Indians in 2012. Hafner, a left-handed hitter, has a career batting line of .287/.391/.534 against right-handed pitching. As WFNY’s Jon wrote earlier this week, outside of the 2008 season, Hafner had never had a wOBA below .340 and never slugged less than .440.

While Hafner may not come near 150 games played, his swing is perfect for the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Where this leaves the Indians with regard to the designated hitter position remains to be seen.

[Related: The Case for a Designated Hitter. Yes, That Designated Hitter]

Nick Swisher: A Risk Worth Taking

There are plenty of reasons to be bearish on the Nick Swisher signing that locks him in for at least four years and $56 million, and I think some of the unbridled enthusiasm 1 out there might need a wee-bit of tempering before we get too far ahead of ourselves.

For one, he could get hurt.  Just because he has a track record of impeccable health—Swisher has played at least 148 games in every season since 2006—doesn’t mean that he’s immune to broken bones or pulled muscles or damaged knees.  Perhaps he’s just been lucky.  Perhaps he’s due.

There’s also the inherent performance decline associated with players in their middle 30s, especially corner guys whose primary skills comprise power and patience.  In other words, guys like Swisher do not tend to age gracefully, and we could end up with a $14 million per year part-time player in 2016 ala Travis Hafner. [Read more...]

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  1. h/t Billy Mumfrey [back]

Indians sign Swisher to 4-year, $56 million deal

As first reported by the New York Daily News‘ Mark Feinsand, the Indians and Nick Swisher have agreed to a 4 year deal worth $56 million.

The deal also is reported to have a $14 million vesting option for a fifth year could make the deal worth up to $70 million over five years.  The vesting option looks to be based on plate appearances in the fourth year of the deal, and is “easily” attainable, according to Mark Feinsand:

The signing will also result in the loss of the Indians second-round draft pick in the Rule 4 draft this coming June (their first round pick is in the top-10, and is therefore protected).

Swisher is a West Virginia native who attended The Ohio State University.  He was a first round pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2002 draft.

The deal represents the second-largest contract in team history, behind only Travis Hafner’s four-year $57 million contract extension signed in 2007.  With respect to free agents, this is the largest deal in the club’s 112 year history.

Swisher batted .272/.364/.473 in 537 at bats for the Yankees in 2012, along with 24 home runs and 93 runs batted in.  He will likely fill the void in RF left behind in the wake of the Shin-Soo Choo trade.

[Related: The Pitch to Swish]

Fun with Numbers: Nick Swisher and Tristan Thompson

I’m calling on you WFNY readers: Starting in 2013, I’m hoping to roll out a consistent stats-related article for Cleveland sports on WFNY. But instead of just doing “Fun with Numbers” bit that was originally Rick’s idea, I need a catchy new name. In the past, I’ve done “The Boots” for Boot Ups and Boot Downs. But that’s not necessarily #math. So please, help me out with a new name — it could be Cleveland-y, related to a day of the week or anything. See ya next year with the winning name and a new logo.

I wanted to start today in continuing my Indians talk from yesterday. With the big Shin-Soo Choo trade done and Trevor Bauer now impacting Cleveland’s starting rotation future, what’s next? If you’ve been paying attention to all of the rumors of late, Chris Antonetti’s remaining winter plans have two final steps: 1) Sign Nick Swisher and 2) Sign a veteran free agent starter.

While the starter could be any guy such as Edwin Jackson, Shaun Marcum et al, Swisher is the clear target for a RF/DH position for the Tribe. Choo’s gone and Drew Stubbs is in, but another outfield role remains for the taking. With Josh Hamilton’s signing with the Angels, Swisher is one of the key offensive free agents remaining. But why exactly is Swisher so valuable? As expected, let’s go to the math. [Read more...]

Report: Indians offer Kevin Youkilis $18 million deal

Free agent third baseman Kevin Youkilis is sitting on a fairly lucrative offer from the New York Yankees, one that would net him $12 million for the 2013 season. He has not accepted at this time as he is reportedly also considering an offer from the Cleveland Indians that would pay him $18 million over the course of the next two seasons.

The Indians have been utilizing their newly hired manager Terry Francona in all aspects of free agency recruiting, and no player — among those being considered by the Tribe — has a better history with the former Red Sox skipper. Indians general manager Chris Antonetti reportedly had interest in Youkilis last season, but opted to wait until the deadline to consider any deals — Youkilis was ultimately acquired by the Chicago White Sox in June.

“Francona and Youkilis always had a very close relationship, so that could give them one edge,” wrote CBS’ Jon Heyman earlier this year. The other obvious relationship is the ill one embraced by the Red Sox and Yankees.

The 33-year-old corner infielder is coming off of a season where he provided a slash line of .235/.336/.409, but had an OPS of .771 in his 292 at-bats with the White Sox (a mark that would have been good enough for third-best among Indians in 2012). If acquired, he would offer clubhouse leadership and a much-needed right-handed bat while splitting time between first base, designated hitter and the disabled list.

[Related: Why Missing Out on Victorino is a Good Thing]

New York Takes Two of Three at Yankee Stadium Midwest…Errrrrr….Progressive Field

It felt like they were on the road, but the Indians actually were the home team as they welcomed the New York Yankees to Yankee Stadium Midwest……errrrrrr…..Progressive Field over the weekend. Yes, the Bronx Bombers won the series, but hey, the Indians actually won a game! The nine-game winning streak came to end Saturday night thanks to stellar pitching from Justin Masterson, but overall, the weekend was just more of the same from our Wahoos. Not enough clutch hitting with average starting pitching for the most part. That and a lot of Yankee fans. So lets take a look back at the weekend that was in Wahooland. [Read more...]

Yankees 5, Indians 4: Welcome Back to the Land of .500

That was an unbelievable home run by Robinson Cano. Down a run in the sixth, 1-2 count against one of the hotter starters in the AL Central 1 , and he blasts one off the end of his bat for a two-run homer to the opposite field.

Can we just focus on that part of the game, please? Because with that one swing the Yankees deserved to win this contest.

But, of course, all anyone is talking about is how the Indians stranded the bases loaded in the ninth inning to end the game. So while this wasn’t as ugly a game as the last four losses, this one sure was more heartbreaking.

With the loss, Cleveland fell back to .500 on the season at 37-37, and now sits 2.5 games behind the White Sox following their victory last night.

[Read more...]

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  1. Yes, Ubaldo Jimenez was pitching that well recently before Wednesday’s game. Entering play, he was 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four June starts since being skipped once in the rotation. Most importantly, however, he had 25 strikeouts against only seven walks in 26.1 innings pitched. Sounds like ace material to me, although in a small sample size. [back]

Box Score: Yankees 5, Indians 4

Well, that one hurt. The Indians dropped their fifth game in a row and got swept by the Yankees with a final 5-4 deficit Wednesday afternoon.

After a furious ninth inning rally, Asdrubal Cabrera flew out to left to end the game with the bases loaded. The Indians offense finally got some hits and did quite well after Andy Pettitte left the game with his ankle injury, but were unable to get the final hit late.

Cleveland now is 37-37 on the season, and 11-19 since May 25. The team heads to Baltimore (41-32 entering play tonight) for a four-game weekend series starting tomorrow night.

 

Top 2nd: Cleveland
- S. Duncan doubled to right center, C. Santana scored
Bot 4th: NY Yankees
- E. Chavez doubled to left center, R. Cano and R. Ibanez scored
Top 5th: Cleveland
- A. Cabrera singled to shallow left, L. Marson scored, M. Brantley to second
- J. Kipnis singled to shallow left center, M. Brantley scored, A. Cabrera to third
Bot 6th: NY Yankees
- R. Cano homered to deep left, A. Rodriguez scored
Bot 8th: NY Yankees
- E. Chavez singled to shallow right, M. Teixeira scored, D. Wise to second
Top 9th: Cleveland
- M. Brantley walked, L. Chisenhall scored, S. Choo to third, L. Marson to second
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 4 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 .275
A. Cabrera ss 5 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 .289
J. Kipnis 2b 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 .276
J. Lopez 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 .230
C. Santana dh 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .220
    L. Chisenhall ph-dh 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .271
S. Duncan lf 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .194
    S. Choo rf 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .275
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 .227
L. Marson c 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246
A. Cunningham rf-lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .186
    J. Damon ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 .210
 Totals 34 4 8 4 0 3 12 1 13
 Batting
2B - S Duncan (5, A Pettitte).
S - A Cunningham.
RBI - M Brantley (34), A Cabrera (34), J Kipnis (43), S Duncan (13).
2-out RBI - M Brantley, A Cabrera, J Kipnis.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Cabrera 2, J Lopez 2.
Team LOB - 7.
 Base Running
SB - J Kipnis (18, 2nd base off F Garcia/R Martin).
CS - A Cunningham (2, 2nd base by A Pettitte/R Martin).
 NY Yankees
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
C. Granderson cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 .241
N. Swisher rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .267
A. Rodriguez 3b 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .266
R. Cano 2b 4 2 3 2 1 0 1 0 2 .308
M. Teixeira dh-1b 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 .248
R. Ibanez lf 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .240
    D. Wise pr-lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .189
E. Chavez 1b 3 0 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 .277
    R. Soriano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
R. Martin c 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 .193
J. Nix ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .224
 Totals 31 5 7 5 1 4 10 1 11
 Batting
2B - A Rodriguez (7, U Jimenez); E Chavez (8, U Jimenez).
HR - R Cano (18, 6th inning off U Jimenez 1 on, 0 Out).
RBI - R Cano 2 (41), E Chavez 3 (13).
2-out RBI - E Chavez 3.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Teixeira 1, R Martin 2.
Team LOB - 6.
 Base Running
SB - C Granderson (5, 2nd base off U Jimenez/L Marson).
 Fielding
E - A Rodriguez (5, throw).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
U. Jimenez (L, 7-6) 6.0 4 4 4 4 7 1 1.54 4.69
J. Smith 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.26 3.41
V. Pestano 1.0 3 1 1 0 1 0 1.07 2.10
 NY Yankees
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
A. Pettitte 4.0 3 2 1 1 7 0 1.09 3.22
C. Eppley 0.1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1.31 2.95
C. Rapada 0.1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.13 2.74
F. Garcia (W, 2-2) 2.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.45 6.39
D. Robertson (H, 7) 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1.21 2.37
R. Soriano (S, 17) 1.0 2 1 1 2 1 0 1.47 1.88
Pitches-strikes - U Jimenez 108-59; J Smith 16-10; V Pestano 25-16; R Soriano 30-16; A Pettitte 64-44; C Eppley 4-2; C Rapada 7-6; F Garcia 32-22; D Robertson 12-8.

Umpire admits mistake on Hannahan foul ball

In the seventh inning of last night’s game, Tribe third baseman Jack Hannahan hit a foul ball into the seats on the third base side. Yankees left fielder Dewayne Wise leaped into the stands and got leather on the ball, but did not make the catch. That didn’t stop umpire Mike DiMuro from calling it a catch however.

Hannahan would be tossed later in the game for arguing the call. A call which DiMuro would later admit was a mistake-

“Mike DiMuro: “Now that I see the tape it’s obvious that the ball fell out…In hindsight I should have asked him to show me the ball…”

Yes. Seeing the ball in the mitt of Wise would have been appropriate. Especially with a Yankee fan proudly holding the ball in question up in the air a few feet from Wise.

(Screen capture from Big League Stew)

Box Score: Indians 1, Yankees 7

In the first game of the season against the Yanks, the Indians gave up eight hits including three home runs, a double and a triple. Ouch. Justin Masterson goes against Phil Hughes tomorrow.

Bot 1st: NY Yankees
- R. Cano doubled to shallow right center, C. Granderson and M. Teixeira scored, R. Cano out at third
Bot 2nd: NY Yankees
- D. Wise homered to deep right, E. Chavez scored
Bot 3rd: NY Yankees
- R. Cano homered to deep right
- N. Swisher homered to left
Bot 6th: NY Yankees
- D. Wise tripled to right center, E. Chavez scored
Top 8th: Cleveland
- J. Kipnis hit sacrifice fly to right center, L. Chisenhall scored
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .275
A. Cabrera ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 .291
J. Kipnis 2b 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 .274
C. Santana c 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 .227
M. Brantley cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .279
    A. Cunningham cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .188
J. Damon lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .203
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 .226
J. Hannahan 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .254
L. Chisenhall dh 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .262
 Totals 31 1 5 1 0 2 8 0 12
 Batting
2B – S Choo (24, H Kuroda); J Damon (5, H Kuroda).
SF – J Kipnis.
RBI – J Kipnis (42).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – C Santana 1, C Kotchman 2, J Hannahan 1.
Team LOB – 6.
 Fielding
Outfield assists – M Brantley.
DP – 2 (C Kotchman, E Rogers-A Cabrera-C Kotchman).
NY Yankees
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
D. Jeter ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .304
C. Granderson dh 3 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 .243
M. Teixeira 1b 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .254
R. Cano 2b 4 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 2 .302
N. Swisher rf 4 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 .268
R. Ibanez lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 .242
E. Chavez 3b 3 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 .266
D. Wise cf 3 1 2 3 1 0 1 0 0 .182
C. Stewart c 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .238
 Totals 29 7 8 7 3 3 9 0 6
 Batting
2B – R Cano (22, J Tomlin).
3B – D Wise (1, S Barnes).
HR – R Cano (17, 3rd inning off J Tomlin 0 on, 2 Out), N Swisher (12, 3rd inning off J Tomlin 0 on, 2 Out), D Wise (1, 2nd inning off J Tomlin 1 on, 1 Out).
RBI – R Cano 3 (39), N Swisher (46), D Wise 3 (3).
2-out RBI – R Cano, N Swisher, D Wise.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – C Stewart 1.
GIDP – R Cano.
Team LOB – 3.
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Tomlin (L, 3-5) 3.0 6 6 6 2 3 3 1.46 5.70
S. Barnes 2.2 1 1 1 1 3 0 1.57 7.71
E. Rogers 1.1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0.68 2.45
J. Accardo 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.32 4.12
 NY Yankees
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
H. Kuroda (W, 7-7) 7.0 5 1 1 2 7 0 1.27 3.40
C. Rapada 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.06 2.78
F. Garcia 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.57 6.91
HBP – M Teixeira (by E Rogers); C Stewart (by S Barnes).
Pitches-strikes – J Tomlin 80-50; S Barnes 43-23; E Rogers 22-14; J Accardo 12-7; H Kuroda 103-67; C Rapada 14-8; F Garcia 13-9.
Ground balls-fly balls – J Tomlin 4-5; S Barnes 2-1; E Rogers 2-0; J Accardo 2-0; H Kuroda 10-6; C Rapada 0-1; F Garcia 2-0.
Batters faced – J Tomlin 16; S Barnes 10; E Rogers 5; J Accardo 3; H Kuroda 28; C Rapada 3; F Garcia 3.

While We’re Waiting… NFL Draft Ends, Weeden’s MLB Career, Indians in 1st?

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.

Some QB insight after a rare interview with Holmgren: “Judging by Holmgren’s comments, the Browns either thought about taking Weeden in the second round or considered trading back in the first round to take him. They ultimately drafted Weeden with the 22nd overall pick because they didn’t want to risk losing him. … I get the feeling that Holmgren wants to keep Colt McCoy as the backup to Weeden. He doesn’t think it would be difficult for McCoy to adjust to that role because he ‘is a special young man.’” [Jamison Hensley/ESPN NFL Nation Blog]

Looking back with a review for the Richardson pick: “There is some debate about whether it is wise to select a running back this early since you can find productive players at the position later in the draft. In fact, I am usually the first one to make that argument. However, if there is an exception to the rule it’s Richardson, who was one of the truly elite prospects in this class and the best running back to come along since Adrian Peterson. The Browns play in a rough and tumble division where the ground game is very important and Richardson will fit right in.” [Scott Wright/Draft Countdown]

Here’s a nice Friday story on the Yankees’ relationship with now-Browns QB Brandon Weeeden: “There is no major league draft as famous as the 2002 session, which has been immortalized in both a bestselling book and an Oscar-nominated movie. … But last night the spotlight turned toward a high schooler from that draft who never rose above A-ball. That is because a decade after the Yankees took Brandon Weeden with their top pick — the next-to-last selection of the second round — he was picked by the Browns with the 22nd pick in the first round of the NFL draft.” [Joel Sherman/New York Post]

Are the Indians for real? What’s next for the team? Stay tuned to look at what’s going on: “Are they tied for 1st Place? Are they tied for 1st Place? Yes…and it can certainly be argued that the Indians simply took advantage of a favorable schedule in the early going (and I’ll actually make that argument if you want to hear it) and that this is still ultimately a flawed team (again, no dissension on that point as they have a negative run differential)…” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]

Yeah, sure, the Indians have had trouble getting their investment back from the Cliff Lee trade, but is another recent trade similar? “Time has proved that the Indians were burned to a crisp in the Cliff Lee trade. The Yankees, to date, have merely had their fingers singed in the acquisition of Michael Pineda from Seattle. Burned is burned, but the pain comes in degrees.” [Paul Hoynes/Cleveland Plain Dealer]

And, finally, a new 11W writer picks up on the SEC’s impact on the NFL Draft and how Urban Meyer might bring that to Columbus: “Well, guess what? Urban is known to recruit at the same capacity as our SEC brethren and we have seen the high caliber talent he has scooped up in his 2012 class and the 2013 class thus far. OSU commits are beginning to choose the Buckeyes over the Alabamas and LSUs. It’s pretty safe to say that it is only a matter of time before Chris Berman starts dropping OSU and Meyer-bombs and the B1G begins to prosper at draft time because of The Ohio State Buckeyes. Wait, would ESPN really let that happen?” [David Sokol/Eleven Warriors]

While We’re Waiting… Building the Cavs, Small market risks and Browns running game ‘mediocre’ at best

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.

“Many of these teams drafted poorly, but the ratio of “teams that built contenders from lottery scratch” to “teams that did not” is really lopsided. The lottery is a crap shoot, starting with the need to get your ping pong balls vacuumed out of glass sphere. Add that to projecting the future exploits of 19 year olds, and the result is pretty frequently continued mediocrity. Speaking of, there is another young NBA contender built through the draft.

The Chicago Bulls are not a “lottery success story” in any easily definable way. From 2000 – 2007, the Bulls picked #4, #9, #2, #4, #2, #7, #3, #7, #2 and #9. Where did that leave them? Back in the lottery, as a 33 – 49 team. Fate smiled on them and with a 1.7% chance to win the lottery, they were able to add Derrick Rose, who became the youngest MVP in league history. Besides the fact it took ten years, that’s pretty irreproducible. Luckily for Cleveland, Irving came with the first dip into the lottery.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]