May 19, 2013

Indians 10, Phillies 4: The Return Of The Big O

Asdrubal CabreraI know none of you were really concerned about the offense after the last three games, right? I mean, what you can’t forget is that there was a time earlier in the year where they were shut out back to back games in Tampa and then followed it up by dropping a 13 spot on the Rays. Make no mistake about it, this was a tired ball club. It is also a very streaky ball club offensively. These types of hot and cold streaks will probably continue most of the year. You just hope that the cold spells don’t last very long.

After scoring just three runs in three games Monday and Tuesday, the Tribe had a quick turnaround afternoon tilt against tough lefty Cole Hamels and his Philadelphia Phillies. It was their seventh game in the last six days in three different cities (Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia), so another bat slumber could have easily occurred. Then again, this is a new era of Tribe baseball. ActaBall is dead. Long live TitoBall.

One of the things you come to learn while watching years and years of baseball is that on the mid-week “getaway day” games, you often see both clubs give “getaway-day at-bats.” Guys swing early in the counts and strike-zones seem to be more liberal.  However in this one, the Indians approach against Hamels was the opposite. They were set to work the lefty deep into counts and wait for him to make mistakes. [Read more...]

Phillies 6, Indians 2: Tired Tribe bats shut down again in Philly

Scott KazmirBaseball is a game of extreme ups and downs. The Indians won 12 out of 14 games with an offense averaging 6.5 runs per game and mashed their way to the league lead in home runs. On Monday, they were supposed to have a well-earned and much needed day off. But thanks to April rainouts, The Tribe played a traditional doubleheader against the New York Yankees. They would split the pair, but other than a Jason Kipnis first inning solo home run, the offense failed to score a single run.

After the brief spot at home, they went back on the road to Philadelphia for an interleague matchup with the Phillies. Ex-Tribe manager Charlie Manuel sent out rookie Jonathan Pettibone to the mound, a right-hander that the Indians had not seen. In the second inning, the bats looked like they were regain their mojo. Nick Swisher opened the frame with a single. Carlos Santana followed by going the other way for a double, which landed just fair down the line. After a Mark Reynolds pop out (on the first pitch) failed to bring in a run, Michael Brantley singled two center, scoring both Swisher and Santana. The inning ended with Drew Stubbs and pitcher Scott Kazmir striking out, but the offense was off to a good start, or so it seemed.

The game really changed course in the third. [Read more...]

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

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...]

Tribe win streak snapped: Tigers 10 Indians 4

Corey KluberHaving won 10 of 11 and fresh off a four game sweep of Oakland, the Tribe headed north to the Motor City looking to stay hot for a weekend series against the AL Central leading Tigers. The Tigers however wanted no part of succumbing to the Indians’ winning ways and thumped the Tribe 10-4 with Max Scherzer getting the win and Corey Kluber picking up the loss.

The Indians jumped out to an early lead in the top of the 1st with a two out double from Nick Swisher, scoring Jason Kipnis who also doubled earlier in the inning. The lead didn’t last long as the Tigers tagged Indians’ starter Corey Kluber for three runs in the bottom half of the second.

Prince Fielder extended Detroit’s leadto 4-1  in the forth with a monster solo shot off the brick wall passed the stands in right center. ESPN Stats Inc. measured the homer at an astounding 460 feet.

The Tribe answered back thanks to Swisher’s one out triple in the top of the fourth and Santana’s ground out that scored him. Swisher would finish the day with 3 hits, a home run shy of the cycle.

In the bottom half of the inning with Detroit leading 4-2, last year’s Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera clubbed a deep three run homer extending the Tigers lead to five. The lead would move to six as Alex Avila singled in Johnny Peralta in the fifth, giving the Tigers runs in four straight innings.

Reynolds and Brantley would each knock in runs for Cleveland in the 7th, but the Indians two runs were matched by the Tigers who chipped in a run in both the 7th and 8th giving Detroit the 10-4 win. [Read more...]

Indians 9, Athletics 2: Kazmir Sweeps Out Oakland

Scott KazmirThe Indians just keep the train rollin’. They do it with power. They do it with some speed. They do it with solid defense. They do it with a lock down bullpen. They do it with quality starting pitching.

Wait….what did I just say?

Yes, that’s right, they do it with solid starting pitching.

A night after Justin Masterson was sharp for six of his seven innings of work and the Indians caught a major break from the umpiring crew, they went for a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with Scott Kazmir on the mound.

Kazmir’s story has been well documented. He went from 21-year old phenom to All-Star to broken down to out of baseball at 27. He spent 2012 in the Independent Leagues trying to remake himself. The Indians watched him throw this winter and decided to give him one last shot on a minor league deal. He came to Goodyear this Spring with an outside shot at becoming the Indians fifth starter. He ended up not only getting the job, but won it in a walk. Manager Terry Francona spent the month of March raving about him. Unfortunately  the injury bug bit him and the start to his season was postponed by a DL trip. [Read more...]

Cleveland Indians talk – trying not to talk attendance, Swisher’s intangibles, Francona and Ubaldo and more with TD – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-09

WFNY Podcast LogoWe did talk briefly about the attendance, but really not much at all. We’ve both agreed that it shouldn’t dominate the headlines a second year in a row.

  • Lackluster attendance and how tired we are of talking about it

  • Bud Shaw’s article about the long-term project

  • TV ratings and how far they’re up year over year

  • You can’t get the pulse of casual fans that stopped going

  • Nick Swisher truly has intangibles

  • LeBron dancing and picture-taking vs. Nick Swisher’s mugging and dancing

  • Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner while great guys and decent players weren’t electric personalities

  • Mike Aviles throwing sunflower seeds at Terry Francona during in-game interview

  • Francona setting his own bar so very high for himself in Boston

  • Jonathan Papelbon and how purely hateable he is

  • Theo Epstein and how he’s disappeared into the Cubs job

  • Brett Meyers, Daisuke Matsuzaka and the also-rans in the system

  • Ubaldo Jimenez and how Francona is managing him [Read more...]

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

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

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

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

Animated: Nick Swisher celebrates… a lot

Nick Swisher was in rare form as the Tribe took three of their first four against the Oakland Athletics in Cleveland tonight. Swisher bombed a homer himself and made sure to celebrate everyone else’s as well.

First of all, he gave the crowd the old O-H after crossing home plate from his own home run trot.

SWISHER O-H

 

He also slow-played the celebration on Carlos Santana’s homer.

SWISHER CELEBRATES 2

 

Last, but certainly (DEFINITELY) not least, Swisher does a little dance. Thanks to Jim Kanicki for capping it. I decided to put it on a lil loop though.

Swisher Apache Edit

 

[Related: The Diff: Indians’ odd start and usual MLB run distribution]

Red Sox 6. Indians 3: Sox Plan Baffles Masterson

Asdrubal CabreraThere was rain in the forecast the last two nights in Cleveland. It is too bad it never arrived.

I sound like a broken record and we are only two weeks plus into the season, but the Tribe’s starting pitching is obviously a big concern. The thought was that with their best on the mound, Justin Masterson, the bleeding could be stopped. Actually the Indians starters pitched well in the Chicago series over the weekend, but what’s most fresh in our minds was Tuesday night’s comedy show starring Ubaldo Jimenez. The over-taxed Indians bullpen figured to get some relief with the Tribe’s ace on the mound. Just in case, Corey Kluber was called up as a long man, taking the place of CF Michael Bourn who was placed on the 15-day DL earlier in the day.

Masterson entered the game with a 19-inning scoreless streak in tow. The Red Sox came to the plate in the first inning with the perfect approach. They were patient with Masterson and took almost everything the other way right from the jump.  Four of the first five Red Sox singled the other way. The one who didn’t, Shane Victorino, was hit by a pitch. It was 3-0 before you could open your bag of peanuts. Justin managed to get through the rest of the inning unscathed, but the Red Sox knew they were on to something. [Read more...]

Tribe Weekend Recap: The Rotation Situation Helps The Tribe Take Two

Nick SwisherThe weekend brought a fresh series and a fresh start for the Indians. They hadn’t played since Tuesday’s 14-1
debacle against the New York Yankees
 and the back to back rainouts were a welcome sight. Let them wash away the the memories of that brutal two game stretch and get back to baseball. The bats slumbered in two of the three games against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field, but they scratched and clawed their way to a series win, taking the first two of the three-game set.

There has been lots to talk about since we last got together, so let us get right to it.

Nick Swisher’s walkoff single was a thing of beauty on a night of hideous at-bats. Friday night’s series opener had a first pitch temperature of 42 degrees. However, for the brave 11,864 who paid to see this one, it felt more like four degrees. It was cold and rainy, a brisk night that felt more like football weather. For nine innings, the Sox and Tribe pitchers completely shut down the opposing offenses. Chicago lefty Jose Quintana baffled the Tribe over his seven innings of work. The only baserunners he allowed were Michael Brantley, who got on base via a second inning double and Swisher, who he hit with a pitch in the fourth. Other than that, he was perfect. Seven strikeouts, no walks. [Read more...]

The Best Laid Plans and Fan Loyalty for the Indians and Cavaliers

Nick SwisherIt was Tuesday night. Carlos Carrasco and the Indians were getting pounded by the Bronx Bombers for the second straight evening, and the Cavaliers had blown a 20-point fourth quarter lead against the Pacers. It was a “woe is us” type of night on Twitter, and this writer’s body defensively put itself into sleep mode shortly before both games, missing the (live) pain of it all. 1 In that collective frustration where the Cavaliers got roped in with the Tribe in terms of amount of frustration associated with the loss, I was a little surprised.  To me, it was comical to compare the losses in terms of equal footing. The book on the Cavaliers’ season has already been sent to the publisher’s. The Indians still have a lot of pages to write on the 2013 campaign. It got me thinking about the constant see-saw of fans for these two organizations buying in and buying out of emotional investment.

[Read more...]

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  1. For those of you who don’t know me personally, this is a once in a blue moon thing. Missing games because I fell asleep is a very, very rare thing. Work, family plans, and hanging out with friends are all worked around game times in nearly all cases. [back]

Zac Mac Follows It Up, Right-Handed Bats Blast Sale

reynoldsslamChris Sale has had his way with the Indians in the past. The left-handed may be all arms and legs, but the young bullpen arm turned starter made easy work of the previously left-handed heavy Tribe. In the offseason, the Tribe not only added more speed and power, but they added several right handed hitters for a better balanced lineup. Yesterday, with Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana late scratches, the Indians threw seven right-handed bats at Sale, and their power came through in a big way. Newcomers Mark Reynolds and Nick Swisher combined for two homers and 7 of the team’s 9 RBI, and the Indians got their second set of back-to-back quality starts on the young season as Zach McAllister allowed just one earned run and the Tribe clinched the series win with a 9-4 victory. [Read more...]

Masterson Wins Pitchers’ Duel With A Little Help From Sir Swish

swishmastyAfter two days off due to rain and two more days before that where the starting pitching failed to show up, we were all hopeful that the Tribe would regroup. Behind their ace, they did just that. Justin Masterson turned his third stellar start to begin the 2013 campaign, going the distance and blanking the White Sox. The Indians squeezed across a run in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off single by Nick Swisher that scored Michael Bourn to give the Tribe a 1-0 victory. With that, the Indians are a perfect 3-0 with Masterson on the hill, and we’re seeing the big right-hander as dominant as he’s been in a Cleveland uniform. [Read more...]

WFNY Podcast – Scott Raab talks Tribe, Mike Rice and Roger Ebert

WFNY Podcast LogoBig news in the podcast world. Scott Raab has agreed to be a regular weekly guest. So other than a few exceptions, I’m sure, we will have Scott’s perspective on a weekly basis. I can’t tell you just how happy it makes me that he wants to contribute every week. Please consider subscribing on iTunes.

  • Indians home opener
  • Ubaldo Jimenez
  • Travis Hafner
  • John Sterling
  • Free agency and MLB
  • Swisher and now appreciating his “bro dude” attitude
  • Replacing the guy who replaces the guy
  • First Energy Field
  • Making money on bad teams
  • Byron Scott and silence from Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert
  • Shaq and his bloated contract
  • Rutgers and Mike Rice’s firing
  • Putting a mic in front of the mother of a player
  • Roger Ebert and the online reaction to him
  • Journalists worshipping journalists
  • The meaninglessness of apologies
  • The word police send Scott a letter

[Read more...]

Opening Day Optimism

WFNYIndiansStoreIt is finally here. An exciting off season for the first time in a long time put a big circle on this date for months. The Home Opener. Our Indians holiday every year. (And while I realize it isn’t technically opening day, I’m using the phrase. It’s opening day for the city.)

Every year at this time we have hope for our beloved Indians. Hope that the season won’t be over by mid-July. Hope that the team can compete into September or day we say October. Hope that we will have another “post season to remember” as Tom Hamilton eloquently put it so many years ago.

This year there are reasons for optimism. Yes, there are plenty of concerns and question marks about the 2013 version of the Tribe, but what better day to dwell on the positive than Opening Day in Cleveland?

Top Ten Reasons for Opening Day Optimism-

10- Have you seen the blasts coming off of Mark Reynold’s bat? These are not fly balls that just manage to squeak over a short porch. These have been dead center mammoth blasts. Yes, he is also going to strike out. We knew this. But when he makes contact, that ball is scorched. Consider this- Reynolds has six base hits on the season (.300 average so far) and four of them have been home runs. Another was a double. That’s five out of six hits for extra bases. [Read more...]

Blue Jays 10, Indians 8: Myers ignites fuse on Jays explosion

Brett MyersYour Wahoo Warriors headed into last night’s tilt against the Toronto Blue Jays looking for a sweep. I am trying to be a glass half-full guy when it comes to the Tribe in the Terry Francona era, so let me start with the positives.

The Indians were facing a familiar foe in former White Sox great Mark Buerhle. It seems as though the Tribe faced him almost every opening day for a decade (exaggeration here, but you get the point). Last season’s group would have cowered when a southpaw stepped to the hill, especially when you consider Manny Acta’s patented “all lefty” lineup. Francona kept his regular lineup intact for the third consecutive game. The only minor tweak was moving Mark Reynolds to first base with Nick Swisher as the DH. [Read more...]

WFNY 2013 Tribe Predictions

WFNY_roundtable

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

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

Tribe Preview Part One: The Position Players

Nick SwisherFor those of you who are/were concerned about me after Kansas’s stunning collapse against Michigan Friday night, I can assure you that I am OK. Remember, I am from Cleveland. I have seen plenty of gag jobs in my day. Of course, it didn’t help watching Michigan easily dismantle a completely overrated Florida team to get to the Final Four. But hey, it is time to move forward. Time to put all of my focus on my first love, the Cleveland Indians and the game of baseball.

Today is Opening Day in cities all across the nation. Tomorrow, your Wahoo Warriors begin the 2013 season in Toronto against a Blue Jays team that like the Tribe, majorly overhauled their roster for the better. They are in “go for it” mode as well, adding “The Miami Four” in starter Josh Johnson and Mark Buerhle, shortstop Jose Reyes, and outfielder Emilio Bonafacio, as well as NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to head a loaded pitching staff. Throw-in cheater extraordinaire Melky Cabrera and the face-lift has many picking the Jays to win the AL East. Dickey will be on the mound chucking his knuckler the Tribe’s way in the season opener. [Read more...]

Building Cleveland’s Eleven

Clevelands11The great heist. You’ve seen the movies. An all-star cast gets together to pull off one big job. Along the way there are hi-jinx and laughs. Plot twists force our gang to change plans or everyone gets caught. It’s a great concept.

So I was thinking what if we made a team with Cleveland athletes?

I proposed the question twitter and took in some responses. [Read more...]

Sunday Indians Notes: Bullpen depth, backups and prospects

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...]