May 24, 2013

MLB News: Indians return Chris McGuiness to Rangers

March 27, 2013 by 2 Comments

Based on the series of roster moves announced Monday night, Indians fans had to expect a few corresponding moves coming later this week. This is just one of those moves: Since he wasn’t going to make the Opening Day roster or last all season, the Tribe has returned 1B Chris McGuiness to the Texas Rangers.

Per Jordan Bastian at MLB.com:

“I’ve said it before, I wish he wasn’t a Rule 5,” Indians manager Terry Francona said on Tuesday. “It’s hard for a position player to skip Triple-A and come to the big leagues. It’s not altogether fair to expect them to be able to put up numbers. There’s so much to like about him.”

Cleveland spent $50,000 to select the 24-year-old McGuiness in the Rule 5 Draft. Players added in that manner must remain on the acquiring team’s 25-man roster all season or be offered back to the original club at half the cost. It became clear this spring that McGuiness — with no career at-bats above Double-A — was not going to make the Indians’ roster.

McGuiness will turn 25 years old in two weeks. A 13th-round selection in the 2009 Draft by the Boston Red Sox, he was traded to Texas the next year at the trade deadline in a deal for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

In 123 games for Double-A Frisco in 2012, he batted .268/.366/.474 with 25 doubles, 23 home runs and 77 RBI. That home run total would have led all minor leaguers in the Indians organization, out-pacing Russ Canzler (22) and a handful of others. He then was named the Arizona Fall League MVP this offseason.

MLB.com had McGuiness ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the Indians organization. He certainly would have provided a much needed boost in the power department as well as added competition at Triple-A Columbus. It appears that the Indians were unable to reach an agreement with Texas for him to remain in Cleveland.

With this move, the Indians’ 40-man roster currently stands at 39. The final spot is expected to be IF/OF Ryan Raburn, who will be officially added by Opening Day.

Going back to the Rule 5 Draft, the Indians lost RHP Hector Rondon to the Chicago Cubs and LHP T.J. McFarland to the Baltimore Orioles. Rondon, plagued since 2010 by injuries, has made the Cubs’ 25-man roster and appears to have a long-term role as a middle reliever. Per the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are still deciding on McFarland’s future.

[Related: Roster Is Set, Any Concerns?]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , ,

Report: Indians in the market for OF Michael Bourn

December 21, 2012 by 6 Comments

A bit of surprising news on the free agency trail today: The Indians are reportedly on the short list of teams “in the market” for OF Michael Bourn, according to a tweet from ESPN and XM analyst Jim Bowden.

Tony Lastoria, writer for the newly rebranded Indians Baseball Insider, followed up to Bowden’s tweet to say that the Indians reportedly were interested in trading for Bourn at the deadline in 2011. This is the first his name has been connected heavily to Cleveland this offseason, as the Tribe usually has been related to their courting of OSU alumnus Nick Swisher.

But, Bourn is significantly younger and likely a better fit for a possible long-term deal than Swisher. A soon-to-be 30-year-old speedster, he batted .274/.349/.391 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 9 homers and 42 steals in 155 games for Atlanta in 2012. The 6.0 WAR was the best of his career, but he notably also produced a 4.7 and 5.3 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

The Phillies, Rangers and Mariners, also on Bourn’s short list, have been rumored to be in the market to spend money on a marquee outfielder this season. So the Indians are likely a long-shot for now — especially if Swisher’s power is indeed their preference — but it’s no doubt intriguing to see they’ve thrown their hat in the race.

[Related: The Pitch To Swish]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pure Rage Caption Contest

May 7, 2012 by 25 Comments

There was a lot of fun had last night on the WFNY Facebook page putting captions to Chris Perez’s celebratory scream and fist pump. Here were some of the highlights. As always the instructions were to keep it clean.

Jason Miller / Getty Images

I started things off with “This is fun but I miss singing for the Foo Fighters!” Thankfully they got better after mine. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , ,

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...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Box Score: Indians 4, Rangers 2

May 6, 2012 by 2 Comments

Well that was certainly nice to see. Ubaldo Jimenez gave up just two hits in seven innings (five walks, six strikeouts) and the Tribe bats did enough to give Yu Darvish his first major league loss. Jason Kipnis hit his fifth home run of the season and Asdrubal Cabrera had a 2-run double. Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth for his league high 11th save.

 

Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 Texas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6 1
Cleveland 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 X 4 6 0
WP: U. Jimenez (3-2) S: C. Perez (11)
LP: Y. Darvish (4-1)
Scoring Summary
Bot 3rd: Cleveland
- A. Cabrera doubled to right, J. Damon and J. Kipnis scored
- S. Choo singled to shortstop, A. Cabrera to third, A. Cabrera scored, S. Choo to second on shortstop E. Andrus’ fielding error
Bot 5th: Cleveland
- J. Kipnis homered to deep right
Top 8th: Texas
- J. Hamilton grounded out to first, I. Kinsler scored, E. Andrus to third
- M. Young singled to right, E. Andrus scored
 Texas
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
I. Kinsler 2b 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 .284
E. Andrus ss 2 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 .302
J. Hamilton cf 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 .381
M. Young 1b 4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 .315
D. Murphy lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .280
N. Cruz rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 .216
M. Moreland dh 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .279
Y. Torrealba c 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .196
    M. Napoli ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .238
A. Gonzalez 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .233
    A. Beltre ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .318
 Totals 32 2 6 2 0 5 9 0 13
 Batting
2B - E Andrus (6, T Sipp); D Murphy (6, U Jimenez).
RBI - J Hamilton (26), M Young (16).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Young 3, Y Torrealba 1.
Team LOB - 8.
 Fielding
E - E Andrus (2, field).
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
J. Damon lf 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 .235
    A. Cunningham lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
J. Kipnis 2b 2 2 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 .300
A. Cabrera ss 3 1 1 2 0 1 2 0 2 .333
T. Hafner dh 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 4 .253
C. Santana c 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 .236
S. Choo rf 3 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 .215
M. Brantley cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .238
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .162
J. Hannahan 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 .282
 Totals 30 4 6 3 1 5 13 2 18
 Batting
2B - A Cabrera (9, Y Darvish).
HR - J Kipnis (5, 5th inning off Y Darvish 0 on, 0 Out).
RBI - J Kipnis (18), A Cabrera 2 (11).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Damon 1, C Santana 1, M Brantley 1, J Hannahan 1.
Team LOB - 7.
 Base Running
SB - S Choo (4, 2nd base off Y Darvish/Y Torrealba), C Kotchman (3, 2nd base off Y Darvish/Y Torrealba).
 Texas
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
Y. Darvish (L, 4-1) 6.0 6 4 3 4 11 1 1.46 2.54
M. Lowe 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.00 1.12
K. Uehara 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.44 2.00
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
U. Jimenez (W, 3-2) 7.0 2 0 0 5 6 0 1.60 4.04
T. Sipp 0.2 3 2 2 0 1 0 1.88 9.00
V. Pestano (H, 8 ) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.92 2.08
C. Perez (S, 11) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.11 2.84
Pitches-strikes - Y Darvish 112-63; M Lowe 18-9; K Uehara 15-10; U Jimenez 108-62; T Sipp 14-11; V Pestano 6-5; C Perez 18-11.
Ground balls-fly balls - Y Darvish 8-4; M Lowe 1-1; K Uehara 2-0; U Jimenez 6-8; T Sipp 2-0; V Pestano 0-0; C Perez 1-2.
Batters faced - Y Darvish 28; M Lowe 4; K Uehara 3; U Jimenez 27; T Sipp 5; V Pestano 1; C Perez 4.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Angel Campos. 1B–Dan Iassogna. 2B–Dale Scott. 3B–CB Bucknor.
Weather: 59 degrees, clear.
Wind: 10 mph, in from center.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , ,

Tribe turns to Ubaldo for rubber match with Rangers

May 6, 2012 by 13 Comments

Jimenez looks to rebound from his rough start in ChicagoIf there’s one Indians storyline that dominates this early season, it is the lackluster performance of one Ubaldo Jimenez. If you’re ever on twitter during a Jimenez start, it’s one of the more entertaining twitter experiences one can have with the 2012 Tribe.

Notice I didn’t say enjoyable. Nothing is fun about an ERA over five and more walks (20) than strike outs (14). Coupled with the fact he’s only made it through seven innings once in five starts, it’s safe to say he’s a concern.

Questions surround Ubaldo. Will he ever regain his 2010 form? Is it his mechanics? Is it mental? Does Ubaldo mean ‘bust’ in Spanish (hardy har!)? How is it that he could pitch in Coors Field but not on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , ,

Indians trade De La Cruz to Rangers

February 21, 2012 by 1 Comment

From the Indians:

The Indians traded left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz to the Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.

De La Cruz was designated for assignment on Feb. 13 to vacate a spot on Cleveland’s 40-man roster for recently-signed first baseman Casey Kotchman. The Indians signed Kotchman to a one-year contract worth $3 million earlier this month.

The 23-year-old De La Cruz spent last season with Double-A Akron — his second year at that level in the Tribe’s system. The lefty went 5-6 with a 4.19 ERA in 23 appearances, including 16 starts, in 2011 for the Aeros. De La Cruz struck out 95 and walked 57 over 86 innings.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , ,

In An Ideal World Sizemore’s Option Wouldn’t Be a Question

October 28, 2011 by 10 Comments

First of all, please don’t accuse me of bashing the Dolan family.  That isn’t what this post is about.  They deserve some of the blame for their spending habits, but ultimately they are playing in an environment that has all sorts of factors working outside of their control as well.  Over poker last night I was talking to my friends about what this team would be like if Dick Jacobs had never sold it.  The payrolls might not really be that different.  It is something worth thinking about.  The point of all this is that the Indians and Indians fans shouldn’t really have to think twice about picking up a $9 million option on a player like Grady Sizemore in a year where the team is clearly hoping to challenge for the division.

Obviously there are caveats as Jon pointed out yesterday.  There are just some things we can’t know.  For example, if Indians team doctors are absolutely convinced that the Indians will not be able to get a healthy performance from Sizemore, that should supersede my argument.  You and I can’t possibly know that kind of information well enough to make an educated guess.  Instead, let’s try to put the $9 million in perspective.

I decided to look at the top 35 position players in baseball in terms of their WAR (Wins Above Replacement.)  We can probably argue all day and night whether this is the right metric, but it is the one I decided to use.  I took these top 35 players and I looked at what they made in 2011 and then what they are expected to make in 2012.  That gave me an average salary in the top 35 of $5.4 million.  That number didn’t seem very accurate for comparing to Grady Sizemore because it includes players who are arbitration eligible.  These guys aren’t very comparable to Grady Sizemore because they aren’t available on the free agent market, so they wouldn’t really be eligible “replacements” for a guy like Sizemore without a trade of some kind. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

What the Indians Can Learn from the World Series

October 21, 2011 by 15 Comments

This has been, for me, one of the more exciting playoffs in memory.  The games have been tight.  There’s been a nice mix of offense and pitching.  Managerial decisions have played a huge role.  In other words, I’m enjoying these games about as much as I’m able, considering the Indians aren’t participating.

And while I wouldn’t put too much stock in the crapshoot that is the MLB playoffs, I find it interesting that the two teams that have made the World Series happen to be teams that don’t spend gobs and gobs of money—at least not relatively speaking.

The St. Louis Cardinals opening day payroll this year was about $110 million, up from $94 million in 2010 and $88 million in 2009.  The Rangers were at $92 million on opening day 2011, up considerably from 2010 and 2009 where their figures were at $64 million and $68 million respectively.

In other words, these two teams have averaged about $86 million in payroll over the last three years. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Indians Bounce Back with 9th Inning Magic of Their Own

August 7, 2011 by 5 Comments

Saturday night in Arlington was a microcosm of this incredible up-and-down week, this incredible rollercoaster season.  All of the Indians flaws which have put them in this slump were on display.  But so were the thrills and late-inning heroics that were a staple of the first two months and made this season a race.

It’s just that those heroics came from some guys who weren’t a part of those first two months.  With the Indians down to their final at-bats, Kosuke Fukudome, Lonnie Chisenhall, Michael Brantley, and Jason Kipnis evened the game, put the Tribe ahead, and added some insurance for closer Chris Perez.  The new guys crushed flamethrower Neftali Feliz to stave off the Indians first sub .500 record since April 3rd and what would look like an insurmountable 5 game hole behind the streaking Tigers.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

SABR-Toothed Triber: Mastering Masterson’s Splits

April 15, 2010 by 7 Comments

Note: The bulk of this piece was written before Justin Masterson’s start last night, so take most of the 2010 charts with multiple grains of salt, as they only include his first start of the season against the White Sox.

In January, Manny Acta and Mark Shapiro announced that Justin Masterson would be given a shot in the starting rotation, marking the first time in Masterson’s major league career that he would be in an opening day rotation.  While much has been written about who would fill the #4 and #5 spots in the rotation, I’d like to take a look today at some of Masterson’s numbers, to see what we might be able to expect from the youngster in a starting role.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , ,

Behold Omar Vizquel, Bullfighter

September 30, 2009 by 13 Comments

OmarUnderstandably, there is a contingent of fans that would love to see Omar Vizquel back with the Cleveland Indians – whether on the field or in the front office.  Unfortunately,  the veteran shortstop will not concern himself with such matters this offseason.  At least not right away.  This is because he will be busy taking up yet another hobby once the baseball season is over: Bullfighting.

The Texas Rangers infielder, who last winter searched for anacondas, plans to try bullfighting when he goes home to Venezuela this winter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , ,

Indians 2010 Schedule a Little More Fan Friendly

September 15, 2009 by 6 Comments

Mariners Indians Ppd BaseballGet your sunblock ready, folks!  You can now officially commence your Waiting for Next Year…

All it took was a handful of games to be snowed out or canceled and Indians fans appear to have gotten their wish.  With the 2010 MLB schedule being released today, not only will there not be a home game until the middle of April, there will only be seven home games for the entire month.  Starting the season in Chicago, the Indians will host the Texas Rangers and White Sox for a six-game stint before hitting the road again.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , ,

The Grind Continues, Indians Lose to Rangers

September 10, 2009 by 12 Comments

(Today, we outsource our Indians recap.  The following is brought to you by WFNY commenter Macnip.  Many thanks to him for taking the time.  Do enjoy.)

Rangers Indians BaseballNow, I have always thought it would be great to start writing for a site like WFNY but lets just say that my talent could be considered Quadruple-A at best. With that said, it looks like even I am getting my opportunity before Jordan Brown. I am sure he is getting valuable Minor League experience though while the Indians ride out their miserable season. Oh, the Clippers are done? Well then…

In case you didn’t know, there actually was a game yesterday and the Indians were looking to avoid the sweep by the Rangers and end their two-game losing streak. The Tribe had also managed to give up 21 total runs in said two losses. This meant two things for yesterday’s game: Things probably couldn’t get worse and the Tribe needed a solid start to give the bullpen a rest. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Tribe Arms Give up 21 Runs in Double-Dip

September 9, 2009 by 14 Comments

Rangers Indians BaseballI know that he has been effective in his starts this season, but at no point in the year should Rick Manning let fans watching at home know that they can look forward to their “ace Aaron Laffey” in the second game of a double-header.  It is tough to blame him though as the recently called-up Carlos Carrasco’s welcoming party continued in hard-hitting fashion.

Carrasco allowed five earned runs on eight hits – two of which were of the long ball variety.  He did manage to strike out four, but walked three en route to a five-inning outing and a no decision.  Fair or not, it was Jensen Lewis who left the first game with the loss after allowing a run in his inning and a third.

It was a rough night for the Tribe arms all around as Chris Perez (who had been stellar over the past month) allowed two earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.  Potential closer of the future Jess Todd allowed three earned runs in one and two-thirds.  Both relievers gave up a home run as the Rangers smacked four of them during the first match of the night.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Report: Cliff Lee Will Test Free Agency

July 1, 2009 by 19 Comments

Cliff LeeFresh off of one of the worst starts of Cliff Lee’s career, we are now also confronted with a recent report by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that states that the team is most definitely listening to offers for their ace starting pitcher.

But why would a team look to trade a guy that they still have for one more season when they feel that they can compete and “like their core?”  Well, according to a “source close to Lee,” he is set to test the free agent waters following the 2010 season.  Of course he is.

Earlier reports had the Dodgers looking to add Lee to their pitching staff as they (likely) head into the 2009 post season.  However, the asking price at the time of the report was a “potential top-of-the-rotation starter” a la Tommy Hanson or Clay Buchholz.  Now, Rosenthal adds the Texas Rangers to the mix as a team that could look to add Lee.  But he also states that they will not only not part with their top pitching prospect, but won’t move any of their top three prospects – including the flame throwing Neftali Feliz, who has reached triple digits and just turned 21 years of age.  Somehow, I can’t see both teams being close to an agreeable price.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

What’s Wrong with Rafael Perez?

April 16, 2009 by 6 Comments

During the recap yesterday, I started going off on a tangent about Rafael Perez.  However, after a few paragraphs that dove into different aspects of his game, I opted to edit it out and stick only to things that had an impact on the final score in general instead of going pitch by pitch.  But since I edited it out, I needed somewhere else to put it, and this would be the place.  Be forwarned, what follows encompasses a lot of numbers.  However, I’m also including some pictures with lots of colors and stuff in the event that that’s more your thing as well.  Do enjoy.

medium_rafael-perez-2009Last season, the Indians had an issue with the whole “closer” role.  We started out with Joe Borowski, he of the 83 MPH fastball.  Then we tried others like Masa Kobayashi before settling in with Jensen Lewis.  And while he didn’t exactly strive in the ninth inning, Rafael Perez wound up being one of the best set-up men in the game.  In 76 innings pitched, Perez fanned 56 batters.  He finished the season with an ERA of 3.54, but this can be skewed by a few bad outings coupled with the lack of total innings pitched.  However, his peripheral numbers were excellent including a WHIP of 1.18, OBA of .234 and a HR/9 of 0.94. 

Well, if you have watched any of the last few games that featured Mr. Perez, you have undoubtedly seen a different player.  He has yet to record a strikeout.  Left-handed batters (typically his specialty) are hitting .250 against him, with righties hitting .455.  Last season, neither side hit more than .243 against him.  He’s tossed five innings, has already allowed a home run and has walked six batters.  The early percentages are not pretty: 18.00 ERA, 2.60 WHIP, .368 OBA. 

So what’s wrong with our would-be stud set-up man? 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Tribe Swept, But Not All Is Lost

April 10, 2009 by 10 Comments

Carl Pavano Exit Stage LeftRangers 12, Indians 8 (box)

Pardon me while I attempt to remain hopeful after watching my Cleveland Indians get pounded during three straight games. The rotation was the big question mark, and I hate to think that said question has been answered after having our starters gave up 22 earned runs in 11 collective innings. 

Yesterday’s loss marks the first time in 13 seasons that the Indians have opened up the year by getting swept.  The 1996 team, led by Mike Hargrove, went on to win 96 games and finish atop the AL Central.  The down side to this is that the team that swept them to start ’96 was the New York Yankees who went on to win the World Series.  Something tells me that the Rangers team that we just face will not go on to win the World Series in 2009.  But what do I know.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Carl Pavano’s Debut: Great Start, Eh?

April 9, 2009 by 40 Comments

Top 1st: Cleveland
- G. Sizemore struck out swinging
- M. DeRosa struck out looking
- V. Martinez walked
- T. Hafner struck out looking

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors
Cleveland 0, Texas 0

Bottom 1st: Texas
- I. Kinsler singled to left
- M. Young doubled to deep right, I. Kinsler to third
- J. Hamilton hit sacrifice fly to right center, I. Kinsler scored, M. Young to third
- A. Jones singled to center, M. Young scored
- N. Cruz walked, A. Jones to second
- M. Byrd homered to deep center, A. Jones and N. Cruz scored
- C. Davis struck out swinging
- T. Teagarden grounded out to second

5 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors
Cleveland 0, Texas 5

Weeeeeee!

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With:

Rangers Top Tribe: A Texas-Sized Problem?

April 9, 2009 by 12 Comments

faustoI’m not going to sit here and tell you the sky is falling after last night’s 8-5 loss in Texas. The fact of the matter is it’s only two games. There are 160 more to go. The $215 million Yankees are also 0-2 after losing again in Baltimore yesterday. Neither C.C Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang made it out of the fifth inning and failed to record a strike out. Does that make you feel any better?

Now to our Wahoo Warriors. Last night’s starter Fausto Carmona was hoping to take his superb Spring with him into his regular season debut. Instead, he looked like Fausto version 2008; the one who was wild with all of his pitches. The Rangers, who seem to own the Tribe no matter the year in Arlington, jumped all over him for six runs and seven hits through five innings. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts