May 25, 2013

Indians 10 Mariners 8: Yan Freaking Gomes and the Mariners Defense – a Lethal Combination

yan GomesI have been to hundreds and hundreds of baseball games in my 37 years on this earth. I don’t think I have ever witnessed a game like this one. The beauty of baseball is that every time out, you may see something you have never seen before. Today was one of those days.

Like the great Mr. Skin says, “Let us fast forward right to the good parts.”

The Indians carried a 6-5 lead into the eighth inning and turned it over to resident set up man Vinnie Pestano, who was activated off the DL Friday. Vinnie is still trying to work himself back into a groove and showed some immediate signs of rust. Kyle Seager hit a rocket shot, no-doubter to the seats in right field to tie the game before Pestano could record an out. The 19,390 fans in attendance sat in stunned silence. However, the Indians still had two more shots to finish off the sweep.

“With this lineup, you can go back in the dugout look guys in the eyes and say, ‘Come on, boys pick me up,’ ” said Pestano. “And they’re all in. It’s not deflating by any means. It’s like, ‘OK, let’s go back to work.’ ” [Read more...]

MLB News: Indians option Nick Hagadone to Columbus; Pestano nearing return

The Cleveland Indians have optioned left-handed relief pitcher Nick Hagadone to Columbus on Thursday, a move that is believed to be in anticipation of Vinnie Pestano’s return from the 15-day disabled list.

On the season, Hagadone—one of Terry Francona’s favorite relievers heading into the season—has an ERA of 7.20 largely thanks to a month of May that saw the 27-year-old allowed seven runs over the course of five games; opposing batters had an OPS of 1.145 over this span. The hard-throwing lefty had a solid start to his season with the Tribe, but fell off of the table over the course of the last few games.

Pestano, placed on the disabled list earlier this month with right elbow tendinitis, has made eight relief appearances for Cleveland, posting no record and a 2.25 ERA (2 ER/8.0 IP). His last appearance came in Game 2 of the Indians’ April 28 doubleheader at Kansas City. Pestano worked a scoreless inning Wednesday in a rehabilitation assignment with the Lake County Captains. He is eligible to return from the disabled list on Thursday but will likely be activated prior to Friday’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

[Related: Carlos Santana’s Coming Out Party]

MLB News: Indians send Vinnie Pestano to the 15-day disabled list

The Cleveland Indians announced tonight that the club has placed right-handed pitcher Vinnie Pestano on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow tendinitis. To take Pestano’s place on the 25-man roster, the Indians have recalled left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone from Triple-A Columbus. Hagadone (No. 50) is scheduled to be in uniform for Monday night’s four-game series opener against Oakland at Progressive Field.

Hagadone, 27, has made eight relief appearances for Cleveland this season, posting no record and a 2.45 ERA (2 ER/7.1 IP) during his first stint with the Indians from April 12-30. He was optioned to Columbus following his last outing for the Tribe on April 30 vs. Philadelphia (1.0 IP, 2 BB). Hagadone has also tossed 4.0 scoreless frames across four relief appearances for the Clippers.

Pestano, 28, has made eight relief appearances for Cleveland, posting no record and a 2.25 ERA (2 ER/8.0 IP). His last appearance came in Game 2 of the Indians’ April 28 doubleheader on April 28 at Kansas City (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB). Prior to Monday’s game, Indians manager Terry Francona stated that Pestano would be available to pitch this week after several games of rest.

Pestano will be eligible to be activated on May 16, as Hagadone’s recall falls within a 10-day period of his most recent active date on the Major League 25-man roster (April 30). MLB rules stipulate that Pestano’s DL placement must be back-dated to May 1, or the day after Hagadone’s option to Columbus.

[Related: Tribe Weekend Recap: Streak ends, but series Tribe takes series]

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

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...]

Indians News: Vinnie Pestano Looking To Avoid Trip to DL

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

Tribe Pen Living Up To Billing

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...]

Indians 4, Blue Jays 1: Let the 162-0 Speculation Begin!

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...]

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...]

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...]

Pestano shelled as USA eliminated in WBC, Aviles and Puerto Rico advance

Vinnie Pestano will be joining his Tribe teammates in Goodyear, AZ a little earlier than he and Team USA had hoped. The US was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic at the hands of a 4-3 loss to Puerto Rico on Friday night.

With one on and two out, trailing 1-0 in the 6th, Pestano took the mound for Team USA replacing starter Ryan Vogelsong of the Giants. Pestano gave up a single to the Tribe’s Mike Aviles, walked Alex Rios, then walked in a run by giving Carlos Rivera a free pass.

With the bases loaded, two outs, and the US now trailing 2-0, Vestano gave up a two run double to Andy Gonzalez. That would be all for Pestano, who was yanked in favor of Jeremy Affeldt.

The US would rally to cut the lead to 4-3 but in the end Gonzalez’s bases loaded double off of Pestano would be the difference.

Mike Aviles and Puerto Rico will play the Dominican Republic on Saturday to determine seeding for the championship round as both teams have already advanced. Aviles is hitting .286 with 8 RBI in 6 games for Puerto Rico.

Pestano: “No bad blood” with Indians front office

Baseball has a business side to it and sometimes people don’t see eye-to-eye. There’s no bad blood or hard feelings whatsoever on either side. I respect Chris [Antonetti] and the organization and in no way am I unhappy with them. I’m grateful for the contract offer. They have a performance bonus schedule in place and stick to it. For the first time in my career I’m at a point where I can say thank you, but no thank you . . . I exercised that option.

– Cleveland Indians set-up man Vinnie Pestano, via text to the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes, in repsonse to the team renewing his contract from last season after failing to negotiate a long-term deal. Pestano was renewed for $501,000, representing a $9,800 raise over last season’s salary. In 2012, Pestano went 3-3 with a 2.57 ERA and set a club record with 36 holds. Per Hoynes, the team has not renewed a player since 2006 (Brandon Phillips). The offer presented to Pestano is unknown at this time.

[Related: Jon talks Vinnie Pestano, NFL salary caps and more – WFNY Podcast]

While We’re Waiting… Bounceback NBA Players, NFL Free Agent Tampering, And The Worst NBA Contracts

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.

WFNYBanner www

Leading off, Rob Mahoney at SI’s Point Forward take a look at some NBA players who had a rough start to the season but have bounced back. One of those players is Cavaliers rookie guard Dion Waiters, “Much of that can be attributed to a slightly more creative driving style, as Waiters no longer relies purely on the straight-line bludgeoning that became his early season trademark. He’s starting to fiddle with his speed, attempting to plot contingencies mid-drive and getting a better feel for when and how to set up his teammates. He’s nowhere near a finished product, but in his more recent form he’s at least a more constructive — or at least less destructive — player.” [Point Forward] [Read more...]

Indians’ Pestano aims to make up for a rough finish to 2012

20130118-121651.jpgVinnie Pestano wanted to get to 70 appearances. A nice, round number that would eclipse his total from a season earlier and become his new career-best. Though his Cleveland Indians had hit a monumental skid in the middle of the summer 1 and the season was coming to a much-needed close, Pestano wanted to use the finale — an early October contest against the Chicago White Sox — to cap off what was a season wherein he was one of the most productive players on the team.

After his trademark sprint from the bullpen, Pestano, who threw a scoreless inning the day before, took to the mound. He put his glove on the back of the bump, tucked his shirt in and took a deep breath before firing his first pitch. Pestano would give up back-to-back home runs, a walk and a double. He would not finish the inning.

Six months of work. One lasting impression.

“It stuck with me a lot,”  Pestano, back in town for the Indians’ upcoming Fan Fest, says about the finish to his season. “You can’t read an article without it pointing out where I was in August 2 to where I finished.”

[Read more...]

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  1. One that Pestano’s teammate Jason Kipnis calls a “whirlwind of Murphy’s Law. [back]
  2. He had an ERA of 1.79 on August 25. [back]

Vinnie Pestano to play for Team USA in World Baseball Classic

Vinnie Pestano will suit for the United States when they take the field for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Pestano, 27, was one of the Tribe’s few bright spots in 2012, finishing the season with an ERA of 2.57, with two saves and 76 strikeouts (to 24 walks) in 70 innings of work.

The World Baseball Classic was founded in 2005 and Japan has won both of the two WBC tournaments. The United States finished fourth in 2009.

[Related: Trevor Bauer- Eccentric or just smarter than the rest of us]

MLB Trade Rumors: Mets eyeing Indians’ Vinnie Pestano

The New York Mets, while not dealing with Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, have decided to set their focus on improving their bullpen. Their target, per reports, is Cleveland Indians set-up man Vinnie Pestano.

Citing sources, ESPN’s Adam Rubin reports that the Mets covet the 27-year-old righty. The Mets pursued 36-year-old right-hander Joel Peralta, but have found the asking price too high. Peralta signed with Tampa Bay at $3 million per season through 2014, then has a series of team options. Pestano is still under club control and remains as one of the best bullpen bargains in the game.

Through 70 appearances in 2012, Pestano went 3-3 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 76. His per-nine inning numbers were undoubtedly inflated by an October that saw the reliever allow five hits – two of them solo home runs — in just an inning and two-thirds. On the season, Pestano held right-handed batters to an OPS of .487.

From a trade perspective, the Indians have long been rumored to be interested in shopping closer Chris Perez who will be due a substantial amount in arbitration. Pestano, in this instance, would be assumed to step into the closer role.

[Related: Tribe At The Winter Meetings: Will They Add, Or Blow It Up?]

Indians Rumors: Perez and Smith on the trading block

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]

Cliche Headline: Tribe Dunn In

I have to say heading into this three-game series in Chicago, I am conflicted. On one hand is my love for the Indians. Through thick and thin, no matter how negative I have become about them, I bleed Wahoo Red, White, and Blue. The Indians are my clear #1 even though I live in BrownsTown USA. Seeing them play spoiler is bittersweet, but at least I like to see them fight and scrap and play until the end with their best effort.

On the other hand is my deep hatred for the Detroit Tigers. They headed into last night trailing the White Sox by one game in the AL Central. Neither team has played well over the last three weeks and the White Sox have lost five in a row. The Tribe would most likely provide the perfect elixir for what was ailing them.

The Sox sent out lefty Chris Sale, their first round pick from 2010, the same year the Indians took Drew Pomeranz at #5. The Tribe has been unable to touch him in his two previous starts and with the way they have been swinging the bat, it seemed like this would be another ho-hum loss for our Wahoos. But that’s why they play the games. [Read more...]

Indians 3, Tigers 2: Kluber Ends a Potential “Streak III”

If you are my age or older, you have grown up with the Indians being relegated to playing “spoiler” over the last month of the season more times that you’d like to remember. See, what all of you in your born in the 90′s don’t realize was that September baseball was meaningLESS more than meaningFUL before Jacobs Field was born. It wasn’t all just Albert Belle home runs, Kenny Lofton stolen bases, and Manny Ramirez gap shot doubles. My September’s as a kid had expanded rosters galore and the likes of Luis Medina, Carmelo Castillo, and Kevin Rhomberg getting those late season at-bats to try and thwart the Toronto’s,  Detroit’s, and Kansas City’s of the world from making it to the playoffs.

In essence, we are watching 1983 or 1984 or pick any year of my late 70′s and 80′s youth baseball right now. Insert Corey Kluber for Roy Smith. Kluber is one of the Indians “young arms” that they are taking a long look at over the last month and a half of the season. He’s not considered a top prospect by any means and essentially he is here because of the failures of the projected rotation. He jumped the line this year (well, you can’t really say it was an impressive line to begin with when it is three people deep and one of them is David Huff) and made his sixth start yesterday in Detroit and against the hated Motor City Kitties. [Read more...]

Nine and Counting….The Streak Continues

If you recall I spent last weekend in Minneapolis watching the Indians get smoked by the Twins. We then all watched together this week as the last place Kansas City Royals swept our Indians with relative ease. Taking a six-game losing streak into Detroit for a three-game set with the Tigers, you had to think things couldn’t possibly have gotten worse, right?

With my brother living in Detroit, I planned a summer family weekend in Detroit around the Tribe’s visit. I figured the cousins could get together, have fun as they always do, and I could mix in a little live Tribe ball in the process. Do I know how to pick ‘em or what? I should have known what was in store when in the second inning of Friday’s game, the newly called up Ezequiel Carrera lost a line drive hit right at him in the sun, allowing a run. His sunglasses were sitting on the bill of his cap.

The play was a microcosm of the entire weekend. From Zeke’s misplay to Chris Perez’s 10th inning meltdown Sunday afternoon, it was another weekend to forget as the Tigers swept the Indians, mercifully ending their nine-game road trip without a win. That’s right, the Indians came off their biggest win of the season, the comeback win over Justin Verlander and the Tigers 11 days ago, and laid down an 0-9 road trip against three divisional foes. [Read more...]

Indians 5 Tigers 3: The “Magic” Bites Verlander

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Was that something special or what? And it looked as though the game wasn’t even going to be played.

All day long in Cleveland it looked like a torrential downpour would happen. The skies were ominous, but nothing more than a sprinkle hit downtown. Then at about 6:30, the heavens opened up and the rains came down. They came down hard. However, the storms blew past quickly and the game started only 25 minutes behind scheduled. I thought out loud on Twitter that a rainout wouldn’t be such a bad thing, considering the Indians had to face Justin Verlander, the game’s best pitcher.

I’m glad to say that I was wrong.

For the first six innings though, the crowd of 34,579 seemed to be sick over the $1 hot dogs they consumed. The Indians couldn’t touch Verlander other than a first inning run (Shin-Soo Choo led off with a double, was moved to third on a ground ball, and brought in on a Jason Kipnis sac fly). He was dialing up in the high-90′s as usual and the Indians could only muster three hits. [Read more...]