It was a quiet night in the Indians' farm system as the Columbus Clippers were rained out and the Carolina Mudcats were off. However, there was still plenty of action to recap as Ryan Merritt pitched an impressive contest for the Captains, and Chun-Hsiu Chen continued to show that he may have regained his power stroke. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps their performances and more as he takes you Around the Farm.
Ezequiel Carrera stopped in Cleveland for a cup of coffee (one of those really small ones they serve espressos in), Dice-K went on the DL (likely causing the entire Japanese sports media set up camp outside Clippers trainer Jim Quinlan's office), and the mass exodus (or is that M*A*S*H* exodus) to DLs all over the org continued. However, in the good news department, some of the Wounded Wahoos from the Big Club began to take their first steps toward their respective returns to The Show. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he covers all of this and more in this week's Transaction Rundown...
The Cleveland Indians announced 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.
The IBI's Matt Lofgren woke up Sunday morning a little bit earlier than usual with the anticipation of playing organized baseball for the first time in six years and the chance of doing something great. Getting out of bed was no issue as he loosened up and stretched out for the Lake Erie Crushers' tryout day.
It's been a great week for the Cleveland Indians as the Tribe went 5-1 to get back to .500 at 14-14 and move into third place in the AL Central. Ryan Raburn was scorching hot at the plate as he went 11-for-13 across a three-game span to lead the Tribe. Trevor Bauer also made his return this past week, and it appears as if he now could be on his way back... and for good. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps the week that was in the weekly IBI staple, Notes from the Wigwam.
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Cleveland snapped their six-game winning streak Sunday afternoon as they fell to the Minnesota Twins, 4-2. Tribe bats cooled off considerably as the team was blanked by a strong pitching performance from Twins starter Mike Pelfrey (3-3, 6.35 ERA). Indians starter Corey Kluber (2-1, 3.06 ERA) worked out of some early trouble to surrender three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, but the solid effort was not enough.
Carlos Carrasco and Luigi Rodriguez celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style on Sunday, with two outstanding performances. Carrasco put all the injury worries to rest with six innings of one run ball. He's now struck out 24 in 23 2/3 innings. Luigi Rodriguez continued to own the Carolina League with his third straight multi-hit game. Join Carlos, Luigi and Jim Pete for Sunday Night's ATF fiesta.
The Lake County Captains’ offense generated some buzz on Sunday as they defeated the Burlington Bees 7-3 with a five-run ninth inning rally. Luis DeJesus (0-2, 6.30) received the start for the Captains to counter Burlington lefty Brandon Love (1-2, 5.18).
Behind a strong effort by Minnesota starter Mike Pelfrey, the Twins snapped the Cleveland Indians’ six-game winning streak Sunday afternoon, beating the Tribe 4-1. With the loss, the Indians fall back to .500 on the season and now trail the Detroit Tigers by four games in the AL Central division.
The Carolina Mudcats battled through the dreary Carolina mist, but couldn’t avoid the series sweep, falling 6-5 to the Frederick Keys.
Left-handed pitcher Shawn Morimando (1-4) started the game for the Mudcats but did not fare well. Morimando walked six batters over four innings, giving up two hits and two runs.
The Columbus Clippers squeaked past the Rochester Red Wings 3-2 to split the four-game series at a two games apiece. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco cranked out a wonderful performance for his first win of the season. The Venezuelan-native tossed six frames, allowing one run on four hits and fanned seven batters without issuing a walk.
Jim and Steve return to the cyber airwaves tonight with the latest edition of CSI: Cleveland Sports Insiders. There will be plenty of Indians talk tonight as the team has been scorching hot as of late, and the guys will also look look at potential draft targets for the Cavaliers. Plus, what about the Browns, and the team's chances of contending next year? Jim and Steve will discuss all of this tonight beginning at 9 p.m.
The Carolina Mudcats don't look all that good on paper, but Francisco Lindor makes it all better in the land of Carolina. Lindor has exploded offensively, and while there are some that says he still needs seasoning, the #1 prospect is making a case to be moved now. Join Jim Pete with his weekly Carolina Mudcats notebook, as he takes a close look at Lindor, and the rest of the Mudcats week.
What could right fielder Carlos Moncrief possibly do on Sunday to surpass his walk-off single Saturday night? How about a mammoth go-ahead home run off of a consensus top-25 prospect? The Akron Aeros defeated the Bowie Baysox 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Canal Park, winning the series and moving to .500 for the first time all year. Defense and pitching ruled for most of the day until Moncrief made it all his.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!
