Indians Prospect Insider

PAWTUCKET- In a back and forth affair between the Columbus Clippers and the Pawtucket PawSox, the Clippers lost a heartbreaker in the bottom of the ninth inning. The way things started for Columbus, it was hard to imagine them losing this game.

EASTLAKE – The Lake County Captains fell to the Clinton LumberKings 13-7 Saturday despite LeVon Washington’s bid for a major comeback with five hits on the day.

The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.

The 2013 MLB Draft is less than six weeks away, which means all 30 MLB organizations are busy scooting all across the country getting several final looks at some of the top talents in order to finalize their big boards for draft day. IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis has put together his first big board of the Top 30 players in the draft and provides some insight and commentary on each.

Will the Indians ever play baseball again? It certainly feels like the Tribe has been in Mother Nature’s doghouse wherever they go this season as they now have four postponements and four games to make up. Fortunately, the team will still be able to get in all four games this weekend as they’ll make up Friday’s series opener on Sunday in a day-night doubleheader. The IBI's Jake Dungan touches on some topics surrounding the team in this rained out edition of Second Thoughts.

Akron took the first game of the series on Friday night with a 4-0 win over the Binghamton Mets, winning their third game in a row. The Mets offense was no match for the Aeros pitching, while Akron took advantage of a weak mound for Binghamton.

Jordan Cooper tossed his best outing of the season as the Carolina Mudcats dominated the Frederick Keys 10-2 at Harry Grove Stadium on Friday night. The win is Carolina’s fourth in five games, and improves their record to 10-11. The Keys fall to an equal record, and under .500 for the first time this season.

While the big league team was rained out, the Indians took three out of four games in the minor league circuit on Friday night. The two biggest highlights of the night came from Columbus where starter T.J. House was impressive in his Triple-A debut and Yan Gomes settled back into his everyday catching duties and raked.

The Lake County Captains (6-15) held a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth inning but could not close the game as the Clinton Lumberkings (9-10) scored two runs in the top of the ninth to win the game 5-4.

Clippers starter TJ House was called up from Akron just in time to start the series finale against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, and his pitching combined with some timely Clippers offense led the way to a late 3-2 win.

The 2013 baseball season is already now into its fourth week. While players at various levels of the Cleveland Indians farm system are starting to settle in, Tony Wolters is just now beginning his full-time transition from the middle infield to the catching position. The IBI's Tony Lastoria recently sat down with Wolters to discuss his move to catcher.

The Cleveland Indians announced Friday morning that Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco suffered a deep contusion to his right elbow and forearm after being hit with a line drive on Thursday night. He is listed as day to day.

The Indians' record sits at 8-11, and the team has still been unable to get on a consistent roll. The starting pitching staff has been up-and-down, and the team's offense has unfortunately been maddeningly inconsistent. Could it be possible that the team's 25-man roster needs some tweaking? And are there any tweaks that could actually lead to an improved team? Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he ponders that thought in this week's edition of Orbiting Cleveland.

IBI contributors Jake, Mike and Hayden are back for the third weekly episode of Call To The Bullpen!
This week, the guys discuss the hot start by Mark Reynolds and how he was somehow snubbed from the Home Run Derby Ballot. They'll also talk about the state of the starting rotation, including thoughts on veteran starter Brett Myers going down with injury.
On the MLB side of things, there's...

After taking a line drive off his elbow in a start last night for Columbus, Carlos Carrasco appears to have established a rather morbid method for evading the suspensions Major League Baseball tries to impose upon him. At press time, the extent of Carrasco’s latest injury remained unknown, but if initial reports are any indication, another prolonged stint on the disabled list could be in the cards. If so, it’s just the latest chapter it what has become an increasingly bizarre pro career for the 26 year-old right-hander from Venezuela. Join Andrew Clayman as he gives his off-day Second Thoughts about Carrasco.

It's always good to see your first round picks leading the way down on the farm. Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor played pivotal roles in leading the Carolina Mudcats Thursday, flashing the potential that makes them both top prospects in the organization. You never want to see players hurt, however, and Cleveland saw two of their better pitchers injured in Columbus. To help make sense of all that went on, join Andrew Zajac, as he goes Around The Farm...