The Indians got a big break with a reviewed non-home run call not being overturned, and it helped the Indians and closer Chris Perez escape with a 4-3 win, their ninth win in their last ten games. The IBI's Michael Hattery steps in and provides his "second thoughts" on Perez's save, the value of Justin Masterson, the depth of the lineup, and more.
Balls flying out of Huntington Park in Columbus with one of the main culprits being a real blast from the past. An Akron starting pitcher turning around a season's worth of poor performances with a strong day in Canal Park. Few hits and fewer runs from the Lake County offense, letting down their pitchers. To figure out who these cryptic hints are referring to and find out all you need to know about the action in the minor leagues Wednesday night, join Jim Piascik as he takes you Around The Farm.
Just when you thought you’ve see it all in Major League Baseball, you really haven’t. Coming into the ballgame winners of seven of their last eight, the Indians stayed red hot on Wednesday, as they won their third straight over the Oakland Athletics 4-3. Another team victory was thanks in large part to more great starting pitching and a little luck. Cleveland benefited from a controversial call in the ninth inning as Chris Perez looked for (and succeeded at getting) the save. Join Jim Berdysz as he recaps all the action, after the jump...
Aside from three solo home runs, the Clipper bats struggled against Charlotte pitching as they fell 8-3 to the Knights on Wednesday. Clippers left-hander T.J. House (0-2, 7.88 ERA) lost his second-straight decision after allowing five earned runs on eight hits in six innings of work. Right-hander Zach Stewart (1-4, 4.22 ERA) had a fantastic outing for the Knights. In the six innings he pitched, the righty allowed just one earned run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The Captains fell to the Silver Hawks 3-0 Wednesday night after several failed attempts to bring in runs. After two pitching changes and only five hits, the Captains just could not bring men around to home. All the way through the seventh inning, the Captains never hit anything more than a single. Singles came from first baseman Erik Gonzalez, right fielder Logan Vick, catcher Jeremy Lucas, designated hitter Eric Haase and another from Gonzalez. Those singles were the only hits for the Captains on the night and the only positives for the Captains as well.
It was an interesting week for the Lake County Captains as they were on the road in Peoria and Burlington last week. Peoria’s results were rare, as one game ended in a tie after it was suspended due to weather on Thursday and continued on Friday, and another game was cancelled. The team picked up two wins in Burlington as the offense produced seven runs on Sunday and the pitching was untouchable on Monday. All of that and more is recapped in this week's notebook...
After being selected as a No. 1 draft pick in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins, outfielder Jeremy Hermida was one of the most highly-touted prospects in the sport. Unfortunately, things just never really panned out the way many expected them to. After bouncing around the league the last few years he found his way into the Indians organization this year and is off to a good start at Triple-A Columbus. The IBI's Ethan Day recently sat down with him to get an update on things are going...
Coming into Wednesday, Akron Aeros left-hander Matt Packer owned a 0-4 record, a 4.60 ERA, more hits (42) than innings pitched (29.1), and almost as many walks (14) as strikeouts (16). Packer began to turn things around Wednesday morning at Education Day at Canal Park, however, throwing seven innings with no earned runs (two unearned) as the Aeros defeated the Erie SeaWolves 4-2. The win allowed Akron to avoid a sweep before heading out on a seven-game road trip.
Akron Aeros' right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar is presently 2-3 with a 2.67 ERA and a 51:10 K:BB. In three appearances from April 20-May 2, Salazar didn’t allow an earned run. On Tuesday, his final start with the Aeros, he tossed five innings against the Erie SeaWolves and yielded just one run. He is still working on his secondary stuff, but is expected to be promoted to Columbus in the next few days. Stephanie Metzger has the story...
The Indians won a nail-biter on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win over the Athletics at Progressive Field. Behind the strong pitching of Zach McAllister, whom they got from the Yankees for Austin Kearns in July of 2010, and some key plays by Yan Gomes the Indians were able to come away with their eighth win in their last nine games. Did I mention the Indians got McAllister for Kearns? The IBI's Jake Dungan gives his second thoughts on the game...
There was plenty of solid performances in the Indians system on Monday night. Trevor Bauer flirted with a no-hitter while Michael Bourn began his rehab assignment. Also, Akron right-hander continued his recent streak of dominant starts. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he recaps all the action and takes you Around the Farm.
The Indians starting pitching continues to impress as of late, and that trend continued on Tuesday as Zach McAllister pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the Tribe to a 1-0 victory. It was the Indians' eighth win in their last nine games and now puts their record at 16-14. The IBI's JIm Berdysz has you covered as he recaps McAllister's performance and all the key details from the contest.
No one said baseball was easy, and for the 36 guys fighting for 24 spots on the Crushers' final roster, one opportunity can't be wasted manager. Players are being put through the gauntlet with 15 straight days of practices and games leading up to the first game of the season on May 17. As the 36 man roster is whittled down to 24 players by the start of the season, Crushers' manager Jeff Isom talks about how tough it is to make changes this early in camp.
SALEM, VA- After waiting out a one-hour, 20-minute rain delay, the Carolina Mudcats took the field against the Salem Red Sox Tuesday night. Despite the fact that they outhit the Sox 10-4, the Mudcats fell 6-4 in the contest. Tuesday's game was the first of the three-day game series at LewisGale Field.
The Akron Aeros continued their run of winning over the past week, taking five of seven games to move to 15-16 on the season. The team's hot streak has moved them within one game of second place in the Western Division and out of the basement of the Eastern League. To find out who was hot, who was not, and all about how the Aeros did over the past week, join Jim Piascik with Launching Off With The Aeros.
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!
