Official 2012 Cleveland Indians game thread

by **GeronimoSon** » Tue May 15, 2012 9:15 am

Magneticnorth451 wrote:I'm happy to admit that I actually feel at ease when Chris Perez enters a game, and I haven't felt that way in a very long time.

Fastball is 94-95 with late life, and he's keeping hitters off-balance with his slider. He actually looks like a pitcher.

Bite your tongue.. you're going to jinx it..

Quick turnaround with a day game today.. Ubaldo & Jason Marquis square off in a Tuesday Matinee. I don't remember ever seeing Marquis pitch against the Indianss. He's been around a LOOOOOONNNGGGG time & has been with quite a few clubs, so I'm sure the Indians have seen him before, but I can't recall how far back.. Ubaldo needs to throw strike one.. a lot.. Quit with the cutsie frisbee curves, the split, the cutter, slider.. throw the high hard reeeking stinky cheese !! (Fastballs). This park takes a mighty blow from a really bad 'mistake' pitch to get taken out of the park (even Kotchman hit one out).. It's going to be a warm day there too, so, let em rip..

by **homerawayfromhome** » Tue May 15, 2012 10:30 am

Can't say I'm at ease with Perez in the game, but did notice Perez is flashing 94-95. Perez has his wildness but that's part of who he is as a pitcher. It's not always pretty but effective.
I called for Perez to be traded all offseason, not sure closers bring back fair value. But maybe this offseason when his pay increases again... Maybe they swap him for a bat. This is way too early for this though...
Good finish tonight.

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 15, 2012 12:07 pm

GeronimoSon wrote:Quick turnaround with a day game today.. Ubaldo & Jason Marquis square off in a Tuesday Matinee. I don't remember ever seeing Marquis pitch against the Indianss. He's been around a LOOOOOONNNGGGG time & has been with quite a few clubs, so I'm sure the Indians have seen him before, but I can't recall how far back.. Ubaldo needs to throw strike one.. a lot.. Quit with the cutsie frisbee curves, the split, the cutter, slider.. throw the high hard reeeking stinky cheese !! (Fastballs). This park takes a mighty blow from a really bad 'mistake' pitch to get taken out of the park (even Kotchman hit one out).. It's going to be a warm day there too, so, let em rip..

Derek Lowe is pitching this afternoon, not Ubaldo.

Hanny still out with the bad back, probably smart with the day game after night game. Hafner gets a days rest with Santana not catching the day after a night. Damon back in there too batting 7th.

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 15, 2012 12:12 pm

homerawayfromhome wrote:Can't say I'm at ease with Perez in the game, but did notice Perez is flashing 94-95. Perez has his wildness but that's part of who he is as a pitcher. It's not always pretty but effective.
I called for Perez to be traded all offseason, not sure closers bring back fair value. But maybe this offseason when his pay increases again... Maybe they swap him for a bat. This is way too early for this though...
Good finish tonight.

Think the key there is trade your closer to the Red Sox. Rangers got 3 players including David Murphy for closer Eric Gagne....A's got Reddick (multi-player deal though) for closer Bailey this past winter....not too shabby.

Think moving Perez this winter is definitely an option, could be looking at a salary around $7M.

by **homerawayfromhome** » Tue May 15, 2012 5:22 pm

I actually suggested a cpl offseason trades that involved acq. Reddick from the BoSox for Perez or Carmona before that debacle unfolded. Reddick is having a nice season w/ Oakland if I recall correctly.
Good point alot is timing of the move and value.
Hagadone or Pestano could fill in but not sure I'd move Perez and shake up the pen until the offseason unless the Tribe got back a bat in return. Just saying, the pen is a strength still IMO but wouldn't make any unnecessary moves unless the return was worth while.

by **Bearcatbob** » Tue May 15, 2012 5:56 pm

Hermie13 wrote:
homerawayfromhome wrote:Can't say I'm at ease with Perez in the game, but did notice Perez is flashing 94-95. Perez has his wildness but that's part of who he is as a pitcher. It's not always pretty but effective.
I called for Perez to be traded all offseason, not sure closers bring back fair value. But maybe this offseason when his pay increases again... Maybe they swap him for a bat. This is way too early for this though...
Good finish tonight.

Think the key there is trade your closer to the Red Sox. Rangers got 3 players including David Murphy for closer Eric Gagne....A's got Reddick (multi-player deal though) for closer Bailey this past winter....not too shabby.

Think moving Perez this winter is definitely an option, could be looking at a salary around $7M.

We can only hope Perez has a year that brings him such a salary!

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:08 pm

Bearcatbob wrote:
Hermie13 wrote:
homerawayfromhome wrote:Can't say I'm at ease with Perez in the game, but did notice Perez is flashing 94-95. Perez has his wildness but that's part of who he is as a pitcher. It's not always pretty but effective.
I called for Perez to be traded all offseason, not sure closers bring back fair value. But maybe this offseason when his pay increases again... Maybe they swap him for a bat. This is way too early for this though...
Good finish tonight.

Think the key there is trade your closer to the Red Sox. Rangers got 3 players including David Murphy for closer Eric Gagne....A's got Reddick (multi-player deal though) for closer Bailey this past winter....not too shabby.

Think moving Perez this winter is definitely an option, could be looking at a salary around $7M.

We can only hope Perez has a year that brings him such a salary!

Sadly if he only has a year like he had in 2011 he'll be at $6.5M easily, if not higher. Arbitration process is just ridiculous when it comes to closers. His salary more than doubled in his 2nd arby trip this winter.

by **criznit2009** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:15 pm

Great game from Lowe today - throwing a complete game, a shut out no less for the win. Not a single K and 127 pitches is kinda of odd, even for a guy like Lowe.

by **GeronimoSon** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:18 pm

Okay.. it was just the twins.. it wasn't the Red Sox or the Rangers or the Yankees.. it was the Twins..

well. two of those three teams have been handled by Lowe, so it doesn't seem to matter who the opponent is.. So many ground outs..and so many pitches.. The Bullpen had the day off along with Hanny and PRONK. Jose Lopez filled in very nicely for Hanny.. No complaints there..

I'm liking Choo in the lead of spot..seems to have him energized and swinging well.. KEEP him there as it's not broken.

Night / Day back to back next for the Tribe against the M's Felix in the first game.. ouch..

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:25 pm

GeronimoSon wrote:Night / Day back to back next for the Tribe against the M's Felix in the first game.. ouch..

Positive side is Ubaldo going at home where he's been very solid....and the Mariners offense is pretty bad. Beckett is just shutting them down in Boston right now (and hell, Phil Humber threw a perfect game against them). Hopefully that ineptitude continues.

by **ironmike** » Tue May 15, 2012 7:31 pm

Note: movement, especially sink, experience, intelligence and locations will beat the hell out of a young power arm every time.

Wanna win? Get veterans who know how.

by **GeronimoSon** » Wed May 16, 2012 7:46 pm

After that first inning..

Ubaldo has incredible stuff tonight.. His command remains a WIP. If he settles in, the M's are in for a long night. Good job of limiting the damage...

wow.. Nice swing by Choo.. PRONK was robbed.. he hit that one HARD.. Okay.. well.. Jesus Montero REALLY SUCKS.. he is soooo slow behind the dish.. He can't move his feet and his hands in a coordinated fashion.. The Indians should run wild on him.. provided King Felix cooperates and continues to put juicy fastballs in the hitting zone..

Ubaldo had so much time in the bottom of the inning.. he may need to warm up again....we'll see...

by **Hermie13** » Wed May 16, 2012 7:48 pm

wow....just when I think I've seen everything...

by **ironmike** » Thu May 17, 2012 8:04 am

Great call by Manny Acta in last nites game when the Tribe was on top 2-1. Acta called for the double steal and put pressure on the Mariner's offense, it worked perfectly and changed the complexion of the game. Move runners, put pressure on the defense at all times, good things happen.

The manager in the other dug out when he was in Cleveland NEVER moved runners, started runners and we paid dearly for it. Still can't believe a manager would not give Kenny Lofton the green lite to run on his own. With a different manager we would have went to the WS in 2007 and won the dam thing.

Worst manager in Cleveland Indians history next to Joe Adcock. And let's not forget the Princeton football lineman who hired him and fired the guy who went on to great success with the Phillies during that time.

by **daingean** » Thu May 17, 2012 8:36 am

ironmike wrote:Great call by Manny Acta in last nites game when the Tribe was on top 2-1. Acta called for the double steal and put pressure on the Mariner's offense, it worked perfectly and changed the complexion of the game. Move runners, put pressure on the defense at all times, good things happen.

The manager in the other dug out when he was in Cleveland NEVER moved runners, started runners and we paid dearly for it. Still can't believe a manager would not give Kenny Lofton the green lite to run on his own. With a different manager we would have went to the WS in 2007 and won the dam thing.

Worst manager in Cleveland Indians history next to Joe Adcock. And let's not forget the Princeton football lineman who hired him and fired the guy who went on to great success with the Phillies during that time.

Putting runners in motion really changes the game.

1. Fielders get out of position
2. Hitters see more fastballs (and pitchouts i.e. free balls)
3. gets in the opponents psyche

There's a long list of bad Cleveland managers but Mike Ferraro would top my list of bad managers.

by **Prosecutor** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:44 am

The double steal worked out great but come on. You've got Johnny Damon at the plate against Felix Freaking Hernandez with runners on first and third. Worst case scenario is a double play. Best case is a strikeout or pop up. Why wouldn't you try a double steal? It's your only chance of scoring a run. I could have made that call.

But then again, if I'm the manager and Damon gets ahead 3-0 I'm putting the take sign on for the next three pitches. And if there's a runner on 3rd with less than two out we're squeezing every time.

by **ironmike** » Thu May 17, 2012 11:12 am

With a team that struggles to score runs, station-to-station baseball has no merit. Plus it dam boring.

by **Hermie13** » Thu May 17, 2012 12:45 pm

Prosecutor wrote:The double steal worked out great but come on. You've got Johnny Damon at the plate against Felix Freaking Hernandez with runners on first and third. Worst case scenario is a double play. Best case is a strikeout or pop up. Why wouldn't you try a double steal? It's your only chance of scoring a run. I could have made that call.

But then again, if I'm the manager and Damon gets ahead 3-0 I'm putting the take sign on for the next three pitches. And if there's a runner on 3rd with less than two out we're squeezing every time.

With how the Indians hit Hernandez yesterday I wouldn't say a double steal was our only chance to score a run...

by **Hermie13** » Thu May 17, 2012 1:00 pm

Good lord what is it with walking Brendan Ryan?!?! That's his 7th walk against the Tribe in 16 plate appearances! The guy is batting .137 on the year :mad

by **GeronimoSon** » Thu May 17, 2012 2:55 pm

Just can't seem to get any hits today..

Note on last night's game.. even though the Indians came away with the W.. the defense was a bit marginal..

Onto today's game.. what happened to the big hits.. nice Drooobs with a solid single to left to plate a run.. The Indians avoid the shut out... MLB Net has put the game on as "bonus coverage" soo.. good to see.. Ugh.. top of the eighth inning.. Kotchman has a chance to grab a pop out in front of home plate.. and he drops it.. Like last night..he started after a ball by slipping.. the guy has no range.. His noted defensive ability?.. is where?

Nice job by the pitching staff.. McAllster pitched well enough to keep the Indians in the game. Hags does his job and Accardo relieves him to set the M's down with a K of Montero and a 'gravy hop' bouncer to Droobs. Heart of the order.. we need to get some runs..

Bada BING bada BAM.. Tie Game.. Nice Swing by Lopez !!.. ties the game at 4.. wow..Choos hits it hard to but off the pitcher, so, M's and Indians go to the 9th..all tied.. Hopefully, Chris Perez isn't in...He's not.. Sipp in and he mows em down. The check swing by Saunders.. wasn't a swing.. but the HP ump can make the call..

Onto the bottom of the ninth.. a little Progressive Field Magic Time?????????? Onto the bottom of the tenth.. phhheewwww.. CP escaped that mess in the top of the inning..

If you're an M's fan.. games like that have to be absolutely frustrating.. watch as your closer walks the bases full then gives up the winning run in the bottom of the 11th.. Hope that PRONK is going to be okay.. he's not one for quick healing. The second two game sweep.. Onto interleague play..

by **ironmike** » Thu May 17, 2012 4:03 pm

Hermie, at the juncture of the game, it was monumental.

by **Pork Chop Pough** » Thu May 17, 2012 4:51 pm

Hermie13 wrote:
Prosecutor wrote:The double steal worked out great but come on. You've got Johnny Damon at the plate against Felix Freaking Hernandez with runners on first and third. Worst case scenario is a double play. Best case is a strikeout or pop up. Why wouldn't you try a double steal? It's your only chance of scoring a run. I could have made that call.

But then again, if I'm the manager and Damon gets ahead 3-0 I'm putting the take sign on for the next three pitches. And if there's a runner on 3rd with less than two out we're squeezing every time.

With how the Indians hit Hernandez yesterday I wouldn't say a double steal was our only chance to score a run...

Johnny Damon entered last night's game with 11 hits in 22 career at-bats against Hernandez. That said, any time Montero is behind the plate, you want to force him to make a play early and often. I was hoping they'd try the double steal as soon as they had Choo and Kipnis on in the 1st, but it turned out to be unnecessary at that point when Hernandez hit Cabrera. It wasn't just that they had a good game plan against Hernandez, but they had a great game plan against Montero.

by **Prosecutor** » Thu May 17, 2012 6:43 pm

The way Damon is swinging the bat now I don't think his career numbers are all that relevant. He's not the same player he was when he batted against Hernandez from 2005-2011.

What a great win. Asdrubal is putting together a career season. The home run by Lopez was sweet. Can anybody remember the last time an Indians right-handed hitter went deep? Lopez was shaping up to be the goat after he booted a double play ball that allowed one run to score. Then he screwed up with the bases loaded when he lunged at the first pitch, which was outside, and dribbled it back to the mound. But he made up for it with that shot to tie the game.

McAlister was not good, but on the bright side the M's were not able to hit the ball hard when he found the strike zone. He was his own worst enemy with the walks and the wild pitch which scored a run. But when he got it over the Mariners could do nothing with him, so that's a good sign. He might have to start a few more games since Tomlin's wrist is still hurting.

Great to see Kotchman line a ball into the right field corner. We have to get some offense from 1st base.

It must suck to be a Mariners fan with that offense. Ichiro is a shell of his former self. He actually hit .372 one year and now he's barely hitting .270. I wonder what he's making and how long the Mariners are stuck with his contract.

Do we own Brandon League or what?

Edit: Ichiro is getting $17 million this year, but at least it's the final year of his deal.

Edit: From a quick look at the stats I think the Indians have only six home runs this year by right-handed hitters: Three by Duncan, two by Lopez, and one by Asdrubal.

by **Prosecutor** » Fri May 18, 2012 11:11 pm

Discouraging loss to the Marlins. All three Florida runs were scored by batters who walked. This drives me nuts. Masterson walked a guy to lead off an inning that was 0-for-7 on the season. How do you walk a guy like that?

Then Sipp comes in and walks a left-handed hitter, who came around to score. I'm running out of patience with Sipp. 18 appearances and his ERA is 6.28. When Raffie is ready to go Sipp might be looking for a job, or working on his game in Columbus.

On the positive side, Masterson went seven innings and gave up only two runs. That's not great, but it's better than he's been doing so far so maybe he's figuring something out. Unfortunately he walked two hitters leading off innings and they both scored as they always seem to do when they lead off with a walk.

Santana threw out three Marlins attempting to steal second. It got funny after a while. Take that, Ozzie.

No disgrace losing to a guy with a 1.88 ERA, but it looked like they were going to knock Zambrano out early as they were hitting the ball hard. Unfortunately he wiggled out of it allowing just two runs. After that he was untouchable.

by **ironmike** » Sat May 19, 2012 7:43 am

Zambrano another power arm who has learned how to pitch. When a pitcher throws many of his pitches 78-83 mph, with location and is not afraid to repeatedly throw off speed pitches behind in the count demonstrates what pitching is all about. Tip my cap to him. He was 2-0 and 3-0 / 3-1 on many of the Indian hitters last nite but still only gave up 2 runs.

A McCutcheon - Swisher type = Joe Carter. Put him in the present day Indians line up and we would improve immensely.

Hoping they give LaPorta a shot again soon. Letting him play every day, we got nothing to lose. This could be the first move of two - three the Indians need to make even with Sizemore coming back. Didn't realize Kotchman only hit .217 with the Mariners in 2010, not good.

Hoping LaPorta, another RH power bat and starting pitcher are on the horizon prior to the deadline.

by **Chiefroy** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:41 pm

Great pitching today! Kudos to Gomez for a fine start and to the pen for preserving the win. Didn't watch the game, but MLB Gameday had Perez hitting 95 with the fastball and K'ing the side in the 9th. THIS is how to close 'em out, Chris! :cool

by **GeronimoSon** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:48 pm

Chiefroy wrote:Great pitching today! Kudos to Gomez for a fine start and to the pen for preserving the win. Didn't watch the game, but MLB Gameday had Perez hitting 95 with the fastball and K'ing the side in the 9th. THIS is how to close 'em out, Chris!

The Rage was magnificent.. JeanMar pitched as well as he did in his last outing, Vinnie looked like he was locking back in with his fastball/slider combination and the Indians had just enough offense to make it stand up.. a good team win with emphasis on the pitching..

by **ironmike** » Sun May 20, 2012 7:49 am

Another great job from the Indians coaching staff with Jenmar Gomez, he was never a shining star on the prospect list right?

by **Prosecutor** » Sun May 20, 2012 8:50 am

The Marlins are 13th in the N.L. in scoring so they're a weak offensive team, but limiting them to 3 runs in 20 innings is still a great job by the Tribe staff. And that was with Joe Smith handing them a run on the bad throw. I don't want to jinx him but Lowe should have another good game today, especially since he's had two games to study their hitters.

Meanwhile the Tribe finally gets to face a Marlins starter that doesn't have a ridiculously low ERA. Josh Johnson is at 5.36, but he's had five quality starts against three pretty bad starts, so we'll see which pitcher shows up. He's right-handed, so advantage Tribe.

Let's win another series and then finally get a day off before taking on the Tigers.

One last note - it's interesting to see the Tribe using the shift so much, even against bad hitters. In the past is was only guys like Hafner and Ortiz that teams shifted against. But Manny is using the shift against ordinary players like Morrison if the numbers show they pull the ball almost every time.

If opponents start using the shift against Shelley Duncan he'll never get a hit.

by **ironmike** » Sun May 20, 2012 9:54 am

Agree on Duncan, any pitcher who throws Duncan a fastball should be removed from the game. He can't hit a breaking ball to save his soul. He is totally off-balanced when whaling at pitches on the outside part of the plate, can't take the ball back up the middle. Hard to believe after all the time in professional baseball he can't make adjustments. Don't see him lasting the season with the Indians unless he turns it around.

by **ClevelandBlues** » Sun May 20, 2012 10:44 am

Choo is starting to look like his old self lately. It will be a huge boost for us if he can return to his old form. If we can get Jimenez and Masterson to do the same thing we could be in very good shape.

by **GeronimoSon** » Mon May 21, 2012 8:42 am

ironmike wrote:Agree on Duncan, any pitcher who throws Duncan a fastball should be removed from the game. He can't hit a breaking ball to save his soul. He is totally off-balanced when whaling at pitches on the outside part of the plate, can't take the ball back up the middle. Hard to believe after all the time in professional baseball he can't make adjustments. Don't see him lasting the season with the Indians unless he turns it around.

There are several ways to evaluate a team's bench bunch. With some clubs, they use veterans who are able to step in and start on a moments notice. They are capable of holding the fort until the starter returns. All clubs have flexibility as it relates to position specific guys (read: back up catcher, back up middle infielder, back up CF/OF'er, etc) many of whom would be able to start on poorer clubs. With the Indians, there is not one single player on the Indians bench that would be able to start for any other club. Not a single one.. The Bench Bunch is the weakest part of the Indians team:

-Aaron Cunningham.. is adequate defensively and that's about all that can be expected from him

-Shelly Duncan has reverted to his "all or nothing" offense. His defense is barely adequate for Beer League Softball

-Jose Lopez is currently hitting the cover off the ball.. and playing every day while Hanny re-cooperates. He's as close as any player on the Indians bench to being a ML caliber player.

-Lou Marson: Back up catchers have to handle the pitching staff. Period. Marson is at least capable of this function. Marson is helpless at the plate.. The Indians will need to really evaluate whether Marson's good catching skills are enough to keep him with the club in spite of his dismal & pathetic offense..

Late in games.. when Manny Acta looks down his bench to consider pinch hitting.. he knows the cupboard is bare.. and so does the opposition. The bench weakness needs to be addressed.... When Hanny returns, the Indians will lose the everyday player that Jose Lopez has been.. In short.. both Duncan and Cunningham have to be on notice.. their jobs are in serious jeopardy. When Grady returns.. at least one of those two guys will be optioned (DFA'd). It's time for at least one of them to kick it into gear..

by **Prosecutor** » Mon May 21, 2012 8:48 am

We really need to shore up the front of the bullpen. Wheeler was very bad and was replaced by Accardo, who gave up three runs in the 8th yesterday. If he does his job then the two runs the Tribe scored in the 9th would have won the game.

I'm hoping either C.C. Lee or Cody Allen can come up from Columbus like Vinnie did last year and fill that spot. That, along with a healthy Raffie Perez taking Sipp's job would give the Tribe a solid BP from top to bottom.

Damon looked ridiculous trying to track that fly ball. It was like a Three Stooges routine as he ran into the wall while the ball bounced off the wall behind him. Not as bad as Manny leaping for a ball as it was hitting him in the ankle, but good enough for second place.

At least he hit a fly ball to the warning track. That's the first time I've seen him do that since he was activated.

Lopez has been impressive with his seven game hitting streak and his ability to hit for power (the 3-run homer against the Twins and the double off the wall yesterday) and also his ability to shorten his swing and just get a two-out hit with RISP (like he did yesterday to drive in the first run). He definitely looks like a professional hitter.

Hopefully we'll see more at-bats for Lopez although I don't know who he'll replace. Start with having him DH against lefties.

If Sizemore can take Damon's spot in the second half that would help.

by **Bearcatbob** » Mon May 21, 2012 9:50 am

Damon looked ridiculous trying to track that fly ball. It was like a Three Stooges routine as he ran into the wall while the ball bounced off the wall behind him. Not as bad as Manny leaping for a ball as it was hitting him in the ankle, but good enough for second place.

My thoughts exactly.

by **ironmike** » Mon May 21, 2012 11:22 am

Agree, good point ... start with having Lopez DH against lefties.

by **Hermie13** » Mon May 21, 2012 12:10 pm

ironmike wrote:Agree, good point ... start with having Lopez DH against lefties.

Pretty bad idea for a few reasons....First off Hanny is still banged up so you need Lopez at 3B. Second, even if Hanny is healthy by DHing Lopez you leave yourself with no backup infielder on the bench. What happens if Hanny's back locks up on him in the 2nd inning? You lose your DH for virtually a whole game.

Tribe carrying only 1 backup infielder really limits what they can do with Lopez unfortunately.

by **Prosecutor** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:23 am

Well, Donald is hitting very well at Columbus. Maybe they should bring him back and send Cunningham down. I don't see the point of having both Duncan and Cunningham on the team right now.

by **GeronimoSon** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:16 am

Prosecutor wrote:Well, Donald is hitting very well at Columbus. Maybe they should bring him back and send Cunningham down. I don't see the point of having both Duncan and Cunningham on the team right now.

Definitely agree with you here.. Sure, Donald is hitting the ball well in Columbus, but he's not the only Tribe farmhand that's knocking the cover off the ball. There are currently four or five guys that appear to have earned a promotion either to the ML's or back to the ML's. The 'need' factor puts Donald and Matt LaPorta at the top of the list:

-Jason Donald: .348/.464/.522; in only 23 AB's, he has two doubles, a triple and four BB's. 2B/3B/SS/OF Super-Ut!
-Matt LaPorta: .321/.409/.657; in 137 AB's, he has 7 doubles and 13 homers to go with 18 BB's. 1B/LF
-Lonnie Chisenhall: .340/.369/.577; in 97 AB's, he has 11 doubles & 4 homers, but only 4 BB's. He may get to wait a bit
-Jared Goedert: .393/.472/.593; in 135 AB's he has 10 doubles, 1 triple & 5 homers to go with 22 BB's. 1B/3B/OF WOW!!

This one's a bit of a stretch, but a shock promotion could be possible (to give Lou a mental health break):
-Chun-hsui Chen : .331/.410/.444; in 142 AB's, he has 13 doubles and a homer to go with 18 BB's. 1B/C is his spot.

In short, the Indians have a group of players that would appear they can't do any worse than the players currently manning the bench. There are several reasons why players are in the minors and their weaknesses may be exploited given the nature of the game, but, it's time to make plans considering these guys and their efforts. Then again, it might be because they're playing everyday that they've become consistently good and have progressed to this point.. <shrugs>

BTW..the pitching in the Indians minor league system is well ahead of the hitting ( Is anyone getting ready for a Huff-Berger?)...depth is not the issue. Opportunity is..

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 22, 2012 12:07 pm

Prosecutor wrote:Well, Donald is hitting very well at Columbus. Maybe they should bring him back and send Cunningham down. I don't see the point of having both Duncan and Cunningham on the team right now.

Cunningham is out of options so can't really be sent down (has to clear waivers, maybe he would). Plus he is the only backup CFer on the roster right now unless you count Damon. Cunningham is likely safe til Grady is back. And Duncan...has shown the ability to be a solid PH in the past, plus a good clubhouse guy. Don't think he's in danger of getting the boot, especially for someone like Donald.

Donald has already made 4 errors in 5 games at SS in Columbus. Sure he's hitting well, but he needs to stay down for a while. Would like to see him play a little CF (as I said before). He's a backup at best at the ML level, so the more versatility he has the better.

by **GeronimoSon** » Tue May 22, 2012 1:22 pm

A couple of points..

-Having Hannahan back will ease the pressure on the infield as he can be the back up SS in a pinch or long enough for Donald to be recalled.

-Shin-soo Choo can cover CF for the remainder of a game if Brantley is unable to finish.. enough time to bring up Zeke or whoever from the minors.. so Cunningham's hold on a roster spot as the only backup CF'er..is tentative, at best..

-Duncan having a history of being a good clubhouse guy, a pinch hitting specialist, along with playing poorly when given the chance at starting and continued lousy defense isn't going to save his spot..

This bench needs a SHAKE UP.. the current makeup is filled with underachievers.. It's all but certain that Chris Antonetti is reviewing the current status with Mark and will be making changes..hopefully sooner rather than later...

by **Pork Chop Pough** » Tue May 22, 2012 1:29 pm

Detroit has placed Ryan Raburn on the bereavement list... so the Tigers will be missing the worst hitter in baseball for the upcoming series. Too bad Cleveland can't do this... unfortunately, that would leave no one to play left field.

by **daingean** » Tue May 22, 2012 2:22 pm

Hermie13 wrote:
Prosecutor wrote:Well, Donald is hitting very well at Columbus. Maybe they should bring him back and send Cunningham down. I don't see the point of having both Duncan and Cunningham on the team right now.

Cunningham is out of options so can't really be sent down (has to clear waivers, maybe he would). Plus he is the only backup CFer on the roster right now unless you count Damon. Cunningham is likely safe til Grady is back. And Duncan...has shown the ability to be a solid PH in the past, plus a good clubhouse guy. Don't think he's in danger of getting the boot, especially for someone like Donald.

Donald has already made 4 errors in 5 games at SS in Columbus. Sure he's hitting well, but he needs to stay down for a while. Would like to see him play a little CF (as I said before). He's a backup at best at the ML level, so the more versatility he has the better.

I don't think Cunningham's option status is what is keeping him around or his ability to stand in the right handed side of the batters box. His ability to play OF competently (at least compared to the other options on the 25) and a lack of anyone in Columbus busting down the door with similar defensive abilities. I say that because LaPorta is certainly hitting his way into consideration but lacks the defensive ability.

I think real options are those outside the organization (or Grady sometime in June).

by **criznit2009** » Tue May 22, 2012 4:04 pm

Todays game (5/22) is the FREE Game on MLB TV today. So for those of you who do not pay for MLB TV or Direct TV here is a chance to see a great game for free.

http://mlb.mlb.com/index.jsp

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 22, 2012 5:53 pm

GeronimoSon wrote:A couple of points..

-Having Hannahan back will ease the pressure on the infield as he can be the back up SS in a pinch or long enough for Donald to be recalled.

-Shin-soo Choo can cover CF for the remainder of a game if Brantley is unable to finish.. enough time to bring up Zeke or whoever from the minors.. so Cunningham's hold on a roster spot as the only backup CF'er..is tentative, at best..

-Duncan having a history of being a good clubhouse guy, a pinch hitting specialist, along with playing poorly when given the chance at starting and continued lousy defense isn't going to save his spot..

This bench needs a SHAKE UP.. the current makeup is filled with underachievers.. It's all but certain that Chris Antonetti is reviewing the current status with Mark and will be making changes..hopefully sooner rather than later...

Typically that's why players are on the bench and not starting.

Bench could use a boost, but what really needs to happen is the STARTING guys need to play better. Hafner, Brantley, Damon, and Kotchman all need to be playing better ball. Tribe's bench isn't going to be what keeps them out of the players or what gets them in.

And agree with daingean, Cunningham can't go anywhere unless you get a real CFer in as a backup. Choo would only be an emergency option, need someone who can start there when Brantley needs a break or is struggling. Cunningham just can't go anywhere right now unless you want to swap Carrera for Cunningham, but don't see that making the bench any better other than speed.

by **Hermie13** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:03 pm

Pork Chop Pough wrote:Detroit has placed Ryan Raburn on the bereavement list... so the Tigers will be missing the worst hitter in baseball for the upcoming series. Too bad Cleveland can't do this... unfortunately, that would leave no one to play left field.

Fun facts, Tigers have more guys in their starting lineup tonight batting under .200 than the Tribe (2 vs 1) and more guys with OBPs under .300 (5 vs 3), including leadoff hitter Ramon Santiago.

by **GeronimoSon** » Tue May 22, 2012 7:17 pm

Zeke is a better defensive CF'er than Cunningham.. There wouldn't be any change to the offense.. The speed that Zeke brings can be an added weapon..how much more comfortable would you be with Zeke pinch running as opposed to Lou Marson?.. hmm?..

First half inning..
-Carlos nail Dirks.. he was out... bad call..

-Both Miguel Cabrera and Fielder hit the ball on the button.. the Damon play to make the catch on Fielder's shot was making a relatively easy play look a LOT tougher..

-Nice start for Choo..nice to see him drive the ball the other way...

-Ah... Choo showed Droobs what to do.. and Droobs hits a ringing RBI double to the wall in LF.. nice hustle and read on the batted ball by Kipper... Indians take an early 1-0 lead...

by **criznit2009** » Tue May 22, 2012 8:19 pm

Ubaldos control seems to be getting worse....he is actually lucky his numbers are as "good" as they are.

by **Bearcatbob** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:04 pm

I think Kotchman is going to be ok in that he will be what we signed. He was not a power hitter when we signed him and he will not be. It looks to me like he will be a productive hitter and a fabulous fielder at 1b.

by **Bearcatbob** » Tue May 22, 2012 9:48 pm

Pestano is Pure Stones! Next comes Pure Rage!

by **ironmike** » Wed May 23, 2012 7:23 am

Jose Lopez, believe Tony in an article tied the phrase "professional hitter" to Lopez. The pitch he drove into RF last nite late in the game that bounced off of Bosch's wrist was an example of a good hitter taking a pitch on the outside part of the plate and driving it the other way.

It is a pitch Duncan would have swung and missed. Lopez, needs regular at bats to be really effective. Potentially, he has the track record to prove it, he can be a significant RH for us. Manny needs to finds ways to give play him 5 times per week and he'll produce, I'm certain he will.

Not quite a Rico Carty, but Lopez has the potential to be a much needed addition to our line up. Liked the signing this past winter, posted it, and Lopez is doing what is expected of him. Regular AB's are needed for him, that's the formula for him to produce, he's a good player.

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