Best Of the Clip Joint

Scott Barnes

The wait is over!  The ballots are in!  The International League announced its all-star roster today!  Manager Mike Sarbaugh heads to Salt Lake City with four of his best in tow.  Starters Zach McAllister (8-2, 2.93) and Jeanmar Gomez (8-2, 2.49) are joined by 2B Jason Kipnis (.301, .907 OPS, 11 HR, 50 RBI, 10/10 SB) and UT Luis Valbuena (.309, .909 OPS, 11 HR, 51 RBI).  Congrats to all.

Scottie Barnes was not tabbed an all-star, but he sure did pitch like one tonight.  Just two Mud Hens (H, BB) reached base over the first seven innings and Scott might have made it through 8 except a Jason Donald error opened the door for two Toledo runs.  Barnes (7-2, 3.40) ended up allowing three hits and an earned run while striking out five.  Yeah, I would say he has settled in to AAA.

The offense was the very definition of balance as every hitter reached base via hit or walk and none did more than twice.  Jerad Head launched his 11th home run.  Recently, there has been a lot of chatter about why Head (.303) is not patrolling the outfield corners at the Jake.  At nearly 29 years old, he has had ample opportunity to distinguish himself from the herd and he has not.  Make-up wise, he is a line-drive hitter with gap power who lacks both plus speed and defense.  This sounds a lot like former farm hand Jordan Brown... except Brown had two MVPs and a batting title in his pocket.   Obviously, given that Brown, 27, was traded for oatmeal in April, that sort of player does not interest the club at the big league level.  Put it out of your head.

The Clipper ship stays anchored on the Maumee for one more night.  Zach McAllister takes the hill at 7p sharp, looking for win #9.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Adam Everett officially cleared waivers on Thursday and has been released by the Indians organization.  No comment.

Nick Weglarz has broken .200!  With a single and a double, Wegz is now clipping at .218 with an .867 OPS.  He is also 5 for his last 7 over three games.  Expect him to move to Columbus as soon as a spot opens up.

2011 3rd round pick, Jake Sisco, the highest Tribe draftee to sign thus far, had his second successful start in the Arizona League.  Jake (1.50) surrendered a run on four hits and two walks in three innings of work.  He fanned a man of inning for the second straight outing.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Tuesday, as I passed through the Yahoo! sports page on the way to edit my fantasy lineup, I decided to double check Wednesday's game time.  You see, I had heard a rumor that it was to be played in the afternoon.  My fears were quickly assuaged by the Indians team page, which indicated first pitch at the same 9:40p start time as games 1 & 2.  Suffice to say, I did eventually figure it out, but a big boo on you Yahoo!

More importantly, big props to Carlos Carrasco.  I admit that I did not give the dude a fair shake and he has been remarkable over the past month (4-1, 0.98).  Yesterday, for the first time, I began to dissect what has changed about the young right hander.  A lot of talking heads try to over-complicate the method, when, in fact, it is phenomenally simple.  Throw strikes.  Change speeds.  Hit your spots.  How?  Consistency of motion.  Repetition of delivery.  Keep a clear head.  Not to say that this is easy, but Carrasco (8-4, 3.54) has found the groove on all of these fronts.  The most obvious is his mental state.  The man is locked in, channeling his competitive spirit into the singular focus of making his pitch.  It was wonderful to see how pumped up he was after each of his last two punch outs.  Stuff-wise, two significant improvements have bred success: throwing his fastball for strikes early in the count and commanding his slider inside of the zone.  Any pitcher will tell you that he cannot be successful without getting ahead, but, on its own, it is insufficient.  The slide piece has become devastating, dipping and diving and remaining away from the meaty part of the plate.  Carrasco kept the Tribe's head above water during the worst of the losing streak and has become the team's most consistent starter as they fight to remain in contention.

It was certainly heartening to see the bats rap out fifteen hits.  Orlando Cabrera is suddenly en fuego (8-for-14 in his last four games) and, Wednesday, produced his first four hit game of the season.  Even so, I have been more impressed with Travis Buck.  After bottoming out at .220 with his 0-for-24 streak, Buck (.241) has cracked 6 hits in 18 AB's with 3 doubles and 3 RBI.  Just when I was about to express how disappointing his performance had been following a monster spring, the man shoots three bullets in his last three plate appearances, recapturing the stroke of March.  If Travis can keep this up, the 8-10 weeks that Shin-Soo Choo will spend on the shelf will be much less painful.


Over the past ten days or so, I have found myself a bit put upon by things that are not baseball.  As such, I had not watched every pitch of an Indians game in awhile... until Tuesday.  And, boy, did I pick a jim-dandy.

Despite a walk-off loss, despite watching his tenth win flit away, the night belonged to Josh Tomlin (9-4, 3.86).  Not since Charlie Nagy in the 1992 All-Star game have I felt such a thrill for an Indians pitcher getting a hit.  The bunt bonus was good enough, but the hard struck RBI single?  Unbelievable.  "I can't hit a fastball," he said.  What a sandbagger.

Sadly though, Grady Sizemore looks old.  It is not only the plummeting average (.226), his bat is slow to the ball.  It is not just the absence of stolen bases (0-for-2), he badly misplayed two deep drives (one hit his glove) that he would have made into web gems in his heyday.  Worst of all Grady's face is haggard, worn.  He does not know what is wrong or how to fix it.  As always, the best of luck to him, but I am not optimistic.

I promised to explain why the Indians will continue to win.  This is always easier in the rosy glow of an actual victory, so here we go.  (1) The Bullpen Mafia - an unfortunate performance on Tuesday notwithstanding, the corps (minus Chad-Chad-Oh-So-Bad) is the heart and soul of the team and the best in the American League.  Personally, my favorite is Vinnie Pestano, who showed an 81 mph curveball yesterday that appears unhittable if he can command it.  (2) The Starting 4.5 - Since June 7th; Carrasco, Tomlin, Mitch Talbot and Justin Masterson have combined for a 2.99 ERA, a .248 OBA, and 1.10 WHIP.  We are going to abstain from Fausto Carmona, currently your league leader in losses and earned runs allowed, for now.  (3) Defense, Defense, Defense - While unable to maintain the standard that they set in the season's first month, the D has still saved 21 runs in 2011, third best in the AL.  (4) The Bats are waking up -  Buck and O-Cab are raking.  Lonnie Chisenhall is here and lacing line drives.  Travis Hafner is back after Cincy.  Even the slumping Michael Brantley had an RBI single last night.

There is only one caveat ...

“The Tribe is currently striking out an average of 7.3 times a game, which projects to 1,183 Ks on the season. That total would put this year’s team just outside the Top 5 all-time in team history for most strikeouts in a single season. And the numbers have been worse since Bruce Fields took over for Jon Nunnally – even though one of the reasons given for Nunnally’s firing is the team was striking out too much.” - Red Right 88

Nothing is perfect, but they are tied for first again.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 06.30.11 - Jennifer Barretta

Excuse me, I have to go play some 8-ball.

Clip Joint Open For Lunch

Tim Fedroff

You could not ask for a better day to play afternoon baseball.  Sunshine, a light breeze and temperatures in the high 70s.  Bee-you-tee-full. The Clippers lineup dug it the most.  The top 3 cracked 8 hits and the team produced 15 overall to bring in a dozen in a 12-4 victory over Toledo.  Recently promoted Tim Fedroff (.333) joined headliners Ezequiel Carrera (.292) and Jason Kipnis (.302) in the three hit parade and drove in three runs.  Fedroff and Luis Valbuena (.316) went deep, four players drove in multiple runs and five scored at least twice.

All of that in support of David Huff (8-2, 3.74), who allowed just a run on four hits over six quality innings.  Dave struck out seven and walked four as he finished June a perfect 5-0 with 2.70 ERA.  The numbers that Huff has posted are difficult to ignore, especially for a team without a lefty in their starting rotation.  Still, lest we forget, he was 2-11 with a 6.21 for the Indians last season and the opposition batted a healthy .304 against him.  I cannot see him as legitimate option.

The Clips play two in Toledo, starting tomorrow with Scott Barnes on the mound.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Despite loading the bases on two singles and a hit batter, Adam Miller pitched a scoreless ninth to seal a 4-1 Akron Aeros win and earn his first AA save.  Miller (1-1, 2.77) fanned pair, one with the bases juiced and one out, and, since a couple of rocky outings early in his tenure, has tossed nine straight shutout frames allowing just five hits.

Beau Mills provided half of the Aeros' offense with a two-run double.  Mills (.292) has now driven in 32 in his 41 games with an .813 OPS.  If he continues at this pace, he will see AAA for the first time before season's end.

Bryce Stowell showed definite control issues as he allowed his first run of 2011 for Lake County.  Stowell (0.93) threw 1.2 innings, walking 3 and allowing 2 hits, but striking out three as well.  Overall, he has walked 6 and fanned 13 in 9.2 innings.

Cheers

On the Short List...

... of stuff I have not done whilst full of the creature.  Holy shiite.

Pretty Girl 06.29.11 - Heather Mitts

The ladies beat North Korea 2-0 on Tuesday.  Nice.

Solo Time @ the Clip Joint

Jason Kipnis

The Clippers put up five runs tonight as they sneaked past the Toledo Mud Hens in the first of a four game home-and-home.  Four of those runs came via the solo home run.  Jason Kipnis played big bopper, launching his 10th and 11th round trippers.  Kip finds the spotlight a bit brighter with top prospects Cord Phelps and Lonnie Chisenhall now traveling with the big club and he seems to like it. Over his past three, Jason (.295) is 6-for-12 with 3 dingers. Also chipping in, Jared Goedert (.202) raised his average above Mendoza with three hits including his own solo shot.  The fourth bomb came off of the bat of Paul Phillips (.229), who is now the only active catcher on the Columbus roster.

Jeanmar Gomez started and pushed his record to 8-2 with the victory.  Gomez (2.49) scattered six hits over the first five before finally allowing Toledo on the board with a three run sixth that sent him to the showers.  Jeanmar has found his groove and finishes June 4-1 with a 2.18.

CC Lee, one of three recent recalls (Tim Fedroff, Matt McBride), pitched a scoreless eighth, fanning a pair.  After posting a 12.71 K/9 with Akron, CC has punched out 4 in his first 2.1 with the Clippers.

David Huff starts tomorrow in a business man's special at 12:05p.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Someone needs to explain Nick Weglarz to me.  Still an legitimate power prospect, Wegz has lingered at AA Akron after initially joining the club for rehab.  Why has he yet to be promoted?  Well, that would be because he was hitting .163 coming into action tonight.  Now, Nick did single twice to raise his average to .196 and he also walked for the 22nd time in 17 games.  In addition, the one base hits this evening were only his second and third of the season.  All of this boils down to a guy with an average under .200, but an OPS of .850!  In case you are not the stat head that I am, such a thing is nearly unheard of.

In his first start for High-A Kinston, neophyte knuckleballer Steven Wright gave the little Indians eight solid innings, his longest outing at any level in 2011.  Wright, who has pitched for 4 different farm clubs this year, allowed three runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out 7.  Believe it or not, Wright (3-2, 3.38) will be an option for the Indians as early as next spring should he not encounter any setbacks.

LeVon Washington is showing some signs of coming out of the doldrums for Low-A Lake County.  Now sporting a modest six-game hit streak, Washington (.230) has 6 hits in his last 16 AB's.  Tonight, the speedy centerfielder singled, tripled, scored three times and swiped his 9th bag.

Speaking of triples, 2010 third-rounder Tony Wolters socked his 3rd tonight.  Wolters (.310) also singled and drove home a run and has hit in nine of Mahoning Valley's first ten games.

Cheers

Pretty Girl Update! - Sara Jean Underwood

She's the one with the hat.  Thank god for Twitter.

Believe It When You See It

(1) Troy Tulowitzki hits the ball twice (listen for it), en route to a base hit



(2) The #4 pick is a freak!



(3) You thought maple was dangerous.



Cheers

While I Was Sminking

Once again, last to the party.  The Chiz Kid arrived tonight.  I found out at about 5:30 (looooooong day), when the news broke at aboot 4p.  But, really, who gives a monkey's knuckle about that.  Lonnie Chisenhall is here tonight.  Or, rather, in Phoenix.

On the heels of two-out, 9th inning error on Sunday, one that set up a grand slam that cost the Clippers the game, Chisenhall got the call to the bigs.  Mercifully, the Adam Everett era came to an end.  Lonnie did not disappoint.  After slashing a a double down the right field line for his first MLB hit, Chiz the go-ahead RBI in a two-run sixth that would prove invaluable in a sorely needed victory.  Some might lament Manny Acta for lifting a starting pitcher, who had retired his last ten faced, to allow Travis Hafner to make the final out of that inning.  The STO boys chirped about "firing his bullet" and a "National league mindset."  The simple fact is that the bullpen is wicked awesome and they showed up once again tonight to prove it.  I know that Vinnie Pestano gave up a bleed and a blast to tie the game, but the effort that he and Rafael Perez mustered to get three outs with a man on third cannot be overstated.  It gave the Indians their chance to win.  And whatever we say on O-Cab's O-fense, he certainly has a penchant for the big moment.

Tonight, Mitch Talbot pitched well enough to win (3 ER in 5 IP), which continues a disturbing trend on this west coast swing.  Since posting a 5-0 April, Justin Masterson is 0-6 despite a 3.38 ERA.  Saturday was perhaps the most egregious offense as took the loss without allowing an earned run.  Blame that one on an offense that could not muster a single run.  Friday was little better as Carlos Carrasco suffered his first loss in three weeks (3-1, 0.61) with Carlos Santana wearing the goat horns.  That brings us Sunday and our old friend Fausto Carmona.

Honsetly, we cannot blame Sunday's loss, or the Giants' sweep, on Fausto.  I would very much like to.  I would very much like to have one scapegoat for all of the woe that has befallen the Tribe over the past six weeks.  Unfortunately, it cannot be done.  The truth is that if Fausto pitches like he did for the ESPN national audience, he will remain in the rotation for the entire season.  A 06.21 Cleveland.com poll revealed that 38% of readers want Carmona in the pen with only 15% affording him the opportunity to return to form.  I was part of the plurality.  While I have no desire to welcome Jeanmar Gomez or David Huff back to the lakefront, I would enjoy seeing if Zach McAllister (8-2, 2.93) can translate his International League success into some AL wins.  Incidentally, Zach should have somewhere in the region of 11 W's, as he has been robbed not only by Sunday's 9th inning collapse, but also by two games suspended by rain.  Even with the message the front office sends by promoting Chisenhall to catalyze an anemic offense, something dramatic would have to occur in advance of a McAllister recall.  To get kicked to the relief corps, Carmona would have to pitch like the May 19th to June 10th stretch (0-5, 9.55) rather than the 1-2, 6.89 set that has followed.  Seriously, two middling games (hey, 66% strikes is an improvement) sandwiched around a stinker will be more than enough to keep him on the hill once every five days.

That Clippers loss yesterday was part of a four game series with the Gwinett Braves in which Columbus won only game 1.  That victory landed in Huff's pocket (7-2, 3.91) with Chisenhall slugging a first inning grand slam as part of a 5-game stretch in which he hit .429 with 2 bombs and an astounding 14 RBI.  That was more than good enough for IL player of the week in advance of his Indians debut.  Saturday featured another strong outing from Scottie Barnes (5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 K).  This might have been good enough to win had the bats not run into a buzzsaw named Julio Teheran.  Atlanta's top prospect and Baseball America's #4 overall, Teheran (8-1, 1.79!) limited the Clips to four hits over 7 innings with Luis Valbuena's 10th round tripper the only mar on his score sheet.  Still, Columbus has won twice as many as it has lost (52-26) and with the big club floundering, it is nice too see the cavalry thriving. 

Yeah, I do not like thinking about how bad the offense has been, so I will not.   No numbers.  No retrospective.  Forget it.  It has now past.  I proceed forward under the assumption that Chisenhall's addition will serve as the shot in the arm that the batsmen so sorely need.  This thump will equal a glut of chalk marks in the win column as the hurlers maintain success.  Even in getting swept the Tribe kept it close through the entire series on the bay, the mark of a solid ballclub.  With the win tonight, the Indians remain a single game behind the Tigers.  Given all the adversity that our club has endured recently, one cannot ask for a better opportunity to contend.  Why will they contend?  For the same reasons that the team was once running away with the division.  Now that I have whet your appetite, enjoy the win and I will break it down for you tomorrow.

Ha!

Cheers.

P.s. If Asdrubal Cabrera does not make it back to Chase Field for the All-Star festivities, I am going to write a very nasty letter to Major League Baseball.

Pretty Girl 06.28.11 - Kristianna Loken

If I could make a robot of liquid metal, I too would make it look like her. ;-j

Pretty Girl 06.27.11 - Gina Bellman

Better late than never. ;-j Happy Leverage.

It's Good To Be A Knight

You do realize that this is the barest departure from the truth.  Right?

Right?

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 06.26.11 - Ariana Grande

Happy 18, sunshine

My Kinda Hybrid

I'm not quite sure if I'm posting this because it's sorta funny or because the chick is pretty damn hot.  Who am I kidding, it's the chick.  Her name is Samantha Gutstadt and, unbelievably, this is the best cheesecake out there on her. 

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 06.25.11 - Gretchen Mol

She plays an aging showgirl in Boardwalk Empire.  Blargh, I feel old.  I prefer Rounders era.

Pretty Girl Update! - Megan Fox

I don't normally go in for these bikini candids, but I'd say Meg looks pretty goddamn hot here.  And sorta like Sasha Grey in the first one. ;-j

Jensen Says It Best

Completely shell-shocked.. Never thought this would happen..

Jensen Lewis tweeted at noon on Friday.  Although the corresponding move has yet to be officially announced, the Indians have promoted RHP CC Lee from Akron to Columbus.  Based on the above communique, we have to believe that Lewis has been released.

On the post-season roster in 2007 and the closer in the second half 2008, Lewis was coming off a strong 2010 (4-2, 2.97).  Heading into camp he was a favorite to snare a bullpen spot with the big club, but an horrific spring (14.29 ERA, 2.82 WHIP) resulted in a demotion to AAA.  His 2011 with Columbus has been inconsistent at best (5.14 ERA, .342 OBA).  Jensen began the campaign in fine fashion, picking up one-run saves in each of the season's first two games.  He made both interesting, putting two on in game 1 and loading them up with one out in game two before escaping.  Despite not officially allowing a run, he blew the save in an April 12th loss at Louisville, sat for a week and returned in a lesser role.  Lewis responded well and did not surrender his first run of the season until May 2nd, the same day that he earned his third win.  Then, the wheels came off.  His ERA in May was 6.75, 9.64 in June.  His OBA climbed from .226 in April to .365 in May and has been .435 since June 1.  Now he has become the fourth former high profile prospect (Jess Todd, Jordan Brown, Wes Hodges) that the Tribe has parted ways with in the first half.

I have always been of the opinion that Jensen Lewis has closer stuff and make-up and, for many reasons, he just did not fit well in the Indians organization.  It began with a personality conflict with Eric Wedge and never truly recovered.  Still, in addition to his talent, Lewis is a great clubhouse guy, rallying his teammates pre-game and delivering the shaving cream pies afterwards.  The very best to a class act in Lewis, wherever he may land.

Cheers.

Clip Joint Is the Place To Be

At least if your name is Jeanmar Gomez.  As I have stated previously, the kid looks much more comfortable at AAA and the results certainly speak for themselves.  Gomez (7-2, 2.30) provided eight shutout innings last night as the Clips won their 15th of 16.  Jeanmar allowed five hits as he walked four and fanned five.  Over his past seven starts he is 4-1 with a tremendous 1.76 ERA.  Gomez dances on that razor's edge of MLB talent.  While he can dominate in the minors, he just does not have enough stuff or command to consistently retire big league hitters.  In 2011, his OBA at Columbus is .235.  With the Indians?  .341.  He is what we call a AAAA player.  When Wins Above Replacement are calculated he is the the replacement player.  Honestly, Jeanmar is a good guy and I wish him as much success as he can find at the next level, I just do not see his cup overflowing.

Nick Hagadone, who has had some noticeable issues adjusting to the International League, finished up with a scoreless inning.  Nick (2-1, 6.60) loaded the bases on two hits and a walk but, having secured the first two outs via the whiff,  induced a inning ending fly ball to preserve the shutout. 

The offense used a balanced approach to provide six runs of support.  Ezequiel Carrera (.301) reached base four times on two hits and two walks and scored a pair of runs.  Jason Kipnis (.290) stroked an RBI triple, his 9th three-bagger of the season.  Every Clipper has a hit save Lonnie Chisenhall (.257), but the Chiz Kid did his part, driving home two runs.

The Clips open a four game set with the Gwinett Braves at Huntington Park tonight.  First pitch is at 7:05p with David Huff on the hill.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Nick Weglarz, who has slumped horribly over the past week, continued last night for the Aeros, going 0-for-3 with a walk.  Since homering twice on June 16th, Wegs (.146) is hitless in 14 AB's, although he has walked 8 times.  So, even though his batting average over that span is an endless string of zeros, his OBA is a healthy .364.  Nick, seemingly primed to return to AAA just seven days ago, now finds himself in a limbo only escaped from with hits.

Rob Bryson pitched effectively again for Kinston, with two innings of two hit, two strikeout ball.  Bryson now has seven punch-outs in 4.1 scoreless High-A innings as he works his way back the AA level that he reached last season.

2010 third round pick Tony Wolters, derailed by a broken hamate bone in spring training, is back to work with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  Wolters (.292) tripled twice last night and has put up an .808 OPS thus far.

Josh Rodriguez, selected by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft and then returned, has been traded back to the Pittsburgh organization for a barrel full of well-handled one dollar bills. No word on the exact count, but I'm sure it was an equitable deal.

Congrats to Jason Kipnis and Drew Pomeranz on being named to the All-Star Futures Game.  Part of the MLB All-Star weekend, the contest takes place July 10th at 3p with a US team taking a World team.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 06.24.11 - Sara Jean Underwood

Former Playboy cover girl of the Pac-10 gone mainstream.  Doncha dig girls that like to get nekkid?

Feelin' Good At the Clip Joint

Lonnie Chisenhall

Concussions are funny things.  Sometimes a player will sustain such trauma and return only to perform as a pale shadow of his former self.  Take Justin Morneau, a former AL MVP with four straight 100 RBI seasons.  Last July 7, Morneau, then hitting .345 with 18 homers and 56 RBI, caught a knee to (k)noggin out at second base and sat for the rest of 2010.  He's back in the lineup this year for the Twins, but, clearly, something is not right.  Sporting a .225 batting average and just four dingers, Morneau is more of a hindrance than a help to a Minnesota team that is fighting to get back into contention.

Fortunately for Indians fans, there is another side of the coin.  On June 10th, top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall smacked his skull on the third base and sustained a concussion himself.  After sitting him for a week, Columbus reluctantly (and retroactively) placed him on the 7-day disabled list last Friday.  Some speculated that the scrutiny accompanying his projected value got to the young man as well and, perhaps, that might have had something to do with the break as well.  Either way, Chisenhall (.261) returned to action last night, showing no ill effects from either affliction.  As the Clippers battered the Mud Hens 13-7, for their 14th win in 15 games, the Chiz Kid put on a show for the folks of Toledo.  He cranked four hits, peppering in a triple and a moon shot, scored twice and drove in six.  So, I guess the guy is okay.

Better than okay?  How about Luis Valbuena?  Begging for a call-up and riding the highs of a 19-game hitting streak and a 7-RBI game in the past month, Luis (.307) just continues to rake the cover off of the ball.  He added two more hits, including his 8th home run, last night, and raised his RBI total to 45.  We all know, of course, that the kid can hit at AAA.  The question is whether he has turned a corner and can (ever?) deliver consistently at the big league level.  I have said it before and I will say it again -- kick Adam Everett to the curb and let Valbuena play.

Not so okay?  That is your Corey Kluber.  After putting together a run of worthwhile starts (4-1, 4.42) over the past month, Kluber completely forgot how to pitch yesterday.  Imagine Jason Hammel's queer balk, except stretched over 3+ innings.  Corey (4-4, 6.35) walked six and allowed four hits en route to surrendering six earned.  Luckily his mates picked him up.  Still, Kluber is clearly the rawest pitcher in the Columbus rotation. At 25, he needs to develop the ability to avoid implosions like the above if he is to progress to the next level.

The Clips finish their brief two-game series tonight with Jeanmar Gomez taking the pill at 7:05p.  Since the Indians have an off day, the game is on STO.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Despite sustaining a sixth inning blown save (does that even count?), Adam Miller did pitch reasonably well for Akron yesterday.  In his 8th AA appearance Miller (1-1, 3.27) allowed two hits and a walk while fanning a pair in 1.2 innings.  Barring another injury, and with Adam we never know, we will see him with the Tribe in September.

Our friend Tyler Tufts continues to impress at AA Frisco.  Ty (2-1, 2.03) has thrown three straight scoreless outings, including a shutout inning last night, and has a 1.42 ERA over his last 10.  Among his sterling statistics are a 1.15 WHIP, 8.78 K/9, and an incredible 8.67 K/BB.  Go, man, go.

Speaking of sterling, 18-year old Indians prospect Felix Sterling's 2011 debut in the rookie league was anything but.  Following up on a tremendous 2010, Felix labored through two innings, getting roughed up for four runs (3 earned) on four hits, a walk and a blast.  The kid who posted 9.99 K/9 last season was nowhere to be found as he K'ed exactly no one.  He is a ways off, but keep an eye.

Lastly, with Kinston and Lake County at their respective All-Star breaks, a check on the first half statistics of a few key prospects ...

LeVon Washington, OF (LC) - .209, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .622 OPS [8/9 SB]
Alex Lavisky, C (LC, MV) - .202, 8 HR, 26 RBI, .619 OPS [73 K in 208 AB]
Anthony Gallas, OF (KIN, LC) - .306, 6 HR, 28 RBI, .886 OPS [27 2B]

Drew Pomeranz (KIN) - 2-2, 1.93 ERA, .201 OBA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.42 K/9
Giovanni Soto (KIN) - 4-4, 3.02 ERA, .232 OBA, 1.18 WHIP, 9.21 K/9
Michael Goodnight (LC) - 5-5, 3.04 ERA, .191 OBA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.24 K/9
Steven Wright (COL, AKR, KIN, LC) - 2-1, 3.38 ERA, .279 OBA, 1.52 WHIP, 6.29 K/9
Rob Bryson (KIN, LC) - 0-1, 2.84 ERA, .208 OBA, 0.95 WHIP, 14.21 K/9
Bryce Stowell (LC, MV) - 0-0, 0.00 ERA [1 SV], .056 OBA, 0.50 WHIP, 10.5 K/9

Cheers

Pretty Girl 06.23.11 - Courtney Stodden

This aspiring pop-country diva is just 16, but she married a 51-year old dude the other day.  I say that makes her fair game.  Enjoy.

A Quest Called Tribe

We all go a little crazy sometimes.  Such was the case of Josh Tomlin between May 27th and June 12th (1-3, 8.61).  Last Friday, he tossed 6.2 innings of one run ball to begin the sweep of the Pirates and I was there to watch.  In fact, in the two Tomlin starts that I have seen this season (May 21 vs Cincy), he has allowed just 2 earned in 13.2 and notched two victories.  I might have to go back and rally him out of his next slump.

It gets a bit scary when a an inexperienced pitcher lacking phenomenal stuff goes into a bit of a slump.  One might think that the book has finally caught up to him, the book and the long ball.  Still, tonight Tomlin extended his 5+ inning start streak to 27 to begin his MLB career.  Even during the struggles, Josh (9-4, 3.95) was able to pitch past the halfway point and, most importantly, did not allow his control to falter.  Although he gave up 39 hits in the 23 innings of those starts, Tomlin did not try to alter his approach.  Even when the opposition took advantage of the spots that he missed, the 26-year old remained locked in, weathered the storm and now seems to have arrived safely back to his early season form.

In earning his 9th victory tonight (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR) Josh prevented what would have been a demoralizing sweep that would have wiped away all the momentum that the team recouped against Pittsburgh.  With three more scheduled starts before the mid-summer classic, Tomlin is, in my very humble opinion, poised to make a run at the All-Star roster.  I believe that Asdrubal Cabrera is a virtual lock (see previous post, did you know that he is 12-for-12 in stealing bases?), but it would seem that the next best argument could be made for Josh (Did you know that no one has even attempted to steal off of him this season?), assuming that he stays plus for the next three weeks.  He is now tied with six others for the AL lead in wins.  If he could make that total, say, 11 by break time, I cannot see him being excluded.

In a more general sense, the Tribe seems to be returning to the standard that they set in getting out to a 30-15 start that featured 25 games (15-10) with a margin of 3 runs or less.  Then came the 6-16 stretch leading into the Pittsburgh series wherein only 8 games were decided by fewer than four runs.  Now, the two excrurciating one-run losses to the Rockies notwithstanding (How clutch was Travis Buck braking an 0-for-24 to tie the game on Tuesday?), the Indians took 4 of 6 in a home stand that included four games within the aforementioned spread.  The recipe is simple: timely hitting (Pronk!!!!!!!!!!), quality starting pitching and a set-up staff that just will not quit.  In fact, the entire 'pen (minus a goat named Chad of course) has allowed just four earned in 46.1 since June 3.  That rounds out to a 0.78 ERA.  Hell, the Mafia put the first four they faced tonight on strikes.  Nice.

Like it.

Love it.

Gotta have it.

Roll Tribe.

Cheers.

P.s. Isn't it weird that we can now hear the umpire saying where the pitch misses on a ball?

Suicide Squeeze - Write It Down ('92 Upper Deck)

Pretty Girl 06.22.11 - Rashida Jones

It's a quiet hotness.  An it is spectacular. 

Flick to Click: Our Idiot Brother

Opens 08.26.11

Pretty Girl 06.21.11 - Kelly Preston

So hot that she makes John Travolta seem uh... well... more like an arrow than a $3 bill.