Just In From the Desert

Chad Durbin pitched for the first time today!  He threw a hitless 4th!  All of our problems are solved!  Sure, he walked a guy and hit another while giving up a run, but who cares!  October here we come!  Durbin for Cy Young!

Mitch Talbot continued to struggle.  Over three grueling innings, "The Fury" surrendered 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk (2 K) to lower his ERA to 18.90.  I'm sure that the sound bytes will be the usual BS, something like "Oh, I was just working on getting better command of my slider" or "Mitch showed a lot more today.  He hit his spots and competed against every hitter."   Yes, it's spring training, but Talbot still stank like a diaper full of Indian food.

Lonnie Chisenhall (.478) seems to have come back to Earth.  The Chiz Kid K'ed in both of his plate appearances today.  That's three in a row counting yesterday's AB.  Just as there was no reason to become so excited about his scintillating start, there is no reason to be concerned now.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, I consider the 2B and 3B starters set with Orlando Cabrera (.429) and Jason Donald (.308) locked in.

Utility OF Battle:  Ezequiel Carrera (.310) reached base 3 times (H, 2 BB) and laid down a great sac bunt that helped the Indians tie the game in the 8th.  Chad Huffman (.529), back from injury, went down on strikes in his first 2 ABs, then singled in the 9th.  Shelley Duncan (.294) struck out and singled in 2 trips.  Travis Buck (.440, DNP) remains the favorite.

Backup Backstop:  Lou Marson (.154) has struggled with the bat and, despite his excellent showing defensively (he picked a runner off of 2nd today), is ticketed to Columbus unless he can turn it around.  Marson, himself, remains supremely confident, forecasting that he will be playing "a lot" for the Indians this season.  No matter what Paul Hoynes says, Juan Apodaca is not an option.  That leaves Luke Carlin and Paul Phillips.  Phillips (.353) has both performed better and gotten more PT than Carlin (.143).  I would judge that Phillips currently has the upper hand, although I favor Carlin. 

25th Man:  This will be the 7th bullpen guy.  My, how times have changed.  Back in the day it was a 5 man 'pen, but with so many specialists and so much worry about overuse, expansion has ensued.  There are too many players still in contention to pick a leader, but three of the candidates did pitch today.  Doug Mathis (4.50) walked 3 and allowed a run scoring single in the 6th.  The non-roster invitee was already a long shot and did not help his cause.  Jess Todd (2.08) pitched a clean 5th (H, K) and is favored by several pundits.  Justin Germano has thrown 5 scoreless innings thus far, conjuring memories of his first month in town last summer.  I would say Germano is in the middle of the pack.  We'll dig into this more in the coming days.  Manny Acta has stated that this decision, as well as that of the 2nd catcher, will likely not be made until the final week of camp.

The Tribe made their first round of cuts today as pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz, Bryce Stowell, Kelvin De La Cruz and Nick Hagadone were all sent to the minor league camp.  While De La Cruz (W, 4 IP, 3 H, 3/2 R/ER, BB, K, HR) and Hagadone (2 IP, 2 H, HBP, BB, K) merely held serve, Pomeranz (3 IP,BB, 5 K) has fans champing at the bit to see him on the Lake.  In contrast, the fireballin' Stowell (IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, HR) found the strike zone elusive and may take a step back to AA to begin the season.  Corey Kluber hefted his 108.00 ERA and joined them, as did catching prospect Chun Chen, who had a challenging game behind the dish yesterday.  Two injured players, Hector Rondon and Jared Goedert, round out the dismissals.  The Indians roster stands at 54.

Pitchers for 03.12:  Fausto Carmona (starter), Josh Tomlin, Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez.

Cheers.

Like A Chicago Thaw

Northwestern's basketball team plays deliberately.  In the second half, the team rarely attempted to score with more than 10 seconds on the shot clock.  Despite an overwhelming talent disadvantage, the #8 seed in the Big Ten tourney took the #1 Buckeyes to the limit.  How?  Like the filth left on urban Chicago sidewalks when the snow has melted, they're gritty.  In January, OSU need all  but 3 ticks of the clock to dispatch the Wildcats by a single point.  Today, they needed an extra five minutes.  While I'm thankful for the escape and accept that a win is, indeed, a win.  The downside of the game today is that it has exposed a second glaring chink (the first being perimeter defense) in the Bucks armor: you can beat them if you control the tempo.

For a team led by three seniors and one of the most respected coaches in the nation, Ohio State reacted painfully slowly to Northwestern's tactic.  Not until the overtime did the ball get delivered consistently to Jared Sullinger in the low post.  The overwhelmed boys in purple could do nothing other than hack at Sullinger, who rose to the challenge and made 11 consecutive free throws to seal the game.  Also, as opposed to any NCAA tournament opponent, the Buckeyes had seen this team before and should have been prepared.

Today the Scarlet and Gray triumphed thanks to defense, defense that did not stop pursuing the ball or obstructing lanes regardless of how long the Wildcats milked the clock.  Sullinger and Jon Diebler played the full 45 and Aaron Craft hounded the point like a man possessed.  Good thing, too.  Had the team not come out with, and sustained, such a defensive fervor the result would have been a big, capital L.

If the Bucks hope to make an honest run at a national championship, Thad Matta needs to inspire his team to respond more effectively should an opponent begin to exploit one of OSU's weaknesses.  These players are smart, they understand the game and the offense that they have been asked to run.  With a seven man rotation that features every single piece that a contender could want, none of the individuals are selfish.  When Matta tells them what to do, they do it.  During the break following regulation, he clearly told them to pound it inside.  He should have told them sooner.

On a lighter note, an excellent article on David Lighty here.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl Update! - Aly Michalka

Mark one in the "Aye" column for breast enhancement.

Suicide Squeeze - Mike Baxter ('92 Upper Deck)

Pretty Girl 03.11.11 - Allison Stokke

I have a pole that I'd like her to vault.

I'd Like My Steak Tiger Bloody Rare

Charlie Sheen's Winning Recipes from Charlie Sheen

I hope that the Weather Channel is next.

Just In From the Desert

Today's most intriguing story is that Jayson Nix (.105) has switched competitions.  We had thought him to be challenging Jason Donald (.400, back in the line-up today) and Luis Valbuena (.190, we'll get to Chisenhall in a bit) for the vacant third base job.  Yesterday, it was reported that Nix was getting significantly more reps at 2B and today Manny Acta confirmed that he has yet to name Orlando Cabrera (.364) as the starter.  I have to imagine that the statement was made to keep Jayson's confidence up during a tough run at the plate.  It is unlikely that anyone will unseat Donald at 3B or Cabrera at 2B.  While injuries are always a possibility, the probability is that the true competition is between Nix and Valbuena for the utility infield spot.  Nix's biggest upside is on offense and, his long ball today regardless, if he continues to flounder at the dish, he becomes worthless.  Valbuena, despite his low average, has popped three homers already and can play second, short and third.  To be clear, of the two, Valbuena is the better option and I hope that Acta et al can recognize this as well.

On to the Chiz Kid and his early tear.  We all have to keep a number of factors in perspective -- (1) The sample size of his .524 average (0-1, K today) is tiny (21 ABs) and against Spring Training pitching.  Manny Acta reminds us that the two biggest boppers last spring were Wes Hodges and Donnie Webb, (2) Lonnie has yet to see a single inning at AAA, (3) Similar to the Carlos Santana situation in 2010, this season would not count towards Chisenhall's arbitration eligibility should he come up in June or July, (4) As so many of us forget, baseball is 90% mental, as Justin Matserson noted yesterday.  When the Tribe (or any MLB team in this day and age) promotes a prospect, they strive to have him completely set up for success, & (5) There is no urgency to win in 2011.  I contend that, if everyone plays to form and the team stays healthy, that Indians can win 85 games.  This stance is awfully optimistic and, realistically, contention is a year away.  So, here is the plan:  the Chiz Kid gets comfortable this spring, opens at Columbus, rakes for a couple of months and makes his wildly anticipated debut on the North Coast after the Super 2 cutoff.  With Jason Donald easily dislodged from a starting role, the transition should be painless.  I'm completely on board with this.  So is Lonnie.  The man either recognizes his own best interest or just knows what to say to the media.  In an interview today, he made the statement that he's just "trying to make their decision difficult," rather than actively pushing for an opening day slot.  I know Chisenhall looks great right now (we'll never even get to see the catch he made on a foul pop in the 8th), but let us (and I mean the 71% who voted on Cleveland.com that he should be the starter) keep our eyes on the big picture.

Masterson (3.38 ERA) certainly righted his ship today, throwing 3 perfect innings and striking out 5. Justin threw 25 of 37 pitches for strikes (I charted myself.  This is the only place you will find those numbers.) and looked dominant.  As described by Jim Rosenhaus, his sinker was "great," his change "good," and his slider "sharp."  Masterson caused Blake DeWitt to flail so wildly in the 2nd that DeWitt's bat ended up in the stands above the Cubs dugout.  If Justin can throw anything like this on a consistent basis during the season, then we'll have our true #2.

I'm not ready to officially return Jeanmar Gomez (4.91) to contention for the #5 spot, but JG was certainly outstanding today.  He extended perfection to 1 out in the 6th and allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3 in three scoreless innings. 

Matt LaPorta (.138) continued to hit like unflushed excrement.  Matty was 0-for-3 with a K.

Frank Herrmann (1.80) gave up the lead in an 8th inning that featured the infield sprinklers going off with 2 outs.  Herrmann gave up a double and a wild pitch before Chun Chen's throwing error brought home the run.

Vinnie Pestano got into trouble in the 9th by allowing an infield single and then making a poor choice to try for the lead runner on a bunt attempt.  After putting the 2 on, Vinnie induced a pair of pop-ups, but gave up a game winning, walk-off single to Brett Jackson.  Still, after the staff allowed 41 runs over the past 3 games, giving up just 2 today was a nice change of pace.

Utility OF Battle:  Travis Buck (.440) played all 9 innings in right, showed good discipline in going from 1-and-2 to a walk in the second and added a single.  Shelley Duncan (.267), who started in left did not fare so well, going hitless in three trips while striking out twice.  No change here, Buck is still the favorite.

Pitchers for 03.11: Mitch Talbot (starter), Chad Durbin, Doug Mathis, Justin Germano and Josh Judy.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl Update! - Brittany Snow

Now, if only she would smile...

Suicide Squeeze - New Red Sox ('92 Upper Deck)

Pretty Girl 03.10.11 - Shevonne Sullivan

Everyone has their favorite TMZ girl.  This is mine.