Mysterious Ways

Carlos Carrasco was officially put on the 15-day disabled list this morning and RHP Frank Herrmann was recalled to take the spot on the 25-man roster.

This does not solve the quandary of who will be the Tribe's starter on Saturday against Detroit.

In my mind there are three possibilities, excluding David Huff, who would have to come back on short rest to make the start.  We'll go from simplest to most complex.

(3)  No further roster moves are made.  Justin Germano slides into the starting rotation until either Carrasco or Mitch Talbot is healthy enough to return.  Boo hiss.  Germano hasn't made a real major league start (he started the season finale in 2010, but threw only 35 pitches) in two years and he was never very good at it to begin with (8-17, 5.50 in 36 GS).

(2)  Herrmann is returned to Columbus following Friday's game and Zach McAllister is recalled to start on Saturday.  McAllister has won his his first three starts for Columbus and is not the top tier sort of prospect that the team would worry about starting the arbitration clock on.  They also thought enough of him to add to the 40-man roster in the off-season and he has 30 AAA starts under his belt.  So far, I'm the only one suggesting this, but regard it is a possibility.

Why?

(1)  This is by far the most complicated.  This scenario involves Alex White making his MLB debut on Saturday.  Again, Herrmann would be demoted to clear a spot on the 25-man, but at least one more move would need to be made.  White is not on the 40-man, thus someone would need to be DFA'ed in order for him to come up.  Perusing the roster, the only name that seems reasonable is Jess Todd.  Though Todd competed deep into spring camp for one of the bullpen spots, his performance at AAA this year has been atrocious, 12.38 ERA atrocious.  So.... we have several factors working against White.  Maybe the Indians don't want to expose Todd.  Maybe they don't want to start White's arbitration clock.  Maybe they want to be sure that when he comes up, he's sure to stay.  What would the team do if White made three or four great starts and then Talbot and Carrasco were ready to come back.  Organizations often structure the recall of top prospects so that they are not shuttled back and forth.

This is all food for thought, though not for long.  Manny Acta tweeted that he will "probably" announce Saturday's starter after tonight's game.

Cheers.

Southern Style Clip Joint

Have you ever been to Gwinnett County, Georgia?  Gorgeous.  My favorite climate is that of Tennessee and northern Georgia and Gwinnett compliments that with a laid-back suburban southern ease that makes every breath seem easy.  Anyway, that's where the Clippers played baseball on Wednesday night.

Scottie Barnes picked up his first AAA win by throwing six and two thirds scoreless against the Braves.  While Barnes (2.31 ERA) did not have what I would call pinpoint control (5 BB), he allowed just two hits and struck out seven.  Look for Barnes and Zach McAllister to step to the front of the Clippers rotation when the Tribe plucks Alex White for Saturday.

Carlton Smith finished up (2.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K) for his first save and extended his season long scoreless streak to nine and two thirds innings.  Smith, a virtual unknown, struggled last season in his first taste of AAA.  This year opponents are hitting .222 off him and he has become the Clips' dominant reliever.

On the offensive side, Cord Phelps (.343) continued to rake with two hits and an RBI.  The Travis Buck (.412) show rolled on with a two run triple.  Ezequiel Carrera (.277) walked, scored a run and stole his 8th base.

McAllister is Thursday's probable as Columbus finishes up in Gwinnett (7:05p).  He will look for his 4th consecutive win to begin the campaign.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Giovanni Soto, acquired last summer in the Jhonny Peralta trade, snared his first W of 2011 with six shutout for Kinston.  Soto (3.06) had lost his first three starts, but responded on Wednesday with his longest stint of the season surrendering three hits and a walk while striking out six.  Still just 19, the opposition is hitting .195 off of Giovanni so far.

Steven Wright continued his journey to become a real life knuckleball pitcher with a start for the Lake County Captains.  The first four innings were outstanding and unmarred.  Wright (3.12) gave up four hits and didn't walk anyone.  The Captains put up ten runs of support for him.  The fifth inning was quite a bit different.  A leadoff error preceded four straight hits.  Wright rebounded to get a ground out and his second K, but a wild pitch-homer-double sequence chased Steven to the showers.  Four of the six runs he allowed were sorted out as unearned and the absence of walks is either a great sign (control) or an awful one (his kunckler isn't moving).  Only time will tell.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 04.28.11 - Emilie De Ravin

Yes, Claire, I will save your baby, but you're gonna have to help me out with my own little turnip head.

Curses Are For Pussies

This is for real.  Boo-yah.

A Quest Called Tribe

Josh Tomlin pitches to contact.  He's going to give up the gopher ball.  We know this.  With a fastball that barely grazes 90 on his best day, Tomlin relies on throwing strikes and hitting his spots.  Tonight, with the exception of a couple of second inning solo jacks, he baffled the Royals for six innings.  As expounded on by Manny Acta, Josh has a very short memory.  The homers did not shake him at all, nor did the multitude of foul balls contacted by the Royals.  Of Tomlin's even hundred pitches, 73 were for strikes and he never allowed KC to get a real rally going.  The win tonight was his 4th of the season.  Acta says that he expected the tandem of Tomlin and Justin Masterson to be 9-0 at this point.  Yeah, right.  Still, it rocks.  I'm on friggin' cloud nine.

Tomlin's counterpart, Jeff Francis, topped out at a lowly 84 this evening and relied mostly on a 69 mph slow curve as his out pitch.  Francis did not get a lot of outs.  The Indians sent ten men to dish in the first, plating five highlighted by a bases clearing double from Orlando Cabrera.  Francis was gone a batter into the 4th having gotten knocked around to the tune of ten hits.  It honestly looked as if the man was throwing BP.

Acta announced after the game that a move to bring another reliever up from the minors will be announced tomorrow morning, seemingly because he cannot agree with GM Chris Antonetti on exactly which one.  That is striking as the only three AAA relievers on the 40-man are Frank Herrmann, Jess Todd and Josh Judy.  Todd has been an abomination thus far and Judy has zero major league experience.  Herrmann, on the other hand, was demoted only because Joe Smith came off of the DL.  If there is a discussion to be had, I have no idea on the argument.  Whoever gets the call will likely be around for just two days before returning to Clippers in exchange for Saturday's starter.  That is still expected to be Alex White, but I suppose Manny could just go ahead and start Justin Germano (please, no).

The Tribe has won nine in a row at home.  Everyone else in the AL Central lost tonight, so the lead grows to three and a half games.  The Indians are now officially the only team in the division above .500.  Keep on keepin' on boys.

In case you were wondering, Jack Hannahan leads the American League in hitting against left handed pitching.  Jack is 9-for-17.  That's .529.  Nice.

Cheers.

I'm Dreaming Of A White April

Carlos Carrasco will be placed on the 15-day DL.  Expect Alex White to be recalled and start Saturday in Carrasco's stead.

Should the dominoes fall logically, Joe Martinez would move into the Columbus rotation.  This would open up a spot in the Clippers' bullpen for one Nick Hagadone.  This is, of course, just idle talk.

Eric Berger, who made five starts for the Clips last summer, could be moved up from Akron.  Paolo Espino would be another bland option.  He too started for the Clippers in 2010 and began '11 in the AAA 'pen until six runs and a loss in his first two innings pitched led to a quick demotion.

We shall see.

Cheers.

The Day After the Clip Joint

It's amazing what a four hit game can do for your batting average in April.  Lonnie Chisenall entered last night's game having flirted with Mendoza all season long.  After a 4-for-5 effort (2 R, RBI) the Chiz Kid's average now sits at a reasonable .258 and all of us that were beginning to worry that he might not be all he's cracked up to can remain quiet.  Yet, even in Chisenhall's best AAA performance thus far, Lonnie was far from the only offensive hero.  Chad Huffman (.283) has been on fire since beginning 0-for-18 and contributed three hits and a pair of RBI, while Jason Kipnis (.246) tripled, homered and brought home two.  Still, the offensive MVP at this early stage has certainly been Cord Phelps.  Phelps (.328) has shown why he was in the running for the big club's utility infield spot until the final week of spring camp.  In yesterday's 7-5 win, he reached base three times (2 H, BB) and scored twice.  Cord's OPS sits at .976 and he is reaching base in nearly 50% of his plate appearances.

David Huff (3.00 ERA) took the pill for the Clips and provided a yeoman's effort.  Huff went seven to earn his second win, surrendering four earned runs on nine hits with neither a walk nor a strikeout.  David threw 94 pitches and I would officially classify him as unavailable for Saturday.

Zach Putnam threw perfect ball for the final two frames.  He struck out three to notch his third save.

I know I've said this before, but Scott Barnes IS supposed to pitch tonight for Columbus against the Gwinnet Braves.  If he doesn't make it out for tonight's 7:05p first pitch, we will know something is amiss.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Nick Hagadone tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and K'ing four, to secure the win for Akron in the second game of yesterday's double header.  Hagadone (0.00) has allowed just eight baserunners in 13.2 innings this season and has fanned 18.  The Columbus bullpen is already crowded, so, if Nick continues his outstanding work, some have speculated that he might jump straight from AA to the Jake this season.  I doubt it, but his performance in 2011 doubtlessly bodes well for the future.

Akron starter Austin Adams did fare so well in the first game.  Adams (1-2, 3.86) began the season hot, cooling off significantly in recent appearances.  Yesterday, he lasted just eight hitters, six of which he put on base (3 H, 3 BB) before getting yanked.  He was not pleased with his removal.  Austin remains a prospect with great upside, though a start of less than a full inning will give all the scouts some pause.

Before I go, I'll share yet another odd baseball occurrence that I saw for the first time in 2011.  On Monday, I was watching Phil Humber dazzle the Yankees.  Rafael Soriano came in to pitch the top of the ninth.  After he got two strikes on Alexei Ramirez the Yanks' infield move back to the cut of the grass.  Ramirez proceeded to pop the ball up on the infield.  Soriano followed through to first base side of the mound and stood there, rooted like a tree, while pointing to indicate the pop fly.  Derek Jeter sprinted in but the ball fell in front of him for a single.  The ball hit, I swear, two feet from the pitcher's mound.  I know that pitchers aren't generally supposed to chase these, but Soriano absolutely needs to go after it until someone calls him off.  A 65 foot fly ball hit.  Never seen it before.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Aaaaah, it's Wednesday afternoon!  Stupid world.  By now, you have all savored the Indians' victory and the new cushy 2.5 game lead in the Central.  So, as opposed to picking apart the contest with a fine toothed comb, let us instead celebrate a few guys that no one expected much from.

#3) Grady Sizemore - Sure, he's Grady Sizemore, but the perception of Grady coming into the season was, at best, cautiously optimistic.  I myself only hoped for about 80% of the Sizemore that we had come to know and love.  Instead, we have been treated to a hitting show that is everything that it ever was and might be more.  After two doubles and his 3rd dinger against KC last night, Grady is hitting .406 with a 1.332 OPS.  He is raking in a way that no one, no one could have predicted.  Sadly, it seems that, coming back from microfracture surgery, Sizemore has lost a step off of his once blazing speed.  I'm not drawing this conclusion from one failed steal attempt, but, rather, from his general unwillingness or inability to take the extra base.  It remains to be seen if he can return to former glory on the basepaths, but, wherever he  lands in the lineup, his hitting is the sort of rare treat that it is simply a joy to behold.

#2) Justin Masterson - Masterson is now 5-0.  In 2010, Justin started 0-5, didn't win his 5th game until the end of August and finished 6-13.  In fact, six is the highest win total that he has accumulated in any of his three previous MLB seasons.  While his last two starts have not been as stellar as the first three, Masterson's ERA still sits at 2.18 and his WHIP at 1.12.  All five of his starts have been quality.  In the off-season, I suggested that Justin's future success would be found at the back end of the bullpen, that he simply did not have the type of consistency to become a front line starter.  So, what changed?  I have previously discussed how he has shown excellent command of all of his pitches, especially within the strike zone.  How has he made the leap?  As is the case with every pitcher, repetition of delivery is paramount to Masterson.  At a lanky 6'6" with a funky arm slot, it had always been difficult for him to utilize the same mechanics pitch after pitch.  Justin seems to have solved that problem in 2011.  Although he has more work ahead of him (on, say, avoiding clusters of hits) the production he has provided this April has been the cornerstone of a pitching staff that has led the Tribe to the top of the division.

#1) Jack "Mother E'ffing" Hannahan - Again, I was not a fan during spring training.  I could, perhaps, be described as the furthest thing therefrom.  Then on opening day his home run sliced through my haze and turned by bold prediction prophetic.  Since then, Jack has done nothing but play the best third base I have seen from an Indian in my lifetime and hit at a level that he has never even approached in the bigs.  Following a game that featured two solo blasts off of Luke Hochevar, Hannahan is hitting .286 with an .872 OPS.  His four homers are tied for the team lead.  His 13 runs scored are tied for the team lead.  His 11 RBI are tied for third.  The guy bats 9th and plays about five times a week.  Of all of the things that had to go exactly right to push the Indians into first, none was an unexpected or unlikely as this boon from a dude who hit .237 at AAA last year.  During March, I wrote that he could never be the next Casey Blake.  I stand by that.  Instead, Jack is carving out a niche all his own that will make taking his starting job away nearly impossible.  Put succinctly, the Jack attack is back, baby.

Oh, and Vinnie Pestano?  N to the asty!  Unreal.

Cheers.

Thank Goodness That Ke$ha Is A Who-Er

Because that's all she's got on this chick.  More on Allison Williams to come.

Pretty Girl 04.27.11 - Teri Hatcher

They're real and they're spectacular.