Just In From the Desert

Honestly, I don't know how the soccer fans do it.  A sporting event ending in a tie is just unnatural.  Two in a row is almost more than I can handle.

Hot Corner:  The Chiz Kid (.235) continued a tough skid striking out in all three of his at-bats.  Chisenhall is now 1-for-his-last-9 with 5 Ks.  Jack Hannahan is clearly in the lead here.

#5:  Don't tell me that Scottie Barnes is not in the race for the fifth starter spot.  Barnes tossed three more scoreless innings today (7 for the spring with 5 H, BB, 6 K), allowing just one hit and fanning four.  He also picked a man off of first, a skill that should not go undervalued.  All things being equal, if he puts up equivalent numbers to another contender, he will go to AAA, but, if he outshines his peers, do not believe that the Tribe will just send him on his way.

Left Of Center:  Matt LaPorta (.176) continued inching back into contention with a solid double today.  He's going to need to build on his recent success and show more power if he expects to have a realistic chance.  Felix Pie (.188) was a quiet 0-for-3 and needs to start hitting as well. 

Somewhere Out There:  Aaron Cunningham (.238) was your left fielder for all nine innings.  Yeah, he went hitless in four trips, including a punch out.  Guy needs to show us something if he wants to play on the big stage. 

Bench Me:  Jose Lopez got the day off.

Mightier Than the Sword:  Not today.

Tribe/ChiSox @ 4:05p tomorrow.  Tune in on STO.

Pretty Girl 03.14.12 - Alexis Bledel

Next time someones asks you what "cute as a button means," refer them here.

Just In From the Desert

Josh Tomlin got beaten (3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 4 ER) but the Indians did not, rallying from a 7-0 deficit to knot up the Rangers and an erratic Yu Darvish 8-8.  Yeah, Yu walked the first two batters of the game, but both Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera were caught stealing on separate plays.  Yeesh.

Hot Corner:  Jack Hannahan (.286) scorched a double and added a single in three trips.  He scored a pair of runs, but also made an awful throw to extend the nightmarish 3rd inning.  Captain Jack committed only one throwing error all of last year, so we can assume that it's out of the way for 2012.  Still, it's not what you want to do when you're fighting for a starting role.

#5:  Jeanmar Gomez (0.00) relieved Tomlin and continued to make a strong case that no others need apply for the fifth spot.  His fastball looked live with a good sinking action and the man hit his spots.  Needless to say, the numbers showed it.  In three innings he allowed just a single base-runner (a one base hit) and conjured five ground ball outs.  In case you're counting, that's 7 scoreless with just 4 hits allowed.  At this point, Jeanmar is going to have to give the job away because no one can take it unless he stumbles.  Zach McAllister (4.50) pitched two clean frames, benefiting from a bizarre double play in the 8th (sac bunt attempt, ZMac got lead runner at third, then the batter just sort of wandered off of first for no reason and got tagged out, again, bizare), but has simply not put up a body of work comparable to that of Gomez.

Left of Center:  Nope.

Somewhere Out There:  Fred Lewis (.182) started in left and did double on a ball that hit about 2 inches from the top of the wall.  The problem is that he also struck out twice and has looked consistently troubled in left field.  I would not bet on him.  Nor would I on Ryan Spilborghs (.125).  While the man is tremendously well-spoken (I saw an interview during today's game), he has simply shown nothing so far.  Today, he hit into a double play in one AB and left the game winning run in scoring position in the other.  Now, if Ezequiel Carrera (.200) can string some hits together, his speed is an X-factor that could earn him a spot.  In his first PA against Texas he beat out what was intended to be a sac bunt and then stole second.  He seems to be more comfortable in center field than he was last season, perhaps because the big stage doesn't seem so much anymore.

Bench Me:  Yesterday, I noted that Jose Lopez was the only man left in this category.  Well, the former all-star has no problem carrying it all by himself.  Lopez (.500) slapped two more hits today, as well as drawing a walk.  He also played a very solid first base for, not 9, but 10 innings.  I stand by my position that you will not see him at that position in the regular season unless something stupid happens, but it's still good to know that he can cut the mustard.  Oh, his spring OPS is 1.374.

Mightier Than the Sword:  Hector Ambriz (1.80) escaped danger in the top of the 10th thanks to his ability to get all 3 outs on ground balls.  Unfortunately, it was all Ambriz in getting into trouble.  He walked 2 (1 intentional) to open the door for the Rangers.

The wandering Wahoos visit the Gigantes tomorrow at 4:05p.

Pretty Girl 03.13.12 - Sharon Stone

You don't want to see without make-up these days, but she does deserve some sort of lifetime hotness award.

The Other Guys

In case you wanna watch the little dances...

The CIT (as the CollegeInsider.com Tournament is called) reseeds teams after each round, thus there is no bracket.

Cheers.

Not So Fab

Get ready to rewrite your brackets, kids.  Syracuse sophomore center and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Fab Melo did not travel with the Orange to Pittsburgh and will not play in the NCAA Tournament.  I repeat Fab Melo will NOT play in ANY of the NCAA Tournament games.  For the second time this season the Brazilian big man has been deemed ineligible for academic reasons.  This is a serious blow for a team that was a consensus #1 seed and most people's pick to come out of the East Region.  Now, Buck-Nuts, Sully & Co have a real opportunity to get to the Final Four.  So much for Cuse's vaunted defense without their man in the middle.  Coming off of a gut wrenching loss in the Big Ten Championship Game, this news has to turn the hearts and minds of the OSU ballers a complete 180.  They now must be considered the favorite in the East and it cannot be understated how far confidence can go with college basketball players.  I look forward to a deep run.

Cheers.

Throw It Down, Big Fella!

What do you want me to say?  It's tourney time!

Just In From the Desert

Props to Ubaldo Jimenez (1-2, 6.00, 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, K) for taking a big step in righting the ship and to the whole team on a solid 3-2 victory.  These are the sorts of games that will make or break a team without big boppers and it's quite heartening to see the boys pull one out.

Hot Corner:  Lonnie Chisenhall (.286) played a full 9 innings and singled once in four trips.  The Chiz Kid has yet to do anything to pull ahead in the third base race.

#5:  Nada.

Left of Center:  Shelley Duncan (.250) was your DH today and brought home a pair of runs.  Duncan knocked an RBI single in the first, before coming in to score himself.  He also drew a bases loaded walk in the 4th pushing in what proved to be the contest's decisive run.  Often it's easy to forget what kind of hitter Shelley is.  Sure, he dipped to .231 before today, but his OPS has stayed consistent at about 1.000.  The organization is obviously looking for an upgrade, but it would be a shame if they did not give this guy a chance to play every day.

Somewhere Out There:  Aaron Cunningham (.294) doubled in three plate appearance, scored a run and struck out.  I just don't feel it from Cunningham.  I get a real Travis Buck vibe off of him and, god knows, we don't need anymore of that on the lake.  Still, the combination of his lack of options and a solid spring probably puts him on the roster.  Russ Canzler (.368) aims to make that decision as difficult as possible.  The fan favorite added two more hits today.  Ryan Spilborghs (.143) now has a 2-game hitting streak after an RBI rip.  Ezequiel Carrera continues to sputter, as he went 0-for-2 with a punch out.  Remember that the Tribe does not need to carry a second true center fielder if they feel comfortable with Jason Donald as the backup. 

Bench Me:  Jose Lopez (.455) (who I think is the only guy left in this category unless they carry five outfielders...) saw time at first base and made an error.  Do not expect to see him play first during the regular season except in emergency.  Oh wait, am I assuming he's making it?  Hmm.  Lopez was 0-for-1 today.

Mightier Than the Sword:  Dan Wheeler (21.00) blew another opportunity for a good outing.  Wheeler put three guys on (2 H, BB) while allowing a run and fanning one.  I honestly believe that his spring is already too far gone.  Dan will have to string together a number of impressive innings to get back to zero.  Nick Hagadone (1.80), on the other hand, was, once again, impressive.  Nick pitched 2 clean innings with 2 hits and a punch out.  Although he threw a wild pitch, he has still yet to walk a batter this spring.  Jeremy Accardo (2.25) threw effectively as well.  Accardo would be in the bullpen if Spring Training ended today and was dominant against the D-Bags as he allowed a hit and struck out 2 in earning the save.

Watch the Indians play the Rangers tomorrow @ 4:05p.  STO will carry the game.

Pretty Girl 03.12.12 - Vanessa Minnilo

I think Nick Lachey is just working his way through every (current) chick on this list.  Gotta give an Ohio boy props though.  ;-j

Just In From the Desert

Sheesh.  Good thing it's Spring Training because I realized that Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .071 (and also seems kinda chubby) and the Tribe lost two games by an aggregate of 23-3.  

Hot Corner:  Bad day for Jack Hannahan (.182).  Despite an RBI, Jack went 0-for-3 with an sloppy E5 in the field.  The Indians expect consistency from Hannahan this season and, if it looks like they're not going to get it, they will go with Lonnie Chisenhall (.300, 0-1, K) as the Opening Day starter.

#5:  A pair of 5th starter possibles toed the rubber on a day of split squad action.  David Huff went against the Angels and took a dramatic step backwards.  Following 2 strong starts, Huff (6.75) was abysmal today in allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on seven hits (BB, 2 K) over three innings.  Huff now lingers behind both Jeanmar Gomez and the Kevin Slowey, the starter versus Texas.  Although he was not particularly sharp, Slowey (3.60) kept his team in the game (5 H, 2 ER, K) over his three innings of work.

Left of Center:  Hallelujah!  Matt LaPorta (.143) finally broke through today with 2 hits.  He still has a long way to go to get back into this.  Shelley Duncan has fizzled since a quick start, highlighted by an 0-for-3, 3 K performance this afternoon.  Felix Pie (.231) was 0-for-1.

Somewhere Out There:  Aaron Cunningham (.286) keeps hanging around.  He banged out his first extra base hit today, scored a run and added an outfield assist.  Since he is out of options, he could easily win a tie breaker with another player.  Russ Canzler (.313) is that kind of player.  Russ singled in three trips today, but his aura has faded over the past week, leaving him susceptible to a business move rather than a baseball move.  Ezequiel Carrera (.200) continues to fade as well.  Zeke posted an 0-for-5 with a pair of Ks against the Angels.  Fred Lewis (.125) did about half as poorly, fanning once during an 0-for-2 game.  Just like LaPorta, Ryan Spilborghs (.091) rapped his first base knock of the spring today.  He also committed an error and will have to get really hot, really quick to remain viable in this field.

Bench Me:  Fighting for another shot in the bigs, Cristian Guzman (.200) simply is not going to make it.  Not only was he 0-for-3 at the dish today, he committed his second error of the spring campaign.  I am officially dropping him from this tracker.  Jose Lopez (.500) was 0-for-1.

Mightier Than the Sword:  Speaking of losers, we can also forget about Chris Ray (18.00).  Ray's fourth spring outing was just as atrocious as his third.  As opposed to a guy like Frank Herrmann (7.20) who has gotten better and better (including 2 scoreless innings of 1 hit ball today) since a horrific first game, Chris has descended deeper into the crapper with each successive go-round.  Three runs on four hits and a walk today effectively relegates him to AAA.  Although it would take a minor miracle to get him onto the Opening Day roster, Chris Seddon fanned six in 2 1/3 clean innings (1 hit) today.  The journeyman was pressed into extended action after the first 4 Indians pitchers surrendered 17 runs against the Halos.

Red Tags: Austin Adams, Tyler Sturdevant & Chun Chen, all of whom have been injured thus far with Chen the only seeing any game action.

Tribe/D-Bags tomorrow at 4:05p.  Enjoy it on MLB Network.