Just In From the Desert

Yes, other things of note happened during the Indians/D-Bags game today, but let's talk about Travis Buck.  Kid went 2-for-3 with 2 bombs, he scored three and drove in three.  He's hitting .435.  Seriously, if the Tribe leaves this guy off of the opening day roster, it will be a travesty.  The word today is that there are only three bullpen spots up for grabs, indicating that Acta will only carry seven relievers.  This, in turn, means that there are four bench spots to fill.  Let's do the math: one backup catcher + one utility infielder + one utility outfielder + ... somebody else = 4.  To make a long story short (too late), Buck is in and I, for one, expect him to challenge Austin Kearns (.273, homered today) for that left field spot.

Josh Tomlin (1.13 ERA) hasn't pitched in a major league game in a while (Monday's rainout didn't help), yet he has continued to impress.  On Tuesday, he pitched five innings against minor leaguers and retired all 15 he faced on 53 pitches.  Tomlin was so efficient that he had to throw 20 in the bullpen afterward to get his work in.  I am now officially starting the "Josh Tomlin for #4 starter" campaign.  Let's go.

Who's Got Third?:  With Jason Donald ticketed to the DL the Indians will have an irrelevant decision to make about the opening day third baseman.  For the purposes of guessing at the roster, we're going to label Jack Hannahan (ugh, .350) as the starter.  The Tribe's 3B defense was abominable last season and Hannahan is better than average in the field.  Still, I wouldn't give the man the time of day, let alone a spot on my 25 man roster.  Anyway, he's going to make it, no matter how much I dislike it (a lot).

Utility Infield Battle: So, Jayson Nix got a hit today to raise his average to .148.  Also, I play third better than he does.  He loses.  Adam Everett (.355) is dinged up and can't play third either.  Despite the fact that Cord Phelps remains in major league camp and has raised his average above Mendoza, he is, from what I hear, not a realistic option.  The only logical choice here is Luis Valbuena (.211).  Louie has had his ups and downs over the past two season and this is might be his last best chance (what does that mean?).  He will get it, if on no other basis than the process of elimination.

Lucky 13:  Then who do the Indians carry as the last man on the bench?  In my mind, this is a guy who brings some pop to the table.  This is not Everett.  Nix, Shelley Duncan (.303) and Chad Huffman (.355) all qualify.  None of them is a true MLB player, but Duncan brought a degree of leadership to a distressed locker room last season and that intagible sets him above the others.  He's got my vote right now.

Bullpen Men:  Jess Todd (1.35), Vinnie Pestano (1.35) and Frank Herrmann (2.08) each threw a shutout inning today, following a solid 6 from Fausto Carmona (4 W, 4.50).  With Jensen Lewis' demotion and Joe Smith's injury, I feel that Pestano and Herrmann are in.  That leaves Todd in stiff competition with Justin Germano (0.00) (and to a much lesser extent, Doug Mathis) for the last seat in the pen.  Todd was acquired in the Mark DeRosa trade with high expectations and has always thrown well at AAA.  Although he has stuggled at the major league level, it would be nice to see him get a bit of a longer look.  Do it.

Carlos Carrasco starts on 03.23.

Cheers.