Indians Lose Ugly in Oakland

It wasn't pretty and there was very little to be excited about as the Indians fell to the Oakland Athletics, 6-3, last night in McAfee Coliseum. The Indians may have only managed 2 hits the previous night in a loss to Chicago, but the Tribe looked even less impressive in the series opener against the A's. It was an acid flashback to the forgettable 2006 campaign complete with bad defense, no clutch hitting and strikeouts. Lots and lots of strikeouts.

Paul Byrd struggled out of the gate allowing at least one base runner in each of the 5 innings he appeared in and at least 2 base runners in 4 of those 5 innings. He was able to weasel his way of of trouble without harm, as he did in 2007, in 3 of those five innings but a couple hit batsmen, a single and a passed ball gave the A's a 1-0 after 2 innings.

Byrd was unable to make it out of the fifth as a single, Jhonny Peralta error an another single loaded the bases with no out. Peralta's error was only the second worst defensive play of the inning as the next batter hit a slow roller to second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera. For reason unbeknown to man, the As-Man threw home when there was no chance of a play at the plate and it was 2-0 A's with still no one out. A sacrifice fly and 2 singles made it 5-0 before Jorge Julio came on to stop the bleeding.

The Indians has no answers on offense as the first 11 hitters that stepped to the plate made outs. Compounding their ineptitude, the Indians struck out TEN times in the game, many of them looking. Travis Hafner had two of them and looked awful in both plate appearances. Down 1-0, the Indians managed to get 2 on with 1 out int he fourth but Casey Blake hit into a double play to kill that rally. Even worse, after the Indians loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth and Oakland starter Justin Duchscrerer left with an injury Peralta swung at his kryptonite, the breaking pitch low and away and hit into a double play. Rally killed, game effectively over.

With no Victor Martinez and Hafner still struggling, the Indians offense has had trouble getting going the last two games. The only good thing is that's it's still early, Martinez is nearing a return and Hafner did look very Pronk-like with a 9th run jack. Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko continue to hit but if no one drives in Sizemore and there is no one for Garko to drive in it's not gonna work.

Some random notes. Franklin Gutierrez is sick with the glove. The catch off the RF wall plus the sliding catch in the eighth. Sweet lord. If Sizemore ever needs a day off I have faith Frankie can get it done in CF. Jorge Julio looked a lot better in his second outing. He did himself in with a wild pitch but was effective otherwise. Nice debut by Craig Breslow with 1 1/3 innings of 1 hit, 1 BB work. The hit should've been an error on Garko but he worked out of it. Very un-Aaron Fultz-like. Well played.

The Indians are now 6-22 since 2001 in McAfee Coliseum. I somehow feel this is Browns' OT Nat Dorsey's fault. Anything bad that happens in Oakland is his fault, in my opinion, after he FORGET TO BLOCK on a game winning FG attempt in Oakland last year. How do you forget to block on a FG attempt?!? Please cut Nat Dorsey!

Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro preach winning series as the way to approach winning the division. It is a good strategy as if you always win 2 out of 3 that gives you 108 wins, the Tribe got 96 last year, which was nice. If they want to win this series the Tribe needs to wake up and win 2 in a row. Let's go, gentlemen.

It's Tribe Time Now. Believeland.

Tribe Bats Slumber, Fail To Sweep White Sox

The Tribe squandered a great pitching effort by Jake Westbrook coming up on the short end of a 2-1 game to the Chicago White Sox. Westbrook held the Sox to 2 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk in 7 1/3 innings. He made two crucial mistakes, falling behind Juan Uribe in the 6th and Joe Crede in the 8th, yielding a pair of solo of home runs which saddled him with a loss. Jensen Lewis rebounded from a rocky opener to pitch a scoreless 1 2/3 innings of relief to close out the game.

On offense the Indians just couldn't solve young White Sox RHP John Danks or the Chicago bullpen as they managed only 2 hits and one run on the afternoon. The Tribe's only offensive threat of the game came in the bottom of the 7th after Ryan Garko doubled home Travis Hafner on a ball barely out of reach from RF Jermaine Dye. Dye and CF Nick Swisher then collided to drop a routine pop fly to give the Indians runners on second and third with one out but they were unable to capitalize.

As disappointing as missing the sweep was the pitching performances in the last two games were exciting to see. Yesterday, before Westbrook's strong performance, Fausto Carmona battled the cold and some control issues to shut down the White Sox. Carmona allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 4 walks but induced 3 timely double plays on a night where he didn't have his best stuff. One fly ball out in 7 innings says it all as Carmona kept the Sox hitters flustered all night.

Masa Kobayashi made his Indians debut with a couple of hits and a strikeout in a 1/3 inning of work Wednesday night as looked sketchy at best. The Indians will be patient with Kobayashi as they admit there will be an adjustment period to the American game. Rafael Perez came on to administer a couple of timely Ks to work out of Kobayashi's jam. Jorge Julio pitched the 9th and labored through it. Two hits, including a home run, a walk and a lot of pitches. I expect his leash to be short like Roberto Hernandez's last year as the Indians have plenty of young arms in Buffalo and Akron itching to get the call.

Grady Sizemore led the offense change on Wednesday and looked like he may be ready to take that proverbial leap to the next level. Three for four with 2 runs, 3 hits, including a triple, a HBP and a 2-out 2-run single to give the Tribe a 2-0 lead they would never relinquish. Not far behind him was Asdrubal Cabrera with a 3-5 outing and a couple of RBIs. If the As-Man can avoid the dreaded "sophomore slump" he may find himself in the #2 hole more often than not and provide the Indians a little more production than they anticipated.

It's off to the West Coast for the 2-1 Indians for a pair of three game sets with the A's and Angels. It will be interesting to see if Paul Byrd is Paul Byrd circa 2006 or 2007 and if Cliff Lee can bounce back from a season from hell. Maybe the warm weather will wake up the Tribe bats as its very difficult to win with only 2 hits. An appearance from Pronk rather than Travis Hafner would be nice as well. A good early season test for the Erie Warriors.

It's Tribe Time Now. Believeland.

Tribe Outlasts White Sox 10-8 in Opener

Well, there was no snow but the Cleveland Indians 2008 home opener was almost as crazy as the 2007 version. Two gopher balls from C. C. Sabathia in a very un-Cy Young-like performance. A 7 inning outburst followed by 6 innings of silence. Some major gifts from the umpiring crew. The Bizzaro Bullpen being bailed out by Mr. Clutch... Casey Blake? And Joe Borowski being Iron Joe again. All in all a crazy game that ended in a Tribe 10-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Things started poorly for the Erie Warriors as After getting Nick Swisher to start the game, Sabathia walked Orlando Cabrera and then gave up a long, line drive HR to former Indian Jim Thome to put the Sox up 2-0. The Indians promptly went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 1st with Travis Hafner taking a called strike 3.

But the Indians woke up in the 2nd inning as Victor Maritnez, Jhonny Perlata and Ryan Garko started the second with consecutive singles. An RBI ground out by the As-Man, Asdrubal Cabrera, made the score 1-0 and brought Franklin Gutierrez to the plate. Despite being down in the count 0-2, Frankie stayed in the groove that he was in down in the Grapefruit League and launched a 3 run HR to put the Indians up 4-2. Grady Sizemore added a HR for the second straight Opening Day, Travis Hafner added an RBI double and Victor Martinez added an RBI single and when it was all said and done it was 7-2 Tribe after 2.

Last year, C. C. Sabathia would have hunkered down, slammed the door shut through 7 and then turned it over to the bullpen. Not so today. C. C. gave up another 2 run jack to Thome in the top of the 3rd, this one a towering blast that the wind just kept carrying out to CF. All of a sudden it was 7-4. He rebounded getting the Sox 1-2-3 in the 4th and 5th innings but the 6th inning was a different story. After getting the first man out in the 6th he walked 2 Sox back-to-back, gave up and RBI single to make it 7-5 Tribe and his day was done.

Jensen Lewis came on to fan the next two Sox hitters to end the threat without further damage. He came out to start the 7th but t was a totally different story for their bullpen in 2008. Jenny gave up singles to Swisher and O. Cabrera and was pulled in favor of Rafael Perez. Jason Michaels robbed Jim Thome of extra bases but that only prolonged the inevitable as perennial Tribe Killer Paul Konerko delivered a 2 run single off of Rafael Betancourt to tie it at 7.

After a single to load the bases and a strikeout of Alexis Ramirez things stared to get a little sketchy if you were a White Sox fan and wonderful if you were one of the Cleveland faithful. A. J. Pierzynski hit a bouncer up the middle that Jhonny Peralta got to and made a wide throw to first. Ryan Garko made a full out stretch, on his stomach, and caught the ball. The first base umpire ruled that Garko kept his toe on the bag until after he caught the ball but the replayed showed the call definitely could have gone the other way.

The Indians good fortunes continued in the 8th after in looked as if they may have blown the game for good. After consecutive hits by Joe Crede and Juan Uribe, Nick Swisher was intentionally walked. Orlando Cabrera hit a chopper to Peralta at short and he threw home wildly an pulled catcher Kelly Shoppach off the plate. Shoppach reached back to tag Joe Crede who was called out at home plate. Replays showed that Shoppach didn't come close to applying the tag. So the Indians caught break number 2 of the afternoon.

These things happen in 3s as Jim Thome hit a ground ball to Asdrubal Cabrera who threw to Peralta for the force out at second and the Indians were awarded a double play as the umpire ruled that Orlando Cabrera deliberately threw his arms into Jhonny Perlata even through he was within reach of touching the bag with his feet. Inning over, no runs scored, score still tied at 7.

The Indians came out with back-to-back singles by Shoppach and Peratla to start the top of the 8th. With Ryan Garko at the plate you knew Eric Wedge was not going to call for the bunt. Garko struck out and was followed by a Cabrera who could only manage a weak fly out. The White Sox appeared to pitch around Franklin Gutierrez, who walked to load the bases, to get to #9 hitter Casey Blake. Blake hit .163 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs in 2007. So it only made sense that he drilled a hanging slider from Octavio Dotel off the top of the left field wall for a 3 run double and a 10-7 lead.

Now for most teams this would be game, set and match. No so for the Tribe as Joe Borowski came out to close out the 9th. I call Joe "Iron Joe" for two reasons. One, despite having mediocre stuff he has nerves of steel and like a piece of iron, no matter how many times you hit him he endures. And two, you need an iron stomach to watch him pitch because it's always an adventure. This afternoon was no different... Ground out, home run, strike out, walk, foul out, ballgame, Indians win 10-8.

In the end the Indians won which is all that matters but what an odd, odd way to go about it. A 3-3 day from Gutierrez, an awful outing from C. C., no bullpen support and the situational hitting heroics of Casey Blake. Unbelievable. The Indians either have destiny on their side or its gonna be a long, wacky year. I have a feeling its gonna be a little bit of both.

It's Tribe Time Now. Believeland.

Tribe Sets 25 Man Roster

Well the Tribe is readying to pack its bags to head North for Opening Day on Lake Erie. They are departing Winter Haven for the last time as they will relocate back to Arizona after 16 camps in Florida. There is not much overturn from the the 2007 roster but GM Mark Shapiro and Uncle Eric have made the final cuts as the Indians' roster stands at the designated 25 men.

Cliff Lee out dueled, if you can term it that, Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Neither of the 3 performed brilliantly nor embarrassed themselves but Lee did show improvement as camp went on and looked to regain control of all 3 of his pitches. This was the major problem he had after coming of his injury in 2007.

The good news about the rotation is that no one got injured this spring and the Indians essentially return 5 solid starters. If Lee can return to his pre-2007 form then there is no one in the rotation that makes you feel you have slim or no chance of winning every 5th day. Not many teams in MLB can say that. If an injury does occur, which is inevitable, you have have 2 young hungry guys in Sowers and Laffey (plus the possibility of Adam Miller) who can step in.

A couple small surprises in the bullpen and Jorge Julio beat out Tom Mastny for one spot and the Indians jettisoned Aaron Fultz in favor of another lefty, Craig Breslow. The Julio decision comes as a small surprise based on Mastny's performance in the 2007 post-season, but he flat out stunk in camp this spring while Julio shined, so Mastny and his remaining options are back on their way to Buffalo. Uncle Eric seems to like having another power arm in the bullpen as Rafael Betancourt is the only other hard thrower the Tribe has in the pen.

The Fultz move comes as a surprise because the Indians picked up his option year in 2008 and now must pay him $1.5M in guaranteed money to say goodbye. If Mastny stunk in camp this year Fultz was an absolute train wreck that included a 9 run performance in 1/3 of an inning. I don't know a lot about Breslow only that mark Shapiro has had his eyes on his for a while. It does raise an eyebrow that he was waived by the Red Sox who do have some questions marks in their own bullpen.

The key to the bullpen is to see how Uncle Eric works Breslow, Julio, Jensen Lewis and Masa Kobayashi into the 7th/8th inning mix with Betancourt and Rafael Perez. Two of those guys need to step up to give Wedge other options when the Rafaels need a day off. I fear that one or both guys could end up on the DL with a "tired arm" if they pitch at the rate they did last year. The Indians have plenty of bullpen depth in the minors but the Rafaels are a huge key to the season. Especially if Joe Borowski can not stay healthy or stay out of jams. Iron Joe may have led the AL in saves but he also lead it in near heart attacks given to the home fan base.

Really no surprises with the position players other that the ongoing conundrum that is the LF platoon. Jason Michaels had a good spring but Ben Francisco blew him out of the water. David Dellucci struggled to come back from his hamstring surgery. I have a feeling that Mark Shapiro is trying to shop one or both of Michaels and Dellucci but selling the later to another team will be difficult due to his age, injury history and contract. I have faith that Shapiro will make the right move and that it's just a matter of time before Francisco supplants the existing platoon a la Franklin Gutierrez supplanted Trot Nixon in RF last year. With Shin-Soo Choo comes off the DL, and out of options, in May or June the OF log jam will be cleared up well before the All-Star break.

Andy Marte also heads North with the club as he is out of options and his clock is ticking. He showed great flashes of power throughout camp but has struggled to hit above .200 and has been abysmal at 3B. It's a make of break year for Marte as this is the final year of Casey Blake's contract and the Indians need to find out if he is their 3B of the future. Don't hate Casey Blake for the situation, it's not his fault that Marte has failed to beat him out for the job. It is his fault that he can not hit with RISP, however.

I don't take much from Spring Training stats but it is good to see Victor Maritnez, Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta and Gutierrez have great springs. Sizemore and Travis Hafner can not have the years they had in 2007 if the Tribe wants to stay a leg up on the Tigers. Pronk has looked so-so this spring so we'll have to cross our fingers and hope everything will be OK once we go "live" on March 31. I have faith the As-Man will continue to thrive both on defense and with situational hitting. If the offense can just step it up one notch in 2008 the Indians will be a very difficult team to beat with the pitching depth they posses.

I fully expect Uncle Eric and Shapiro to make the decisions that need to be made as they did in 2007 with Roberto Hernandez, Josh Barfield and Trot Nixon. They already have shown they will do it again with Aaron Fultz. If they need to make a move I think they will do it as they did with Kenny Lofton last year. For all the gruff the Dolans get about money they did eat the contracts of Hernandez last year and Fultz this year so I don't think you can say money is an obstacle. It's more of Shapiro trying to protect the farm system in the skewed baseball economy. But when it comes down to it, if a deal must be made I have faith the Indians will do it.

2008 is here. Jacobs Field... I mean Progressive Field is ready to rock. Let's turn on the lights and get this show started. It's Tribe Time Now. Believeland.

Browns Moves - A Week Later

It’s been a week since Phil Savage’s magical Leap Day. Here are my thoughts after taking a week to digest it all.

QB Derek Anderson – Resigned – I like the move. It buys the Browns another year to evaluate if DA is the real deal or a one year wonder. Yes, he’s getting $8M a year but it’s only for three years and a manageable cap number. Yes he was awful on the road and yes the second half of 2007 was rough but he does have the tools to be an effective NFL QB. Whether he harnesses those tools in 2008 will determine the Browns long term QB answer.

RB Jamal Lewis – Resigned – This was a no-brainer. Other than the fact that he’s 29 there are not a lot of negatives. You can not ignore what he did in 2007. His running style keeps teams honest, opens up the passing game and helps the Browns close out games. He was very effective in the passing game and seemed to be a positive influence in the locker room despite his checkered past. There was no one comparable in free agency available and the Browns were not in a position to take a “factor back” in the draft. Please shoot me, I just quoted Merril Hoge. Again, a three year deal at about $6M per year that is a nice chuck of change but short enough that the Browns can cut the ties early without a giant cap hit.

S Nick Sorensen – Resigned – Phil Savage read my cut list! You always need one wacky, out of place guy to play special teams. From 2003 to 2006 it was the Stormin’ Mormon, the Ball Bull, Mason Unck. The Mother Unker was a crazy, bald Mormon from Utah (college Arizona State) who would just fly into the wedge with reckless abandon. A great recovery by Savage to sign Sorensen, who looks like a hung-over surfer dude, to a three year deal. I was worried there for a while, Phil.

DT Corey Williams – Acquired by Trade – The price was a little steep, 2nd round draft choice, but if the Browns honestly thought that could not get anyone close to his caliber on draft day then I completely back the move. It vastly improves the weakest position on the team. Personnel directors around the league rave about Williams’ game. He’s big enough to play on the inside yet athletic enough to play on the outside. A monster 6 year deal for Williams, who was franchised by the Packers before the trade, but you do need to overpay for defensive linemen because they are few and fare between. Plus he’s only 27 and I can see him anchoring the line for years. He is the acquisition I am most excited about.

DT Shaun Rogers - Acquired by Trade – This, by far, is Savage’s riskiest gamble. Rogers spent his tenure in Detroit splitting time between being a dominant force on the field and consistent pain to the coaching staff because of weight, attitude and work ethic issues. If they can keep him at 340 pounds and motivated then this might be a complete steal. If not, then this could be one of the worst trades possible. I can understand giving up a 3rd round choice for the guy but throw in CB Leigh Bodden and then give him a 6 year deal with $20M guaranteed… that makes me a little uneasy. This is definitely an “all or nothing” trade. I hope it’s all.

WR Donte’ Stallworth – FA Signing – This move makes more sense now that Jurevicius came out and said 2008 is his last year and that he felt he was more of a #3 receiver. Stallworth is a pure speed threat and is great with yards after the catch. He was overshadowed by Randy Moss and Wes Welker in New England but did have his moments of brilliance. He is a huge upgrade over Tim Carter, who the Browns stated they will not resign, but he has had injury issues in the past. A first round draft choice of New Orleans, he showed flashed of brilliance around chronic hamstring problems and then spent a year in Philadelphia, helping Donovan McNabb reestablish himself after Terrell Owens, before playing last season with the Patriots. I like the signing but don’t understand the contract. 7 years, $35M? That just seems like an awful lot for a #2 receiver with an injury history. Don’t get me wrong, I like the signing, just not the contract. If only he can beat out Travis Wilson. But that’s for another column.

So overall some solid, yet bold, moves by the Browns. We’ll see what it produces in 2008. With essentially no draft for them in 2008 they need to produce in 2008 or the moves will be second guessed for years to come. With a brutal schedule including the AFC South and NFC East there is no opportunity for the Browns to take a week off and still have a shot at the playoffs. Plus, if they want to win the AFC North, they need to knock off the team they haven’t been able to beat since 2003, the hated Steelers.

Phil Savage Makes Leap Day A Holiday

February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, in years evenly divisible by 4, such as 1988, 1996, 2008 or 2016 (with the exception of century years not divisible by 400, such as 1900) for the Gregorian calendar, which is most widely used in the world today. These are called leap years, and February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of that year. February 29 is also known as Bissextile Day or Leap Day.

Now Leap Day is not a national holiday, but Browns GM Phil Savage sure treated it like one. It started off at 4:30 AM when the Browns and QB Derek Anderson came to terms on a 3 year, $24M ($13M guaranteed) deal less than a day after Anderson rejected a 3 year, $20M ($10M guaranteed) deal. We'll see how the QB situation pans out, as Brady Quinn has already stated he plans to compete for the starting job in 2008, but it looks like a good move, IHMO.

It gives Anderson a chance to prove that the beginning of 2007 was no fluke and the end of 2007 was an aberration. If he excels, the Browns still will face a QB decision at the end of 2008, but both he and Quinn still will have value at that time. If he falters, Quinn is itching to take over. Both QB's contracts don't put too much of a burden on the Browns' salary cap number, so theoretically they both could be here for the next 3 years, but the odds of that happening are slim to none. The bottom line is the Browns still have 2 potential starting QBs under the age of 25 on the roster and are not financially handcuffed by it.

Savage then acquired Green Bay DT Corey Williams in exchange for the Browns' 2008 2nd Round draft choice. Williams was give the Franchise Tag by the Packers due to their depth at the position. The Browns then signed Williams to a 6 year contract. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed but rumors say is is worth $36M ($16M-$18M guaranteed). Williams is only 27 and fills the second DE spot and give the Browns a much needed run stuffer they have been missing since the 1990s.

In a surprising move, after a trade between Detroit and Cincinnati fell through, Savage traded the Browns' 2008 3rd Round draft choice and starting CB Leigh Bodden to the Lions for ginormous DT Shaun Rogers. This move is the riskiest by far as Rogers clashed in 2007 with Lions coaches and management in addition to struggling with his weight. When healthy, fit and motivated, Rogers can dominate the line of scrimmage as he was a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 and 2006. But he ballooned form his normal playing weight of 340 pounds to 370 and seemed to take plays off on a regular basis. If the Browns can get him in shape and screw his head on straight they may have gotten a steal. If they don't they're looking at the second coming of Gerard Warren.

The following day, WR Donte Stallworth was inked to a 7 year, #35M ($10M guaranteed) contract in what has to be considered, with Joe Jurevicius hinting at retirement after 2008, an concession that Tim Carter and Travis Wilson are not the answer. With visits by Tenneessee DE Travis LaBoy, Ravnes LB Nick Greisen and Steelers LB Clark Haggans scheduled, Savage may not be done with addressing the Browns pitiful defense.

All 4 moves are definitely solid moves that look good on paper. It all depends on how each player produces in 2008 and beyond before the transactions can be judged appropriately. The moves did come at a steep price as the Browns do not have a draft choice in the first 3 rounds of the 2008 Draft. Savage stated that he treats the acquisitions plus Brady Quinn, who the 2008 1st Round draft choice was traded for last year, as the Browns first day of the draft this year. For a man who is thought of as a draft guru that is a bold statement.

The loss of Leigh Bodden is definitely an interesting one. Bodden has had injury issues the past few seasons but still is one of the underrated CBs in the game. It thrusts the second year duo of Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald into the spotlight in 2008 and answers the question as to why Daven Holly was resigned.

All in all a good weekend for the Browns. We'll see what Savage has up his sleeve for week 2 of free agency as the Browns still have cap room and holes to fill. It's too bad leap year only comes every 4 years. The 2008 version was very good to Browns fans.

Go Browns!

Believeland