Cleveland Sports Forum

Clippers scoreless (and hitless) through 3 1/3. 34 year old Nate Bump hooked up with Mitch Talbot.

Michael Goodnight will pitch against Frederick, but the game has been delayed for an hour by rain.

Mitch Talbot said it all comes down to the little things. On Wednesday, it came down to a wild pitch.
Talbot was dominant, allowing one run in a complete-game gem as the Triple-A Clippers rallied for four runs in a go-ahead eighth inning to even the best-of-5 Governors' Cup Finals with a 4-1 win over Lehigh Valley in Game 2 on Wednesday.



· Gameday box score
· Mitch Talbot's bio, stats
· Complete playoff coverage
"It was good to see the bats come alive," said Talbot, a veteran right-hander who has won both his postseason starts this year. "It couldn't have come it at a better time, so I was really happy to see that. It gave me the opportunity for the win."

Talbot went the distance on 101 pitches, striking out seven and holding the IronPigs to one run, a homer by Tagg Bozied in the fifth inning. He didn't walk a batter and breezed through the ninth, striking out one of the Phillies' top prospects, Domonic Brown, to end the game.

The win was the final one for Columbus at home this season as the series shifts to Allentown, Pa., where the IronPigs will host at least two more games at Coca-Cola Park.

"It was nice and quick tonight," said Talbot, who dueled much of the evening with 'Pigs starter Nate Bump. "Both teams were swinging and put the ball in play."

Bozied smacked the first pitch he saw from Talbot in the fifth to left to give Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead, and the game remained that way until the reigning Governors' Cup champs put together a four-run rally in the eighth.

Bump took a two-hit shutout into that frame before the leadoff batter, Juan Diaz, singled to center. Luke Carlin struck out, but Argenis Reyes followed with a long double down the line and into the right-field corner, putting runners at second and third.

Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg had seen enough from Bump, who was at 95 pitches, and called on reliever Mike Zagurski, who intentionally walked Jerad Head to load the bases for lefty Travis Buck.

Buck had never faced Zagurski and was 0-for-3, but he got the job done, taking an outside 2-2 fastball to left field to tie the game on a sacrifice fly.

IronPigs shortstop Freddy Galvis saved a run with a diving stop on Jared Goedert's infield single, but Columbus took the lead moments later anyway when Zagurski threw a wild pitch to Beau Mills, allowing Reyes to race home and give the Clippers their first lead of the series.

Mills then hammered a line drive off the tall right-field wall, knocking home Head and Goedert for a three-run cushion. Lehigh Valley had been 6-2 when leading after seven during the regular season.

Talbot was hitting 92 mph in the ninth when he came Kevin Frandsen and Brandon Moss before whiffing Brown on his 101st pitch.

"It was good," Talbot said of the final inning. "I was on a little bit of an adrenaline rush after the big eighth inning. We scored a few runs, so it was good to get back out there again."

The Major League veteran is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the playoffs this year after finishing the regular season 4-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 13 outings at Triple-A. (He also made 11 starts for Cleveland, going 2-6 with a 6.33 ERA.)

He said he worked in a few change-ups, but primarily pumped in his fastball.

"Mostly fastball, curve and slider," he said. "A few change-ups here and there."

Talbot said he knew the ninth was his to finish off.

"I knew I had it. After the quick eighth inning, there was no one warming up in the bullpen," he said. "I knew it was mine."

Bump (0-1) was the story much of the night, shutting down the Clippers for seven innings. He struck out one and was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk in 7 1/3 innings.

"He was pitching well, cruising through the innings," said Talbot. "It kept the pace up and those are fun ones to pitch in, especially when you end up on top."

Zagurski -- an IL All-Star who dominated out of the bullpen this year with 63 strikeouts and a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings over 46 appearances -- surrendered two runs on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch, throwing 27 pitches while recording only two outs.

For Talbot, the clutch performances are coming at the right time. The former second-round pick, who was MiLB.com's Best Double-A Playoff Performer in 2006, said he's worked with Clippers pitching coach Ruben Niebla to straighten out some issues with his mechanics. After allowing 41 runs in 58 innings in the Majors, he ended the year on a solid run, holding opponents to three runs or fewer in four of his final five regular-season starts.

"Much better than where I was a month ago," he said. "Ruben Niebla, he sees a lot of things I do wrong and he lets me know how to make those adjustments."

Columbus' Joe Martinez will take the mound in Game 3, opposing fellow veteran Dave Bush and the 'Pigs at 7:05 p.m. ET on Thursday.

"We just gotta play ball, play good baseball and we'll come out on top," Talbot said. "I think that's what you think going into any series, you look to do the little things right, and you'll win."

Landis loses the lead for Kinston in the 8th, final 3-2 loss, series even at 1. Jesus Aguillar with his 3rd playoff homer. Goodnight 5 2/3 1 run, 4 walks.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_frdafa_1

Box for Columbus. 4 runs scored in the 8th, that's all that had in the 4-1 win. Beau the big hit 2 run double.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_colaaa_1

Clippers take a 2-1 lead in the IL finals. Luke Carlin with a 3 run homer. Joe Martinez 7 dominating innings, fans 13, allows 1 run. Lee 1 inning, 1 run, Corey Burns with a perfect 9th. Tim Fedroff and Jared Goedert each with a single and double. Juan Diaz just promoted for the playoffs with a double and 2 walks.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_lhvaaa_1

801 on hand at Historic Grainger Stadium for Kinston's loss, fall behind 2-1 in their series. Mike Rayl OK in 6 innings, 3 runs; Soto and Haley struggle in relief. The daily HR by Jesus Aguillar, that's 4 in the playoffs after 22 or maybe it was 23 in the regular season. Tyler Holt a money player, doubles and walks twice, is hitting 357 in the playoffs.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_kinafa_1

BA issues its classification all-star teams. Jason Kipnis is voted AAA's best 2nd baseman and Zach McAllister one of the best AAA starting pitchers. THIS IS NOT a rating of prospect status but of 2011 performance. Aaron Holbert rated best High A manager and Mike Sarbaugh best AAA manager; both are in the finals of league playoffs this weekend. Holbert deserves lots of credit for getting such success out of such an untalented team as Kinston fieled this year.

Clippers won the IL title again, behind Paolo Espino 7 innings 1 run, and 2 scoreless by Chen Lee with 4 saves. Kinston loses in the Carolina League finals; Aguillar only doubles in the finale.

One more game I believe for Columbus vs PCL champ.

The Cup is staying in Columbus.
Chen-Chang Lee struck out Brandon Moss to set off another celebration Friday as the Triple-A Clippers shut down the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 4-1, in Game 4 to capture their second straight Governors' Cup.



·Paolo Espino (1-0) turned in seven strong innings and Lee recorded the final six outs to give Columbus the ninth Governors' Cup championship in team history before a standing-room-only crowd at Coca-Cola Park. It's the first time the Indians' top affiliate has repeated as International League champion since 1991-92.

Espino held the IronPigs to one run, a leadoff homer by Moss in the seventh, and allowed four hits to earn the win. Lee, who pitched for Chinese Taipei in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, was dominant in picking up his first playoff save, striking out four over the final two innings.

Espino, a 24-year-old right-hander, made only five regular-season starts for the Clippers after being promoted from Double-A Akron, where he worked primarily out of the bullpen. The former 10th-round pick threw 59 of 89 pitches for strikes and faced only four batters over the minimum.

"I was mentally prepared. I had a lot of time [to get ready]," Espino said. "I was watching that team for all three games before today. "Some of the older guys, they were telling me a little bit about the hitters. I was just trusting them, getting some advice from them."

International League Manager of the Year Mike Sarbaugh called on Lee, who filled in for Zach Putnam after the Clippers closer was promoted to Cleveland last week. The Taiwanese right-hander fanned two in the eighth, struck out Scott Podsednik and got Kevin Frandsen to ground out before whiffing Moss for the final out. The Clippers raced to the mound, swarming Lee amid a pile of gray uniforms.

"Lee's a great pitcher," Espino said. "We both were in Akron most of the year. He's got a sneaky fastball that every hitter says it's hard to see coming out of his hand. I knew he was going to do a great job and we had a good shot of winning this."

Columbus will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on Omaha for the Triple-A National Championship on Tuesday. The game will be televised live on Versus.

It wasn't all sad news for Leigh Valley. Not long after the final out, the Phillies announced that Domonic Brown, right-hander Justin DeFratus, catcher Erik Kratz, lefty Joe Savery and Moss had all been promoted to Philadelphia.

DeFratus pitched the eighth and loaded the bases before throwing a wild pitch that produced the Clippers' final run. That, however, was old news after the game.

"This is the best day of my life," DeFratus Tweeted. "Just got called up to the Major Leagues."

According to MLB.com, IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg will join the Phillies' Major League coaching staff for the remainder of the season. Sandberg took over in Lehigh Valley this spring and guided the team to its first winning record and first postseason appearance.

Sarbaugh and the Clippers swept Durham in the first round before taking three straight from Lehigh Valley following a Game 1 loss. For Sarbaugh, it's the fifth championship he's won as a Minor League coach or manager. He also claimed a Carolina League crown as a player for Kinston in 1994.

"You go into each year and your goal is to develop players and try to win some ballgames along the way," Sarbaugh said. "This year, we were fortunate to do that, to be champions always makes the year worthwhile."

Columbus took the lead in the second on an RBI single by Juan Diaz and a run-scoring double by Paul Phillips. Jared Goedert made it 3-0 an inning later, connecting off Ryan Edell for his first playoff homer.

"It helps a lot," Espino said of the early lead. "You pitch more relaxed, there's less tension. You have a couple runs, you can work ahead early in the count, throw it right [in] there, see if they can get outs by themselves. In a tie game, you can't do that."

Edell did not walk a batter but threw 95 pitches and was lifted after five innings. He was charged with three runs on six hits while striking out five.

Moss breathed some life into the IronPigs in the seventh with a long leadoff homer, his fourth of the playoffs.

Indians dominate the Arizona League prospect list. 5 of our guys make the Top 20 in a 13-team league.

No. 3 Elvis Araujo big hard-throwing RHP
Nol. 5 Luigi Rodriguez CF who was promoted after only about 30 games to Lake County
No. 10 Jorge Martinez SS who still is more potential than accomplishment
No. 14 Jake Sisco RHP 3rd round draftee
No. 16 Felix Sterling LHP who finished at Lake County
Just missed the Top 20: 3B Robel Garcia who hit for lots of power and is my breakout pick for 2012

That's quite an impressive collection; only problem is that they're all about 5 years from the majors. And so are a whole host of impressive 17-20 year olds: the top 2 signees, Lindor and Dillon Peters. Add other kids at Lake County, SS Ronnie Rodriguez, 3B Giovanny Urshela; 1b Jesus Aguillar who finished at Kinston; catchers Alex Monsalve, Jake Lowrey and Alex Lavisky; ss Tony Wolters at Mahoning Valley; maybe OF Levon Washington can overcome a terrible first season.

BA write up on the Arizona League prospects:

3. ELVIS ARAUJO LHP, INDIANS
Araujo made his pro debut as a 16-year-old in the Rookie-level Venezuelan Summer League in 2008, then missed the next two seasons following Tommy John surgery. Finally back on the mound this year, he led the AZL with nine victories and a .228 opponent average.

Araujo's fastball reaches as high as 98 mph but he typically works from 92-94. There's still some physical projection in his body, so he could add more velocity. He commands both of his secondary pitches, a slider with wipeout potential and a changeup that lacks consistency.

His arm slot varies from three-quarters to high three-quarters and he tends to overthrow at times, but those flaws can be corrected with experience. Araujo will remain a starter for now but also could fill the role of a power reliever at the back end of a bullpen. He was the best of the league-high five prospects the Indians placed on this list.

5. LUIGI RODRIGUEZ OF, INDIANS
Making his U.S. debut at age 18, Rodriguez spent just 25 games in the AZL before earning a late-July promotion to low Class A. He made the most of his time in Arizona, batting .379/.408/.579 while demonstrating plus-plus speed and surprising power.

Rodriguez has a natural ability to square up the baseball. He's more of a gap-to-gap hitter but has enough pop to drive the ball over the fence. He's showing signs of developing good plate discipline, which will help him better utilize his quickness on the bases.

Converted from second base to center field a year ago, Rodriguez still is learning the intricacies of defense. Once he improves his reads and jumps, he should have plus range, and his arm is average. He's a smart player who wasn't overwhelmed by the jump to the Midwest League.


10. JORGE MARTINEZ SS, INDIANS
Like many of his fellow 17-year-old teammates from the 2010 AZL Indians, Martinez returned to the league this summer. He showed improvement but remained inconsistent, no surprise given his youth.

Martinez' upside remains high, and one scout remarked that his tools ranked among the best in the league. His bat can be electric at times and he shows average power from both sides of the plate, exceptional for a teenage shortstop. He also has a firm grasp of the strike zone for a youngster.

Martinez has a strong arm but needs to develop more reliability and agility in the field. He could move to second or third base if he continues to grow, but scouts give him a good chance to stay at shortstop.


14. JAKE SISCO RHP, INDIANS
Sisco turned down the Giants as a 37th-round pick out of high school in 2010, then improved his draft position 34 rounds after a strong freshman season at Merced (Calif.) JC. He posted a 1.54 ERA in his first month in pro ball before wearing down from a long year that began for him in early February.

With a four-pitch mix and durable build, Sisco should be able to remain a starter. His fastball sits at 90-94 mph, and his curveball and slider are both swing-and-miss pitches at times. He also has some feel for a changeup.

16. FELIX STERLING RHP, INDIANS
After spending all of 2010 in the AZL at age 17, Sterling returned this year for six games before making the jump to low Class A—where he was just as effective. He already has a mature body, including a thick lower half, which limits his physical projection, but he's also more polished than would be expected for an 18-year-old.

Big and physical, Sterling usually works at 92-95 mph with his fastball. He backs it up with a hard slurve and an effective changeup. His command was inconsistent this year, and some scouts believe that he'll eventually be better suited for a bullpen role.

Stephanie Storm, who doesn't know about the minors below AA, does her final season report for BA:

Indians Final Report

Best Player: Jason Kipnis began 2011 in Triple-A Columbus. The 24-year-old second baseman wasn't in the minors long. After batting .280/.362/.484 with 16 doubles, 12 home runs, 65 runs scored and 55 RBIs, he was called up to Cleveland in late July to make his major league debut. It was no quiet debut, either.

Kipnis' gutsy play instantly sparked the injury-riddled Indians, and he had six home runs, four doubles and 14 runs in just 18 games before being sidelined with a right hamstring strain. During his homer binge, Kipnis crushed a home run in four consecutive games and in six of 10 games spanning from July 31-Aug. 10.

[Agreed on Jason: but who might be regarded as the best player who spent the whole season in the minors? I might vote for "NONE" if I were lmited to players who opened the season on the Top 30 prospect list. Or perhaps Tony Wolters who was solid in half a season at Mahoning Valley]

Best Pitcher: There may have been more highly regarded pitchers entering the season at Triple-A, but righthander Zach McAlllister finished with the best campaign. McAllister dominated Triple-A hitters after struggling against them in his first exposure in 2010 as a Yankees farmhand.

[Zach proved to be an OK AAA slow-thrower. Better pitching by Chen Lee, who should win this award.]

Traded to Cleveland as the player to be named in the 2010 Austin Kearns deadline deal, McAllister went 12-3, 3.32 for Columbus—including three complete games and a shutout. In 155 innings, he rung up 128 strikeouts and issued just 31 walks. In two spot starts with the Tribe, McAllister went 0-1, 12.27, but he thrived again in his return to Triple-A, beating Rays prospect Matt Moore in a playoff start with six scoreless innings.

Keep An Eye On: Righthander Tyler Sturdevant was a 27th-round selection in 2009 out of New Mexico State, and had ranked just behind Moore in the Land of Enchantment's 2007 draft list as an eligible sophomore. The Tommy John surgery survivor started the year at high Class A Kinston and ended it with Columbus, going 7-3, 2.65 in 74 innings with 19 walks and 82 strikeouts. His fastball often sits in the 93-95 mph range, complemented by a power slider in the upper 80s and a usable changeup.

[If this is supposed to be a category for breakout surprises of 2011, I would nominate Jesus Aguillar who is the only power prospect in the organization. Sturdevant will be 26 on opening day 2012. Yet another promsiing reliever doesn't get my pulse racing. Other better candidates would be OF Luigi Rodriguez in A ball and Elvis Araujo, see the Arizona League prospect list above]

[I expected a category for "Not a Good Year For" prospects. Nick Weglarz wins this one with an oft-injured and terrible when healthy season. Jason Knapp could take this award too with another season on the shelf. ]

Today the Clippers are back in the 1-game AAA World Series. Fortunately for them Corey Kluber is off their roster, although Sarbaugh has successfully kept him out of any postseason play. Not sure why the Indians thought they should promote Kluber, unless they believe big league coaching can do a great deal more with him than AAA coaching. He had a really awful, consistently so, season.