Cleveland Sports Forum

Alex White will start for Tribe Saturday against Tigers: Indians Insider


Published: Friday, April 29, 2011, 3:20 AM Updated: Friday, April 29, 2011, 3:43 AM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When the Indians optioned Alex White to Class AAA Columbus late in spring training, they did so with the standard message given to all upper-echelon prospects.

"At the end the day, we tell every single guy when they go to the minors, 'Make sure when we need a guy, make it be you,'" said manager Manny Acta. "He worked himself into that spot."
White will make his major-league debut Saturday night when he starts against Detroit at Progressive Field. White will take Carlos Carrasco's spot in the starting rotation. Carrasco was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. The move is retroactive to Monday.

"He's thrown the ball very well," said Acta. "We've gotten some good reports on him."
White was the Indians' No.1 pick in 2009 out of North Carolina. He's currently 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA (five earned runs in 23 2/3 innings) in four starts at Class AAA Columbus. He is not on the 40-man roster so a move will have to be made to add him before Saturday.

He was the 15th player taken overall in the first round in 2009. The Indians paid him a signing bonus of $2.25 million.

White has 28 strikeouts and five walks in 23 2/3 innings. He's allowed 19 hits and the opposition is hitting .211 against him. White's WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings) is 1.01.

This spring White went 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in three games.

"In spring training it's hard to judge people," said Acta. "You could see the poise and maturity level he had. His slider has improved in Triple A. His secondary pitches are still a work in progress. But he's pitching well."

Carrasco injured his right elbow in Sunday's start against the Twins. He lasted three innings before being removed.

The Indians added reliever Frank Herrmann from Columbus on Thursday to take Carrasco's place. White probably won't join the team until last Friday or early Saturday. Herrmann would likely be optioned to Columbus to make room.

White was the Indians' Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season. He pitched at Class A Kinston and Class AA Akron.

One problem White had last year was that he was so competitive he wanted to use his best pitch, his sinking fastball, all the time to the detriment to his other pitches. White throws a fastball, slider and split.

"He's used all his pitches," said Acta, referring to this season. "We told the same thing to Drew Pomeranz [No.1 pick in 2010]. You can't go through a big-league lineup three or four times by just throwing a fastball.

"The competitive nature of these guys is that when they get their back against the wall, or need to get out of jam, they're going to throw their best pitch."

First things first: Shelley Duncan made his first start of the season at first base in Wednesday's 7-2 victory. Duncan, however, is no stranger to the position.

He has only made three starts at first for the Indians over the last two years, but added, "I've logged between 500 and 600 games at first over my whole career. I spent three years or four in the minors doing nothing but playing first base.

"I had arm problems [labrum surgery] when I was young and could only play first. Then when I got healthy, the Yankees had a prospect who had to play first, so I moved back to the outfield."
Duncan helped stop Alex Gordon's 19-game hitting streak, the longest so far in the AL this year, with a leaping catch behind the bag in the third inning.

"That's about as high as I can go," said the 6-5 Duncan with a laugh.

Thou shall steal: Indians catchers Carlos Santana and Lou Marson have yet to throw out a baserunner this season. The opposition is 14-for-14 in steal attempts.

"It's like you have to give up something to get something," said Marson. "You'd rather have the pitcher make a good pitch than worry about the runner."

Marson threw out almost 34 percent (26 for 77) and Santana 29 percent (9 for 31) of the baserunners they faced last year.

"It's something Carlos and I take a lot of pride in," said Marson. "We want to throw guys out. But like I said, you have give up something to get something."

I'll be McAlliser is ahead of Huff on the depth chart.

I may be wrong on the stealing thing, but only 14 attempts by the opposition seems a very low number though.

Pluto:

About the Indians ...

1. The fact the Indians didn't hesitate to promote Alex White from Class AAA Columbus is a sign ownership and the front office are taking the season seriously. They didn't worry about service time and other issues that at times have hesitation in bringing prime prospects to Cleveland. General Manager Chris Antonetti said: "Alex gives us the best chance to win. I've said from the start of the season, that we are playing to win."

2. Antonetti didn't say it, but if the Indians had started 5-15, it's doubtful White would be promoted. He is the team's No. 1 pick from 2009. He has pitched only 174 pro innings, and didn't even start his career until 2010. But he has been the best starter at Columbus, so the Tribe turned to him when Carlos Carrasco (sore elbow) went on the disabled list.

3. When White was signed, there was talk of putting him in the bullpen. Yes, his fastball clocked at 96 mph, and he averaged 93. But he hadn't developed his slider and splitter. White wanted to prove he could start, and the Tribe gave him that chance. White is only 22. His minor-league record is 11-10 with a 2.37 ERA, averaging 7.6 strikeouts and 2.6 walks per nine innings. He had a 1.90 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings at Columbus.

4. Thinking about White's promotion, I wondered about Jaret Wright in 1997. He opened that season at Class AA Akron. He was promoted to Cleveland on June 24 and made 16 starts (8-3, 4.38 ERA). He was terrific in the playoffs, helping them reach the seventh game of the World Series. He was 21 years old when he arrived here. This is not to compare White to Wright, but it was something to dream about.

5. Wright's final season was 2007, when he was 0-3 with Baltimore. He had several arm and shoulder problems. His career record was 68-60 with a 5.09 ERA and he was done at the age of 32.

6. The Indians' outfield is ranked No. 1 defensively in the American League by fangraphs.com, and also by the Indians' own internal stats. The Indians rate their infield "above average," a dramatic improvement from a year ago when it ranked dead last in the league. They believe Hammerin' Jack Hannahan (can you believe his season so far?) is playing the best defensive third base in the AL.

7. The Indians don't know if Hannahan will continue to hit ... probably not like this, with a .290 average (.885 OPS) heading into the weekend. But they do believe he can improve on his .224 average in 856 career at-bats. They told him not to worry about homers, just hit the ball up the middle and to the opposite field. He seemed to do that and entered the weekend with four homers ... and he had only four in 301 plate appearances in 2009, his last full big-league season.


Upon further review ...

When the Indians signed Orlando Cabrera for $1 million, I had one question ... why?

Why bring in a 36-year-old to play second base when there are two legitimate prospects in the minors -- Cord Phelps and Jason Kipnis. You can still make the case that Phelps (.324, .946 OPS at Class AAA Columbus) is probably ready to play in the majors. Kipnis (.242, .746 OPS) needs more time.

But the fact is Cabrera has been made a real impact. Entering the weekend, he was hitting .270 with 2 HR and 15 RBI. His .669 OPS is not great, but ranked No. 7 among starting AL second baseman. There is a real debate on his defense. ESPN has his Zone Rating as No. 3 among the league's starting second baseman, fangraphs.com rates Cabrera as 10 out of 10 -- very little range.

The truth is somewhere in the middle; he does a decent job at second base. He doesn't walk much (three in 93 plate appearances), but he's 2-of-3 with 6 RBI with the bases loaded. He has brought confidence and leadership to the infield, and the Indians have allowed only two unearned runs all year.

Bottom line: Cabrera is not the long-term answer at second, but he's exactly what they need right now. He probably would have trade value or could help as an extra infielder if they decide to promote Phelps. No matter what happens, signing Cabrera was a smart move by Antonetti and his scouts.

Drummer John Adams doesn't miss a beat with his chance at the plate

Published: Sunday, May 01, 2011, 1:55 AM Updated: Sunday, May 01, 2011, 2:04 AM

By Amanda Garrett, The Plain Dealer

The Indians celebrated John Adams' 3,000th game on Saturday at Progressive Field with Adams taking a ceremonial swing with his drum on a pitch from Joe Charboneau before the game.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Perhaps nothing but lake-effect snow and midges have been as reliable in Cleveland as John Adams and his big bass drum.

Since Aug. 24, 1973 -- an 11-5 Indians win over Texas -- Adams has sat in the top row of the bleachers at nearly every Tribe game, drumming out the heartbeat of fans through good times and bad.
Saturday, in front of the second-largest crowd of the season, the Indians organization marked Adams' 3,000th game (which was Wednesday) as the Tribe took on the Detroit Tigers.

The celebration started with a pregame parade on the field of drummers carrying bongos, snares and plastic toy drums. Then Adams stepped to the plate, the same garage-sale drum he's had for 37 years in his hands.

Former Indians player "Super Joe" Charboneau threw a hip-high ball toward the dish and Adams swung. Clunk. The ball hit the drum's head and dribbled foul down the right side, drawing cheers from the crowd.
"Adams is a Cleveland legend," said Shawn Shannon, 47, of Austinburg.

Like generations of Indians fans, Shannon said he can't remember a time when the steady boom-boom-boom of Adams' bass hasn't echoed from the bleachers. John Adams greets members of a drum line who helped him celebrate his 3,000th Indians game.

When Shannon learned Adams' 3,000th game was approaching, he and his family bought bleacher seats to be near the drummer -- whom they had never met -- and had T-shirts printed to mark the occasion.
Adams, who autographed Shannon's shirt before Saturday's game, marvels at fans' adoration.

"It's unbelievable," said Adams, 59. "I never planned for any of this."

His baseball journey started with a misunderstanding, he said.

In 1973, he carted the drum to a game on a lark. A reporter with the Cleveland Press interviewed him, then wrote a story that said fans could see Adams and his drum the following week.

Adams said he didn't want to embarrass the reporter, so he went to the game with his drum. Tribe fans loved it, and soon Jackie York -- then promotions director for the Indians -- asked Adams if he would play at every home game.

Last week York recalled Adams' answer: " 'Absolutely not.' That's what he told me. 'Absolutely not.' "

The drummer said he didn't want the obligation. Yet he kept turning up at games. Part of the reason, Adams said, is what happens off the field, like the many times he sat in the cheapest seats with Alva "Ted" Bonda.

Bonda, president of the team in the 1970s, made national sports history by hiring Frank Robinson, the major leagues' first black manager. Years later, while Bonda was sitting next to Adams, a radio station gave them a stack of large, laminated letter K's -- the baseball symbol for a strikeout -- to hang on the wall behind them every time a Cleveland pitcher struck out a batter.

After the first strikeout, Adams wadded up a piece of tape, stuck it onto the back of a "K" and handed it to Bonda, who climbed onto his seat and hung it. After the third strikeout, Adams realized that Bonda -- whom civil rights leaders had praised for hiring Robinson -- had just spelled out the phrase "KKK."

A few moments later, both men were relieved when the Indians pitcher struck out a fourth batter and Bonda could hang up a fourth "K." But it was too late.

A photographer had snapped a picture. Most people recognized the unfortunate misunderstanding. But the picture of Bonda and KKK went nationwide.

Adams has hundreds of stories. He got married in the bleachers. He has met baseball fans from every continent but Antarctica there. And now adults who remember banging on his drum when they were children come to him with their own kids, asking Adams to help make memories for another generation.

"It's an honor," Adams said. "I love baseball. I love Cleveland. And I'm sitting in the middle of it. How lucky can a guy get?"

Talbot sees no need to rush return

CLEVELAND -- Mitch Talbot hopes to get over his right elbow injury and rejoin the Indians' rotation as soon as possible, but he also does not want to disrupt the group's strong performance to this point.

Talbot plans on making sure he is ready to handle a full workload before taking the mound again for the Tribe.

"With the way we're playing here," Talbot said, "you don't want to have a guy come back and go four innings and destroy the bullpen. And I don't want to do that to the team. Yeah, I'd love to pitch here, but I want things to go well for everybody."

Talbot, who is on the 15-day disabled list with an elbow strain, threw 32 pitches -- all fastballs and changeups -- off a mound in a bullpen session on Saturday. He said on Sunday that he will travel with the team to Oakland for the upcoming road series, which begins on Tuesday.

Talbot said the current plan calls for him to throw a second bullpen session on Tuesday, adding his other pitches. If all goes well, the right-hander would then head to the team's site in Goodyear, Ariz., for a rehab outing on Friday at extended Spring Training.

Talbot, who is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two starts this season for the Tribe, last pitched for Cleveland on April 11 in Anaheim. The Indians would likely ask Talbot to log at least two Minor League rehab appearances before being activated from the disabled list.

"With that much time off," Talbot said. "I don't think one would be enough."

From an awesome April to May Day merriment, there's no finding fault with the Cleveland Indians:

By Bud Shaw, The Plain Dealer


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Matt LaPorta and Justin Masterson wore blue T-shirts that read, "Duh, Winning."
Who knew back on April 1, when they fell two touchdowns behind the White Sox in the season opener that a quote on winning, even a Charlie Sheen quote, would enjoy even a remote association with the home team?

Quite the April Fool's joke, boys, coming out posing as a Double A squad. Hooked us good, you did.

Everybody fell for it.


Yes, it's only a month. During that month, Indians' pitching has produced 20 quality starts in 27 games while losing two starters to the disabled list. Can that possibly continue?

They swept the Tigers Sunday after sweeping the Royals. That's five series sweeps between April 1 and May 1. Last year they swept four series in all.

"Guys believe we can win," LaPorta said after another victory, this one a 5-4 come-from-behinder in front of 14,164 people, some of whom drove away in Michigan license plates.

"I don't care what team you are or what level you're playing at. To go out and sweep a couple teams, that's tough to do."

April was amazing stuff, especially given how it started. So May can't possibly live up to it, right? Maybe it's not too crazy to suggest the Indians can continue producing a reasonable facsimile of what's been on display at Progressive Field.

They're not flying high on a magic carpet ride authored by one or two hitters. They're getting production from different places in the batting order. Sunday was bottom heavy with Orlando Cabrera, Michael Brantley and LaPorta combining for six of the eight Indians hits and all five RBI.

They had Orlando Cabrera, Asdrubal Cabrera and Adam Everett in the infield together for the final game of the series. Anytime you can trot out three shortstops behind a sinker ball pitcher, that can't be a bad thing. The only gaffe Sunday came when LaPorta didn't call off Carlos Santana on a high infield pop that fell over the head of the back-pedaling catcher.

Jack Hannahan at third has quieted the Lonnie Chisenhall conversation. His glove work was expected. His bat has surprised. But aside from Hannahan offensively and Masterson, it's not as if you can point to several Indians having career months or starts to the season.

They're 19-8 with Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo at less than their best offensively, with Grady Sizemore taking precautionary days off and with Travis Hafner spending the last few days in a walking boot.
"It's somebody different every day and that's what makes it fun," said Everett. "The biggest thing is we continue to grind. Nobody is taking any at-bats off."

"Grinding" is a leftover term from the Eric Wedge years. "Quick-starting Indians" is definitely not.

What does it mean? Aside from the obvious significance in the standings and in amping the confidence in the clubhouse, it gives the Indians a chance to win back alienated fans. Or just entice discretionary entertainment dollars in a tough economy.

After falling behind, 3-2, in the eighth Sunday, the Indians scored three times in their half of the inning to go up, 5-3.

In the ninth, fans on their feet, closer Chris Perez facing Miguel Cabrera with two outs and two runners on, a "Let's go Cleveland" chant went up. Cabrera singled in a run.

The chant started again as Perez got the final out for his seventh save.

A night earlier, Perez had declared this season better than "Major League."

"They didn't start winning 'till the second half, if I remember correctly," he said Sunday of the movie.

Here's what else we can say after three consecutive come-from-behind wins. The opening scenes to this season may not be filling the seats at Progressive Field, but they've kept you on the edge of them.

In winning again Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, the Indians extended their streak to six and maintained their 41/2-game lead over second-place Kansas City.

But the Indians are 10 games ahead of the Sox.

‘‘I haven’t paid attention to the standings too much because I’m more worried about what’s going on with us,’’ catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. ‘‘But they’ve been good. It’s good for baseball and good for Cleveland. I wish it was us.’’

While the Sox need to start winning, they also need to be concerned about a hot-starting rival.

‘‘Especially when it’s a young team, it gives them a sense of confidence,’’ Pierzynski said.

Buzz is building among believers

Published: Monday, May 02, 2011

By Jim Ingraham

JIngraham@News-Herald.com

They don't just win homestands now. They sweep homestands.

They haven't lost a game at Preposterous Field, I mean Progressive Field, since April 2.

They have won six in a row, 13 in a row at home, and they are 19-8 overall — the best record in the American League.

Since April 2, their record is 19-6.

Holy Sockalexis!

Conventional baseball wisdom dictates you can't fairly judge a team until it's 40 games into the season. The Indians have only played 27 games.

So let's hold our horses.

Or are the horses already out of the barn?



"You look around this clubhouse," said 34-year-old Adam Everett, who in his career has looked around a few of them, "and you say, ‘Hey, we can win!' This isn't about names. This isn't about how much money you make. This is about pitching, hitting and fielding. We can do this."

Do it, they have. The Indians have reached the first furlong pole in this major-league season with the best record in the American League, and tied for the best record in the majors.

The Sons Of The Cuyahoga are the talk of the major leagues, even if nobody knows who they are. Seriously. Jack Hannahan?

The team with the best record in the American League is the team that was supposed to be the worst team in the American League. Or close to it. So sayeth the preseason soothsayers.

So you keep waiting for them to crack. For the losing — the big time, heavy-duty losing — to begin. Waiting. Waiting. How long do we wait? Because, surely, the losing is out there somewhere, lurking. Laying in the weeds, perhaps, alongside the road that will now take them across the country for three games in Oakland and three in Anaheim.

Will the team that's not supposed to win like this start to lose then? Way out there? Three time zones away — while most of their fans are fast asleep, with visions of Vinnie Pestano dancing in their heads?

Never underestimate the power of momentum. Because momentum, especially for a team that hasn't recently been here or done this, counts for something.

Doesn't it?

"Absolutely," said Everett. "Whenever you start doing something like this, playing the way we've been playing, you start believing. And the other thing is we've got some really good players on this team."

Maybe not a lot of well-known ones, but how many of the Rough Riders who stormed San Juan Hill can you name?

"They haven't won here for a while," said Everett. "A lot of our young guys have never won. That's why it was big bringing in guys like Orlando Cabrera, who has won everywhere he's played, and Shelley Duncan, who played with the Yankees, and Austin Kearns, who went through it in Cincinnati."

They do seem to have a nice blend of up-and-comers, down-and-outers, old war horses and young stallions. Sometimes you just get the right mix in the right place at the right time.

Maybe this is one of those times.

"We never feel like we're out of any game. That's a comforting feeling," said Justin Masterson, a ridiculous 5-0 already, following Sunday's come-from-behind Tiger taming.

"Everything is coming together," said closer Chris Perez. "Offensively, it doesn't matter who is in there. We get hits."

In another corner of the clubhouse, veterans Everett, Duncan, Kearns and Shin-Soo Choo sit in a group, near their lockers, talking. Talking baseball. After another victory. Another good sign.

Losing teams don't hang around the clubhouse after games. Winning teams don't want to leave the clubhouse.

There's a lot to talk about with this, baseball's most talked-about team. Over the Indians' last 25 games, their starting pitchers are 13-3 with a 2.92 ERA. They have already swept five three-game series, after only sweeping four all of last season.

Oh yeah, and they are virtually unbeatable at home.

"The way we're going, we're thinking of asking the league for an extension to stay here," joked Manager Manny Acta, whose team will play its next six games on the road, where the Indians are 6-6.

Now comes six against the A's and Angels, who rank 1-2 in the league in pitching. But the Indians lead the league in hitting and runs scored, so it should be a fair fight.

In the meantime, for the first time in a long time, the Indians, bless their little overachieving (maybe) little hearts, are something they haven't been since 2007:

Relevant.

The fans are slowly starting to return. A buzz is building, there's a palpable feel-good going on.

"Sorry," said Acta, cutting off his postgame session with reporters in order to return to the field, where fans were running the bases, "I've got to go shake some hands now."

Ramon Santiago pays price for Tigers pitcher Phil Coke

Lynn Henning / / The Detroit News

Cleveland— Ramon Santiago's right hip looked as if it had been hit by a bullet.

And it had.

Indians starter Justin Masterson drilled him with a fastball in the fifth inning of Sunday's 5-4 Tigers defeat. It was a missile that umpire Tim Welke, and just about everyone else in the ballpark, figured was no coincidence a half-inning after Tigers left-hander Phil Coke had hit Michael Brantley with a high pitch that left him in a not-so-lovely mood.

Coke took the heat for Santiago taking the bullet. But his plunking of Brantley was a pure accident, he said, and didn't warrant two Tigers getting hit: Santiago, as well as Miguel Cabrera, who took a pitch to the foot from Masterson in the eighth.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland agreed.

"We're not throwing at a left-hand batter (Brantley) to get to a right-hand batter — a big strong guy with four home runs," Leyland said, referring to the next man up, Matt LaPorta.

"I was upset with what I did, and I'm upset because Santiago paid a price for my mistake," said Coke, who pitched with polish Sunday: six innings, four hits, two runs, four strikeouts, two walks in a no-decision day.
"But at the same time, I'm not happy with what happened."

Coke said hitting Brantley in the fourth was a product of a rut in the mound.

"I caught the edge of it," he said. "When I planted, there was no solid base. I hate hitting guys.

"It didn't look like he wanted to come out there and say, 'Hi.' He thought it was intentional, but I'm telling you it wasn't."

Welke warned both dugouts to knock off the target practice or face the usual penalty in such a situation: ejection of the pitcher and his manager. But it didn't happen in the eighth when Masterson hit Cabrera.
Welke ruled that the pitch wasn't malicious.

Coke said he could understand Masterson "protecting his guy" but repeated that the Brantley incident was an obvious accident and that the strafing of Cabrera was a case of piling on.

The Indians likely weren't reacting only to Brantley. The Tigers were noticeably good at pitching the Indians inside during the weekend series, coming dangerously close to slugger Shin-Soo Choo's head Friday.

April powers: True indicators or just outliers?

It isn't critical, but it's much better to do well in season's first month

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | 05/02/11 10:00 AM ET

We attempt here to discuss the importance of April baseball, which, from the outset, inspires a philosophical conundrum. If every player, manager and front-office executive tends to downplay or even deny the importance of April, then is there even such a thing as the importance of April?

Well, sure there is. At least on some level.

You can't judge a season by April any more than you can judge a book by its cover. But first impressions often leave lasting impressions, and that's why we tend to place plenty of emphasis on what transpires in a season's first month.

Already, the 2011 season has induced, on various April dates and among other things, panic in Red Sox Nation, confidence in Cleveland and Colorado and spikes in the Sam Fuld fantasy stock.

But how meaningful is it all, really? April, after all, is only one-sixth of the season, too small a sample to get a definitive read on topics and trends, and far, far too soon to print playoff tickets.

Right?

"Sometimes guys forget what day it is," Giants ace Tim Lincecum said. "The last thing on our mind is what month it is."

Right.

That said, recent history shows that teams particularly adept at April survival skills are in much better positions than their competitors.

From 2001 through 2010, 59 of the 80 teams -- 73.8 percent -- that reached the playoffs had at least a .500 record in April. In that same span, 61 of the 78 teams -- 78.2 percent -- that finished the season with 90 wins or more at least broke even in April.

Here's another fact to keep in mind. Only 31.9 percent (45 of 141) of teams with losing records in April over the past 10 years finished the season with winning records. Only 14.9 percent reached the playoffs.

So that's good news for the surprising Indians (18-8 in April), Marlins (16-9) and Royals (14-13). They weren't popular playoff picks in the preseason, but they each got off to a hot start. It's also a wake-up call, of sorts, for the White Sox (10-18), Twins (9-17), Red Sox (11-15), Tigers (12-15) and Braves (13-15), none of whom got off to a start that meshed with the hope and expectations that preceded them into 2011. The defending-champion Giants were dead even, 13-13, when April ended.

But no matter what the numbers suggest, you'd be hard-pressed to find anybody in the game who's openly willing to admit to April being a true indicator of ... well, pretty much anything, but especially a team's fate.

It was the late legendary manager Sparky Anderson who said, "You can't tell anything about a baseball team until 40 games have been played."

"Sparky's probably right," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "That's one of the reasons I've never put any emphasis on a good start or a bad start. I mean, what terms a good start? If it's May 1, and you haven't gotten off to a good start, do you just cash it in? A lot of teams come from nowhere."

This much is true, although mainly because of the Wild Card's impact on the playoff picture since its effective arrival in 1995.

The 2001 A's (8-17 entering May), 2005 Astros (9-13), 2006 Twins (9-15), 2007 Yankees (9-14), 2007 Rockies (10-16) and 2009 Rockies (8-12) were all more than three games under .500 when April ended. And they still managed to make it to the playoffs (with only the Twins in that group winning a division title). The Astros took their turnaround all the way to a World Series berth.

But these are, of course, outliers to the more proven rule. Over the past 28 completed seasons, only 12 of 176 playoff teams were more than three games under .500 at the end of April.

So as if it weren't already obvious, there's statistical proof of the value of strong starts. It doesn't mean they always hold up, of course (ask the Mets, who were 14-9 last April and finished 79-83), but it certainly puts a team in a good position.

"The wins you get in April," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, "are the wins you don't need in September."

It's a little more difficult to prove the lasting value of hot starts on an individual level, simply because there are so many test cases and so wide an array of outcomes.

We left April fairly certain that Jered Weaver won't win six games each month of 2011, just as the four previous pitchers to win six games before May 1 -- Vida Blue (1971), Dave Stewart (1988), Randy Johnson (2000 and 2002) and Brandon Webb (2008) -- didn't. We were also certain that Hanley Ramirez wouldn't go all year without hitting a home run. Sure enough, he cranked one out on Sunday, the first day of May.

The Cubs' Kosuke Fukudome, who batted .383 in this season's first 19 games, might be the poster boy for April abnormality. He ranks 13th all-time for March/April OPS, with a .979 mark, between Moises Alou (.980) and Jeff Bagwell (.978). Yet his career OPS is a less-inspiring .783.

A 2007 study of offensive data posted on Fangraphs.com found that only two numbers -- swing percentage and contact rate -- could reasonably be assessed by the 100-plate-appearance mark, which, for many players, is about a month's worth of action. It wasn't until the 150-plate-appearance threshold, the study found, that strikeout and line-drive rates proved meaningful. And it wasn't until the 200 mark that walk rates, ground-ball rates and ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratios had value.

So if hitters are best evaluated after the early kinks and quirks have worked themselves out, then so, too, are the pitchers facing them.

"You prefer to get off to a strong start, obviously, because a lot of times you can carry that through the rest of the year," Indians DH Travis Hafner said. "But typically, you just survive April."

Cold weather and early anxiety over every nascent trend make the survival of April more difficult than most months. But we can safely say that if your teams make it out above water, you're in much better shape than the rest.

Beyond that, it's best not to read too much into first impressions.

A win is a win, whenever it comes in the season.

"If it's May 1, and you haven't gotten off to a good start, do you just cash it in? A lot of teams come from nowhere." That's why teams who have done poorly in April downplay it.

"The wins you get in April," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly, "are the wins you don't need in September." Exactly. This good start makes everything easier for the rest of the season.

New AL Central classic: White vs. Porcello
May, 1, 2011 May 112:30AM ETEmail Print Comments4 By Troy Patterson
Last night Alex White made his major league debut for the Indians. He faced the Tigers’ Rick Porcello -- a pitcher only four months younger, but one signed out of high school in the 2008 draft. White already has three seasons at the University of North Carolina after passing on the Dodgers in the 2006 draft, while Porcello has amassed 356 major league innings since 2008 and plenty more money. Both made their debuts in just their second professional seasons, but Porcello never saw any level above High-A. White pitched most of 2010 in Double-A and got 23 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year.

The two also share some similarities in how they pitch. Porcello throws a bit slower -- around 90 miles per hour, while White can work around 93. They both work a sinker and a slider with an occasional changeup. The sinker gives both a solid ground-ball rate and lowered home run numbers.

Not only was Saturday an interesting matchup, but also the final line was quite similar as well for the two pitchers. Porcello pitched an extra inning going through the seventh, but both pitchers gave up two runs on two solo home runs. Each pitcher also gave up one hit per inning pitched. While neither pitcher is known for great control, they both had pretty good nights. Porcello struck out seven against one walk, while White delivered four strikeouts with four walks, although two of those free passes were intentional walks to Miguel Cabrera.

Overall the night should be taken as a positive for White. His control was solid and he showed his ability to get ground-ball outs. He was able to get 10 ground-ball outs and two fly-outs on balls put in play. With his solid sinker and an ability to work low in the zone this will be the norm for White -- he will keep his infield busy. He threw strikes only 55 percent of the time in the appearance, but after accounting for the intentional walks he threw strikes roughly 60 percent of the time.

Neither pitcher got the win, as the Indians wound up winning 3-2 in 13 innings. Regardless of the outcome, this was a chance to watch two players of roughly the same age who took very different paths to the majors, yet match up in a single ballgame. As far as baseball goes, there is no sure thing about what way is the best path to the majors; as amateurs, players have to make a choice about what is best for them about when to sign or not, and teams are also making choices about how best to send those prospects through the minor leagues.

Even with a quality start under his belt in his debut, White will probably go back to Triple-A at the end of next week after another start. Facing the Angels, a team not known for their patience at the plate, should help White succeed in his second spin. As is, White was called up to fill in for the injured Carlos Carrasco; Carrasco is currently on the DL, but he’ll come off the DL on May 10.

Once he is demoted, White will need to work on his control in Triple-A. Even so, he will surely be back later in the summer -- he’s the best alternative the Tribe has for their rotation, and that’s for good cause. Once he’s back up to stay, expect these two young hurlers to meet again. Given that both teams have live ambitions for the future, near-term or far, White versus Porcello is sure to become a regular item on both team’s dance cards.

Indians rally for 13th straight home win

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 5/1/2011 6:38 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- There were two photographs hanging on the wall outside the Indians' clubhouse on Sunday. Both featured the frozen image of Cleveland's players jumping and smiling, mobbing each other during recent game-winning celebrations.

The photo on top was from a scene on Friday night, when Carlos Santana delivered a walk-off grand slam for Cleveland. The picture showed Santana about to disappear into a pile of his teammates at home plate. There was one player, however, that stood out from the crowd.

There, taped to the photo, was Rick Vaughn, the hard-throwing, trash-talking Indians pitcher portrayed by Charlie Sheen in the movie, "Major League." After a 5-4 win over the Tigers on Sunday, the Tribe's third comeback win in as many days, this surprising Indians team could be compared to its fictional counterpart.

The real-life Indians insist this is better than the movies.

"For sure," Cleveland closer Chris Perez said with a smile. "They didn't start winning until the second half, if I remember the movie correctly."

This Tribe squad -- hardly short on characters fit for a Hollywood movie -- have stormed to the top of the American League Central over the season's first four weeks. Sunday's win over division rival Detroit came courtesy of a solid effort from staff horse Justin Masterson and a late rally that brought out the brooms.

Cleveland has reeled off six wins in a row, polished off five series sweeps and boasts a 19-8 record, representing the team's best start since opening with the same mark in 1999. The Indians have also won 13 in a row at Progressive Field for their longest home streak since 1996.

In the end, Masterson (5-0) did not notch a win, but he does carry the distinction of being the first Indians right-hander since Hall of Famer Bob Lemon in 1955 to win each of his first five starts in a season. No Cleveland righties have won each of their first six starts since Jim Bagby and Stan Coveleski both accomplished the feat in 1920.

Early in the season, the Indians often ran to fast leads and seemingly easy wins. Throughout this weekend, though, the Tigers (12-16) forced the Tribe to put up a fight. After Santana contributed his heroics on Friday, Orlando Cabrera delivered a walk-off single in the 13th on Saturday.

And with each win, the Indians gain more confidence.

"Winning breeds confidence, anyway," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But the fact that we've been able to come back in just about every one of these games and play so well on the homestand can only breed more confidence."

Masterson warned not to confuse the team's collective attitude as arrogance.

"It's, 'Hey, we know we can do this,'" Masterson said. "'We've been here before.'"

The Tigers struck early on Sunday, pushing a pair of runs across in the first inning against Masterson. From there, though, the big sinkerballer settled in and shut Detroit's hitters down. After the first inning, Masterson put up zeros through the seventh, striking out seven along the way.

"He's just a filthy guy," Tigers catcher Alex Avila said. "He's just nasty."

Masterson's goal was simply to keep the Tribe within striking distance, and to give the team's taxed bullpen as long a break as possible.

"You're always thinking, 'Keep it close,'" Masterson said. "That's kind of the goal as a starter. If you're ahead, keep us ahead. If it's close, keep it close. That's what I wanted to do after giving up a couple there in the first."

The Indians pulled the game into a 2-2 deadlock in the second inning -- Matt LaPorta cashed in both runs with a double -- but struggled to mount anything else against Tigers lefty Phil Coke. As the game progressed, it became increasingly clear that Masterson was not going to find his way to the win column.

Masterson's 120th pitch struck Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera in the eighth inning, convincing Acta to turn to his bullpen. Avila would later hit a sacrifice fly to score Don Kelly, giving Detroit a 3-2 lead. Masterson was charged with all three runs and looked to be in line for a loss after his seven-plus innings of work.

The Tribe had other things in mind.

"This offense is just coming through when we need it," Masterson said.

In the home half of the eighth, the Tigers turned the game over to reliever Joaquin Benoit, who surrendered Santana's game-winning blast two nights earlier. Shin-Soo Choo led things off by pulling a pitch from Benoit into right field for a single. Two batters later, Benoit hit Shelley Duncan with a pitch.

Orlando Cabrera followed by ripping a pitch into left and Choo trusted in third-base coach Steve Smith, who was waving him home. Choo slid in just ahead of the throw from Tigers left fielder Ryan Raburn, tying the game, 3-3. Michael Brantley then singled home Duncan, and LaPorta pushed the Tribe ahead, 5-3, with a sac fly.

"Our offense, I can't say enough," Acta said. "Those guys never give up."

That last run proved critical, considering Perez allowed one run in the top of the ninth inning. As it turned out, that was only a temporary setback. The closer let out a yell and pumped his fist hard when he induced a flyout off the bat of Brennan Boesch to end the game.

Perez earned his seventh save of the season.

"We don't roll over and die," Duncan said. "When we get kicked down, we're going to bounce right back up and keep fighting."

Indeed, these Indians are making comeback wins seem commonplace.

They are having fun doing it, too.

"We're winning," said Duncan, who then smirked. "Duh."

And with each win, the Indians gain more confidence.

"Winning breeds confidence, anyway," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But the fact that we've been able to come back in just about every one of these games and play so well on the homestand can only breed more confidence."


"We don't roll over and die," Duncan said. "When we get kicked down, we're going to bounce right back up and keep fighting."

Indeed, these Indians are making comeback wins seem commonplace.