The Cabrera/Carrera line: 6-1-2-2 HR SAC SB

testing ...

Cleveland AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Brantley, CF 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
Carrera, E, CF 2 1 1 2 0 0 1 .500
Cabrera, A, SS 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500
Everett, SS 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 .500
Santana, C, C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Carlin, C 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 .500
Apodaca, C 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Hafner, DH 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
a-Goedert, PH-DH 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000
Kearns, RF 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .500
1-Huffman, C, PR-RF 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 .500
Cabrera, O, 2B 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Phelps, 2B 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 .000
LaPorta, 1B 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 .000
Hannahan, 1B 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1.000
Buck, T, LF 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 .500
b-Head, J, PH-LF 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 .000
Donald, 3B 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 .500
Chisenhall, 3B 2 1 2 2 0 0 0 1.000
Totals 33 6 11 6 3 9 12 .333

a-Hit into a double play for Hafner in the 6th. b-Hit a sacrifice fly for Buck, T in the 7th.
1-Ran for Kearns in the 5th. BATTING
2B: Lewis, F (1, Mathis, D), Frazier (1, Laffey), Cozart (1, Putnam), Miller, C (1, White).
HR: Sappelt (1, 8th inning off Putnam, 1 on, 2 out), Valaika (1, 8th inning off Putnam, 0 on, 2 out).
TB: Sappelt 4; Valaika 4; Rolen; Frazier 2; Hermida; Renteria; Cozart 3; Miller, C 2; Lewis, F 2.
RBI: Gomes (1), Miller, C 2 (2), Sappelt 2 (2), Valaika (1), Cozart (1).
2-out RBI: Sappelt 2; Valaika.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Heisey; Sappelt 2.
SF: Miller, C.
GIDP: Bruce; Hernandez, Ra.
Team RISP: 3-for-8.
Team LOB: 3.

BASERUNNING
SB: Bruce (1, 3rd base off Lewis, J/Carlin).
CS: Lewis, F (1, 3rd base by Mathis, D/Carlin).

FIELDING
DP: 2 (Hermida-Fisher-Frazier, Alonso-Cozart).

BATTING
2B: Donald (1, Fisher), Huffman, C (1, Joseph, D), Chisenhall 2 (2, Joseph, D, Arredondo, Jo), Hannahan (1, Thompson, D).
HR: Carrera, E (1, 7th inning off Joseph, D, 1 on, 1 out).
TB: Carrera, E 4; Cabrera, A; Everett; Carlin; Kearns; Huffman, C 2; Hannahan 2; Buck, T; Donald 2; Chisenhall 4.
RBI: Everett (1), Head, J (1), Chisenhall 2 (2), Carrera, E 2 (2).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Hafner; Head, J.
SAC: Carrera, E.
SF: Head, J.
Team RISP: 3-for-7.
Team LOB: 5.

BASERUNNING
SB: Cabrera, A (1, 2nd base off LeCure/Hernandez, Ra).
CS: Buck, T (1, 2nd base by LeCure/Hernandez, Ra).

FIELDING
E: Buck, T (1, fielding).
DP: 2 (LaPorta-Cabrera, A-Tomlin, Cabrera, A-Cabrera, O-LaPorta).

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Maloney 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.00
LeCure 2.0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0.00
Burton(H, 1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Fisher(BS, 1) 1.0 3 1 1 0 0 0 9.00
Joseph, D 0.1 3 5 5 2 0 1 135.00
Thompson, D(W, 1-0) 1.2 1 0 0 1 2 0 0.00
Arredondo, Jo(S, 1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Totals 9.0 11 6 6 3 9 1 6.00
Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Tomlin 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Perez, C 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Smith, J 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Lewis, J 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00
Mathis, D 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Laffey 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Putnam 1.0 3 4 4 1 1 2 36.00
White(BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 1.0 3 2 2 1 1 0 18.00
Totals 9.0 10 7 6 2 3 2 6.00

Eh, don't look great but one can figure it out.

Anybody in Goodyear this spring?

Watching Bruce right now and gettin an itch. Not so much for Indians baseball but for some sun and warmth.

I never heard of Putman before today, and my guess is we won't be seeing or hearing too much about him any time soon.

how many cabrerra's do we have?

I assume chisenhall cant make the team just because.

Hillbilly wrote:
Anybody in Goodyear this spring?

According to the announcers today, even Mark Shapiro is not yet in Goodyear this spring.

Shapiro is a big wig now, doesn't have to be on the scene.

Let Antonetti do the small stuff.

Putnam has been a pretty good hard thrower who moved to the bullpen last year in Akron and is rated around 20th on our prospect lists. In the old Forum I posted Tony Lastoria's writeup on Putnam last week. Baseball America likes him as a setup reliever.

Don't write him off quite yet.

Major League Bastian

I'd prefer a sword, but all I've got is a pen.

Fausto goes first


You know what happens when you assume? Well, not much if the assumption at hand was that Indians starter Fausto Carmona was going to be on the bump come Opening Day.

It had not been officially announced by Cleveland, but it seemed a pretty safe bet that the plan was to give the ball to Carmona when the Tribe opens the season against the White Sox on April at Progressive Field. As any reporter knows, though, even if the question seems dumb or the answer appears obvious, you still have to ask.

So we did. And guess what?

"That's a good assumption," Indians manager Manny Acta said with a smile. "Yeah, he's our Opening Day starter. He deserves that."

It was so good of an assumption, in fact, that Carmona said he hadn't been informed that he was in the plans for Opening Day. He'll find out soon enough. Carmona would be the first Opening Day starter for the Indians not named CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee or Jake Westbrook since 2002, when Bartolo Colon made his third straight Opening Day start for Cleveland.

On Monday, Carmona turned in his first outing of Spring Training. In two innings against the Reds, he allowed no runs on one hit with one strikeout and one walk. Carmona tallied 29 pitches, including 22 for strikes.

Other notes from Monday...

Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo spent the day as the designated hitter for the Indians due to the mild soreness in his left elbow. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI single to left field. Prior to the game, Choo threw up to a distance of 105 feet and then took part in some fundamental drills, even making a couple throws, according to Acta. Choo said his arm felt great and the plan is to build up to 120 feet on Tuesday. Acta said Choo would DH one more day and then would likely have a day off on Wednesday. That means Choo could be back in right field for the Indians as early as Thursday, when the team heads to Surprise to take on the Rangers.

Center fielder Grady Sizemore (left knee) went through his usual rehab routine on Monday. The outfielder took part in batting practice and then did some sprint and agility drills. Acta said Sizemore did not add any new elements to his workout. There is still no established timetable for Sizemore's Cactus League debut.

Right-hander Anthony Reyes said on Monday that his elbow soreness is not considered uncommon for a pitcher coming back from Tommy John surgery. He hasn't thrown in a few days and he's shut down for the time being, but Reyes said his arm feels better now than it did when he arrived in camp. Reyes is hoping to compete for the fifth spot in Cleveland's rotation. Right now, though, he does not know when he'll gain clearance to resume throwing.

Outfielder Travis Buck had a strong day for the Indians on Monday, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and one RBI. He drove himself in with a towering home run to right field that landed atop the roof above the patio. Given the current injuries to Sizemore and Trevor Crowe, Buck will get a serious look for a bench role. "Very much so," Acats said. "Travis has always been an interesting guy. This organization has liked him for a while."

Also impressing early has been outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who went 1-for-3 on Monday after launching a homer on Sunday. Carrera has been praised for his defense, but the Tribe wanted to see more from his bat this spring. So far, so good. That said, he's still "depth" according to Acta. Translation: A few more things would have to happen for Carrera to really put himself into the Opening Day picture.

After Carmona's outing, righty Jeanmar Gomez entered in relief and logged two innings for the Indians. Gomez allowed two hits, but escaped without allowing any runs. He finished with one strikeout. Gomez is competing against Josh Tomlin, David Huff and Aaron Laffey for the fifth spot.

This morning, I asked prospect Jason Kipnis about his unique stance. Prior to shifting into his ready position for swinging, he holds the bat relaxed and flat behind him, nearly parallel to the ground. It's a style former players like Cal Ripken Jr. and Mickey Tettleton used. He said he began trying it midway through last season. He was cycling through various stances in an effort to find a comfort zone. He finally settled on this one, which he feels helps him keep his swing mechanics sound. Hey, whatever works. On Monday, Kipnis launched a homer in Cleveland's 12-0 route of the Reds.

It seems worth noting that prospect Jared Goedert manned first base for a bit during Monday's game. Goedert is a third baseman by trade, but if he winds up back at Triple-A Columbus to start the season, that spot will likely be occupied by top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall. Goedert might need to play first at Triple-A in order to maximize his playing time. Chisenhall and Jack Hannahan got all the innings at third on Monday.

This morning, upon seeing the starting lineup, Luis Valbuena smiled wide and said, "Yes, I made it in the lineup." Valbuena got the nod at shortstop for Monday's game and went 1-for-2 with one run scored. Valbuena has been discussed for third base, but his best route to the Opening Day roster will be as a utility player. He's got competition in guys such as Jayson Nix, Adam Everett and Hannahan.

Highlight of the day? In the first inning, Fred Lewis (I had fun covering him last year in Toronto) sent a pitch from Carmona tailing toward the left-field line. Looked like a sure double. That was until Chad Huffman, who is trying to win a bench job with the Indians, made an all-out, head-first, horizontal diving catch to rob Lewis of extra bases.

Still no official welcoming for newly-signed relief pitcher Chad Durbin. The move is not officially complete, likely due to the process involved in making the subsequent roster move to vacate a spot on the 40-man roster. So, same as I said yesterday, I'd expect the Durbin signing to be officiall announced tomorrow.

Tomorrow's pitchers against the Dodgers will include Carlos Carrasco (starting), Kelvin De La Cruz, Huff, Doug Mathis, Zach McAllister and Chris Perea. Pitchers down to throw in bullpen sessions include Mitch Talbot, Alex White and Josh Tomlin.

That's all for today...

..............WE WIN!!!

No Cabreras in the lineup Monday but Carrera went 1-3.