Cleveland Sports Forum

A.G. and I were doing that last year too. Speaking of whom, I 've sent him an invite but haven't seen my minor league pal here, yet.

Aeros game postponed. Clayton Cook on the mound for Kinston tonight; Trey Haley for Lake County.

Columbus game well along. Kipnis Head and Carrera each with 3 hits. Jason Donald left after 3 innings.

Zach Mac an OK 6 innings, 3 runs, walks 4, 4 hits. Herrmann 1 inning, 1 run 3 hits. Judy 1 inning, a hit, a walk, 3K

Does Donald have any options left? There really isn't a spot for him on the big league club right now.

Donald has options but he is expected to be back on the Indians when ready. (Might take another week or so.)

Here is what Paul Cousineau thinks about what will happen.

To that end, as exciting as all of this is and as warm and fuzzy as it is to talk think about the play that ended the Red Sox series in terms of baseball acumen, Adam Everett is still Adam Everett and the Indians shouldn’t be thinking about keeping Jason Donald in AAA because of Adam Everett or Jack Hannahan. In fact, the likelihood that Everett finds his way off of the roster heads to AAA to be the SS is strong, as I have trouble believing that any team is going to point to Everett’s limited playing time with the Indians this season (with a career 67 OPS+ coming into the season) and decide that Everett represents that upgrade they need at the Utility IF position.

When Everett was signed, the thought was that he was infield depth who would likely spend much of the season in Columbus. A fast start by the Indians shouldn’t change that, nor should it change the fact that Jason Donald should the everyday 3B when he’s healthy with Hannahan moving to Utility IF, as high as the “pleasant surprise” factor might be with Hannahan in the early going, and with Everett shuffling off down I-71.

Haley and Jiminez will not be part of a no-hitter tonight. They each allowed 2 in 2 innings; Captains trail 4-3 in the 5th. Haley with a typical line for him: 2-1-2-2-3-2. In his two starts, he's lasted 5 innings, allowed only 1 hit, but 3 runs?!

Jason Smit has his 2nd homer, avg stays at 486. Giovanny Urshela the 19-year-old fielding whiz keeps hiiting, too; a single and double in his 2 AB's moves his avg to 444

If Donald didn't leave the game to catch a bus to Cleveland, perhaps he was hurt again; and Everett keeps his job for awhile. Hannahan has pretty much stopped hitting, so he could be the one to head south. I do like the defense he's given us at 3rd. Donald was supposed to spring ST repeating daily at that position. I would like him to get some equivalent game time at 3rd before he comes to Cleveland, but the position is taken in Columbus

Clippers final is a 10-4 win.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x&did=milb

Kinston tallies 3 in the 11th for 5-2 win. Justin Toole and Roberto Perez with the game winning hits. Perez is a fine defensive catcher who walks a lot; he's hitting 150 with OBP of 320.

Abner Abreu with a couple hits including a triple, batting 258, he fanned 3 times.
Leadoff man Tyler Holt beat that total with 4 K. 12 of them in 26 AB.

Clayton Cook pulled after 4 2/3, only 1 earned run, but 4 walks to match 4 hits allowed.
Shutout relief for 6 1/3 by Travis Turek, Preston Guilmet and Tyler Sturdevant.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_wswafa_1

Lots of action, especially late in the game, as Captains pull out a 10-7 road win (scoring 7 in the last two innings). Nearly everyone with multi-hit games: Gallas and Smit 3 each; Urshela, Cannon, Aguillar, Monsalve and Lavisky 2 apiece. First HR for Lavisky, with 2 on, finishes with 4 RBI.

Haley sloppy two innings; Francisco Jiminez 4 innings, 2 runs 6K

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... x_bgrafx_1

Records after two weeks:

Columbus 7-3, Akron 5-4, Kinston 2-6, Lake County 6-4.

None of those is surprising: the teams with the most prospects win most often.

As long as the team is winning and getting what it needs out of guys like Everett and Hannahan, I don't see them making any special allowances for Donald. Particularly since his future with the club is as a utility man.

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Sometimes a baseball game can turn on a wave and a prayer.

In the sixth inning yesterday afternoon in blustery Huntington Park, Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh watched a line drive by Ezequiel Carrera split the gap in left-center field with two outs and Paul Phillips on first.

The Clippers were locked in a tug-of-war with the Toledo Mud Hens, so Sarbaugh decided to take a chance. He switched from manager to third-base coaching mode and began to windmill his left arm so that everyone in the ballpark would know what he wanted.

Phillips received the message and chugged around third while the relay throw from Toledo shortstop Cale Iorg headed in the same direction like a heat-seeking missile.

"As soon as the ball is hit, I'm going," Phillips said. "And I've got to look to score until he says no. So that's the thought process of a base-runner at first base when the ball is hit into the gap. You're scoring no matter what until he stops you."

The throw from Iorg sailed high and hit the screen behind home plate. Phillips scored and Carrera wound up on third. He trotted home two pitches later on a single by Luis Valbuena. The Clippers suddenly were up 5-3 and on the way to a 10-4 victory in their home opener.

"In that situation with two outs, I just wanted to be aggressive," Sarbaugh said. "And sometimes with the wind conditions, when it's into the face of the fielder throwing the ball, it's not an easy throw. There's no real method to it. You just go on feel."

The feel for the entire game seemed right for the Clippers. They began the afternoon with a parade to celebrate their 2010 Governors' Cup and triple-A national championships. Reliever Frank Herrmann, just optioned by the parent Cleveland Indians, arrived in the clubhouse in time to join the festivities.

"I rode the trolley," Herrmann said, smiling. "It was cool. I got a (championship) ring, so why not be in the parade? They do things right here."

Clippers starter Zach McAllister (2-0) had control issues in the first two innings and fell behind 3-0. Once he settled in, he worked four shutout innings.

"I went after the hitters, not really overthrowing, but going right after them," said McAllister, who didn't blame the weather. "I think everyone has played in weather like this before. It's just a matter of getting used to it. I got in a groove and was able to maintain it."

The Clippers tied the score at 3 in the fourth, with Phillips doubling in one run and Carrera singling home two more.

"I knew that if I was able to keep our team in the game and maybe go five or six (innings), we might be able to squeak out a win," McAllister said. "Our offense has been great all year. It's just a matter of keeping our team in the game."

Indians infielder Jason Donald played four innings as part of his injury rehabilitation assignment. He singled, walked and made three solid defensive plays at third base.

"Just with the conditions, we got him out after a couple of innings," Sarbaugh said. "He made three outstanding plays at third. He swung the bat real well, too. I thought his timing looked better today."

jmassie@dispatch.com

Carrera injured, leaves game

Clippers center fielder Ezequiel Carrera is leaving the game in the top of the second inning after making a diving catch of Ryan Streiby pop up.

Carrera left the game pumping his right arm. Bubba Bell replaced him in center.

The wind is gusting and playing havoc with balls hit into the air. Shortstop Cord Phelps looked like he would catch hte pop fly.but it carried beyond his range and Carrera had to dive to catch it. He was on the ground for a couple of minutes. After taking to manager Mike Sarbaugh and trainer Michael Salazar, he left the game..

Posted by Jim Massie on April 17, 2011 1:27 PM

Carrerra has had a good start to his season.