Cleveland Sports Forum

Grady and Pronk = Fragile.

Are you ready? It's the Battle For Ohio!

FS Ohio Staff Reports

Tonight marks the first game in the Battle For Ohio. The Cincinnati Reds are up north to take on the Cleveland Indians and the entire state is wrapped up in baseball fever.

The Reds are one-half game out of first place in the NL Central, trailing the hated St. Louis Cardinals. The Indians lead the AL Central by five full games over Detroit.

FOXSportsOhio.com has taken our two Ohio baseball experts and asked them to lay out the weekend series. Hal McCoy discusses the Reds and Sam Amico will introduce the Indians.

Here's what to expect this weekend at Progressive Field;

The Cincinnati Reds
- by Hal McCoy

STARTING PITCHING

• LHP Travis Wood hit a speed bump in April, losing three decisions after winning his first start. But he has won his last two starts, including 6 2/3 innings of shutout pitching during a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

• RHP Homer Bailey missed the first six weeks of the season with shoulder inflammation, but has come back magnificently, winning all three starts and posting a 1.89 ERA. He is flashing superb maturity after a slow start as the team’s No. 1 draft pick in 2004 when he was 18 years old.

• RHP Edinson Volquez has given up runs in the first inning in seven of his nine starts and experienced mammoth control problems (34 walks in 48 1/3 innings), but the team has usually rescued him (his record is 3-1). He gave up three runs in the first inning of his last start against the Cubs, then only one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts over his next five innings.

THREE KEYS TO THE SEASON SO FAR

• Teams are pitching around NL MVP Joey Votto and he leads the league in walks, but clean-up hitter Brandon Phillips has made pitchers pay for it and is putting together an MVP type season of his own.

• The team stayed in first or second through April despite missing two of its starters for the first five weeks in Bailey and Johnny Cueto. The team won 11 of 15 when they returned as they combined to go 5-1 in their first six starts.

• Left fielder Jonny Gomes, a major producer last season, is hitting only .180 and is getting less and less playing time, but he does have seven homers and 19 RBI and will be used in this series as the designated hitter.

THE REDS WIN THE SERIES IF. . .

The bats come back alive after scoring just three runs in losing two straight to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates at home.

THE REDS LOSE THE SERIES IF. . .

The starting pitchers don’t go deep into the games and stay away from a heavily used bullpen that is depleted with the loss of Aroldis Chapman. The fire-balling reliver is on the DL with shoulder inflammation after three straight appearances during which he recorded one total out.

The Cleveland Indians
- by Sam Amico

STARTING PITCHING

• RHP Alex White has given up five runs in 12 career innings pitched. He compiled six strikeouts in a win over the Angels on May 7. He previously scheduled start, May 14 vs. the Mariners, was postponed due to rain.

• RHP Josh Tomlin is 5-1 and received plenty of help following his first loss, as the Indians rocked the Royals 19-1 in his last decision. He has pitched 52-2/3 innings and allowed 16 runs, with 27 strikeouts and five walks.

• RHP Carlos Carrasco has tossed 100 and 97 pitches in his two appearances following a stint on the disabled list, a sign the inflammation in his elbow is better. He has surrendered 22 runs in 39-1/3 innings.

THREE KEYS TO THE SEASON

• Surviving injuries is the biggest thing for the Indians, who don’t have much depth when compared to most other division leaders. Grady Sizemore is on the disabled list, and now Travis Hafner and Travis Buck have a couple of sores of their own.

• It sure won’t hurt if second baseman Orlando Cabrera and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera continue at their current pace, both with timely hitting and strong defense. Asdrubal Cabrera leads AL shortstops in hits (48), runs (27), RBI (27) and home runs (seven).

• This is the first weekend of interleague play, and truly is big for both franchises. Each could look back at this series as a telling one, and it’s important for the Indians to get things together again at home following two straight road losses.

THE INDIANS WIN THE SERIES IF …

The young starting pitching (White, Tomlin) continues to impress and the bats come back alive. After pounding out 25 runs against the Royals, the Indians were held to two in two games against the White Sox.

THE REDS WIN THE SERIES IF …

Based on this season, the Reds will need to battle until the bitter end, because the Indians have had a tendency to overcome leads late in games at home.

Based on this season, the Reds will need to battle until the bitter end, because the Indians have had a tendency to overcome leads late in games at home.

He got that one right!

From ESPN

Despite receiving just three innings from their starting pitcher, Alex White, who was forced to depart with a hand injury, the Cleveland Indians managed a 5-4 victory over their in-state rivals from Cincinnati. For the first time in recent memory, both the Indians and Reds look to play significant games into September, and possibly on into October for the first time since 1995, giving new meaning to a series once seen as a mere interleague “regional rivalry game” formality.

The bullpen for the Indians was up to the new importance and intensity of the series. After White's absence, Frank Herrmann, Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez combined to pitch the final six frames, fanning three batters, walking none, and allowing only one run on six mostly scattered base hits.

AROUND THE SWEETSPOT NETWORK
It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
He wasn't even in Cleveland for 24 hours before he had a chance to contribute. Outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who just arrived from Triple-A Columbus earlier on Friday, pinch-hit for Shelley Duncan in the bottom of the eighth inning with two out and Shin-Soo Choo on third base. The speedy Carrera executed a perfect drag bunt down the first-base line, narrowly dodging the tag from the Reds first baseman Joey Votto. For those of you that may not remember, the Indians got Carrera (and shortstop Juan Diaz) from the Seattle Mariners in the Russell Branyan trade last summer.

For the rest of this blog post, click here.


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Nationals Baseball
I don't like seriousness too much, so something more frivolous to sit on top of the blog on the weekend: In 2008 the Nats were shutout more times than any squad had been since 1978. That's pretty good. Since the strike it was 2 more than the '95 Cardinals and 4 more than anyone else. That may not seem like a lot but going from 17 to 21 is a 23% increase. So the Nats were pretty hideous. If they keep their current pace they'll be shutout 26 times.

For the rest of this blog post, click here.


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Baseball Time in Arlington
When Neftali Feliz was summoned from the bullpen after Derek Holland allowed a lead-off single to begin the bottom of the ninth inning, my heart sank in a very specific and disheartening way -- a way that was keenly reminiscent of how I felt during the final months of Francisco Cordero.

For the rest of this blog post, click here.

Consider yourself forgiven if some of those names are new to you. They're new to nearly all but the most devoted Indians fans -- that is, those who could stomach watching beyond the sixth inning over the past two seasons. Pestano is a rookie, Herrmann is in his second MLB season, Sipp in his third, and Perez -- although well-known to those who follow top relief prospects and enjoy high-velocity fastballs -- didn't make his name all that well-known to the fan at large until taking over Cleveland's closer role in 2010. Smith is the veteran of the group by default, with five years under his belt, but merely decent middle relievers tend to carry with them as much excitement as the name “Joe Smith” connotes.

So you should also consider yourself forgiven if you haven't noticed that the Indians bullpen -- largely the group that pitched tonight's game -- ranks in the top 10 in ERA, FIP (Fielding-Independent Pitching), and WPA (Win Probability Added). If anything, it goes to show just how inexpensive a quality bullpen can be. Last year's group, one of the worst by FIP yet average by ERA and WPA, earned roughly $15 million dollars. (Hello and good-bye, Kerry Wood.) This season middle man Chad Durbin was added for $800,000, while Perez earned $2.25 million in his first season under arbitration, but every other Indians reliever is earning approximately $400,000 as a pre-arbitration player, for a total under $6 million for seven players.

Of course, there isn't any guarantee of continued quality from such a young bullpen. However, there is room for some level of confidence. Perez has shown that his pedigree as a top prospect was not unfounded, striking out over a batter per inning and posting an ERA under 3.00 in his time with Cleveland. Smith has been consistently good for five straight years. Sipp has a powerful fastball/slider combination, and although he may struggle with his control at times, his stuff has the potential to overmatch MLB hitters at any time. The problem for the Indians projects to be the bridge to the eighth or ninth moreso than the late innings themselves.

Even if this rough-and-tumble relief crew can keep it together, will there even be leads to hold? The offense has been decimated recently by injuries to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. Perhaps one injury could be hidden, but the second will surely prove to be tough to handle, as the presence of Shelley Duncan, the ultimate Quad-A player, in the Indians' lineup as their DH indicates. The emergence of Michael Brantley should make the Indians' outfield passable in Sizemore's absence, but substituting a replacement-level DH for Pronk will almost certainly take the punch out of Cleveland's lineup.

With the way the run-prevention unit has performed so far -- only Oakland has allowed significantly fewer runs in the league -- Cleveland should be fine if it can just get an average performance out of the guys on hand. Ideally, Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana can pick up the slack and carry the Tribe for the time being, as the Indians have somehow managed to rank second in the AL in runs scored despite sub-.400 slugging percentages out of the two hitters most pundits expected to carry much of Cleveland's offensive burden this year.

Santana and Choo both chipped in for the Indians on Friday night, and Choo set up the winning run by tripling in the eighth, but they also got key contributions from Duncan as well as speedster Ezequiel Carrera -- the man called up to take Pronk's place, and the man who plinked the game-winning bunt up the first-base line to plate Choo.

With yet another loss from the Tigers, the Indians now have a six-game lead in the AL Central and the clear fast track to the playoffs. Although the injuries to the offense present some adversity, the Indians have received high-quality effort from unlikely sources all year long. The bullpen and starting rotation will have to stay solid until the cavalry comes over the hill, but if the first month and a half of the season tells us anything, this group of no-names is up to the challenge.

CLEVELAND: Before 31,622 fans and the media hordes in the Progressive Field press box had a chance to decide for sure that manager Manny Acta was out of his mind, Ezequiel Carrera had bunted for his first major-league hit and his first major-league RBI, giving the Indians a 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night.

Who and what are the first two questions.

Carrera was called up from Triple-A Columbus earlier in the day to take the place of Travis Hafner, who went on the disabled list Friday with a strained oblique.

Oblique is an appropriate word for what happened in the eighth inning, when Acta sent Carrera to pinch hit for Shelley Duncan. Granted, the kid is a left-handed batter and the pitcher, Nick Masset, throws with his right arm.

The score was tied, and Duncan is the Tribe's best pinch hitter (though much more lethal against lefties). Carrera had never performed in a big-league game, much less for a major-league team that leads its division.

A gutsy move by the manager? Acta thought he was playing the odds.

''I can call anything I want from the bench,'' he said. ''They're the ones who have to execute.''

And Carrera played it like a seasoned vet. On the first pitch, he pushed a bunt down the first-base line toward Joey Votto, who was holding Carlos Santana on first.

Votto rushed in to grab the ball then swung toward the line to intercept Carrera. Too late. Carrera twisted his body away from Votto and dodged the tag, easily winning the race to first, as Shin-Soo Choo, who tripled with two outs, scored the game winner.

''It was a perfect spot for Carrera,'' Acta said. ''The matchup of Masset and Shelley was not good. We needed a hit. We didn't need an extra-base hit. Even if he [Carrera] hits a ground ball, he might beat it out.''

Acta didn't think Carrera's unfamiliarity with the big leagues was an obstacle.

''To bunt a ball doesn't take experience or being in the right stadium [minor-league ballpark,]'' Acta said. ''Carrera's done this his whole life. He was perfect for it.''

Carrera can run and bunt. Acta knew that from watching him in spring training.

According to Carrera, he had driven in runs with bunt hits more than once in Triple-A this year. Still, he was a little taken aback when Acta summoned him to pinch hit and told him to bunt.

''It was a big surprise,'' Carrera said. ''The situation, the eighth inning, two outs. But this was good.''

Getting a chance to become such a key part of the win obviously was fun for Carrera.

''It's unbelievable,'' he said. ''To bunt for the hit, get the RBI and have the team win.''

It was an improbable victory in more ways than one. Reds starter Travis Wood was pitching a no-hitter through the first out of the sixth inning, and three Tribe errors cost two unearned runs officially. Unofficially, it was three.

Of course, win or lose, it's always something. In addition to the Indians having to deal with two of their best hitters — Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner — nursing injuries, Alex White left the game after the third inning with what was described by the team as ''right middle finger soreness.''

As White delivered strike two to Ryan Hanigan to start the third, he shook his hand as if he had been stung by a bee. Head trainer Lonnie Soloff trotted to the mound and examined White's hand, but the pitcher remained in the game, only to walk the bases loaded, following a strikeout of Hanigan.

''I'm not sure what happened,'' White said. ''I felt strong discomfort in my middle finger. I was OK with my fastball and split, but it bothered me on the slider. The last slider I threw is when it happened.''

Some time today, White will learn more after an MRI.

White could have escaped without giving up a run, but when Matt LaPorta gloved what probably would have been a double-play grounder, he heaved the ball high over the head of shortstop Adrubal Cabrera covering second for an error that allowed two runs to score.

Only one was ruled unearned, because the official scorer cannot assume a double play will be completed.

White did not come out for the fourth inning, but his replacement, Frank Herrmann, was victimized by another error in a similar situation.

With Reds runners on third and first and nobody out in the sixth, Scott Rolen slapped a bouncer to second. Orlando Cabrera fumbled it several times before giving up.

Not only did the Tribe fail to turn a double play, no outs were recorded and a run scored. Chris Heisey followed with an RBI singled to make it two runs, again, one unearned.

At that point, nobody knew that Carrera was about to become the Indians' secret weapon. Now, it's no secret.

''He gets his first start tomorrow,'' Acta said.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

CLEVELAND -- Travis Wood went from a no-hitter to a no-decision in a span of about five minutes.

It took a little longer, but the Reds ended up with a painful 5-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians before a crowd of 31,622 at Progressive Field. The Indians won it on Ezeqiel Carrera’s perfect RBI, bunt single in the eighth.


From Wood’s standpoint it never should have gotten to that. He took a no-hitter and 4-0 lead into the sixth.

"That six inning was unbelievable," he said. "That can’t happen. I’ve got to find a way to bear down and get some outs. You have to get out of that."

The Reds (25-20) remained one-half game behind St. Louis (26-20), which lost to Kansas City, in the NL Central Divsion.

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"That was a tough one to lose, especially the way Woody dealing," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Wood was nearly perfect through five inning. He only allowed a walk.

Former Red Austin Kearns broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single in the sixth.
Kearns’ hit was the first of three straight singles. The third one -- from Michael Brantley -- scored Kearns. Wood then began a bout with wildness. He walked Asdrubal Cabrera to load the bases, and then hit Shin-Soo Choo with a pitch to force a run in.

That was it for Wood. Logan Ondrusek came in. He walked Carlos Santana to force in a run. Shelley Duncan followed with a sacrifice fly to tie it at 4-4.

Wood was a loss to explain what happened.

"I’m not really sure," he said. "We sticking to our game plan. The next thing you know the bases are loaded. They rattled off some hits. I walked a guy and hit a guy. Downward spiral."

The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the third. Paul Janish, Drew Stubbs and Jonny Gomes walked to load the bases with one out. Joey Votto followed with a double-play ball to first baseman Matt LaPorta. His throw to second with wild, allowing Janish and Stubbs to score.

The Reds added two in the sixth. Brandon Phillips led off with a single to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Jay Bruce followed with a single, sending Phillips to third. Phillips scored when Scott Rolen reached on Orlando Cabrera’s error. Chris Heisey singled to get Bruce in and make it 4-0. Heisey was thrown out trying to steal second.

"We were trying to add on," Baker said. "We wanted to stay out of the double play with (reliever Joe) Smith throwing that sinker. We were trying to get that fifth run."
After sixth, it remained tied until the eighth.

Choo hit one high off the wall in left off Bray with two outs. Both Stubbs and Heisey were right at foot of the wall, so ball bounced past them and rolled toward the infield, allowing Choo easily to get to third.

"That’s the epitome of the home-field advantage there," Baker said. "We practiced on the wall. They know the wall."

The Reds intentionally walked Santana and brought Nick Masset into to face Duncan.

The Indians sent up Carrera to pinch-hit. The bunted the first pitch he saw as a major leaguer down the first base line. Votto fielded it and lunged to tag Carrera. He avoided the tag. Choo scored and the Indians led 5-4.

"Perfect bunt," Baker said. "That was the ball game."

Warning Will Robinson!

Sizemore on schedule, but knee injury lingers

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 05/21/11 4:35 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Grady Sizemore remains on pace to return from the disabled list as soon as he is eligible, but that does not mean that the Indians' center fielder is completely over his right knee injury.

"There's definitely something lingering," Sizemore said on Saturday. "I'm not at 100 percent. We're still working through it. I'm still not even doing full activity yet."

Sizemore, who injured his knee during a slide into second base on May 10, has been able to play catch and take part in batting practice. If everything goes according to plan, the center fielder should be able to rejoin Cleveland for the May 27-29 road series against Tampa Bay.

"That's the plan," Sizemore said. "Obviously, we're still going on how the knee feels. Right now, we're just going day to day with it. We're working off of that last day as an ending point. That's kind of how the rehab is geared."

The current knee issue is not related to the left knee injury that resulted in season-ending microfracture surgery in June last year. That said, Sizemore said this injury does include similar discomfort to what he experienced early last season.

"It's a similar injury in the same area," Sizemore said. "So there's a lot of similarities."

In 18 games after initially coming off the DL on April 17, Sizemore hit .282 with six home runs, 10 doubles, 11 RBIs and 15 runs scored. The Indians can only hope that their star outfielder can return to that type of form when he is cleared for rejoining the lineup.

Indians manager Manny Acta said he has been encouraged by what he has seen from Sizemore in batting practice.

"He's swinging the bat very well in BP," Acta said. "He's doing most of the activities that were bothering him the last week or so, bending over and putting some weight on that knee, going side to side. We're anticipating him being ready pretty soon."

Indians place White on DL, recall Judy

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 05/21/11 4:35 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Even before knowing the specifics of Alex White's hand injury, the Indians felt the best course of action was to place the rookie starter on the disabled list. The young pitcher was officially shelved on Saturday.

Cleveland placed White on the 15-day DL and promoted reliever Josh Judy from Triple-A to assist the bullpen for a few days. White was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on his injured right middle finger on Saturday afternoon.

Neither White nor the Tribe needed the test results to know a trip to the DL was necessary.

"I think it's pretty obvious I'm not going to be able to throw a baseball effectively for a few days," White said. "Even after that, it's going to be a process of getting back. I think it's a good decision. Obviously, they've got to do what's best for the team."

White, 22, hurt his finger while snapping off an 86-mph slider to Cincinnati's Ryan Hanigan two pitches into the third inning during Friday's 5-4 win over the Reds. The 22-year-old right-hander remained in the game but stayed away from any more breaking pitches before being pulled after the third.

The pain was based in the middle of the middle finger on White's throwing hand. The finger was still swollen on Saturday morning, when the Indians opted to place White on the DL. The move comes after the 2009 first-round Draft pick went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in three outings for the Tribe.

"It was pretty clear," said manager Manny Acta, referring to the need to put White on the DL. "If you have to take somebody out in the third inning, chances of him being ready to pitch in four days are not very good."

With White sidelined, the Indians are expected to activate starter Mitch Talbot from the 15-day DL in time for a start on Wednesday against the Red Sox. Talbot, who is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two starts this season, has been out with a right elbow issue since April 17.

"That's the follow-up move," Acta said. "[Talbot] was going to be in the rotation anyways. That's next. Right now, we're expecting it to be the last game in the Red Sox series."

Stunning Tribe in race for long haul
Injuries could mean difference between contending and winning AL Central

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Sunday, May 22, 2011



Maybe this is the wrong time. After all, for the past couple of weeks, the Indians haven't been much more than a .500 team.



On the other hand, when a club has played at least 40 games, fundamental assessments are in order. That doesn't mean an evaluation of the Tribe one-fourth of the way through the season will necessarily hold up through the rest of the schedule. But it might. And at least by this time, you should be able to see the forest and not just the trees.

Nobody really has wanted to answer the big question: Are the Indians for real? That goes for me, too. But trying to make sense of this team is part of my job. So here it is.

I've seen every inning of every game. I look at the numbers, I try to see beyond the numbers, I look at depth in the minors, and I look at the teams
trying to keep the Tribe from transforming itself into being a American League Central Division player.

After examining all of that, I believe this club can stay in the race all season, maybe even finish on top of the division standings, though I'm not convinced of that just yet.

Here's the good news for Indians fans.

Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore and Matt LaPorta, three pieces that are essential in making the attack consistently productive, are living up to expectations.

Hafner has rebounded from years of moribund plate appearances, diminished power and a lack of discipline, the same factors that went into making him one of the most fearsome designated hitters in 2005 and 2006.

He is not producing at those levels, but in this year of the pitcher, who is? The point is that Hafner is back. He's not just hitting soft singles to right field; he is driving the ball and trusting his eye at the plate. Whether it's because he's been healthy — certainly that plays a part — though at the moment he's not — or his confidence has returned is irrelevant. The fact is he is a danger to opposing pitchers again.

After undergoing the rigors of recovering from microfracture surgery, Sizemore appears to be at least as lethal at the plate as he was before his year-long ordeal. I still don't know for sure if he's lost a step, but it hasn't mattered. When he is whacking balls in the gaps that skip all the way to the fence, he can trot to second base.

LaPorta was virtually a rookie in 2010 and at times looked lost or overmatched. He needed last season to get his feet under him and understand that the pitchers who were routinely getting him out came up from the minors, too. Just like him.

He still is a work in progress, but we can see the power — more consistent power — that vaulted him to the top of the Milwaukee Brewers' prospect list at the time he was traded to the Indians in the CC Sabathia deal.

Hafner, Sizemore and LaPorta have to produce if the offense is to generate enough runs to keep the pitchers from feeling that the burden of winning is always on them. It's difficult enough for a young rotation to establish itself without dealing with that kind of pressure.

The starting staff remains the most fragile part of the team, not because the pitchers have no talent but because it's insane to think that four-fifths of the rotation — which hasn't had time to mature — will maintain the kind of consistency it takes to keep the team in games almost every day.

Keep in mind that last year was the first for Justin Masterson as a full-time starter, and he was awful for about two-thirds of the schedule. Mitch Talbot also got his first chance to be a regular in a rotation in 2010, and Josh Tomlin and Carlos Carrasco had 24 big-league starts between them going into this season.

Fausto Carmona ranks as the wise-and-aged veteran at 27 with 116 pre-2011 starts, but those were spread over parts of five seasons. In other words, Carmona, too, has some learning to do.

But so far, youth and inexperience haven't stopped the Tribe's starters from being amazingly dependable, reliable almost to a fault. I still can't imagine that there won't be periods of utter failure mixed in with vivid streaks of success.

Despite a scarcity of major-league starts, Tomlin, along with Carmona, comprise the bedrock of the rotation. Tomlin appears to be a rare pitcher who came to the big leagues totally prepared for anything he might encounter.

Moreover, just when you think Masterson is having trouble holding on to his delivery, he recovers quickly. Can he avoid a return to being the erratic pitcher he was a year ago? So far, he has done a remarkable job of maintaining almost total body discipline on the mound.

The other plus for the rotation is depth. Alex White, who now is on the disabled list, too, has shown why he is regarded as one of the Indians' top-two pitching prospects (along with Drew Pomeranz), and with five to 15 more starts at Triple-A, Jeanmar Gomez might be capable of holding his own if someone gets hurt or falls into a deep slump.

As expected, the bullpen has been a constant contributor. That's no surprise. Even before spring training, the relief corps seemed to be the most reliable part of the club, beginning with closer Chris Perez and Tony Sipp, who often is summoned to hold leads in the eighth inning.

But manager Manny Acta is not yet naming him setup man, the guy who always gets the call. There are two reasons for that. Sipp hasn't held the job long enough, and Vinnie Pestano has performed equally well in the eighth inning.

Pestano is one of the pleasant surprises on the roster, a pitcher whom Acta targeted for success not long after he arrived from Triple-A last September.



One other element has contributed to the Tribe's ability to stay on top: This team doesn't beat itself. The defense makes all the routine plays and many of the tough ones; there has been very little stupid base running (though too many guys have been picked off), and almost everyone throws to the correct base and is aligned correctly in the field.

Aside from the risks of fielding a baby rotation, what are the most likely pitfalls for this club? Three things: injuries, injuries and injuries. Sizemore is down again with a different sore knee, Hafner is on the disabled list with a strained oblique, Talbot won't be back for a few more days after missing several weeks with a sore elbow and White is out with a finger injury. Things like that can't continue if the club is to maintain its early season status.

Three weeks ago, a noted baseball writer and friend from New York called to ask, ''What the hell is going on there?'' He was referring, of course, to the Tribe's persistent winning.

I told him I wasn't sure. I'm still not positive, but things are coming into focus, and the Indians' season is starting to look more like a long vacation at the beach than repeating Algebra II in summer school

Talbott ready to take his turn:

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/201 ... 613028.txt

From Indians site:

Hitting in the fifth hole in place of injured designated hitter Travis Hafner, Buck had grounded out to third base in the second inning and flied out to left field in the fifth. Both times, Bailey enticed Buck to swing on pitches that were over the outside corner.

After the second at-bat, Acta called over to Buck in the dugout.

"You could tell he had a little fire in him," Buck said.

Acta's message was simple. He wanted Buck to stop falling prey to the pitcher's plan and start waiting for an offering he could pound with authority. It was something Buck had in his mind when he settled into the batter's box in the seventh inning for a third meeting with Bailey.

"He just wanted to throw sinkers away," Buck said. "I hit a ground ball weakly and a lazy fly ball to left. Hitting in those run-producing spots in the order, you've got to be able to pick your pitches to be able to drive it."

Buck received the perfect type of pitch right out of the gates.

"That ball was supposed to be in," Baker said. "It went back over the plate. He didn't miss it."

Buck sent the ball rocketing hard over right-center field, where it barely cleared the wall and bounced up into the seats. The two-run blast -- Buck's first home run since April of last season -- propelled Cleveland to a 2-1 lead that it would not surrender.

There's plenty of surprises after 40 games of the baseball season: MLB Insider

Published: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 10:46 PM Updated: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 10:49 PM

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
Quick ... can you name this American League batting average leader?
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Twenty things to contemplate now that the unofficial quarter pole of the season, 40 games, has come and gone. Statistics are through Friday.

1. Raise your hand if you thought Tampa Bay's Matt Joyce would be contending for the AL batting title?

2. Former Indians manager John McNamara lived by one rule, "Never let a star [player] fall on you." Think anyone told that to Joe Girardi when he took the Yankees job? On a team of falling stars, Jorge Posada was just the start of Girardi's problems.

3. Manny Acta has led the Indians to the best record in the big leagues. Last week it was announced he'll be a coach for the AL at the All-Star Game. When do the Indians extend his contract? He's signed through 2012 with an option for 2013.

4. If all of the prospects in the Royals' pipeline can play like first baseman Eric Hosmer, good times will be returning to Kauffman Stadium.

5. Now for a tale of two appendectomies.

Matt Holliday had an emergency appendectomy on April 1. He returned after missing seven games and is leading the NL with a .357 average for the contending Cardinals.

DH Adam Dunn underwent the same operation on April 6. He missed six games, but is hitting only .196 with four homers and 20 RBI for a Chicago team still trying to find itself.

6. The White Sox are starting to move in the right direction and one of the reasons is Sergio Santos taking over the closer spot.

7. The more you see Brandon Phillips, the more you wonder why Eric Wedge wanted him out of Cleveland and why Mark Shapiro went along with it.

8. There are a lot of reasons why the Indians are in first place in the AL Central. One of the biggest is shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

9. The Indians signed Nick Johnson in spring training for just such a time as Friday when Travis Hafner was placed on the disabled list. Johnson, however, just started playing games in extended spring training after surgery on his right wrist. He's not an option right now.

10. The Phillies' Fab Four, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, was a combined 16-10 with a 2.88 ERA through 45 games. They ranked second in the NL in ERA behind Atlanta and fourth overall. Oakland is No.1 with a 2.71 ERA.

11. The Giants, the defending World Series champs, have five walk-off hits and are 13-3 in one-run games.

12. Texas was 9-3 on April 12 when Josh Hamilton broke his right arm sliding into the plate against Detroit. In their next 33 games, they went 14-19.

13. After going 11-15 in April, including a 2-10 start, Boston won 13 of its first 18 games in May. Adrian Gonzalez, who leads the AL with 41 RBI, helped by hitting .342 (26-for-76) with eight homers and 26 RBI.

14. Joe Mauer hasn't played since April 12 and he might not be back until after the All-Star Game. He's suffering from bilateral leg weakness. The Twins won the AL Central last year without Justin Morneau (concussion) for much of the year, but in their first 33 games without Mauer, they went 11-22.

15. Joaquin Benoit, coming off a great season with the Rays in 2010, has struggled in Detroit. He's 1-3 with a 7.47 ERA and two blown saves in 17 games.

16. The Rays must be doing something right. At the end of last season, they lost almost their entire bullpen to free agency. The new pen, through 42 games, is 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA, nine saves and a .219 batting average against.

17. Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, 36, entered the weekend needing 29 hits to reach 3,000. Jeter signed a three-year, $51 million deal this winter.

18. Toronto has stayed respectable behind the power of Jose Bautista. Rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia has assisted with seven homers in 32 games.

19. Seattle's offense is still dreadful, but rookie starter Michael Pineda (5-2, 2.45) has helped keep the Mariners close in the AL West.

20. Justin Verlander has been outstanding in his last three starts, 2-0, 1.44 ERA, but without Max Scherzer (6-0, 2.81), the Tigers would be struggling to keep contact with the Tribe in the Central.

White is out 8-12 weeks...

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ss ... _xxxx.html

Can you say, "Adam Miller?"

Acta on the pregame says its nothing like Adam Miller. One is tendons, the other ligaments. I forget which is supposed to be worse