Category Archives: Cleveland Indians

Indians win first game of doubleheader; Francona talks Masterson and Chisenhall

May 13, 2013 – 3:46 pm

The Indians won the first game of the doubleheader against the Yankees behind Justin Masterson’s complete-game shutout.

Masterson became the first Indians pitcher to have two 1-0 complete game wins in a season since 1989 (Bud Black and Greg Swindell). It was the first time the Yankees had been shut out in Progressive Field since 2003. Jason Kipnis provided the Indians with their only run on a first-inning home run.

Here’s a sampling of what manager Terry Francona and Masterson said after the game, when Francona also addressed sending Lonnie Chisenhall to AAA Columbus:

Francona:

On Masterson: “Masty went out and did exactly what you want your ace to do. They loaded up with their lefties and from the very first pitch of the game he had power, he had a breaking ball, he attacked hitters.”

On if he pondered not letting Masterson pitch the ninth: “No. I just wanted to check with him to make sure he had enough to send him out to finish. He got an extra day (rest). When you pitch a game like that I don’t want to send him out for one or two hitters and then go get him. He said he had yanked a couple sliders earlier, but he had plenty left.”

On sending Chisenhall to the minors: “We gave him those two days off last week because he had kind of struggled getting himself into a rhythm hitting. It felt like the outcome of his at-bats, I think, were starting to affect his play. He even kind of admitted that, he said, ‘It was kind of building on me.’ This guy is such a building block in our organization. This is not an indictment on him. He’s going to figure it out and he’s going to be a force here. I just think it’s better for him right now to go be able to take a deep breath, get some at-bats and get himself rolling. You’ll see him back here, leaning on some fastballs.”

Masterson:

On the complete-game win: “I think it’s nice at the beginning of a doubleheader. I think it’s what every guy who starts a doubleheader wants to do. Just to keep the bullpen out of it so we can be fresh for game number two. I think that’s probably the most satisfying thing. To be a complete  game, whether it’s 1-0, 1,500-0 doesn’t matter.”

On to game two.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , , |


Indians option Chisenhall to minors

May 13, 2013 – 11:20 am

Is it numbers, is it performance, or is it a combination?

The Indians sent Lonnie Chisenhall to AAA Columbus on Monday, one day after manager Terry Francona talked about how Chisenhall was fighting himself at the plate.

Chisenhall has struggled. He’s hitting .213 in 94 at-bats — and this after he was more or less named the team’s third baseman. He’s two-for-16 in his last seven days, five-for-26 in his last 14. And he’s 2-for-22 (.091) against left-handers.

Injury has plagued Chisenhall in the past. But clearly this season he fought his swing.

LHP David Huff was brought up to take Chisenhall’s place.

It could well be that the Indians felt they needed another pitcher for Monday’s doubleheader against the Yankees. MLB rules allowed them to add a 26th player for the day; that spot went to second-game starter Trevor Bauer. To add a pitcher, Chisenhall really was the only option to be sent down of the position players.

Or it could be a combination. Performance and need prompted the move.

Mark Reynolds and Mike Aviles can both play third, and will in Chisenhall’s absence.

Manager Terry Francona did not speak to the media before the game. He’ll surely address it after. At which point his quotes will be passed along.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , |


Indians catch-up: On Chisenhall, getting ahead in counts, Kipnis, etc.

May 12, 2013 – 1:56 pm

Some of this and that the morning after Saturday night’s good win over Detroit and heading into Sunday’s series finale in Detroit:

–Manager Terry Francona pointed out the advantage in getting ahead of a hitter by suggesting to check Corey Kluber’s stats from Friday night’s Detroit win. Hitters worked Kluber to a 2-1 count eight times; the results, unofficially, six hits and a walk in eight at-bats, with four of the six hits a double. Conversely, when Kluber had hitters at a 1-2 count, he held them hitless in six at-bats, with three strikeouts. As Francona said: “I’m not an advocate of ‘take strike one’ to build the pitch count. Then you’re hitting 0-1 the whole damn day, and that doesn’t do any good.”

–With Vinnie Pestano on the disabled list, the Indians have to juggle who will pitch the seventh inning in games they are leading. Normally, Joe Smith would take the seventh, Pestano the eighth and Chris Perez the ninth. With Pestano out, Smith moves to the eighth with a bullpen by committee working the seventh. Saturday, the committee of Nick Hagadone and Cory Allen didn’t get it done. “I think it will depend on who we’re facing,” Francona said. “I told Smitty we’re not gonna wait around until the eighth if there’s a bunch of righties. That seems silly to me.”

–Not one Indians player this weekend asked for a Browns rookie minicamp update. Go figure.

–Francona talked a lot about Trevor Bauer on Saturday. What he said is here.

–Lonnie Chisenhall entered Sunday’s game hitting just .220 in 91 at-bats. Chisenhall was finally given the third-base job this season, and he’s struggling. The number that jumps out: He’s hitting .091 against left-handed pitching. In his career he’s hit just .200 against lefties. Francona said he’s been patient with Chisenhall because he didn’t want to have him looking over his shoulder early, but he’s also been a little tempted to play Mike Aviles, who oddly enough is a right-handed hitter batting .200 against lefties and .420 against righties.

–Francona said Chisenhall has “gotten himself into a little bit of a rut,” adding: “He’s just got to get in position where he can let his bat speed work. He’s gotten himself into some positions early this year where you see him fouling a lot of balls over the third-base dugout. … He can’t get the bat head where he wants it to be. It’ll get there, and when it happens …” As to whether Chisenhall might be pressing … “I hope not. It’s a lot easier to play certainly when you’re relaxed and you’re confident. But you have to get to that point first. That’s that chicken or the egg, whatever analogy you want to use. It’s easy to tell somebody, relax and play.”

–As of pregame, the Yankees had not announced their second starting pitcher for Monday’s doubleheader. “It’s a big secret,” Francona said with a smirk. Sort of like NFL teams trying to hide the identity of the starting quarterback.

–Francona clearly appreciates the way Jason Kipnis plays, saying: “He’s very hard-nosed the way he plays. As a manager, when a guy hits a ball and runs as hard as he can every time, it’s appreciated. When he hits it, he runs like it’s his last at-bat. I can’t tell you how that makes you feel as a manager. He plays all out all the time. You saw his reaction when he scored (from first on Saturday). That’s just pure joy. You can talk all you want about making money and everything, and I hope they all get rich. But the good players for the most part like trying to be better than the other teams and finding a way to beat them.”

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , |


Annual Indians attendance discussion underway again

May 12, 2013 – 1:04 pm

The Indians return to Cleveland Monday for a makeup doubleheader against the Yankees. It’s a traditional doubleheader, with two games for the price of one.

Fans who had tickets to the rained out games from the first homestand can get in, but a doubleheader is a rare bargain. The Indians played them way back when, and they were always targeted games for kids and families. Why not go when you can see two? Ernie Banks has immortalized the statement, “Let’s play two.”

But will the fans show up?

At present the Indian are averaging 14,103 per game, which ranks last in the league. It’s worse when considered that the Indians are 4,238 behind Tampa Bay, the 29th ranked team. That’s almost 25 percent lower than the Rays.

There’s been a lot said about the attendance, and in some ways it’s an annual May discussion. Cleveland traditionally does not draw until Memorial Day. The reasons are the same ones given every year. School, cold, blah blah blah.

“I guess I feel like my responsibility is to try to get our team to play the best baseball we can, and if you’re an Indians fan you’ll be proud of your team,” manager Terry Francona said. “I guess if we get to a point where we’re backing it up and not just on a hot streak, our attendance will get better.”

“The fans that come out have been very supportive and they’ve been fun and it’s a great buzz,” said Jason Giambi. “There’s nobody that should tell anybody how to spend their money. That’s the most important thing. We would love to have them out there.”

Who wouldn’t?

The Indians have done their part, so far. They brought in players in the offseason. They’ve won 19 games and they’re competing with the Tigers for the division lead.

But a few things work against them. Fans have seen fast starts dissolve the past two seasons; though the players, coaches and manager are different, the doubt lingers. Francona is right to say the team has to still back it up.

Too, while the Indians say their fans harken back to the glory days of the ‘90s, it would seem that the more recent past affects perceptions just as much, especially the trading of back-to-back Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee That sent a message of financial instability that one strong offseason evidently won’t fix. Detroit draws 37,000 for an Indians game with 20,000 down the street in Joe Louis Arena for a hockey game because the Tigers and Red Wings have won.

The Indians have not been over .500 since 2007 and lost 90 games in three of the last four seasons. That track record led the chipping away of any team’s base: Season ticket sales. In Cleveland, the number has dropped below 8,000, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. The season ticket base explains why a team like Miami that might have 3,000 in the stands for games can pad its numbers and say it averages 18,864. The Indians can’t, because they don’t have the base.

For whatever reason, the fans seem to hold the Indians to a different standard than the other pro teams in town.
There is absolutely no explaining the blind faith given the Browns after 13 years of futility, change and arrogance.

The Cavs have continued to draw post-LeBron better than the Indians did post CC and Cliff.

Both those leagues have salary caps, which helps equalize the competition. Yet the fans punish the Indians while giving the Browns a pass.

The claim that Cleveland is a “football town” is nonsense. The Indians will draw if they win. Baseball brings people downtown 81 days a summer. It matters.

Giambi is right … fans have the right to spend their money as they see fit. If they’d rather see The Great Gatsby than the Indians, so be it.

Winning cures a lot of issues, but it’s clear that the Indians have to win a lot more than other teams in town before people will come out again.

At least this season they have a good chance to get their part done.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , |


More on Scott Kazmir’s strong start against Oakland

May 10, 2013 – 7:38 pm

Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway spent a little time talking about Scott Kazmir before Friday night’s game in Detroit.

Callaway said the team had done some research and learned that the last time Kazmir hit 95 and 96 in velocity was 2009.

Which would be four years ago.

Kazmir’s 10-strikeouts in the win over Oakland was his first double-digit strikeout game since 2009, and he didn’t walk a hitter for the first time since 2010.

In one sense, these best-since numbers are not surprising, because Kazmir did not pitch well in 2010 and 2011, when he spent time with the Sugar Land Skeeters.

But the way Kazmir threw was very encouraging to the Indians — and opened eyes.

“He’s gotten better, considerably better every outing he’s  been out there,” Callaway said. “From the first of spring training until now, it’s been unbelievable.”

Manager Terry Francona gushed about Kazmir after his first bullpen session in spring training. Now the Indians have their fingers crossed it lasts.

“He’s in a good spot,” Callaway said.

The web site FanGraphs.com had an outstanding chart on Kazmir’s fastball in the game, and how his velocity increased the more he threw. The site wrote: “The last three fastballs he threw were all 96 mph, and they were pitches 101, 102 and 103 on the day. A guy who lost his spot in Major League Baseball his fastball was sitting at 86 ended (Thursday) throwing 96.”

It’s early, but clearly the Indians are hopeful.

If Kazmir keeps doing what he’s doing, they’ll have themselves one of the better reclamation project stories of the season.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , , |


Ohio coaches do first-pitch honors

May 9, 2013 – 9:08 pm

CLEVELAND — It was his turn first, and Ohio University basketball coach Jim Christian fired a strike.

Next up was Ohio football coach Frank Solich, and his pitch floated into the first-base batter’s box.

Solich still got a nice ovation from the Progressive Field crowd before Thursday’s game between the Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics, but he admitted he’d hoped for better.

“I was practicing this week,” Solich said. “I called our director of football operations Jason Grooms and made him go out and throw a few with me.”

Solich grew up in Cleveland and graduated from Holy Name High School in Parma Heights. He said having the chance to throw out the first pitch in his hometown was “a thrill. It’s always nice to be back in Cleveland. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Christian said he didn’t make any practice tosses this week.

“But when you get out there, you want to throw a strike,” Christian said. “All eyes are on you.”

The Ohio coaches served as co-guests of honor before the Indians won their 10th game in 11 tries on Thursday. Both wore new Indians hats with their traditional green garb. They were in town for the Ohio Athletics Bobcat Caravan event Thursday night at the Barley House in Cleveland.

By Zac | Also posted in MAC, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football, Ohio Bobcats | Tagged , , , |


Indians win a series, which is something

April 22, 2013 – 12:39 pm

The Indians won a series over the weekend, after losing the first game. Winning two-of-three in Houston isn’t cause for fireworks, but it’s a step toward recovering from a staggering start. At 7-10, the Indians aren’t even in last place in their division. Staggered starts are magnified in April, but the losses count just as much in April as they do in September so they can’t be ignored either. Winning a series is a step toward stopping the stagger and starting to walk.

The starting rotation remains in constant flux. Brett Myers went on the DL the day after Scott Kazmir came off. Instead of bringing up Trevor Bauer or Carlos Carrasco (and his eight-game suspension), the Indians moved Corey Kluber into the rotation. The rotation has been a jumbled mess since Kazmir got hurt before the season, and it’s not getting any less jumbled. That has no doubt affected continuity, as closer Chris Perez said he can’t recall a time this season when the starters lined up and went one through five.

One would hope there’s a reason for the starters performance. Indians pitchers have a 5.84 ERA this season, which ranks 30th in baseball. They’ve pitched 28 1/3 innings, which ranks 28th. They’ve given up 58 earned runs,which ranks 27th, and 27 home runs (29th).  Add in all those games when the Indians scored three runs or less and it’s not tough to see why they started 7-10.

The fact that Kazmir had a 14-run lead in the second inning on Friday night and did not get the win kind of sums up the way things are going.

Longtime reader (and friend) Mark Leonard wrote and suggested a good solution for Carrasco’s suspension: Time it with the All-Star Break. Call Carrasco up four games before the break, let the four pitchers in line start those games, then let Carrasco sit the four games after the break. It would leave the Indians with 24 players, but that happens at times. The main advantage is that this approach reduces the effect on the starting staff, because it will have the three days of the break to rest. As Leonard wrote, all eight games “are covered comfortably and sanely.”

Monday is Terry Francona’s birthday. With 17 games in Cleveland, he has the longest tenure of any manager or coach in pro sports in the city.

Mark Reynolds is having a month. His seven home runs and 18 RBI put him first and fourth in the American League, respectively of course. Reynolds describes himself as a notoriously slow starter, and entering this season he’d hit .216 in March and April in his career. He also had the fewest home runs (21) in that time. But in 2008 and 2010 had seven home runs in April. In those seasons he finished with 28 and 32 home runs. Reynolds is on a one-year contract with the Indians, and will make himself some money if this continues.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , , , , , , , |


Francona stands by Jimenez, whose long-term trend is worrying

April 17, 2013 – 7:57 pm

Terry Francona has gotten an earful … well an eyeful … from Indians fans, most of them upset, disappointed and frustrated at Ubaldo Jimenez’s pitching.

Or lack thereof.

This season he’s started 0-2, with an 11.25 ERA.

“It’s only been a few starts,” Francona said. “If we lost our patience with everybody after a few starts we wouldn’t have a team. I get the mail and everything. ‘Send him down, do this.’

“Our job is to make guys better. Not every time they struggle get rid of them.”

Jimenez’s struggles go back much longer than this season, though. In his last 17 starts, Jimenez is 1-12 with a 7.27 ERA.

“I understand,” Francona said. “But what’s important … last year, it’s over. You can’t pitch for last year. It won’t work. It just makes it harder. We need to separate that first of all.

“We need to figure out what did he do good, what didn’t he do good. Build on what he did well and fix what he didn’t do well.”

Last year was last year, Francona said.

“Nobody’s good enough to go back and fix last year,” he said.

The Indians believe Jimenez’s problem is his delivery, aka mechanics.

When Jimenez is slow to the plate and lands his left foot properly, he keeps the ball low and moving.

But when he speeds up, he opens up his left side and his left foot lands more toward first base. When that happens Jimenez’s pitches flatten out, and left-handers get a good swing at him, Francona said.

That doesn’t explain last year, but Francona’s not trying to explain last year.

That being said, Jimenez’s trend the last few years is not good.

Since starting the 2010 season 15-1, Jimenez has gone 23-39 with an ERA of 4.94.

His ERAs have gone from 3.80 in ‘10 to 4.68 in ‘11 (combined Colorado and Cleveland) to 5.40 in ‘12 to 11.25 in three starts this season.

His wins have dropped from 19 to 10 to nine to (this season) zero.

Not what the Indians envisioned when they traded two first-round picks to acquire him.

Jimenez is the living embodiment of the rule that states: If you want to make a move with a guy, who takes his place?

With Cleveland, it could be Trevor Bauer or Korey Kluber or David Huff or Carlos Carrasco (and his eight-game suspension), but Francona isn’t ready to make that move.

“You start getting rid of pitching, you might come up in June, July, August, (and) not have any,” Francona said. “There’s a lot of factors. There’s young guys in triple-A and even in double-A maturing and developing so when they get here they can win and not get up here and get beat up.”

Scott Kazmir is due to come off the disabled list and start on Saturday. If he proves he can handle a spot, the Indians might be able to replace a struggling Jimenez with a young pitcher.

If they ever want to.
But Carrasco’s suspension complicates things. He’s throwing mid-90s, but the day he comes up his suspension starts and it has to finish in one stretch. The Indians would be playing with a roster of 24 for eight games, and juggling starters.

For Francona, it’s not about Carrasco or a suspension. It’s about trying to straighten out Jimenez, who will start by throwing twice between starts as opposed to once.

“You’re going to have challenges throughout the season,” Francona said. “We knew that coming in. We prefer to tackle them, as opposed to running away from them.”

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , |


Red Sox take field in Cleveland amidst ongoing sadness from Marathon bombing

April 16, 2013 – 9:06 pm

Tuesday was one of those nights when normal felt a little bit off.

One day after leaving Boston within a couple hours of two bombs exploding that killed three people watching the Boston Marathon, the Boston Red Sox players and manager tried to bring perspective to a deed that had no perspective.

Count Indians manager Terry Francona, a former Boston resident, among those who were questioned as part of their public/civic/sports job.

Thing is, questions were asked of players and managers feeling the same sadness and helplessness of anyone who watched or read what happened. Somehow guys who mainly worry about lineup cards and curve balls were expected to bring wisdom and healing.

The main message from the Red Sox, who flew into Cleveland after the bombs exploded: Perhaps a game can provide momentary relief.

Boston third baseman Drew Middlebrooks posted on Twitter: “I can’t wait to put on my jersey today… I get to play for the strongest city out there.”
“This is a time we can use our platform for the right reasons,” Middlebrooks said, “and really show that we are here for the city and how much we love our city.”

That in effect was all anyone could do.

Middlebrooks admitted it was odd being away from Boston, but admitted Tuesday’s game might not have been played in Fenway Park, which is not far from the sight of the death and suffering. The Celtics and Bruins canceled games, but Middlebrooks was happy that the Red Sox could “get something on TV in Boston other than replays of the bombing.”

“I know going back to my experiences with cancer,” said Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester, “I know the further you can get away from that (and) not think about it, it kind of eases your mind. Maybe we can do that by taking the field, easing some minds back in Boston and give them something other than news to watch for a couple hours.”

Indians manager Terry Francona started the week expecting to be asked about facing the team he managed for eight years, and was braced for the questions.

Instead he tried to talk about the pain in his former city.

“I’m not sure you have to have roots in Boston to care about that,” Francona said. “Obviously I do … It seems when you turn the TV on, or when you’re there, it’s hard for everybody.

“Whether it’s personal or not, it seems like it gets personal.”

Francona knows the importance of Patriots Day in Boston, how it’s a holiday and how the city celebrates. Francona said some of the video on TV that he saw showed the church where his daughter was married.

“It’s very unsettling,” he said. “For everybody.”

But even with the unease, the sadness, the suffering, the day after buses ran, coffee was brewed and games were played. In Boston and elsewhere. It just so happened that the Red Sox were spending their time in Cleveland doing their job.

The Indians started the game with a moment of silence, then shortly after played “Sweet Caroline,” a song the Red Sox use as their anthem late in games. It was just a song, but there was meaning behind it.

“I thought,” Francona said, “that was a very classy touch.”

It didn’t mean the heaviness didn’t weigh, just like it did after Newtown and Aurora, Colo., and other equally horrific events. Francona often says many are smarter than him, but summed up many feelings when he said: “It’s hard enough to be an adult. Can you imagine being a little kid growing up now? It’s hard.

“It just makes you feel bad.”

By Pat McManamon | Also posted in Boston Red Sox, Drew Middlebrooks |


On further review, best not to equate Sale with Carrasco

April 14, 2013 – 11:09 am

This might sound lame, but Chris Sale’s action was different than Carlos Carrasco’s (Yes, this is slowly becoming the “Official Carlos Carrasco Blog.”)

Carrasco entered his first start of 2013 with a prior record. He had already been suspended for throwing over the head of a hitter after he had given up a home run. In his first start after serving the suspension, he threw at Kevin Youkilis’ head after hitting a home run. The only thing that saved Youkilis from being hit in the helmet was his baseball savvy, as he turned his shoulder properly to avoid serious injury.

Sale hit Michael Brantley after giving up a Grand Slam.

It looked terrible, seemed bush and screamed for equal treatment. But there was not equal treatment. Carrasco was ejected; Sale was warned.

But though it was very similar, the two incidents were not the same.

Carrasco had a prior record. Sale didn’t. Not to my knowledge at least.

Too, compare the reactions of the two players.

Carrasco never looked like he slipped when he threw. He looked like he went to the ground when he realized what he’d done. Nobody knows if he was throwing at Youkilis, but it went high to the head, which is always dangerous.

The league judged it intentional.

Sale immediately reacted like he didn’t intend to hit Brantley, like he knew he had made a tremendous mistake. It’s easily visible on the replay. Even if he was, his pitch was nowhere near Brantley’s head.

After the game Sale showed knowledge and understanding of the game. In the parlance, he “ponied up.”

“It was me being an idiot, honestly,” Sale told the media in the locker room. “Going out there trying to overthrow, trying to blow it by him. … Unfortunately, it got away and hit him.”

Sale added “If you’re going to hit a guy, you don’t do it there.”

“I think I know enough about the game that, if I was going to do it intentionally, it’s not going to be in that situation or at that time,” he said. “Not only does that look bad on my part, but it looks bad on my team. That’s not what we are about, that’s not what I’m about. … On top of that, you now have targets on some of these guys in here, and it’s not their fault that I went out and gave up eight runs. It’s not their fault that the grand slam left the yard. That’s on me. With that all said, I had no intentions of doing that, and I don’t think I ever will.”

Terry Francona understandably backed his player, but he said during the week that Youkilis did not deserve to be hit. It’s not part of the game to hit the next guy after a home run.

Carrasco’s statements after the game were far different from Sale’s. Instead of “ponying up” (in the parlance), he came up with what sounded like a “dog ate my homework” excuse when he said he slipped. Either way, he was facing serious league attention, but he went the slipped route instead of the “I sure messed that up” route.

Maybe Carrasco did slip. Maybe it wasn’t visible. It just didn’t look that way.

Sale still may be fined, may be suspended. What happened and the chronology of what happened did not look good. And it wasn’t good.

But to equate it with Carrasco does not compute.

On a separate matter … Mark Reynolds … enough said.

By Pat McManamon | Tagged , , , , |