Roberto Hernandez hit Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira in the back with a pitch on June 10 at Yankee Stadium. It caused the benches to clear.

Is that accurate? Wasn't it Fausto Carmona who hit Mark Teixara? Do the ABJ and PD now have to go back and revise all their articles and replace FC with RH?

Well if that's all there is to it, maybe they should revise the end of the 2007 postseason with the Indians sweeping the Rockies in four.

VT'er wrote:Well if that's all there is to it, maybe they should revise the end of the 2007 postseason with the Indians sweeping the Rockies in four.

Ouch - that still hurts. CC should have won his game so it never went back to Fenway!

How will the Tribe fare this summer? Picks from our experts

Published: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 7:56 AM Updated: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 8:08 AM
By Plain Dealer staff


How surprising was it that the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series last year? Well, it certainly was a surprise to our panel of “experts,” none of whom picked the Cardinals as champions. In fact, only Bill Livingston and Bud Shaw even had the Cardinals in the playoffs. And none of them had the Texas Rangers as the AL champs. Beat reporter Paul Hoynes did come close on the Indians, missing their final record by just one game, although he had them finishing fourth in the division. Now remember, these predictions are for entertainment purposes only … obviously.
Paul Hoynes
AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL West: Rangers
AL wild cards: Rays, Angels
AL champion: Rangers
NL Central: Reds
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Diamondbacks
NL wild cards: Brewers, Nationals
NL champion: Phillies
World Series champion: Rangers
AL Cy Young: CC Sabathia, Yankees
AL Rookie of Year: Jesus Montero, Mariners
AL Manager of Year: Mike Scioscia, Angels
AL MVP: Albert Pujols, Angels
NL Cy Young: Ian Kennedy, Diamondbacks
NL Rookie of Year: Yonder Alonso, Padres
NL Manager of Year: Dusty Baker, Reds
Indians finish: 86-76, second in AL Central
Indians comment: They looked flat and uninspired throughout the Cactus League season, but I think they’re better than that.

Bill Livingston

AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL West: Angels
AL wild cards: Rangers, Blue Jays
AL champion: Angels
NL Central: Reds
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Giants
NL wild cards: Marlins, Diamondbacks
NL champion: Phillies
World Series champion: Phillies
AL MVP: Robinson Cano, Yankees
AL Cy Young: David Price, Rays
AL Rookie of Year: Jesus Montero, Mariners
AL Manager of Year: John Farrell, Blue Jays
NL MVP: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
NL Rookie of Year: Yonder Alonso, Padres
NL Manager of Year: Charlie Manuel, Phillies
Indians finish: 76-86, third in AL Central.
Indians comment: The big off-season move was to get Kevin Slowey? Really?

Dennis Manoloff

AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL West: Angels
AL wild cards: Rays, Rangers
AL champion: Angels
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Giants
NL wild cards: Marlins, Diamondbacks
NL champion: Marlins
World Series champion: Angels
AL MVP: Albert Pujols, Angels
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Tigers
AL Rookie of Year: Matt Moore, Rays
AL Manager of Year: Mike Scioscia, Angels
NL MVP: Jose Reyes, Marlins
NL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Phillies
NL Rookie of Year: Yonder Alonso, Padres
NL Manager of Year: Ozzie Guillen, Marlins
Indians finish: 84-78, second in AL Central
Indians comment: Gritty, gutty — but not enough tangibles to take down the powerful Tigers.

Terry Pluto

AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL West: Angels
AL wild cards: Rays, Rangers
AL champion: Angels
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Diamondbacks
NL wild cards: Giants, Marlins
NL champion: Phillies
World Series champion: Angels
AL MVP: Albert Pujols, Angels
AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver, Angels
AL Rookie of Year: Matt Moore, Rays
AL Manager of Year: Joe Maddon, Rays
NL MVP: Matt Kemp, Dodgers
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Phillies
NL Rookie of Year: Yonder Alonso, Padres
NL Manager of Year: Charlie Manuel, Phillies
Indians finish: 76-86, third in AL Central
Indians comment: This will be a very discouraging year for the Tribe because only Ubaldo Jimenez and superb starting pitching can make up for a lack of offense — and I’m not sure that will happen.

Bud Shaw

AL Central: Tigers
AL East: Yankees
AL West: Rangers
AL wild card: Rays, Angels
AL champion: Rangers
NL Central: Cardinals
NL East: Phillies
NL West: Diamondbacks
NL wild card: Giants, Braves
NL champion: Phillies
World Series champion: Rangers
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Tigers
AL Rookie of Year: Matt Moore, Rays
AL Manager of Year: Joe Maddon, Rays
NL MVP: Justin Upton, Diamondbacks
NL Cy Young: Matt Cain, Giants
NL Rookie of Year: Drew Pomeranz, Rockies
NL Manager of Year: Davey Johnson, Nationals
Indians finish: 84-78, second in AL Central
Indians comment: Pitching is the key to baseball, unless you can’t match bats with Detroit in the AL Central.

I thought at first this article was a joke or something. Turns out this dolanite is serious.

April 5, 2012 By Scott 20 Comments
It’s early April in Cleveland. The skies are surprisingly blue, sidewalks and stairs are being powerwashed with utmost detail, and smiles and laughs can be found in nearly every corner of Progressive Field.

The day before the Indians take the field for the first time in what will be 162 games over the course of the next six-plus months, stadium crews are scurrying to ensure that the field is high definition-ready, the players and coaches are knocking out their last few preseason gatherings, and the front office is attempting to finalize the team’s roster prior to the 5pm deadline. Just hours after discussing the contract extension of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, general manager Chris Antonetti is asked whether or not the team is finished with their fine-tuning. Antonetti offers no formal response aside from an elevation of his left wrist with a cursory glance down at his watch.


Several of the players who will comprise that final roster careen around the cement-floored dwellings of the clubhouse area as if it were the day before Christmas. Cabrera — who said that he wishes to finish his career with the Indians — is $16.5 million richer. Justin Masterson is gearing up to start the first Opening Day of his still-young career, cracking jokes with media types as his 6-foot-6-inch frame takes to the team’s press conference room. Chris Perez, sitting just a handful of feet away from a “Bullpen Mafia” shirt which hangs ever so proudly in front of his locker, is 100 percent healthy — he’s diligently dismantling a crossword puzzle, hat turned backwards and hair flowing circa mid-80s glam, while he awaits the first of many pitchers-only meetings. Joe Smith and Josh Tomlin joke in front of their lockers, tucked away in a corner behind a pillar that flashes one back to municipal stadium, discussing what the required threads are for today’s activities. White pants, blue sleeves.

Even an injured and frustrated Grady Sizemore is smiling as he attempts to regain stability and mobility, methodically setting his sites on a June 3 return to the active roster.

“There’s no more rebuilding,” said Masterson of the 2012 roster, comprised of a smattering of players both old and young. It would appear as if his message is one that has been handed down by manager Manny Acta who takes things a step further by saying that the rebuild ended last season. The message is clear: There will be no development-based play occurring in Cleveland this season — this is a 25-man endeavor to consistently win baseball games. Lonnie Chisenhall and Matt LaPorta, two of the team’s top prospects just a few seasons ago, have made temporary homes in Columbus as they will attempt to improve their respective games at the Triple-A level. Felix Pie, once a highly-touted prospect in his own right, was released.



Though many were expecting offseason additions of power-based, right-handed bats for the outfield as well as first base, the Indians added veteran glovesman Casey Kotchman. Shelley Duncan, on the heels of an improved fall and inspiring spring, will turn in his pinch-hitting hat and man left field. Potentially in the market for an additional middle-of-the-rotation arm to join the 38-year-old Derek Lowe, the Indians traded for Kevin Slowey only to eventually name Jeanmar Gomez as their fifth starter. Otherwise, the 2012 roster will look a lot like the 2011 version which finished over a dozen games behind the big-spending Detroit Tigers.

Factor in the uninspiring Spring Training box scores and concern outside of the Tribe clubhouse is understandable.

The team’s CEO Paul Dolan says that, despite a series of marginal moves, this team is better positioned to compete within the AL Central. Antonetti would confirm the notion that a lot of things have to go his team’s way if they are going to be in the discussion come September. Their starters need to pitch deep in to games; relief pitchers have to seamlessly pick up the baton. Their defense has to avoid mistakes and keep their ground ball-happy starting staff’s pitch count low. And their offense has to provide them all with run support. It’s a lot to ask, sure, but the season-long “to do” list is certainly one that this group of guys — “a family,” as Cabrera calls it — is willing to tackle.

There is an unmistakable aura throughout the clubhouse as these players, most of whom are on their first contracts as professional baseball players, gear up for their upcoming marathon of swinging and running and throwing. Players not only happy for their recently-extended teammate in Cabrera, but having a sense in the back of their mind that a team notoriously known for their low payroll is willing to go the extra step to keep players who not only perform, but those who can do so on a consistent basis. Determined to show that last season was not a fluke and that things would have been even better than their second-place finish if not for a plague of injuries to several key players. A clubhouse that lacks entitlement; one that seems to exude the playful-but-focused body language and work ethic of their skipper.

“Everyone’s zero-zero,” said Masterson of the MLB field, specifically the AL Central. “There’s so much excitement. You don’t know what you’re going to do, but it’s the first one. Hopefully, we can set the tone from there.

“We have such a young core it makes for some excitement not only for this year, but for years to come.”

Scribbles in Terry Pluto's notebook from Cleveland Indians' Opening Day marathon

Published: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 10:23 PM Updated: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 10:26 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some scribbles in my notebook after Thursday's 7-4 loss by the Indians.

1. Lost in the gnashing of teeth over the failure of the Tribe's Chris Perez to hold a 4-1 lead is this -- the Indians didn't score a run in their final 14 innings. They had three runners as far as third, three to reach second. That's it, in 14 innings. Yes, they had two chances to drive in a run from third with fewer than two outs to win -- but overall, it was a lame approach at the plate.

2. Jack Hannahan not only drove in three runs with a homer, but he was the only Indian with at least two hits. The other RBI went to Casey Kotchman, and he was 0-of-7. In 16 innings, they had three extra-base hits (Hannahan's homer and doubles by Michael Brantley and Shelley Duncan) against eight Toronto pitchers. They were 1-of-9 with runners in scoring position.

3. I would have taken Justin Masterson out after eight innings and 99 pitches. He didn't throw more than six innings and 85 pitches this spring. It's a 4-1 lead in the ninth. Let the bullpen wrap it up. You don't want to risk an arm injury from pushing it too hard, too early. For a little perspective, Masterson is only the third Tribe starter since 1985 to pitch at least eight innings in the opener.

4. As Perez trashed a 4-1 lead, there were two disturbing signs. First, he threw 30 pitches: 16 strikes to 14 balls. He walked only one, but was consistently behind in the count. Also, his fastball was in the 90 mph range. Maybe it's because his spring training was short due to an oblique injury. But he didn't throw well. To his credit, Perez faced reporters and offered no excuses.

5. A year ago, Matt LaPorta and Hannahan were in the Tribe's opening day lineup. Hannahan was supposed to be keeping third base warm until Lonnie Chisenhall arrived in a few months to make it home. LaPorta was supposed to claim first base as his own. How many of us would guess that a year later, Hannahan would still be the starting third baseman -- while LaPorta and Chisenhall would both be back in Class AAA?

6. I understand why Travis Hafner started. It's the home opener. He had a very good spring, hitting .314 (.955 OPS). But the Blue Jays started lefty Ricky Romero, and Hafner has struggled against lefties -- last season, it was .233, and he's .240 over the last three years. Meanwhile, he's a .290 hitter over three years facing right-handers. He was 0-of-2 vs. Romero, and 1-of-2 against two right-handers.

7. Since Coco Crisp was traded after the 2005 season for Andy Marte, the following have opened the season for the Tribe in left: Jason Michaels (2006, 2008), Dave Dellucci (2007), Ben Francisco (2009), Austin Kearns (2010, 2011) and Duncan this season. They are still looking for someone to claim that position.

8. According to USA Today, the Tribe payroll for this season is $78 million. That ranks 21st in baseball. The Tigers are No. 5 at $132 million. The White Sox are No. 9 at $96 million, the Twins are No. 11 at $94 million and Royals are No. 27 at $61 million. The Reds have a payroll of $82 million, but Joey Votto's contract extension doesn't kick in yet. He's at $11 million this season.

9. The average team salary is about $90 million. For the 14th consecutive season, the Yankees are No. 1 at $197 million, followed by the Phillies at $174 million and Red Sox $173 million. At the bottom are the Padres and A's at $55 million.

10. I wrote a story about Strongsville and Kent State product Anthony Gallas last Sunday. He has been assigned to Class A Carolina Mudcats in the Carolina League. Gallas, 24, opened last season at Class A Lake County, where he batted .314 (.910 OPS) and then was promoted to Kinston in Carolina League, where he hit .197 (.596 OPS) in 142 at bats. Gallas wanted another chance to play in the Carolina League, and the Indians are giving him one

Cleveland Indians lose longest season opener ever, 7-4, to Toronto in 16 innings

Published: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 8:23 PM Updated: Friday, April 06, 2012, 11:36 AM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's a saying in baseball, a game that ignores the clock, when the proceedings exceed the regulation nine innings. One player elbows another and says, "If we're going to stick around this long, we might as well win."

The Indians stuck around longer Thursday than any team has ever stuck around in a season opener and still managed to lose to Toronto, 7-4, in 16 innings at Progressive Field. What does that mean in terms playing and losing the longest season opener in MLB history?

"We made the record book, at least that's something," said Justin Masterson.

Until Thursday, the two longest openers in history lasted 15 innings. On April 19, 1960, the Tigers beat the Indians, 4-2. On April 13, 1926, Washington beat Philadelphia, 1-0.

This was a game the Indians should have won easily because Masterson tamed a Toronto team that came out of spring training with the best record in the big leagues. Masterson allowed one run on two hits in eight innings. He struck out 10 and walked one, while throwing 99 pitches.

When he left, the Indians had a 4-1 lead. Manager Manny Acta handed the ball to closer Chris Perez to get the last three outs and he didn't do it. Perez allowed three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning and had to be saved by Vinnie Pestano to keep the game tied.

Perez made only three appearances in spring training because of a strained left oblique muscle. He said the injury had nothing to do the blown save, but it was clear he was rushing and that his velocity was down.

"I feel terrible," said Perez. "Everyone did their job but me. I wasn't pumped up out there, but I was rushing. Especially when things got sticky. Usually I'm pretty good at slowing stuff down and working through hitters. I don't know if it was Opening Day or the hometown crowd, but I was definitely rushing."

Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson started the ninth with singles to put runners on the corners. Jose Bautista's sacrifice fly made it 4-2 as Johnson advanced to second. Perez walked Adam Lind and gave up a two-run double to Edwin Encarnacion off the left-field wall to make it 4-4.

"He's our closer and he'll be back out there," said Acta. "There are no excuses. He was ready to go. He faced seven hitters and threw first-pitch strikes to only two of them."

Outside of Jack Hannahan, who hit a three-run homer in the second inning to give the Indians a 4-0 lead off Ricky Romero, the offense looked a lot like it did in spring training. Which is to say it looked inert.

For the last 14 innings, they didn't score a run.

They missed two golden chances to win it. Travis Hafner hit a leadoff single in the ninth and went to second on an error by center fielder Cody Rasmus. Pinch-runner Jason Donald moved to third on Aaron Cunningham's bunt. They had two chances to deliver Donald, but Casey Kotchman bounced to first and Jason Kipnis grounded to second.

They loaded the bases with one out in the 12th. Kipnis walked and Hannahan moved him to third on a single to right. Luis Perez (1-0) relieved and walked Michael Brantley on four pitches that didn't come close to the strike zone.

Toronto manager John Farrell went to the mound and brought Omar Vizquel off the bench to replace left fielder Eric Thames and employed a five-man infield. Asdrubal Cabrera, for some reason, swung at Perez's first pitch and hit into a double play.

Vizquel stayed in the game at first base.

"We had three opportunities to win the ballgame and couldn't get it done," said Acta. "We'll take 100 chances like that. I'm sure the majority of the time Chris will close the game, Casey will drive in the run and so will Asdrubal."

What of the Tribe's offensive problems? Have they followed them to the American League from the Arizona desert?

"Irrelevant," said Acta. "We should have won the game in nine innings. All those things you're commenting about our offense are out the window. ... I'm not going to sit here and judge my offense in one game."

Toronto won it on J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer in the 16th off Jairo Asencio (0-1). What remained of the crowd of 43,190, the largest to see a season opener in Progressive Field history, went home disappointed.


Opening Day by the numbers

43,190: Attendance (Highest in home opener at Jacobs/Progressive Field)
44: Degrees at first pitch.
16: Innings.
5:14: Elapsed time.
11: Runs.
17: Hits.
1: Errors.
20: Left on base (10 apiece).
.150: Average with RISP (3-for-20).
4: Indians’ hits after second inning.
105: Official at-bats.
6: Double plays (three each).
2: Positions officially played by Toronto's Omar Vizquel (LF, 1B).
540: Pitches.
314: Strikes.
28: Strikeouts (16 by Indians pitchers).
18: Walks (11 by Indians hitters).
0: Indians hits in last four innings.
-- Dennis Manoloff

Again, Masterson is in a no-win situation


By Kevin Kleps
KKleps@News-Herald.com
@KKlepsFantasy



Justin Masterson smiled.

He didn't seem discouraged in the least bit.

He didn't even seem to mind that the game ended about three hours after he threw the last of his 99 pitches in eight dominant innings Thursday in the Indians' season opener at Progressive Field.

Maybe by now the Tribe's big right-hander is used to it.


Last season, four of Masterson's 10 losses occurred in games in which he allowed two or fewer earned runs. He also gave up two or fewer earned runs in eight of his 11 no-decisions, making his 12-10 record all the more impressive.

The trend continued Thursday in the Tribe's 7-4, 16-inning loss to Toronto, a 5-hour, 14-minute marathon that could have ended after about 150 minutes if closer Chris Perez could have held a three-run lead in the ninth inning.

"It's baseball," Masterson said afterward. "You have some hard times, you have some wins, you have some tough losses. It's part of the game. It's what makes the game so crazy."

That especially seems true when the 28-year-old takes the hill.

Last season, Masterson ranked 12th in the American League in ERA (3.21) and the Indians were 20-13 in his 33 starts, but he was credited with a win in only 12 of them because of a lack of run support.

During an 11-start winless stretch that spanned from May 1 to June 25 of 2011, Masterson posted a 3.34 ERA — and the Tribe scored all of 22 runs in the 11 contests.
His line Thursday: eight innings, two hits allowed, one run, one walk, 10 strikeouts and strikes on 66 of his 99 pitches.

"It was fun," he said of his first career opening-day start. "It's unfortunate a little hanging slider there at the end scored three runs."

The loss, which was cemented by J.P. Arencibia's three-run homer in the 16th, came seven innings after the blown save, but the blame falls on the closer. Perez gave up three runs, three hits, two walks and needed Vinnie Pestano to finish the inning and prevent Perez from having a defeat added to his numbers for the day.

Perez started his postgame gathering with the media by stressing that the abdominal injury that hampered him in spring training "had nothing to do with this outing.

"I'm 100 percent healthy," he said. "I wouldn't pitch if I wasn't. It was just a bad outing. Bad location, bad everything."

His teammate, the affable, low-key Masterson, treated it as nothing more than one defeat in a 162-game season.

The Indians' ace kept repeating how "great" Thursday was, even if he — and his team — had nothing to show for it other than Perez's inflated first-game ERA and a spot in major-league history for the longest opening game.

"I'm sorry. I got you 15 more times," Perez said he told Masterson afterward. "He's really good about that. Some pitchers would be upset, obviously, after throwing a gem like that on opening day and me blowing a three-run lead. That's the easiest save you can get.

"He's fine, though. He's a professional. That's baseball. He knows I didn't try to blow it on purpose. He knows I got his back."

With 36 saves in 40 chances in an All-Star season in 2011, Perez has earned his teammates' faith. But Thursday had to have shaken that bond just a bit.
If any Tribe pitcher has a right to wonder why it happened to him, it's Masterson, whom you might remember went a club-record 17 consecutive starts without a win between 2009 and '10. In that extended span, the Indians scored 39 runs, an average of 2.3 per contest.

"It's what happens. I can't do anything about it," Masterson said when informed of his 12 very effective starts from 2011 that resulted in a loss or no-decision. "That just shows how good you're pitching. That's all I can control. … Everyone's fighting. They make the plays for me on defense to keep the runs from scoring, and they make the plays on offense to score the runs. I'm very dependent on every other skill player on my team."

In close games, he's especially dependent on his closer, who, to his credit, didn't hide and welcomed every question about his erratic outing.

"Obviously, I take the blame for this loss," Perez said. "We shoulda been out of here 2 1/2 hours ago."

And Masterson should have earned a win.

Again.

Chris Perez says injury had nothing to do with ninth-inning meltdown

By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published: April 5, 2012 - 11:15 PM

CLEVELAND: Justin Masterson set the tone. Chris Perez just couldn’t follow his lead.

After Masterson struck out 10 while breezing through eight innings, Perez couldn’t even make it through one inning Thursday at Progressive Field.

Despite holding a 4-1 lead as he trotted out to the mound in the top of the ninth inning on Opening Day, a harried Perez just never seemed in control.

Three runs later, he was out of the game. The 4-4 tie lasted until the 16th inning before the Toronto Blue Jays earned a 7-4 win, giving Perez plenty of time to settle down and put the day in perspective.

The first thing Perez wanted everyone to know was that the left oblique injury that cost him a majority of spring training had nothing to do with his ineffectiveness.

“My injury had nothing to do with today’s outing,” he said. “Not physical-wise. I felt fine. I wouldn’t go out there if I wasn’t. It was just a bad outing. Bad timing. Bad pitches. It [stinks] that it was Opening Day. I mean it was set up perfect. Masterson dealt and I just didn’t come through.”

The first batter Perez faced, Yunel Escobar, drove a line drive to center for a single. Kelly Johnson followed with a single to center. Jose Bautista’s sacrifice fly scored Escobar.

Rushing a bit between pitches, Perez then walked Adam Lind. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a double off the wall in left that scored the two runs and tied the score.

“I speed up a little bit with guys on base,” he said. “I tried to make too good of pitches instead of just trusting my stuff.”

Perez remained in the game, getting Brett Lawrie to hit into a fielder’s choice. He walked Eric Thames and at that point, manager Manny Acta had seen enough. With the Blue Jays threatening to add more runs to the rally, Perez’s day was mercifully done.

“He pitched from behind in the count,” Acta said. “No excuses, he was ready to go. We said he was ready to go and we’re not going to make excuses. Two out of seven first-pitch strikes isn’t going to help you. Regardless of who you are you’re not going to be successful. You gotta be aggressive in the strike zone.”

The worst part for Perez wasn’t so much the blown save, as that will happen from time to time in his line of work. It was how long the game dragged on. J.P. Arencibia’s three-run home run finally provided the difference in the 16th, wrapping up the longest Opening Day game in major-league history.

“We should have been out of here two hours ago,” he said. “But it’s baseball. They know I wasn’t going out there trying to blow the game.”

Neither Acta nor Masterson held the rough outing against Perez, who saved 36 games for the Indians last year and blew just four.

“When you go eight and bring the closer in, you always expect great things to happen,” Masterson said. “Unfortunately, CP got his one-of-three out of the way, as he usually has a couple bad ones throughout the year. You know he’ll be working hard to get out there and not let it happen again.”

Said Acta: “He’ll be back and he’s going to save a ton of games for us.”

Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Flashes blog at http://www.ohio.com/blogs/kent-state. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SStormABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

People that follow the Tribe knew Perez was not as good as advertized last season. Did it with mirrors.

Pestano was more effective.

Last winter was a perfect time to trade him for a hitter. They didn't get it done.

A good start in Spring Training could have got him traded for a hitter. Didn't happen.

Meltdown.

Now he's untradable for at least a half season.

Indians report: Santana historically at best on his birthday

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

CLEVELAND: If the Blue Jays had scouted (make that researched) the way Carlos Santana hits on his birthday, they probably would have walked him four times on Sunday.

Instead, they pitched to him, and he hit two home runs, amassing three RBI to trigger the Indians’ 4-3 win at Progressive Field.

The Tribe catcher became 26 on Sunday and he responded the same way he did when he reached 25, 24 and 23. On April 8 of each year beginning with 2009, Santana has an aggregate batting average of .556 (10-for-18) with one double, five home runs, seven runs scored and 13 RBI.

“We should tell him it’s his birthday every day,” said closer Chris Perez.

“Happy birthday, Carlos Santana,” manager Manny Acta said when told of his catcher’s persistent success on his birthday. “I wish it was that easy for everybody. I have to give it to him. He caught every inning of the series (all 37). That’s a lot of squatting down.”

Why has Santana been so lethal on his birthday?

“Because I’m so excited,” he said. “That’s one more year of my life.”

Santana’s birthday exploits include two major league seasons plus one at Columbus (2010) and one in Akron (2009).

When a reporter asked whether his teammates gave him a birthday cake, he said, “You should have brought me one.”

The reporter answered, “I didn’t know it was your birthday.”

“That’s OK,” Santana said. “I can wait until tomorrow.”

Santana, Indians agree on multiyear deal
Formal announcement expected to come Tuesday
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 04/09/12 10:22 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- The Indians feel catcher Carlos Santana is a key component to the club's future success and the team is backing up that belief in the form of a long-term contract.

On Monday night, MLB.com learned that Cleveland has reached an agreement with Santana on a multiyear contract that will likely cover his arbitration years and possibly his first year of free-agent eligibility. The specific terms of the catcher's new deal were not immediately available.

The Indians would neither confirm nor deny that an agreement is in place, but an official announcement is expected Tuesday.

Locking in Santana, who was under contractual control through 2016 prior to striking the new deal, continues Cleveland's recent push to keep its core group in place for years to come. Last Wednesday, the Indians also signed All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in the fold through the 2014 season.

Santana, 26, is entering his second full season with the Tribe after turning in an impressive showing for the team in 2011. The catcher hit just .239 last season, but he finished the season with 27 home runs, 35 doubles, 79 RBIs, 84 runs scored, 97 walks and a .351 on-base percentage.

His 27 homers marked the most in Cleveland history for a switch-hitter and his 97 walks ranked third in the American League. Santana -- originally acquired from Los Angeles in the July 2008 trade that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers -- also joined Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto as the only big league hitters to end the year with at least 25 homers, 35 doubles and 90 walks.

So far this season, Santana has hit .250 (4-for-16) through four games. On Sunday, he celebrated his 26th birthday with a two-homer showing that helped lead Cleveland to a 4-3 victory over Toronto at Progressive Field.

Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs

Santana did have two homers yesterday.

Mark Shapiro has always tried to master timing.

cover his arbitration years and possibly his first year of free-agent eligibility

The John Hart deals went longer than that, didn't they?

The Cabrera extension was the same thing. Only got 1 year of his free agent eligibility in his extension too. I am not doing cartwheels.