Some article suggested Carrasco could stay around and take the next couple starts. We'll see. We'llneed both Carrasco and Bauer soon enough.

Bauer was up in the bigs last year. So, does it (his arbitration clock) matter? Isn't it already started?

Maybe it's accumulated time that matters, so if they send him back this will represent just a few more days?

VT'er wrote:Maybe it's accumulated time that matters, so if they send him back this will represent just a few more days?

I think Bauer has some "24 Hour" consideration.......


.......


7 walks in 5 innings? He throws some funky stuff with his funky prep and delivery.

Too bad his plate appearance wasn't in Cleveland. Might have been interesting to see what his intro sound bite is ...

Sometimes, front offices can strike out, too: Paul Hoynes' rant

on April 06, 2013 at 10:45 PM



ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Indians' front office is manned by smart people, but sometimes they try to cram six pounds of smart into a five-pound bag.

They opened the season with a 24-man roster -- while everybody else was playing with 25 -- because they decided to carry Carlos Carrasco so he can serve his six-game suspension from 2011. Give them points for creativity, but they took a risk and it came back to sting them.

By opening the season with a four-man starting rotation instead of five, GM Chris Antonetti tried to cover the pitching shortage by going with eight relievers to help manager Terry Francona get through the first week. It left Francona a man short on the bench, but it didn't seem like that big of a deal until Scott Kazmir injured his right rib cage playing catch the day before Tuesday's season opener.

Kazmir was supposed to be activated Saturday so he could start against the Rays. But to make sure they could backdate his injury to Monday, the Indians were forced to activate Kazmir hours before the season opener Tuesday, which meant the extra protection in the bullpen, in this case Nick Hagadone, had to be optioned to Class AAA Columbus.

The Indians went into the weekend against Tampa Bay forced to call up Trevor Bauer to replace Kazmir and without the services of Hagadone even though the bullpen was extended to five innings in Wednesday's 11-inning victory over Toronto. The Indians could have used Hagadone in the sixth inning Thursday night in what turned out to be a winnable game, but Francona sent struggling starter Brett Myers back to the mound because his bullpen was fried from Wednesday.

Carrasco's suspension ends Sunday. If he eventually gets to Cleveland and wins 12 games, the gamble was worth it. If not, the front office made Francona play the first week of the season with a 23-man roster in a league where it's hard enough to win with 25.

Terry Pluto Cleveland Indians Blog: Thinking about Trevor Bauer and his battle for control
Trevor Bauer walked 7 in his Indians debut. (Associated Press) (AP Photo)




1. While the four walks to open the game was a sign of nerves for Trevor Bauer, you also can see why the Tribe believes Bauer needs more time in the minors. And yes, why Arizona was willing to trade its top pitching prospect in the Shin-Soo Choo Deal. Bauer walked seven in five innings, allowing three runs in what became a 6-0 loss in his first Tribe start.

2. Here's a shocker: I thought Bauer was failing to get the first pitch over the plate. I thought wrong. He threw strikes on 16-of-23 first pitches. By comparison, Tampa winning pitcher Alex Cobb was 15-of-27 on first pitch strikes. In his strong debut last Wednesday, Ubaldo Jimenez was 13-of-21 first pitch strikes.

3. So the issue for Bauer wasn't strike one. It was what happened after that. On the rest of his pitches, he was 43 strikes, 39 balls.

4. Last season, control was an issue with the Diambonbacks, as Bauer walked 13 in 16 1/3 innings. He was a short big league tryout covering four appearances. But even in the minors, he was 12-2 with a 2.42 ERA, but he had 61 walks in 130 innings (4.2 walks per nine innings). He also fanned 157.

5. Bauer has a fastball that averaged 92 and can reach 95. He has five different pitches...or maybe six. He spends his life thinking about pitching and different ways to train, etc. In his final season at UCLA, he led all college pitchers in strikeouts and complete games.

6. Bauer is only 22, and his talent is obvious. The Tribe absolutely made the right move trading for him, especially since the deal also brought them Drew Stubbs, Bryan Shaw and Matt Albers for Choo (who is headed to free agency after the season). But Bauer was to "re-program" himself...to use one of his words...to get the ball over the plate. And yes, that may mean being open to some coaching. I really do like his changeup and hard slider.

7. But the Tribe's real problem is not hitting. I can tell you that Tampa Bay has a strong staff. Last season, the Rays had a team ERA of 3,19...the lowest in 40 years in the American League. Or that all three starters the Tribe will face this weekend are from the Rays' farm system: Alex Cobb, Matt Moore and David Price. But how about scoring a run?

8. I'm concerned about Cody Allen, because he pitched poorly in last two outings of spring training. He had a 6.48 ERA in Arizona. In his first two outings with the Tribe this season, he's allowed six hits and three walks (and a hit batter) in three innings. They sent Nick Hagadone (0.83 ERA in spring training) to the minors instead of Allen. Maybe those two pitchers should be switched, with Allen in Class AAA. Allen has only 98 minor league innings.

The nerves are back, and Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona couldn't be happier: MLB Insider
Spring training was enjoyable, but the true excitement about returning to the helm of a big-league team wasn't real for Terry Francona until the night before the season's first game in Toronto. (Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
on April 07, 2013 at 5:00 AM, updated April 07, 2013 at 5:09 AM


TAMPA, Fla. -- It hit him Tuesday night during a double dose of national anthems. Somewhere between "Oh say can you see" and "Oh, Canada" Terry Francona said "Whoa, what have I got myself into here?"

After a year away, he was back managing in the big leagues. He'd gone through eight weeks of spring training, managed 35 Cactus League games, but that still didn't prepare him for the weight he felt just before the Indians opened the season against Toronto.

"I wasn't expecting it," said Francona. "It was like 'Bam.' They gave me this responsibility. People I care about. I don't want to let them down."

He thought about the 25 players on the roster and his coaching staff. He thought about all the other players, staff members and scouts he'd gotten to know since signing a four-year contract in October to manage the Tribe.

"What hit me was how much I already like these guys and how much I don't want to let (GM) Chris Antonetti down," said Francona. "It hit me and hit me kind of hard. I got nervous and it didn't go away."


"I love doing this," Terry Francona (with Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon on Friday) says of managing. "Sometimes it kills you, but I don't want to do anything else. That's the best way I can put it."
Chris Zuppa, Tampa Bay Times

Francona didn't sleep Monday night. He said he may have nodded off between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., but he wasn't sure. This just wasn't opening day nerves, this is what managing does to Francona. It was the same after Tuesday's 4-1 victory. Francona went back to his hotel room, but sleep wouldn't come.

"I tried to sleep. I couldn't," he said. "About 3:30 a.m., I got hungry and ordered a club sandwich. It's just the way it is.

"I napped. I need to get a better system, but after 30 years I guess I'm not going to figure it out."

It's not like Francona is new to this. He's managed in the minors, winter ball and in the big leagues for 12 years. The Indians are his third big-league job. He'd love it to be his last, but there are few perfect unions in the big leagues.

It ended badly for him and the Red Sox in Boston in 2011. After eight years, two World Series titles and five trips to the postseason, he parted ways with the organization. People told him to take a year off to gain perspective.

"I used to laugh when people said that," said Francona, who interviewed with the Cardinals. The job went to Mike Matheny and perspective was forced upon Francona.

"I probably wasn't a realistic candidate, and they hired a great guy, but if they would have offered me the job, I would have taken it," said Francona. "But stepping back was probably good for me."

He worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN in 2012. He liked it. Made a lot of new friends and, in his own words, "was treated like royalty." But he couldn't stop thinking about managing.

"It's like I'm addicted," he said. "It's funny, I've been telling everybody that I took the year off to get perspective. ... I have no perspective.

"I love doing this. Sometimes it kills you, but I don't want to do anything else. That's the best way I can put it."

After the Indians beat Toronto in the opener, they did it again Wednesday, this time going into extra innings for a 3-2 victory. Thursday they lost, 10-8. Francona was the same after each game with reporters. He gave good, insightful quotes, but they were tempered by the reality that this is just getting started and that no one can really knew how it will end.

Winning World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 gives Francona a certain worldliness. He's a proven commodity in a business where that means a lot. A reporter asked if that gives him a certain amount of confidence when coming into a new job.

"I don't feel like I ever had to prove myself," he said. "Just do the best I can. When I got hired in Boston, I used to get it all the time back in Philadelphia. It was, 'why did they hire this guy?' I didn't change as a person. We had better players.

"I felt I did the best I could in Philadelphia. There were things I was really proud of there. It didn't show up in our record."

For Francona the sleepless nights have just begun. He'll try to catch up on an off day when he has nothing else to do. Or he'll wait for the off-season.

Right now, he couldn't be happier.

This week in baseball

Baseball is a game of threes. Three strikes and you're out and three outs in each half of an inning. Here are two more sets of threes to consider from last week in baseball. All stats are through Friday.

Three up

1. The Braves hit six home runs in their first two games after hitting 49 to lead the National League in spring training.

2. Baltimore's Chris Davis has 11 homers over his last 11 games going back to Sept. 26.


3. When the Giants receive their World Series rings Sunday at AT&T Park, they will wear gold jerseys and caps to commemorate their second championship in three years.

Three down

1. Reds outfielder Ryan Ludwick dislocated his right shoulder sliding into third base in Monday's season opener and will miss three months following surgery.

2. Roy Halladay struck out nine in 3 1/3 innings Wednesday against Atlanta, but needed 95 pitches to do it in a 9-2 loss.

3. After leading the big leagues with 25 spring victories, the Royals lost two of their first three games in the regular season.

Stat-O-Matic

Oh, so close: Texas right-hander Yu Darvish is the first big-league pitcher to lose a perfect game as late as 8 2/3 innings since Detroit's Armando Galarraga on June 2, 2010 against the Indians.


Pop at short: Baltimore's J.J. Hardy leads all big league shortstops in homers since the start of the 2011 season with 53. Asdrubal Cabrera is second with 42.

Open it up: CC Sabathia made his 10th opening day start, five for the Yankees, five for the Indians, Monday at Yankee Stadium in an 8-2 loss to Boston. He's 1-2 with a 5.80 ERA in openers.

Tribe Talk

"After (Mark) Reynolds hit the homer, they called the bullpen and said 'you're in.' I think everyone in the ballpark, including me, was surprised." — Joe Smith, who pitched a scoreless 11th inning Wednesday in Toronto to earn his first big-league save in 371 appearances.

The chart

Over the last 20 years, only three men have been the opening day shortstop for the Indians — Omar Vizquel, Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera. Here’s a list of Tribe shortstops who have the most consecutive opening day starts.


11: Lou Boudreau (1940-50); Omar Vizquel (1994-2004).
8: Joe Sewell (1921-28).
6: Terry Turner* (1904-09); Ray Chapman (1915-20).
5: Julio Franco (1983-87); Jhonny Peralta (2005-09).
4: Larry Brown (1966-69); Asdrubal Cabrera 4 2010-2013.
* — Turner was the shortstop for 14 Opening Days from 1904-18, but missed opening day in 1913. 

Source: Cleveland Indians.

But Bauer was to "re-program" himself...to use one of his words...to get the ball over the plate. And yes, that may mean being open to some coaching. I really do like his changeup and hard slider.

I noticed Bauer, after his removal, listening intently to the pitching coach in the dugout. It was sincere.

I noticed Bauer, after his removal, listening intently to the pitching coach in the dugout. It was sincere

That is the best news I have read about his start. He is often portrayed as stubborn and unwilling to listen. I want to hope that he's smart enough to know what he doesn't know.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco does it again: hits batter, gets ejected as Tribe is pummeled by Yankees

Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Carlos Carrasco waited more than a year for this? Come on, doesn't he know it's best to leave the past alone for fear of repeating it?

Carrasco, making his first big-league start since Aug. 3, 2011, was ejected Tuesday night in the fourth inning for hitting Kevin Youkilis following a two-run homer by Robinson Cano. Carrasco had just finished serving a 2-year-old suspension for throwing at Kansas City's Billy Butler and now he may be facing another.

Other than that, there was nothing memorable about Carrasco's return to the mound for the Indians as the Yankees cruised to a 14-1 victory (box score) behind five homers and the pitching of veteran lefty Andy Pettitte.

Ichiro Suzuki, Cano, Youkilis, Lyle Overbay and Brennan Boesch homered for the Yankees. Asdrubal Cabrera accounted for the Tribe's run with a leadoff homer in the sixth.

"I know it doesn't look good," said Carrasco. "I want to say I'm sorry. I didn't want to hit anybody."

Carrasco (0-1, 17.81) allowed seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He had a full night, allowing two homers, hitting a batter, committing an error and throwing 67 pitches.

Another byproduct of Carrasco's performance was manager Terry Francona being forced to juggle his rotation. When Carrasco was ejected by plate umpire Jordan Baker after Cano's homer that gave the Yankees a 7-0 lead, Brett Myers relieved. Myers was scheduled to start Wednesday night against the Yankees.

The Indians didn't say who will take start Wednesday. Zach McAllister, scheduled to start Thursday, could pitch on full rest, but that would still leave an opening in the rotation for Thursday.

"Brett knew he could pitch if Carlos didn't get deep into the game," said Francona. "We didn't expect this to happen, but Brett did save the bullpen. Maybe we can win a game tomorrow night because we didn't go through the bullpen tonight."

Carrasco threw over Butler's head on July 29, 2011 following a homer by Melky Cabrera and was hit with a six-game suspension. He made one more start that year before undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and missing all of last season. When this season began, the Indians put him on the 25-man roster so he could serve his suspension before returning to Class AAA Columbus.

When Scott Kazmir went down with a rib cage injury, Carrasco stayed in the big leagues so he could start Tuesday.

"I slipped (on the pitch that hit Youkilis)," said Carrasco. "That's the truth. I was throwing 95 to 96 the whole game. I slipped and threw 90 mph."

Said Youkilis: "When that comes after we score seven runs, it doesn't look good. But I'm not here to decipher such things. I'm here to play baseball."

Francona said Carrasco was waiting outside his office to apologize after the game.

"It's just unfortunate," said Francona.

The Yankees, who pounded the Tribe 11-6 Monday, won Tuesday night's game early. They took a 4-0 lead in the second. All four runs came with two outs.

Eduardo Nunez and Overbay singled and Francisco Cervelli walked to load the bases. Brett Gardner's bloop single score two runs and Cano's double brought home two more.

Suzuki made it 5-0 with a two-out homer in the third.

"His stuff coming out of the chute was electric," said Francona. "But their left-handers really did some damage against him."

Gardner and Cano, who each drove in two runs in the second, hit from the left side.

Myers relieved and took one for the team. He went the final 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 11 hits, including three homers.

Pettitte (2-0, 1.20) allowed one run on five hits over seven innings. He's 9-8 lifetime against the Indians. The last time he faced them, Casey Kotchman hit him with a line drive on June 27 and broke his left ankle.

The Yankees finished with 18 hits, including four each by Gardner and Cano. In the first two games of the series, Cano is 7-for-10 with three doubles, three homers and seven RBI.

"We've done a good job of getting Cano hot and that's not a good thing," said Francona.

Eight games in, Cleveland Indians rotation is in shambles: Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At some point, the Tribe has to give its home fans a break that doesn't seem like a compound fracture.

And that's what the first two home games have felt like for those who follow the lads in Wahoo red, white and blue.

Two games against the Yankees.

Two starters who gave up seven runs.

Two losses by a combined score of 25-7.

One starting rotation that has fallen completely off the axle only eight games into the season.

For the Tribe, the only good news is that there are 154 games left.

The bad news is most of the starters have collapsed to such an extent that manager Terry Francona was huddling with members of the front office to try to figure out who will start Wednesday's game

Justin Masterson (2-0, 0.69 ERA) is excused from this diatribe. I'm hopeful about Zach McAllister (two runs in six innings in his start).

After that, light some holy candles for Francona.

In Monday's 11-6 home opening morale killer, Ubaldo Jimenez allowed seven runs.

Then Carlos Carrasco was smashed for seven runs in Tuesday's 14-1 loss.

Brett Myers (supposedly the third starter), relieved Carrasco and was spanked for seven runs.

At the nearby Horseshoe Casino, 7-7-7 makes your night at a slot machine, but it's a loser for three possible members of the Tribe rotation.

I say "possible," because it's hard to know all the members of the rotation.

Jimenez will receive more starts.

If forced to pick between Myers and Carrasco, I would start Carrasco. He was throwing 94-96 mph. This was Carrasco's first major-league start since Aug. 3, 2011, as he's coming off elbow reconstruction surgery. Carrasco had to serve a six-game suspension this season dating back to throwing at Kansas City's Billy Butler in 2011.

It's not a huge surprise that he was rocked by New York.

Carrasco said he "slipped" when plunking Kevin Youkilis with a pitch right after delivering a homer to Robinson Cano. The umpire had a different opinion, and Carrasco was gone.

When Myers took the mound. . . .

I'll stop there and let his 2013 numbers speak: 101/3 innings, 18 hits, seven homers, 12.19 ERA. And this came after a spring training in which he allowed 36 hits in 21 innings and had a 9.00 ERA.

Is that a reason to keep him in the rotation, especially since he spent all of 2012 in the bullpen?

The Indians need to seriously ask that question, rather than fall back on the $7 million contract that they gave Myers in the hope of him being the third starter.

Keep in mind, the Yankees are playing without injured stars Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira, and they are pounding the Tribe's pitchers.

The Tribe had the second-worst starting rotation in the American League (5.25 ERA) last season, and there is not a single clue that things will change.

Maybe Trevor Bauer or Corey Kluber can help. It's possible Carrasco can mature and be effective.

Perhaps Scott Kazmir will come off the disabled list and look as he did under the Arizona sun -- an experienced lefty who seemed ready to win some games. But Kazmir has battled injuries for years and hasn't had a big-league victory since 2010.

But the fact is that after Monday's sellout (41,567), the attendance at this game was only 12,663. Most of them left before it was over, and with pitching like this -- who can blame them?

The bad news is most of the starters have collapsed to such an extent that manager Terry Francona was huddling with members of the front office to try to figure out who will start Wednesday's game

I still believe that Jeremy Guthrie was the better choice between he and Myers.

As much as forumites hate the idea of Guthrie in a Cleveland uniform, I think he would have been the ACE of this staff.

It doesn't take much to be ace of THIS staff. Guthrie has settled in to a career as a No. 3 or 4 starter, can work a lot of innings, win about half his games. Not quite what was hoped when he was drafted n the first round, but he'll end his career with acceptable stats.

I was a big fan of Jeremy Guthrie, Civ. People say we gave him a chance. Did we? Really?

2004 (age 25, 6 games, 0 starts).
2005 (age 26, 1 game, 0 starts).
2006 (age 27, 9 games, 1 start).
In 3 of his prime years, 16 games, 1 start. The rest is history.

Still peeves me everytime I see those numbers. If people want to believe that this organization gave Guthrie a fair chance with only 1 start in 3 years, so be it.

Guthrie averaged 196.2 innings per season with Baltimore while compiling a 4.12 ERA and 1.27 WHIP during his five seasons with the Orioles. He managed to go 47-65 (.420) on a team that went 336-473 (.415) over that time, performing better than average on one of the worst teams in the league (the Orioles finished last in the AL East in all but one of his seasons there).


I might add "in the best division in baseball".