Cleveland Sports Forum

Columbus and Akron both playing 2 tonight, Both leading 1-0 after 6. Both getting great pitching from David Huff and TJ House. House in his 2nd AA start after excellent start in Carolina, he had a real down year in 2011 and slipped far down our prospect charts; time for reevaluation.

Lake County already finished with a 4-23 win. Elvis Araujo 4 good innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts. Robel Garcia 2 doubles is up to 232. Jordan Smith single and double is at 267. Francisco Lindor single and his third triple, stays at 303.

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aEros game a final 1=0, as House outduels Kelvin delaCruz, who is troubled by control walks 5 in his 6 innings. House walked two, fans 7, 2 hits allowed. Ryan Langwell finishes with a 1=2-3 ninth with 2 K. ERA 0.63 but apparently stuck in Akron.

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Mudcats with more great pitching, and a 6-0 win. Francisco Jiminez, who is just filling in as a starter goes 6 yielding but 3 hits no walks and fans 6. Trey Haley finishes with 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 K. Since he came off the DL these were first baserunners allowed in the 7 innings he's pitched.
Wolters singles, RRod singles, Aguillar singles and walks, Moncrief 2 run homer and 3 K.

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Aeros drop the nightcap 4=-1. Bryson 2-1-1-1-2-2. Landis 2-1-0-0-0-2 ERA 0.51. Fedroff is still here for some reason, 3 hits, one a double. Diaz 2 hits, one a double. Goedart a double. Weglarz 0-3 2K.

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Here's Huff's 4 hit first game 1-0 shutout:

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Slowey bad as usual. 8 hits for 4 runs in 5 innings. I guess Scott Barnes is a reliever now, tht's too bad. He fans the side in his one inning. Clippers scored 3 on 14 hits. Lopez and LaRoche 3 each. Phepls and Copeland 2. Laporta 2b #7, avg 356. Canzler 2b #4, avg 257.

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Yesterday's box scores:

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Highlights and lowlights:

Cord Phelps with the only 2 Columubs hits, one a homer. Eric Berger starts in place of McAllister, goes 6 solid innings,2 runs, 6 K. Ambriz and Ray scoreless innings each.

Nick Weglarz with 2 2-run homers for Akron. Fedroff and Neal 2 hits each. Soto 5 innings, 4 runs on 7 hits. Loek Van Mil retires the side in order in the 9th, fans 2.

Carolina rained out.

Joe Colon pitches Captains to a 4-1 win. 8 innings, 1 run on 4 hits. 3K. ERA is 3.32. He gets few strikeouts. His prospect status is not too high. Not so for teenagers Luigi Rodriguez: 3 hits, a steal and caught stealing; and Francisco Lindor 2 hits. Jordan Smith adds a single and a double.

Very much very good pitching on Thursday especially by the starters:

AAA Corey Kluber 6 IP 5H 1R 1ER 3BB 4K 2.58
AA T.J. McFarland 7 IP 5H 0R 0ER 0BB 4K 2.18
High A Mike Rayl 7 IP 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 3K
LoA CodyAnderson 6 IP 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 5K

Two nearly perfect-to-date relievers were not perfect:
Cody Allen in AAA 2 of everything in 2 innings his first 2 walks of the season
Shawn Armstrong in HiA 2/3 inning 0 hits but 3 walks produce his first run allowed of the year

In AAA 3 hits for HUffman and Lopez. In AA 3 hits for Chen and Diaz (his 2nd HR). Weglarz 0-4 but 2RBI. For Carolina only 5 hits total in 2 games, RonnieRod his 2nd homer; Holt single and walk. Wolters 0-6 with a walk and 4 K. Aguillar 0-5 with walk and 3 K. LRod and Lindor both get the night off in Lake County, Lavisky his 2nd homer avg 232, Robel Garcia error #12


Last night's box scores:

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Some Tony comments on the games

T.J. McFarland (SP, Akron): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.

McFarland was at his best last night as he cruised through seven innings on 88 pitches (57 strikes) and got 11 groundball outs to only 4 flyouts. He is now 6-1 on the season with a 2.18 ERA in 7 starts, and he has been a beacon of consistency all season. He is not a sexy prospect with dominating stuff and he will never wow you when he pitches, but he will compete every time out, get hitters to pound the ball into the ground, and when his night is over he will more often than not find a way to put up a quality start. He is locked in right now and is really putting the pressure on the Indians to push him up to Triple-A. At the moment there is no open spot in the rotation, and it is possible right-hander Steven Wright would get the first call to fill a rotation need in Columbus, but McFarland is definitely in the conversation.

Matt LaPorta (LF, Columbus): 0-for-3, BB.

It is not often that a player that is 0-fer on the night and did nothing special is highlighted, but Matt LaPorta has been the hot topic the first five weeks of the season so he is the exception to the rule. He has cooled off considerably of late as in his last 8 games he is just 5-for-27 at the plate and has not homered. And not surprisingly, he has cooled off because the Clippers have been on the road and away from Huntington Park. He is showing some pretty crazy home and away splits so far this season as he is hitting a blazing .397 with 9 HR, 20 RBI and 1.363 in 17 home games, but on the road he is hitting a frigid .255 with 0 HR, 1 RBI and .650 OPS in 13 games. I do not know what, if anything, you can take away from that, but LaPorta has always hit well at Huntington Park over his three year career there. Unfortunately, he has not really hit anywhere else, including Progressive Field. Also, apparently there were some fireworks last night as he was thrown out stealing in the seventh inning and somehow he and Scranton-WB pitcher Manny Delcarmen were both ejected after the play.

Cody Allen (RP, Columbus): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 K.

“You see, you see! He’s not a machine….he’s a man!” So goes the famous quote that Duke yelled to Rocky after he cut the invincible, machine-like Russian Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. In a lot of ways Allen has been like Drago this season as he has obliterated everyone in his path, and last night’s game was his first hiccup this season. Usually when a reliever gives up 2 runs and 4 baserunners like that in 2 innings this early in the season, their overall numbers take a hit and look ugly. But Allen still has a 1.89 ERA, .159 BAA, 0.68 WHIP, 0.9 BB/9 and 12.3 K/9. Oh, and by the way, those two walks last night were the first two he has allowed all season.

Here are BA draft database writeups on the Three A's who are doing so well less than 12 months since draft day:

14 428 Cody Anderson RHP Feather River (Calif.) JC Calif. $250,000 signing bonus
Feather River CC has six players who have been drafted previously, including righthander Cody Anderson, a 17th-round pick by the Rays last year. Anderson, who is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has steadily boosted his fastball velocity. At Quincy (Calif.) High, he was mostly in the 86-88 mph range. He touched 92 last spring and was mostly 92-94 mph this year, topping out at 96. He has the size and velocity scouts like, but needs to refine his delivery and secondary pitches: a curveball, splitter and changeup. He could go as high as the third to fifth round, and is committed to Texas Christian.

18 548 Shawn Armstrong RHP East Carolina N.C. $325,000 signing bonus
Scouts had hopes for East Carolina righthander Shawn Armstrong coming into the season, but he was inconsistent. He has a strong body at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and a good arm, and he's at his best when he sits 91-92 mph down in the zone. He'll touch 94 and show a curveball and slider, with the former being a better pitch. He had made 18 appearances—six starts—going 3-1, 4.22 in 43 innings with 49 strikeouts and 21 walks.

23 698 Cody Allen RHP High Point N.C. No bonus info posted. that means it was not much.
Cody Allen, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound righthander at High Point, has attracted interest because of a good curveball. His fastball ranges from 88-92 mph and he can sit 90-92 on good nights, though his fastball doesn't have much life. He was 4-6, 3.16 in 84 innings with 89 strikeouts and 29 walks.

Recemt transactions:

Traded: OF Ryan Spilborghs to Rangers for cash considerations
Acquired: RHP Loek Van Mil from Angels for future considerations
Recalled: RHP Zach McAllister
Added to 40-man roster: OF Johnny Damon
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Zach McAllister
Removed from 40-man: 3B Jose Lopez (outrighted to Triple-A)
Placed on 7-day DL: 3B Giovanny Urshela, OF Trevor Crowe, RHP Preston Guilmet, RHP Bryce Stowell
Reinstated from DL: C Xavier de los Santos, RHP Jordan Cooper, RHP Paolo Espino, RHP Toru Murata

Good work so far in 2012 by 3 midrange LHPs: TJ House, TJ McFarland and TJ Rayl (well, actually Mike Rayl)

Careers for each:
Rayl 6-5 skinngy guy
2009 1.366 whip 11.0 k/ip
2010 1.231 whip 7.6
2011 1.132 whip 8.8
2012 0.934 whip 6.4 k/ip now age 23 in HiA

McFarland 6-3 chunky lefty
2008 1.545 whip 6.2k/ip
2009 1.409 whip 6.3
2010 1.271 whip 6.5
2011 1.339 whip 6.9
2012 2.185 whip 5.2 now age 22 in AA

House 6-2 lefty
2009 1.310 whip 7.3 k/ip
2010 1.445 whip 7.0
2011 1.531 whip 6.2
2012 0.865 whip 9.0 k/ip now age 22 in AA

Yesterday's games:

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Colubmus lost 7-1, Akron lost 8-1, Carolina won 9-2, Captains lost 5-4.

Of interest:

Lindor out 2nd day in a row. Teammate LuigiRodriguez with 2 hits and his 10th steal. Smith 2 hits, Lavisky 3 including 2 doubles, 9 for the season.

8 doubles by the Mudcats. Lowery also homered He had been in a 3-33 slump. He has 37K vs 11 BB
Moncrief added a walk and two singles to his doubles. He has 36K vs 15 BB
Aguillar only had a double. 312. His 2nd error. 31K 13 BB
HOlt single and the daily double 316
Wolters with his double, too. Tony hit 130 in April, 258 in May. He'll be 20 next month.

Fedroff 2 hits, is at 336 but apparently is not allowed in Columbus.
Perez double and walk. Used to be a walking star, only 8 this year, previous seasons 80 and 62.
Phelps double and homer. Trevor Crowe apparently is hurt again, haven't seen in the lineup awhile.

Pitching not as good as the day before. Steven Wright with his first bad outing of the season. Seddon nothing special. Goodnight only stayed 3 2/3 allowed 1 run. Lefty SHawn Morimando 19th round last year is now starting for LC, 5 innings, 4 runs.

Some good relief: scoreless by Herrmann, 1 IP, Barnes 1; Bryson 2; Van Mil 2; Flores 1, Dickerson 2; Cole Cook (not to be confused with Clay Cook) 2.

Saturday games:

Clippers lose 7-6. Espino subs for McAllister, lasts 2 2/3. Each pitcher: Espino, Langwell (AAA debut), Ambriz and Ray walks 2. Canzler finally hits his first homer. Carrera 3 hits and one CS. Ben Copeland hits 2 homers.

Aeros lose 6-5. Brach subs for Espino who subs for McAllister who subs for Tomlin, lasts 3 2/3, 10 hits and 5 runs. Bryan Price scoreless 2 innings, he's a AA lifer apparently; Ryan Landis 1 perfect IP, ERA 0.48. Thomas Neal 3 hits, one a double,

Mudcats win 9-1. Indians figured that Kyle Blair could never bring his Lake County ERA down to a reasonable number after his one 13-run outing, so they let him start from scratch in Carolina. He's now pitched 10 innings for the Mudcats with era of 0.90. 5 innings yesterday, 1 run 1 hit 5K. Trey Haley looking good in relief, 2 1/3 innings, 2 walks and 2 K, no hits. in 9 1/3 innings this spring, 1 hit and no runs allowed. Tony Wolters double and walk. Holt single, three walks, 2 steals, not a bad leadoff man, OBP 435, but he is reputed to not have a CF arm. Class A lifer Jeremie Tice homers singles and plates 5

Felix Sterling with his longest outing of the year, 6 innings, 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikouts. Captains win 6-4 despite their usual lousy relief. Lindor out for the 3rd day in a row. LRod 0-5. Myles 2 walks, 2 steals.

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Tried to delete this post but apparently it has to include something. So this is it