Cleveland Sports Forum

I found Tyler on liine http://www.epropertysites.com/profiles/tylerminges.

Would someone who knows Donna's phone number or e-mail like to contact her former favorite spring training minor leaguer and ask him to give her a call?

Another cheapskate move by a team that doesn't plan ahead:

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians added another arm to the pitching staff on Wednesday, claiming right-hander Rick VandenHurk off waivers from the Blue Jays.

With some question marks surrounding Cleveland's bullpen situation, the Tribe plans on throwing VandenHurk into the mix for one of the available relief roles. Over the offseason, the right-hander nearly signed with the Indians.

"I did also talk to Cleveland," VandenHurk told reporters before leaving Toronto's camp in Florida. "They were very interested, so I'm not overly surprised. I haven't really talked to them yet, so I have to wait and see what they tell me."

The Indians have two of their regular relievers -- closer Chris Perez and lefty Rafael Perez -- working their way back from injuries. On Wednesday, Chris Perez (strained left oblique) threw a live batting-practice session and Rafael Perez (left shoulder soreness) was scheduled to appear in his first Cactus League game.

Cleveland is optimistic about their chances of being ready in time for Opening Day, but having more depth can act as a kind of insurance policy. Beyond the ongoing health woes, the Indians have also had subpar performances for the most part this spring from the handful of candidates for the two available bullpen jobs.

Arms in the mix include Frank Herrmann, Nick Hagadone, Dan Wheeler, Chris Ray, Jeremy Accardo and Robinson Tejeda. Herrmann, Hagadone and now VandenHurk are the only pitchers in that group who are on the 40-man roster. Potentially complicating matters is the fact that VandenHurk is out of Minor League options.

To clear room on their 40-man roster for VandenHurk, the Indians designated lefty Kelvin De La Cruz for assignment -- for the second time this spring. Cleveland initially designated De La Cruz before trading him to Texas on Feb. 21. The Tribe reacquired De La Cruz on March 15 for cash considerations.

VandenHurk, 26, has pitched in parts of five big leagues seasons with the Marlins and Orioles, going 8-10 with a 5.97 ERA in 46 games (35 starts). The righty spent the bulk of the 2011 season with Triple-A Norfolk, where he went 9-13 with a 4.43 ERA. He signed a big league contract with Toronto on Feb. 22 after being released by Baltimore.

This spring, VandenHurk has a 9.95 ERA in four Grapefruit League games. He has three strikeouts, six walks and 10 hits allowed in 6 1/3 innings.

"I had a challenging spring," VandenHurk said. "They had to make a decision. They made a decision and Cleveland picked me up."

We're down now 4-2 in the 8th. Another lousy start by Kevin Slowey, 4 runs in 4 innings. Raffy Perez appeared in his first game and pitched a scoreless inning, so we send VanderHurk back. The offense as usual consisted of a 2 run homer by Duncan and 3 other hits.

Which reminds me of the final comment I meant to include in my well-reasoned and rational post about the terrible planning done for this season:

We "strengthened" our rotation by adding two veteran pitchers, both RHs of course, who combined in 2011 for an amazing 9-25 record. Just what a team hoping to move over .500 needs.

Troublesome fourth hurts Slowey in Tribe's loss
In fight for rotation, righty allows three-run shot in his final frame
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 03/21/12 6:40 PM ET

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Brett Pill launched a game-changing home run off Indians starter Kevin Slowey, sending the Giants to a 5-3 victory over the Tribe on Wednesday and throwing another wrinkle into Cleveland's fifth-starter competition.

Slowey -- one of four pitchers battling for the lone vacancy on the Indians' starting staff -- breezed through three innings without much trouble before hitting a wall in the fourth inning. Pill's three-run homer was the most damaging blow, pushing Cleveland down, 4-0.

"In the fourth I kind of let my mechanics get away from me a little bit," Slowey said. "I obviously wasn't commanding down in the zone quite as well. The first three innings, I threw a lot of strikes. They came out swinging and I did a bad job kind of recognizing that and using that to my advantage. I continued to throw hittable strikes in there."

In four innings, Slowey walked three, struck out two, threw a wild pitch and was charged with four runs on five hits. The right-hander, who was acquired from the Rockies in an offseason trade, has a 6.75 ERA through four Cactus League games with a little more than two weeks until Opening Day.


Slowey is up against Jeanmar Gomez, David Huff and Zach McAllister for the fifth spot in Cleveland's rotation. Of the four, Gomez has thrown the best, piecing together 11 shutout innings through four Cactus League appearances.

"Obviously, Jeanmar is throwing great," Slowey said. "I don't think there's anybody who would tell you otherwise. As for the rest of us ... certainly each one of us is working towards that. But, if you look at the way Jeanmar's been throwing, it's tough not to say, man, that guy's really getting the job done."

San Francisco (12-6-3) first broke through against Slowey in the third inning, when shortstop Brandon Crawford singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Chris Stewart followed by sending a pitch from Slowey into left field for an RBI single that put the Giants ahead, 1-0.

In the fourth inning, Slowey gave up a one-out single to Buster Posey before issuing a walk to Brandon Belt. That brought Pill to the plate, and he promptly crushed an offering from the Indians right-hander deep to left field for a three-run home run. Slowey walked two more hitters before escaping the fourth on an inning-ending double play.

The Indians (5-11-3) answered in the fourth inning on a long home run to straightaway center field from left fielder Shelley Duncan. The two-run shot off San Francisco southpaw Eric Surkamp was the fourth homer of the spring for Duncan, who is competing for Cleveland's starting job in left. Surkamp -- a top rotation candidate behind the big league staff -- gave up two runs on four hits in five innings.

Jose Lopez delivered a two-out RBI single in the ninth, but the Indians left the bases loaded when Matt LaPorta bounced into an inning-ending fielder's choice.

Indians relievers Rafael Perez and Robinson Tejeda each turned in a scoreless inning in their return to game action for the Tribe. Perez, who had been battling a sore left shoulder, struck out two in his lone frame. Tejeda -- back on the hill after a bout with an injured right calf -- allowed one walk and a hit, but did not give up a run.

"We had one rough inning," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But overall, we threw well. We pitched well and that's something that I'm looking forward to, because that's what we consider the strength of this ballclub -- our pitching. It's what has supported this ballclub the last two years. So I'm really looking forward to continuing to see good pitching."

Up next for Giants: The Giants head to Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday for a 7:10 p.m. PT game worthy of playing under the lights. Ace Tim Lincecum (2-0, 4.50) starts for the Giants, while veteran Jamie Moyer (1-0, 1.80) continues his bid to join the Rockies' rotation. Lincecum has amassed 69 wins in five seasons, while Moyer has 267 wins in 24 years.

Up next for Indians: Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez will try to ease some minds when he takes the hill for the Tribe in a 4:05 p.m. ET tilt against a Padres split squad on Thursday in Peoria, Ariz., in a game that can be heard on an exclusive free webcast. Jimenez -- Cleveland's No. 2 starter -- saw his spring ERA climb to 9.31 after he yielded six runs on five hits with four walks in just 3 2/3 innings against the Reds on Saturday.

but the Indians left the bases loaded when Matt LaPorta bounced into an inning-ending fielder's choice.

Good old dependable Matt.

Pronk leads Tribe's big day on offense


Ubaldo allows one run in four-inning outing against Padres

By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 03/22/12 7:20 PM ET

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ubaldo Jimenez allowed one run over four innings Thursday as the Indians defeated the Padres, 9-4, in a Cactus League game at the Peoria Sports Complex.

San Diego's Cory Luebke struck out six and allowed one run over five innings.

Luebke, who figures to be the No. 2 starter in the Padres rotation, allowed four hits, including a long home run to right field by Travis Hafner. It was the second home run of the spring for Hafner, who knocked in another run later in the game with a double.


Travis Hafner hit his second homer of the spring with a solo shot against the Padres on Thursday. (AP)
Jimenez also surrendered a long ball, allowing a home run to Chase Headley to start the fourth inning, his final inning of work. Jimenez's velocity ran between 92-94 mph, the best it's been this spring.

"We're happy that Ubaldo was able to show better stuff today," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "He still pitched behind in the count a lot, but we're satisfied with the velocity we saw, and he continues to assure us that he's fine, that he feels good and velocity isn't going to be an issue."



Shin-Soo Choo had two doubles for the Indians, raising his average in Cactus League games to .306. Shelley Duncan, who entered the game in the seventh inning to play first base, made noise in the eighth with a two-run blast. Catcher Matt Pagnozzi, with his first hit of the spring, doubled off Alex Hinshaw to clear the bases later in the frame.

San Diego relievers Huston Street and Luke Gregerson combined to allow two runs, while Matt Palmer gave up the Duncan homer.

Up next: Right-hander Josh Tomlin, who has a 10.50 ERA this spring, will look to get back on track on Friday night, when the Indians host the Angels in a 10:05 p.m. ET tilt at Goodyear Ballpark. Lefty David Huff -- a candidate for the Tribe's available rotation job -- is also scheduled to pitch

Detroit claimed De La Cruz off of waivers.

Published: Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 8:15 PM

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CHICAGO --

Clubhouse confidential:
GM Chris Antonetti wouldn't comment on whether the Indians considered putting a claim in on outfielder Delmon Young, who Monday was traded from Minnesota to the AL Central-leading Tigers.

The Indians, in second place behind the Tigers, would have had first crack at Young since waivers are done in inverse order of the standings. Waivers must be obtained any player traded after July 31.

"I'm not going to comment on individual players," said Antonetti. "We are still looking at opportunities to try and improve our team."

The Indians have until Aug. 31 to make a waiver deal for a player who would be eligible for the postseason.

Wow!

Young, Raburn look to continue hot hitting

By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/23/12 6:55 PM ET

BRADENTON, Fla. --

Go ahead, be a skeptic. Delmon Young would understand.

When asked about his hitting, he said the three words everybody else is saying.

"It's Spring Training," he shrugged as he readied to leave McKechnie Field Friday.

Consider this: When the Tigers came back for another Grapefruit League win Friday, the Pirates claimed something no team had done all spring. They kept Young and Ryan Raburn hitless in the same game with both of them in the starting lineup. And while they haven't been playing every day together, they've been on a lot of the same road trips.

The fact that such a thing could be viewed as an accomplishment in Spring Training would've been preposterous heading into spring, and it'll probably happen more than its fair share of times in the regular season. But a look at the Spring Training stats shows that mathematically, it's trickier than it sounds.

Raburn's 0-for-3 performance, his first game with that many at-bats and no hits all spring, dropped his average to .414. He had hits in eight out of 10 games this spring, and had an extra-base hit in seven of them.

Young's 0-for-3 afternoon was his second this week. He's still batting .436.

They've driven in 37 of their team's 128 runs this spring, even though they've only been in for about half of the games they've played. They were first and second in the Grapefruit League in both RBIs (Young on top), home runs (Raburn leading), and total bases (Young again). Young also entered Friday leading Florida in batting average and total hits.

It probably won't mean much once the regular season rolls around. But it can't mean anything bad. Whatever pitches they're seeing, they're hitting them hard.

"I don't know how to explain it," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said after both of them homered Tuesday in a win over the Braves. "It just seems like when Delmon and Raburn get a pitch to hit, they hit it pretty hard and they hit it pretty far."

Double Wow!

Lowe looks sharp in loss to Dodgers
Allows one earned run in six innings against former team
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 03/24/12 4:20 PM ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Luis Cruz tripled in two runs and fellow non-roster invitee Cory Sullivan singled him home as the Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 win over the Indians Saturday.

Former Dodger Derek Lowe pitched six innings for Cleveland, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts. Dodgers starter Chris Capuano allowed two runs in five innings with five strikeouts.

"Great job by Derek Lowe," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "Exactly what we wanted to see. Six innings and no issues whatsoever. He was in command the whole time. They couldn't get the ball off the ground. He did a fantastic job. He was able to mix his sinker with his slider. It's what we wanted to see. We're very happy about that."


Leadoff hitter Dee Gordon got the Dodgers on the board in the first inning. He bunted for a single, stole second -- his eighth stolen base of the spring -- took third on catcher Lou Marson's throwing error and scored on Mark Ellis' groundout.

Cleveland got the run back in the top of the second on singles by Casey Kotchman, former Dodger Andy LaRoche and Aaron Cunningham.


The Dodgers went up 2-1 in the bottom of the second on a Juan Rivera single and James Loney RBI double.

The Indians tied the game again in the fifth on singles by Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis and a sacrifice fly by Matt LaPorta.

In the sixth, off Dodgers reliever Mike MacDougal, Gregorio Petit walked and was doubled to third by Jose Lopez. Shelley Duncan singled in Petit and Felix Pie's fly scored Lopez.

Up next for Indians: Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez will continue his push for the available fifth starter's role on Sunday, when the Indians host the Cubs in a 4:05 p.m. ET tilt at Goodyear Ballpark. Gomez has not allowed a run in 11 Cactus League innings this spring for the Tribe. He is competing against Kevin Slowey and David Huff for the lone vacancy on the starting staff. The game will have a delayed broadcast on MLB Network at 7 a.m. ET on Monday. It can he heard live on the Indians Radio Network and WMMS 100.7 FM.

From DENVER LOU:

Just thought I'd send you a few of my thoughts while here at Spring Training.

Had a very nice day visiting with JR at Disney yesterday. It Was HOT!!

Very difficult trying to get tix this year. Ticket brokers buying up big blocks and selling them. Teams getting lazy. Tix are sold at a "Premium", i.e. champs and playoff tyeams command higher prices, then scaled down as the teams "weaken". Went to see Cards/Braves at Disney. Game day tix to the berm were $36. To get decent seats, if available, you should go directly to a ballteam's ticket window. Son John took care of all tix arrangements and he said it was a real pain this year.

Saw the Tigers/Nats. Tigers are tough. Nats seem weak, just a couple of impact players.

Werth looks like a Biblical Moses. Long hair, long beard. He is also not a gold glove. They tried him in CF one game and quickly moved him to RF.

Zimmerman is a quality ballplayer on both sides of the ball.

Nats did not do anything until the "scrubs" came in. Some of their youngsters look good. Bryce Harper appears to be a very good hitter. He looked good when we saw him and "they" sent him down right after the game. Did not see Strasberg (sp?).

Speaking of good hitters, Braves' McCann is top shelf in my opinion. He is a hard out.

Jason Michaels is the Nat's LF. He did not "shine".

Nats tried to stop the Tiger's offense so they brought in Chad Durbin. He got rocked. Five runs, 5 frozen ropes. You get the idea.

Saw the Blue Jays/Braves. #1 Valbueno (sp?) played SS. Didn't really do anything of note. The rest of the team was made up of #45-99.

Cards had a couple interesting guys. Komatsu. He came to hit! Will swing at the first pitch everytime up if it's over. Impressive. Carpenter hits for distance.

Astros seem to have nothing. Look forward to seeing them in the AL Central next year. They had one guy, Bryan Johnson, a young long ball hitter fair or foul. Doesn't hit enough fair.

Astros brought in Travis Buck to PH. 0-1.

Carlos Lee seems to be their only threat.

St Patrick's Day at Disney saw Mickey dressed in green leading the commemorative pitcher out to the mound.

Disney got rid of the obnoxious organ. No more "Suzie Q".

Saw Nat's rookie Ramos, the guy who was kidnapped in the offseason.

Braves up and comer is a Joey Terdoslavich. Waiting to see that name on the back of his jersey.

Saw three teams who wore only the traditional white home unis at every home game.

All National Anthems we heard were sung "straight". Fans had been complaining about individual "renditions".

Was at Viera (Nats) on the 21st. They did not do special recognitions. I was going to wish a Happy Birthday to Sonny but then wondered if anyone remembered him, especially for the memorable catch in Canal Park a couple years ago.

Constanza was with the Braves. Saw him 3 times. Never did anything. He waves at pitches and is lucky if he can get it out of the infield.

Keep saying this every year. The quality of baseball played in ST seems to be worse every year. Wonder how some of these guys got this high.

Hafner keeps hot spring flowing against Cubs
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 03/25/12 7:00 PM ET

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Alfonso Soriano launched a home run and drove in three to help lead the Cubs to a 6-2 Cactus League victory over the Indians on Sunday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark. Soriano leads the Cactus League with six blasts this spring.

Chicago (11-13-1) broke through for three runs in the seventh inning against Cleveland left-hander Rafael Perez, pulling away for a win over the Indians (6-14-3). That outburst was highlighted by Soriano's two-run homer. Soriano also delivered a sacrifice fly during a three-run third inning.

Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez -- up against Kevin Slowey and David Huff for the lone vancacy in the Tribe's rotation -- was charged with three runs on seven hits in five innings of work. The Cubs' three-run third inning snapped Gomez's Cactus League scoreless streak at 13 innings. Gomez struck out three and walked three in an 80-pitch performance.

Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who started the game for the Cubs, allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and one strikeout in 4 1/3 innings against the Tribe. Lopez is a long-shot candidate to make Chicago's rotation and has a chance to work his way onto the Opening Day roster as a long reliever.

Cleveland broke through against Lopez in the first inning, when second baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a double down the left-field line. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a single and Lopez walked Shin-Soo Choo to load the bases. Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner each came through with run-scoring groundouts off Lopez to help the Indians to a 2-0 lead.

In the third inning, Cabrera crushed a pitch from Lopez to deep center field, where Cubs bench hopeful Joe Mather raced back toward the wall. On a dead sprint, Mather made an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch before crashing into the fence -- a highlight-reel out that robbed Cabrera of a sure extra-base hit.

Hafner went 2-for-3 with a walk for the day and is hitting .353 during Cactus League play.

Up next: Justin Masterson, Cleveland's Opening Day starter, is scheduled to toe the rubber when the Indians host the Brewers in a 4:05 p.m. ET tilt on Monday at Goodyear Ballpark. Masterson, who pitched in a Minor League game his last time out, will look to improve on an inconsistent spring, during which he has gone 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA in three Cactus League outings. The game can be heard on Gameday Audio, WTAM 1100 and the Indians Radio Network.

Hafner went 2-for-3 with a walk for the day and is hitting .353 during Cactus League play.

Same stuff as last year, that led to my Bold Prediction of his winning the AL batting title. Ha, ha!