Cleveland Sports Forum

That makes a pretty big infield logjam at Columbus.

Rodriguez, Phelps, Donald, Kipnis, Chisenhall all vying for playing time. Not sure how they make that work.

TDU wrote:That makes a pretty big infield logjam at Columbus.

Rodriguez, Phelps, Donald, Kipnis, Chisenhall all vying for playing time. Not sure how they make that work.

It's easy - you have the DH, you have first base, and I imagine we'll see Rodriguez and probably Phelps getting some time in the OF.

How about trying Donald in the outfield? Turn him into a super sub!

Sounds good to me....

Mark DeRosa II

Columbus wins 6-0:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb ... a_chraaa_1

Former phenom Miller back on mound

03 first-round pick returns after four surgeries in three years

By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com
04/30/2011 11:25 PM ET


Adam Miller was named Eastern League Pitcher of the year in 2006. (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
After more than three years on the sidelines with a rare finger injury, former first-round pick Adam Miller returned to baseball Saturday.

Once considered Cleveland's top pitching prospect, Miller pitched an inning out of the bullpen for the Kinston Indians in a 4-0 loss to the Lynchburg Hillcats. It was the first time he pitched in a game situation since May 20, 2008.

The 26-year-old right-hander allowed four runs -- three earned -- on four hits and a walk in the fifth inning for the Indians' Carolina League affiliate.

"It's been a while, but it feels good to be back on the mound," Miller said. "It's been three years, but I always believed. I never thought that I wouldn't be able to throw again, but I was worried about how competitive I would be."

Miller was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 2003 Draft, but injuries dogged him almost from the start. He threw more than 100 innings only twice but showed a glimpse of his potential by going 15-6 with a 2.75 ERA at Double-A in 2006 and earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors.

By 2008, however, an injury to the middle finger on his pitching hand put his future in doubt.

After six starts with Triple-A Buffalo, the Texas native underwent surgery to reattach a finger tendon to the bone. Less than a year later, specialists inserted a silicone rod in the same finger.

Following three months of rehab, Miller underwent a third surgical procedure in August 2009. Doctors took tendons from his leg to use in the finger, but three months later, tests revealed the tendon never healed properly.

That required a fourth surgery, this time grafting tendons from his ring finger.

"The most recent surgery was the most intense because it was the fourth operation on such a small area," Miller said.

He had been injury-free for more than a year when the Indians invited him to extended spring training last month. In Arizona, he impressed coaches with an above-average slider and a fastball that hit 95 mph.

A day after receiving clearance to return to Kinston, where he pitched in 2004 and 2005, Miller said he tried not to let his emotions get the best of him.

"It was different. I didn't really feel amped up like I thought I would," he added. "I was pretty even-keeled and I tried to think of it as another outing.

"I just didn't have a good feel, it's one of those things. I was disappointed with how I pitched, but it's been a while and I can work on that."

Miller struck out Adam Milligan leading off the fifth, but Joseph Terdoslavich doubled and Joe Leonard homered to give Lynchburg a 2-0 lead.

Andrelton Simmons singled back up the middle and, after Braeden Schlehuber grounded out, Keenan Wiley walked and L.V. Ware ripped a two-out two-run single. Todd Cunningham, the eighth batter Miller faced, flied to left to end the inning.

Despite taking the loss, Miller said getting back on the mound wouldn't even have been possible had it not been for the encouragement he received throughout his rehab.

"The Indians have been great. They have stuck with me and given me every chance to make it and I'm lucky to be such a great organization," he said. "From the hand specialists and the doctors to my teammates, the trainers and the front office, everyone has been so supportive."

Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Outfielder-first baseman Jordan Brown, who was playing for the Cleveland Indians' Class AAA team, the Columbus Clippers, has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers organization for cash considerations.

Brown will be assigned to Milwaukee's Class AAA team, the Nashville Sounds. The trade of Brown allows Columbus to make room on its roster for infielder Josh Rodriguez.

The left-handed hitting Brown, 27, was batting .278 in 72 at bats for the Clippers, with three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBI.

Brown played in 26 games for the Indians last season, including games at designated hitter besides first base and the outfield. He hit .230 in 87 at bats, with seven doubles and two RBI.

Brown, a fourth-round draft pick of Cleveland in 2005, led the International League in 2009 with a .336 batting average.

Also, Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff says designated hitter Travis Hafner is making the Indians' trip to the West Coast, which begins Tuesday night in Oakland against the Athletics.

Soloff says Hafner is making progress after missing the Indians' last four games with a strained tendon in his right foot. It's possible he could play at some time during the six-game trip.

Hafner is hitting .342 in 76 at bats, with five doubles, four homers and 11 RBI.

The Indians, 19-8, own the best record in the major leagues.

Jordan Brown had a great opportunity last year, and couldn't perform. I wish him well as he moves on.

The problem with Brown is that in order for him to do anything at the major league level he has to be a walk drawing OBP machine. His defense is below average wherever you play him, he makes Travis Hafner look like Jesse Owens on the base paths, and his power is okay providing he is getting on base a ton.

Unfortunately, at AAA and in the majors he has had trouble showing the OBP skills that carrier him in Class A and AA.

The Columbus Dispatch

The Clippers erupted for nine runs in the eighth inning and defeated the host Charlotte Knights 18-12 last night to extend their winning streak to 12 games.

The Clippers set season highs in hits (20), runs in an inning (nine) and hits in an inning (eight).

The score was tied at 9 going into the eighth after the Clippers scored three runs an inning earlier. Jerad Head doubled to open the eighth, and Ezequiel Carrera singled to score Head. Jason Donald was hit by a pitch. Lonnie Chisenhall then tripled to score Carrera and Donald to make it 12-9. Chisenhall scored on an error.

Luke Carlin and Carrera each had two-run singles later in the inning, and Donald added an RBI single.

The Clippers took a 4-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Carrera and Carlin and a two-RBI single by Jason Kipnis.

Charlotte used five home runs to take a 9-6 lead into the seventh, but Luis Valbuena tied it with a three-run double.

Carrera finished with four hits and four RBI. Valbuena and Carlin had three RBI each.

Scott Barnes started for the Clippers. He gave up seven runs and 10 hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and a walk. Jensen Lewis (3-0) got the win, allowing two runs in two innings.

Roster move
With the trade of outfielder/first baseman Jordan Brown to Milwaukee yesterday, Josh Rodriguez was assigned to Columbus to take his roster spot. The Brewers were likely to assign Brown, who had a 10-game hitting streak, to triple-A Nashville.

The Columbus Dispatch

The Clippers won a 13th consecutive game and completed a third consecutive series sweep with an 8-2 win tonight over the Charlotte Knights in Fort Mill, S.C.

Clippers starter Zach McAllister (5-0) allowed two runs and struck out five in eight innings.

The Clippers led 3-1 before padding their lead with five runs in the seventh inning.

The rally started when Charlotte starter Freddy Dolsi (1-3) walked the bases loaded with one out. A two-run single by Chad Huffman and a two-run double by Jason Kipnis followed.

Kipnis, 2 for 4 with three RBI, later scored on an error to give the Clippers an 8-1 lead.

Eight of nine Clippers batters had at least one hit in the team's eighth consecutive win on the road.

McAllister scattered seven hits and walked one batter.

Clippers reliever Carlton Smith took over in the ninth and struck out all three batters he faced.

The Clippers improved to 13-2 against right-handed starters and are three wins from tying the franchise record for consecutive wins (16 in 1979).

The Clippers have scored at least four runs in 21 of 25 games. They are off on Wednesday and open a homestand at 6:35 p.m. Thursday against Lehigh Valley.

May 3, 2011
Indians honor Valbuena
The Cleveland Indians are watching Luis Valbuena.

The Tribe named the Columbus infielder the organization's minor-league player of the week today. Valbuena batted .375 (9-24) with 5 runs scored, 2 doubles, 3 homers and 7 RBI in six games for the Clippers last week. His OPS was an other-worldly 1.233. (OPS is the addition of on-base and slugging percentages.)

Valbuena continues to produce, while he moves around the crowded Columbus infield. He slotted in last night as the designated hitter and drove in three runs in the 18-12 win over the Charlotte Knights.

The win was the 12th in a row for the Clippers, who are 7-0 on the current trip through Gwinnett and Charlotte. Infielder Jason Donald joined the team Sunday. Josh Rodriguez, another infielder, was added to the roster yesterday.

Rodriguez, however, can play in the outfield and did in his '11 debut with the Clippers. The Indians opened room for him by sending Jordan Brown, 2009 Clipper of the Year, to the Milwaukee Brewers in a cash deal. Brown, who also was the Intertnational League batting champion in '09, was playing outfield and first base for Columbus.

The Clippers end their trip tonight. They are off Wednesday and open a homestand at 6:35 p.m. Thursday against Lehigh Valley (Phillies).

Civ,

We miss you !!!!

Is CIV on vacation??