Cleveland Sports Forum

He managed to go 47-65 (.420) on a team that went 336-473 (.415) over that time, performing better than average

He managed a winning pct 005 points better than his name. He is a .500 pitcher who eats innings. A No. 3 or No. 4. I'd take him happily but he is certainly not an ace.

Guthrie was signed to a Major League contract by the Indians supposedly because he was closest to the Major League. He was optioned to AAA for 3 years because he didn't have Major League stuff. He even received a 4th option year because of some change to MLB rules. He still didn't have major league stuff.

So, like Philipps, he had to placed on the 25 man roster or be subject to waivers and/or released.

Tribe chose not to take up a slot on the 25 man roster just like Phillips.

Phillips...bad choice Guthrie.... good choice.

Lucky breaks for both I guess.

Rivera's farewell tour is first class all the way
Baseball's greatest closer takes time to thank Progressive Field employees

By Anthony Castrovince | Archive
4/10/2013 7:02 P.M. ET
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The Tigers honor Mariano Rivera00:01:404/7/13: The Tigers hold a ceremony prior to their game against the Yankees to honor Mariano Rivera, who will retire after the season
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CLEVELAND -- The greatest closer ever was looking for the most persistent ballpark drummer ever.

"Where's the drummer?" Mariano Rivera said aloud, his neck craning as he scanned the room in search of John Adams, who has been banging away in the bleachers at every Indians home game since 1973.

Adams raised his hand.

"You da man!" Rivera told him. "Being here, day after day, I really respect that."

Respect is a word we often associate with Rivera. Even if you hate -- hate -- the Yankees with every fiber of your being, as many baseball fans no doubt do, you have to respect Rivera for his extraordinary success in the ninth inning and the exemplary way he has carried himself on and off the field lo these many years.

But if you could have been in this room in the bowels of Progressive Field on Wednesday afternoon and watched Rivera interact with Adams and about 30 otherwise unheralded employees of the Indians, your respect for the man would have grown by leaps and bounds. Because as part of a farewell tour in which he will be honored in every road park in which the Yankees play this season, it is Rivera who wants to be the one offering the most heartfelt thanks.

In Detroit last weekend, Rivera met with a groundskeeper who has been on the job for more than four decades, a longtime season-ticket holder and a local Marine. Here in Cleveland it was a hodgepodge of payroll, human resources, press box and stadium-ops employees, all of whom had the opportunity to take part in a little Q&A session with the Cooperstown-bound Rivera.

"This is the greatest thing in the world," said John Krepop, who is in his 41st season as the Tribe's press box supervisor. "He genuinely wants to meet the people behind the scenes. It's fantastic."

Krepop and all the others got to take their photo with the 43-year-old Rivera and were handed an autographed ball. It was a small thing -- it probably took less than 30 minutes out of Rivera's day -- but it's something that will linger with these folks long after Rivera records his final out.

"I just want to say 'thank you' for those people that no one sees," Rivera said. "They are important. Sometimes we do take for granted what it takes to keep the stadium in order for us to come and play baseball -- not only just the field but the facility, the whole stadium. So I chit-chat with them, say 'thank you,' sign for them, take a picture. Whatever. I just want to make sure they know that I appreciate them."

Rivera will do this during each of his final visits to the various Major League parks this season. Jason Zillo, the Yankees' director of communications, said that Rivera has been talking about doing this for several years. And although Rivera knows he's not going to convert all these people to Yankees fandom, there is little question that all of them will come away Rivera fans, if they weren't already.

While talking with Tribe employees, Rivera shared a little insight about his career, his motivations, his thoughts on facing those great Indians lineups in the 1990s. Somebody mentioned Game 4 of the 1997 American League Division Series, when Rivera served up a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar Jr., his first of just two blown saves in 96 postseason appearances, and Rivera called it a seminal moment in his career.

"For me it was the stone where I stepped to push forward, because it helped me to become better," Rivera said. "If that wouldn't have happened, God only knows where I would have ended up. But because that happened, it pushed me to be better in moments like that and in situations like that."

That Alomar home run was, of course, one of very few blips on the otherwise pristine radar Rivera has established over the course of 19 seasons. We can all agree on very few things in life and in baseball, but there is unanimous support of the notion that Rivera has done his particular job better than anybody else.

No wonder Adams spoke on behalf of Indians fans and told Rivera it's a "relief" to see him retire.

"You've given me a lot of stress!" Adams said with a smile.

That's about the only negative thing an opposing fan can say about Rivera. The guy is first class, and he's demonstrating it in a unique way on the road.

"You only retire once," Rivera said. "I've never been in this situation before, but I'm going to enjoy it. I appreciate it. I have respected the game the way you should respect it, and I have respected the organizations the way you should respect the organizations."

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Solution to our Starting Rotation Crisis is right around the corner??


LEVELAND -- The Indians' rotation has had its share of issues early on, beginning with the right rib-cage strain that sent fifth starter Scott Kazmir to the disabled list on Opening Day. The left-hander is itching to rejoin the staff as soon as possible.

"I want to go out there and compete as much as the next person," Kazmir said, "especially me being out right now. But I've just got to concentrate on what I need to do. I can't rush anything. I'm just concentrating on just getting out there. That's the only thing I can control."

On Thursday, Kazmir played long toss up to a distance of 120 feet and did not feel any lingering pain from the injury, which flared up while playing catch on April 1. If he feels fine on Friday, he will work through a bullpen session for the first time since being sidelined.

He is looking forward to that important step.

"The big test will be [on Friday], when I throw a bullpen," he said. "We'll see how that feels, getting a little more extension when I get on the mound, downhill and everything. That will tell me a lot."

Kazmir, who has not pitched a full season in the Majors since 2010, won the fifth spot in the rotation during Spring Training, only to be shelved before making his first start. In his place, Cleveland has used right-handers Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco out of the fifth slot. Corey Kluber was promoted from Triple-A to start on Wednesday, but the game against the Yankees was rained out.

Cleveland's rotation has a 5.86 ERA through eight games.

Kazmir will be eligible to be activated on Wednesday, but manager Terry Francona said he will likely need a few more days before rejoining the rotation.

"Hopefully, not too far after that," Francona said. "I think he feels really comfortable with where he is. That's also good. The idea, when anything happens, is to not cut corners, do it right and then hopefully, when guys are ready, they're ready."

Indians acquired C Chris Wallace from the Astros for LHP Eric Berger; assigned him to Double-A Akron.
Wallace, 24, is a .250/.333/.325 career hitter at Triple-A and could struggle to ever reach the major leagues. Then again, Berger isn't much of a catch either.

Source: Paul Hoynes on Twitter Apr 15 - 10:47 AM

Ubaldo Jimenez ready for next start: Cleveland Indians Chatter

By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer

on April 14, 2013 at 8:11 PM, updated April 14, 2013 at 8:16 PM


Clubhouse confidential: Right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who had his scheduled start Saturday pushed back to Tuesday, felt very good about a side session Saturday. It was his second such session since his most recent start, April 8, during which he was rocked by the Yankees.

"I threw 35-40 pitches," Jimenez said Sunday. "I'm ready."

Jimenez and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have used the extra time to attempt to correct a mechanical flaw involving weight transfer. Jimenez has been susceptible to flying open with his front side, thereby compromising power and command.

Jimenez's fastball velocity was down against the Yankees, according to ballpark readings. Jimenez maintained that he did not pay attention to what was on the board while giving up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

"I had nothing," he said of his pitches. "That was the problem."

Time to pitch: Lefty Scott Kamzir (DL, rib cage) will make a rehab start in Class AAA Columbus today. The target for his return to the majors is Saturday.

Stat of the day: White Sox slugger Paul Konerko, who hit a two-run homer Sunday, has 75 RBI at Progressive Field -- most by a visiting player.

Chris Sale gets off lightly compared to Carlos Carrasco: Cleveland Indians Insider


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tuesday night against the Yankees, Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco hit Kevin Youkilis with a pitch in the fourth inning after giving up a two-run homer to Robinson Cano. Plate umpire Jordan Baker ejected him without issuing a warning.

On Friday, MLB suspended Carrasco eight games and fined him a reported $3,000. In two of his past three starts, dating back to 2011, Carrasco has been suspended for the same offense.

In the fifth inning Saturday, White Sox left-hander Chris Sale hit Michael Brantley with a pitch immediately after giving up a grand slam to Mark Reynolds. Plate umpire Ed Hickox, instead of ejecting Sale, warned both teams. Sale faced one more batter before being removed by manager Robin Ventura.

What did Tribe manager Terry Francona think about the two rulings?

"When it happened to Carrasco, it cost him eight games. That's all I know," said Francona. "Each (umpiring) crew is probably a little different. Just like each team is a little different."

In losing to the Indians for the first time, Sale allowed a career-high eight runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

In the fifth, he hit Nick Swisher to load the bases and bring Reynolds to the plate. After Reynolds unloaded the bases, Sale hit Brantley.

"With Swisher, it's just a slider I yanked in," said Sale. "With Brantley, it was me being an idiot, honestly. I was going out there trying to over-throw, trying to blow it by him. Unfortunately, it got away and hit him. I had no intentions of doing that, and I don't think I ever will."

Intentional or not, when a pitcher hits the next batter after a home run, it never looks good.

"I understand that's a real tough spot to be in. If you're going to hit a guy, you don't do it there," said Sale. "I think I know enough about the game that, if I was going to do it intentionally, it's not going to be in that situation or at that time. Not only does that look bad on my part, it looks bad on my team. That's not what we're about, that's not what I'm about.

"And on top of that, you now have targets on some of these guys in here. It's not their fault that I went out and gave up eight runs. It's not their fault that the grand slam left the yard. It's on me."

Sale said as soon as he threw the pitch to Brantley, he knew there would be consequences.

"I'm not surprised by the warnings," he said. "I knew right when I let it go: That's not going to be good. I've got to be better. I've got to focus more, be more on top of my stuff. I can't go out there and sling it out of anger like I did. Unfortunately, he got the brunt of that."

Rescheduled doubleheader: The Indians will play a traditional doubleheader on May 13 against the Yankees at Progressive Field to make up the postponed games from Wednesday and Thursday.

Tickets for Wednesday's game (dated April 10) are valid for both ends of the doubleheader. The first game starts at 12:05 p.m. with the second game following 20 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.

Tickets for Thursday's game (dated April 11) can be exchanged for an available seat at both games against the Yankees or any other regular season game this year.

May 13 was a mutual off day for both teams. The doubleheader comes in the middle of a five-game trip to Detroit and Philadelphia for the Indians. The Yankees will come to Cleveland at the end of a six-game trip against Colorado and Detroit.

Injury update: Second baseman Jason Kipnis (left elbow) and catcher Carlos Santana (left thumb) were both scratched from the Tribe's lineup before Saturday's game.

With an off day Monday, they are questionable for Sunday's series finale against Chicago as well. Kipnis wouldn't comment on his injury, but Santana said he felt pain in the base of his thumb during batting practice. He's been sidelined since Monday's game against the Yankees.

Finally: Daisuke Matsuzaka left his start Friday for Class AAA Columbus with pain in his right forearm. ... With Santana still hurting, the Indians will probably stay with three catchers through Monday. ... Jason Giambi, activated Friday, could make his first appearance in the lineup Sunday against right-hander Jake Peavy.

Michael Bourn has no regrets over head-first slide: Cleveland Indians Insider


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michael Bourn did what he set out to do, avoiding a potential tag with a dive and beating the pitcher to first for a single Sunday.

But Bourn paid a price for it.

The Tribe's leadoff man and center fielder is out indefinitely because of a cut on his right index finger that required five stitches.

Bourn won't play until the stitches are removed. He is listed as day to day, but he almost certainly will miss the Boston series Tuesday through Thursday, and probably more. The Indians will want to be extra careful, especially this early in the season.

"They said no ligaments were messed up, no joints were messed up -- so that's good news," he said. "We stitched it up, now we'll wait for it to heal."

Facing lefty Matt Thornton in the eighth inning, Bourn hit a grounder past first. Bourn dived into the base in time to beat Adam Dunn's flip to Thornton. Bourn's landed hard, and he writhed in pain upon standing. After being checked by trainers, Bourn was replaced by pinch-runner Mike Aviles.

"He just stepped on it," Bourn said of Thornton. "He was trying to make a play on me, and I was trying to be safe. It happens."

Bourn went 3-for-4 in the Tribe's 3-1 loss and is hitting .333 (15-for-45) with seven runs in 10 games.

Cue the howling from critics of head-first entries into first base.

Tribe manager Terry Francona, asked if he preferred that his players did not go into first that way, said: "No, I think you play the game. I knew that (question) was going to get asked. Guys are competing. You don't want to see anybody get hurt, but he's doing his best to get to first. If you tell a guy not to slide into first, why wouldn't you tell him not to slide into second? Nobody ever asks why guys slide into second head-first.

"Sometimes, when you're trying to beat a pitcher, that's your best way to get to the bag."

Bourn said there is logic behind it for him.

"I had it happen to me before where the left-hander tagged me with his glove because the glove was right there," he said. "I knew the only way to make that not happen again was to slide. I got to the bag before he did, but I was hurt in the process."

Injury updates: Second baseman Jason Kipnis is nursing a sore left elbow. It flared up Saturday morning and forced him to miss the game that afternoon. He sat in favor of Ryan Raburn on Sunday.

"We'll keep treating it aggressively until Tuesday, then re-evaluate," he said.

Kipnis' right elbow bothered him in spring training.

"Hopefully, this rest will help the right elbow, too," he said.

The Indians are off today before the Red Sox come to town. Francona will face the franchise for which he managed eight seasons (2004-2011) and led to two World Series titles (2004, 2007).

Francona politely cut off a reporter who began to ask his thoughts about the series.

"Not yet," he said. "I will when I go in and start looking at the matchups. To be honest, I'm an Indian. I'm aware of the questions and everything. I had a lot of great memories. But I don't think it's fair to the players. This game is hard enough to play; they don't need to be worrying about me having nostalgia week when we're trying to win games."

His players don't mind.

"He's a huge piece of their winning puzzle," designated hitter Jason Giambi said. "Of course there's going to be a lot of hoopla that comes with (the series). We'll be pumped up as players."

Masher: First baseman/DH Mark Reynolds entered Sunday with five homers and 13 RBI in nine games. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Reynolds is just the third player in franchise history to have driven in at least 13 before playing the 10th game of his Tribe career. He joined outfielders Juan Gonzalez (14 in nine games, April 2-12, 2001) and Leon Wagner (13 in nine games, April 14-30, 1964).

Reynolds went 1-for-3 on Sunday.

Last April, as a member of the Orioles, Reynolds had zero homers and three RBI in 63 official at-bats. He did not hit his first homer until May 4 and did not notch his 13th RBI until the first week of June.

Versatility: Raburn, who went 1-for-3 but was picked off first, is the consummate utility man.

"I mostly played infield, mainly shortstop, when I was younger," he said. "Coming up through the league, I played everywhere. Sometimes I feel more comfortable in the outfield, sometimes I feel more comfortable in the infield. It's just a matter of how much work I'm getting at one or the other."

IBI Scoreboard for April 15, 2013
Triple-A
Columbus 4 Recap
Louisville 1 Box
Double-A
Trenton 5 Recap
Akron 3 Box
High-A
Wilmington 4 Recap
Carolina 3 Box

Indians call up Phelps, option Santos to Columbus


Cord Phelps
By Tony Lastoria
April 16, 2013
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On Tuesday afternoon the Indians announced that they have recalled infielder Cord Phelps from Triple-A Columbus and optioned catcher Omir Santos to Columbus.

Phelps began the year on the minor league disabled list with neck stiffness and has appeared in two games for Columbus at second base since his April 14 activation (1-for-8, RS, 2B, RBI, BB). He is coming off a spring exhibition season where he hit .375 (18-for-48) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers and 7 RBI in 23 games (1.143OPS). He will wear #46.

Santos played in one game and had one at bat, and was removed from the 25-man roster because catcher Carlos Santana has been cleared to play and will return to normal catching duties starting in Tuesday night's game against the Red Sox. Also, with Jason Kipnis still ailing with a sore elbow, the Indians called up Phelps to add an extra bat while he is out.

The Indians also announced that right-handed pitcher Robert Whitenack cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Double-A Akron. He was placed on waivers last week when the Indians had to remove him from the 40-man roster to add Omir Santos to the roster.

Phelps might not stay long, since we need to make room for Kazmir on Sunday, but he might be handy with Kipnis neither hitting nor healthy.

The Indians placed Bourn on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Monday), giving him ample time to recover from the laceration of his right index finger suffered in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox. The Tribe promoted right-hander Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus to fill Bourn's spot on the roster.

Bourn goes on DL retroactive to Monday. Bourn, who signed a four-year contract worth $48 million with the Indians over the offseason, sustained the injury sliding into first base on a grounder to the right side in the eighth inning of Sunday's game. On the play, Chicago pitcher Matt Thornton stepped on Bourn's hand while covering the bag. Bourn was safe, but he exited the game and received five stitches.

"I just tried to be safe, man," Bourn said on Tuesday. "We were down by one and I tried to get on the base. I just tried to get there, but in the process I got hurt. It's something I have to deal with. That's all I can do."

Through 10 games with Cleveland, Bourn was hitting 333 (15-for-45) with two home runs, four doubles, one triple, two RBIs and seven runs scored.

Kluber rejoins the Indians as insurance for the club's taxed bullpen. The right-hander will head into the 'pen temporarily after Cleveland's relievers were forced to log 7 1/3 innings in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to Boston. In two starts for Columbus this season, Kluber went 1-1 with a 6.57 ERA. He was called up to Cleveland last week, but did not pitch in a game due to a rainout on April 10.

Kazmir will be activated for Saturday's start. Kluber goes back to Columbus, unless they can find someway to get Jiminez off the roster by then.

I still have some hopes left for Jimenez. He has some good pitches and I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly out of him. I don't think he will have another inning like the second inning he had yesterday for the rest of this season. I agree he was wild high but deserved a better fate in the runs scored against department. Twice he should have been out of that inning with much less damage done. I do agree with JR that Ubaldo got "sqeezed" at the most inopportune times. He was over-throwing when things got nasty leaving everything up in the strike zone. I still think we have to give Ubaldo a few more starts before we think about sending him out.

He;s been around too long to be overthrowing when things get tough. If he can get ahead on the count, he can finish hitters up, if his stuff is actually any good. They won't give up on him for quite some time, I'm sure, but if there were a way to send him to Columbus or Akron or extended spring training that would be a great option.