Cleveland Sports Forum

A real "feel good" story from Cincy:

Todd Frazier’s home run was a request by Ted Kremer

04/18/13 at 10:59pm by C. Trent Rosecrans


Cincinnati Reds guest bat boy Ted Kremer waves to fans that chanted his name after their game against the Miami Marlins. (The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger) MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME
Apparently what Ted Kremer wants, Ted Kremer gets.

Serving as the Reds batboy on Thursday, Kremer asked for two things — 11 strikeouts for free pizza and a Todd Frazier home run. He got both.

“He’s so funny, he said, ‘C’mon, hit me a home run, I love you.’ I said, ‘I love you too, I’ll hit you one,’” Frazier recalled after the team’s 11-1 victory over the Marlins.

And what happens? This.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2013/0 ... dy-kremer/


Frazier’s 421-foot shot on an 0-1 count in the sixth inning off of John Maine easily cleared the in center field, and even running around the bases, Frazier knew what was awaiting him at the plate.

“It was great how excited — that look,” Frazier said. “I started smiling even before I hit home plate because I knew it. They said he forgot to pick the bat up, so the umpire was yelling at him. It was such a great a great guy. You can’t get mad — even if you have a terrible day. How can you be mad when you’ve got a guy like that around?”

It took a little longer for his 11 strikeouts, but Kremer got those two when J.J. Hoover struck out former Red Chris Valaika to end the seventh, triggering the promotion from LaRosa’s that gives a free pizza to ticket holders of Thursday’s game.

“He kept saying, we’ve got to get 11,” Reds manager Dusty Baker. “He loves that pizza.”

And the Reds love him.

“Teddy’s awesome, this is the second time he’s been the batboy since I’ve been here,” shortstop Zack Cozart said. “Last year I think we hit like seven home runs when he was here and this year we get 11. He just brings a lot of joy, he’s always happy, running around, telling everyone ‘great job.’ He’s telling Frazier to hit a home run and he does it. It’s little stuff like that, he keeps the dugout pretty positive.”

ESPN had a TV crew in the dugout filming Kremer, so whenever that airs, they will likely have amazing footage to show to the already incredible story.

“It was pretty special and something I’ll always remember, because he’s such a nice guy,” Frazier said.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2013/0 ... dy-kremer/

Indians placed RHP Brett Myers on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm injury.
Myers left his last start because of forearm soreness, and the injury was apparently serious enough that he'll have to miss a few turns in the Indians rotation. Fernando Nieve was promoted to take his roster spot, and Corey Kluber will make Myers' next scheduled start against the White Sox on Wednesday.


Apr 21 - 12:00 PM

2 man 5-day rotation and half a dozen or so pitchers rotate through the rest of the starting assignments. What a mess! I had predicted Bauer and Carrasco would be part of the rotation by August; maybe I missed the mark by 3 months.

Indians activated RHP Matt Albers from the restricted list.
Albers was excused from the Indians for a week to be present for the birth of his child. He has allowed three earned runs in five innings of relief this season.

Apr 22 - 10:32 AM


Fernando Nieve - R - Indians
Indians designated RHP Fernando Nieve for assignment.
Nieve was only up with the Indians for about 22 hours. The righty did not make an appearance, and hasn't pitched in a major league game since the 2010 season.

Apr 22 - 10:30 AM

Indians Designate Fernando Nieve For Assignment

By Steve Adams [April 22 at 9:31am CST]

The Indians announced that they have designated right-hander Fernando Nieve for assignment in order to clear roster space for Matt Albers (Twitter link).

Nieve, 30, was signed to a minor league deal this past November. Nieve was called up after Albers was placed on the restricted list (which does not count against a team's 40-man roster) to tend to a family emergency. He did not appear in a game for the Tribe in his brief time at the MLB level.

Nieve has a career 4.61 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 185 2/3 innings for the Astros and Mets. He has not appeared in a Major League game since the 2010 season.

Brett Myers has been diagnosed with a mild tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
That type of injury can often lead to Tommy John surgery, but it's not a consideration at this time. Myers was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday morning and won't pick up a baseball for the next two weeks. There is obviously no timetable for his return.


Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer Apr 22 - 1:05 PM

Cleveland Indians' RHP Brett Myers has strained ligament in elbow, won't throw for 2 weeks
by Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

4/22/2013 1:01 PM


CHICAGO, Illinois -- Sunday's MRI and exam of Brett Myers' right elbow in Cleveland revealed tendinitis and a mild strain (tear) of the ulnar collateral ligament. Myers won't be able to throw for two weeks.
The Indians placed Myers on the disabled list Sunday after watching him pitch five innings in a 3-2 loss to Houston on Friday. Corey Kluber has taken his spot in the starting rotation and will start Wednesday against Chicago.
In four appearances, Myers is 0-3 with a 8.02 ERA. He has allowed the most homers (10) and earned runs (19) in the big leagues this year. He is the first pitcher in history, according to Elias Sports Bureau, to surrender 10 homers in his first four appearances with a new team.
The three runs Myers allowed in Friday's loss came on consecutive homers in the second inning. In the fifth inning, Myers velocity dropped about 5 mph on all his pitches after he gave up a leadoff single. Manager Terry Francona, pitching coach Brett Myers and Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, rushed to the mound to see if he was all right.
Myers retired the next three batters, but was done for the night. After the game, he told reporters he'd been suffering from tendinitis in his flexor tendon since spring training.
On Saturday the Indians said they were sending Myers to Cleveland to get an MRI on his elbow.
When Kluber pitches Wednesday, he'll be the Indians' eight different starter.

Myers is done. UCL= Tommy John

Might just as well put $8M in a trash can and burn it.

I want to know who, in the Tribe organization, thought a pitcher that couldn't start for Houston was worth $8M and could start for the Tribe.

Probably the same geek that thought Ubaldo was a steal.

Is John Hart still scouting pitchers?

What a joke.

I see you did not mention who signed Mark Reynolds ?

Guess that would have contradicted the intent of your post and sour grapes. Sad !

Is Reynolds going to pitch?

This year we added some real hitters.

Next year I expect us to add one or two real pitchers. Add them to Masterston and McAllister and Bauer and Carrasco and we will have a real rotation.

One step at a time.

KANSAS CITY -- Jason Giambi remembers a time not too long ago when having an opening gay teammate might not have gone over too well in a baseball clubhouse. The Indians' veteran believes those days are over.

On Monday, NBA player Jason Collins came out as the first active athlete to be openly homosexual in the four major American pro team sports. The 42-year-old Giambi said he believes Major League Baseball would be ready for a similar revelation from one of its players.

"I applaud him," Giambi said of Collins. "That's probably been weighing on his soul for a long time. I'm happy that he's happy, because life's tough enough. If that's what makes him happy, I'm excited for it. I definitely think times have changed, there's no doubt. There's a place for a gay baseball player, or an alternative lifestyle, however you want to put it. There's room.

"I know this is a good ol' boy's game, but it's definitely changed. Society has changed. People have opened themselves up more to it."

Cleveland reliever Vinnie Pestano called Collins courageous for coming out. The pitcher added that he would have no issues with having a gay teammate.

"If I had a gay teammate," Pestano said, "the only thing I'd worry about is can he hit, if he's a position player. Or does he get outs, if he's a pitcher. That's the only thing that matters to me. What somebody does in their own personal life is their business. It's not going to affect me. That's just how I feel about it."

Indians manager Terry Francona echoed that sentiment.

"I don't know if it's just our game of baseball," Francona said. "I think you're talking about life in general, which is probably more important. I've never thought about it, because if you have an Indians uniform on, and you can hit, or you can pitch, that's what we care about. That, and behaving yourself. That's what's important to me."

Giambi said baseball players might not have been as openly accepting 10-15 years ago.

"There's no doubt it'd be tougher," Giambi said "It was a different game back then. But I think the game is ready."

Good on Giambi and Francona. They're exhibiting a difficult kind of leadership for professional sports in general, and hopefully more leaders are doing the same.

Now, prepare for more announcements from other gay athletes since a certain 7 foot tall center has breached the dam. It really shouldn't be a big deal. I held different views for a long time but my kids taught me tolerance in this matter.

Final Score: Indians 14, Phillies 2

Win: Zach McAllister (2-3)

Loss: Roy Halladay (2-3)

Save: None

What went down: The Indians (11-13) offense powered the Tribe’s third straight win with five 2-run home runs (Carlos Santana, Mark Reynolds, Lonnie Chisenhall, Ryan Raburn and Michael Brantley) and two solo bombs (Raburn and Drew Stubbs). Philadelphia added two homers (Delmon Young and Chase Utley) to bring the game’s total to nine dingers. Phillies starter Roy Halladay was crushed in 3.2 innings, surrendering eight runs on nine hits.

On the bump: Zach McAllister was superb through seven frames, even though his offense did not leave him any reason for doubt. The righty virtually shut down the Phillies, giving up two home runs but limiting the damage to only two runs. He picked up his second win of the season and clinched his standing as the Tribe’s second best starter in April.

What it means: The offense has broken out in three straight ballgames by final totals of 10, 9 and 14. That is impressive considering the four games prior yielded totals of 3, 2, 2 and 0. Is it a sign of better days on the horizon? It could be. Cleveland possesses an extremely streaky starting nine that is fueled by home run power. When the Wahoos go deep, they roll. They will need to strive to be as consistent as they have been in the last three contests. However, this is more like the type of outbursts many expected entering the season.

It’s getting better: A big reason for a more consistent effort resides at the top of the lineup. Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera had struggled throughout April but both appear to be turning the corner. Cabrera extended his hit-streak to nine with a two-run single in the fourth inning, while Kipnis was 2-for-5 and has really picked it up with the stick (average up to .200). When both have life at the top of Terry Francona’s order, it gives the entire offense a different flavor.

Giambi Hustle: In the eighth inning of a 14-2 ballgame, Indians DH Jason Giambi dove into first base head-first for an infield single. Considering it was a 12-run lead for the Tribe, it was truly incredible to see Giambi display that much hustle on a virtually meaningless grounder that got away from Ryan Howard. It was a great example the veteran set for the younger players. "If you're a young player, after you watch that, if you don't run a ball out, you should be humiliated," Francona said.

Up Next:

Wednesday: 7:05PM – Phillies (Cliff Lee 2-1, 3.03) vs. Indians (Trevor Bauer 0-1, 5.40)

Bauer, LaPorta sent to Columbus, Wood to Akron

Matt LaPorta
By Tony Lastoria
May 2, 2013
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In a move that was expected, the Cleveland Indians today announced that right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. No corresponding roster move has been announced to replace him on the 25-man roster, but with an off day on Thursday, one is expected to be announced on Friday.

Bauer, 22, is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts for Cleveland and has allowed just three hits and has seven strikeouts in 10.0 innings of work, though has struggled with his command as he has 13 strikeouts. He returns to the Columbus rotation where the Indians will continue to work on his mechanics to improve his fastball command and have him ready for a callup when a starting needs arises in the near future.

With outfielder Michael Bourn still unable to play and set to go on a rehab assignment sometime next week, the Indians will need to add a player from Columbus. It remains to be seen if they will add a position player or add an eighth arm in the pen again, but the most likely option is lefty Scott Barnes or maybe even infielder Cord Phelps. Lefty Nick Hagadone is ineligible to be called up as he must spend at least 10 days in the minors after being optioned out on Wednesday.

The Indians also announced that right-hander Blake Wood is set to begin a major league rehab assignment on Saturday at Double-A Akron. He is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Unless he has a setback, after his 30-day rehab assignment ends he will be removed from the 60-day disabled list and added back as an active member on the 40-man roster. This means a player will need to be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for him. He does have an option remaining, so he does not need to be immediately activated and added to the Cleveland roster.

In other news, first baseman/outfielder Matt LaPorta has been activated on the Triple-A Columbus roster. He had been in extended spring training playing in games and working his was back from offseason hip surgery.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.