Ryan

Giving Radke four inches on the outside corner should be criminal. Given Radke’s surgical control, he didn’t really have to throw a real strike all game, especially to left-handers. That Jody Gerut was able to single on an “outside” strike was a testament to how he’s swinging. The strike was the same for both pitchers, but Cliff Lee didn’t have the control to take advantage of it. Lee will lapse into stretches where he can’t throw his off-speed pitches for strikes, and against a fastball-hitting lineup, that’s a recipe for disaster. Of course, Ben Broussard’s physical and Lee’s mental error in the fourth inning probably cost the team four runs. Those four runs were more than enough for Radke and the Twins bullpen. Torii Hunter’s other two RBI came on a bloop “double;” the ball dropped between Jhonny Peralta and Jody Gerut in shallow left field. I thought Gerut should have made the catch, but Peralta was there to make the play.

Placed OF Juan Gonzalez on the 15-day Disabled List (hamstring)
Reinstated OF Coco Crisp from the 15-day Disabled List

Crisp is back after only 15 days, and is starting in center field today. According to Tom Hamilton, Coco is wearing a brace on his right hand, but is otherwise ready to go. That’s a huge boost to the lineup, because it makes Blake a backup.

And just I’m writing this, Coco Crisp just took Santana deep. Welcome back, Coco!

Well, sticking to last year’s script, the Indians have made it back to .500 after a bad start. This time, though, the pitching is what helped them there. Although I’m seeing some good things from the offense; Victor Martinez is starting to hit the ball with some authority, and Travis Hafner seems locked in again. Carlos Silva was leaving the ball up all night, and he really should have been charged with more runs than he allowed. But that’s what happens when you ground into four double plays. CC Sabathia, who never seems in control of his stuff to start a game, settled down after a couple of rough early innings to get the win.

And then there’s Juan Gonzalez, who injured his hamstring running to first base on his first at-bat of the season. No, you can’t make this stuff up. I would guess someone like Ernie Young comes up for a week or so until Coco Crisp comes back. More importantly, this means a steady dose of Casey Blake and Aaron Boone in the lineup. I’m wishing for a trade (Rick mentioned Jonny Gomes, who looks to be caught up in a numbers game in Tampa), and I’ve already shown support for bring Placido Polanco in. With Ryan Ludwick on the block, it’s time to get creative. Although Ludwick wouldn’t be enough to get any of those two players in a one-for-one deal, the Indians have enough prospects where they could get a deal done.

As for short-term fixes, a couple of Buffalo veterens might be sufficient. Mike Kinkade, who can play third, first, and the outfield, is hitting .295/.382/.511 for Buffalo with pretty good plate discipline (25 K to 16 BB). Ernie Young is having a great first half, hitting .316/.417/.612 with 13 home runs.

Tonight’s game (Lee vs. Radke) might mean the difference between a series win or loss, for the Indians have Scott Elarton going up against Johan Santana on Thursday.

When I heard that the Royals were interviewing bench coach Buddy Bell, I didn’t give it much thought. “After all,” I thought, why would the Royals hire a guy who was a complete bust during both of his coaching stints?”

It appears that I gave Royals management a bit too much credit; they have hired Bell as their new full-time manager, giving him a contract through 2007. Now don’t get me wrong, Bell is probably a great guy to have around a team. But you can’t tell me that he was the best option available. Grady Little, Bobby Valentine, or Davey Johnson would have been much better choices in my opinion. Ken Rosenthal summed things up nicely in regards to Bell:

Buddy Bell is a curious choice to manage the Royals.

Curious, because Bell was fired by the Tigers after growing frustrated in a low-payroll situation and engaging in a personality conflict with general manager Randy Smith.

Curious, because Bell reacted in similar fashion when his next team, the Rockies, went backwards, leading to a breakdown in communication with G.M. Dan O’Dowd and another dismissal.

In the article, Mark Shapiro said some nice things about Bell, but really, was he going to rip on him? For the role Bell played with the Indians, I didn’t have problem with him. Would I want him as the manager of the team? Hell no. I’d rather go with an organizational guy like Wedge or someone with a good record somewhere else.

In other, more predictable, news:

Reinstated OF Juan Gonzalez from the 15-day Disabled List
Designated OF Ryan Ludwick for Assignment

I understand why this move was made; however, I don’t like it. Ludwick, who probably isn’t a starting outfielder at this point, is a great player to have on a roster to play against left-handers or pinch-hit late in the game. Ryan wasn’t going to get a real opportunity anymore with the Indians, not with the current outfield situation, but that didn’t make him a bad guy to have on your bench. Instead, the Indians will probably make Casey Blake the fourth outfielder, and continue to trot out Aaron Boone everyday. Yes, Boone may be gone when Coco Crisp comes back, but the timing on the two moves should have been reversed; Boone should have gone first, and then Ludwick.

Will the Indians get anything for Ludwick? Probably yes, given what Ludwick can do. USS Mariner and Lone Star Ball both want their respective teams to claim Ludwick on waivers, and there’s a bunch of other clubs who could use Ludwick.

I’ve gotten a bit behind in the organization’s transactions, so here’s two weeks’ worth:

Placed RHP Kevin Millwood on the Disabled List (groin)

You never know with injuries like groin or hamstring pulls, but Millwood shouldn’t be out for an appreciable amount of time. Millwood has been impressive so far this season, and it should go without saying that he’s a key piece to any possible playoff push.

Recalled LHP Brian Tallet from Buffalo
Promoted LHP Billy Traber to Buffalo (AAA) from Akron (AA)

Tallet hasn’t pitched since his recall (although he has been seen throwing in the bullpen), but he should get a start sometime in the Chicago series. Jason Davis could take his spot, but Tallet’s numbers have been pretty good in Buffalo; he allowed only 36 hits in his 46.1 innings while with the Bisons. In 2003, Tallet and fellow left-hander Billy Traber went under the knife for Tommy John surgery; Tallet looks to be ahead of Traber, but Billy is now at Buffalo, taking Tallet’s spot in the rotation.

Promoted LHP Victor Kleine to Buffalo (AAA) from Extended Spring

Kleine now seems to be a full-time reliever. He regressed in 2004, posting a 4.95 ERA in Akron. He’s one of only six drafted in 2000 still with the team, and one of only three who have reached AAA (the other being Brian Tallet and Joe Inglett).

Reinstated RHP JD Martin from the Disabled List (AA)

Martin’s back from an “minor” elbow injury. JD, before landing on the DL, was in the midst of a breakout year, striking out 40 and walking 4 in 29 innings. If I had to redo my prospect rankings today, he’d be behind only Adam Miller and Fernando Cabrera as far as pitching prospects are concerned. Speaking of Miller, he’s been throwing in Extended Spring, and he should be pitching with the Scrappers when short-season ball starts. After that, I’d assume he’d go to Kinston or Akron. That’s good news.

Promoted RHP Tom Mastny to Akron (AA) from Kinston (A+)

Mastny has started only one game this season, so the Indians are probably trying to move him up the organization via the bullpen.

Placed Michael Aubrey on the Disabled List (AA – back)

Aubrey was posting decent numbers (.288/.345/.471) before the injury. It doesn’t appear serious, but when little injuries start piling up like this, it may be a sign a lack of durability. Aubrey missed the latter part of 2004 with a hamstring injury, and part of 2003 with a quad pull.

Promoted OF Brian Barton to Lake County (A-) from Extended Spring

Barton was an undrafted free agent from Miami (FL), and it appears that the Sally League is a bit too easy for him; he’s hitting .400/471/.667 in 60 at-bats.

Released LHP Derrick Van Dusen from Akron (AA)

And thus, the last link from the Brian Giles trade has left the organization. If you don’t recalled the entire chain, here’s a refresher:

1. OF Brian Giles traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for LHP Ricardo Rincon
2. LHP Ricardo Rincon traded to the Oakland Athletics for IF Marshall McDougall
3. IF Marshall McDougall traded to the Texas Rangers for LHP Derrick Van Dusen

Signed SS Jose Chavez and RHP Carlton Smith to minor-league contracts

Both are “draft and follow” signings, meaning that both were drafted in 2004 by the Indians, went to a junior college, and signed before the 2005 draft. Smith looks to be the bigger signing; he’s the younger brother of Corey Smith. Chavez looks like a good-field, no-hit shortstop to me.

And finally…now that I’ve gotten my hands on a 2005 media guide, I’ve added years of service, 2005 salaries, and other useful information to my Options/Salary page. It’s a geocities page, so just click on the “>>” tab to get rid of the advertisement. The page now includes everyone currently on the 40-man roster.

Watching this weekend’s series, beyond getting a first-hand of how bad the Oakland Athletics are, I saw the potential for the team, with the addition of a big bat, to have a shot of at least the wild card. Now I have no idea if the White Sox will continue to win at their current pace (though as I speak the Rangers are doing a number on Jon Garland), but a 10-game lead is a huge obstacle to overcome no matter how early in the season it is.

Where would this “big bat” come from? Some think it will be Juan Gonzalez. Juan is probably going to start in right field in Minnesota, so he’s the first contestant, although all indications show that Ryan Ludwick, not Aaron Boone would be the one squeezed out. Ludwick, who will probably get snapped up on waivers, is a guy I’d much rather have in the lineup than Boone at this point. Shapiro has shown an ability to admit his mistakes (see Jeriome Robertson, Scott Stewart, and Jose Jimenez), and if there was an example of a sunk cost, Aaron Boone is it. Convincing Boone to go to Buffalo not only betters the offense by removing a everyday black hole, but it keeps Ludwick around until Coco Crisp returns. Moving Casey Blake back to third isn’t something I’m really enthused about, but I think the circumstances really dictate it.

Then there’s the trade route. At the time of this writing, there probably isn’t much the Indians could get besides an outright salary dump (Preston Wilson?), but there are a couple intriguing possibilities:

1. Placido Polanco. The Phillies have no real use for him; in fact, they didn’t expect him to be back this season. Philadelphia offered him arbitration in the offseason, figuring they’d get a compensatory draft pick when he signed with another team. Imagine their surprise when Polanco accepted arbitration. Given what’s happened to Boone, getting someone who can play third base well and hit well enough for a third baseman would be a nice fit for the team. The Phillies don’t really need him, and it wouldn’t take all that much to get him.

2. Joe Randa. You all probably know about what Randa does to Indian pitching. With the Reds already 13 games out from the division-leading Cardinals, they may start dealing some of their upcoming free agents. Randa isn’t a spectacular offensive talent, but he’s a solid fit down in the order. He’s also a pretty good defender at the hot corner, and he obviously knows the pitching in the AL Central. The Reds are looking for pitching, and a mid-level prospect should be enough to get him.

You could also take advantage of your outfielder crunch by dealing someone. While Juan Gonzalez is only a short-term fix, Jody Gerut, Coco Crisp, Ryan Ludwick, Caey Blake, and Grady Sizemore are all inexpensive and are under the Indians’ control for the next 3-4 years. Ludwick is a guy I would think several teams might be after, and if one of them has a third baseman they’d like to deal, it might turn into a win-win trade. Neither the Phillies or Reds really need a right-handed outfielder, though. Either way, the Indians should be able to get something for Ludwick, if in fact he’s the one tossed to the curb.

You could say that Victor Martinez v. 2004 would be that addition if he can climb out of his season-long slump from the left side of the plate. He pulled the ball with authority for the first time in quite a while, hitting a double and a home run off of Oakland starter Seth Etherton. That’s a great sign, and probably even more significant than the Indians’ 6-2 win. In order for the Indians to have any shot at the playoffs, Victor has to start hitting from the left side of the plate. Given that the Indians have a very important six game stretch on the road against the Twins and White Sox, ending his skid now becomes that much more important.

But I think that any of these moves is predicated on Aaron Boone’s absence from the lineup. If you can’t send him down, at the very least sit him on the bench and throw Casey Blake or Jose Hernandez out there at third. Time is of essence, and regardless of what move Mark Shapiro makes, it’ll be a tough one. Hopefully he decides to bite the bullet and either demote or release Aaron Boone.

Ok, perhaps it is time to quit pretending that Aaron Boone will hit again. Last night, Boone was the difference between winning a four-game series and merely treading water.

Of course, the entire series was fantastic. Three straight extra-inning games, all four games decided in the teams’ last at-bat, and fantastic pitching performances made the series seem more like an October matchup rather than a weekday series in May. No, it didn’t get top-billing on SportsCenter (remind me why I even bother to watch that show?), but for pure entertainment purposes, you couldn’t beat it. CC Sabathia recovered from a three-run fourth to go 8.2 innings to allow the team to not only stay in the ballgame, but have a chance to win it.

[Start Tangent]

Permit me to engage in a tangent. This isn’t really targeted at ESPN per se, but they as the largest and most influencial sports network is most reponsible for the complete dumbing-down of sports shows. Instead of showing, you know, highlights, SportsCenter would rather bombard its viewers with “breakdowns” of the highlights, which are essentially an analyst telling the viewing what they would have seen if the actual highlight was shown. “Harold Reynolds shows you how to turn a double play! Joh Kruk tells you who’s good!” I guess it’s one thing if the talking heads have a track record of intelligent comments and ideas, but quite another if the only reason for being on the show is their affable personality or everyman-type banter. Which is why I don’t watch Baseball Tonight if Mssrs. Kruk and Reynolds are on. Just because someone had success on the field doesn’t mean that they’re good at talking about the game away from the diamond. Think of this Player-Analyst complex as a parallel to the Player-Manager priniciple; some of the best managers in history had little to no major-league experience. The cult of personality that seems to permeate ESPN reaches its apex with characters like Kruk and Reynolds spouting platitudes and cliches, but unforrtunately does not stop there; try watching their college football studio shows. For that matter, try watching Stephen A. Smith’s (or as Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert likes to call him, John A. Doe) rants.

[End Tangent]

When the Indians activate Juan Gonzalez (which could be prior to the start of their upcoming road trip), they should send Aaron Boone down. Or bench him. Casey Blake is currently posting a .708 OPS, which is pretty bad for a right fielder, but compared to Boone’s .486 OPS, it looks positively Ruthian. This team needs offense, and for right now, I’ll take a drop-off in defense at third in order to get it. Jody Gerut and Grady Sizemore are hitting well in left and center, and adding Juan Gonzalez would help greatly to stabilize the lineup, probably moving Victor Martinez down in the order.

CF Sizemore
3B Blake
DH Hafner
RF Gonzalez
1B Broussard
C Martinez
LF Gerut
2B Belliard
SS Peralta

His opposite-field hit against Joe Nathan notwithstanding, Martinez has simply been awful against right-handed pitching thus far. I think he’ll figure out his swing eventually, but the team simply can’t afford for him to be hitting cleanup while he does it. The good news for Martinez is that he gets to face Barry Zito tonight.

I was able to get to the Jake for the first this year, and I picked a great night to go. Thanks to the Pepsi can promotion, I got a pretty good bleacher seat for $6. Parking was $3, so if you add in the gas spent getting to the ballpark, the total cost was a little over $12. Not bad at all.

The ballgame itself was a typical Indians game; good pitching, little to no hitting. The Twins gave the Indians a run in the 7th when left fielder Lew Ford flat-out dropped a fly ball. Aaron Boone, who seems to be hitting the ball better, drove Gerut home later in the inning with a 400-foot sacrifice to center. And that was it until the 9th inning, when the Twins brought in closer Joe Nathan with a one-run lead. Several fans were leaving the ballpark at that point, and for good reason; he hadn’t given up a run to the Indians in his previous three appearances. Unfortunately, the fans who left after the top of the ninth were kicking themselves when they got into their cars and turned on the radio; Ben Broussard hit the first pitch he saw into the seats. Tie game.

The Indians’ bullpen had been worked hard in the past couple days, and when Kevin Millwood left the game in the fifth with a strained groin (although I feared the worst – an arm injury – when he hunched over on the mound), a tired pen had to pitch 4.1 innings. And for the most part, the relievers did their jobs. Betancourt, who was brought in without throwing in the bullpen, got the Indians to the 7th inning. Matt Miller was very good yet again, but Arthur Rhodes, pitching for the third straight day, was hit hard. Torii Hunter (who essentially was the Twins offense) doubled, and Jacque Jones singled him in. Just like that, the Twins had a 2-1 lead, and three outs from winning the game.

In the 10th, the Indians did what they couldn’t do in the 9th; Victor Martinez drew a walk, Grady Sizemore bunted him to second, and Travis Hafner blooped a single to left for the win.

With Millwood likely heading to the Disabled List, Brian Tallet should be the first to be called up, although the team may bring up a reliever to help in the bullpen. Fernando Cabrera could fill that role until Millwood’s spot in the rotation comes up. Or Kaz Tadano could be called up to provide some length.

Humpty Wickman delivered the ball,
Humpty Wickman had a great fall.
But all the Twins’ runners,
And all the Twins’ hitters,
Couldn’t score with men on base yet again

Seriously, I have no idea how Bob Wickman saves games, but I guess some mysteries are better left unaswered.

Exhibit A in the volatility of bullpens are the 2004 and 2005 versions for the Indians. Arthur Rhodes and Scott Sauerbeck really consolidated the pen, and adding Matt Miller gives Eric Wedge a veritable Swiss Army knife to use as he sees fit. Do you need a sidearming left-hander to confound Justin Morneau? Bring in Scott Sauerbeck. How about a sidearming right-hander to get guys like Torii Hunter and Lew Ford? Call in Matt Miller. What about a power right-hander? You have David Riske and Bob Howry. The total price tag for the bullpen? If you count what the Pirates are paying for Rhodes, it comes to about $8M.

I don’t think the Twins got the memo about Scott Elarton:

Elarton vs. Minnesota: 3.35
Elarton vs. Everyone Else: 5.38

Still, his performance last night may have bought him another 4-5 starts, which is bad news for Brian Tallet.

A piece of great news: Coco Crisp is only out 2-3 weeks instead of 3 months. Which makes the outfield situation even more interesting. You have Jody Gerut, Coco Crisp, Ryan Ludwick, Casey Blake, and Juan Gonzalez, all of whom have limitations, and all of whom have some redeeming value. If I were Mark Shapiro, I’d try to get 2-3 weeks of production out of Juan, and then pawn him off on somebody else in exchange for a prospect or two. But as we saw before, these logjams have a habit of working themselves out. But as of now, the Indians have too many marginal talents, so there may some opportunities for a trade.

…was Designated for Assignment by the Reds today. Given his 2005 salary ($6.25M), the Reds will most likely release him.

Apparently the last straw was an obscene gesture towards a fan, but I’d also think that giving up five runs to the Indians in Sunday’s game had a bit to do with it.

Graves has been a completely different pitcher after starting 26 games for the Reds in 2003. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him resurface as a competant middle reliever someone else. Of course, if his agent has an ounce of sense in him, he’d be in contact with Atlanta GM John Scheurholz by now.

“You’re never as good or bad as you think you are.”

Over this weekend, I’ve taken a look into the statistics to see how the Indians stack up compared to the rest of the American League. Here’s what I found:

Runs Scored – Last (168)
OPS – 10th (.708)
Home Runs – 6th (46)
Walks – 9th (122)
RC/27 – 10th (4.12)

Team ERA – 5th (3.83)
K/9 – 3rd (6.53)
Opp. OPS – 2nd (.685)
WHIP – 3rd (1.23)
HR Allowed – 8th (39)

Starter ERA – 9th (4.63)
Reliever ERA – 1st (2.41)

Obviously those numbers tell you the offense has been bad, although not as bad as the runs indicate. The team hits for power; the biggest problem is getting on base to begin with. Of course having Victor Martinez, Aaron Boone, and Casey Blake in the lineup everyday is going to hurt the team. The addition of Juan Gonzalez in a couple weeks might help a bit, but the current middle of the order has to pick things up offensively, because to this point, a stellar bullpen has kept the team with shouting distance of .500. The pitching has been pretty solid, especially in the past couple of weeks, so there’s still some hope, although the White Sox have to fall precipitously in the next couple months for the Indians to have any hope of catching them.

With the Twins and White Sox on the schedule 10 times between now and June 15th, the Indians still can get back into the race. But the margin for error is really slim.

I like to stay away from these types of articles for the most part, but this particular one is a gem. It’s by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, who put before himself the task of determining what ails the bottom third of baseball. Of course the Indians were among the bottom ten in baseball, and his solution? Well, I’ll let him tell you:

Shapiro really needs to look at his manager, Eric Wedge, who hasn’t been able to inspire this team. A young team with so much unfulfilled talent needs a proven major league manager who can show it how to win – a cache Wedge lacks. Piniella would be perfect, if available. Jim Leyland is right now.

Fantastic! All the Indians need to win is a new manager. And Lou Piniella, currently of the 15-30 Devil Rays, is the perfect man for the job. I’m not a regular reader of the Daily News, but the article actually made Bud Shaw look sane. Talent is what wins ballgames, but when talent isn’t present, it’s always the manager’s fault. And of course it’s a lot easier for a columnist to simply blame the manager than actually come up with another way to fix a team’s bad play. Some other gems:

On the Pirates:

The management team of Dave Littlefield and Lloyd McClendon is sound, but they’ll never succeed with this penurious ownership – a travesty for a great baseball town.

On the Mariners:

GM Bill Bavasi hired a retread manager in laid-back Mike Hargrove last winter – a supposed “safe” pick – and this team has responded accordingly.

On the Reds:

You get what you pay for and Dave Miley, a nice guy who at $400,000 is the lowest salaried manager in baseball, clearly does not have this team’s respect.