Smoke Signals 4/30: Do We Really HAVE To Talk Tribe?

Tonight Paul and I are back on the cyberwaves with another edition of Smoke Signals from 9:30-10:30pm. Right-handed pitcher Brian Grening will be our guest and will call in around 10:00pm. He is in extended spring training, so we will surely touch on that experience and part of the development process as well as talk about how things are going with him. E-mail address is smokesignals@theclevelandfan.com and the call in number is 646-716-8012 for those who want to vent on what was a terrible month of April for the Indians. I'd seriously rather have Jack Bauer torture me with a spork than watch them right now. That's how bad it is.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheClevelandFan/2009/05/01/Smoke-Signals

Also, as an FYI, Minor Happenings will post first thing tomorrow morning. Lots and lots to share, so trying to get it all together still. May have to break it into two pieces due to the length. The Director's Cut alone will be extremely long and an extended version this week as I had a chance to sit down with Ross Atkins for roughly 30 minutes during the game last night and just go back and forth about a ton of players. Off the top of my head I believe there will be as many as 12 players I have comments on, if not more.

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Game Recaps: Wednesday 4/29

The Columbus Clippers were off on Wednesday.

Aeros save lead late

Akron brought their bats to the yard and cracked 14 hits on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Harrisburg also brought their bats to the yard and cracked 19 hits.

The Aeros struck first blood by scoring two runs in the first when Carlos Santana reached on an error, scoring Carlos Rivera. Niuman Romero followed that up with a sacrifice fly, driving in Beau Mills, putting Akron on top 2-0.

Harrisburg tied it up in the top half of the third, which didn't last long. Romero doubled to right field in the bottom half of the third, driving in Santana, putting the Aeros back on top 3-2.

The Senators scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth, giving them a 5-3 lead.

Starter Josh Tomlin (2-1 4.87) pitched 4.1 innings on Wednesday, allowing 12 hits on the night, while giving up five earned runs and three walks. He also struck out three.

In the seventh, Akron finally took the lead again off an RBI double from Santana, an RBI base hit from the bat of Nick Weglarz, and another RBI base hit from Jerad Head, giving Akron a 6-5 advantage.

The Aeros scored another run in the eighth when Carlos Santana hit his second double of the day, which scored Jose Constanza.

The Senators didn't go down quitely. Vinnie Pestano was brought in to pitch the ninth and was immediately tested. The first batter up in the inning hit a double to center field. The next to batters went quitely before Ofilio singled to right, scoring a run. This didn't prove to be enough, as Harrisburg fell to the Aeros 7-6.

Steven Wright picked up his second win of the campaign, while Vinnie Pestano notched his ninth save of the year.

Beau Mills went three-for-five on the day, including two doubles. Carlos Santana also had two doubles on the day.

Long ball carries K-Tribe in win

Matt McBride continued swinging a hot bad on Wednesday, powering two balls over the wall, one in the third inning and the other in the fifth, going three-for-four on the day, while driving in four. His average now stands at .405, which ties him for second in the Carolina League.

Lonnie Chisenhall hit his fourth home run on the young season and drove in two.

Ronnie Martinez provided the other RBI for the K-Tribe.

Ryan Morris (1-2 3.38) went six strong innings, giving up three hits and two unearned runs, while walking only one and striking out four.

The K-Tribe defeated Salem 7-2.

Captains struggles continue

On some nights, five runs could be enough to win a ball game. However, this was not one of those nights for Lake County.

Abner Abreu's struggles at the plate continue, striking out for times on the day.

However, the Captains had a few bright spots. Chris Nash went two-for-two, driving in two. Karexon Sanchez, Nate Recknagel, and Adam White each went two-four-for on the day.

Starter T.J. McFarland (0-2 7.13) went 4.2 innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs. Michael McGuire (1-2 5.68) took the loss, allowing three hits and two runs.

The Captains fell to Hagerstown 7-5.

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Gomez Promoted

Today the Indians announced that RHP Jeanmar Gomez has been promoted from High-A Kinston to Double-A Akron. He will move into the rotation, and RHP Steven Wright for now is expected to move to the Akron bullpen.

No word yet on who is taking Gomez's vacant rotation spot in Kinston, but back in spring RHP Bryce Stowell told me he was supposed to be about ready at this time so he is a possibility to be activated from extended spring training. Also, it is possible RHP Joey Mahalic could be promoted from Low-A Lake County, and then one of RHP Danny Salazar or LHP Chris Jones could fill his spot in Lake County. More on this later.

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Game Recaps: Tuesday 4/28

Clippers Hang On To Win 5-3

For a moment, the Clippers hearts were in their throats watching what looked like a re-run of the last two games they had played. The ball was handed over to the bullpen with a four run lead, which quickly became a two run lead with the tying run in scoring position. Fortunately, someone changed the channel and the Clippers wound up with a 5-3 win over the Toledo Mud Hens to split a two-game series at Fifth Third Field.

The teams traded runs in the second inning and the Clippers broke the brief tie by scoring twice in the third. Josh Barfield plated Wes Hodges with a single and Jordan Brown followed with an RBI double that scored Luis Valbuena. Barfield was thrown out trying to score on the play.

Jeremy Sowers and Lucas French traded goose eggs until the sixth inning when Toledo went to the pen and Jordan Brown greeted Nick Regilio with a walk and Wyatt Toregas followed with his third home run of the season to make it a 5-1 game.

Sowers went seven innings, making way for Scott Reohl to start the eighth. Wilkin Ramirez began the frame with his fourth hit of the night, but Roehl struck out Mike Hessman and Brent Clevlen. With two outs, Brent Dlugach walked and Ryan Roberson doubled to make it 5-3. Rich Rundles replaced Roehl, but gave up a single to Don Kelly and walked Max St. Pierre to load the bases. Torey Lovullo went to the pen again for Matt Herges, who put out the fire by retiring Danny Worth to end the threat. Herges allowed a single in the ninth, but nothing more, nailing down his fourth save of the season and securing Sowers first win of 2009.

The Clippers are off Wednesday and resume action in Durham against the Bulls on Thursday. Jack Cassel will pitch the opener against James Houser.

Rondon Dominant, Aeros Hang On 3-2

AKRON, OH – Hector Rondon struck out a season-high nine batters and Erik Stiller tight-roped out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth as Akron nipped Harrisburg 3-2 before 1,481 fans at Canal Park Tuesday evening. The Aeros improved to a league-best 14-4 while the Senators fell to a league-worst 2-14 with their 10th straight loss.

Rondon and Harrisburg starter Justin Jones matched each other in fine fashion for the first half of the game before Akron finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. Niuman Romero led off with a single to left and Jones then grazed the right arm of Nick Weglarz with a pitch to put runners at first and second. Josh Rodriguez failed twice in his attempt to bunt the runners over, but with the green light in a two-strike count stroked a hustling RBI double to left-center to score Romero and make it 1-0. The Senators then drew the infield in against Mickey Hall, but Hall ripped a grounder to first that deflected off the glove of a sprawling Bill Rhinehart and trickled into right field as both runners came home to make it 3-0.

The Aeros wouldn’t get another hit the rest of the way, but it didn’t matter. Harrisburg got on the board in the seventh on a solo home run from former Aero Matt Whitney, and Stiller entered later in the frame and got Michael Martinez to ground out to end the inning with the two tying runs on base.

Stiller saved his best for the eighth however, finding immediate trouble as Mike Daniel led off with a single and Leonard Davis followed with a base hit to put men on the corners. Rhinehart then sent a drive to deep center that bounced off Hall’s glove for an error, scoring Daniel and putting runners at second and third with no outs in what was suddenly a one-run game. Stiller got a huge first out by striking out Whitney however, and after intentionally walking Marvin Lowrance to load the bases Stiller came back to punch out Edgardo Baez swinging and Ofilio Castro looking to escape the fire. Vinnie Pestano then needed just eight pitches in a perfect ninth inning to close out the win.

Rondon (4-0) won his fourth consecutive start to begin the year, allowing just a run on six hits over 6.2 innings for his first quality start of the season. He allowed only one walk while setting a new season-high for Aeros pitchers with his nine strikeouts, including seven of the first 11 hitters he faced. Jones (1-2) lost his second straight start to the Aeros, giving up all three runs and all four Akron hits in five innings. Pestano’s save was his league-leading eighth of the year. Hall finished 1-3 with two RBI to lead the way offensively.

Game two in this three-game series is set for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday, with Josh Tomlin (2-1, 3.38 ERA) starting for Akron against Senators lefty Ross Detwiler (0-2, 5.11 ERA).

K-Tribe Gets By Salem 3-2

A two-out, RBI double by Kinston’s Matt McBride drove home Cord Phelps in the bottom of the seventh inning leading the K-Tribe to a 3-2 victory over Salem on Tuesday night. With the win Kinston (10-9) is now tied with Salem (10-9) for first place at the top of the Carolina League Southern Division.

Kinston bolted out to a 2-0 lead with a two-out RBI single by McBride in the first inning and a two-out RBI single by Tim Fedroff in the second inning. McBride ended up 2-for-4 with two RBI’s and stays at the top of the Carolina League with 21 RBI on the season.

The score would stay tied until Salem catcher Luis Exposito blasted a two-run home run over the wall in the top of the fourth inning. Kinston would take the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh after Phelps drew a walk and scored from first on a McBride double to the wall.

Contributing greatly to the win was a couple of fantastic defensive plays and great bullpen work. With a runner on third base and the game tied at two in the top of the seventh, second baseman Cord Phelps made a fantastic backhanded play behind second, throwing off balance to get Kristopher Negron and end the inning. In the top of the eighth inning with two outs and a man on third base Kinston right fielder Matt Brown tracked down a long fly ball on the warning track in right center, stranding the potential tying run.

Jonathan Holt, Mike Pontius, Matt Meyer and Dallas Cawiezell combined for seven innings of three hit ball from the bullpen after starter Zach Putnam left the game after two innings because of injury. Pontius (1-0) got the win, Cawiezell notched his first save of the season.

Putnam was struck in the hand on a terrible throw by catcher Alex Castillo who was trying to throw a runner out trying to steal second. He was removed for precautionary reasons because of some swelling after the initial contact and to get x-rays. Amazingly, he may be okay and just has some cuts and a broken finger nail or two. He is day-to-day.

Kinston has a quick turnaround playing Salem again at 11 AM on Wednesday morning. The Indians Ryan Morris will make the start on the mound at Historic Grainger Stadium.

Captains Shade the Suns 5-3

The Captains score three early runs and made them hold up on their way to their second straight win defeating the Hagerstown Suns 5-3 on Tuesday. This is the second time this year that the Captains have won two games in a row.

After not scoring a run off of Sun starter Brad Peacock on opening day, the Captains jumped on him in the first inning scoring three times. Nate Recknagel stayed hot driving in Donnie Webb with a two out single and Jeremie Tice drove in Recknagel hitting with his second home run of the year and the Captains led 3-0. The Captains added a run in the top of the fourth inning when Recknagel led off the inning with his first home run of the year and it was 4-0.

The Suns got to Captains starter Alexander Perez putting up a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Sandy Leon and added a run in the fifth inning when Steven Souza singled home a run and it was 4-2. The Suns scored a run off of Captains reliever David Roberts when Ronnie LaBrie singled home Derek Norris in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it 4-3.

The Captains added an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning when Adam White singled home Adam Abraham to raise the lead to 5-3.

Captain’s starter Alexander Perez did not qualify for a win lasting 4.2 innings and allowed the two runs on five hits, walking four and striking out a season high tying seven. Roberts picked up his first win pitching 2.1 innings of relief allowing the one run and striking out five. Matt Langwell hurled the last two innings and picked up his first save of the year.

The Suns started Brad Peacock and he took the loss pitching 5.1 innings and allowing four seven hits, walking two and striking out four.

The Captains and Suns wrap up the three game series on Wednesday at 10:35 AM with Captains sending LHP T.J. McFarland (0-2, 6.92) to the mound against LHP Jack McGeary (0-1, 6.59) for Hagerstown.

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Roster Moves

As noted in the message board last night, RHP Randy Newsom was promoted to Triple-A Columbus today, and he takes the place of INF Andy Cannizaro who was transferred to Mahoning Valley. Also RHP Paolo Espino was transferred back to Low-A Lake County, and RHP Steven Wright was moved off the Mahoning Valley list. Espino had been added to the Akron roster for bullpen help and Wright was sent to Mahoning Valley as a paper move. No word yet on who is replacing Newsom on the Akron roster.

Edit: Another move was announced today in Lake County as LHP Russell Young was promoted to Kinston and RHP Eddie Burns was called up to Lake County from extended spring training.

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Huff Gets Help From Brother, Coaches With Struggles

Left-hander David Huff is a high profile draft pick selected by the Indians in the 1^st round of the 2006 Draft who really broke onto the scene last year. After going 11-5 with a 2.52 ERA in 27 combined starts at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo in 2008, he solidified himself as a top starting pitching prospect in all of baseball ready to take the leap to the big leagues sometime this season.

In the offseason, the Indians said there would be an open competition in spring training between Huff and fellow lefties Jeremy Sowers, Zach Jackson, Scott Lewis and Aaron Laffey for the fifth and final spot in the rotation. While he was in the mix to make the Indians rotation out of spring training, he was never really seriously considered for the rotation spot given that he was the only one out of the five pitchers who was not already on the 40-man roster. Given that the Indians had other options to turn to with the four other lefties, there was no need to rush Huff and start his service clock. Instead, the Indians decided that he could go to Triple-A Columbus and finish a few things off and potentially be a call up option later in the year when injuries or performance issues ultimately create a need in the big league rotation.

Even still, it was Huff's first big league spring training experience, and the exposure to the big league side of things from the coaching staff, front office, players and atmosphere will help keep him more at ease the next time he joins the big league club.

"It was my first big league camp," said Huff in an interview at new Huntington Park in Columbus. "It was a great experience and I loved it. The guys are great up there, and they make it real comfortable for newcomers. All in all I had fun with it. I am looking to next year and hopefully I will be there again."

When spring training broke, the Indians departed for Texas to open their season while Huff and a cast of several other hot prospects caught a flight for Columbus in the hopes of getting that "call" soon from the big league club. The Indians told him to "be ready".

Coach Assitance

Since the start of the minor league season the Indians prized left-handed pitcher is off to a solid start to the 2009 season with a 3-0 record and 4.09 ERA in three starts for Columbus. While the numbers are solid, Huff is not pitching up to the standards that the Indians, fans, and he himself hold him up to.

"If you look at his numbers, I am sure they are not as good as he wants them to be," said Columbus Manager Torey Lovullo. "But he is 3-0, and he has kept us in the ballgames that he has pitched in. He has made big pitches when he has had to. When his back is against the wall he has that one main ingredient that you can count on. He is not gonna back down; he is going to execute his game plan."

The area of Huff's game he has struggled with the most in the early going has been his command, which is what is considered one of his best attributes. His ability to command three pitches and throw quality strikes is a big reason he is so effective and dominant, but his lack of the pinpoint command he usually has is what has hurt him in the early going. As a result, he has allowed more walks and is giving up more home runs. Coming into the season, Huff had a 2.25 BB/9 average and 0.7 HR/9 average, but in his first three starts this year he has allowed nine walks (3.68 BB/9) and four home runs (1.64 HR/9).

The command issues are partly the result of a setback he had in spring where he came down with tendonitis in his left elbow which sidelined him for a short time and resulted in him having to take it easy for a few weeks. As a result he fell a little behind and his mechanics got a little off track.

"For me personally," said Huff, "I maybe pressed a little bit [in spring training] because I was thinking ‘I am the new guy, I need to show everything, and I need to be perfect here'. That's probably a reason maybe why I cam down with the tendonitis. And that was the main thing when they sent me down, as they were like ‘we just want you to be healthy for the season, we don't want you to be nursing this injury for weeks or months. We want you to get healthy and get after it in Triple-A'."

While the tendonitis has subsided and he is 100%, now it is just about getting his mechanics ironed out to get that sharp control back to form, something the Columbus coaching staff is working on with him daily.

"His fastball command has just been okay," said Lovullo. "We want to see him get ahead of hitters, we want to see him be aggressive on both sides of the plate with his fastball, and then work in that secondary stuff. The secondary stuff has always been there. He is always constantly tweaking and moving some things around, but we are looking for him to get into a little bit of a rhythm and finalizing his delivery."

No one knows Huff more in the entire system than Columbus Pitching Coach Scott Radinsky as he has worked with Huff every year since coming on as a pitching coach with the Indians in 2005. Radinsky worked with Huff most of last season at Buffalo, so he and Huff have experience working with one another and are commonly on the same page.

"We are just trying him to get him to stay under control and are not really changing anything," said Radinsky. "He has a tendency to fall off to third base. It is more him being conscious of it than reinventing anything. I just want him to be consistent as a pitcher so he can go out and have success be it here or wherever."

Now that he has recovered from the bicep tendonitis, one small adjustment the Indians have made with Huff is getting him to shorten his stride during his delivery.

"I'm kind of varying it up," said Huff. "I am trying to get more usage out of my legs and core. Sometimes I stride too far where I need to shorten it up, and I am in kind of a transition where I am too short now where I am using too much of my arm and upper body. I kind of need to lengthen it out just a little bit now to get the ample amount of power out of my legs. My first pitch strike percentage right now is terrible. It usually is at 75-80% but it has gone down to about 55-60%. So I want to get that better too."

Fine-tuning his stride has had an affect on his control, which is a reason he has had some early issues with his command. A byproduct of the change in his stride is he has started to become a bit rotational, which means he is over-rotating his hips and falling to the third base side. Huff is always cognizant of his mechanics and makes many adjustments in-game, and it is something he is working through.

"Yeah, I will notice things like the way I am finishing where I am finishing to third base and I will say to myself ‘okay, I am finishing to third base, I am rotational, and I need to check myself'," said Huff. "There are three main things I am looking for when I am going through my delivery. If I am hitting those three things, then I am good, but if I am missing one I am missing them all. It is kind of like a checklist."

When a pitcher gets rotational, his mechanics suffer. It is like a domino effect, because when the mechanics start to go south, the first two things to go are usually command and velocity.

"Yeah, when something is wrong with your mechanics, your velocity goes down, your location, and your pitches are inconsistent," said Huff. "You start noticing you are finishing high, you are releasing the ball early, and you are over-compensating to release the ball down and in, and that shouldn't happen. Those are huge indicators that you see and realize you need to make adjustments."

Brotherly Advice

Huff comes from a family that is full of baseball enthusiasts. Baseball has been a huge part of the life of his family for almost a quarter century because of Dave and his older brother Tim playing since they were young children.

The relationship that Huff shares with his older brother Tim is unique. Tim serves in some ways as a personal pitching coach and motivator for Dave. Tim watches every start, and being a former college pitcher and a student of the game who was taught well by the likes of Dave Snow (Long Beach State) and Mike Mayne (Orange Coast College), he offers insight that Dave considers invaluable.

Dave has always followed his brother Tim around like a shadow since his childhood days, and it is one of the big reasons for his high maturity level. Instead of playing with kids his age, when Dave was seven or eight he would hang out with all of Tim's friends even though most were three to five years older than him. This propensity to hang around older people still lives on today, as you'll often see Dave hanging out with the older guys in the clubhouse. Last year at Buffalo it was 36-year old John Halama, and now this year it is 39-year old Matt Herges.

Tim pays special attention to his younger brother's mechanics, and can often ride him pretty hard after an outing, but it is just some tough brotherly love.

"I am very different from Dave as he is more laid back and processes things differently than I do," said Tim Huff. "Where my mom and dad candy coats everything and if you need a hug you go to them, I am very blunt about things and very to the point. That being said, while I am a little more volatile and say what I feel right away we usually give it a couple days if it is a bad outing. I know when to pick and choose what things I say to him. Obviously, the message needs to be positive in some way, so as much as I tell him he needs to work on this or that, there are things in the outing that are good. I think that is what makes it work because he can go to my parents and get the hug, but if he wants real advice that is not candy-coated and 'oh Dave you are one of our top prospects', he comes to me."

Tim catches things to correct or focus on to help ensure Dave improves his chances of making it to the big leagues and sustaining success. Dave understands that while his brother may be very hard on him at times that he also welcomes it as he trusts his brother's advice and honestly.

"He just has keys, certain verbal things he says that just triggers something in my mind," said Dave about his brother Tim's involvement with his pitching. "Rad (Scott Radinsky) is great, he is awesome. He is a left-handed pitcher, so it doesn't get any better than that. As far as my brother goes, he has seen me my entire life. He knows when I am going right, he knows when I am going bad, he knows when there is just a little thing that needs to be tweaked and he knows what it is."

Tim Huff played baseball all throughout college at Cypress Junior College, Chapman University and Long Beach State. Tim could have signed and continued his baseball career as a professional, but he instead wanted to focus on business and went back to school at Chapman for a master's degree in business. While he has never considered going into coaching, his expertise in pitching comes from his ability to soak in everything he has learned over the years from playing.

"It is good have video now of the games [in Triple-A]," continued Dave. "I end up finishing a game and I have ten texts on my phone saying ‘FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!' It's great, he sees what I am doing and he knows what is going on. He has that personal experience as he went through it and he knows what is going on so he kind of guides me a little bit."

Some may be wondering how the Indians feel about Tim's involvement with his brother Dave from a pitching aspect. In addition to Radinsky, the Indians have many coaches working with Dave throughout the year and helping coach him up and pointing out mechanical issues as well as other things. With the Indians saying one thing and Tim potentially saying another thing, there is potential that an inconsistent message is relayed to Dave from both parties. But according to both brothers, the Indians are aware of Tim's involvement with Dave, and at least to this point have not had a problem with it.

"He is talking to me everyday about mechanics and stuff to work on," said Dave. "Like when I go out for my bullpen, he says to have the catcher give me a lower target to help work on getting that good downward movement. Most of the time it is to finish pitches, finish toward home plate, and stay on top of the ball."

Just last weekend Tim came into town for the opener in Columbus, but was not in town for pleasure to catch the opener. He was there to work with Dave on the side and give some pointers after his sluggish start to the season.

"His first outing was erratic," said Tim. "It wasn't really him throwing, and I knew that. The ball was belt high. There was no movement. He wasn't finishing. He wasn't hitting his balance point. He was rotational. All the things we talked about not doing, he did. [And the home runs], that is something he was working on last year with staying in the moment from pitch to pitch instead of relaxing. What happens when you relax is you go into cruise control and there comes the belt high fastball and it gets taken out of the ballpark. I didn't talk to him for like 24 hours after that game, and usually we talk like six to seven times a day with texts and phone calls. He called me and asked what was going on, and I didn't want to say anything because I was fuming. I was not satisfied with the outing, and I know he wasn't either."

When it is all said and done, Tim is not the drill sergeant he may come off as being. He's just looking out for the best interests of his brother.

"The thing about his goals and what I try to get him to understand is it doesn't matter if he is at rookie league ball or the big league team, the goals are still the same," said Tim. "You still stay with your same path. A lot of times we don't talk about baseball because I know that is what he eats, breaths, and sleeps. I talk to him about his goals and stay positive and keep his head right since if things go in a bad direction it can just start snowballing. A lot of it is positive reinforcement with strengthening the mind because his body will do what he wants it to do. It is about staying in the moment and understanding what it going on around him."

At some point this season, Dave will more than likely get that call to the big leagues he has waited his whole life for. When that does happen, just like they were there for his first games as a child, his brother and parents will be right there with him when he makes his major league debut.

"I will immediately call them," said Dave about a potential call up to Cleveland this year. "They said they are not missing anything and will drop whatever they are doing and come out."

Tim will be there as well rooting his brother on, but likely even tougher with the brotherly advice.

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Game Recaps: Monday 4/27

Akron and Kinston were off on Monday.

Clippers Lose 9-6

Columbus was buried early and in a 9-2 hole through seven innings, though did put up a fight late scoring four runs in the final two innings to close the scoring and put the final score into the books at 9-6.

It was not a good night for right-hander Kirk Saarloos who in five innings allowed ten hits, eight runs (six earned), two walks and had three strikeouts. Righty John Meloan finished out the game pitching the final three innings and allowed a run on two hits, one walk and had four strikeouts.

Designated hitter David Delluci led the offense going 3-for-4 with a double. Other offensive stars for the Clippers were first basman Michael Aubrey who went 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and two RBI. Outfielder Stephen Head also contributed with a solo home run, his second on the season.

Captains Down Suns 8-4

T.J. house picked up his first professional and the Captains started out their seven game road trip with a win defeating the Hagerstown Suns 8-4 on Monday.

After four scoreless innings, the Captains exploded for six runs in the fifth inning aided by a Suns error that scored the first two runs. Donnie Webb then drove in a run with a single and with the bases loaded Nate Recknagel cleared the bases with a double and it was 6-0. The Suns picked up a run in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI single by Robbie Jacobsen to make it 6-1.

The Captains tacked on a run in the top of the eighth inning when Chris Nash scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Mark Thompson and it was 7-1. The Suns made it 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning taking advantage of three Captains errors. Karexon Sanchez added a run for Captains in the top of the eighth inning, blasting his fourth home run of the year and it was 8-4.

Captain’s starter T.J. House went six innings and allowed only one run on four hits ans truck out four. Steve Smith worked the last 1.2 innings and logged his team leading third save.

The Suns started Marcos Frias and he took the loss pitching 4.2 innings and allowing six runs, two earned on six hits, walking one and striking out four.

The Captains and Suns play game two of the three game series on Tuesday at 6:30 PM with Captains sending RHP Alexander Perez (0-0, 1.50) to the mound against RHP Brad Peacock (0-0, 1.08) for Hagerstown.

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LaPorta Honored

The International League announced today that Matt LaPorta was selected as Player of the Week for 4/20-4/26. For the week, the Clipper outfielder hit .520, leading the International League with 13 hits, 10 runs scored, and a .613 on-base percentage. LaPorta hit safely in all seven games for the week, including four multi-hit efforts. He homered in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday against Indianapolis, becoming the first Clipper to homer in consecutive games this year. LaPorta finds himself near the top of the League in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (4th, .400), home runs (T-2nd, 5), hits (T-3rd, 24), on-base percentage (3rd, .478), slugging percentage (1st, .767), triples (T-4th, 2), and runs scored (1st, 19). Among Indians farmhands, he ranks 2nd in average, tied for 1st in HR and 4th in RBI.

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Chisenhall, Berger Take Home League Hardware

The Kinston Indians have swept the Carolina League Weekly Awards for the second straight week! Eastern North Carolina native Lonnie Chisenhall is the Carolina League Player of the Week and Eric Berger is the CL Pitcher of the Week!

Newport native Lonnie Chisenhall had a monster week at the plate hitting .333 (10-30) with three home runs and 15 RBI. Chisenhall hit a home run in three straight games last week with back to back grand slams on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a three run home run on Thursday. Chisenhall is now second in the Carolina League with 18 RBI on the season. Chisenhall is hitting .296 on the year.

Kinston starting pitcher Eric Berger is the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts last week. Berger gave up only four hits in ten innings of work, striking out 13 and not giving up a run against Myrtle Beach and Lynchburg. Berger is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA on the season and leads the Carolina League with 26 strikeouts. His ERA is the third lowest ERA in the Carolina League. Just like Chisenhall, Berger also has North Carolina ties, born into a military family in Goldsboro, NC, but moving to California at age two.

So far this season only Kinston Indians have won Carolina League Weekly awards. Chisenhall and Berger join pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz and outfielder Matt Brown as the only players to have garnered Carolina League honors so far this season.

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Diamonds in Single A: Jeanmar Gomez

Hey, everyone. Wanted to just say thanks for reading my column and wanted to explain what this column will focus on every week. Most fans know the names of the AA and AAA players in the Indians minors, so this area will be reserved for players who are in A (hence the title). Now, I don’t get to see most of these players in person, so in general every week will be a more statistical look at prospects in the lower levels that I think deserve as much attention as the higher level players. Also, I won’t use typical stats like BA, RBI, K’s, W, etc. These days stats have evolved, and there are better stats to show growth and projection. As these stats are presented I will explain why each one is used and what it shows. One final note: since it’s so early in this season I won’t be using this year’s number as a reference.

Okay, let’s move onto this week’s player – Jeanmar Gomez, SP, Kinston.

First, some background information: Jeanmar Gomez is a big righty (6’4”) from Venezuela. He is only 21 years old and already in his 4^th season in the Indians minors. Every season he’s been younger than the league average he has been in. He is often grouped with Hector Rondon and Kelvin De La Cruz, due to their similar ages. Right now he is the third rated of the trio as De la Cruz and Rondon are both top ten picks, but there are many who think he has the talent to be just as highly thought of as his former teammates. Let’s look at his stats for the last three years, focusing on his walk, hit, home run, and strike out rates, along with earned run average (rates work best since it allows a comparison across different amounts of innings):

Level WHIP SO/9 BB/9 ERA H/9 HR/9 SO/BB
Rookie: 1.14 5.6 2 2.48 8.3 .3 2.83
Low A: 1.41 6 2.9 4.80 9.7 1.2 2.04
High A: 1.45 7.2 3 4.55 10 .9 2.39

All of Jeanmar’s numbers appear to be rising – both the good and the bad. He strikes out more players but also walks more; a lot of the time those numbers are tied in the low minors because a lot of players will chase bad pitches. The big positive from that data is that Jeanmar’s HR rate went down, which more than anything led to the drop in ERA, even though during the same period we saw a rise in WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings pitched).

The major concern, though, is his WHIP, and one would infer from the high WHIP also command issues. To give some comparisons about how high a 1.40ish WHIP is, Cliff Lee’s WHIP last year was 1.11—which is phenomenal—and Paul Bryd’s was 1.32. For a starting pitcher a solid WHIP would be in the 1.20’s to 1.30’s. Jeanmar is giving up about .15 more guys on base per innings which leads to about 1.4 more players on base a game than a player whose WHIP is 1.3; over a year that’s 49 more base runners. The hope is that as his control improves, walks will go down, his strike outs will rise, and this year his WHIP might drop into the mid 1.30’s. Less walks from better control would lead to more strike outs, and better control also lends itself to less pitching from behind. Pitching from behind not only drives up the pitch count but also means that the hitter is put more hitters counts, which give them better situations to hit. If you’re ahead of the hitters then they can’t wait on their pitch, an aspect of the game Jeanmar still needs to work on.

When you combine this with him dropping his home run rate between the previous two years then it would be very possible to see his ERA get below 4 and make the jump from a mid 20’s prospect into a top 20 prospect and gain some ground on the likes of Kelvin De La Cruz and Hector Rondon. So, as this year progresses, it seems there’s a very good chance Jeanmar will end up in AA and hopefully continue his growth in a positive direction.

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Game Recaps: Sunday 4/26

Clippers Lose Game In Late Innings

The Columbus Clippers were clear sailing to victory during the first seven and two third innings, then the seas got rough and everything seemed to go wrong. Five runs with two outs in the eighth inning by the Indianapolis Indians highlighted a 5-4 defeat Sunday afternoon.

Clippers starter Tomo Ohka pitched six dazzling innings, allowing only two hits and facing one batter over the minimum. Zach Jackson came on in the seventh and recorded outs on five of the first six batters he faced. With two outs in the eighth inning, Erick Kratz got things going with a single, and Chris Barnwell and Andrew McCutchen would follow with singles of their own to load the bases. Jackson then walked Luis Cruz to bring in the first run and was replaced on the mound by Ryan Edell.

A possible rally seemed to be stopped when Edell got the first batter he faced, Jeff Salazar, to ground to first base. Michael Aubrey, however, threw to second base to get the final out instead of stepping on first. His throw was in the dirt and couldn’t be handled by Valbuena, allowing two more runs to score. After another walk, this time to Garret Jones, a single by Steve Pearce brought in runs four and five and gave the Indians the lead they needed for the victory.

While Ohka had every Indian batter frustrated early on, the Clippers offense gave him some support starting in the second. Andy Marte doubled with one out and would be brought home on a single by the next batter, Josh Barfield. Barfield would add another RBi in the sixth inning when he singled home Aubrey, and Andy Cannizaro followed with a fielder’s choice groundball that plated Matt LaPorta.

Michael Brantley manufactured a run in the seventh without the help of a hit. He walked, advanced on a walk to Valbuena, then strolled to third on a fly ball and used his speed to score on a wild pitch by Jeremy Powell. That gave the Clippers a 4-0 lead after seven innings.

Columbus will try and bounce back tomorrow night as they begin a ten game, eleven day road trip. The trip starts with division rival Toledo at 6:30 pm. Taking the mound for the Clippers will be RHP Kirk Saarloos (1-2, 6.00) and opposing him will be Mud Hen RHP Ron Chiavacci (0-2, 5.14).

Aeros Falter Late in 7-6 Loss

AKRON, OH – Altoona scored four times in the eighth and Pedro Lopez hit a solo homer in the top of the 10th as the Curve came from behind to score a 7-6 triumph over the Aeros before 3,943 fans at Canal Park Sunday afternoon. Altoona improved to 5-12 while Akron dropped to 13-4, although the Aeros did win three of five games in the series.

Akron got off to a great start thanks to four Curve errors in the first inning alone (Altoona set a season-high with six errors in the game overall). The Aeros had the bases loaded with one out when Josh Rodriguez ripped a grounder to third, and while Angel Gonzalez made a great diving stop on the play, his throw was well wide of first as Carlos Rivero and Beau Mills both came in to score. Jerad Head followed with an RBI groundout to first, and Mickey Hall capped the inning with an RBI knock to center to make it 4-0.

The Curve got on the board in the fourth on a two-run homer from Jason Delaney to cut the margin in half, but the Aeros responded in the seventh as a single by Mills and a double by Carlos Santana put both men in scoring position before Head lofted a soft liner over the drawn-in infield to make it 6-2.

Akron starter Frank Herrmann cruised through seven innings, but found immediate trouble when he went back out to start the eighth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no one out for Altoona, and the Aeros summoned newcomer Paolo Espino from the bullpen. It wasn’t the debut Espino hoped for however, as he bobbled Anderson Machado’s come-backer, which should have led to an out at the plate, and Hector Gimenez scored to make it 6-3 on the fielding error. Espino then got Lopez to hit a slow bouncer to short that led to one out, but Rodriguez lost his grip on the relay throw as the ball squirted into right field to score two runs and make it 6-5. Jose Tabata then laced an RBI single to left to tie the game before Espino got out of the jam.

The Aeros had some definite chances to break the tie, getting the leadoff man aboard in both the eighth and ninth innings but never advancing the runner to scoring position. Akron had one final chance in the bottom of the 10th when Damaso Espino led off with a single, but John Drennen hit into a double play and Jose Constanza struck out to end the game.

Jean Machi (1-1) earned the win in relief with three shutout innings, while Paolo Espino (0-1) allowed all three of his inherited runners to score and suffered the blown save and the loss. Herrmann turned in a strong outing, working seven-plus innings and allowing just six hits. He also set a season-high with five strikeouts. Constanza finished 3-6 to lead the way offensively (his third three-hit performance in as many days), while Head had a pair of hits and drove in three runs. Rodriguez went 2-4 with a walk and Hall was 1-2 and walked three times.

The Aeros will enjoy a rare day off Monday before getting back to work and hosting the Harrisburg Senators Tuesday evening at 7:05 p.m. Hector Rondon (3-0, 1.10 ERA) will take the hill for Akron while Harrisburg counters with left-hander Justin Jones (1-1, 2.38 ERA).

K-Tribe Beats Lynchburg 6-3

The K-Tribe got another strong starting pitching performance and some big bats at key times to beat Lynchburg 6-3 Sunday afternoon at Historic Grainger Stadium. The K-Tribe took the final two games of the four game series from the Northern Division leading Hillcats to earn a series split. Kinston (9-9) is now one game behind first place Salem in the Carolina League Southern Division.

Kinston starter Eric Berger was great on the mound for the Indians, giving up just three hits and no earned runs through five innings. Berger (2-1) struck out six and did not walk a batter. Matt Meyer and Heath Taylor each had scoreless outings from the bullpen. Taylor picked up his second save of the season.

Kinston got all the runs they needed in a four run, five hit fourth inning. The Indians Matt McBride started the inning off with his third home run of the season. After a Matt Brown walk and a Ronald Rivas single, Roman Pena got on with a bunt single and Brown scored on an errant throw by the pitcher. Richard Martinez would follow with an RBI single and Cristo Arnal would add an RBI ground out. Kinston would add two more runs in the fifth inning with RBI hits from McBride and Rivas. McBride finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, extending his hitting streak to eleven games. Cord Phelps went 2-for-3, extending his hit streak to eleven games as well. Lonnie Chisenhall’s eleven game hit streak came to an end when he went 0-for-3 and got hit by a pitch in his last at bat. Ronald Rivas also had two hits.

The K-Tribe has a scheduled off day on Monday and will then begin a three game series at Historic Grainger Stadium with the Salem Avalanche for first place in the Carolina League Southern Division. Zach Putnam will be the starter for Tuesday’s game, 7pm start time at Historic Grainger Stadium.

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Captains/Shorebirds Saturday Game Notes

Yesterday, with the Curve/Aeros game scheduled for 1:35 p.m., the Lake County Captains had the northeastern Ohio minor-league market to themselves in the evening hours, as the Captains hosted the Delmarva Shorebirds in the final game of a three-game series. While the box score indicates that the Shorebirds prevailed, 4-1, the box score does not tell the whole story …

Russell Young: In my mind, Young entered the season as the least heralded starter – not to be confused with the ‘worst’ starter or the starter with the smallest upside – of the Captains rotation. This game, however, suggested that Young fits in well with T.J. House, Joey Mahalic, T.J. McFarland and Alexander Perez in terms of potential. With a fluid, repeatable delivery, Young overcame an inauspicious start (a double off of his first pitch) and gave the Captains a chance to win. Beginning with the final batter in the first inning and continuing through the first batter in the fifth inning, Young retired eleven consecutive Shorebirds: seven on groundouts, two on flyouts and two on strikeouts.

It was in the sixth inning, though, in which Young impressed me most. With runners on first and second and with no outs, Shorebird 3rd baseman Tyler Kolodny laid down a bunt on the third-base side of the mound. Young, a left-handed pitcher, bounded off of the mound, charged toward the ball, picked it up bare-handed and fired a low strike to Captains 1st baseman Nate Recknagel. Since Young made the decision to field the ball, ‘outing’ Kolodny at first required a difficult pick-spin-throw from Young. He delivered, as did Recknagel, who made an excellent pick off of a low throw.

Later in the inning, after Delmarva had scored its third run of the game, the Shorebirds had runners on second and third with one out. With Mike McGuire warming up for the Captains, it was clear that Young’s day would end. The only question was whether it would end in the sixth inning or after the sixth inning. Young proceeded to strike-out Shorebird designated hitter Jerome “L.J.” Hoes – looking. Against Shorebird center fielder Xavier Avery, Young pitched to a full count. Then, Avery fouled off a pitch. Then, another. And, then, another. Young proceeded to stride off of the mound – after having home plate umpire Joey Amaral call a third strike. Although Young would bear the loss for the Captains, he should take solace in his overall performance, which was solid, and in the way in which he departed, which was inspiring.

Adam Abraham: The box score indicates that Abraham went 1 for 3, with a strikeout and a walk. What the box score does not indicate is that in his other two at-bats, in which he flew out to center field and singled through the middle of the infield, Abraham made great, hard contact with the ball.

Jeremie Tice: While Tice’s performance in the batter’s box left a bit to be desired (1 for 4, with two strikeouts), Tice’s performance in the field – with one exception – was impressive. When a Shorebird struck a pitch in Tice’s direction, Tice would wait for the ball, field the ball, set his feet and throw. He displayed, in general, good form. The lone exception occurred in the first inning and resulted in an unearned run for the Shorebirds. With a runner on second base and two outs, Shorebird 1st baseman Elvin Polanco chopped a pitch between third base and the pitcher’s mound. Tice charged the slow-rolling ball and attempted to record the out at first, even though he was off-balance slightly and on the run. His throw was low and missed by Recknagel, which allowed the runner to round third and score. Given the circumstances, Tice would have been better served to hold onto the ball.

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Game Recaps: Saturday 4/25

LaPorta Powers Columbus To 6-3 Win

Matt LaPorta and David Huff carried the Columbus Clippers to their first back to back wins at Huntington Park, defeating the Indianapolis Indians 6-3 Saturday night . Huff pitched six innings, allowing only four hits and three runs with seven strikeouts and two walks. Two hits and all three runs came in the second inning when Huff walked Steve Pearce then gave up back to back home runs to Neil Walker and Jeff Salazar. It was only the second time in Huff’s minor league career that he has allowed multiple home runs in a game.

The Clippers offense got off to a fast start in the first inning when Michael Brantley led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a single by David Dellucci and scored when Wes Hodges grounded into a double play. The first inning scoring wasn’t done yet. LaPorta would follow with a walk and Luis Valbuena hit a rocket home run that easily cleared the 22 foot wall in right field.

The scoring continued in the second for Columbus. Stephen Head started the inning with a double off the 405 foot mark in left center and, a few batters later, was brought home by a Dellucci single. LaPorta, who went 3-3 and also had a walk, sent a solo home run deep into the bleachers in the fifth inning. The Clippers final fun was accounted for in the seventh inning when, with two outs, Hodges hit a single and LaPorta followed with a triple to the wall in right center field.

Scott Roehl and Rich Rundles combined to pitch two scoreless relief innings, allowing only one hit and two walks. Matt Herges pitched the ninth for his third save of the season.

The Clippers will wrap up their first home stand at Huntington Park tomorrow at 1:05pm. Pitching for Columbus will be RHP Tomo Ohka (1-1, 3.57) and taking the mound for the Indians will be LHP Tom Gorzelanny (1-0, 4.86).

Lofgren Sparkles Again in 4-3 Win

AKRON, OH – Chuck Lofgren tossed six no-hit innings and Jerad Head’s bloop RBI single in the bottom of the seventh served as the difference as the Aeros nipped Altoona 4-3 before 2,841 fans at Canal Park Saturday afternoon. Akron continued the best start in franchise history by improving to 13-3, while the Curve fell to 4-12.

Lofgren ran into a mini-jam in the first, walking Jim Negrych and hitting Jose Tabata after retiring the first two hitters of the game. The left-hander recovered to strike out Jason Delaney on a high fastball however, and that punch-out started a dazzling run of 16 consecutive outs for Lofgren, carrying him through the sixth.

There were some fireworks in the bottom of the first when Curve starter Daniel Moskos fired a fastball behind Akron’s Beau Mills with the bases empty and two gone, but while both the benches and bullpens emptied order was restored after just a few minutes, and there were no further flare-ups in the game.

The Aeros got Lofgren some run support in the fourth, as Jose Constanza legged out a triple into the left field corner to start the inning and Mills followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to right to make it 1-0. Carlos Santana then immediately doubled the advantage, belting a 3-1 offering from Moskos into the canal beyond the left field wall to push the margin to 2-0.

Head opened the bottom of the sixth with a first-pitch solo shot to left-center that just barely cleared the fence, but Altoona rallied in the top of the seventh once Lofgren departed after reaching his pitch limit. The first five Curve hitters reached base against reliever Carlton Smith in the seventh, with an RBI double from Brad Corley putting Altoona on the board and Steve Lerud following with a two-run single through the box to tie the game at 3-3 and relegate Lofgren to a no-decision.

Moskos gave the run right back in the bottom of the inning though, doing himself no favors by walking Nick Weglarz on four pitches to open the inning. Josh Rodriguez followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt, and Armando Camacaro hit a smash to second that ricocheted off the chest of Altoona’s Jim Negrych for an error, putting runners on the corners and forcing Negrych from the game. Moskos also departed at that point and was relieved by Lincoln Holdzkom, but Head greeted him by dumping an 0-2 pitch into shallow center field as Weglarz raced home with the go-ahead run. Smith then worked a perfect eighth while not allowing a ball out of the infield, and Vinnie Pestano bounced back from his first blown save of the year Friday by pitching a hitless ninth.

Smith (2-0) got the win in relief, but the story in the game was Lofgren. The “Big Swede” allowed just two base runners over his six sterling innings, and set a personal season-high with seven strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 1.13 on the year, and this outing followed his start in Bowie in which he retired the first 10 hitters of the game and carried a no-no into the fifth. Moskos (1-1) allowed all four runs in the loss, and Pestano’s save was his seventh of the year. Constanza went 3-3 with a walk and finished a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, and Head was 2-3 with his second home run and two RBI.

The Aeros will try to take four of five in the series with the finale Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Frank Herrmann (1-1. 2.12 ERA) will go for Akron against Altoona southpaw Tony Watson (0-2, 11.57 ERA).

Gomez is Great as Kinston Beats Lynchburg 8-1

K-Tribe starter Jeanmar Gomez went seven innings, giving up just four hits and no earned runs as Kinston went on to beat Lynchburg 8-1 Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Gomez (2-2) struck out a season high six and walked one for his second win of the year.

Kinston got solid contributions up and down the lineup as every starter reached base safely and eight of the nine notched at least one hit. Kinston took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on back to back RBI hits from Ronald Rivas and Roman Pena. After an RBI double by Cord Phelps in the bottom of the fourth inning, Matt McBride made it 5-0 with a two-out RBI single. Kinston would add three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a bases loaded walk taken by McBride and a bases loaded, two RBI single from Matt Brown. Kinston scored their final seven runs of the game all with two-outs in an inning. McBride went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a walk. Brown was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Rivas and Alex Castillo also had two hits for Kinston.

Chen-Chang Lee pitched the final two innings for Kinston, giving up just one hit, a home run to Maiko Loyola. Lynchburg starter Matt McSwain (0-1) took the loss for Lynchburg.

The K-Tribe will try to salvage a series split from Lynchburg Sunday afternoon at 2pm at Historic Grainger Stadium. Kinston’s Eric Berger (1-1, 1.93) will get the start for Kinston.

Shorebirds Stop Captains 4-1

Jed Stephen had two hits and two RBI’s including his first home run of the year to lead the Delmarva Shorebirds to a 4-1 win over the Captains 5-1 on Saturday. Stephen is from Caldwell Ohio and attended the Ohio State University.

The Shorebirds scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning when Elvin Polanco reached on an infield hit but when the throw to first went wide, Kyle Hudson scored and it was 1-0. The Birds tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a RBI single by Brendan Monaghan that scored L.J. Hoes and it was 2-0. The lead went to 3-0 when Stephen singled home Ron Welty in the top of the sixth inning. Stephen added a solo home run in top of the eighth inning to up the lead to 4-0.

The Captains lone run came in the eighth inning when Nate Recknagel singled home Ryan Blair and it was 4-1.

Captain’s starter Russell Young took the loss going six innings and allowing three runs, two earned on seven hits, walking one and striking out five. At one point Young had retired eleven batters in a row. Mike McGuire came on in the seventh inning and threw two innings and allowed one run. Kyle Landis pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Nate Nery got the win for Delmarva going five scoreless innings and allowing four hits, walking two and striking out four. Nery is now 2-0. Brent Allar and Raul Rivero each tossed an inning of scoreless ball. Joe Esposito pitched the eighth and allowed one run. Brandon Cooney pitched the ninth inning to pick up his third save of the year.

The Captains are off on Sunday and will start a three games series on Monday at Hagerstown. Game time on Monday is 6:30 PM and the Captains will send RHP Joey Mahalic (0-1, 1.29) to the mound against RHP Marocs Firas (0-0, 3.60) for Hagerstown.

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Nash Looking To Turn It Around

Lake County first baseman Chris Nash is hoping to turn things around this season.

Nash had a promising season in 2007 where he hit .303 with 3 HR, 33 RBI and had an .806 OPS in 63 combined games with short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley and the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Indians. He went into the 2008 season as one of the up-and-coming young prospects in the organization, but once he got to spring training last year things unraveled on him.

Shortly into spring training last year Nash came down with an injury to the lat muscle in his right shoulder area. It cost him a lot of time in spring training, so when the season started and he was assigned to Single-A Lake County at the outset of the season he was behind and not really ready for game action. The injury lingered all year, moving into his shoulder and then his triceps area. He was in and out of the lineup as a result and never could get into a rhythm offensively. He finished the year in Lake County hitting just .230 with 5 HR, 38 RBI and a .642 OPS in 74 games.

This year, things have been much different so far from a health standpoint. While he is off to a slow start again in his return trip to Lake County hitting just .167 with 0 HR, 6 RBI and a .395 OPS in 13 games so far, the key for him is he is healthy and that he had a much better spring training experience this year.

"Yeah, I feel good,” said Nash in a recent interview at Classic Park. “I had a good spring training, so I am coming out here to play everyday and get back to what I need to do. I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things. I am off to a slow start so far, but I am starting to find my swing."

Everyone in the ballpark knows who is struggling early in the season as the numbers reflect so on the scoreboard in April each time the player comes up to bat. It is one of those early season mind games that can toy with a player’s head as they try to get their hitting stroke back and put up better numbers.

"I am just taking it day by day,” said Nash. “I am just taking good at bats I have had from previous games and trying to build on that everyday. Look at the good and bad and go from there. I haven't had many hits, but I have had some good at bats, so I can just take those and move forward really."

When things are going bad an inexperienced hitter has a tendency to change their approach and get away from what made them successful in the first place. In Nash’s case, he is still adapting to a few adjustments the Indians made this past spring with his batting stance.

"One thing they did switch in Instructional League is my stance,” said Nash. “That was a big thing. I was more standing upright with my stance and now I have a much wider base. My hands are much further away from my body so I can get my bat head out there more in the zone. So now I am focused more on getting a downward path on my swing instead of having a loopy swing which is what I kind of have right now."

The injuries last year for Nash made for a rough year as he did not perform up to the level that he wanted to. For a player who experienced so much success as a youth, in high school and early in his professional career, he went through some adversity for the first time last year not only dealing with the injury but also handling his struggles at the plate.

"There is nothing you can do about it really,” said Nash. “You gotta go with it and wear it to be honest. Yeah things are going to happen, but all you can do is work hard and get through it. You do your rehabbing and get after it. Once you get back you move on from there. You don't try to play catchup every game, you just worry about the moment and go from there."

After going through what he went through last year, Nash was on a mission this past offseason to slim down to better improve his physical condition and strengthen his shoulder. At 6’5” 235 pounds, he is a big guy. At that size his body is more likely to breakdown, so he has to be cognizant of taking better care of his body than maybe other smaller players would.

“One thing I did in the offseason was cut down on my weight where I slimmed down,” said Nash. “I got a dietician in the offseason, so eating healthier and watching what I put into my body really was the biggest thing. I also did more speed and agility stuff. I did a lot of weights this offseason just to build more strength and not really to bulk up as I don't need to get too much bigger. I am pretty good size right now. I am in great shape and feel great."

Nash hopes that all the hard work he put in during the offseason and in spring training pays off.

"By far I think I had a good spring training,” said Nash. “Plus I made it through the whole thing too and I don't have to stay down there in extended. I feel great coming into the season. I know what I need to work on. I have no problems right now physically and it is not too much mechanical, it is just more the mental part of the game. It is more plate discipline which is something I need to work on right now."

If he keeps that positive mindset and continues to work and make the necessary adjustments, those early season subpar numbers on the scoreboard should be a lot better very soon.

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Game Recaps: Friday 4/24

Columbus Pounds Out 9-7 Win

Columbus got a hard fought 9-7 win on Friday night, getting very good starting pitching and lots of offense in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. Some bullpen issues late in the game made it a lot closer than it should have been.

Right-hander Jack Cassel got the win and was very good going seven innings allowing just two runs, six hits, one walk while piling up six strikeouts. Ryan Edell and John Meloan pitched the final two frames and combined to pitch two innings and give up six hits, five runs, and two walks.

Once again it was the Matt LaPorta show on offense as the right-handed slugger went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run, and two RBI. LaPorta is now hitting .370 on the season and his four home runs on the season are tied for 2nd in the International League.

Third baseman Wes Hodges also chipped in going 3-for-5 (all singles) and second baseman Luis Valbuena went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and three RBI.

Aeros and Curve Split in Twin Bill

AKRON, OH - Akron took game one of Friday's doubleheader 3-2 before Altoona rallied late to claim the nightcap 8-5 in a marathon affair that lasted more than six hours before 3,547 fans at Canal Park. The Aeros are 12-3 on the year while the Curve sit at 4-11.

Steven Wright threw a gem in game one and departed in line for his second win of the season, but Altoona rallied to tie the game with a run in the top of the seventh off closer Vinnie Pestano. The Aeros bailed him out in the ninth however, as John Drennen walked with one out and scored all the way from first on Mickey Hall's game-winning RBI double to left-center. It was Akron's first extra-innings game of the year.

The Aeros were in good shape again in game two, as Drennen's two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth pushed Akron in front at 5-4. Altoona roared back with four runs in the top of the seventh off newcomer Josh Judy however, with Jason Delaney's two-run triple putting the Curve in front for good and RBI hits from Brad Corley and Angel Gonzalez providing insurance.

Randy Newsom (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings in game one for the win, while Altoona's Jean Machi (1-1) took the loss in relief. Eric Krebs (1-2) was the winner in game two as Judy (0-1) allowed three runs in 1.2 innings in his Eastern League debut. Jose Constanza led the offensive charge in game one with a 3-4 performance, while Drennen and Niuman Romero both drove in two runs in game two. Game one started officially at 6:06 p.m. and game two ended at 12:09 a.m.

The clubs are back at it Saturday afternoon at 1:35 p.m., as Akron southpaw Chuck Lofgren (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will square off against fellow left-hander Daniel Moskos (1-0, 6.10 ERA).

Hillcats Scratch Kinston 4-1

Lynchburg held Kinston scoreless for the final eight innings of the game, clipping Kinston 4-1 Friday night at Historic Grainger Stadium.

The K-Tribe got on the board first, as Cord Phelps reached on a double and was driven home by an RBI single from Lonnie Chisenhall. Chisenhall (1-for-4 on the night) now leads the Carolina League with 18 RBI, he has now hit safely in ten straight games. Phelps and Ronald Rivas each had two hits for Kinston.

Lynchburg got all the runs they needed in the top of the third inning. The Hillcats scored three runs on just one hit, using three walks, an error and a hit batter from Kinston starter Ryan Miller to take a 3-1 lead. Miller (0-1) took the loss giving up three unearned runs on three hits and five walks in four innings. Miller struck out four batters. Jonathan Holt gave Kinston a great performance from the bullpen, giving up just two hits and no runs through three innings. Mike Pontius made his first appearance of the season for Kinston, giving up an earned run in 1 2/3 innings. Dallas Cawiezell came in to get the last out in the top of the ninth inning. Lynchburg starter Paul Mildren notched the win for Lynchburg; R.J. Rodriguez got his league leading sixth save of the season.

The K-Tribe returns to Historic Grainger Stadium Saturday night for game two of the four game series. Game time 7pm, Jeanmar Gomez will take the hill for Kinston.

Shorebirds Topple Captains 5-1

Tyler Kolodny had two RBI’s and the Delmarva pitching staff limited the Captains to five hits as the Shorebirds defeated the Captains 5-1 on Friday. The Shorebirds and Captains have split the first two games of the three game series.

The Shorebirds scored two runs in the top of the second inning when Kyle Hudson doubled to left scoring Brendan Monaghan from first base. The Captains threw home trying to get Monaghan and the throw got away allowing Hudson to score to make it 2-0. The Captains cut the lead to 2-1 when Adam Abraham tripled and then scored when Michael Valadez grounded out scoring Abraham.

The Shorebird added a run in the top of the sixth inning on Tyler Kolodny’s first home run of the year and it was 3-1. Delmarva scored two more runs in the top of the eighth inning on a RBI double by Elvin Polanco and a RBI singe by Kolodny and it was 5-1.

Captain’s starter T.J. McFarland took the loss going 4.1 innings and allowing two runs, one earned on six hits, walking four and striking out four. David Roberts came on with one out in the fifth inning and went 2.2 innings and allowed one run on one hit and struck out two. Matt Langwell followed Roberts in the eighth inning and three 1.2 innings allowing two runs. Anillins Martinez came on I the ninth inning and got the final out.

Ryan O’Shea got the win for Delmarva going five innings and allowing one run on six hits, walking two and striking out seven. Patrick Egan pitched two scoreless innings allowing a walk and striking out one. Colin Allen pitched the last two innings and did not allow a run.

The Captains and Shorebirds wrap up the series on Saturday at 6:30 PM with the Captains sending LHP Russell Young (0-0, 6.75) to the mound against LHP Nate Nery (1-0, 2.38) for Delmarva.

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Aeros/Curve Thursday Game Notes

Tonight, I had the opportunity to travel to Canal Park to watch the Aeros play host to the Altoona Curve in the first game of a four-game series. While the box score indicates that the Aeros prevailed, 9-5, the box score does not tell the whole story …

Jose Constanza: Yes, Constanza went 1 for 3 and drove in a team- and game-high four runs, three of which came on a bases-clearing double that, unwisely, he tried to stretch into a triple. However, he also played with a combination of spirit and patience, drawing two walks and swiping second twice. One series of events illustrates this point. In the bottom of the sixth, Constanza led off. Not only did he draw the count full (before walking), but he also stole second. The score at the time: 9-4, Aeros. Traits like these will help push Constanza into a utility role beyond Double-A.

John Drennen: Drennen’s struggles at the plate have not affected his base-running – at least not tonight, anyway. In the bottom of the third, Drennen’s hustle on the basepaths resulted in a run. Not only did Drennen leg-out the back-half of a 4-6-3 double play attempt (which failed in its entirety), but Drennen also scored from second on a groundball to the shortstop that was thrown wide of the first baseman.

Josh Rodriguez: After a string of games in which Rodriguez struggled to make contact at the plate, he feasted, going 3 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base. For Rodriguez to advance beyond Double-A, though, he will have to excel in ways that make him a viable utility player. To this end, in the bottom of the third, Rodriguez was the first Aero to bat. Now, in the bottom of the first, Constanza was the first Aero to bat – and he walked. In the bottom of the second, Carlos Santana was the first Aero to bat – and he walked. While Rodriguez did single in this particular at-bat, what was bothersome was the approach: He swung on the first pitch. Given the pattern of inning-starting walks, why not try to let Curve starting pitcher Jared Hughes pitch into a walk? Also, in the top of the ninth with the Aeros leading 9-4, the Curve had a runner at first with no outs. The batter grounded to Rodriguez, who tried, but failed, to get the force-out at second. Given the score, Rodriguez should have known to make the ‘safe’ throw to first.

Niuman Romero: Constanza was not the only Aero to play with spirit and patience, as Romero drew a pair of walks and stole second twice. It was in the bottom of the fourth, though, that Romero had his best moment of the game. With Santana on first, Romero laid down a bunt in the direction of the third baseman to move Santana to second. He did so on the first pitch of the at-bat. So simple, and yet so infrequently seen.

Carlos Santana: Although Santana did not reach base in each at-bat, he performed well in the box, walking once, singling once and pulling two pitches into right field – albeit directly into the right fielder’s glove both times. He just has ‘the look’ of a middle-of-the-lineup hitter. On the basepaths, though, he just has ‘the look’ of a catcher. In the bottom of the second, with Santana on first and nobody out, Romero rolled into a conventional 6-4-3 double play. What was unconventional was Santana’s ‘attempt’ to break it up: He slid feet-first … and ended up three to four feet short of the bag.

Neil Wagner: In the top of the sixth, Wagner entered the game to replace Josh Tomlin, and he pitched two scoreless innings. It was a tale of two innings, though. In the sixth, Wagner, in a word, labored. Although he faced only five batters in the inning, he walked two and threw at least 27 pitches. Whatever it was that bothered him, though, lasted but one inning: In the seventh, Wagner faced the minimum number of batters, retiring each. Given that Wagner had allowed runs in three of his four appearances prior to this game, this appearance had to boost his confidence.

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Pontius activated

The domino effect from the Tony Sipp callup to Cleveland continues. With RHP Josh Judy being promoted from Kinston to Akron yesterday, the Indians activated RHP Mike Pontius from extended spring training.

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Minor Happenings: Berger Is King

"Minor Happenings" covers the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. While most of the information in this report is from my own research and through interviews I have conducted with organizational personnel, some information in this report is collected and summarized from the various news outlets that cover each team.

Lots to cover this week. In case you missed them, earlier in the week I wrote articles on Mark Thompson, Tony Sipp and Huntington Park.

I also have pieces in the hopper for this coming week on Chris Nash, Jordan Brown, David Huff and Chris Gimenez, so it should be another busy week of player features on the site. I will be visiting Akron this coming Tuesday night to see right-hander Hector Rondon pitch as well as talk to several of the players.

Also, we had Indians.com beat reporter Anthony Castrovince on our show Smoke Signals last night, so be sure to check that out if you missed it. We touched on a lot of topics ranging from the Laffey-Lewis decision, Sipp's arrival, the starting rotation and bullpen, as well as his life as a beat reporter. Great stuff from Mr. Castrovince, and not surprising considering it is coming from someone who has really separated himself from the pack as far as covering the Indians goes.

Anyway, onto the Happenings....

Indians Minor League Player of the Week
(for games from April 16th to April 22nd)

Eric Berger (Left-handed Pitcher - Kinston)
1-0, 2 games, 0.90 ERA, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 15 K

Among the Indians four affiliates in action, advanced Single-A Kinston has been home to many of the hot starts in the system so far. Last week lefty Kelvin De La Cruz took him the honors, and this week it was a close race between Berger, first baseman Matt McBride, and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall for Player of the Week honors. While the tear McBride is on and the two grand slams by Chisenhall the last two days were impressive, Berger gets the nod for some dominating pitching in both of his starts from the past week.

Last Thursday, Berger set a career high with 8 strikeouts and mowed down the opposition allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings of work. He followed that up with an even better outing this past Tuesday going 5 shutout innings and allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks and had 7 strikeouts. On the season he is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in three starts, and in 14.0 innings has allowed 10 hits, 8 walks, and has 20 strikeouts. Berger was highly regarded as a pitching prospect coming into the season, and his performance his first three times out are really solidifying him as a high upside starting pitching prospect for the Indians. Guys like Zach Putnam, T.J. House, Trey Haley and Bryce Stowell may get more pub from the 2008 Draft, but Berger at this point may be the most advanced and closest to the big leagues out of all of them. Lord knows the Indians need some pitching!

Honorable Mentions:

Matt McBride (1B - Kinston): .444 AVG (12-for-27), 7 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 3 K
Lonnie Chisenhall (3B - Kinston): .321 AVG (9-for-28), 4 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K
Cord Phelps (2B - Kinston): .462 (12-for-26), 8 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
Tomo Ohka (RHP - Columbus): 1-1, 2 games, 2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K
Alexander Perez (RHP - Lake County): 0-0, 1 game, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

Previous Winners:

4/8 to 4/15: Kelvin De La Cruz (LHP - Kinston)

Director's Cuts

Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins was in Columbus this past weekend to take in the festivities of the grand opening of new Huntington Park and the official beginning of the Indians presence in Columbus, OH as a minor league affiliate. He shared some thoughts this week on the new stadium and lefty Tony Sipp who was recently called up to Cleveland:

On Tony Sipp: "Tony is a converted outfielder as he played outfield in college at Clemson University and pitched some. He has had some of the highest swing and miss percentages in our system ever since he has been here. He is coming off Tommy John surgery, so he didn't pitch until the end of last year. It really has not phased him. He is back to 100%, he has an electric fastball that is swing and miss, he has an electric slider that is swing and miss. The only question is how consistently will he throw it over the plate. We have confidence that he will, and I think when he starts throwing it over the plate at a very high percentage he is going to be dominant. He really has the chance to be special. He is very athletic, fields his position well, and controls the running game. He is the kind of pitcher that we feel his transition to the major leagues may not be as daunting as it is to some. I think he will see this as ‘who is the next hitter and who am I facing', and that is the type of mentality we like to talk about when making a transition to the big leagues."

On opening day in Columbus: "I think from a Columbus perspective, it was probably as good as it could possibly be. The fans just seemed to really be enjoying themselves, it was a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect. There was a fly over and not an empty seat in the house or an empty patch of concrete in the house as everywhere you went there was a body. It really has an impressive layout with the skyline and the way the field plays. From a Cleveland standpoint, it just keeps getting better. The fact that our players are playing in that setting, in that environment so close to home. The fact that it is a great gameday experience as well as a great development experience. I can shoot down there in two hours, our strength and conditioning coordinator can shoot down there in two hours. Anyone who is Cleveland based now has the access to Columbus, Akron, Lake County and Mahoning Valley and it is such a short drive. It is not just me, Mark Shapiro, Chris Antonetti, or John Mirabelli, it could be our nutritionist, our media consultant, or a yoga instructor, whoever that individual may be they all are Cleveland based for the most part. So having that quick access to players and the fact that they are in a brand new stadium and it is a very nice playing environment, it is as much like the major league experience as I have seen in a minor league ballpark."

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad For Putnam

You win some, and you lose some. That has been the case with advanced Single-A Kinston right-hander Zach Putnam who has mostly impressed in the early going of the season, but had a rough outing on Wednesday night. In his three starts to date, Putnam has had just one bad inning and the rest of the time he has been flat out dominant. That bad inning was a doozy though on Wednesday night as in the first inning he allowed hits to the first seven hitters he faced before recording an out, and when the dust settled he finished the inning allowing seven runs on eight hits (seven singles).

If this were the major leagues, a starter likely would have been immediately yanked after such a rough first inning since the focus is more on winning, but this is the minor leagues and a pitcher needs to get his work in. So, Putnam came back out in the second inning and was back on his A-game and actually ended up pitching four shutout innings allowing two baserunners until he was lifted in the sixth inning. Amazingly, when he came out of the game he was in line for the win as a Kinston rally in the top of the 6th inning put them up 8-7 going into the bottom of the inning. The fact that Putnam was able to rebound from such rough first inning, but keep his composure and come back out and not only give his team five innings to save the bullpen but also give them a chance to come back and win is why the Indians are so high on him from a makeup and toughness standpoint. The way he battled back and handled adversity during that start is why many feel he can one day be a dominant late inning reliever in the big leagues.

Prior to that start on Wednesday, Putnam was great in his first two outings combining to throw 11 innings and allow just 3 runs, 9 hits, and 3 walks while striking out 13. He actually had a 180 of an outing his prior start on Friday as he set down the first 14 men he faced and was perfect through 4.2 innings before a weakly hit ball down the first base line kicked off the bag for a hit. He hit 95 MPH several times in the outing as well.

His numbers through three games have him at 2-0 with a 5.63 ERA, but if you take out that one bad inning out of 16 total innings so far, in those other 15 innings he has a 1.80 ERA. This may be seen as picking and choosing with the stats, but it also illustrates how there is also a lot more behind the numbers than what you see with a pitcher's win/loss total and composite ERA. Does one horribly bad inning equal 15 impressive ones? You decide.

Coaches Corner: Scott Radinsky

I was in Columbus over the weekend and talked to many players, staff and coaches. One person I was able to pull aside and talk to briefly is Columbus Pitching Coach Scott Radinsky. Here is what he said about a few of his pitchers:

On coaching: "Well, I finished playing here. I love it. I enjoy the responsibility of being in charge and being the guy for the 12 pitchers I have. I really like working with the guys and the relationships we build. Being able to not make an impact, but sitting back and watching them kind of apply what we have worked on, that's great."

On David Huff: "We are just trying to get him to stay under control and are not really changing anything. He has a tendency to fall off to third base. It is more him being conscious of it than reinventing anything. I just want him to be consistent as a pitcher so he can go out and have success be it here or wherever."

On Tony Sipp: "He has been good here. With the amount of time he has had off the last year and a half I think he is still getting back under his feet, but the ball is coming out of his hand with good life to it. Even when he is not on, he has this thing inside that finds a way to get outs and get out of a jam. He's got it. He is one of my favorites, more because of his guts inside and stuff-wise. How he gets after it, that's what I like, and I respect it. A lot of guys have good stuff, but they don't know how to use it. He knows how to use it, and he has some balls."

On John Meloan: "He had some delivery and command issues [in spring training], and he has worked his butt off to get it right, sometimes to a fault. As far as stuff-wise and physically, he can go out there and pitch every day and pitch 100 innings. He stays in shape and is ready to go, but he is still working on trying to be consistent. His stuff definitely plays up as it is above average stuff, it is just a matter if he can compete the same every day. Going back to the last five or six outings and into the end of spring training, I think he is starting to kind of believe that it is there. You are starting to see it in his effort and he is starting to get a little more after it and he has the confidence that the ball is going to go where he wants it to go."

Clippers Dynamic Catching Duo

According to Columbus manager Torey Lovullo, catchers Chris Gimenez and Wyatt Toregas have a pretty set rotation on who will catch on what days. Over the course of a ten game period, Gimenez is expected to get the lion's share of playing time with six starts while Toregas would get four starts. In addition to catching, Toregas will also see some time at designated hitter, and Gimenez of course will see time in the outfield and designated hitter. With Toregas being the more advanced defensive catcher and really being developed more as a backup catcher, he is being more of a mentor for Gimenez since the Indians love Gimenez's offensive potential and want to see him continue to improve defensively behind the plate.

It has been a rough go of it early on for Gimenez who is mired in a season opening slump where in 11 games he is hitting just 4-for-36 (.111) with 0 HR and 1 RBI. He started the season 0-for-22 before getting three hits last Saturday, but since that one game he is only 1-for-11. His early struggles are more him pressing than anything else, which happens when the numbers are not so pretty early on. Just like the fans, players themselves tend to over-magnify the early numbers and performance and in some cases it can become a mental game that is hard to block out. You see it with guys who get off to cold starts who struggle to get out of it, but also with guys who get off to hot starts who feel invincible at the plate. Eventually, the cold and hot starts fade and things get back to normal. The problem with Gimenez in the early going is after a sensational big league camp where he really was relaxed and impressed the Indians big league staff, he has gone to Columbus and been pressing from day one there. When that happens, it usually leads to a hitter getting away from their plan and trying to make things happen rather than letting it come naturally and sticking to their approach. As a result, his hitting mechanics have been off some, and according to Hitting Coach Jon Nunnally his front foot was coming down late and he is not using his hands well with his swing. They think they have corrected the problem, so it bears watching going forward.

Toregas continues to be very much the professional even though he has had his playing time cut in half. The Indians think very highly of him as a defensive catcher, and the feeling now is that if an injury were to befall one of Victor Martinez or Kelly Shoppach that they could turn to Toregas in a backup role with the big league club. In a way, his reduced playing time with Columbus is more to get him ready for such a role potentially with the Indians. Even still, Toregas continues to work hard on his offense and to be more consistent as a hitter. He had a big game on Wednesday hitting two home runs, and on the season he is hitting .261 (6-for-23) with 2 HR, 5 RBI and an .842 OPS in seven games.

De La Cruz, Brantley Sidelined

There was some good news and some bad news this week regarding Kinston lefty Kelvin De La Cruz, one of the Indians most prized pitching prospects in the system. The good news? He was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for his performance the first week of the season where he went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and had 19 strikeouts over the two starts covering 12 innings. He gave up just two earned runs on six hits while walking two batters.

Unfortunately, while it was good news to hear that De La Cruz was honored with Player of the Week honors, the bad news is of much greater concern. On Friday it was learned that left-hander Ryan Miller was being promoted from Lake County to Kinston to make a spot start or two, but it was not known for who and why. On Sunday the move was made official as Miller was officially activated on the Kinston roster and filled the spot in the rotation for the ailing De La Cruz. Miller was okay in his outing, going 4 innings and allowing 1 hit and 1 run with 2 strikeouts, but again had control problems with 5 walks.

But the question at hand is what happened to De La Cruz? He was fine in his last start on Tuesday April 14^th when he went 6 shutout innings and allowed 4 hits, no walks and had 9 strikeouts. Apparently, he is expected to be okay, but the Indians staff has taken precautionary measures to sit him for a start or two after he tweaked his elbow in practice shortly after his April 14^th start, likely during his bullpen session. This is certainly concerning given his great start to the season and his prospect status, so this is something to monitor to see when he comes back, how effective he is, and if the injury lingers.

Triple-A Columbus Outfielder Michael Brantley was pulled out of the game on Saturday because of a lingering hamstring issue. He was having trouble running down the line to first base on some of his hits, and had trouble catching up to a few balls in the outfield. It was not the effort Lovullo or the Indians were used to out of Brantley, and it wasn't for a lack of hustle, it was just because he couldn't go all out like he normally does because of the sore hamstring. Brantley has not played since, and continues to get treatment each day on the hamstring and work to get back into game action. He is day-to-day and expected back in the lineup by week's end.

Hot Bats

First baseman Matt McBride is off to a great start in what is a comeback season for him. In 14 games so far this year with advanced Single-A Kinston, he is hitting .370 (20-for-54) with 2 HR, 13 RBI and a 1.100 OPS. More impressively, he has already piled up 9 doubles and he has more walks (8) than strikeouts (6). Currently, he is 4th in the Carolina League in hitting, 6th in on-base percentage, 4th in slugging percentage, 2nd in OPS, 4th in RBI, and 1st in doubles.

McBride has always been one to pile up a lot of doubles, which is an indicator that a power explosion could be coming for him sometime down the road. The Indians moved him out from behind the plate to save his arm and because they like his potential offensively, and to date he has shown exactly why they have moved him from catcher to the outfield and first base. Given that he turns 24-years old in May, he may not stick in Kinston for long and will go to Double-A Akron very quickly if he keeps this hot start going into May.

Outfielder Matt Brown is also off to a hot start this season, and was rewarded for that hot start by winning the first Carolina League Player of the Week Award of the season. For the week, Brown hit .457 (16-for-35) with 6 runs scored and 4 RBI for Kinston. Brown led the entire Cleveland Indians Player Development System with a .308 average last year at Single-A Lake County. On the season, he is hitting .383 (18-for-47) with 0 HR, 5 RBI and an .896 OPS in 13 games. He ranks 2nd in the Carolina League in hitting and in hits (18).

Sensational Starts

Akron right-hander Josh Tomlin was terrific last Friday in a 3-1 win over Bowie. He put up his first quality start of the season and held Bowie to just 1 run and only 4 hits over 6 innings, walking 1 and striking out 1. He faced just one batter over the minimum in his final four innings, and allowed only one runner to reach scoring position over that span as well. While he is every bit the prospect, Tomlin just continues to perform and showcase that knack to put up great stats and just win ballgames. In two starts this season he is now 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA and in 11 innings has allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and has 3 strikeouts.

Akron Left-hander Chuck Lofgren had his best outing in over a year this past Sunday as he went 6 innings and allowed 1 run on 2 hits, 1 walk and had 3 strikeouts. He took a perfect game into the fourth inning as he retired the first ten batters he faced before giving up a walk. He took a no-hitter into the fifth before surrendering a solo home run. It was his first win as a starter since May 1, 2008 and first quality start since May 6, 2008. In two starts this season, Lofgren is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA and in 10 innings has allowed 6 hits, 5 walks, and has 5 strikeouts. His early success has been the result of improved command. While his velocity is still around 87-91 MPH, he is using his core and legs much better throughout his delivery and has reduced his violent landing some.

Last Thursday, Lake County right-hander Alexander Perez was brilliant in his second start of the season going 7 shutout innings and allowed just 2 hits, no walks and had 7 strikeouts. Perez did not factor into the decision as the game was scoreless until the 10th inning when Lake County plated three runs to win 3-0. On the season, Perez is now 0-0 with a 0.69 ERA and in 13 innings has allowed 5 hits, 2 walks, and has 13 strikeouts. I said before the season started that Perez could be a breakout candidate, and so far he is looking every bit like one.

Chisenhall's Sweet Homecoming

Kinston third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall's 2009 season is a homecoming of sorts. The 20-year old is from Morehead City, NC, which is on the Atlantic Coast and about an hour from Kinston, NC. He attended Kinston Indians games at Grainger Stadium as a youth, and even got to go out on the field as a kid as part of Kinston's Field of Dreams program where they introduce area youth baseball teams on the field before games. Several years later, he is back on the field where his dream of playing professional baseball really all started.

So far, is has been a sweet homecoming for Chisenhall. Kinston is in the midst of an amazing stretch to start the season where 19 of their first 22 games are at home, so he has had a chance to live it up with the home folks for most of the month of April. After a slow start where he did not have an extra base hit in his first 11 games, he has exploded in his last three games to hit two grand slam home runs, a three-run home run and two doubles. On the season he is now hitting .311 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, and an .855 OPS in 14 games. Being only 20-years old, which is very young for the Carolina League, the Indians are showing they have confidence in his abilities and maturity as a player to handle what is a very tough league, and often considered a separator for Indians prospects.

McGuire Continues To Impress

Single-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Michael McGuire had some injury issues with his arm his senior year in college which hurt his draft stock and numbers, but now that he is in the Indians system he could be a diamond in the rough the scouting department may have unearthed late in the 2008 Draft. He is a dream player for those involved in player development with the Indians. He has a major league body at 6'7" and 240 pounds that can give him leverage over hitters and get his ball on a more downward plane than other pitchers smaller than him. Height is obviously something you are born with and can't be taught. To go along with his size, his fastball sits at 91-93 MPH and tops out as high as 95 MPH, and he complements it with a pretty good curveball and changeup with the curveball being his out pitch.

While he has the body and arm strength scouts and club officials crave, what makes him so exciting to work with and watch grow is his raw ability as a pitcher. He is one of those low-key even keel kind of pitchers, but like his native city of Philadelphia he has a toughness about him that bodes well for pitching late in games. He is also very athletic, having played baseball, football, and basketball in high school. He has a lot of work that has to be done to get him to become more consistent with his command, delivery, and his secondary stuff, but he is a name to watch in the Captains bullpen this season as a relief pitcher with helium as a prospect. In five games this year he is 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA and in 9.2 innings has allowed 9 hits, 4 walks, and has 5 strikeouts.

Sipp Outtakes

Left-hander Tony Sipp was called up to Cleveland on Tuesday night, but his road to the majors started on the ball fields in Mississippi as a young kid all the way through high school. He somehow found his way from Mississippi to Clemson University where he played college ball, and the rest is history.

"I think how I got to Clemson, I honestly want to say that since no one stops in Mississippi that the coach was coming from Louisiana or something and his car broke down in Mississippi somewhere," laughed Sipp. "But the coach was at our game and I had a good game that day on both sides as a pitcher and hitter. He said he wanted me to do both at Clemson, and I was more than happy to do that."

He was a pretty good center fielder, but he and the Indians recognized that his raw talent as a pitcher could lead to bigger and better things as a professional.

"I mean, with a metal bat I was a decent hitter, but with those everyone is decent," said Sipp. "But when I played with wood in the Cape Cod League I knew I had to lay it down. The first few swings in batting practice I couldn't get it out of the park, so that let me know right then [that I should focus on pitching]."

Prior to joining his new teammates in Cleveland, Sipp got to experience Triple-A for the first time this year, though he feels it was not much different from his experiences in Double-A Akron.

"I have always wondered what it would be like [to pitch in Triple-A], but I have had a lot of guys tell me it is not much different," said Sipp. "You just get a lot of guys complaining that they should be in the bigs more than anything. The different cities, that is what I am enjoying getting to see. The bigger cities, as that is one thing you have to get acclimated to as well. Coming from a small town in Mississippi between Mobile and Biloxi, I have been like a little kid in the candy store with all these big cities we are going to."

Transactions Rundown

We finally got some transactions activity this week. Here is a quick rundown of the transactions up and down the Indians system:

Last Thursday, Akron placed infielder Jared Goedert on the disabled list with a strained right oblique and activated catcher Armando Camacaro. Goedert, who started at third base in each of Akron's first five games, was hitting just .154 (2-13) on the year but had drawn six walks against just one strikeout for an on-base percentage of .421. Camacaro opened the season on Columbus's disabled list with a left calf strain.

On Friday, Lake County left-hander Ryan Miller was promoted to Kinston and left-hander Anillins Martinez was activated from extended spring training. Martinez has made two appearances so far, and in 3 innings has allowed no runs, 2 hits, 1 walk and has 6 strikeouts.

On Wednesday, Columbus left-hander Tony Sipp was called up to Cleveland and right-hander Scott Roehl was called up from Double-A Akron to fill his spot on the roster. Roehl made a quick first impression going thee shutout innings on Wednesday night and allowed two hits, no walks and struck out three and notched his first career Triple-A save.

Affiliate Notebook

Columbus Notebook (6-9, 4th place, 2.5 GB): Converted utility player Josh Barfield joined his Columbus teammates this past weekend after being optioned from Cleveland. With high upside prospect Luis Valbuena planted firmly at second base and the outfield loaded with the likes of Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, and Stephen Head, the Indians will spread Barfield among several positions to get him regular playing time. He will mostly play the outfield, especially center field now that Brantley is ailing from his hamstring injury and day-to-day. When he plays second base, Valbuena will play some shortstop and third base as he did on Sunday (shortstop). ... With the opening of a new ballpark in Columbus, a lot of firsts happened over the weekend. Toledo's Danny Worth got the first hit and scored the first run, Toledo's Mike Hessman got the first RBI, Jeremy Sowers recorded the first strikeout, Toledo's Ruddy Lugo got the first win and Sowers the first loss with Toledo's Casey Fien notching the first save. Matt LaPorta hit the first Columbus home run in the new ballpark during the late innings of Sunday's game. ... Last Thursday, right-hander Tomo Ohka had the first quality start of the season for Columbus (6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K). Right-hander Kirk Saarloos (6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 7 K) followed that up on Friday with a quality start of his own, and lefty Jeremy Sowers (6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K) had one as well on Saturday. ... Right-hander Greg Aquino had some problems with shoulder stiffness while throwing his warmup tosses after coming into the game on Thursday. His status is day-to-day, and he has not appeared in a game since. ... Catcher Chris Gimenez snapped an 0-for-22 slide to start the season by going 3-for-4 in the game on Saturday. Early in the season he is hitting .111 (4-for-36). ... Second baseman Luis Valbuena has reached base in 13-straight games, tops in the International League. On the season he is hitting .306 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and has an .862 OPS.

Akron Notes (11-2, 1st place, 2.5 GU): Outfielder Jose Constanza sparked Akron to a 7-3 win on Saturday in every way imaginable. He went 3-for-4 at the plate, scored three runs, and stole two bases. Defensively, he made a pair of spectacular running catches in the gaps, the last of which culminated with him crashing into the wall in right-center. All three of his hits never left the infield as he opened the game with a pretty drag bunt up the first base line, later reached on another bunt single, and then beat out an infield single in the 8th inning. ... Outfielder Nick Weglarz temporarily broke out of an early season slump on Sunday to go 1-for-3 with a HR and 3 RBI. His sacrifice fly and booming two-run homer to right-center are his first and only home run and RBI on the season. It has been a rough start for the red head from Canada as in 11 games he is hitting .086 (3-for-35) with 1 HR, 3 RBI and a .421 OPS. He has 13 strikeouts in his 35 at bats. ... On Saturday, utility man Jerad Head went 2-for-3 with a 2B, HR and RBI. His big night marked the first time an Akron player had two extra-base hits in the same game this year. On the season Head is hitting .316 (6-for-19) with 1 HR, 2 RBI, and a .935 OPS in seven games.

Kinston Notes (7-8, 2nd place, 2.0 GB): Second baseman Cord Phelps has been on a roll the past week. After starting the season hitting .120 (3-for-25) in his first eight games, through Wednesday he was 9-for-18 in the four games since with four straight multi-hit games. He is now hitting .279 with 0 HR, 7 RBI, and has an .814 OPS. ... On Sunday, outfielder John Allman made his third start of the season and had the first four-hit game of his career going 4-for-5 with 2 RBI. On the season he is hitting .368 (7-for-19) with 0 HR, 3 RBI and a .737 OPS in four games. ... On Monday, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez was outstanding setting down the first nine batters he faced and earned his first win of the season going 6 shutout innings and allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and had 3 strikeouts. On the season he is now 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 3 starts and in 17.0 innings has allowed 13 hits, 4 walks and has 9 strikeouts. ... Kinston went more than 250 at bats between home runs when Matt McBride unloaded a solo home run in the second inning of Saturday's game. It was the first home run since game one of the season - in fact the first at bat of the season - when outfielder Tim Fedroff lead off the season in the bottom of the first inning with a home run. ... Kinston scored a total of 33 runs in their first 10 games, but in their last 3 games have scored 40 runs. The 16 runs and 20 hits they put up on Monday were single-game highs dating back to 2007. ... As of Wednesday, Kinston pitching is leading the league in strikeouts (115) and is 2nd in team ERA (3.94). Lefties Eric Berger (20) and Kelvin De La Cruz are the top two pitchers in the league in strikeouts.

Lake County Notes (6-8, 6th place, 3.5 GB): With lefty Ryan Miller going to Kinston, right-hander Paolo Espino got a spot start on Friday and went 3.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, no walks, and had 4 strikeouts. On the season, Espino is 0-1 with a 6.14 ERA in three games and in 7.1 innings has allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and has 8 strikeouts. ... On Saturday lefty T.J. McFarland made his second start, and it was worlds better than his first outing when he went three innings and was hammered for nine runs. In his followup start on Saturday, McFarland allowed one run in 5.2 innings on 3 hits, 1 walk and had 4 strikeouts. ... Outfielder Donnie Webb had his modest eight game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday. On the season he is hitting .235 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and a .657 OPS. ... A quick note in extended spring training which could affect the Lake County roster soon is right-hander Danny Salazar started a game against the Chicago White Sox farm team on Tuesday. Salazar is recovering from an injury suffered in spring training and could be up in the Lake County rotation very soon, especially if Miller does not come back.

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