Game Recaps: Thursday 9/3

Toledo homer beats Clippers
Mike Hessman's homer, the 200th of his Triple-A career, sent Columbus down to defeat 4-2. The Clippers lost to Toledo for the seventh consecutive time.

Chuck Lofgren struggled against the Mud Hens this season, with three losses in as many starts, but Thursday he tossed five shutout innings while the Clippers built a 2-0 lead.

In the sixth, Lofgren walked the leadoff batter and allowed a hit to put two runners on for Hessman. The Toledo slugger stroked a ball onto Monroe Street for a 3-2 Mud Hens lead. Toledo tacked on an insurance run in the eighth against Zach Jackson for the final score. Lofgren took the loss with six innings of work. Jackson and Greg Aquino each tossed one inning of relief.

Ruddy Lugo beat the Clippers for the third time this season, going seven strong innings, while Freddy Dolsi pitched the final two frames for the save.

Aeros pull away late
Akron overcame a pair of deficits and used a four-run explosion in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good, defeating Altoona 9-6 before 3,827 fans at Blair County Ballpark Wednesday night. The Aeros improved to a season-high 31 games over .500 at 84-53, while the Curve dropped to 60-77.

Altoona opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs off Akron starter Scott
Barnes, but the Aeros answered with three runs in the top of the third. Jared Goedert, who committed two errors in the first, opened the inning with a double and went to third when Jose Constanza beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt. Josh Rodriguez and Carlos Santana then evened the score with consecutive RBI singles, and Lonnie Chisenhall put Akron up by a run at 3-2 with a two-out RBI bloop single.

The Curve retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Barnes, who struggled with his command all night, hit Ray Chang to open the inning. Jeff Corsaletti followed with a single, and after Steve Lerud advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt Brian Friday tied the game with an RBI groundout and Gorkys Hernandez put Altoona in front 4-3 with a two-out RBI single to right.

The Aeros recovered and scored the next five runs however, as Altoona reliever Jared Hughes threw a wild pitch with two down in the sixth to tie the game before allowing all four runs in the seventh. Constanza walked to spark the rally, stole second, and went to third on an infield single by Rodriguez. Santana popped out, but Beau Mills followed with a slow roller to third. Constanza broke on contact, and Chang's throw home sailed over Lerud's head (and may not have been in time anyway). Matt McBride followed with an RBI double to make it 6-4 and knock Hughes from the game, and Carlos Rivero had the big blow with a two-out, two-run single to left-center to push the lead to 8-4.

Altoona got a run back in the eighth, Akron answered in the ninth on a run-scoring double by Rivero, and the Curve added one more in the ninth but couldn't get the potential tying run to the plate.

Carlton Smith (5-2) earned the win out of the bullpen, holding Altoona to a run in 2.1 innings. Hughes (1-6) took the loss, allowing four runs and three hits in just 0.2 innings. Rodriguez had his best night since returning from the disabled list, finishing 4-5 with a run scored and an RBI. It was his first four-hit game since recording a career-high five hits August 26th, 2006 against Batavia while playing for Mahoning Valley. Rivero finished 3-5 with three RBI and has driven in five runs in the first two games of this series, while Mills and Chisenhall both went 2-5. Santana drove in his 94th run of the year and is just three away from tying Wes Hodges' team record, while Constanza scored twice and is up to 93 runs on the year, tying Ken Ramos for fourth on the club's single-season list.

Keys clip K-Tribe in extras
A Kinston error in the bottom of the 12th inning gave Frederick a 3-2 walk-off win Thursday night in Maryland. The Keys avoided the sweep as Kinston took two of three games from Frederick.

Tied at two in the bottom of the 12th inning, Frederick first baseman Joe Mahoney took the first pitch he saw from Kinston reliever Chen-Chang Lee and belted it to the wall for a double. One batter later, the Keys Bobby Stevens laid down a bunt that Lee had trouble fielding, eventually throwing wide of first base and allowing Mahoney to score the winning run. Lee was charged with an error and also took the loss, his record falling to 4-6 on the season.

The K-Tribe started the game off with a bang as Lucas Montero hit a lead off home run in the top of the first inning. It was the fifth home run of the season for Montero. Frederick answered quickly with two hits in the bottom of the first; including an RBI single form Lou Montanez. The Keys would take a 2-1 lead when Mahoney hit a solo home run to lead off the second inning.

The score would remain 2-1 until the sixth inning, when Kinston plated an unearned run of their own. With two outs in the inning, Doug Pickens and Adam Davis reached base on back-to-back infield singles. Ronald Rivas then hit a liner to right field that Frederick’s Billy Rowell dropped, allowing Pickens to score and tying the score at two. Rowell was charged with his 15th error of the season.

The K-Tribe pitched well again tonight, as starter Russell Young went seven innings, giving up just five hits and two earned runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. David Roberts and Kyle Landis each pitched two shutout innings and each gave up just one hit from the bullpen. Frederick’s pen was equally as good, combining for 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball. Jake Stevens (5-6) picked up the win for the Keys.

Salem lost 7-5 to Winston-Salem in extra innings Thursday night, so the K-Tribe remains tied for the final playoff spot in the Carolina League Southern Division with just four games to play.

Captains set Suns down
Dan DeGeorge drove in four runs to highlight two big offensive innings as the Lake County Captains defeated the Hagerstown Suns 9-2 on Thursday. The win gives the Captains an overall record of 69-64 and insures the Captains a winning record for the second year in a row. They went 75-65 in 2008.

The Captains had a big second inning when Jeremie Tice doubled home John Allman, Matt Willard singled home Bo Greenwell and Dan DeGeorge doubled home Tice and Willard and the Captains led 4-0. The Captains put up three more runs in the bottom of the third inning when Willard drove in another run and DeGeorge singled home two more an the Captains led 7-0.

John Allman doubled home Delvi Cid in the top of the fifth inning to extend the lead to 8-0. The Suns got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when Tyler Moore singled home Steven Souza and it was 8-1. In the sixth inning, Greenwell scored from third on a passed ball and the lead was 9-1. The Suns made it 9-2 when a sacrifice fly by Moore scored Souza.

Captains starter Danny Salazar did not get a decision pitching 4.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits, walking six and striking out six. Nick Sarianides (1-0) got his first Captains win working three innings and allowing the one run on one hit, walking one and striking out two. Suns starter Paul Demny (3-11) took the loss working two innings allowing four runs on three hits, walking two and striking out one.

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Gomez Named Eastern League Pitcher Of The Year

Double-A Akron right-handed starter Jeanmar Gomez has been named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year. The announcement was made today, and he is just the second Akron pitcher to win the award, following Adam Miller in 2006.

"There are many variables in developing into a Major League starting pitcher, and Jeanmar continues to check them off the list," Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins said. "He's intelligent, he's durable, he has weapons and he puts his weapons on the plate consistently. Jeanmar has worked hard to put himself into this position and there is still more potential to realize."

Gomez began 2009 with Class A Kinston and went 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA before joining the Aeros April 29th. The right-hander reeled off four straight wins in his first four Double-A starts, capped by the first perfect game and individual no-hitter in franchise history May 21st at Trenton. Gomez needed just 87 pitches to complete his masterpiece, and it was only the second nine-inning perfect game in the 86-year history of the Eastern League. The gem also provided the bulk of another rare feat for Gomez, as he retired 36 consecutive batters over three starts between May 14th and 26th.

Overall this season, Gomez has gone 10-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 21 starts for Akron. He is tied for fourth in the league in wins, ranks third in ERA, second in WHIP (1.24) and sixth with 105 strikeouts in 117.1 innings. The native of Caracas, VZ won the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award for the week ending May 24th, pitched a perfect inning in the All-Star game at Waterfront Park in Trenton, and was named as the right-handed starter on the season ending All-Star team.

Gomez has not allowed an earned run in seven of his 21 starts this season and has given up three earned runs or less in 15 of those starts. He originally signed with Cleveland as a free agent April 4th, 2005.

Trenton right-handed starter Zach McAllister finished second in the voting for the award and Bowie left-handed starter Brian Matusz finished third. This award was voted on by Eastern League team managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television broadcast personnel and other members of the media.

(courtesy of Akron Aeros)

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Minor Happenings: Phelps An On-Base Machine

"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.

Today is a special edition of Minor Happenings recapping some conversations I had with several Kinston players in my recent visits to see them in Kinston, Wilmington, and Myrtle Beach. I'll have a regular edition of Minor Happenings tomorrow or sometime this weekend.

Also, a quick note, Paul Cousineau and I will not be airing our Smoke Signals radio show tonight because of a last minute schedule change that prevents us from airing the show tonight. Paul and I are both going to be out of town and unable to coordinate the time to do the show. We will be back next week!

Phelps An On-Base Machine

At first glance, High-A second baseman Cord Phelps' numbers are very ordinary this year where in 124 games he is hitting .254 with 4 HR, 51 RBI and has a .732 OPS. However, a deeper look into his numbers reveal that he also has 87 walks on the year, which makes him the runaway leader in the Carolina League as the next closest person in the league has 71 walks on the season. With the help of such a large amount of walks, his on-base percentage is a very good .379 which ranks fourth in the league.

Phelps of course would like to hit for a better average, but even with the struggles at the plate his has maintained a consistent, patient approach and it has paid off with a very solid season this year in his first full season as a professional.

"Hitting has been a little bit of a struggle at times trying to figure out what I need to do to be a little bit more consistent," said Phelps in a recent interview in Myrtle Beach. "But that comes with kind of learning the game. If you are going to play baseball you are going to have to go through it. You try not to push the panic button and try to come out with a good attitude every day."

Even though his approach at the plate is sound, Phelps has worked all season with Kinston Hitting Coach Rouglas Odor and Kinston Manager Chris Tremie to make some adjustments and be a little more consistent at the plate.

"Me, Rouglas and Tremie have been talking about a couple things like being short to the ball and to just get through it," said Phelps. "That's about it. Just try and keep it simple. Hitting is like one of those things where if you complicate it too much then you can tie yourself up a little bit. So I try to simplify it as much as I can."

With his first full season almost in the books Phelps feels that he has finally made the adjustment to professional baseball, though understands he has a lot to learn still.

"Yeah, it is a little bit different because you have a little bit more of an idea what it is all about," said Phelps about this season compared to last season at short season Single-A Mahoning Valley where he hit .312 with 2 HR, 21 RBI and an .830 OPS. "Obviously I am still relatively inexperienced compared to a lot of the other players who have been here for awhile. But I feel like I know the ropes a little bit more and that just makes it a little bit easier to know what to expect. At the same time I have a long way to go."

In addition to his ability to be a table-setter and get on base, Phelps has also shown himself to be a very good defensive second baseman. He leads all second basemen in the Carolina League with a .993 fielding percentage, and has found a home at a position of need in the organization.

"Well, it's nice as I get to play one spot and get to learn it," said Phelps. "Obviously it is a bit more difficult if you are moving around from position to position. I have been lucky because I have been just staying right there and been able to work on getting better."

In the final days of the season Phelps wants to continue to focus on being a more consistent hitter. He also feels it is very important to keep that competitive edge, which is why the late season run for the playoffs by him and his teammates means a lot to him. While the organization may be indifferent if Kinston makes the playoffs or not, the Kinston players have that competitive fire to win and are focusing on getting to the playoffs.

"The minor leagues are about development, but also at the same time you have to cultivate your competitive nature," said Phelps. "You can't let that slip, so I think everybody out there is focused on winning because if you are not focused on that then you can lose it. So that is just as important as individual development."

Holt Remains Positive Even After Struggles

There is a fine line that High-A Kinston right-handed reliever Jonathan Holt has to walk in order to be successful. Since he is not blessed with a fastball that he can blow by hitters or a plus secondary offering to fool them, he instead has to rely on his exceptional command and control to paint corners and make quality pitches to consistently get hitters out.

When you lack top shelf stuff, your margin for error is much smaller. This season, Holt has seen what happens when you are off your game just a little and that small margin for error shows itself as his command has been off almost the entire season. His out of character command issues have led to some sub par numbers out of the Kinston pen this year where in 41 appearances he is 4-5 with a 5.15 ERA. In 78.2 innings he has allowed 85 hits, 29 walks, and recorded 51 strikeouts. The numbers are much different from his numbers at Low-A Lake County last year where in 41 appearances he went 4-6 with a 3.20 ERA and in 76.0 innings allowed 80 hits, 7 walks, and had 68 strikeouts.

"It has kind of been an up and down season so far," said Holt in a recent interview in Wilmington, DE. "I've been kind of just struggling keeping my mechanics in line. It has definitely been a learning experience trying to handle the ups and downs and just trying to work on things and going out and trying to do as best as you can each time out. It has been frustrating at points during the season, but you just try to keep it as positive as you can and just go out there and try to get guys out."

One of the more alarming changes in his numbers has been a substantial increase in his walk rate. While all of his other peripheral stats have remained somewhat constant, his increase from just 7 walks all of last season (0.82 BB/9) to 29 walks this season (3.3 BB/9) has been the biggest reason for his struggles. His walk rate is still good, but for a guy who has such impeccable command and will pitch to contact and allow hits, the significant increase in walks work has been detrimental to his performance. On top of that, with increased walks it also means he has not been as sharp with his pitches, which lead to a smaller zone to work with and hitters able to be more selective.

"Right now I am just trying to really clear my head and just go out and attack hitters and get back to throwing strikes," said Holt. "That was one of the things I did really well last year is throwing strikes and not walking people. In the first two months this year I was really working on a bunch of different stuff and the walks came in bunches. That's probably the most frustrating part because that was something the organization really liked. I didn't walk people and filled up the zone. That's what I have really tried to do, and the last month and a half I have gotten better and thrown more strikes."

Of late Holt seems to have gotten things going. After he seemingly bottomed out in July where in eight appearances he was 0-3 with a 12.10 ERA (9.2 IP, 17 H, 3 BB, 6 K), he bounced back with a strong August and September where in ten appearances he was 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA (17.1 IP, 19 H, 3 BB, 15 K).

"The numbers might not show it, but in my last couple of outings I have felt really good," said Holt. "It comes down to execution really. I was not executing my pitches early on and I feel like I have done a better job of that the last few outings. Again it is all a learning experience and you kind of go through struggles. It is not always the greatest of times but you just kind of keep working through it. Hopefully I will finish up strong."

With less than a week remaining in the season, Holt's offseason plans are already coming into focus. He will not be participating in Instructional League this fall, and instead will go home to his hometown of Fruitland Park, FL and take two to three weeks off before getting back to work to get ready for the 2010 season. He plans to train even harder this offseason to come into next spring training in the best shape in career.

After Christmas his voluntary throwing program will begin and he will get right into it pitching and working out about five miles from his home at Lake Sumter Community College, a junior college in Leesburg, Florida where his older brother Josh Holt happens to be the pitching coach.

"My brother is a pitching coach at a junior college, so I will work out at his facility," said Holt. "I get to lift, run, and throw there and use his catchers to throw bullpens. The Indians send out [our throwing program] right before Christmas and then we start that right up right after Christmas. That gets us into spring training."

Having his brother's facility will come in handy this offseason, especially considering the costs involved to go out to the Indians Player Development complex in Goodyear, AZ. In the offseason, players are welcome and encouraged to use the Goodyear facility on a voluntary basis, but the Indians do not pay for their airfare to get there, pay for any of their accommodations while out there, or for any other expenses like gas, food and utilities. Aside from food being provided in the clubhouse twice a day, players are responsible for paying for everything else while they are out there on their own except when they are there for Instructional League, spring training, or rehab during the season.

"They give you the option of coming out to Goodyear I think starting in the middle of January," said Holt. "You have to pay your own way, or you can come out in spring training whenever that starts up. That's the thing though as with most minor leaguers the money is already scarce as it is, so you kind of try and conserve that."

Montero Shows Improved Approach

High-A Kinston outfielder Lucas Montero is in his sixth season in the Indians organization. To date he is hitting .258 with 4 HR, 37 RBI and a .721 OPS in 124 games this year. Even though he has played virtually every day this season, he has remained injury free and proven to be a real iron man in the Kinston outfield.

While Montero is still only at the advanced Single-A level and his numbers do not stand out, his progress this season as a hitter has not gone without notice. His batting average in 215 at bats the first half of the season was .260, which is not much different than the .256 in 227 at bats so far in the second half. His progress has been more behind the numbers with his approach at the plate where he is seeing more pitches, working counts, and drawing walks from the leadoff spot in the lineup. This is demonstrated by the 24 walks and 48 strikeouts he had in the first half compared to 44 walks and 43 strikeouts in the second half.

"The first month the pitchers threw me a lot more breaking balls," said Montero in a recent interview. "So I think I started to use my hands [better] and not try to do too much and just stay back. I think that is why I have played better. Things have gone very good because I have learned a lot more of what I need to do at the plate. Sometimes it is [easier] to get the base hit because they don't know how to play you. If they play back I can bunt, so it is easier, and I have stayed more focused hitting more groundballs."

The 24-year old switch-hitter brings with him a rare combination of power and speed. He is lightning fast having swiped 60 bases last season and this year has 34 stolen bases. He is also not your typical speedy leadoff hitter as he has some thunder in his bat to hit the ball a long way and pound the gaps, which keeps the defense honest.

In the offseason Montero will return to his home in the Dominican Republic to spend time with his family that he is away from for eight months out of the year. Unlike many of the Indians minor leaguers from Latin countries, he has a good handle on the English language

"I learned it here [in the United States] with the team as the Indians taught me," said Montero. "We take the English classes along with other Latin guys. [Speaking English] makes it is easier to talk with other teammates. You can talk with a person as sometimes they may want to ask me about something and I can answer them."

Cawiezell Durable & Versatile

One of the mainstays of the High-A Kinston bullpen all year has been right-hander Dallas Cawiezell. He has never started a game as a professional as the Indians had the intention right out of the gates of developing him as a reliever since drafting and signing him in 2007 as a 40th round draft pick out of Valparaiso. On the season he is 1-4 with 8 saves and a 3.36 ERA, and in 64.1 innings has allowed 63 hits, 31 walks, and has 54 strikeouts. He is first in the Carolina League in appearances (47) and fourth in games finished (33).

Much like his 6'6" 255-pound frame, Cawiezell has been a rock in the bullpen all year contributing in any role as needed. When right-hander Josh Jody was called up to Double-A Akron in late April he moved into the closer's role for a few months. Since then he has pitched some middle relief and is currently in a late inning role primarily pitching the 7th and 8th inning every second or third night.

"It's been an adjustment this year, but I certainly expected there to be some rocks along the road," said Cawiezell in a recent interview in Wilmington, DE. "All of my secondary stuff is there, but it needs work. I'm just sticking with the stuff that works and working on locating the fastball. I'm definitely shoring up the offspeed stuff and it has been a priority of mine this year."

Kinston Pitching Coach Greg Hibbard has worked with Cawiezell this season to get him to lower his arm slot a little bit in order to create some more movement on a fastball which has sat around 91-92 MPH this year. He throws a hard slider and his split-fingered fastball may be his best pitch. He has worked a lot to try and get his delivery down in order to deceive hitters so that it is hard to distinguish between the fastball and splitter until the ball leaves his hand.

"Baseball-wise I would say repeating my delivery would be huge for me," said Cawiezell. "It seems like my command is always the first thing to go. When I get tired my command goes. I think if I shored that up that would be a huge thing for me and make everything better."

Cawiezell has really improved with keeping his emotions in check on the mound, which was something that he had some trouble with last year at Low-A Lake County. If things began to unravel on him over the course of an inning last year he would often lose his focus and composure. This year he is much calmer and under control even in the toughest of situations or when the results over the course of an inning have not been positive.

With just a few days left before the end of the season and a long five month offseason looming, Cawiezell along with many of his minor league brethren are looking forward to some time off.

"I have felt good all year and it has been a grind," said Cawiezell. "There have definitely been some sore days, but it has been a good season for me. I wouldn't say I will shut it down this offseason, but I'll definitely get some rest. More than anything [I'll look to add some more strength] as you can always be stronger."

Fedroff Toughs It Out

High-A Kinston outfielder Tim Fedroff has been battling through a nagging hamstring injury that has left him at less than 100% for most of the season. Since early May he has been in and out of the lineup missing a few weeks at a time before finally came back for good in late July even though he was still not 100% recovered.

"It's been a little frustrating as I wanted to be out there every day this year and play as much as I could, but the hamstring [has] just not cooperated with me," said Fedroff in a recent interview at Grainger Stadium. "But I have definitely learned a lot more this season than I have in any other season I have played, and I am going to take it as a positive and use it to my advantage in the future."

Often playing with the pedal to the metal and pushing himself to his physical limits, Fedroff injured the hamstring during a game while running hard on the bases. A hamstring injury is one of those things where you could just be walking around the house and you are still not resting, so it never completely heals. It kept progressively worsening and got to the point where he could not run normal and he couldn't do anything he was usually able to do, so the Indians had him take some time off to help it heal. While he was out he was able to sit back and reflect on the game, his mental preparation, and his approach at the plate.

Since returning in late July, he has been one of the key components to Kinston's second half surge. In 26 games in August he hit .343 with 0 HR, 17 RBI and an .869 OPS, and served as a catalyst near the top of the lineup helping Kinston go a red-hot 19-9 in August. Overall this season in 94 games he is hitting .279 with 4 HR, 38 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a .767 OPS. He credits a lot of the late season success to developing a better pre-game routine.

"A big part of what I have learned this year has been developing a pre-game routine," said Fedroff. "That involves some cage work and different things before the game to help me get ready. I have been doing that and I am trying to improve as best as I can."

Fedroff is from New Jersey, but has spent the past couple years playing baseball in North Carolina. He played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where the campus in Chapel Hill is a short hour and a half drive away from Kinston.

"As soon as I graduated from high school I came down to North Carolina and played summer baseball after my freshman year in Wilmington," said Fedroff. "And then obviously I played here in school at Chapel Hill, so I have been in North Carolina pretty much the past few years."

With just a few days left before the end of the season and hopefully a playoff berth in the Carolina League playoffs, Fedroff wants to have a good finish to provide him with something to build upon for next year.

"I want to finish the year as strong as I possibly can," said Fedroff. "I want to end up on a good note hitting-wise and maybe get all the numbers up a little bit."

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Game Recaps: Wednesday 9/2

Aeors pull away late
Akron overcame a pair of deficits and used a four-run explosion in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good, defeating Altoona 9-6 before 3,827 fans at Blair County Ballpark Wednesday night. The Aeros improved to a season-high 31 games over .500 at 84-53, while the Curve dropped to 60-77.

Altoona opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs off Akron starter Scott Barnes, but the Aeros answered with three runs in the top of the third. Jared Goedert, who committed two errors in the first, opened the inning with a double and went to third when Jose Constanza beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt. Josh Rodriguez and Carlos Santana then evened the score with consecutive RBI singles, and Lonnie Chisenhall put Akron up by a run at 3-2 with a two-out RBI bloop single.

The Curve retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Barnes, who struggled with his command all night, hit Ray Chang to open the inning. Jeff Corsaletti followed with a single, and after Steve Lerud advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt Brian Friday tied the game with an RBI groundout and Gorkys Hernandez put Altoona in front 4-3 with a two-out RBI single to right.

The Aeros recovered and scored the next five runs however, as Altoona reliever Jared Hughes threw a wild pitch with two down in the sixth to tie the game before allowing all four runs in the seventh. Constanza walked to spark the rally, stole second, and went to third on an infield single by Rodriguez. Santana popped out, but Beau Mills followed with a slow roller to third. Constanza broke on contact, and Chang’s throw home sailed over Lerud's head (and may not have been in time anyway). Matt McBride followed with an RBI double to make it 6-4 and knock Hughes from the game, and Carlos Rivero had the big blow with a two-out, two-run single to left-center to push the lead to 8-4.

Altoona got a run back in the eighth, Akron answered in the ninth on a run-scoring double by Rivero, and the Curve added one more in the ninth but couldn't get the potential tying run to the plate.

Carlton Smith (5-2) earned the win out of the bullpen, holding Altoona to a run in 2.1 innings. Hughes (1-6) took the loss, allowing four runs and three hits in just 0.2 innings. Rodriguez had his best night since returning from the disabled list, finishing 4-5 with a run scored and an RBI. It was his first four-hit game since recording a career-high five hits August 26th, 2006 against Batavia while playing for Mahoning Valley. Rivero finished 3-5 with three RBI and has driven in five runs in the first two games of this series, while Mills and Chisenhall both went 2-5. Santana drove in his 94th run of the year and is just three away from tying Wes Hodges' team record, while Constanza scored twice and is up to 93 runs on the year, tying Ken Ramos for fourth on the club's single-season list.

K-Tribe crush Keys
The K-Tribe racked up 17 hits, cruising past the Frederick Keys 14-3 Wednesday night in Maryland. With the win, Kinston stays tied with Salem for the final playoff spot in the Carolina League Southern Division with five games left in the regular season.

Kinston got on the board early as Ole Sheldon kept his bat hot, driving in two runs with a double in the top of the first inning. Sheldon ended up going 4-for-5 with three RBI. He has now driven in a total of 14 runs over his last four games, racking up at least one RBI in seven consecutive games.

After Frederick tied the score at two in the bottom of the third inning, Kinston would go ahead for good in the fourth. Mark Thompson broke the tie with an RBI double of his own, giving Kinston a 4-2 lead. Thompson, in just his second start for Kinston, would have a big night going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Kinston would cruise from there, scoring two runs in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings. Kinston would rub salt in the wound in the top of the ninth, batting around and scoring four more runs. Every player but one in the K-Tribe lineup walked away with a hit. Cord Phelps went 2-for-3 with three walks, four runs scored and an RBI. Doug Pickens and Ronald Rivas each had two hits for the K-Tribe.

K-Tribe newcomer Nick Hagadone got the start, giving up two runs in 2 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out three. The Kinston bullpen had another great night, as Jonathan Holt, Alexander Perez, Dallas Cawiezell and Santo Frias combined to give up just one earned run in the final 6 2/3 innings of the contest. Holt (4-5) picked up the win for Kinston.

Smith ties franchies record as Captains win
Steve Smith tied the Captains franchise record in saves picking up his 26th of the year, as the Lake County Captains defeated the Delmarva Shorebirds 3-1 on Wednesday. The Captains took two of the three games of the series and ended up 11-11 versus Delmarva this year.

The Shorebirds got the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when Victor Castillo singled home Jacob Julius to give Delmarva a 1-0 lead. The Captains took the lead in the top of the sixth inning when after one run had scored on a double play ball, Karexon Sanchez hit a two run home run, his 11th homer of the year, and the Captains led 3-1.

Captains starter Kaimi Mead did not get a decision pitching four scoreless innings and allowing four hits while striking out three. Travis Turek (2-3) got the win working three innings and allowing the one run on five hits, walking one and striking out three. Matt Langwell pitched a scoreless eight inning and Smith the ninth inning. Shorebirds starter Nicholas Haughian (0-1) took the loss working 5.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits, walking one and striking out one.

Scrappers split doubleheader
On Wednesday night, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers split a doubleheader with the Jamestown Jammers. Mahoning Valley won the opener 2-0 and the dropped the nightcap 4-3, with the split the Scrapper record is now 46-25.

GAME ONE: Scrappers starter Clayton Cook pitched the first five innings and allowed no runs on three hits while walking one and striking out six. Matt Packer tossed the final two innings and gave up no runs, while allowing one hit and striking out two.

Mahoning Valley scored the only run of the game that they would need in the 3rd when Jason Kipnis delivered a two out RBI single to right field. The Scrappers added an insurance run in the 6th when Ben Carlson came through with an RBI triple, making the final score 2-0 Mahoning Valley.

GAME TWO: Scrappers starter Jose Urena tossed the first five innings and gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out two. Jeremy Johnson worked the next three innings and gave up one run on three hits and four strikeouts.

The Jammers scored two in the top of the3nd to take an early lead only to see Mahoning Valley come back and score one run in the bottom of the 3rd on a ground out by Jason Kipnis and after three it was 2-1 Jammers. Each team would add is single run in the 5th and after 5th it was 3-2 Jamestown. In the bottom of the 7th the Scrappers scored the tying run on a two out RBI single from Jordan Henry. Jamestown responded with a run in the top of the 8th and then help off the Scrapper bats for the 4-3 Jammers victory.

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Sarbaugh Named Eastern League Manager Of The Year

Akron Aeros skipper Mike Sarbaugh has been named Eastern League Manager of the Year, the league announced today. Sarbaugh, who was tabbed as the best managerial prospect in the league this season by Baseball America, has led Akron to a league-best 83-53 record while clinching the regular-season Southern Division title for the first time since 2006. The Aeros also became the first team in the 86-year history of the Eastern League with five consecutive 80-win seasons.

"This is a great honor, and it means so much because of how many outstanding managers there are in this league," Sarbaugh said. "I also want to thank pitching coach Ruben Niebla, hitting coach Lee May, Jr., athletic trainer Michael Salazar and strength and conditioning coach Todd Kubacki for all their hard work this season. None of our success as a team would be possible without them, and they should take great pride in this honor as well."

Sarbaugh is in his second season with the Aeros after leading the club to the Southern Division pennant in 2008. He holds a career managerial record of 449-321 (.583), and this is his 20th season as a player, coach, or manager in the Indians system. He has never suffered a losing season in six years as a manager, and has previously won championships with Mahoning Valley in 2004 and Kinston in 2006. He was also named Carolina League Manager of the Year in 2007.

"Mike represents everything that is important to us in this organization and most importantly he does so every day," Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins said. "He is exceptionally consistent with his professionalism, he's process driven, and he has the natural gift to challenge players to reach their potential."

Sarbaugh signed with the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 1989 before spending the final five seasons of his playing career with the Indians. During that time he appeared in 208 games for the Canton-Akron Indians from 1991-94, batting .251 with 15 home runs and 88 RBI. He then spent five seasons as a coach with Kinston and Columbus (GA) from 1995-99 and returned to the Aeros for four years as hitting coach from 2000-03, culminating with Akron's first Eastern League championship in 2003.

Connecticut manager Steve Decker was second in the voting for the award and Erie skipper Tom Brookens finished in third place in the voting. The award was voted on by Eastern League managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television broadcast personnel, and other members of the media.

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Pitching Probables: Wednesday 9/2

As you can see, left-hander Nick Hagadone makes his High-A Kinston debut tonight. He should still will be on a 3 inning or 50 pitch count.

Columbus: Hector Rondon vs. Louisville @ 7:05 pm
Akron: Scott Barnes at Altoona @ 6:05 pm
Kinston: Nick Hagadone at Frederick @ 7:05 pm
Lake County: Kaimi Mead at Delmarva @ 7:05 pm
Mahoning Valley: Clayton Cook (Games 1) vs. Jamestown @ 6:05 pm, Jose Urena (Game 2)
AZL Indians: Season over

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2009 AZL Indians Season In Review

Courtesy of the Indians

In the first year as the Arizona League Indians at Goodyear Ballpark, the team finished with a 24-32 (.429) overall record. The AZL Indians offense finished with the 3rd best batting average in the league with .278 and piled up the 2nd most hits with 561. The pitching staff posted the 4th highest strikeouts in the league with 525 and tied for 2nd with three shutouts.

Here are some notable player highlights:

Chris Kersten (1B): Played in 45 games hitting .328 (59-180) with 20 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 33 RBI and 33 runs. He was 2nd in the league in doubles and finished with the 7th best batting average. He had a 12-game hitting streak batting .447 (21-47) with 8 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, and 11 R.

Jesus Brito (3B): Started the season with the AZL Indians and played in 35 games, hitting .366 (49-134) with 12 2B, 8 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI and 36 runs. He was called up to Mahoning Valley on August 8th and still qualified as the batting leader in the Arizona League in average, OBP (.439) and was second in the league with a .642 SLG.

Argenis Martinez (2B): Played in 51 games hitting .289 (58-201) with 7 2B, 4 3B, 17 RBI and 34 runs. In the month of July alone (22 games) he hit .365 (31-85) with 4 2B, 2 3B, 8 RBI and 12 runs.

Alexander Morales (RHP): Finished the season 5-2 with a 4.99 ERA (48.1 IP, 56 H, 27 ER, 15 BB, 53 K). He won his first three decisions (4 GS) and posted a 2.25 ERA (20.0 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 27 K).

Juan Lara (LHP): Returned on July 2nd recovering from a serious automobile accident and went on to pitch in 15 games yielding 17.0 innings (24 H, 8 ER, 8 BB, 19 K) and posted a 4.24 ERA.

Kirk Wetmore (LHP): Finished 1-3 with a 4.19 ERA appearing in 11 games with seven starts (43.0 IP, 43 H, 20 ER, 11 BB, 45 K). As a reliever, he had a 2.25 ERA in four games (16.0 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 21 K).

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Game Recaps: Tuesday 9/1

Newcomers Pino and Webb lead Clippers to victory

The Clippers evened the series by downing the Louisville Bats 9-2 score at Huntington Park Tuesday.

Yohan Pino, who was acquired by Cleveland in the Carl Pavano trade, started for Columbus and threw seven strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out eight batters. Frank Herrmann and another new Clipper, Juan Salas each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

No one contributed more for Columbus than Donnie Webb, who Tuesday morning, was a member of the Lake County Captains. The youngster arrived in Columbus just before the game and batted leadoff and played center field. He did not disappoint. Webb went 3-for-4 with a walk, a steal, two runs scores and three RBIs in his Triple-A debut.

Jordan Brown had two hits to raise his batting average to .333 as he chases a batting title. Wes Hodges drove in two runs in a 2-for-4 night.

The final matchup of 2009 between Columbus and Louisville takes place at 7:05pm Wednesday.

Mills Delivers in Extras, Aeros Win 6-3

Beau Mills ripped a two-run double in the top of the 12th and the Akron bullpen turned in seven shutout innings as the Aeros defeated Altoona 6-3 before 3,948 fans at Blair County Ballpark Tuesday night. Akron improved to 83-53 and climbed back to a season-high 30 games over .500, while the Curve slipped to 60-76.

Jose Constanza got the Aeros off to a quick start by drawing a leadoff walk to open the game, and the speedster then promptly stole second and third base. The steal of second was Constanza’s 42nd of the year, moving him past Eider Torres and into first place all alone on the franchise’s single-season list. Mills then delivered a sacrifice fly to put the Aeros up 1-0, but the Curve responded with single runs in the second, third and fifth innings to take the lead.

Akron managed only a run on two hits through the first five innings, but rallied to tie the game in the sixth. Matt McBride reached on an infield single with one down, and Lonnie Chisenhall then drove a ground-rule double the opposite way to left. Curve reliever Derek Hankins recovered to strike out Jerad Head, but Carlos Rivero laced a clutch two-run, two-out double to left field to tie the game at 3-3.

It remained that way into extra innings, with neither team making much headway in regulation. Neither side could capitalize after putting the leadoff man on in the 10th, and Head was erased on a double play in the 11th after reaching on an infield single to open the frame. Akron finally broke through in the 12th however, as Josh Rodriguez notched a one-out single and Carlos Santana drew a walk. That set the stage for Mills, who drove a fastball to the wall in right-center to score pinch-runner Cristo Arnal and Santana and put the Aeros ahead to stay. Mills advanced to third on the throw home, and McBride plated him with a sac fly to left on the next pitch to account for the final margin.

Brian Grening (1-0) delivered two shutout innings for his first Double-A win, while Altoona’s Scott Nestor (2-3) took the loss. Josh Judy recorded a perfect 12th inning for his 10th save in 11 chances, capping a run of seven shutout innings from the Akron bullpen. Zach Putnam, Neil Wagner, Grening and Judy combined to allow just one hit and two walks over the final seven innings, while striking out nine in the process. Mills finished with three RBI to reach 80 for the season.

Game two in this three-game series is set for 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, as Akron southpaw Scott Barnes (1-2, 7.20 ERA) takes on Altoona’s Mike Crotta (6-8, 4.95 ERA).

The Kinston Indians beat Keys 5-1

Ole Sheldon drove in every Kinston run, as the K-Tribe beat Frederick 5-1 Tuesday night in Maryland. Sheldon went 2-for-3 with a season high five RBI.

In the top of the first inning Tim Fedroff and Cord Phelps drew back-to-back, one-out walks. Ole Sheldon then got the green light, taking a 3-0 pitch over the wall in center for his team leading 13th home run of the season. After a solo home run by Frederick’s Bobby Stevens made the score 3-1 after one inning, Sheldon struck again with an RBI single in the third. The Sheldon single drove in Lucas Montero, who walked to lead off the inning. Kinston would manufacture another run in the top of the eighth inning when Fedroff led off with a walk, stole second, and then advanced to third on a Phelps ground-out. That set the table again for Ole, who drove a deep sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Fedroff. Kinston managed just three hits in the game, two by Sheldon.

Kinston’s pitching was again dominant, as Paolo Espino (8-6) picked up the win. Espino went five innings, giving up just two hits and one run. Espino walked a season high four and struck out six. The bullpen was brilliant, as Chen-Chang Lee, Bryce Stowell and Kyle Landis combined to throw four scoreless innings. The trio gave up a total of just two hits, striking out seven, while not walking a batter. Frederick managed just four hits on the night.

Winners of five of their last six games, the K-Tribe will take on Frederick for the middle game of the three game set Wednesday night in Maryland. Game time 7pm as Kinston newcomer Nick Hagadone takes the mound for the Indians.

Captains Win with two Runs in the Ninth Inning

A throwing error by the Shorebirds shortstop Greg Miclat allowed two runs to score in the top of the ninth inning as the Lake County Captains defeated he Delmarva Shorebirds 5-4 on Tuesday. The Captains are 18-26 in one run games and the first two games of the eight game road trip have been decided by one run each.

The Captains took the lead in the top of the second inning when Matt Willard drove home Adam Abraham with a sacrifice fly and the Captains led 1-0. Delmarva tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning when Luis Bernardo scored on a Captains fielding error. The Shorebirds took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Levi Carolus scored from third base on a wild pitch to make it 2-1. The Captains took the lead in the top of the eighth inning when Karexon Sanchez tripled home Delvi Cid and then scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Adam Abraham and the Captains lead 3-2. The Birds took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of eighth when L.J. Hoes scored on a fielding error and then Ron Welty tripled home Xavier Avery.

Captains starter Alexander Morales did not get a decision pitching five innings and allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit, walking three and striking out four. Francisco Jimenez (7-0) got the win working three innings and allowing the two runs in the eighth inning. Steve Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 25th save of the year. Shorebirds starter Cole McCurry did not factor in the decision either working six innings allowing one run on two hits, walking four while striking out eight. Shane Matthews (1-4) gave up the two unearned runs in ninth inning and took the loss.

The Captains and Shorebirds play for the final time on Wednesday at 7:05 PM with the Captains sending Kaimi Mead (5-3, 4.28) to the hill to face the Shorebirds LHP Nicholas Haughian (0-0, 0.00).

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Chisenhall More Than Steady At Hot Corner

There have been a lot of surprise performances this year in the Indians farm system. Arguably one of the more notable surprises is the emergence of Double-A Akron third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall as a legit frontline prospect in the Indians organization and one of the top prospects in all of the minor leagues.

Some may ask, how can Chisenhall be the biggest surprise when he was a Top 10 guy going into the season and was a first round pick by the Indians in 2008? Well, the reasoning is three-fold: he has moved much more rapidly through the system than originally thought, he has shown more power than originally anticipated, and most of all he has made an exceptional transition from shortstop to third base this season.

Coming into his first full season this year the biggest question mark Chisenhall needed to answer was what position he would settle into. There was no question he could hit, but there was uncertainty would he adapt well at third base, or would he have to be moved back to shortstop or even to second based? The question has now been more than answered as he has shown he was up to the challenge of moving to third base and seems to have found a permanent home there.

Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins thinks so too.

“He is exceptional at third base and is going to be an above average defender in my opinion,” said Atkins in a recent interview.

Chisenhall impressed last year by showing improved throwing, footwork, and range at shortstop while playing with short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley. There was some thought that with that improvement he would remain at shortstop this season, but the Indians drafted him with the idea all along that he would play shortstop his first year in the organization and then move to third base the season after that. They did not want to put too much on his plate right out of the gates, and instead choose to focus on the move in Instructional League last fall.

With a full six weeks of work in Instructional League, an offseason program, and a full spring training, Chisenhall had the foundation in place to go into this season and face the challenges that third base would provide him.

It showed early on as in his first 52 games with High-A Kinston he committed 19 errors; however, in the 66 games since then – including 19 errorless games at Double-A Akron - he has only had three errors. The significant drop in his error rate show he is growing into the position well and has become more comfortable with the position change.

"When [the errors] came they certainly came in bunches those first few games,” said Chisenhall in a recent interview. “They were all mistakes that I could control, and once I figured out if I just settled down and calmed down a little bit and take my time I learned I could control those mistakes. I wasn't booting the ball, I was just making a bad throw or trying to do too much. I fixed it. Obviously when I make an error, hopefully I can learn from it and it is not something that can't be fixed. Third base is a different transition. I am learning you have more time over there, and sometimes you have to chest up some balls and things like that. But I am learning."

Atkins thinks Chisenhall went through a feeling out process, which is why the error totals were so high earlier in the year.

"He made I think about [19] errors the first two months of the season, and if you watched him play you would never believe it because it looked like it was so easy at third base,” said Atkins. “What it was is he was learning his limits. He always played shortstop and he was learning what [the third base] position entailed, what plays he could make, and what plays he should just eat the ball or let the shortstop get. What that meant is because he is aggressive and confident he learned on the aggressor side and made errors. I think once he learned those limits we saw a significant drop off in the errors. [His recent] numbers are indicative in what we were seeing.”

Third base isn’t called the hot corner for nothing. You have to be extremely quick to react to hard shots by right-handed hitters, come in on slow rollers and fire off an off-balance throw to first base, make the hard back-handed play on the line or make a swift stab of a ball in the hole between third base and shortstop. The challenge of so many different plays with so little time to react is what Chisenhall has had to learn to grow accustomed to, and he has done that.

"I think the hardest thing is you have to be able to do everything,” said Chisenhall. “You gotta be able to go back on balls and use your arm, and come in on balls and use your hands. The variety of plays is probably the most difficult. You have the shortstop plays where you have to cover a little bit of range, and then you have the slow rollers and chest up some top spin balls and stuff like that. I think the combination of all the plays is the most difficult. I work on them all every day and every week. If I have a mistake on one I will certainly go back and review and see how I can fix it."

One of the main reasons the Indians moved Chisenhall to third base was because of his electric bat. With him moving to the less demanding position of third base – though it certainly presents its challenges especially with the initial move there – they felt it would help him focus and develop into a better run producer by playing a corner infield position.

"I think I was pretty much drafted as a hitter, and if I was able to stay at shortstop I think that was going to be a bonus,” said Chisenhall. “But they felt more comfortable with me moving over to third so I could concentrate more on hitting and driving in runs instead of such a defensive emphasis that shortstop has in the major leagues."

Chisenhall’s bat has been dynamite. To date the left-handed swinger is hitting .260 with 22 HR, 90 RBI and an .807 OPS in 118 combined games at Kinston and Akron. He has gone through a rough stretch with Akron as in 19 games there he is only hitting .171, though as a 20-year old in Double-A for the first time some early struggles are expected at the plate.

If you talk to just about any scout who has seen Chisenhall play this year, just about every single one of them will rave about his swing. Many have considered it the best swing they have seen in years. He has a very good swing plane, is quiet in the box, and has a polished approach to hitting. He is a very patient line drive gap-to-gap hitter with plus bat speed, is short to the ball, and shows good command of the strike zone. It all combines to what many think will make him a .300 hitter in the big leagues.

“As we have talked about before, he has one of the best swings in our system,” said Atkins. “Lonnie is a left-handed hitter who has some natural power. He doesn't have to generate power as the ball just jumps off his bat. It is not light tower power where in BP he is just launching balls out of the stadium, but in a game the ball goes a long way off of his bat.”

Part of what makes Chisenhall so special is how much of a good hitter he is at such a young age. He is still just 20-years old and already has an MVP-caliber season in the books this year at High-A Kinston in 99 games (.276, 18 HR, 79 RBI, .838 OPS) and was very good last year at age 19 in Mahoning Valley in 68 games hitting .290 with 5 HR, 45 RBI, and a .794 OPS.

To be at Double-A already speaks volumes of the hitter he is, and a lot of that is a byproduct of him signing right away last year to get the development and transition process going.

"Yeah, I got a lot of at bats last year in Mahoning Valley since I signed early and I did not miss any games,” said Chisenhall. “I also went out to Instructs, so I got a lot of games under my belt using the wood bat and everything. I am happy with my transition, and it has really helped me out this year."

While a lot of first round picks will hold out and sign around the signing deadline in mid-August, Chisenhall wanted to sign right away to get a jumpstart to his career. By signing early, he was able to get in 278 at bats last year at Mahoning Valley instead of missing almost the entire season like a lot of late signings do.

“I understand why a few guys hold out, as you only get a bonus one time,” said Chisenhall. “I was happy with what the Indians did. Signing early was obviously an advantage for me as I got to skip Low-A and I was happy about that. I think getting an early start is a big part of that and just learning the game and how you have to do things day after day."

While the quick transition to third base has been surprising, the other surprise this year has been the power Chisenhall has shown. The thought going in was Chisenhall was a .300 hitter in the making in the big leagues because of his sweet swing, and that his line drive stroke will lead to a lot of doubles in the gaps with the occasional home run to where he could be about a 20 home run hitter in the big leagues. His power surge with 22 home runs this year has some rethinking that stance and if he could potentially be a 30 home run hitter in the big leagues and still be a .300 hitter as projected.

"I have never been like the guy to hit the towering shots or anything,” said Chisenhall. “I just try to hit the ball hard and square it up wherever I hit it. If you get a good angle or backspin it enough it will get out. The home runs are a little bit of a surprise to me, though the doubles are down because the home runs are up. But I am happy with the home runs and hope they continue."

While the home runs have been a positive development for Chisenhall, he is still making several adjustments at the plate, namely in reducing the strikeout totals. Last year at Mahoning Valley he only struck out 32 times in 276 at bats good for one strikeout every 8.6 at bats; however, this season he has struck out 95 times in 458 at bats which translates to one strikeout every 4.8 at bats.

"My power numbers are a little up, but so are my strikeouts, so I have to work on that a little bit with strike zone recognition late in counts,” said Chisenhall. “[When I was in the Carolina League] there [were] only eight teams in the league, so they [were] learning how to pitch me and going after me early. I am seeing 2-0 changeups and first pitch curveballs and things like that. So I have to be able to adjust to that and recognize that early, and once I do that I will stay ahead in the count and hopefully reduce some of the strikeouts."

Akron qualified for the Eastern League playoffs last week, so Chisenhall’s season will be extended at least another week. Still, the season has flown by for him and he believes that he has a built a lot of momentum to carry him through the offseason and into the start of next season where he should open the 2010 season as the starting third baseman in Akron.

"I set aside a few personal goals for myself this season, “said Chisenhall. “Obviously I want to win every game as a team, but that is usually not the case in minor league baseball as it is more about player development. As far as my season I am happy with how it has gone. It obviously has flown by. You look up and you have 450 at bats and yesterday you only had four. We have played a ton of games, but it seems like we just left spring training yesterday. The season is long, but you have to enjoy it.”

“It is an endurance race and I have plenty of things to work on for next season."

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Brantley Called Up To Indians

With rosters expanding from 25 to 40 today, according to agent Josh Kusnick the Indians have purchased the contract of Triple-A Columbus outfielder Michael Brantley and added him to the active roster. As noted earlier, Triple-A Columbus right-handed starter Carlos Carrasco will also be added today and make his major league debut against Detroit.

Brantley's callup now suggests that DH Travis Hafner may be shutdown for the rest of the season or play sparingly, thus allowing center fielder Grady Sizemore to be moved to DH the rest of the month or even being shut down himself.

No word yet on any other potential callups today, but the Indians are expected to have just a few players added to the roster today and then will have another set of players added when Columbus' season ends on Monday September 7th. Catcher Lou Marson will surely be added, though it is not sure if that will happen today or in the next wave. Also, right-hander Hector Rondon is most likely not going to be added to the roster, but will likely still spend some time in Cleveland once the Columbus season ends.

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Pitching Probables: Tuesday 9/1

Columbus: Yohan Pino vs. Louisville @ 7:05 pm
Akron: Connor Graham at Altoona @ 6:35 pm
Kinston: Paolo Espino at Frederick @ 7:05 pm
Lake County: Nick Hagadone at Delmarva @ 7:05 pm
Mahoning Valley: Preston Guilmet at Williamsport @ 7:05 pm
AZL Indians: Season over

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Game Recaps: Monday 8/31

Clippers fall short against Bats

Louisville held off the Clippers for a 7-5 win Monday night at Huntington Park. Mike Gosling took the hill for the Clippers and it was not the beginning he wanted. The leadoff hitter Luis Bolivar singled and the second batter of the game, Chris Heisey hit a pitch over the left field wall for a quick Bats lead 2-0.

The Bats added another run in the third when Bolivar doubled and came in to score on a single by Juan Francisco.

The visitors padded their lead in the fourth with two outs, when Korey Feiner doubled and Bolivar hit a fly ball which was dropped by Jesus Merchan at second base scoring Feiner. Heisey later singled scoring Bolivar and staking Louisville to a 5-0 lead.

The Clippers started a comeback in the fifth when Niuman Romero was hit by a pitch. Michael Brantley singled and Jordan Brown singled, scoring Romero. In a double steal, the throw to second went into center field scoring Brantley. Lou Marson singled scoring Brown closing the gap to 5-3.

Kenny Ray came in to pitch in the sixth and the Bats got one run back when Lou Ford scored on an error by first baseman Damaso Espino. The Clippers kept fighting back. In the sixth, Espino doubled and came around to score when Romero reached on an error. Both teams exchanged runs in the seventh to end the scoring. Jose Veras and R.J. Swindle pitched scoreless innings for the Clippers. The second game of the home stand is Tuesday at 7:05pm.

Aeros Earn Split, Hold Off B-Mets 10-7

The Aeros squandered a six-run lead but never trailed, striking for two runs in the sixth and seventh innings to defeat Binghamton 10-7 before 9,012 fans at Canal Park Monday night. Akron, which split its third straight series, improved to 82-53 while the Mets fell to 51-82.

Jeanmar Gomez worked out of a jam in the top of the first by stranding runners at second and third, and the Aeros went right to work in support of him in the bottom of the frame. Jose Constanza drew a four-pitch walk to start the rally, moved to second on a single by Cristo Arnal, and was then waved home when Emmanuel Garcia bobbled Carlos Santana’s base hit to left field (Constanza had originally stopped at third). Beau Mills grounded out, but Matt McBride walked to load the bases and Jerad Head plated all three runners with a triple to right-center to put Akron in front 4-0.

Santana pushed the margin to five runs with a two-out RBI single in the second, and Head then tripled again in the third and scored on Carlos Rivero’s sacrifice fly.

Binghamton came roaring back in the fourth however, striking for five runs off Aeros starter Jeanmar Gomez. Ike Davis led off the inning with a solo home run, and an infield single and a broken-bat base hit put runners at first and second. Zach Lutz flied out, but Jose Coronado and Garcia came through with back-to-back RBI single to make it 6-3. A walk to Salvador Paniagua loaded the bases, and although Gomez recovered to strike out Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Ruben Tejada muscled a two-run single to shallow right field to bring the Mets within a run and knock Gomez from the game. Binghamton then tied the game in the sixth when Nieuwenhuis tripled and scored on another flare from Tejada.

Akron had the answers however, as Constanza sparked the go-ahead rally in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out single. Arnal then reached on a perfect bunt, and Santana drove the next pitch into the right field corner to score Constanza and put the Aeros back in front by a run. Head was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded later in the inning to make it 8-6, and a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly in the seventh gave Akron some breathing room.

The B-Mets threatened in the eighth and did get the potential tying run to the plate, but left-hander Matt Meyer got three huge outs in the inning before giving way to closer Josh Judy for a perfect ninth.

Erik Stiller (8-3) earned the win in relief for the Aeros, while Binghamton starter Mike Antonini (7-4) took the loss. Judy’s save was his ninth in 10 chances. Constanza had a spectacular night, reaching base all five times, tying a season-high with four runs scored, and also stealing his 41st base of the year to tie Eider Torres’ team record. Santana had three hits and three RBI and is now four RBI away from tying Wes Hodges’ single-season record of 97 set just last year, while Head went 2-4 with four RBI and drove in nine runs in the series.

The Aeros hit the road Tuesday morning for a quick three-game swing to Altoona, with all three contests starting at 6:35 p.m. Connor Graham (1-3, 5.08 ERA) goes for Akron against the Curve’s Yoslan Herrera (11-1, 3.23 ERA) in game one.

Early Runs Cost Captains

The Delmarva Shorebirds scored quickly and made the runs stand up as they defeated the Lake County Captains 6-5 on Monday. The Captains had the tying run thrown out at the plate to end the game. This was the first game of an eight game road trip for the Captains that will end their run in the South Atlantic League.

The Shorebirds got to Captains starter T.J. House in the first inning when Ron Welty blasted a three run home run and Joe Mahoney followed with a solo shot and the Birds led 4-0. The Captains got a run in the top of the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Nate Recknagel that scored Trent Baker and it was 4-1. It went to 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning when Donnie Webb doubled and then scored on a double by Matt Willard.

It was 4-3 in the top of the sixth inning when Dan DeGeorge bounced into a double play that scored Adam Abraham. The Birds added a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a RBI double from L.J. Hoes, and then a RBI single from Elvin Polanco and the lead was upped to 6-3. The Captains rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on a RBI single by Recknagel and then a RBI single by Adam Abraham but when Delvi Cid was thrown out trying to score from second, the game was over.

Captains starter T.J. House (5-11) took the loss pitching five innings and allowing four runs on six hits, walking one and striking out six. Anillins Martinez worked 2.1 innings and allowed two runs. Shorebirds starter Nathan Moreau did not get a decision working 4.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out four. Brett Bordes (3-2) got the win going two scoreless innings allowing one hit, one walk and striking gout one. T.R Keating worked the final two innings and picked up his second save of the year.

The Captains and Shorebirds play game two of the three game series on Tuesday at 7:05 PM with the Captains sending LHP Nick Hagadone (0-3, 2.50) to the hill to face the Shorebirds LHP Cole McCurry (6-8, 2.86).

Scrappers Clinch Pinckney Division Title

On Monday night, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers clinched the Pinckney Division Championship with an 8-4 victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters. With the win, the Scrappers are now 45-23 overall have clinched a playoff birth for the first time since winning the NYPL Championship in 2004.

Scrappers starter Brett Brach pitched the first 6 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out a career high ten. Austin Adams then tossed the next 2 innings and allowed one run on two hits and three strikeouts. Guido Fonseca closed out the game working a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

The Crosscutters took an early lead and continued to add on scoring one in the 2nd and two in the 3rd, the Cutters’ scored their final run of the night in the 7th making it 4-0 Williamsport. The Mahoning Valley comeback started in the 8th when they plated two runs, each on RBI singles from Jordan Henry and Jason Kipnis. In the 9th the Scrappers offense exploded scoring six runs. The Scrappers collected three straight singles to start the inning before Henry delivered an RBI single to cut the Cutters’ lead to one. Mahoning Valley then added another run on a throwing error and a second on a bases loaded walk to Jason Kipnis. Greg Folgia followed with a two RBI single to chase home two more runs. Jesus Brito capped off the inning with an RBI single, capping the Scrappers late inning explosion and 8-4 victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters.

Tuesday, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers wrap up their road trip against the Williamsport Crosscutters. Preston Guilmet is scheduled to make the start for the Scrappers; he is 6-4 with a 3.25 ERA. Tuesday’s game starts at 7:05 PM and can be heard on 1390 WNIO and online at mvscrappers.com.

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