Daily Recap: 7/25

Lewis pitches Aeros past Mets to stop skid

LHP Scott Lewis worked 7 sparkling innings to lead the Akron Aeros to a 5-1 win over the Binghamton Mets on Friday night at Canal Park snapping a 2 game losing streak.

Lewis, making only his 10th start of the year after suffering a strained lat in spring training, improved his record to 5-2 allowing just the lone run off 5 hits with a walk and 5Ks. The start was Lewis' 4th straight start working at least 6 innings and allowing 1 run or fewer (25IP, 2ER total). The only damage came on a 1-out solo HR by Mets RF Caleb Stewart in the 7th.

Akron got on the board in the 2nd inning when RF Stephen Head reached on a 2-out double, C Wyatt Toregas walked and SS Brandon Pinckney stroked an RBI single to score Head. The Aeros added on one more in the 3rd inning as 2B Josh Rodriguez lead off with his 7th HR of the season. The offense just kept on coming in the 4th inning; Stephen Head hit his second double of the game to lead-off the inning before scoring on a 2-out triple by DH Jose Constanza who himself scored on a wild pitch by Mets starter LHP Michael Antonini. 3B Wes Hodges added a 2-out RBI single in the bottom of the 7th to cap the scoring.

Head finished the night 3-for-4 with 2 2B (20) and 2 runs scored to standout offensively. LHP Reid Santos and RHP Erik Stiller each worked a scoreless inning to close the game out.


Kinston rally for 4 runs in 9th, blow it in the bottom of the inning

The Kinston Indians rallied for 4 runs in the top of the 9th to take a 4-3 lead, only to fall 5-4 against the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium.

LHP Shawn Nottingham started for the K-Tribe struggling his way through 4.2 innings of work, but only allowing 2 runs off 9 hits. Sung- Wei Tseng relieved with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief before Mike Pontius allowed a 7th inning run on a 1-out HR by Wilmington 1B Brad Correll. Meanwhile, the Indians could muster nothing of note off Blue Rocks starter RHP Mario Santiago (6IP, 4H, 0R) and relievers RHP Greg Holland & LHP Ben Swaggerty.

That would soon change in the 9th inning; with the Blue Rocks still leading 3-0 closer RHP Tyler Chambliss walked 3 straight Indians hitters to load the bases with no-one out leading to a pitching change with Wilmington bringing on RHP Aaron Hartsock. Hartsock appeared to get C Jared Head to hit a taylor made double play ball, but it was booted by SS Chris McConnell to get the K-Tribe on the board. John Drennen and Beau Mills followed with RBI singles to tie the game before Jared Goedert lifted a sacrifice fly to CF to put the Indians up 4-3.

RHP Josh Tomlin came on to work the bottom of the 9th, but quickly fell apart. After snaring a liner back through the box for out #1, Tomlin allowed a 1-out double to Correll quickly followed by a game tying RBI single by RF Cody Strait who took second on the throw home. After a wild pitch and a walk put runners on the corners with 1-out Blue Rocks 2B Jeff Bianchi lifted a walk-off sac fly to RF to send Wilmington to a 5-4 win.

Beau Mills (2-for-5) and Ryan Goleski (2-for-3, 2B) were the main standouts on offensive for a K-Tribe team that had its modest two game win streak snapped.


Captains over-Power-ed fall to 6th straight defeat

The Lake County Captains dropped their 6th straight game Friday night, falling by a score of 8-1 at the hands of West Virginia Power.

LHP Ryan Morris got spanked around for 7 runs (6 earned) in 5 innings of work (7IP, 11ER in his last 2 starts) to drop his record to 7-4. RHPs Paulo Espino, Jon Holt & Garrison Campfield worked the final 4 combined innings allowing only an unearned run off 6 hits with 5Ks.

The Captains lone run came on an RBI groundout by 3B Ron Rivas in the 5th inning. 3B Jeff Hehr and C Adam Davis both ended the night 2-for-4 in another tough night for the Captains offense.

The series continues on Saturday at 7.05pm as LHP Ryan Miller will take the mound looking for his first win since May 18th.


In other games....

- Buffalo routed 15-4 at the hands of the Charlotte Knights. RHP Bryan Bullington (5IP, 6ER), RHP Brenden Donnelly (1IP, 1ER), RHP Preston Larrison (1IP, 2ER) & RHP Eddie Buzachero (1IP, 6ER) all struggled on the hill. LF Trevor Crowe finished his AAA debut with an 0-for-4, BB, R performance. DH Michael Aubrey 0-for-5 to snap his 9 game hit streak. RF Todd Linden finished 3-for-4 with 2HR and 3RBI.

- Scrappers lose late 7-4. PJ Zocchi started allowing 4 runs in 5IP. RHP Mike McGuire (2-2) took the loss allowing 2 runs in 2IP. 1B Brock Simpson (2-for-5), 3B Jeremie Tice (2-for-5, 2B) and CF Juan Valdes (2-for-4, 2B, 3RBI0 pacing the Scrappers offense.

- GCL Indians defeat GCL Yankees 7-6. RHP Danny Salazer (4IP, 3H, 1R) with a solid start. RHP Steve Smith (2IP, 0R) picks up the win. 3B Abner Abreu finished 1-for-5 with a HR (5). LF Bo Greenwell (2-for-5, 2B, HR) & 1B Adam Abraham (2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2RBI) shone as part of the Indians 14 hit attack.

- DSL Indians defeat DSL Reds 4-0. RHP Oswell Munoz worked 3 scoreless innings to start the game and the Indians used 6 different relievers for an inning each to close it out. DH Kelvin Diaz (2-for-3, 3B, RBI) and 1B Jesus Aguilar (2-for-3, 2RBI) providing much of the offense.

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Crowe Officially Promoted, Tyner Released

The Buffalo Bisons today announced that OF Trevor Crowe has been promoted from Double-A Akron. To make room on the roster, OF Jason Tyner was released.

Crowe, 24, was hitting .323 (64-198) with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs and 28RBI in 49 games with the Aeros. He also had 27 walks and a .404 on-base percentage. He hit .400 (42-105) with 10 doubles, four home runs and 24RBI in 25 June games. He’s hit .371 (13-35) in nine games this month. Crowe was the Cleveland Indians 1st round (14th overall) pick of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

To make room, the Indians released Bisons OF Jason Tyner. Tyner hit .235 (56-238) with one home run and 14RBI in 76 games with Buffalo.

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Daily Recap: 7/24

Aeros season on a downward Curve?!

The Akron Aeros continued to scuffle Thursday afternoon, falling by a score of 3-1 to the Altoona Curve at Blair County Ballpark. The loss sent the Aeros to a 4-1 series defeat and saw their record fall to 2-7 since the AA All-Star break.

Akron actually got on the board first in the 2nd inning as Matt Whitney launched a solo HR (#9) to left-field off Curve starter Dan Reichert. That though would be the only damage done against Reichert. The former Kansas City Royal, Toronto Blue Jay and, most recently, Buffalo Bison worked 7.1 innings allowing only 5 hits with 7K's in only his second start since being traded to the Pirates organization.

RHP Kevin Dixon started for Akron and took the tough luck loss in working 7 strong innings allowing all 3 runs on 8 hits. All the damage was done against Dixon in the 4th inning in which he gave up the 3 runs off a walk and 4 hits. RHP John Dale (JD) Martin worked the 8th in his first appearance since being sent back down from AAA.

In case you missed it earlier, Trevor Crowe was promoted to AAA Buffalo after the game in which he banged out his 16th double as part of a 2-for-4 night.


McBride showing he's ready to go?

Fully healthy, Matt McBride is years ahead of the competition in the GCL. Well, he's starting to show that may well be the case right now.

C McBride, who had shoulder surgery in the off-season - prior to which he was considered a top 10 prospect in the organisation, lead the GCL Indians to a 13-9 win over the GCL Yankees with a 3-for-4, 2B, 2RBI performance. McBride has hit a healthy .500 (15-for-30) over his last 10 games, but more importantly was back in the lineup after being inexplicably pulled after 1AB in his last appearance on July 22. However, the bat will not determine when McBride gets promoted - it's expected he will need to show he can at least catch back-to-back 9 inning games before getting the call to a full-season squad.

Helium 3B prospect Abner Abreu finished the night with 2 doubles (11) in 5ABs capped off by a 2-run 2B in a 5-run 8th inning that proved to be the difference in the game after the Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the top of the 9th.

18-year old Australian SS Jason Smit was back in the lineup after missing 13 days and finished 2-for-2 with a 2B and RBI.

19-year old LHP Chris Jones started for the GCL Indians picking up his first professional win. Jones, the Indians 15th round pick in the 2007 draft, worked 5.1 innings allowing 3 runs off 5 hits with a walk and 6Ks.


K-Tribe score early and often, hang on for win and series split

The Kinston Indians took advantage of some sloppy Nationals defense to defeat Potomac 7-5 on Thursday night and earn themselves a split of the 4 game series.

The Indians jumped on the board in the first inning after LF Nick Weglarz drew a two-out walk, took 2B on a single by 3B Jared Goedert and scored on SS Carlos Riveros RBI base hit to center. The K-Tribe then tacked on 3 more in the second inning; RF Ryan Goleski lead off the inning with a single and scored on C Brian Juhl's 3rd HR of the season. After back-to-back HBP for John Drennen and Beau Mills, Nick Weglarz stroked an RBI single to right to put the K-Tribe up 4-0.

The Tribe then took advantage of some poor Nationals defense in the 5th inning to tack on 3 more and finish their scoring for the night. Jared Goedert reached on an error leading off the inning and advanced to 2nd on a Carlos Rivero single. Nuiman Romero and Ryan Goleski made quick outs before Brian Juhl walked to load the bases with 2 down when things fell apart for the Nationals infield; Cirillo Cumberbatch hit a grounder to 3rd that was thrown away by Nationals 3B Trevor Lawhorn scoring 2 runs, John Drennen followed with a ground ball that was booted by 1B Andrew Lafave allowing another run to score.

The 3 unearned runs made a winner of RHP Carlton Smith (8-5) who worked 5.2 innings allowing 5 runs off 7 hits and a loser of LHP Ross Detwiler (5-7) who allowed all 7 runs (4 earned) over his 4.2 innings of work.

Both bullpens shut the door from then on with Nationals RHP Clint Everts the major standout striking out 8 Indians in his 3.1 scoreless innings. RHP Neil Wagner worked 2.1 scoreless for the K-Tribe before Vinnie Pestano worked a hitless 9th with 2K to record his 4th save for the Indians.

Kinston now travel to Wilmington for a 3-game series with the Blue Rocks in what will be the final series before LF Nick Weglarz joins up with Team Canada in preparation for the Olympic games.



In other games...

- Mahoning Valley lose both ends of a DH 5-2 & 4-3 to Aberdeen. RHP Russell Young took the loss in game 1 allowing all 5 runs in 5IP. LHP Garrett Rieck took the loss in relief in game 2. 1B Brock Simpson hit his first HR of the year in game 1, but couldn't stop the Scrappers falling to their 4th straight loss.

- DSL Indians lose 4-2 to DSL Cubs1. 6'6" 17-year LHP Elvis Arajuo picked up his first loss allowing 3 runs (1 earned) in 4IP. CF Augustin Avila (2-for-3) providing the only real offense for the Indians who managed only 6 hits.

- Buffalo game cancelled due to wet grounds.

- Lake County with a scheduled off-day.

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Crowe promoted to AAA Buffalo

Trevor Crowe has been promoted to AAA Buffalo following the Aeros 3-1 defeat to Altoona on Thursday afternoon.

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Tice Powers His Way Into The Pros

Editor's Note: Minor Happenings will not post today as Tony is in transit to Florida. Minor Happenings will post first thing this Saturday morning with all the updates on the farm and what he is doing in Florida.

It has already been almost two months since baseball’s 2008 First-Year Player Draft. A lot of draft picks have signed with their teams, while many more have elected to not sign and go back to school or pursue other alternatives.

While it is still early, third baseman Jeremie Tice is one player that the Indians took in this year's draft who is showing early signs of being a very good prospect. Taken in the 6th round out of the College of Charleston (SC), Tice is off to a good start at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley hitting .290 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, and an .830 OPS in 25 games.

"It has taken me a little while to get used to things," said Tice in a recent interview at Eastwood Field, the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, Ohio. "I am pretty happy with how everything has gotten started. Of course there is always room for improvement, but it hasn't been too bad of a start so far. I am starting to get used to it a lot. I like it and I love it. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, you know?"

Tice played two years at Tallahassee Community College before transferring to the College of Charleston last year. During Tice's short career at the College of Charleston he put up an impressive display of power hitting .393 with 25 HR, 83 RBI, and a 1.333 OPS this year. Most notably, Tice destroyed right-handed pitching hitting .429 with a 1.406 OPS as compared to his .264 batting average and 1.063 OPS against left-handers. He was named the 2008 Southern Conference Player of the Year, and was second in the nation in home runs.

"He drove the ball out of the park at the College of Charleston at a great clip," said Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins in a recent interview. "We can't believe he got to the sixth round and we are excited to have him. He is very athletic where we know he can play third, and down the road he may catch as well."

First year Mahoning Valley Scrappers manager and former Indians fan-favorite Travis Fryman likes what he see out of his young third baseman so far.

"Jeremie has played very well," said Fryman. "There are definitely some things we are going to begin working with him on to smooth out his defense a little bit. But offensively he looks better everyday. He has been hitting the ball very hard and he is one of our leading hitters.”

The home runs Tice hit this past season at college were not the result of some mid-sized guy cranking bombs with an aluminum bat. No, these were legit home runs coming from a legit power hitter. When a clubhouse attendant was asked where Tice could be found to conduct this interview, he pointed and said, "He is the guy in the locker at the end…the guy with the big guns."

Tice has always been a power hitter, and once he gets used to using wood bats he could become one of the top power hitters in the Indians system.

"Yes sir, I have always been a power hitter," said Tice. "I am trying to get used to the wood bats up here, as the balls that usually leave the yard don't and catch at the wall. It is kind of tough to swallow every now and then. Hopefully I can just get used to the wood bats and the ball will start carrying like they used to."

One of the hardest transitions a player makes from the college to professional game is the change from aluminum to wood bats. Many college players who have aspirations of playing professional ball typically play in summer wood bat leagues, but Tice never played in one during college because he concentrated more on his studies and getting rest in the summer.

"No, I never played in a wood bat league," said Tice. "I always went to summer school to stay ahead in school and I also tried to rest in the summer. When I was in high school I did play in a couple summer leagues and travel teams where we played in a couple tournaments with wood bats. But that is really the only experience I had with them. It is definitely a tough transition."

Not only can the adjustment to wood bats be difficult in the early stages of a minor league career, but adjusting to the speed of the game and the way the nuances of the game change somewhat from college to professional ball can also be challenging. No longer do players listen to the ping of the aluminum bat like they did in college, and instead they listen for the crack of the bat to help determine how hard a ball is hit.

"Yeah, it is a pretty big adjustment," said Tice. "The game speeds up a little bit on offense and you just [have to] get used to the bat. On defense you have to get used to the sound of the wood bat. You can really tell how hard a ball is hit with a metal bat and it is just reaction, but with wood it is really the same sound every time so you have to learn how to get setup. I am blessed to have Fryman as my manager as he has helped me a lot during batting practice. He really has not gotten into me too much yet because there is a 30-day period, but that 30-day period is over now [with the start of this homestand]. I will really get to pick his brain a lot more and he can help me out."

The 30-day period Tice is talking about is what the Indians call a "hands off" period for new signees from the current year’s draft or undrafted free agent signings. Before making any changes to a player, they like to wait 30 days and just watch them perform. They take notes of what they see and journal everything, and when it comes time to start making some adjustments with players they consult those notes when instruction begins. The idea is not to bombard these players with changes right out of the gates. Plus, it is still a feeling out process for the player and the organization, so it gives them all time to settle in and get to know one another before changes are mandated.

"They are really right at the stage where we begin to start working with them," said Fryman. "In our organization we have a 30 day observation policy. What that means is we are kind of hands off for 30 days. We like to let them play and just get accustomed to being here and playing everyday. We watch them and begin to journal what we see and begin to formulate the plans on things we want to work on. We are just now beginning to start dealing with specific things that we want to work on with each guy."

Having a former All Star third baseman around as your manager never hurts, and that is what Tice has with his manager Travis Fryman. After 13 seasons in the big leagues, Fryman retired after the 2002 season with a career batting average of .274, 223 HR, 1022 RBI, and .965 fielding percentage. Fryman's best year as a pro arguably was 2000 with the Indians when he hit .321 with 22 HR and had 106 RBI. He was also an All Star four times and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2000, so when Fryman talks you listen.

"Oh, absolutely," said Tice when asked if Fryman can have a big influence on his young career. "He has already told me some little stuff to do during batting practice that has helped me so much playing third base. Just minor stuff like footwork, how to setup, and my pre-pitch movement. It has already helped me so much. I am excited to get to pick his brain and get going in the right direction."

In addition to playing third base, Tice also has experience playing other positions. Given his size and muscular build, there is always the possibility that as he grows more in the coming years that he may need to be shifted to first base or to the left field.

"I have experience at other positions," said Tice. "I have played outfield and some first base as I have only been playing third base for three years. I played shortstop and right field in high school. I just like to hit, so anywhere they tell me to go I'll go. I do like third base a lot, but I know there are a lot of guys there so where ever they can fit me in and I can hit I am fine with it."

Like all high school and college hopefuls who look to be selected on draft day, the experience this year was a memorable one for Tice. He has been drafted before as he was taken in the 38th round of the 2006 Draft by the Florida Marlines, but this year he expected to be drafted much earlier and he was ready to sign and get his professional career going. He took in this year’s draft with several of his teammates from the College of Charleston who were also on the draft board, and they all hung out together at one location doing things like playing video games to keep their minds off the draft.

Around the end of the 4th round to the beginning of the 5th round, Tice started getting some calls from teams that were interested in drafted him. One of them was the Indians.

"It was intense, it really was," said Tice. "You start getting phone calls from different teams, and then you finally get that phone call. My [Indians] scout called me the round before and he said 'hey, if we take you right here will you sign for this?' Of course you are just like ''yeah, I want to play' and next thing you know he said 'alright, we are going to take you, look for your name'. And then as soon as they said my name he called me back and said 'did you see it?' and I was like 'yeah'. It was the happiest moment of my life, as I have been dreaming about that day for a long time. Even though I have been drafted before it was never like 'alright it is a done deal, I am playing pro ball now’. So it was very exciting."

After being drafted, some players and agents can drag negotiations out for a long time trying to get the last possible dollar. In Tice's case, he was ready to get his career going and get out and play. While he had leverage in that he had another year of college eligibly left, his negotiations with the Indians did not take long and he was signed quickly.

"It is kind of nerve-wracking when you get with your family and you go to sign the contract and you negotiate the amount of money you get for your school and money that goes wherever," said Tice. "It is a lot to deal with at that point in time as you never had to think about that before. With me, I never had to really think about how much money is going to go in a certain spot. At the end of the day, if I got what I wanted for school I just wanted to get in the system and I just wanted to play so I could make my way up and make my money down the road. It was really not about the money for me."

Now that Tice has signed and is playing professionally as a baseball player, he is living his dream.

"I have always been on a baseball field," said Tice. "I have always been in sports as I have played football and baseball [since I was a kid]. I remember playing baseball all year round and in the fall I would play a baseball game in rec park and then change in the parking lot into my football gear to play in a football game. I stopped playing football my junior year in high school to focus on baseball. I just loved baseball and everything about it, and I just wanted to focus on it."

That focus has paid off, as Tice is now a prospect in the Indians system to watch in the coming years.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

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Daily Recap: 7/23

De La Cruz pitches K-Tribe past Nationals
Impressive Debut for 20-year old LHP

LHP Kelvin De La Cruz pitched effectively into the 6th inning and the Indians infield smacked around Potomac pitching to send the K-Tribe to a 6-4 win over the Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium.

Kinston jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead on 5 straight one-out singles by Beau Mills, Nick Weglarz, Jared Goedert, Carlos Rivero and Nuiman Romero. They added on 2 more in the 3rd on a Jared Goedert double scoring Nick Weglarz and a Nuiman Romero sac fly. The K-Tribe finished their scoring in the 4th on a HR by John Drennen - the HR was Drennen's first of the year after hitting 13 in 2007.

The 3-4-5 hitters for the Indians; 3B Jared Goedert, SS Carlos Rivero and 2B Nuiman Romero combined to go 8-for-10 with 5RBI to lead the offensive performances.

De La Cruz, making his debut for Kinston after amassing a 8-4 record and 1.69ERA with Lake County, was masterful through the first 5 innings allowing only a 2nd inning run off an RBI single by Nationals firstbaseman and former Kinston Indian Brian Finegan. De La Cruz seemingly tired in the 6th, after striking out DH Francisco Plasencia to start the inning he gave up a walk and a base hit to bring his afternoon to a close.

RHP Josh Tomlin relieved and immediately gave up a 2-run double to RF Aaron Seuss and another RBI base hit to Finegan to close the book on De La Cruz (5.1IP, 5H, 3ER, 2BB, 6K). Tomlin recovered though, retiring the last 7 batters he faced in order with 5Ks. RHP Vinnie Pestano worked a scoreless 9th around a one-out walk to record his 3rd High-A save of the season (18th overall).

The K-Tribe and Nationals will finish up the 4-game series on Thursday a 7pm ET with Carlton Smith starting for the Indians against Potomac LHP Ross Detwiler.


Sipp continues to scuffle as Aeros fall late to Curve

Tony Sipps rehab has appeared to hit an almost inevitable bump in the road. Sipp, just over a year removed from TJ surgery, allowed 3 runs in the 8th inning sending the Aeros to a 6-3 defeat and dropping Sipps record to 0-3, 17.18ERA in three appearances at AA.

The Aeros jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 4th inning. LF Matt LaPorta lead off with a double, advanced to 3rd on a Bronson Sardinha single and 3B Wes Hodges delivered the big blow with a 3-run HR (11) to left field.

Trevor Crowe provided pretty much all the offense from that point forward for the Aeros, finishing 4-for-4 on the night, but marred his offensive performance by getting caught stealing in the first inning and picked off in the 8th.

Ryan Edell started for the Aeros allowing 3 runs off 8 hits in his 6 innings of work. The 3 runs allowed broke a run of 5 straight starts by Edell allowing exactly one earned run.

Captains offensive struggles continue

The Lake County Captains lost 3-2 to the Augusta on Wednesday night falling to a 4 game sweep to the GreenJackets. The Captains have now lost 5 straight and 9 of their last 10 games, scoring only 25 runs over that span.

Joanniel Montero got the spot start in place of recently promoted Kelvin De La Cruz allowing all 3 run GreenJackets runs off 7 hits in his 3.2 innings of work. Captains relievers Jon Holt, Rob Bryson and Kyle Landis worked a combined 4.1 innings of scoreless relief allowing only 1 hit and striking out a combined 5 GreenJackets.

Lucas Montero (2-for-4, RBI), Adam White (1-for-4, HR) and Ron Rivas (2-for-3) provided the only real offensive highlights for a Captains team that has struggled to score runs all year.

In other games....

- Buffalo loses 8-5 to Norfolk. Reclamation project Jeff Weaver allowed 7ER in 6 innings off 12 hits. Brian Slocum pitched the final 3 innings allowing only an unearned run. Tony Graffanino (3-for-5, 2B, 3B), Jordan Brown (3-for-5, 2B, RBI) and Brad Snyder (2-for-5, HR) provided the offensive highlights.

- Mahoning Valley managed just 1 game of their double-header before the rains came in falling 5-3 in 7 innings to Aberdeen. Mark Rodrigues took the loss allowing 3 runs (1 earned) in his 1 inning of work. Robbie Alcombrack the lone offensive standout finishing 3-for-4 with a 2B and 3RBI.

- GCL Indians lose 4-1 to Blue Jays. Alexander Perez loses allowing 2 runs on only 1 hit in 5 innings (3BB, 7K). Time for some writers opinion: - Perez is one guy to watch out for on a full-season roster next year - dominant 2007 in the DSL, good 2008 so far (except for one 2IP, 8ER outing) and plenty of room to grow (6'2", 156lb). Bo Greenwell (2-for-4) and Angel Rodriguez (2-for-4) providing much of the offense.

- DSL Indians rout D'Backs/Reds 11-1. "The Mythical Kelvin Diaz" 2-for-4 with a 2B, 3B and 3RBI (if only he could get a Visa to move stateside). RHP Francisco Valera the benefactor going 5 innings allowing just the lone run.

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Mid-Day Upate 7/23

Just a quick mid-day update. No news....just a quick update on the site.

As I have alluded to over the last week, tonight I head out for a two week trip that is part vacation and part baseball related. During this time, I may be slow to respond to e-mails and comments here on the site, especially for the next 24-36 hours while I make my way down to Florida. But, as always, I will respond to all e-mails and comments ASAP.

I'll be in Winter Haven from Thursday evening until late Saturday, and during my time there I plan to see the GCL Indians. It is my hope that while I am there I will get a chance to talk to some of the guys in extended like Matt McBride, Todd Martin, and Adam Miller to see how their progress is going as they return from injury. Also, I plan to talk to several of the new young players playing for the GCL team which I will watch play on Saturday and also on Monday in Clearwater, FL. If anyone has a burning question they want asked/answered, let me know and I will see what I can do. Also, if there is a player you would really like to know more about in the GCL, let me know as well. There are so many of them, and this is a "get to know them" session for me too as I know almost none of them since 90% are new draft picks or Latin guys.

From there, I'll be on vacation in the Clearwater area for a week (I'll still be on-line daily though). I leave Sunday August 3rd and will actually be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC for three days to see Kinston in action there. While I am there, I am 50/50 that I will make the trip up to Durham, NC (about 3 hours away) on Monday the 4th to see Team USA and Team Canada play each other in an Olympic exhibition game. I'll be back home late Wednesday August 6th where things hopefully get back to normal.

Between now and then, nothing on this site will change. Aside from my hiatus here the next 24-36 hours while I drive straight through and then sleep to recover, I'll be on-line most every night. I have several player articles ready to go, and a good freind of mine (Darren) will be doing a lot of the daily recaps while I am away. He has already posted a few this week, and does a great job. So this site will continue to be updated daily and player articles will post about every other day.

Oh, and as a note, Minor Happenings will not post until Saturday this week. It should post first thing in the morning. There is just no way with the travel and all that that I can post it in its normal Thursday slot.

Thanks again for reading, like I said above, if there is anyone in the GCL or even Kinston you'd like me to focus on more during my visit, please let me know! See you all in Florida.

P.S. Be on the lookout for news on an Indians Minor League radio show I'll be doing one night a week. Everything is set to go, so a good chance when I return home it will debut. Should be an hour to an hour and a half on Thursday nights.

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Daily Recap: 7/22

K-Tribe blanked by Nationals
De La Cruz to make Kinston debut Wednesday at noon

RHP Hector Rondon will not want to see the Potomac Nationals again this season. Rondon was roughed up for 6 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings of work to fall to 8-5 on the season as the Kinston Indians were shut-out 8-0 in Woodbridge, Virginia on Tuesday night. Rondon has now taken 3 of his 5 losses at the hands of the Nationals. The big blow came in the 4th inning as Nationals 3B Trevor Lawhorn launched a 3-run HR to left-center. Rondon, in the midst of a breakout season, has now allowed 6ER in 2 of his last 3 starts.

RHP Mike Pontius' struggles continued as he allowed 2 more runs in the 7th inning on a 2-out double by C Jhonatan Solano (yes, that's spelt right!!). RHP Mike Finocchi worked a scoreless 8th inning and has allowed just 1ER over his last 6 appearances (8IP) since his early struggles coming back from an off-season broken leg.

On the offensive side the K-Tribe mustered only 3 hits. Beau Mills (2-for-4) and John Drennen (1-for-3) providing the only offensive highlights. 2B Nuiman Romero was 0-for-3 snapping a 21 game hit streak over which he had hit .430 raising his overall season average from .256 to .310.

The K-Tribe will send LHP Kelvin De La Cruz to the mound with a noon (ET) start on Wednesday. De La Cruz will be making his debut in High-A ball.


Whitney & Toregas bring an end to Aeros skid
Aeros cruise to 7-1 win

1B Matt Whitney hit a 2-run HR and C Wyatt Toregas hit his 10th HR of the season as the Akron Aeros cruised to a 7-1 win over the Altoona Curve.

The Aeros took an early 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning as Whitney (2-for-5, 2B, HR, 3RBI) reached on a 1-out double and took 3rd on Curve LF Anthony Websters error. DH Nate Panther brought Whitney home with a sac fly. The next batter, Wyatt Toregas launched his 10th AA HR of the season off Curve starter Derek Hankins. Whitney later put a seal on the win with his 8th HR in the 7th inning.

Trevor Crowe finished 1-for-4 and stole his 13th base, RF Bronson Sardinha ended the night 1-for-3 to stretch his hit streak to 9 games.

RHP Steven Wright (2-1) picked up the win, allowing just the 1 run off 6 hits over 5 innings of work (1BB, 6K). The win was just Wrights 4th of the season at all levels, inspite of holding a solid 3.77ERA over 21 starts.

LHP Reid Santos (1K) and RHP Luis Perdomo (2K) each pitched 2 perfect innings in relief to close out the win for the Aeros and snap their 3 game losing streak.


Captains Rally in 8th, fall in 10 to GreenJackets

The Lake County Captains rallied for 4 runs in the 8th inning against GreenJackets starter Madison Bumgarner and the GreenJackets bullpen to send the game into extra innings in Augusta.

LHP Bumgarner, the Giants 1st round pick (10th overall) in the 2007 draft cruised through the first 7 innings until unraveling in the 8th, through a combined effort from the Captains offense and the GreenJackets shaky defense. After a walk to C Adam Davis, SS Mark Thompson and 3B Ron Rivas singled scoring Davis to chase Bumgarner. After a wild pitch scored Thompson, 2B Cristo Arnal singled off Jackets reliver David Mixon before Lucas Montero reached on 1B Angel Villanova's fielding error allowing Ron Rivas to score. RF Matthew Brown capped the scoring with a sac fly to right.

RHP Chris Archer started for the Captains allowing 2 runs (1 earned) off 2 hits over 4 innings of work (2BB, 4K). RHP Jon Gaub relieved allowing 2 unearned runs in 2 innings of relief with no walks and 5Ks (42IP, 62Ks on the year). After RHP Paulo Espino worked 2 scoreless innings and Dallas Cawiezell a scoreless 9th the game was headed to extra innings setting the stage for 1B Angel Villanova to make up for his earlier miscue.

With 1-out in the bottom of the 10th, Villanova launched a walk-off HR to left field off Cawiezell to send the captains to defeat and drop their second half record to 12-20.

1B Chris Nash made his return to the Captains at DH and finished 0-for-5.


In Other Games....

- Buffalo wins 4-2. LHP John Halama (7-2) went the distance, allowing 2 unearned runs off 9hits with 4K. Michael Aubrey hit a 2-run HR (#3) in the Bisons 4 run 6th inning.

- Mahoning Valley were rained out and will play a DH on Wednesday.

- GCL Indians won 9-2. 2008 9th round pick RHP Clayton Cook struck out 5 over 3 scoreless innings. LHP Jose Urena (2-0) allowed a run over 2.1IP to pick up the win. 2B Kevin Fontanez (3-for-5), LF Angel Rodriguez (3-for-5) and RF Kevin Rucker (3-for-4, HR) paced the Indians 18 hit attack. DH Matt McBride was lifted for a PH in the 3rd after 1AB - no news yet as to whether McBride was hurt as he continues his rehab from off-season shoulder surgery.

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Huff's Star Shines Bright With Indians

It has been a big year for Indians top pitching prospect left-hander David Huff.

Coming into the season Huff only pitched a total of 67.1 innings the last year and a half since he signed and was drafted as a supplemental first round pick by the Indians in the 2006 Draft out of UCLA. While he certainly was one of the Indians top pitching prospects coming into this season, there were some question marks about his health, and whether or not he could live up to being a first round pick.

Not anymore.

Huff has proven to be one of the fastest rising pitching prospects in baseball this season, and is easily a Top 100 prospect in all of baseball. Many will likely tab Huff as the Indians #1 prospect next year, and everyone surely will have him in the Indians top five. Huff started the year in Double-A Akron and flat out dominated, going 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 11 starts, and held batters to a .189 average while striking out almost a batter an inning with 62 strikeouts in 65.2 innings pitched.

The Indians promoted Huff to Triple-A Buffalo on June 6^th, and in nine starts with Buffalo he has not really skipped a beat going 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA while holding batters to a .240 average and striking out more than a batter an inning with 50 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched. In 20 combined starts at Akron and Buffalo, Huff is 7-4 with a 2.45 ERA, and in 113.2 innings pitched he has only allowed 88 hits, 19 walks, and has struck out 112 batters. His WHIP is an incredible 0.94, and he has an astonishing 6:1 strikeout to walk rate.

"He has really been impressive this year," said Indians Farm Director Ross Atkins in a recent interview. "Every time we expect that maybe there will be a hiccup there just isn't one. He answers every challenge and is an extremely tough individual. Our expectations and standards of him have been very high because of his talent and ability."

Huff is certainly enjoying his success, but being as competitive as he is, he always strives to be better.

"Everything just feels great," said Huff in an interview over the weekend. "I'm still kind of getting used to everything here in Buffalo. It's been a real good adjustment, but you can never be satisfied. You have to keep pushing, keep getting better and playing hard. You can never be content with what you are doing so far. There is always room for improvement and room for moving forward."

Huff may be as close to the complete package as you can get with a pitcher. He may not throw the ball 98 MPH, but he consistently pitches around 91-93 MPH and has topped out at high as 94 MPH. He also throws a devastating changeup which is pretty much his money pitch. Not only does he have the talent, but the 6'2" 190 pound left-hander has an incredible feel for pitching. You can have all the talent in the world and that 98 MPH fastball teams and fans drool over, but if you can't control where it is going, have very good secondary stuff, and know how to attack hitters, you won't go very far.

People outside of the Indians organization certainly recognize Huff's value and talent.

"I like him as a middle of the rotation guy," said a scout for a National League club. "He has a veteran attack plan, and for him it is all about command, movement and velocity. His fastball plays up because of his plus changeup, and his changeup is a legitimate weapon against lefties and righties. He is in the upper echelon of the [Indians] system."

Coming out of college Huff's changeup was widely considered as the best in the draft that year. For a lot of pitchers, learning how to throw a changeup and get a good feel for the pitch is usually what determines their fate as a starter or a reliever so that they have that effective third pitch. Huff has never had a problem with the changeup, as he has been throwing it his entire life.

"It is just one of those things where I have thrown it my whole life along with my fastball," said Huff. "I mean grips have changed over time, but really it is just every time I go and play catch with somebody I am throwing it. That's the same approach that I take when I am throwing it in a game. [When the catcher] gives me the target I can throw it in there. The good part about it is I can throw it in any count. I am very comfortable and have a lot of confidence with it, almost as much confidence as I have in my fastball."

Huff's fastball has really become a weapon for him as well. His velocity is very much like Indians left-handed starter Cliff Lee where it plays up some because of some deception in his delivery. But, while Huff does not overpower hitters, what mostly makes his fastball so effective is his unbelievable confidence in it and the command he displays by working it to both sides of the plate and to the corners on all four quadrants. He has the best fastball command in the entire system, and uses that command to his advantage by aggressively attacking hitters.

"Yeah, to me throwing the fastball to both sides of the plate keeps hitters off balance," said Huff. "They don't really get comfortable in the box like they do with a guy who always throws the fastball away. They start sitting on it away, and once I see that then I throw it in and it makes them very uncomfortable and it almost catches them off guard. Plus I throw four off speed pitches for strikes. I throw them in and out of the zone almost locating them each time."

Huff knows how to pitch and is very smart. He is a pitcher you like to watch pitch because he moves the ball around in and out, gets the breaking ball and changeup over, and knows how to effectively use all his pitches. As this season has played out Huff has been trying to really hone in on his mechanics and make sure he is more cognizant of when his mechanics start to drift a little.

"What I am really trying to do is maintain my mechanics," said Huff. "For me, when things are going good I kind of start losing focus on what got me to that point. I start not really struggling, but kind of just get away from it. In between starts I am always really trying to concentrate on my mechanics, hitting my balance point, using my back leg with a little bit of bend to really drive off the rubber towards home plate and get full extension. My last couple outings, as good as they were, I noticed on video I was not getting much extension as I was almost finishing straight up. Granted I got away with a few pitches, but that goes back to there is always room for improvement. Besides staying healthy, that's what I have been concentrating on this entire year."

The key to Huff's future will be the development of an effective breaking ball as a third pitch to use against left-handers. In addition to his fastball and changeup, Huff also throws a 12-6 curveball and a slider. Both are good pitches for him and he commands then well, but going into the season the Indians felt the curveball needed some more work to become yet another weapon for him in his pitching arsenal. Huff has made strides with both pitches this year and now feels he can use them effectively in any count and to any batter.

"Yeah, the curveball is there," said Huff. "My mechanics are good where it is real sharp and there is a lot of depth to it. I noticed this past outing I was casting my curveball a little bit. I mostly use my slider as an out pitch and the curveball as a show-me pitch. The slider is firm and there is a lot of depth to that, which is surprising for a slider but it works. The curveball has gotten a lot better since college."

One of Huff's biggest fans is his older brother Tim, and they have a unique relationship where Tim is almost like a personal pitching coach to him. After every start, Tim will call his younger brother and go over the start literally pitch-by-pitch and tell Dave what he did wrong and how he could be better.

"The good thing is we have live video feed over the internet so he is able to watch my outings whereas before he was only able to listen to my outings," said Huff. "He watches all my games and really analyzes everything and when he sees good things he tells me. Most of the time it is negative things like 'you need to work on this or you need to get more extension', but occasionally every now and again I will run into a positive compliment from him (laughs). It's good because I never get complacent with him because he is always telling me that I need to work on something and I need to strive toward something better, so that is what is good about it."

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. He has acted like a human sponge and retained everything from conversations he has had with coaches such as Dave Snow (Long Beach State), Mike Mayne (Orange Coast College), and many others where he would just listen, absorb, analyze and apply every they said to him.

"I am five years younger than him, so the whole time he was going through [baseball] and learning he was teaching me," said Huff. "It was great because when I was in youth ball he was teaching and getting me ready for high school. When I was in high school he was getting me ready for college. When I was in college he was getting me ready for professional baseball. It was just one of those things where he always emphasized mechanics and everything like that by saying ‘this is how you need to pitch' or ‘you can't just throw it as hard as you can' or ‘you need to spot it up and throw off-speed for strikes'. Over the years it has almost become second nature to me, and now it is just putting it all into a gameplan."

With his master's in business, Tim actually helps his younger brother out on the financial side of things as well. Life in the minors can be a bit crazy as players can get called up on a whim to the next level, which often has them scurrying to get their affairs in order and find a place to stay once they get to their new destination. Typically, the Indians house players in a hotel for around three days to give them time to find an apartment or make living arrangements, which can put a lot of stress on what already is a nerve-wracking time in being called up. With Tim around, he does a lot of these things for Dave to help his transition at each stop whether it be packing up his stuff or finding him a new place to stay.

"In addition to helping me out with pitching and stuff, he also helps me out more on the financial side because he is a business major," said Huff. "So, he helps me on and off the field so that is good."

While his older brother Tim has been a big influence on his baseball career, Huff attributes a lot of his success to his former coach John Savage. Savage has been instrumental in the development of college pitchers in the past, namely Barry Zito when he was the pitching coach at the University of Southern California. Savage recruited Huff out of high school to play at the University of California - Irvine (UC-Irvine), but after his freshman season Savage left to coach at UCLA. This resulted in Huff leaving UC-Irvine and attending three different colleges in three years to follow Savage to UCLA.

"Yeah, my first year I was coached by John Savage over at UC-Irvine," said Huff. "He left and he was the one who recruited me. The coach that came in did not recruit me at all coming out of high school, so he didn't know anything about me and I was like 'you know, this is not a good fit for me I need to leave'. I tried to transfer over to UCLA and they said okay but that I would have to sit out a year. And I was like 'okay, that's not going to fly' so I ended up going to Cypress Junior College for a year under Scott Pickler. Savage would come to my games and we would always talk. It was pretty much a given that I was going to go to UCLA out of Cypress. I was kind of entertaining some other schools, but what it pretty much came down to is I was going to go to UCLA. And then I ended up over at UCLA with him again. To me, he is one of the top coaches in the nation as far as pitching goes."

Over the course of his three-year three-stop college tour, Huff was drafted two times before he was drafted by the Indians. In 2003 the Los Angeles Angels drafted him out of high school in the 31^st round. Huff did not sign and choose to instead go and play under Savage at UC-Irvine. After his sophomore season at Cypress Junior College in 2005 the Philadelphia Phillies drafted Huff in the 19^th round, but again Huff chose to follow Savage to UCLA. The Indians ended up drafting and signing Huff the next year, and to this day Huff believes the decision he made to go to college for three years was the right choice as it helped him grow as a person and player.

"I believe for most guys that college is good," said Huff. "It gives you three years to mature not only as a person but as a baseball player no matter what position you play. You also get that growth and put on some muscle. You have a more comfortable feel for what you do. Coming out of high school you are the young kid. As a teenager you are like ‘oh crap I am going against guys that are twice my age, I need to show the world everything'. You end up kind of over thinking everything, overthrowing everything, and overdoing everything. If you are a guy who is throwing 95 MPH and you just have God given talent, then yeah, maybe getting drafted out of high school and pursuing [professional baseball] is probably a good thing."

One of the biggest changes for Huff as a pitcher was how much the cerebral part of the game developed for him from the time he graduated high school to the time he was drafted and signed by the Indians three years later. In high school, most kids that throw in the mid 80s or above just let it fly and dominate on sheer velocity. However, in the professional ranks a pitcher has to be able to learn how to "pitch" and not just "throw", and this is something that Huff really picked up on in his three-year college career.

"For me, I believe coming out of high school I was not ready," said Huff. "Not only mentally, but what I know now compared to what I knew then the difference is night and day. In high school, it was ‘throw the fastball and get them out with off-speed'. Now it is 'okay, read the swing on this pitch, see where they are standing in the box, and move onto another pitch or change location' or ‘okay he had an open stance so he might be lunging for that outside corner so let's try to beat him in'. It is just stuff like that I see nowadays that I did not see in high school."

Huff is one of those pitchers that who has gone very far very fast. Just two years since he was drafted he is on the brink of starting his major league career. With the Indians no longer contending this year it may actually hurt Huff's chances at making his major league debut sometime this season. In a year where they are in need of starting pitching, had they been under pressure to win now they may have called Huff up already. But, now that they are retooling for 2009, they can take it easy with Huff the rest of the year. In fact, it would be a very big surprise to see Huff make an appearance in Cleveland this year.

Some may question why that would be the case, but after missing roughly two thirds of the season last year from a UCL sprain in his pitching elbow, Huff is being held to a strict innings pitched count. At 113.2 innings pitched already, he likely will get at most another 50 innings (about eight starts) before he is shutdown for the season. With Buffalo's season set to end in roughly six weeks, it should time up just right for Huff to make those eight starts and reach that threshold. So, when Buffalo's season ends at the end of August, Huff's season likely will too.

In addition to that, the Indians probably prefer not to roster Huff this year. Huff is not eligible yet to be considered for the Rule 5 Draft in December, so by leaving him off the roster it allows the Indians to use a 40-man roster spot on another player who is up for Rule 5 eligibility that they may want to protect on the 40-man roster.

Also, by rostering Huff this season, he would be on the 40-man roster next year and if he were to not earn a big league job out of spring training the Indians would be forced to use one of their three option years on him when they send him to the minors at the start of the season. By not being on the 40-man roster to start next season no option would be used when sending him to the minors. After seeing the Indians lose some valuable players like Brandon Phillips, Jeremy Guthrie and others because their option years were quickly used up, this is definitely something they have to consider.

In any case, whenever Huff makes his big league debut he will be ready.

"I believe I am ready," said Huff. "It is their decision. They are trying to build a winning team right now. If I get that phone call this year I'll be ready and we'll see and go from there."

When that time comes the entire Huff family is set to come to Cleveland or wherever he is playing to take part in the celebration of his big accomplishment. Already in veteran form, Huff tries to keep the excitement in check and not show it too much.

"Yeah, I'm very excited," said Huff. "Even though I don't show it, yes, I'm very excited."

Photos courtesy of Ken Carr and the Buffalo Bisons.

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Daily Recap: 7/21

Potomac Comes Back on Kinston

Niuman Romero extended his hit streak to 21 games, but Kinston dropped game one of a three game series to Potomac 7-4 Monday night in Virginia. Romero went 2-for-4, getting a hit in his first at bat, in his first action back from a three game suspension.

Kinston got on the board in the first inning when Johnny Drennen led the game off with a double and was driven in by a Beau Mills single. It was the 64th RBI for Mills this season, the second most in the Carolina League. Kinston broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run, home run by Jared Head. Head went 2-for-4 on the night; it was Head’s eighth home run of the season.

Potomac evened the score in the seventh inning, with RBI hits from Francisco Plasencia and Dee Brown. Both hits came off of K-Tribe reliever Sung-Wei Tseng. Later in the inning an RBI sacrifice fly from Brian Finegan off of K-Tribe pitcher Matt Meyer, put Potomac up for good. Three more hits led to two insurance runs in the eighth for Potomac. Tseng (0-4) picks up the loss for Kinston, giving up four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Jeanmar Gomez put together a solid start for Kinston, going five innings, giving up just four hits and an earned run. Reliever Clint Everts got the win for Potomac.

The K-Tribe returns to action on Tuesday night from Woodbridge, Virginia. Game two of the four game series starts at 7:05.

CAPTAINS FALL SHORT 2-1

(Augusta, GA) – The Augusta GreenJackets scored both of their runs in the seventh inning to take a lead that they would give up as the beat the Lake County Captains 2-1 on Monday. The Captains Michael Valadez had two hits, a RBI and threw out a would be base stealer. This was the Captains 31st one run ball game and they are now 13-18 in one run games. The Captains are now 1-5 on the road trip.

The Captains started the scoring with two out in the top of the fourth inning when Matt Brown doubledoff of GreenJackets starter Chance Corgan. He would score two batters later when Michael Valadez singled to make it 1-0. The GreenJackets got the lead from Captains starter Joey Mahalic in the bottom of the seventh inning when Angel Villalona hit a solo home run to tie the game up. The Jackets got a double from Andrew Davis and when Elio Sarmiento singled, Brown was held at third. The throw to home plate from Captains right fielder Matt Brown skipped past catcher Michael Valadez and Brown came on to score and give the GreenJackets a 2-1 lead.

Mahalic saw his record fall to 6-4 going 6.1 innings and allowing the two on four hits, walking one and striking out two. At one point Mahalic had set down thirteen in a row. Gary Campfield came on in relief of Mahalic in the seventh and pitched 1.2 scoreless inning of relief. Ryan Paul picked up the win in relief to up his record to 3-2 and Andrew DeLaGarza went the final 1.2 innings to secure his sixth save.

The Captains and GreenJackets will play game three of the four game series on Tuesday at 7:05 PM. RHP Chris Archer (2-8, 4.07) takes to the mound for the Captains against the GreenJackets LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-3, 1.79). All Captains games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

SCRAPPERS SHUT DOWN BY CUTTERS 2-0

WILLIAMSPORT, PA- On Monday night the Scrappers wrapped up the six game road trip in Williamsport against the Crosscutters. It was starting pitching from both teams that dominated the game early. Cutter’ catcher Travis d’ Arnaud hit a solo home run off of Scrapper starter Kaimi Mead in the first and that would be all of the scoring over the first six innings.

The Cutters’ added another run in the second when they loaded the bases off of reliever Mike McGuire, and then the scored their second run on a fielding error by shortstop Lonnie Chisenhall.

The Scrapper bats were kept quiet in the ninth and thought the game as they were limited to just three base hits in the game.

Scrapper starter Kaimi Mead worked five innings, surrendered four base hits, walked one and struck out three. Despite pitching well Mead took the loss and dropped to 3-4 on the season.

The Scrappers dropped game three to Williamsport 2-0 and finished the road trip up at 3-3. They return to Eastwood Field Tuesday night for the first of six game home stand against Aberdeen at 7:05.

In Other Games...

- Buffalo lost 8-4 in 14 innings. LHP Zach Jackson looked good in a spot start going 4 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. RHP Jeff Stevens fell apart in his third inning of relief and was tagged with the loss, going 2.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on 1 hit, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. 1B Jordan Brown went 2-for-6 with a walk, catcher Chris Gimenez went 2-for-5 with a walk, and 3B Morgan Ensberg went 2-for-6 with a HR and 4 RBI.

- Akron was swept in a double-header 3-2 and 5-3. In Game 1, RHP Frank Herrmann went 5 innings and allowed 1 ER on 9 hits, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Akron only managed 4 hits, with OF Trevor Crowe the lone highlight going 1-for-4 with a 2B and RBI. In Game 2, RHP Jim Deters made a spot start and went 4 innings allowing 4 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks and no strikeouts. LHP Chuck Lofgren followed him in relief and went 2 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 0 walks and 1 strikeout. LF Matt LaPorta went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and 3B Wes Hodges went 1-for-3 with a 2B.

- The GCL Indians won 5-4. LHP T.J. McFarland was very good once again going 5 innings allowing 0 ER, 4 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 6. On the rehab front, catcher Matt McBride went 2-for-3 wth 2 2B and an RBI, and 1B Chris Nash went 1-for-1 with a walk.

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Mid-Day Update 7/21

Some callups to announce....

LHP Kelvin De La Cruz has been promoted to Kinston. No word yet on who will be replacing De La Cruz on the roster and in the Lake County rotation, but a good possibility could be RHP Paolo Espino moving back to a starter and someone from Mahoning Valley moving up into the bullpen (Rieck?).

RHP Frank Herrmann has been re-activated in Akron and outfielder Ryan Goleski was re-assigned to Kinston. Gotta say Goleski's days are numbered in the system, and this is more to fill in for Nick Weglarz who will be leaving the team this weekend for the Olympics.

RHP Brendan Donnelly was officially called up to Buffalo today. To make room for him, RHP J.D. Martin was sent to Akron.

Also, I like to peruse the message boards of different sites to offer up assistance to questions people have on prospects and things of that nature. Was interesting to find out today that Scout.com (Indians Ink) revoked my privileges to view their forums and also help assist other fans with questions they have. Guess I should be flattered they view me as such a threat to their operation. Heh. Anyway, for those that like to talk prospects on-line, I can be found most often on TheClevelandFan.com message boards in the Indians section here. Feel free to sign up and join in on the discussion.

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Daily Recap: 7/20

Bisons split double-dip

The Buffalo Bisons split a double header with the Richmond Braves on Sunday. RHP Bryan Bullington got the start in game 1 - his first start with the Herd - and allowed 1 run in 4 innings of work. The only damage he allowed came on a leadoff HR in the second inning by Braves 1B/3B Scott Thorman. RHP JD Martin worked the final 3 scoreless innings to pick up his first AAA win of the season as the Bisons took game 1 by the score of 2-1. Michael Aubrey (2-for-3, 2B) paced the Bisons offense, scoring the first run on a Jordan Brown sac fly in the 4th and driving in the eventual winning run with a 2-out single in the 5th.

David Huff was the tough luck loser in game 2 as the Bisons were shut out by a final score of 1-0. Huff worked 5 innings of 1 run ball allowing only 6 singles and zero walks. He threw an impressive 44 strikes in his 63 pitches whilst striking out 2 Braves and recording 9 ground ball outs. The only run he allowed came on an RBI fielders choice groundout by Braves CF Josh Anderson. RHP Randy Newsom and LHP Rich Rundles each followed with a scoreless frame for the Herd.

The Bisons only mustered 6 hits of their own and left 7 runners on base in the 7 inning game. Jordan Brown (1-for-3) knocked his 22nd double of the season.

Errors doom Aeros late

The Akron Aeros lost 3-1 to the Erie Seawolves to lose the series 3 games to 1 as they scuffle out of the AS Break.

Scott Lewis continued to impress with 6 strong innings, allowing 1 run with 6Ks and no walks. After back-to-back rough starts to end the month of June, Lewis has responded with 4 straight great starts allowing only 3 runs (23IP). Lewis looked to be in line to take a tough luck loss, until Stephen Head stepped up to the plate with 1 out in the 7th and launched his 8th HR of the year against Seawolves reliever Matt Rusch to tie the game at 1.

Tony Sipp (0-2) took the loss for the Aeros, after throwing a scoreless 7th inning, Sipp allowed a 2-out, 2-run HR to Seawolves 1B Ryan Roberson in the 8th inning. Both runs were unearned after Erie SS Shawn Roof reached on Wes Hodges 20th error of the season to start the inning. Sipp has now taken the loss in both his appearances in AA.

LF Matt LaPorta was 1-for-3, CF Trevor Crowe finished 1-for-4 and 3B Wes Hodges also finished 1-for-3.

In other games......

- Lake County lost 7-2 to the Augusta GreenJackets. Ryan Miller's winless streak continues as he fell to 7-5 allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 4IP. Miller hasn't won since May. RHP Josh Judy spun 2 scoreless innings and RHP Rob Bryson allowed 3 unearned runs over the final 2 frames off just 1 hit, walking 1 and striking out 2. The Captains made 5 errors in the game.

- Mahoning Valley defeated Williamsport 6-1 behind strong pitching by 2008 8th round draft pick LHP Eric Berger (5IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 4K). 2B Isaias Velasquez (3-for-5), SS Lonnie Chisenhall (2-for-5) and CF Juan Valdez (3-for-4) paced the Scrappers 13-hit attack.

- Kinston, DSL Indians and GCL Indians all had a scheduled day off.

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