Clip & Dirty: 8/28

The Clippers took on the Indianapolis Indians with an eye towards gaining on the Louisville Bats' 1 ½ game IL-west lead. The Bats were taking on the Toledo Mud Hens and the Clippers' faithful needed to keep an eye on the scoreboard to see Things got off to a bad start in both parks as the Indians' raced to a 4-run lead in the first two innings and the Bats' took a 3-run lead in the first in their game. The Clippers fell further behind in the 4th when the Indians exploded for four more runs.

Facing an 8-0 deficit, the Clippers could only hope that the last-place Mud Hens were able to beat the first-place Bats down in Louisville. Thankfully, the Mud Hens scored 8 unanswered runs and ended up winning their game by a score of 8-3. The Clippers meanwhile couldn't get anything going offensively and eeked out only 4 hits on the night. The only bright spot on the evening was the relief work turned in by Carlton Smith, Jess Todd and Saul Rivera who put up 5 scoreless innings after David Huff yielded right runs in his 4 innings of work.

The Clippers are still 1 ½ games out of first and will look to turn the tables on the Indians tonight at Huntington Park.

Team Hitting: 0R, 4H, XBH, 2BB, 2 GIDP, 120 pitches seen

There are no real victories to take away from a game like the one on Saturday. Four hits, no runs and only six base-runners (two of which were wiped away with GIDP's) is a horrible night at the plate by any standard. Dana Evealnd continued his dominance over the Cleveland Indians organization's various affiliates as he threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings before being pulled, but in his Major League career he is 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.17WHIP against the Tribe.

The only small moral victory that the Clippers can take from last night's game is that despite only sending 32 men to the plate (5 over the minimum), they were able to see 120 pitches which is 3.75 pitches/PA. If the Clippers were going down, they weren't going down swinging, which in baseball can be a good thing. They were patient and they didn't strike out twenty times either. The Clippers were working the count all night and making sure to see a fair number of pitches while still putting the ball in play. This approach is indicative of good things to come. If you don't believe me, I'll direct you toward the Kansas City Royals hack-tastic ways of 2010 that have led to a top-3 league leading batting average, and nearly league worst runs scored. The reason for this of course is that they have drawn the 2nd fewest walks in the league and have hit for the 3rd lowest power in the league. You need patience as well as the ability to make hard contact; the Clippers did this last night, only the balls they hit didn't find the gaps.

Team Pitching: 8(8) R(ER), 12H, 3BB, 9K, 65 strikes, 52% GB

David Huff got beat up pretty good last night. He was hit around to the tune of 17 total bases in addition to his two BB's in only four innings. He was producing GB's at a decent clip as 3 of his 9 hits allowed were ground balls, but he still was allowing the ball to be put in play way too often.

Carlton Smith on the other hand was on top of his game. He threw 76% strikes in his 2 innings of work and struck out four batters in that time. He gave up back to back singles in the 5th, but ended the threat by inducing yet another ground-ball out. In his two innings of work he allowed one weak fly out to center, two ground outs and four strikeouts. The potential for damage is limited when the ball is barely leaving the catcher's mitt, let alone the infield.

The Clippers will host the Indians for the final time this season at Huntington Park and will send the recently acquired Zach McAllister to the mound. He will be opposed by Michael Crotta. The Louisville Bats face the Toledo Mud Hens again at 2:05pm, and the Clippers should know whether they need to merely hold serve or if they can gain a game as the Bats-Mud Hens outcome should be decided before the Clippers throw out the first pitch at 5:05pm.

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Pomeranz, Blair Ready To Get Going

The Cleveland Indians have wasted no time in getting their top two pitching prospects from the 2010 Draft acclimated to the system.  Shortly after signing on August 16th, first round pick left-handed pitcher Drew Pomerenz and fourth round pick right-handed pitcher Kyle Blair were both sent to short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley and have been working out there ever since.

Since both Pomeranz and Blair did not throw all summer they are both in the initial stages of a return to throw program that started at 60 feet, then to 90 feet and is currently at 120 feet. Neither is on the active roster in Mahoning Valley nor will be added, but both should throw bullpens in Mahoning Valley sometime this week before departing shortly before the end of the season to go home for a little bit before Instructional League starts up in Arizona on September 15th.

"I feel awesome," said an excited Blair about being with the Indians. "I have been waiting all summer for this and am really stoked. They just put us on a throwing program, and we are basically starting from scratch. I am just getting it loose, and I have to throw my first bullpen in about five days. So we are just getting back into it and ready for Instructs and then shut it down after that I guess."

Both are being ramped up to pitch in games in Instructional League this fall. Due to the ongoing signing process all summer and not pitching any summer ball, while they are not going to pitch for an affiliate this year the Indians still want to get them back pitching so they can throw a few innings and give the organization their first look at the two new prized pitchers before spring training next year.

"Yeah, I'm just kind of getting back into the throwing process as I did not throw all summer," said Pomeranz. "I am going to Instructs and getting some innings there and I pretty much am not going to do too much this year."

Both are relieved that the signing process is over. As amateur players coming out of college, they both quickly learned that professional baseball is a business first.

"I am so glad it is over," said Blair. "It is a really long process. You understand it is a business, and it was a long couple of months and I am glad we got it over with and I am just happy to be here for sure. There was a number where if they did not give me that for sure I was going back to school. We just kind of got it done mid-day on the 16th. It is better than those last minute deals [like Pomeranz had] (laughs)."

While Blair did sign around noon on the 16th, Pomeranz and his representation took it down to the wire.  While he was always expected to sign, his deal like a lot of other draft picks was never completed until a few minutes before the midnight deadline.

"I wasn't really worried about it," said Pomeranz. "Getting drafted out of high school I kind of knew the whole process and how it worked. A lot of times it takes some waiting around a little bit. I wasn't in any rush or trying to drag it out, it was just part of the process and it just goes down to the last day. That's how it works."

Both pitchers are veterans to the draft process as they were both drafted out of high school and did not sign. For some, signing out of college is the right move for them, but Pomeranz believes the decision to not sign out of high school and pitch for three years in college helped him immensely.

"Being 18 years old you obviously think that you are ready getting into pro ball and doing some other stuff," explained Pomeranz. "But I saw my older brother who signed out of high school go through that. It is kind of a longer road that way. I got to go to college for three years, have fun, make good friends, and play good baseball in the SEC. I think it is going to help me a lot in pro ball now."

Now that both are in the system, both Pomeranz and Blair are expected to move quickly through the system because of their advanced pitch ability. Both will likely start the season at High-A Kinston next season, and what happens from there will be determined by how quickly they develop and how how well they perform. Both bring some impressive talent and intangibles to the mound, and barring injury both are expected to pitch in the big leagues down the road.

"I throw a two seamer, but no four-seamers," said Blair who also throws a curveball, slider, and changeup. "My slider I will go to at anytime. I have been known to be a pretty emotional pitcher where I get real pumped up and I get really fired up sometimes. A lot of people say that I don't take crap from anyone, so I guess I am just a tough pitcher and a tough guy to get a read on."

"Basically in college I was a fastball-curveball guy," said Pomeranz who also throws a changeup. "I threw a lot of fastballs and rely on it a lot. I am aggressive and go right after hitters, which I think is one of the things that made me successful in college because [I went] right after people, even in my freshman year. I stepped right up and went right after them, and it really helped me do really well my three years there [at Mississppi]."

Once Instructional League kicks up in a few weeks both pitchers will have a chance to really starting honing in on their craft. While the Indians have not made any suggestions on some things they would like to see changed or firmed up yet, both have a few things in mind they would like to work on right off the bat.

"Definitely fastball location," said Blair. "I am really happy with all of my other pitches. I mean, obviously I still need to get them all better and more crisp and repeating them everytime, but definitely fastball location which was my thing in the beggining of the year. It got better as the year went on, but it is still not as good as I want it to be."

"I would probably just say working on my front side," said Pomeranz. "That's probably my biggest flaw. The only tendonitis issue I have ever had is because my front side was pulling out a little bit. I think that is probably the main thing to work on."

In a few short weeks Pomeranz and Blair will be pitching in the desert sun out in Arizona getting their first taste of pro ball in an empty setting with no crowds.  But, if they both do what they are capable of they could both soon be pitching in the big leagues in front of tens of thousands of loud fans and seeing their big league dream realized.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.  His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.

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Game Recap 8/28: Nuno Racks Up K's, Win

Playoff Race:
Columbus: 1.5 GB for division, lead wildcard by 1.5 games
Akron: 2.5 GB for wildcard (can't win division)
Kinston: 1.0 GB for division, lead wildcard by 2.0 games
Lake County: Already in

Nuno Strikes Outs Eleven, Captains Win

Vidal Nuno dazzled for seven innings on Saturday night in front of 7,916 fans. Nuno struck out a career high eleven hitters as the Captains defeated the Silver Hawks 2-1.

Lake County took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Tyler Holt reached on a one out double to right center. Casey Frawley picked up infield base hit to short. The shortstop Victor Estevez’s throw to first went out of play allowing Holt to score.

Argenis Martinez singled to right field with two outs in the fourth. Delvi Cid made it 2-0 with an RBI triple to right centerfield scoring Martinez.

South Bend finally touched up Nuno in the eighth inning when Victor Estevez led the inning off with a solo homerun to make it 2-1.

Vidal Nuno (6-7) earned the win pitching seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits, striking out eleven. In his Captains’ debut Takafumi Nakamura picked up the save pitching two innings and giving up two hits. Andrew Wolcott (2-4) suffered the loss pitching just two thirds of a innings allowing one run on two hits, with one strike outs.

The Captains and Silver Hawks play game two of the four game series on Sunday at 1:00 PM with the Captains sending RHP Brett Brach (4-8, 3.55) to the mound to opposes LHP Tyler Skaggs (8-4, 3.57).

Indy blanks Clippers in opener of five-game set

The Clippers returned to Huntington Park for their final weekend homestand of 2010, but the Indianapolis Indians played the part of a rude guest Saturday, jumping all over Columbus in the early going and costing to an 8-0 victory in front a capacity crowd.

Brandon Moss got Indy on the scoreboard with a two-run blast in the first inning, and that was just the start of a rough night for David Huff (7-2). The Indians added two more runs in the second and four in the fourth, which would end the lefty's night prematurely.

Offensively, the Clippers did very little, putting zeroes on the scoreboard while squeezing out just four hits. The team was 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Four Indy pitchers joined forces for the shutout, with Brian Bass (3-4) getting the win in relief.

Columbus didn't lose ground in the division chase, as Louisville lost to Toledo to keep the Bats' lead at a game-and-a-half. Buffalo, however, crept a bit closer in the wild card race.

The Clippers will close out the home portion of the series with Indy on Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Zach McAllister (8-11, 5.19) will get make his second start for Columubs, opposite righty Mike Crotta (5-8, 4.42).

Akron Scores Second Erie Shutout 9-0

The Aeros shutout Erie for the second time in this four-game series with a 9-0 decision in front of 4,209 fans at Canal Park. The loss is Erie’s 10th here this season and 19th straight here dating back to May 24 of 2009. Akron (69-64) has now outscored the SeaWolves (59-74) by a 26-2 count so far in the series.

The Aeros struck first when designated hitter Jerad Head hit in center fielder Jordan Henry on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice in which the SeaWolves attempted to turn a double play in the first inning. Right fielder John Drennen eventually took advantage with an RBI-single to right field that scored second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Head faced another bases-loaded opportunity in the second and he promptly delivered with a two-RBI double down the left field line that scored shortstop Cristo Arnal and Henry. First baseman Beau Mills followed with a two-RBI single that scored third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and Head for a 6-0 lead. Head added his fourth RBI of the night in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that brought in Kipnis.

The Aeros scored an unearned insurance run in the seventh after Head scored from third on an error by Bryan Pounds that allowed left fielder Tim Fedroff to be safe at first. Arnal made the score 9-0 in the eighth when he scored on a ground out by Chisenhall.

Left-handed starter Matt Packer celebrated his 23rd birthday in style as he shut out the SeaWolves and struck out eight batters, the most he has had with the Aeros, through six innings of work. The Germantown, Tenn. earned his first Double A win and improved to 1-2. Erie starter Jon Kibler (5-5) took the loss after he gave up seven runs on seven hits with six walks and two strikeouts in four innings.

Akron improved their playoff chances as they gained a game on current Western Division wild card leader Harrisburg with the Senators 2-1 loss to Trenton, as well as third-place Bowie as they fell 6-5 to New Britain. The Aeros are now 2.5 games back of the wild card lead with nine games remaining.

The Aeros look to clinch the four-game sweep Sunday as left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes (6-9, 4.77 ERA) faces SeaWolves southpaw Duane Below (5-12, 5.04 ERA) in the final regular season home game.

Kinston Beats Salem 5-3

Kinston starter Joe Gardner won his Carolina League leading 12th game of the season, as Kinston handed Salem a 5-3 loss Saturday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. The win was Kinston’s fifth straight, matching their longest win streak of the season. The win gives Kinston a two game cushion in the Southern Division wildcard race.

The K-Tribe pulled ahead in the bottom of the first inning against Red Sox starter Stolmy Pimentel. Bo Greenwell walked and Jeremie Tice belted a two-run homer to left to put Kinston on top 2-0. Tice has now homered in back to back nights, giving him four round trippers as a K-Triber. The Indians added on in the second inning, which started with back-to-back walks to Donnie Webb and Alex Castillo. The duo pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Justin Toole hit an RBI groundout to make it 3-0. Pimentel exited after just two innings in which he surrendered three runs on a hit, walked five and struck out one. He made 64 pitches in his two frames of work.

Kinston extended the lead in the top of the fourth inning when Webb led off with a triple and Castillo drove him in with a single. Castillo would later make the score 5-0 when he came across on an RBI hit from Karexon Sanchez. Gardner (12-5) gave Kinston a solid start giving up no runs on four hits. He walked five and struck out five.

Salem got on the board against Kinston reliever Chris Jones in the top of the seventh inning. Mitch Dening led off with a double and Dan Butler followed with a home run. After a walk to Alex Hassan later in the inning, Salem cut the Kinston lead to two runs with an RBI hit from Adalberto Ibarra. Matt Langwell came on in relief to help the Indians escape the eighth inning and threw a scoreless 2 2/3 innings for the save. Langwell extended his scoreless inning streak to 17 2/3 innings, the longest streak for the K-Tribe this season. It was Langwell’s fifth save of the season.

The K-Tribe's final home game of the 2010 regular season is Sunday at 2 pm at Historic Grainger Stadium. Austin Adams will take the mound for Kinston to finish the series against Salem.

Scrappers drop fourth straight

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers banged out 13 hits, but could only score one run stranding 14 runners in game two against the Auburn Doubledays and losing 4-1 tonight at Falcon Park.
The Scrappers have now lost four straight as they fall to 28-40 on the season. With the win, the Doubledays improved to 30-37.

Cole Cook got the loss despite pitching well for the Scrappers lasting four innings, giving up two unearned runs and striking out four.

Sam Strickland picked up the win for the Doubledays pitching five scoreless innings, scattering seven hits and striking out five. Dayton Marze pitched 2.1 innings to earn the save.

The Scrappers put runners on base in each of the first three innings, but couldn't set the tone as Strickland worked out of trouble in each frame.

Cook got two quick outs in the bottom of third but a Nick Bartolone error allowed Markus Brisker to reach and the inning to continue. Brisker scored on a wild pitch from Cook that gave the Doubledays the lead. Oliver Dominguez made it 2-0 with a single that chased home Jonathan Jones.

The Scrappers rallied in the top of the seventh when Trent Baker doubled to start the inning off reliever Brandon Berl. Baker advanced to third base on a Bartolone single. With runners on the corners at first and third, Giovanny Urshela blooped a single into center field to score Baker and cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Doubledays answered in the bottom of the frame scoring two times off reliever J.D. Goryl to increase the their lead to 4-1.

The Scrappers threatened in the eight and ninth innings, but Marze held the fort to help the Doubledays win their second straight against the Scrappers.

The Scrappers will look to snap their four-game losing streak in game three against the Doubledays tomorrow night. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Lianna Holub

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Clip & Dirty: 8/27

The Clippers took on the Louisville Bats in the final match up of the season for the two teams vying for the IL-West crown. The Clippers (74-59) and the Bats (74-58) were within a ½ game of each other and with only 11 games remaining, gaining the inside track was crucial. Carlos Carrasco was getting the start and considering the success of his previous 3 starts, he looked to be closing the season out on a high note and you had to like the Clippers chances to be in the ballgame from the start. Carrasco worked four scoreless innings before giving up a few base hits and he finally allowed a run to cross in the 5th. Carrasco ended up throwing seven innings of one-run ball while allowing only six base-runners and striking out six.

Normally getting that kind of a start is the sign of a sure-fire win, but Bats' starter Ben Jukich was holding up his end of the bargain by throwing scoreless ball until the Clippers broke through in the 6th to tie the game at 1-1. Drew Sutton singled in Jose Constanza and it looked like the Clippers had something going with a run across and men on 1st and 2nd with only one down. However, Jukich induced a pop-up and a strikeout to end the threat. Neither team would sniff an opportunity until the bottom of the 9th when Saul Rivera relieved Aaron Laffey, who had thrown a scoreless 8th. The Bats scored the decisive run on a pair of singles and a walk and the Clippers lost 2-1.

By falling in their final regular season game against the Bats, the Clippers fell to 1 ½ games out of 1st in the IL-West. They will take on Indianapolis tonight and will have to hope for the Bats to lose a couple tin order to get back in the hunt.

Team Hitting: 1R, 6H, 2XBH, BB, GIDP

Not much to report here. Columbus just couldn't get it going. Only four players reached base: Jose Constanza (1-4, 2B), Ezequiel Carrera (1-3, 2B, BB), Drew Sutton (2-4) and Jordan Brown (2-4). The other five hitters in the lineup went 0-17 with 6K. The Clippers only got on base once after the 6th inning.

Team Pitching; 2(2) R(ER), 7H, 2BB, 7K, 70% strikes, 42%GB

Carlos Carrasco pitched beautifully last night. He allowed only 6 base runners (WHIP of 0.86), he struck out 6 (K/9 of 7.7) and walked only one. He induced ground-balls at a high rate and allowed only one XBH. Carrasco has been striking men out, not walking batters and avoiding the big inning for the last few weeks and seems to be hitting his stride as the season draws to a close. This is a great sign for all of us hoping that he will become a front-line starter and workhorse for the Indians' rotation. Especially the fact that he is holding his velocity and improving his performance as the season wears on.

Because we received Carrasco two years ago and he was so close to the Majors; I think we all tend to view him as a flop because he didn't explode onto the scene like some had hoped. He is still only 23 and has the raw talent to be a great pitcher for a long time (and a lot of innings in each of those years). Perhaps, he is finally putting it altogether and better still the Indians will have him under team control into his late 20's.

The Clippers take on the Indianapolis Indians tonight at 7:05pm and will send David Huff to oppose Indy starter Dana Eveland. The Louisville Bats take on the Toledo Mud Hens and we'll all be pulling for the Mud Hens for at least one night.

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Around the Farm: August 27

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday's performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday's game.

Trey Haley - SP, Lake County: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R (4 ER), 8 BB, 3 K.
The walks continue to haunt Haley as he is now up to 81 on the season in 110.1 innings. He has electric stuff with a mid-90s fastball and two plus potential secondary pitches, but he and the Indians are still working through some mechanical issues with his delivery to improve his command. His 8 walks on the night combined with the 8 walks by the relievers made it a 16 walk night for Captains pitchers. Yowsers. Add to that the 18 strikeouts by Captains batters, and it is double yowsers.

• Jordan Brown - DH, Columbus: 2-for-4, 2 K. Hit or miss night for J-Brown. Unfortunately for the Clippers there was a lot of missing on the night.
• Carlos Carrasco - RHP, Columbus: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Looks ready to assume a rotation spot in Cleveland and possibly his last start with Clippers since his next scheduled one is September 1st.
• Aaron Laffey - RP, Columbus: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Should be called up right on September 1st as part of (small) first wave.
• Jerad Head - OF, Akron: 1-for-4, 2 RBI. Having a monster .311/.368/.589 year in 61 games for Akron.
• Beau Mills - 1B, Akron: 0-for-4. After promising .340/.377/.575 line in 27 July games, he has flatlined in 25 August games hitting .169/.269/.539.
• John Drennen - OF, Akron: 2-for-4, 2B. He's been overlooked some this year, but having a very solid .304/.358/.440 year. The upitck in his average is nice, but he needs to show more power to have a big league chance.
• Corey Kluber - SP, Akron: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 5 K. Finally settling in and living up to trade reports that he is an innings eating quality starter. In his last three outing for Akron he is 2-0 and allowed 2 runs in 18.1 IP.
• Connor Graham - RP, Akron: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 0 K. After an impressive run in the pen, showing signs of being human in last two appearances with 7 walks in 1.2 innings.
• Jeremie Tice - 1B, Kinston: 1-for-2, R, HR, 2 RBI. Big night for the converted first baseman, and his solo shot in the 4th was the difference in the ballgame in a big K-Tribe win.
• T.J. House - SP, Kinston: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 4 BB, 4 K. A big start from the young lefty who continues to put up some good numbers year after year. If he ever gets the walk issues and fastball command straightened out, look out.
• Travis Turek - RP, Kinston: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K: Has had a good year though struggled in August with 6.39 ERA and .340 BAA. Hopefully a sign he is turning things around.
• Cory Burns - RP, Kinston: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. Another save and more Ks. He's gonna end up with 40+ saves on the year and some ridiculous peripheral numbers.
• Adam Abraham - 3B, Lake County: 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 K. Continues stunning second half hot streak.
• Chris Kersten - DH, Lake County: 1-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K. Huge blow with 3-run HR in first inning, big cool breeze to fans in stands after.
• Kyle Smith - 2B, Lake County: 0-for-4, 4 K. Not so proud winner of Golden Sombraro.
• Giovanny Urshela - 3B, Mahoning Valley: 0-for-4, K. First game back after two week layoff from wrist injury and looked rusty.
• Jordan Cooper - SP, Mahoning Valley: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 3 K. Part of Scrappers staff on night that allowed 11 runs and 21 base-runners.
• Alexander Morales - SP, AZL Indians: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Best outing of year in a very disappointing season (0-8, 6.11 ERA, .317 BAA).

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Indians Minor League Magazine 8/24 (Ep. 18)

"Indians Minor League Magazine" is a half hour program on the Cleveland Indians cable network SportsTime Ohio (STO) which airs weekly on Tuesday nights from 6:00-6:30 PM EST. The show recaps all of the highlights from the week that was in the Cleveland Indians farm system with lots of video, interviews, and in-studio guests.

The show recaps the week that was in the system and also features interviews with Triple-A Columbus third baseman Jared Goedert as well as an interview with Low-A Lake County radio broadcaster Craig Deas.

This year I am writing the "Diamond In the Rough" feature which focuses on some guys who slip through the cracks because they are not considered a high level prospect or have kind of been overlooked. This week the "Diamond In the Rough" was Low-A Lake County right-handed pitcher Jeremy Johnson.

By the way, you can follow "Indians Minor League Magazine" on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indians-Minor-League-Magazine/120037858012265?ref=ts

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

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Game Recap 8/27: Tice, House Put Kinston In Wildcard Lead

K-Tribe Downs Red Sox 2-1 to Take Wild Card Lead

Jeremie Tice knocked in two runs including a go-ahead solo homer in the fourth inning, and the K-Tribe pitching staff did the rest in a 2-1 win over Salem on Friday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. Kinston now has sole possession of the final playoff spot in the Carolina League Southern Division, with a game lead over the Red Sox in the Wild Card hunt.

The Indians jumped on top in the first against Salem starter Brock Huntzinger. Bo Greenwell walked to lead-off the game and stole second. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Tice’s sacrifice fly to center to make it 1-0.

Salem answered with a run in the in the third against K-Tribe starter T.J. House. Ronald Bermudez hit a lead-off double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ryan Dent hit a sac fly to center to tie the game at one. The Red Sox threatened again in the fourth, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. But House recovered to retire the next three and keep the game tied.

On the first pitch in the bottom of the fourth, Tice clubbed a solo homer to left to put the K-Tribe back on top 2-1.

House (6-9) threw six innings for the victory, limiting Salem to a run on two hits. He walked four and struck out four. Travis Turek came on to pitch two scoreless innings for his seventh hold. He allowed two hits and struck out three. Cory Burns pitched a scoreless ninth for his league-leading 26th save in 29 chances with the K-Tribe. Burns has 38 saves combined this season, the third-best total in all of Minor League Baseball.

Huntzinger (7-7) was hung with a loss despite a solid outing. He surrendered two runs on four hits in six innings.

Game two of the series will be on Saturday night at 7 pm. Righty Joe Gardner will take the hill for Kinston.

Bats earn split with walk-off hit, win 2-1

The Clippers had a chance to reclaim the International League West Division lead in Louisville Friday night, but Wilkin Castillo's single in the bottom of the ninth brought home Danny Dorn to break a 1-1 tie and send the Slugger Field faithful home happy.

In a classic pitcher's duel, the Bats broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth, with Zack Cozart's two-out single against Columbus ace Carlos Carrasco plating Castillo.

Columbus evened the score in the very next half inning, with Jose Constanza, who had doubled with one out, coming home on Drew Sutton's RBI-single. The teams traded zeroes on the scoreboard until an electrifying final inning.

Carrasco and Bats starter Ben Jukich both went seven innings, allowing one run each off of five hits. Carrasco struck out six, while Jukich took care of seven Clippers all by himself.

In the top of the ninth, Aroldis Chapman hit 105 and 104 miles-per-hour on the stadium radar gun, while striking out the side. In the home half of that frame, with Saul Rivera on in relief, Dorn walked and then advanced to third on Devin Mesoraco's single, coming home on Castillo's single to right.

Columbus again falls a game-and-a-half behind the Bats in the IL West, with just 10 games left in the regular season. Buffalo's victory over Syracuse brings them to within two games of the Clippers in the wild card race. The Clippers finish the regular season with a 14-7 mark against the Bats.

The Clippers return home for a pair of weekend contests against Indianapolis, with David Huff (7-1, 3.98) going for Columbus against Dana Eveland (0-2, 10.69).

Aeros Sink SeaWolves 5-2

The Aeros pulled away from Erie in the second half of the game to defeat the SeaWolves 5-2. It was Akron’s fourth-straight victory Friday night as they improved to 68-64 in front of 7,188 fans at Canal Park. Erie fell to 59-73.

A scoreless tie was broken in the bottom of the fifth inning when the Aeros rallied with two outs to score a pair of runs. After catcher Juan Apodaca and shortstop Cristo Arnal both hit singles, center fielder Jordan Henry walked to load the bases. Second baseman Jason Kipnis also walked to force in the first run. Arnal scored soon after on a wild pitch by Brayan Villarreal to give Akron a 2-0 lead. Erie answered in the sixth when Brandon Douglas scored from third when Bryan Pounds grounded out unassisted to first with one out.

The Aeros cushioned their lead when they earned the run back on a second bases loaded walk when third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall took a base on balls to force in Arnal in the seventh. Designated hitter Jerad Head proceeded to hit a double to left center field that brought in Henry and Kipnis which made the score 5-1.

The SeaWolves struck back in the eighth after Rawley Bishop hit an RBI-single to score Douglas, but could not take advantage and left the bases loaded. Closer Omar Aguilar came on in the ninth to record his seventh save of the season. Right-handed starter Corey Kluber earned the win with one run on eight hits. He struck out five against one walk over seven innings of work.

Akron remains 3.5 games out of the wildcard as Harrisburg defeated Trenton tonight 4-3. No ground was made on Bowie either as they were winners of a 4-3 decision against New Britain.

On Saturday, the first 1,000 fans will receive a foam finger giveaway sponsored by the Akron Canton Airport. The airport will also give away a free AirTran airline voucher to two lucky fans in attendance. Join Jim Clark for Saturday’s radio broadcast beginning at 6:50 p.m. on Fox Sports 1350 AM and at www.akronaeros.com as left-handed pitcher Matt Packer (0-2, 4.50 ERA) faces SeaWolves southpaw Jon Kibler (4-5, 5.65 ERA).

The Hot Rods Walk by Captains 12-6

The Hot Rods used sixteen walks by Lake County pitching to defeat the Captains 12-6. Bowling Green avoided the sweep with the win on Friday night.

Lake County led early scoring four runs in the first inning. Tyler Holt reached base on a one out walk. A Casey Frawley single put runners on the corners. Adam Abraham singled to left scoring Holt. Chris Kersten hit a three run homerun to leftfield, his eleventh of the season to finish the scoring.

Bennett Davis led off the Hot Rods first inning with a walk. A single by Ty Morrison put runners on first and third. Morrison stole second base and a throwing error by Roberto Perez allowed Morrison to go to third and Davis to score making it 4-1.

Bowling Green tied things up in the second. Burt Reynolds drew a walk off Captains' starter Trey Haley. After a Reynolds stolen base, Robi Estrada doubled him to make it 4-2. Dustin Biell walked putting runners on first and second. Davis walked for the second time to load the bases. Brett Nommansen's two out walk scored Estrada. Julio Cedeno hit into a fielder's choice on the play Ben Carlson made an error on the catch allowing Biell to tie the game at four.

In the third inning, Haley retired the first two hitters. Estrada picked up a two out walk. Dustin Biell doubled to left putting runners on second and third. Haley walked Bennett Davis for a third time to load the bases. Nick Kirk entered the game in relief for Haley and walked Morrison and Nommansen giving Bowling Green a 6-4 lead.

In the fifth inning, Kirk walked Biell and Davis to start things off. Brett Nommansen doubled to right center, driving in his 3rd and 4th runs of the game pushing the Hot Rods lead to 8-4.

Bennett Davis led the eighth inning with a walk, his fifth of the game. Captains' reliever Ramon Cespedes gave up a single to Morrison to put runners on first and third. Morrison stole second base to get in scoring position. Nommansen walked on four straight pitches loading the bases. Julio Cenedo singled to leftfield driving in Davis. Ryan Wiegand walked with the bases loaded scoring Morrison. With the walk to Wiegand every Hot Rod hitter walked at least once. Burt Reynolds drove in his first RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly to left. Estrada capped off the four run inning with a single scoring Wiegand making it 12-4.

Greg Folgia reached on an error to start the ninth inning. Delvi Cid picked up his second hit of the game with a base putting runners on first and third. Tyler Holt walked for the third time to load the bases. Scott Shuman pitching to Abraham balked allowing Folgia to score. Abraham singled up the middle for his second RBI of the night and it was 12-6.

Aaron Dott (4-4) pitched 3.1 innings for the win, giving up just one hit, walking one and striking out seven. Alexander Colome started the game for Bowling Green and struck out seven. Scott Shuman pitched the final two frames and finished with four strike outs. The Hot Rods' staff combined for a franchise high 18 strike outs.

Trey Haley (5-10) suffered the loss giving up six runs, four earned on just three hits. Haley walked a season high eight and struck out three. Nick Kirk pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on two hits, walking four and striking two. Ramon Cespedes picked two frames, giving up four runs on three hits, walking four and striking out three. Lake County's pitching staff combined to walk a season high 16 hitters, eight of which scored for Bowling Green, four of them RBI walks.

Lake County returns home to host a four games series with South Bend beginning Saturday night at 7:00PM. The Captains will start LHP Vidal Nuno (5-7) against the Silver Hawks' RHP Andrew Wolcott (2-3).

Scrappers fall to Doubledays, 11-0

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers pitchers gave up runs in six of eight innings and lost game one of a three-game series to the Auburn Doubledays 11-0 tonight at Falcon Park.

With the loss, the Scrappers have lost three straight games falling to 28-39 on the season. The Doubledays improved to 29-37 in 2010.

Despite the Scrappers offensive struggles, Brian Heere extended his hitting streak to 10 straight games.

Jordan Cooper suffered the loss for the Scrappers lasting four innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and striking out three.

Shawn Griffith came in from the bullpen to earn the win pitching two scoreless innings for the Doubledays.

Giovanny Urshela returned to the lineup tonight and went 0-4 with a strikeout. Urshela had been out of the lineup since August 13 after being hit on his left hand in a game against the Lowell Spinners.

After scoring a run in the bottom of the first, the Doubledays added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Gustavo Pierre doubled off Cooper and later scored with one out on a Carlos Perez single that made it 2-0. Lance Durham tripled home Perez to give the Doubledays a 3-0 lead. Steve McQuail brought Durham home on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

The Doubledays scored one more time off Cooper in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored two runs in each of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to cruise to a game one win.

The Scrappers will look to end their three-game skid tomorrow night in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

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A Tale Of Two Halves For Abraham

If you were to pool together a list of hitters in the Cleveland Indians’ farm system who have been the hottest at the plate in the second half of the season, Low-A Lake County third baseman Adam Abraham would be on the short list.

Abraham, 23, played at Lake County in 2009 and in 104 games hit .257 with 6 HR, 31 RBI, and a .724 OPS. His numbers and development did not warrant a promotion to High-A Kinston to start this season, so the thought was that in repeating the Low-A level in Lake County that it would give him more time to develop and hone his craft which would eventually result in a spike in his performance.

In the early going that plan did not work. In the first half of this season, Abraham hit just .182 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, and a .518 OPS in 44 games through the All Star break in late June. However, since the All Star break, he has been a completely different player and found his name in the lineup card more often, and has since responded by hitting .308 with 11 HR, 45 RBI and a .900 OPS in 59 second half games.

"Yeah, I have picked it up in the second half,” said Abraham in a recent interview for the IPI. “I think I just got more of an opportunity to play and stay in the lineup everyday in the second half. I think that has helped a lot as it is just easier to hit that way. Mechanically nothing has really changed as everything has stayed the same. I think just going through the struggles and knowing it is going to happen, but staying with it mentally and not getting too far away from what I know I can do is mostly what is going on in the second half. Hopefully I can finish strong and keep it going now."

Whether Abraham’s struggles in the first half of the season were because of a hangover affect from the disappointment of going back to Low-A or because he was not playing everyday, bottom line he was quickly sliding to irrelevance status as a prospect. His recent surge can only help his standing.

"Obviously I am not thrilled to be back in Low-A, but I am just trying to make the best of the situation,” said Abraham. “Just making someone's decision a little harder in spring training [next year] is my goal now, and just making the best of being here. We will see how it finishes up now."

Abraham is not a high profile prospect by any means, but he has some value as an organizational player because he can play third base, first base and catcher. His versatility, pop in his bat, makeup, and work ethic make him an attractive player to have in the system, and who knows maybe one day a potential option for a Major League team.

One of the things the Indians worked extensively with Abraham on last year was a transition to catching, something he had never done prior to Instructional League in 2008. He has not caught a game this year and has played at first base, third base, and designated hitter for Lake County, but it is still something that he has in his back pocket now as a position option down the road.

One bonus though of not catching is Abraham’s body has taken much less of a beating.

"I feel fine as not catching this year is different from last year, so my body this year compared to last year is a lot different,” said Abraham. “I think at the beginning of the year last year I didn't notice it as much as I do now with being healthier this year as the decline last year was gradual and you don't notice it as much. This year I just feel a lot healthier going into the last few weeks of the season."

Last year being his first time catching, Abraham’s performance suffered a little bit as so much of his focus was on the transition to catching and picking up all the nuances of the position. He went into spring training this year as a catcher still, but late in camp was told he would be switching back to third base. Now that he is no longer catching and has settled into playing everyday at a position he is familiar with, he has started to perform better

"I am not sure what [the Indians] have in store for me,” said Abraham. “In spring training I went in catching, and the last week or so they told me to start taking ground balls at third base and they told me they weren't exactly sure what was going to happen, so I am here playing third everyday here. I guess we will see what happens now and [catching] is always in the bag if I ever needed it as I held my own back there."

With the season wrapping up in the next few days, Abraham plans to take some time off and head down to Florida to spend some time with his girlfriend who is in medical school at Florida State University. While down there he will workout, and may also work towards completing his bachelor’s degree in general studies. If the baseball thing does not work out he wants to be a teacher.

"I like my routine that I did last offseason,” said Abraham. “I came into spring training and felt good going in, so I think what I did last year I will do again this year. I will take a couple of weeks off and slowly get back into working out again [at the University of Michigan]. I won't do too much baseball stuff until more the winter time. I am hopeful to be graduating from school this year, so hopefully I can get that out of the way."

Abraham is not only looking forward to some much needed time off in the offseason, but he is very much looking forward to the start of football season as well. He is a hardcore fan of the University of Michigan Wolverines as he was born, raised and still lives there, and of course went to school there before being drafted by the Indians in the 13th round of he 2008 Draft.

Michigan’s recent slide and poor performance on the gridiron has Abraham about all out of patience with the Rich Rodriguez era.

"I don't know, but they gotta do something,” said a disappointed Abraham. “They have to win at least eight or nine games, and they have to win some big games. They have to beat Ohio State. I am so sick of losing to those guys. It is going on like seven years now that we haven't beaten them. If we don’t do that, we are going to be in trouble."

Like Abraham’s hopes that a good season can help the morale of the Wolverine fanbase, maybe his strong finish to his season this year will help his confidence as he works this offseason for what is a big season for him next year.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.  His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.

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Clip & Dirty: 8/26

The Clippers were 1 ½ games out of first heading into their divisional match up with the Reds' AAA-affiliate, the Louisville Bats and things were not looking good considering the recent string of poor play; Columbus had dropped eight of their last nine. This short 2-game series against the Bats is going to prove crucial as the Clippers have only 11 games after this series with which to secure the IL-West title. Columbus got off to a good start with a triple off the bat of Jose Constanza. Ezequiel Carrera followed with a safety squeeze/attempt for a hit bunt to the Bats 1B, and future trade bait, Yonder Alonso. However, the Bats answered back in the 2nd when two singles and a double set the stage for a two-run frame that put the Bats on top. Columbus would answer quickly by tying the game in the 3rd on an RBI single by former Reds' farmhand: Drew Sutton.

Things remained 2-2 until the 7th when Matt McBride doubled in Jared Goedert and Constanza hit his 2nd triple of the game to score McBride. Jordan Brown added an insurance run in the 8th with his eigth HR of the season and the Clippers bullpen took care of things from there. The Clippers ended the night with a 5-2 victory and are now only a ½ game out of 1st with another game to play on Friday and a chance to take the IL-West lead heading into the final 2 weeks of the season.

Team Hitting: 5R, 11H, 4XBH, 3BB, GIDP, Sac Bunt

Jose Constanza continued his impressive season by going 4-5 with a pair of triples. He is getting on base and creating havoc by stealing bases, but his power is very far below average. Despite batting .321 on the year, he is only slugging .398, and this was after a night where he accumulated 8 total bases. Right now he is a good depth option for a lead off man and bench guy because of his ability to get on base (which is the most important offensive trait to begin with) and his speed which could have situational value, though less-so to an American League team. I have to say that despite the fact that Trevor Crowe has more potential to be an everyday player, there is little doubt that Constanza would have more value to the big-league club at this point in time and in particular with the glut of OF's at the ML and high-minor levels.

One interesting box score tidbit: the Clippers had 4 hits in the 3rd inning and scored only one-run. Which is odd, but not unheard of to have 4 hits and only score once. But, the real interesting part to me is that they only sent 5 batters to the plate in the inning. A quick recap of the events; single, GIDP, single, single, run-scoring single (where a runner was thrown out in a rundown between 3rd and home).

Team Pitching: 2(2) R(ER), 8H, 2BB, 7K, 64% strikes, 50% GB

Paulo Espino earned the W on the strength of a superb 7-inning start. He allowed only seven base runner's (WHIP of 1.00), struck out 5 and walked only 1, while inducing better than 42% GB's. On top of this, he needed only 88 pitches to get through his 7 innings of work. That kind of efficiency allows him to do multiple things which are invaluable (and often underrated) for young pitchers: rack up more innings and greatly reduce injury risk. As great as Adam Miller's strikeout rate's and stuff are, he has never been able to stay healthy or rack up innings when he has been able to pitch. Many people would argue, and I am inclined to agree, that avoiding injury is to some degree a skill. Certain guys are always hurt and certain guys are able to take the ball every 5th day regardless of what happens. For price-conscious teams like the Indians, having players with skills like this are even more important.

Josh Judy came on in the 8th and did his thing: 1IP, (12 pitches, 8 strikes) infield pop-up, weak fly ball and a ground out. Vinnie Pestano came on in the 9th in line to earn his 12th save and in typical Indians organization fashion made things interesting by giving up 2 hits and a BB, but got the save thanks to a timely strikeout.

The Clippers face off against the Bats for the final time this season and will send the streaking Carlos Carrasco to the hill. He will be opposed by Louisville lefty Ben Jukich. The inside track to the IL-West title will be decided at Slugger Stadium starting at 7:05pm.

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Game Recap 8/26: Espino Helps Clippers Playoff Push

Columbus continues series dominance, top Bats, 5-2

The Clippers had won just one road game in more than a month, but they had a 13-6 season record against the Louisville Bats, so something had to give in the opener of a crucial series at Slugger Field on Thursday. A big seventh inning and a pair of Jose Constanza triples helped Columbus to a 5-2 victory and brought them within a half-game of the division lead.

The Clippers took an early lead, thanks to Constanza's first triple, he later scored on a bunt in the opening inning. But the Bats answered with two runs in the second, to take a brief lead.

Columbus knotted things up in the third, when Constanza scored on Drew Sutton's single (Ezequiel Carrera was thrown out between third and home on the same play), and the game stayed tied until late. That's when the Clippers answered the call with Matt McBride's RBI-double and Constanza's RBI-triple. Jordan Brown homered in the eighth inning, to give the Clippers a three-run advantage.

Vinnie Pestano got himself in a jam in the ninth inning, giving up back-to-back singles and a walk with just one out in the frame, but a strikeout and a fly out secured the win and Pestano's 12th save.

Paolo Espino, who now has two Triple-A wins, both against the Bats, struck out five in seven innings of work. Both runs scored by the Bats were earned, coming off of six hits. Matt Maloney went eight innings for Louisville, but took the loss to fall to 10-7.

Aeros Shutout SeaWolves 12-0

The Aeros won their third consecutive game with an impressive 12-0 shutout against Erie. Akron gave up only four hits on the evening in front of 7,765 fans at Canal Park while improving to 67-64 as the last-place SeaWolves dropped to 59-72.

Akron jumped out to an early lead with third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall’s two-out solo home run in the first inning. The Newport, N.C. native now has 17 round trips and has tied current Columbus Clipper Matt McBride for the most by any Aeros player this season.

The Aeros scored a second run in the third when second baseman Jason Kipnis came in from second after a throwing error by Bryan Pounds, who attempted to get the third out on a force at second. Right fielder John Drennen doubled the lead in the next frame with a two-run home run that also scored catcher Miguel Perez after he reached safely on a single. Left fielder Tim Fedroff duplicated Drennen’s effort with a two-run homer of his own in the sixth that brought in first baseman Beau Mills.

Akron poured on the runs in the seventh in a rally started by designated hitter Jerad Head when he hit an RBI single up the middle to score center fielder Jordan Henry from second. Mills then walked to load the bases to set up Perez. The Caracas, Venezuela native singled to score Kipnis, but an error on Erie’s left fielder Brandon Jones allowed Head to come home. Drennen made it 11-0 with a deep double to left-center field that brought home Mills and Perez. Erie hurt itself again when Pounds threw the ball wide of first base and Drennen advanced home from second to make it 12-0.

Right-handed starter Alex White had a fantastic outing as he improved to 8-7 with three hits, five strikeouts and one walk. He threw seven shutout innings, matching his longest outing of the season. SeaWolves starter Anthony Shawler, now 4-3, took the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits, three home runs, and seven strikeouts.

The Aeros didn’t receive any help tonight in the Western Division wild card race as Bowie came back to defeat New Britain and Harrisburg defeated Trenton. Akron remains 3.5 games back of the second-place Senators, but now has an elimination number in single digits at nine with 11 games to play.

Kinston Beats Keys, Takes Series From Frederick

Bo Greenwell's three-run homer capped a five-run eighth inning as the Indians beat Frederick 9-5 on Thursday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. With the win, Kinston takes the four game series from the Keys and moves into a tie for the final playoff spot in the Carolina league Southern Division. The K-Tribe is tied with the Salem Red Sox for the final playoff spot; the two teams meet for a three game series this weekend at Historic Grainger Stadium.

Frederick broke through against Indians starter Joey Mahalic in the third. Bobby Stevens led off with a single to left. Wtih one out, Brian Conley singled to right to put runners on first and second. Pedro Florimon and Ronnie Welty then followed with back-to-back RBI singles to give the Keys a 2-0 edge. Another run scored on a Billy Rowell groundout to make it 3-0. Frederick would add to the lead in the fourth frame when Miguel Abreu led off with a double and Tyler Townsend drove him in with a single.

In the bottom of the fourth inning Kinston's Kyle Bellows scored on an error by Frederick second baseman Buck Britton. Trailing 4-1, Kinston evened the score an inning later when Chun Chen bombed a three-run home run over the left field wall. The blast was Chen's fifth of the season for the K-Tribe.

The Keys took the lead back in the eighth inning. Townsend doubled with one out and Bobby Stevens singled to put runners on the corners. Brian Ward then sent a grounder up the middle. K-Tribe second baseman Karexon Sanchez made an outstanding diving stop up the middle, but his glove flip to Juan Diaz for the force at second was off target allowing Townsend to score on the RBI single and give the Keys a 5-4 lead.

The K-Tribe rallied back with a huge bottom of the eighth against Keys' reliever Nate Nery. Juan Diaz led off with a walk and Doug Pickens singled. Donnie Webb ripped an RBI single to center to score Diaz and tie the game at five. Justin Toole followed with another RBI single to give the K-Tribe their first lead at 6-5. Still with nobody out, Bo Greenwell delivered the big blow, a three-run homer to right to make it 9-5. It was Greenwell's first Carolina League home run. Grening (4-3) picked up the win in relief, pitching a perfect 1 1/3 innings. Tyler Sturdevant was solid in relief giving up one run through 2 2/3 innings of work. He struck out four.

Captains Shutout Hot Rods 4-0

Francisco Jimenez, Preston Guilmet and Jose Flores combined to shut out Bowling Green 4-0 on Thursday night. Tyler Holt drove in a career high three RBI to pass the offense.

Delvi Cid led the game off with a double to leftfield. Tyler Holt sent a double down the line in left to score Cid and give the Captains 1-0 lead in the first.

Lake made it 2-0 in the fifth inning. Kyle Smith doubled to start things off, extending his hit streak to six straight games. Argenis Martinez and Delvi Cid both drew one out walks to load the bases. Tyler Holt drove in his second run of the night with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Captains added some insurance in the eighth. Cid reached on a one out walk from Alex Koronis. Cid stole second base and reached third on wild pitch. Holt singled to left scoring Cid for his third RBI of night. Koronis’ pickoff attempt at first against Holt got away from the first baseman and Holt advanced to base to third. Casey Frawley singled to left to score Holt and the Captains took a 4-0 lead.

Preston Guilmet (4-1) earned the win out of the bullpen tossing 2.2 scoreless innings giving up just three hits and striking out six. Yorman Mayora (1-1) took the loss giving up just one run on three hits, walking two and striking out two. Captains’ starter Francisco Jimenez recorded a no-decision throwing 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing just two and striking out six. Jose Flores finished the game for Lake County pitching the final two innings, giving up just one hit and striking out three. The Captains combined to strike out 15 hitters.

Lake County and Bowling Green will wrap up their three game series on Friday night at 7:00PM at Bowling Green Ballpark. The Captains will start RHP Trey Haley (5-9) and will be matched up against RHP Alexander Colome (6-6) for the Hot Rods.

Scrappers fall to Spikes, 10-1

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers lost the rubber match of a three-game series to the State College Spikes 10-1 tonight at Eastwood Field.

With the loss, the Scrappers fell to 28-38 on the season, while the Spikes improved to 32-33.

Alex Kaminsky suffered his fifth loss of the season despite pitching well. Kaminsky lasted five innings giving two runs on three hits and striking out five.

Colton Cain got the win for the Spikes pitching five innings, giving up one run on one hit and striking out six.

With a single in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brian Heere extended his hitting streak to nine games.

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Rondon Has Tommy John Surgery

The Cleveland Indians suffered a pretty significant blow to their pitching staff for 2010 and beyond today when it was announced that Triple-A Columbus right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon had surgery yesterday for a UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) reconstruction - commonly referred to as Tommy John - on his right elbow. The surgery was done in Birmingham, AL and was performed by Dr. James Andrews.

Rondon had been out of action since May 12th when he went on the disabled list in Columbus with elbow soreness. At the time of the injury in seven starts for Columbus he was 1-3 with a 8.53 ERA (31.2 IP, 48 H, 10 BB, 33 K).

The 22-year old Rondon was the Indians' 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year and was a pitcher the club had hoped coming into the season would be a part of their big league staff at some point this season. He had recently began a return to throw program earlier this month at the Goodyear complex in Arizona, but in a recent bullpen session experienced more pain in the elbow region, and surgery was subsequently recommended.

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Inconsistent Season Not Affecting De La Cruz

It has been an up and down season for Double-A left-handed pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz. Partly because he has just pitched bad at times, and partly because he is still working his way back after suffering a significant arm injury last year.

Last year De La Cruz was off to a great start for High-A Kinston where in two starts he was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 19 K) and was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week the first week of the season. But in a bullpen session getting ready for his third start last year he tweaked his elbow and it was discovered he had strained the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow. The injury put him on the shelf for most of the rest of the season to where he made just a handful of appearances on a rehab assignment at rookie-level Arizona and in Instructional League in the fall.

After a frustrating 2009 season, things started to look a lot more promising for De La Cruz in 2010 when he was added to the 40-man roster this past offseason. He participated in his first big league camp, and when the season started he was assigned to Kinston for the first few weeks because the Indians did not want to send him to a colder weather team in Akron so as to help protect his elbow. In six starts for Kinston he went 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA, and in 34.0 innings allowed 22 hits, 8 walks, and had 28 strikeouts.

De La Cruz, who just celebrated his 22nd birthday on August 1st, was quickly moved up to Akron in early May and since joining the rotation there has been inconsistent all year where in 20 starts he is 5-6 with a 5.77 ERA (93.2 IP, 98 H, 64 BB, 77 K). It is not the kind of splash he hoped to make in Double-A, but after missing so much time last year with an injury scare to his left elbow, he is just happy to still be healthy after a long year.

"I am not having the best season, but it is a good season to get ready for next year,” said De La Cruz in an interview over last weekend for the IPI. "It's been hard, but I am happy though because I am healthy right now and that is all that matters to me."

There have been no issues with getting his velocity back as De La Cruz has reportedly been up to 95 MPH this year and has averaged 90-92 MPH for most of the year. His average velocity may be down a MPH or two from last year, but as he works through his delivery issues and his confidence increases, he should get back to or even eclipse the velocity he is throwing at now.

If there is one thing that stands out the most to pinpoint where De La Cruz’s struggles stem from, it is his delivery being inconsistent and his fastball command not being as sharp as it has been in the past. As a result, they have contributed to a higher walk rate this year and a drop in effectiveness of his secondary offerings.

"Yeah, I am just trying to get back to where I was before with my mechanics and delivery and everything else,” said De La Cruz. “It is something I have been working on since back in the fall. I am trying to be consistent everyday with my mechanics and delivery because it is going to help me."

Now that the offseason is right around the corner, it will allow De La Cruz the much needed time to rest his arm and work on getting stronger in his lower half. It will also allow him time to work on a lot of things that he is unable to 100% focus on in-season because of the demands of pitching in games, side work, and other things that go into his five day routine.

"It will be pretty good for me in the offseason as I can work on a lot of stuff,” said De La Cruz. “I will get a lot of rest as I have thrown a lot of innings this year, so I will rest my arm. I am going to go to strength and conditioning [in Instructional League] and it is going to help me a lot. I am going to be [in Arizona] a month and I am going to be able to work on stuff I am not able to work on during the season. My offseason is going to be a key for me [for next year].”

With De La Cruz getting somewhat of a pass this season because monitoring his health was the primary focus, next year the kid gloves will be off and he will need to show progress with his development. Assuming he remains on the 40-man roster this offseason, he will be in his second option year next season and will need to start taking some big steps toward showing he is closer to being a legit Major League option for the Indians sometime next year or in 2012.

With that in mind, it is a big offseason for De La Cruz, something he is very aware of.

"Yeah, I have a goal to work my lower body as I know that it is going to help my balance and everything else,” said De La Cruz. “Being a pitcher everything goes through your legs. I want to have a good program here with Juan Acevedo and I will have a busy offseason working. Not that I am going to throw everyday because I am going to rest my arm, but go out there and get some work."

If he continues to stay healthy and he continues to work hard on his strength and conditioning as well as his mechanics, it could all pay off for De La Cruz next year with that much dreamed about call to the big league team.

Photo courtesy of Lianna Holub

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI.  His new book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on Amazon.com or his site.

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