Game Recaps 4/27: Soto Spectacular in Kinston Shutout

Giovanni Soto (Photo-Lianna Halub)

Kinston split a double header with first place Salem, Wednesday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. The K-Tribe dropped game one 16-6, but came back strong with a 6-0 win in game two.

Kinston starting pitcher Giovanni Soto was fantastic in game two for Kinston. The 19-year-old picked up the win, giving up just three hits in six innings of work. Soto (1-3) struck out six and walked one.

The Indians gave Soto all the run support he needed. With two-outs in the bottom of the third inning, a rally started with a double from Greg Folgia. Tyler Holt followed with a single and Justin Toole was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kinston would take a 1-0 lead when Folgia scored from third on a wild pitch with Bo Greenwell at the plate. Greenwell then delivered a two RBI double, plating Holt and Toole. The K-Tribe would add to their advantage in the bottom of the fourth inning. After back-to-back hits from Adam Abraham and Casey Frawley, Doug Pickens was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With two outs in the frame and the bases still loaded, Holt laid down a surprise bunt to drive home Abraham. Kinston would take a 5-0 advantage later in the inning, when Casey Frawley scored on an error by Sox second baseman Vladimir Frias. The Indians added to the lead in the fifth inning when Greenwell led off with a walk, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Abraham. Salem starter Tom Ebert (0-2) picked up the loss for the Sox. Kinston's Preston Guilmet finished the game for the K-Tribe, given up one hit and striking out one. The K-Tribe closer has not given up a run in six appearances this season.

The Salem Red Sox scored 10 runs in the second inning, going on to beat Kinston 16-6 in game one of the Wednesday night double dip. Salem led 2-0 when the first 12 batters of the second inning reached safely. Salem ended up pounding out ten runs on nine hits in the second frame. Kinston committed two errors as Salem had 14 batters in the inning. Clayton Cook got the start for Kinston, giving up six hits and nine earned runs. He walked two batters. Chris Jones took over, giving up six hits and four earned runs in two innings. Jones walked two and struck out two. Marty Popham finished the game for Kinston, giving up two earned runs on five hits in four innings. He struck out four in the outing.

Clippers find "lucky #7" with 4-0 win

The Clippers got a solid start from Scott Barnes and won their seventh in a row, beating the Gwinnett Braves, 4-0.

With one out in the third inning, Ezequiel Carrera stole second and then crossed the plate after a Cord Phelps single to give the Clippers their first run.

Luke Carlin drove home Jason Kipnis with a sacrifice fly to left for the Clippers' second run of the game.

Travis Buck came up with two on and two out, then tripled to bring both Lonnie Chisenhall and Chad Huffman home.

In his second start as a Clipper, Barnes, who improved to 1-1 on the year, went 6.2 innings, only allowing two hits and struck out seven.

Barnes pitched his way out of trouble in the fourth inning after runners were on first and second with one out. In the sixth, Barnes put two on with no outs. Carlin picked off Mauro Gomez at second and then forced Joe Mather to ground into a double play.

Overall, the Braves recorded four hits, and left nine runners on base.

Carlton Smith recorded his first save of the year, going three innings of relief work.

The Clippers and Braves meet again Thursday at 7:00pm from Coolray Field with Columbus' Zach McAllister facing IL Pitcher of the Week, G-Braves southpaw Mike Minor.

Captains Hang On for 10-9 Win

Lake County jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Wednesday afternoon and had to hang on to defeat Fort Wayne 10-9 to take the game and series.

The Captains scored six times in the top of the first inning. Carlos Moncrief scored the game's first run on a passed ball. Lake County then got an RBI double from Alex Monsalve, a RBI single from Anthony Gallas, a RBI bases loaded walk from Brian Heere and Nick Bartolone capped it off with a two-run double to left center.

In the third inning, Moncrief doubled to centerfield scoring Bartolone and Heere to make 8-0 Captains.

Lake County added two more runs in the fourth inning with an RBI single from Monsalve his second of the game. Gallas ground out to short scoring Jason Smit, for his second run batted in putting the Captains up 10-0.

Fort Wayne began the charge back in the bottom of the fifth. The TinCaps sent ten hitters to the plate scoring six runs on five hits, getting help from a Giovanny Urshela error to make it 10-6.

In the sixth inning, Fort Wayne scored a seventh on a Bartolone error that allowed Jose Dore to score cutting the lead to 10-7.

The TinCaps picked up back to back doubles from Oscar Garcia and Chris Bisson in the eighth inning off reliever Nate Striz to pull within two runs. Bisson then scored to make 10-9 on a Striz wild pitch.

Steven Wright started the game for the Captains earned a no decision going 4.2 innings allowing six runs, three of them earned on nine hits while striking out two. Nick Sarianides (2-0) picked up the win working 2.1 innings allowing one unearned run on three hits striking out three. Clayton Ehlert picked up his fifth straight save working the ninth, allowing a hit and striking out two. Fort Wayne starter Zach Cates (0-2) took the loss going just two thirds of an inning allowing six runs on three hits, walking three and striking out one.

Lake County returns home to take on South Bend at Classic Park, game time is at 7:00PM. The Captains will start RHP Mike Goodnight (1-2) against RHP Bradin Hagen (1-1) for the Silver Hawks. Catch all the action AM1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

In Play (Outs)

by Andrew Humphries, editor, Let's Go Tribe

It is six in the morning and I am checking box scores. I go to an aggregator—firstinning.com—that allows me to see the performances of every player in the Indians system on one page. I'm bleary-eyed, I've literally just woken up; my smartphone moves quickly from alarm clock to e-mail device to box score portal.

I am squinting, blinking hard—Tyler Holt hit a home run. Who is Tyler Holt again? Is he the high school kid? No, that's Tony Wolters, he's hurt. Holt went to Florida State—my brain shifts out of first gear. By the time I get to the Lake County box score, I'm able to discern Carlos Moncrief from Alex Monsalve, no problem.

Now four in the afternoon, I'm pretending to answer email; what I'm really doing is watching a gamecast of the Columbus Clippers game. I stare at my screen, waiting for a dot to appear—it's red! Alex White has induced a swinging strike! There is nothing to tell me how fast the pitch is, or if it tumbled a foot on its way to the plate, or if it hit the catcher's mitt a full minute and a half before the batter swung. Nearly anything could've happened on the field at Huntington Park. All I know is a dot has appeared—a red one, labeled as a swinging strike.

I could start up the radio broadcast of the game, or even pull up the video broadcast but, if I do that, I can't pretend to answer email anymore. So I watch the dots. Another red one! Strikeout by Alex White! Man, he's pitching great huh? Or maybe there's a forty mile per hour wind altering the flight of the ball on its way to the plate, as well as making it impossible for the batter to keep his eyes open—how would I know?

September of 2009, Carlos Carrasco is making his debut in Cleveland. For a month and a half I have been watching him place tiny dots into a gamecast, strike after strike. His gamecasts have been some of my favorites—I've imagined him staring in, throwing fastballs across the outside corner, then back-dooring his slider, before finally freezing the batter with his change-up, which I've read is a plus pitch. I imagine his change is like no change I've ever seen. It literally pours backwards out of his hand, reversing its course, somehow traveling 61'6" before reaching the plate, a pitch designed by Salvador Dali. I might as well be in my driveway, imagining I'm hitting a jumpshot to win the National Championship—my perception of Carlos Carrasco is based in as much reality.

Carrasco is making his debut. He is horrendous, horrible, horrific all of the horr- words that indicate terrible, and all the terr- words, too. Someone says his game score is 17, and, although nobody uses game score as a conversational element, we all instinctively know 17 is very poor. He's given up six runs in only three innings. Three players have hit home runs, including Brandon Inge, who drives me nuts because everyone always talks about how he can dunk a basketball. The Carrasco of reality is nothing like the one on the gamecast—he is a pitcher, a real player, who throws pitches that look like others I've seen and, occasionally, lets Placido Polanco launch one of those pitches into the atmosphere.

Following prospects necessarily requires an active imagination—most of the young players filling up the Indians affiliate rosters are not men I'll ever see play baseball. I must imagine what they play it like, piece it together out of scouting reports and Twitter posts, filling in the blanks with my own combination of best guesses and preferred outcomes. I love doing all of this: reading the box scores, following the players up the chain, bickering over position switches, calculating Nick Weglarz' ISO.

The cottage industry of farm system fandom has exploded in the last decade as information on players below the major league level has expanded. Without daily box scores, grainy video highlights, and well-written scouting reports, it would be impossible for me to dream of Carlos Moncrief's major league debut or invest in the trajectory of Alex Monsalve.

Cleveland fans have been incredibly lucky to have a ringer on our team, an emissary at the front lines, shuttling back the information we want as quickly as he can. This isn't to take anything away from anyone else writing about the Indians farm system but, fact is, following prospects is less fun when Tony Lastoria isn't doing the work he loves. Without Tony, my mind's fleshed out portraits revert to pencil sketches; I stop seeing players as stories, instead reducing them to sentences; I feel less like I know something about the Kinston Indians and more like I'm guessing at something about the Kinston Indians. I don't know how hard the wind's blowing in Columbus.

Get well soon, Tony. You're missed.

Andrew is the co-editor and one of the primary writers at Let's Go Tribe. He was one of the first that jumped at the chance to write a piece for Tony while he was out, and obviously, the first to get a piece in.  IPI would like to send a shout-out to Andrew, and thank him for helping out while Tony was down and out with his surgery.  The community of bloggers within TribeNation is second to none.  

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: April 26

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.

Lonnie Chisenhall-3B, Columbus: 4-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, K:

No, "Chiz" didn't win the game, hit three homers or drive in five runs. What he did do was go 4-5, perhaps ending a season long slump. Chisenhall's four hit game now gives him hits in five of six games. While it sounds like the Tribe's top prospect is bursting out of his slump, he was only five for his previous 33. While there is no timetable on the Clippers third baseman, there is hope that he will make a strong push to get some big league at bats in July, if not earlier. While the early-season slump has given pause, this is a good sign that "Chiz" is either back, or at least on his way.

Jason Kipnis-2B, Columbus: 2-for-5, R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K:

After back-to-back three-hit games on April 15 and 16, Kipnis had been mired in a 3-for-21 slump. Much like Lonnie Chisenhall, Kipnis is in line to make his major league debut at some point during the 2011 season. Also like Chis, the Clippers' second baseman got out of the gates a lot slower than was hoped. After a triple and a homer tonight, it appears as though Kipnis is right back on track.

• Cord Phelps-SS, Columbus: 2-for-4, 2 runs, BB, K: Not to be outdone by his slightly more high profile teammates, Phelps continued to hit the ball well.  He's currently batting .328
• Chad Huffman-RF, Columbus: 3-for-4, 2 RBI: There isn't a player hitting as well as Huffman. He's hitting .429, with five homers and 17 RBI in his last nine games.  Yeah, I know.
• David Huff-SP, Columbus: 7 IP, 9 H, 5 R/4 ER: Huff didn't blow anyone away, but he still went seven innings and got the win.
• Zach Putnam-RP, Columbus: 2 IP, 3 K, S (3): Putnam has apparently become the long-term save guy, with his third save of the season.
• Jason Donald-3B, Akron: 0-for-3: Donald moved down to Akron to continue rehab, and he didn't fare very well.  If Kipnis and Chiz are truly on the uptick, his move down could turn into something a bit more permanent.
• Chun-Hsiu Chen-C, Akron: 1-for-3: Chen has no pop right now, and is struggling with a .255 average.
• Matt McBride-1B, Akron: 2-for-3, 2 R: McBride throws out another nice night with the stick.
• Tim Fedroff-LF, Akron: 4-for-6, R, 3B, RBI: He's gone 9-for-his-last 22, not a bad zone he's found himself in.
• Austin Adams-SP, Akron: 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R/ER, BB, K, HR: Adams got shelled tonight.  It's not the end of the world, but he's got to stop up with Pomeranz knocking on the door.
• Eric Berger-SP, Akron: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K: Berger got the start tonight, and had one of his better outings of the season.
• Nick Hagadone-RP, Akron: 3 IP, H, 4 K, W (1-0): Hagadone celebrated his award for minor league player of the week with one of his best outings of the year.  The three inning, piggy-backish relief appearance sure is curious.
• Jesus Aguilar-1B, Lake County: 0-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K: No home run tonight, but I bet you looked to see if he did..
• Jason Smit-RF, Lake County: 2-for-3, 1 run, 1 BB: Smit's average is still over .300.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Game Recaps 4/26: Hagadone continues electric start

The Akron Aeros got an RBI single from Juan Diaz in the bottom of the fifth inning and won game two of the doubleheader against the Bowie Baysox 1-0 Tuesday at Canal Park.

Left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone came in from the bullpen and got the win for the Aeros pitching three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out four and walking none.

Right-handed pitcher Wynn Pelzer got the loss for Bowie pitching five innings, giving up one earned run on six hits, walking one and striking out four.

The Aeros (9-10) began the bottom of the fifth inning with a Juan Apodaca walk. Karexon Sanchez sacrificed him to second. Tim Fedroff followed with a single off the glove of shortstop Pedro Florimon advancing Apodaca to third. Later in the frame, Diaz singled to right field for the game’s only run as the Aeros won game two of this four-game series.

Akron will look to make it two straight over Bowie Wednesday night at Canal Park. The Aeros will give the ball to left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland. The Baysox (9-9) will start lefty Rick Zagone. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on Fox Sports 1350 AM or online at sportsradio1350.com. Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m.

Aeros Rally Falls Short in Game 1 of Doubleheader

The Akron Aeros brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, but right-handed pitcher Jose Diaz came in to shut the door as the Bowie Baysox won game one of a doubleheader 6-4 Tuesday at Canal Park

Right-hander Austin Adams lasted just 0.2 innings and suffered the loss for the Aeros giving up three earned runs on three hits in the top of the first inning, walking three and striking out one.

Righty Zach Clark picked up the win for Bowie pitching five innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, walking one and striking out one.

The Baysox (9-8) began the first inning with a leadoff double by Xavier Avery. Following a fly out, Brandon Waring walked to put runners on first and second. With two out, the runners advanced to second and third on an Adams wild pitch. Robbie Widlansky followed with a three-run home run to center field to make it 3-0. Adams gave up a single to Pedro Florimon and walked Billy Rowell and Carlos Rojas before being replaced by right-handed pitcher Paolo Espino.

The Aeros (8-10) cut into the deficit in the bottom of the second inning. Matt McBride singled with two outs and scored on a Tim Fedroff triple to make it 3-1 Bowie.

The Baysox answered back in the top of the fourth inning on a Ronnie Welty solo home run to center field.

That Aeros threatened in the bottom of fifth inning loading the bases, but Jason Donald grounded into an inning ending double play.

The Baysox added two in the top of the sixth inning to expand their lead to 6-1.

Akron scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Baysox turned to Diaz to get the final three outs as Bowie won game one.

Clippers hold on to win series opener at Gwinnett

The Clippers raced to a 6-0 lead and held on to win 7-5 over the Gwinnett Braves at Coolray Field on Tuesday.

Columbus has won six straight games.

David Huff earned the win, pitching seven innings, while Zach Putnam provided two scoreless frames to get a save.

Columbus scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the third. Jason Kipnis' two-run homer highlighted the offensive attack.

Chad Huffman also drove in two runs.

The Clippers and Braves meet again Wednesday at 7:05pm with lefty Scott Barnes facing G-Braves right-hander Jacob Thompson.

Captains Lose 5-4 to TinCaps

The TinCaps jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Tuesday night with great pitching from Keyvius Sampson who one-hit the Captains through five innings. Fort Wayne held off the Lake County rally for a 5-4 win.

Rymer Liriano hit his first homerun of the year off Captains' starter Cole Cook in the third inning, the two run shot put the TinCaps up 2-0.

The Captains trailed 5-0 entering the sixth inning, when Giovanny Urshela hit a solo shot, his second homerun of the year to make it 5-1.

In the seventh inning, Carlos Moncrief crushed a ball over the right field wall; the three run homerun was his third of the season to make it 5-4 TinCaps.

Sampson (3-1) worked five scoreless innings allowing just one hit, walking four and striking out seven to get the win for Fort Wayne. Adam Dominic worked the ninth inning allowing a hit and striking out one for his fourth save. Cook (0-2) suffered the loss allowing four runs on five hits, walking two and striking out three.

The Captains and TinCaps will wrap up their three game series Wednesday morning at 11:05AM from Parkview Field. Lake County will toss RHP Steven Wright (0-0) against Fort Wayne's RHP Zach Cates (0-1). Catch all the action on AM1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

On Drew Pomeranz, Joe Gardner and IPI guest columnists

Pomeranz leaves game with hamstring tightness

Drew Pomeranz left last night's Kinston Indians game with tightness in his right hamstring.  According the Pomeranz and manager Aaron Holbert, the injury isn't serious, and the big lefty will not miss his next start.

Pomeranz landed funny during his first batter of the game, which prompted K-Tribe trainer Jeremy Heller to come out and check the Kinston ace's leg.  Pomeranz would stay in the game through the third inning, and for the most part, looked every bit as good as he has in his first two starts.  He did give up his first home run of his professional career, but still struck out five, without walking a batter.  He even struck out the batter he was facing when he tweaked the leg.

Pomeranz took himself out of the game after his last out (a strikeout) in the third because he wasn't able to maintain his delivery.  His big concern was injuring his arm and shoulder compensating for the tweak.  The good news is that the "injury" seems to just be a cramp gone bad.

Perhaps it's another reason for the Indians to remain cautious with one of their top prospects.

Joe Gardner shut down, but back soon

Joe Gardner wanted to start off the 2011 season where he left off at the end of the 2010 season. While his first two starts weren't of the dominating variety, he was still exhibiting the stuff that puts him in the top tier of Tribe prospects.

Gardner was showing signs of shoulder fatigue, so the 6'4" lefty was temporarily shut down so he could regain his arm strength. Gardner is responding well, and according to Ross Atkins, the vice president in charge of player development for the Indians, he should be back within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.

Indians Prospect Insider to welcome guest columnist series

Over the next several weeks, the Indians Prospect Insider will be proud to host several guest bloggers to help fill in for the immense hole that is left while Tony Lastoria recuperates from his recent surgery. I'm not talking about any ole' bloggers, but the best of the best in Indians blogdom.

You'll be reading columns from WFNY, Let's Go Tribe and The Diatribe, just to name a few. Please make sure that you click those links to support preeminent Cleveland Indians sites on these here internets.

Tomorrow, our first guest spot will hit the pages of IPI when one of the chief scribes and editors over at Let's Go Tribe, Andrew Humphries (afh4), sends out his take on following the Tribe farm system.

Thanks Andrew, and to all the writers that have offered their services. We here at IPI can't thank you enough.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Akron Air Raid: Drennen, De La Cruz Continue to Lead

(Photo Credit - Lianna Holub)

Akron finished off the road trip with a series win over Bowie and returned home to make it three out of four by by beating Reading. They went on to lose a double-header Saturday.

The Aeros continue to struggle in creating runs. They rank second to last in the Eastern League in runs scored, yet rank third in team ERA. We'll see if the starting staff can withstand the loss of Scott Barnes to Columbus and if T.J. McFarland can fill in with his opportunity at Double-A in Akron's rotation.

Latest Landings: Bowie (2-1), Reading (1-2)
Future Itinerary: Bowie (4), @ Binghamton (3), @ Atloona (4), Trenton (3)
As it Stands: Akron is currently in third place in the Eastern League Western Division and 1 game back of first place.

On the Mound

T.J. McFarland got the call after Barnes was promoted and made his debut against Reading on Thursday. McFarland went just 4.1 innings, giving up three runs off six hits and three walks. McFarland made one start in Akron last year, although it was simply a spot-start and it didn't go well. Now he has a more extended opportunity to show his stuff at the Double-A level.

Kelvin De La Cruz gave up the most runs he has all season and took his third loss of the season. He also went as deep into a game as he has all season and still struck out six. All in all, DLC's season has been solid, he just doesn't have the wins to show for it.

From the 'Pen

Closer Cory Burns was finally stopped from striking out more than one hitter in a appearance. Burns struck out just one in his sixth save of the season over Reading on Thursday. Burns has still n ot walked a hitter though and has only given up a pair of hits.

Nick Hagadone finally walked a hitter himself, but continued his run of two inning shutout appearances with four more strikeouts. Matt Langwell tossed a scoreless frame against Bowie on Tuesday while CC Lee made two appearances, giving up a pair of runs on Wednesday.

Swinging Sticks

The seven game hitting streak by John Drennen came to an end last week, but Drennen has wasted no time getting a new one going. Drennen is 5-for-11 on the homestand with a pair of doubles. He now is on a three-game hit streak and is fourth in the Eastern League in on-base percentage.

The Aeros offense has really been non-existent. Tim Fedroff had a solo home run, one of his three hits in the last series against Reading and Jordan Henry played just one game. Chun Chen knocked in just two runs in the past week and Kyle Bellows is one for his last 17.

Juan Diaz and Matt McBride added home runs against Bowie, but overall there has been a lack of production. Karexon Sanchez finally collected his first hit, hitting a home run and knocking in three RBI on the homestand.

The club has yet to score over six runs this season and they've been shutout four times this year.

Additional Notes

Got a chance to check out Nick Hagadone behind the plate. He really pops the glove with his fastball. He walked his first hitter of the year and really looks as good as you could imagine. He may not be in the Aeros pen much longer, as Columbus may be calling.

It has been very wet here in Northeast Ohio as you are likely aware. The rain has really had it's hand on Akron too, with Monday's game being postponned. They also lost a game in Reading, with a started game getting suspended and restarted as a part of a double header.

Brett Brach made a spot-start as a result to Scott Barnes getting called up. He made the start and was sent back to Kinston, but picked up the win before that. Brach gave up just two hits and walked one going six shutout frames.

Austin Adams was scheduled to start Monday's game against Bowie and will now start one game for Akron in a scheduled double header on Tuesday. Eric Berger will start the second game, which will likely be a bullpen game for the Aeros.

Transaction Report
April 19: LHP Scott Barnes sent to Columbus
RHP Brett Brach received from Kinston
April 20: RHP Brett Brach sent to Kinston
LHP T.J. McFarland received from Kinston
April 25: IF Jason Donald received on Rehab Assignment

-

Nino covers the Akron Aeros season-long here at the IPI. He has his own blog at The Tribe Daily and you can follow him on Twitter @TheTribeDaily.

Read More

Around the Farm: April 25

Jordan Brown

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.

Jordan Brown-RF/DH, Columbus: 3-for-7, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI:

Jordan Brown just never goes away. Brown has had a cup of coffee with the Tribe, but just can't seem to find a home. Still, the kid never seems to get the break he needs to make a full-time trip to Cleveland. With that said, he never gives up. Brown belted a grand slam today in game 2 to help bring the Clippers back from a 5-0 deficit. He's currently riding a five-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .368.

• Cord Phelps-DH/SS, Columbus: 0-5, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K: Phelps managed to score two runs without getting a hit in today's doubleheader.  It goes to show that you can have a good day by drawing walks.
• Chad Huffman-LF, Columbus: 2-for-3, R, HR, RBI: Huffman celebrated being named IL player of the week with a home run.
• Travis Buck-1B, Columbus: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, K: Buck's averaged actually dropped to .545.
• Luis Valbuena-SS/3B, Columbus: 3-for-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, K: Valbuena is getting hot at the right time. If he can keep the bat rolling, he may get a call soon.
• Alex White-SP, Columbus: 5.3 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K, HR, W (1-0): White continues his climb to Cleveland with his first win, and another dominating performance.  It's only a matter of time.
• Jensen Lewis-RP, Columbus: 1 IP, H, W (2-0), 0.00 ERA: Lewis should be done proving himself to Cleveland brass. He's too good to be stuck in triple A, but he has to figure out a way to carry his skills to the bigs consistently.
• Carlton Smith-RP, Columbus: 1.1 IP, H, K, 0.00 ERA: Smith has now gone 7 1/3 innings without giving up a run, which is only 1/3 inning less than JLew.
• Josh Judy-Closer, Columbus: 1 IP, K, S (2): Judy gets his second save in as many days.
• Tyler Holt-CF, Kinston: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB (9): Holt continues his stellar play as a game-changer for Kinston.
• Casey Frawley-SS, Kinston: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K: Frawley has been inconsistent offensive in his debut at high A this season, but is 4-for-12 in his last four games.  Perhaps his bat is starting to wake up.
• Greg Folgia-RF, Kinston: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, K: Folgia hasn't done much since his call-up. Even after tonight's game, he's only hitting .192, while striking out 12 times without a single walk.
• Drew Pomeranz-SP, Kinston: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 5 K, HR: Other than the homerun, Pomeranz was again solid in this short appearance.  Obviously, the Indians are really monitoring his pitch count this early in the season.
• Tyler Sturdevant-RP, Kinston: 2 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K: Sturdevant continues a solid 2011 season with two innings of shutout baseball.  His ERA dropped to 1.54.
• Kyle Blair-SP, Lake County: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 4 K, HR, W (2): With so much focus on Pomeranz and White, 4th round pick Kyle Blair has been able to sneak between the cracks a bit.  After briefly struggling with control issues to start the season, Blair has been outstanding since, winning his last two starts.
• Francisco Jimenez-RP, Lake County: 3 IP, H, 2 K, H (2): Jimenez has yet to go less than 3 innings in a game this season, which makes you wonder if he is going to be looked at as a starter down the road.  He's made occasional starts over the past couple of seasons.
• Clayton Ehlert-Closer, Lake County: 1 IP, S (4): Ehlert gets his fourth save, without any trouble.
• Jesus Aguilar-1B, Lake County: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI: Aguilar hit his fourth homer in two days, and his team leading fifth overall.  Lake County only had four hits on the game, with Aguilar's 2-run jack being the game winner.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Game Recaps 4/25: Tribe system shows off top hurlers

Kyle Blair (Photo: Tony Lastoria)

The Clippers climbed back to the top of the IL West Division by sweeping a doubleheader from Indianapolis 6-1 and 6-5.

On a day that was wet and raining to start, it was a sunny end result for Clippers in Game 1 Monday night.

Indianapolis got on the board in a hurry when Indians left fielder Alex Pressley homered with two outs off of the right centerfield scoreboard to give the Indians an early 1-0 lead.

Columbus would come right back in the bottom half of the inning. After 1 out walks by Cord Phelps and Chisenhall and a Chad Huffman single, Travis Buck delivered a two-run single to give the Clippers a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 1st.

In the bottom of the second, the Clippers played a game of add-on. After a lead-off double by Jordan Brown and walk by Luke Carlin, Luis Valbuena smacked a two-run double to left centerfield to increase the Clippers advantage to 4-1.

The Clippers would strike again in the bottom of the third when Jason Kipnis came around to score on a 1-out Jordan Brown RBI double to enhance the Clippers lead to 5-1. Chad Huffman would then hit a no-doubter off of the left field building in the bottom of the fifth inning to increase the Columbus lead to 6-1. Huffman was recently named the International League player of the week.

Alex White was very solid for the Clippers, picking up his first win of the season (1-0) by going 5 2/3 innings, giving up only one run on five hits while striking out eight and walking two. Sean Gallagher dropped to 0-3 on the season as he pitched only 3 2/3 innings giving up 5 runs all earned on five hits while walking five and striking out three.

Jordan Brown ignited a Clippers rally with his fifth inning grand slam, as they come back to beat the Indians, 6-5, in the nightcap.

Brown took a Jose Ascanio pitch out to left field and also drove in Paul Phillips, Luis Valbuena and Cord Phelps.

The next inning, Valbuena singled to right field to bring home Kipnis to tie the game. The next hitter, Ezequiel Carrera singled and Wes Hodges crossed the plate for the eventual game-winning run.

The Clippers had to battle back from a 5-0 deficit after Indianapolis scored 1 in the first, 2 in the third and 2 in the top of the fifth.

Joe Martinez started for the Clippers and went 3.2 innings, allowing 3 earned runs and struck out four. Jensen Lewis (2-0) earned the victory, however.

Josh Judy came on in the seventh and final inning, earning his second save on the season.

The victory Monday night was the seventh in a row over the Indians on the 2011 season.

Salem Stings Kinston 7-3

The K-Tribe lost the opener of a four game series with Salem 7-3 Monday night at Historic Grainger Stadium.

Cleveland's first round draft pick Drew Pomeranz made his fourth start of the season for Kinston. Salem's Reynaldo Rodriguez started off the second inning with a solo home run off of Pomeranz. Pomeranz exited the game after three innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out five. He did not walk a batter.

Kinston tied the score in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Abner Abreu doubled and was driven home on an RBI single from Casey Frawley. Salem would come back in the top of the fifth inning off of Kinston reliever Toru Murata. Salem loaded the bases with one-out in the inning and took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Shannon Wilkerson. After a single by Kolbrin Vitek loaded the bases again, Rodriguez cleared them with a three RBI double. Murata (0-1)took the loss, giving up four earned runs in two innings of work. The K-Tribe bullpen then settled down as Tyler Sturdevant pitched two scoreless innings, giving up three hits.

Down 5-1 the K-Tribe cut into the lead after Greg Folgia hit a lead-off double and later scored on a double from Tyler Holt. Salem would add two more runs off of K-Tribe reliever Jose Flores in the top of the ninth inning. Kinston scored a run of their own in the bottom of the ninth thanks to an RBI single from Greg Folgia who went 2-for-4 on the night. Frawley also had two hits for Kinston.

The K-Tribe homestand continues tomorrow with a $2 Tuesday and WNCT's David Sawyer night. Game time 6:30, Clayton Cook will be on the mound for Kinston.

Aguilar's Homerun Lifts Captains to 2-1 Win

Jesus Aguilar fifth homerun of the year came in the fourth inning in Monday night's 2-1 win over the TinCaps. With Giovanny Urshela standing on first, Aguilar sent one to deep leftfield putting the Captains in front for their second straight win.

Fort Wayne had a 1-0 lead after a solo homerun by Tommy Medica in the second inning.

Kyle Blair (2-0) picked up the win working five innings allowing a run on five hits, no walks and four strike outs. Francisco Jimenez worked three innings allowing a hit, no walks and struck out two. Clayton Elhert worked an inning for his fourth save of the year. Andrew Werner (1-2) took the loss going five innings allowing two runs on two hits, walking one and striking out five.

Lake County and Fort Wayne continue their three game series Tuesday night from Parkview Field at 7:05PM. The Captains will start RHP Cole Cook (0-1) against RHP Keyvius Sampson (2-1) for the TinCaps. Catch all the action on AM1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

The K-Tribe Chronicle: Tyler "Havoc," welcome to the K-Tribe

(Photo: Kinston Indians)

The 2011 Kinston Indians are an enigmatic team, that's for sure. This week, they won three straight games, with 10+ hits in each game. With that said, they don't have a single player that's hitting the ball all that well. They have two players batting over .300, with only one registering enough bats to show up on the Batting Leaders for the team. They have one player with more than one home run, and three players total with at least one homer. Their team leader in RBI has eight (league leader has 18) and their team leader in runs has seven (league leader has 17).

The pitching staff overall isn't much better. The starters can boast Drew Pomeranz and Clayton Cook, who are both having solid April's, but past that, there aren't many other overall performances that stand out as being special. Still, this staff only has five players with an ERA above 4.00.

While the K-Tribe may be a true team in the sense that there really is only one absolute stand-out on this team. Don't get me wrong, there are good ballplayers, but they are either slapped with the "potential" tag, or stuck in the "what's going on" category.

Kinston has yet to find their personality, and they'll likely go through many more changes before they find it. But keep an eye on the top of this line-up, with Tyler "Havoc" Holt and Bo Greenwell. These two, and "Havoc" in particular, have the potential to really cause some problems for opposing pitchers. If they can become more consistent and stir the drink a bit more, big things could happen in Kinston.

Where We Stand after Week 2:

Overall Record: 6-10(4-3 the past week, last place in the Carolina League southern league, 6 1/2-games back)

Week 2 Games:

18 @ Wilmington, L 3-5 (WP: E. Pimentel; LP: T. House; SV: K. Chapman)
19 @ Wilmington, W 7-3 (WP: T. Turek; LP: T. Melville)
20 @ Wilmington, W 4-1 (WP: T. Sturdevant; LP: T. Sample; SV: J. Flores)
21 vs. Myrtle Beach, W 6-2 (WP: C. Cook; LP: B. Loux; SV: T. Murata)
22 vs. Myrtle Beach, L 0-10 (WP: R. Ross; LP: G. Soto)
23 vs. Myrtle Beach, L 2-11 (WP: J. Wieland; LP: T. House)
24 vs. Myrtle Beach, W 3-2 (WP: B. Brach; LP: R. Kelly; SV: P. Guilmet)

This Week's Transactions:

04/20/2011 RHP Brett Brach assigned to Kinston Indians from Akron Aeros.
04/19/2011 LHP T.J. McFarland assigned to Akron Aeros from Kinston Indians.
04/19/2011 RHP Brett Brach assigned to Akron Aeros from Kinston Indians.
04/19/2011 RHP Toru Murata assigned to Kinston Indians from Indians Extended Spring Training.

Three UP...

1. Tyler Holt can really turn things upside down from the top of the order. Holt is an energy guy, and if you head to Kinston and watch the K-Tribe play, you really get that sense from the second you see him in the batter's box, or in the outfield. But when he gets on the basepaths, bad things happen. Take into account today's game. Holt hit a solo shot to tie the game early on, but really turned the game on it's ear in the third. Roberto Perez had walked early in the inning, and stole second base. Holt then singled him to third. With second open, Holt stole second. The throw went into center, scoring Perez from third. Then, Holt stole third, and scored on a wild pitch...after Abner Abreu struck out. Three runs by Holt on a solo shot, a wild throw into center, and a wild pitch after stealing second and third. Watch out for this kid, he's a comer.

2. Justin Toole is Mr. Super Utility, and he's finally showcasing a bat to go with his defensive ability. Toole's only error came in his only game at shortstop, as he's found himself playing all the infield positions so far this season. Offensively, he's leading the club with a .361 average. While he isn't likely to develop any power any time soon (he's never hit a homerun as a pro), he definitely has the type of speed that can alter a game. He's already got four stolen bases on the season, and hasn't been caught yet. Toole could really find some use in the system if his bat continues to develop.

3. Clayton Cook probably isn't the first, second or even the third pitcher that you think about when you think of Kinston. Perhaps you should start remembering the kids name. In three starts this season, Cook is 1-1, with a 2.25 ERA. In 16 IP, he's struck out 14 and walked seven. Cook is currently rated #34 at IPI, and is showing everyone that he's not only worthy of that slot (ahead of T.J. McFarland, by the way), but perhaps deserving of a bump up. Now that he's more comfortable with his two-seamer, and more consistent with his delivery, it's likely he'll continue to improve. Combine that with a big frame, and likely more velocity to a low-mid 90's fastball, and you have the makings of another potential gun in the Tribe's arsenal.

...and Three DOWN...

Okay, before I get started here, I promise I'm not going to harp on Abner Abreu and Travis Turek. Let's just get it out of the way now. Abreu is underachieving, and Turek is a human roller coaster. Both show signs of brilliance, but are as consistent and poorly mixed pancake batter. Step up gents, or let the big guns from Lake County take your spots.

3. Well, Ron Rivas was a walking error last year, so I was really hoping he would tear it up this year. He's promptly responded by hitting a solid .129, and has disappeared off the grid. I don't know if he's hurt, or just hiding because of his play, but he's not been very good this season. This organization is too good to continue to allow an error-prone, weak stick to take up a slot on the roster. Let's hope this kid figures things out soon.

2. Joey Mahalic was multi-dimensional last season, as a starter and a reliever. This year, he's been moved to the pen permanently, and it hasn't worked out well at all. He's made three appearances, and his BEST appearance was his first, a 1.1 inning slot in which he only gave up a run. Since then, he's given up 11 earned runs in two appearance, and one this week. His ERA is a stelar 18. Perhaps Mahalic is fired up that he's not in the rotation. If that's the case, this likely isn't the way to ask to move.

1. We dealt Jhonny Peralta, and got back Giovanni Soto. I really want this kid to make the Peralta deal an absolute steal. So far, that hans't been the case. He was solid in his first start, but high A bats have seemingly caught up with him. He's given up five earned runs in his last nine innings pitched, and is clearly scuffling. Let's hope that his learning curve is high. He's only 19-years-old, so it's not like three starts do a big-time starter make.

Week 2 Awards:

Offensive player of the week: Tyler Holt

Pitcher of the week: Clayton Cook

Player of the week: Tyler Holt

Here comes week 3:

April 2011

25 vs. Salem, 6:30 PM
26 vs. Salem, 6:30 PM
27 vs. Salem, 6:30 PM
28 vs. Salem, 6:30 PM
29 @ Lynchburg, 6:05 PM
30 @ Lynchburg, 6:05 PM

May 2011

1 @ Lynchburg, 2:05 PM

The Rearviewmirror:

T.J. McFarland was moved up to Akron, which I have to believe was a move that was already lined up within the system. McFarland did his time with Kinston last year, and dominated most of the year, before struggling to finish out the season. It's easy to see that McFarland fits into the future of this club, but his stuff has to translate in the upper minors, and there are questions there. If he's hitting his spots in the bottom of the strike zone, he's an incredibly tough pitcher. There are a lot of lightning arms ahead of him however, so he really needs to continue his progression, or he could get lost in the shuffle.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Around the Farm: April 24

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.

Tyler Holt-CF, Kinston: 3-for-4, 2R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 SB:

The Kinston Indians ended today's game with four hits, and Holt had three of them. That only should be enough to describe the type of player that Tyler "Havoc" really is. He is clearly the unique player that can throw a team on his back and win the game without power. When you add that aspect to his game, as he did today with his first homer of the season, he's downright scary. Holt is still struggling for consistency at the minor league level, but when he figures things out on a day-to-day basis, he's going to move through the system quickly. He's that good.

• Jason Donald-DH, Columbus: 1-for-3, BB, K: Donald is still with triple A, and hitting .250 isn't going to open the elevator doors back.  Donald will need to step up to take back his big league roster spot.
• Lonnie Chisenhall-3B, Columbus: 1-for-4, K: Chisenhall continues to struggle, batting only .225 on the season.
• Travis Buck-RF, Columbus: 1-for-2, 2 R, HR, RBI, 1 BB: This is how you react to being sent down to the minors.  Buck is making mince-meat of triple A pitching in his two games back, going 5-for-8, with three runs, two doubles, a homer, four RBI and a walk.
• Cord Phelps-SS, Columbus: 2-for-4, R, 2B: You have to wonder if Phelps ever wonders why he gets lost int he Chisenhall/Kipnis shuffle.  He's currently on a four-game hitting streak (.500), with four runs, two doubles, seven walks and only one K.  Figure out that OBP (.475 for the season).
• Luis Valbuena-2B, Columbus: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI: Valbuena is quietly having a nice season in Columbus, but would he get a call before Phelps?
• Jensen Lewis-RP, Columbus: 1.2 IP, 1 BB, W (1-0): Lewis has been outstanding this season with the Clippers.  He likely has one more shot with the Indians coming soon.  I sure hope he can handle his business, because when he hits his marks, he's an above-average reliever.
• Zach Putnam-RP, Columbus: 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K: Putnam may be behind Lewis on the totem pole, but he's been nearly as good, coming in with a 0.87 ERA, 8 K's and only two walks.
• Josh Judy-Closer, Columbus: 1 IP, K, Save (1): Judy hasn't had much work, and it's interesting that this is his first save.
• Justin Toole-1B, Kinston: 1-for-2, 2B, SB: Toole has been a consistent force as the super-utility player for Kinston.  He also has four stolen bases this year.
• Brett Brach-SP, Kinston: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 5 K W (1-1): Brach moved back down to Akron after his staunch outing in Akron, and was kept as a starter.  Looks like the Indians are going to keep him there for the time being, while Marty Popham moves back to the pen.
• Tyler Sturdevant-RP, Kinston: 1 IP, 1 K, H (1): Sturdevant seems nondescript, but has a solid 1.86 ERA to go along with some good heat.
• Preston Guilmet-Closer, Kinston: 1 IP, S (1): Like Judy, this was Guilmet's first save.  His ERA is a crystal clear 0.00.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

Game Recaps 4/24: Holt unleashes havoc

Tyler "Havoc" (photo: TLastoria)

Fantastic pitching helped propel Kinston towards a 3-2 win over Myrtle Beach Sunday afternoon at Historic Grainger Stadium. With the win Kinston (6-10), split the four game series with first place Myrtle Beach (11-5).

Trailing 1-0, the K-Tribe evened the score when Tyler Holt led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run. It was his first homer of the season. Kinston then took the lead in a wild bottom of the third inning. It started with a Roberto Perez walk. After Perez stole second base, he advanced to third on a single by Holt. Perez would score later in the inning, when Pelican's catcher Vinny DiFazio threw the ball into center field as Holt tried to steal second. Holt would then steal third later in the inning. Holt scored after Abner Abreu struck out, but the wild pitch got away from DiFazio. Kinston left the inning up 3-1, stealing four bases in the frame. Holt went 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Kinston.

Kinston's pitching did the rest as starter Brett Brach (1-1) got the win. Brach pitched five innings, giving up four hits and one run. He walked three and struck out five. Marty Popham pitched out of trouble in the seventh inning. Leury Garcia tripled home Ryan Stausborger to cut the Kinston lead to 3-2 with just one out in the inning. Popham then induced a pop-up from Travis Adair and struck out Michael Olt to end the inning. Tyler Sturdevant and closer Preston Guilmet then combined to throw a perfect eighth and ninth inning. Sturdevant got a hold and Guilmet his first save of the season. Pelican's starter Ryan Kelly took the loss for the Pelicans.

The K-Tribe homestand continues through Thursday as the Salem Red Sox come to town for a four game series. Game one Monday night, 6:30 in Kinston. Cleveland first round draft pick Drew Pomeranz will get the start for the K-Tribe.

Big Fourth Inning Propels Clippers to victory

The Columbus Clippers used big lumber to score five runs in the fourth inning to give them a 6-4 victory over the visiting Indianapolis Indians. Their previous two games had been postponed due to rain.

Travis Buck, who homered in the second, would walk with one-out in the fourth and Cord Phelps would follow with a single, moving Buck to third. That's when the real fun began. Jordan Brown tripled in Buck and Phelps, followed by catcher Paul Phillips and second baseman Luis Castillo hit back-to-back home runs, giving the Clippers a 6-2 lead.

Corey Kluber started the game for Columbus, but severe control issues got him out of the game quickly. He struck out five, but walked six, giving up two runs (one earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched.

Jensen Lewis would relieve Kluber, and continued his triple A dominance with 1.2 innings of no-hit baseball. Lewis would get the win, and still hasn't given up a run this season. Zach Putnam followed with two innings of one-hit baseball, striking out three and walking only one. Frank Hermann continued his slide after starting with the big league Tribe, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. Josh Judy would come on, getting his first save of the season.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More

The Sunday Drive with Masterson, Tomlin, Sizemore and Pure Rage

© Cleveland Indians

The Easter eggs were aplenty in the Pete household on Saturday Night, as the diabolical duo (as my wife and I have dubbed my nine-year-old and my six-year old) spent the night coloring them every shade under the sun.

While there were no major brawls this year during the egg hunt (last year, we put on our own version of Wrestlemania when my son put the first two eggs he found directly in my daughter's face, and she took exception), there nearly was family banishment during the coloring of the first eggs. My son immediately went two-tone, coloring his egg half red, and half blue, dubbing it his "Cleveland Indians egg". My daughter went right for the blue, and when it came out, there were three perfect pinstipes of blue surrounding the egg. "Daddy," she said mischievously, "this is my Yankees egg, and it can beat the Indians' egg whenever it wants."

We better get driving, before the Easter bunny only fills one of my kid's baskets this year...

Three UP...

1. Who isn't excited by the starting pitching as a whole, and by Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin in particular? If you just look at the particulars, their seasons are likely already better than most people thought. Tomlin fought for the last spot in the rotation all spring, and is pulling out his best Cliff Lee impression. In four starts this season, he's 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA. He's struck out 15 batters, and walked only seven in 27 total innings. Overall, Tomlin swallow up innings and win games. Personally, I'm sick of the people that say wins aren't important...it's the whole point, and that's what Tomlin does. If he stays away from the long ball, this could be a big year for the young righty.

Masterson really is one the one to watch though. For over a year, Tribe brass and fans alike have been debating Masterson's role on the team. Ultimately, would the big righty continue as a starter, or move to the bullpen. Last year was his first full season with the Tribe, and after a rough start, he did finish the year strong. In his last six starts, he pitched at least six innings, and in his last three, at least seven. During those last three games, he only gave up a run in each game, while striking out 18, and walking four. His ERA would drop a quarter of a run.

This season, Masterson has continued right where he left off, and then some. He's 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA. Masterson is pelting the strike zone with his fastball/slider combination, and tossing in enough changeups to keep the hitters honest. Here's where you can see Belcher's influence with regards to throwing strikes. Instead of trying to paint the corner with ever pitch, he's just letting his stuff take care of itself, and that's the difference.

Can Masterson and Tomlin continue the trend? Masterson really seems to have figured out how to replicate his outstanding stuff in a starting role, so while I doubt he remains this good all season, I think it's not a stretch to say that this could be a special year. With regards to Tomlin, I'm not as sure. This would be his first full season with the Tribe, and he really doesn't have the stuff to rely on as Masterson does when he inevitably struggles. Is Tomlin a good starter? Yeah, just look at his stats in the minors (51-24, 3.20 ERA in five seasons). Will those numbers translate in the majors? So far so good.

2. Grady Sizemore has made a big splash in his return from microfracture surgery last May. It's easy to forget how good Sizemore is, because fans really haven't seen Sizemore's brilliance in over a year. When Sizemore is healthy, he plays with a pure and nearly uncontrollable aggression that is impressive to watch. The 28-year-old is 9 for his first 23, with two homers and five RBI. His OBP is a crazy .440 right now, and while he hasn't been unleashed on the basepaths yet, he's clearly got his speed back. Sizemore is the best player on this team, and he's back. So is his aggressive play, that I very much doubt he will change any time soon. While I'd like him to find a way to stay 100% and not overcharge every ball, don't count on it. Sizemore plays every game like it's his last. It's what makes him who he is. I'm glad he's back, for however long it turns out to be.

3. Chris Perez is the type of closer that the Indians haven't had since Jose Mesa's sublime year in 1995. Sure, other closers have put up good numbers, but Perez has the type of stuff that should keep him from pulling a Borowski any time soon. Sure, Perez got lit up like a candle this past Thursday, when he gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Those hiccups will happen. Dating back to last year, Perez hadn't blown a previous save since an August 6th start against Minnesota. Since then, he saved 16 games in a row (third all-time for the Tribe) without giving up a run (second all-time).

He's got the blazing 95 MPH (he can top that) fastball, and a slider that can screw you into the ground. He's a huge presence on the mound, at 6-4 and 230 pounds, has crazy hair, and the crazy look. You can tell that the kid is wired for sound, and it translates. The big question is how he responds to blowing saves. We'll find out in his next appearance, but my guess is that we can put the heart medication back in the medicine cabinet.

...and three DOWN...

3. Fausto Carmona can't quite figure out if he's brilliant, or scuffling. Carmona got lit up in his first start, to the tune of 10 earned runs in three innings of work. Then, Carmona brought out the brilliance during his next three starts, going seven-plus in each, giving up only three earned runs, striking out 15, and walking only six. In his last start, Carmona lost his control, giving up six runs in five innings of work. The more alarming stat was the return of the walks. He walked four, while striking out one. If he throws strikes he's one of the best pitchers in the league. Throw strikes Fausto. Yeah, I know, sounds easy.

2. Shin-Soo Choo has come out of the gate crawling. We all know that Choo will rebound, but he's started the season struggling. Choo is only hitting .205, but thanks to some support around him, he still has 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI. Choo will right the ship, let's just hope it's soon.

3. While the Tribe bullpen has clearly been a strength for the team, Chad Durbin has really scuffled. How bad has he been? In 8.1 innings pitched in relief, he's given up seven earned runs. With a slew of arms in Akron and Columbus, it doesn't make much sense to keep Durbin around as long as he's playing the pot-luck game with every appearance. It appears as though Acta like Durbin, so I'm sure he'll get a few more chances. For his sake, I hope he rights the ship. If not, get some of those young arms up here.

The REARVIEWMIRROR...

Hopefully you all will find yourselves sitting with your family eating that Easter ham and watching some Indians baseball. For once, this Tribe team has given us something to watch. There's a nice little nucleus of players who have been around a few years, infused with some solid young talent. The staff is throwing strikes, and the defense has been exceptional. Much like most Tribe fans, I've over-analyzed every sign, trying to figure out whether or not this is going to last longer than the next start. It's time to forget about all that, and enjoy it while we've got it....

...and don't forget a shout out to IPI head honcho, Tony Lastoria.  Hopefully, Tony's resting comfortably today with his family, with thoughts of going home soon.

Have a Happy Easter everybody, and may your Easter eggs be of the red-and-blue variety, and not wretched pinstripes.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Read More