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2012 MLB Team Preview: Cleveland Indians

Posted by on 2 April 2012, 3:20 am

Cleveland Indians logo; aka 'the Tribe'

The 2011 Cleveland Indians came out of the gate hot last season, and were first in the AL Central up until July 20th having won 51 games.

Following that day, the Tribe only won 29 more games in 2011, and finished the season a distant second with 15 games separating them and the division leading Detroit Tigers.

Every team suffers injuries but in Cleveland players spent a total of 826 days on the DL in 2011, which certainly was higher than normal.

Now, with a new season just days away can a healthy Tribe finish off what they couldn’t in 2011?

Let’s take a look at the Indians heading into the 2012 season….

THE POSITIVES:

The emergence of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera going from good to All-Stat, hitting 25 homers and 92 RBIs in 2011. The 26-year old ranked first in RBIs and hits out of all AL Shortstops and second in home-runs and doubles, and it earned him his first Sliver Slugger Award. This guy has a really bright future in Cleveland and his natural baseball ability leads many to believe that Cabrera will only get better.

The Indians have to take advantage of the April schedule. The Tigers play the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Rangers in the first month so the Indians have to pounce from the start, as the Tigers bats, aka Miguel Cabrera; tend to need a month to warm up before blasting everything out of the park. The Tribe needs to capitalize off every single opportunity if they plan on contending with the Tigers come September.  So, another hot start is in order in Cleveland.

THE NEGATIVES: Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: Cleveland Indians’ »

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New York Yankees: Mitre, Hughes and Why Joe Girardi Is Not Doing His Job

Posted by on 7 July 2011, 4:49 am
Derek Jeter bats against the Orioles on 4-19-08.

Image via Wikipedia

What happened to the New York Yankees, Wednesday night in Cleveland, other than Captain Derek Jeter now having just three hits remaining before getting a membership in the 3000 club?

Well, the Yankees lost the rubber game 5-3 to the Indians. It was the Bombers first series loss since being swept by the Boston Red Sox back on June 9th. With the Red Sox winning again, they are now just a half game behind the Yankees in the AL East Standings.

Returning to the Bronx to host the Tampa Bay Rays for a four game set does not allow for much breathing room. Losing three of their last four is discouraging because the Yankees were so close to breaking away in the division, but now heading into the All-Star break in second place could be their reality.

Leading into Wednesday’s game, everyone was well aware that pitcher Phil Hughes was on the hill for the first time after spending three months on the DL with a dead arm.

After throwing 32 pitches and allowing two runs to score in the first inning, Hughes settled down and kept the Yankees in the game by holding the Tribe scoreless for the next four innings.

It was far from pretty, as Hughes loaded the bases in the fifth but finished the inning without a run scoring after throwing a total of 87 pitches. He exited with a score of 0-2 on the board.

To be fair, Hughes got zero help from the Yankee bats, but that was not shocking with the way Tribe starter Justin Masterson was pitching.

Masterson pitched eight scoreless innings and everyone watching was drooling over this kid, except Red Sox’s GM Theo Epstein. Epstein had to be crying, as Masterson was part of the Victor Martinez trade that is looking less and less as good an idea.

Overall, Hughes didn’t tank but he needs to be better in his next start. Hughes needs to stop looking at the radar gun and worry about locating his fastball and not how fast he is throwing it. I did like that he threw his slider and change-up because it makes him more effective in getting batters out.

Nevertheless, the Yankee bats went to work in the ninth putting three runs on the board.

Regrettably, that just wasn’t enough for pitcher Sergio Mitre who was in his usual form. It was Mitre’s second appearance since the Yankees picked him up, again.

Mitre took the ball with two outs in the seventh inning and came back out in the eighth to once again dig the team into a bigger hole.

After loading the bases with one out, Mitre walked Carlos Santana making it 4-0 and followed that by giving up a sack fly to allow the Tribe to score again.

It was déjà vu all over again, as Mitre once again could not hold the opponent scoreless.

Before the season started, Yankee fans were ecstatic when Mitre got traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Just the thought of never having to see him pitch in pinstripes again was such a sigh of relief even if GM Brain Cashman had to pay another team to make sure Mitre was out of the Bronx for good.

It wasn’t long before the Brewers gave Mitre his walking papers, but can you blame them? Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Mitre, Hughes and Why Joe Girardi Is Not Doing His Job’ »

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New York Yankees: Do You Want The Truth About Pitcher Phil Hughes

Posted by on 6 July 2011, 3:23 am

Back in his old stomping ground of Progressive Field, New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia gave another All-Star performance on Tuesday night.

Throwing seven innings of shutout ball, Sabathia fanned 11 Cleveland Indians on his way to leading the Yankees to a 9-2 win and making sure to stop a three-game losing streak.

Since the Tribe beat the Yankees 6-3 on Monday, the series is up for grabs. The Yankees are putting the ball for the rubber game in the hands of pitcher Phil Hughes.

Hughes is another victim of GM Brian Cashman’s ‘pitching rules’ along with his buddy Joba Chamberlain just had Tommy John surgery and won’t be back in pinstripes till next season.

This will be Hughes’ first start since coming off the DL, a place he was sent all the way back on April 15th.

Skipper Joe Girardi blamed Hughes’ complete inability to locate his pitches, along with a drop in velocity on a dead arm, but which also can cause shoulder inflammation.

Hughes told the Wall Street Journal, “I don’t exactly know what went wrong, but I know something went wrong,” whatever the problem, his lack in arm strength was unmistakable and impossible to miss.

Three months later, and Hughes has worked his way back to the majors.

MLB.com reported that in his three-rehab starts, Hughes displayed marked improvement with his pitches reaching up to 92-93 mph. The last one in Trenton, he only gave up one earned run and threw 88 pitches in six-plus innings of work.

Two obvious scenarios can come of this:

1. Hughes can pitch like he did the first-half of 2010, which earned him a spot on the AL All-Star team.

2. Hughes will struggle and rookie Ivan Nova could be promoted after being demoted just two days ago.

It would be hard to justify the Yankees keeping Hughes in the rotation if he implodes on Wednesday in Cleveland.

This sounds strict because it has to be. The time for chances is over because the teams that get into the playoffs will do so by one or two games.

The Yankees are good enough to win it all this season, but that affords little room for mistakes here on out so if Hughes can’t get it done someone else will.

What Worries Me About Hughes?

Hughes’ major-league leading 25 home-runs allowed (this includes six from the postseason) in 2010, is what keeps running through my head.

Everyone keeps talking about Hughes 18 wins last season, but it masks the 4.19 ERA. Also, the fact that Hughes got the most run support out of all MLB starters, with an average of 6.75 runs scored every time he took the hill. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Do You Want The Truth About Pitcher Phil Hughes’ »

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Home-Stand From Hell: Injury Update On New York Yankees Captain

Posted by on 14 June 2011, 3:39 am

The New York Yankees home-stand nightmare continued on Monday night in the fifth inning.

On a hit fly out, Captain Derek Jeter suffered obvious calf pain in his right leg as he was running out of the batter’s box. Jeter immediately went straight down the stairs into the clubhouse with the Yankees trainer, Gene Monahan and that was enough to send Yankee Universe into panic mode.

Now, Mark Feinstein at the NY Daily News and Reuters Newswire are reporting that the MRI results are confirming that Jeter has a Grade I calf strain.

Earlier in the first inning, Jeter got a hit, moving him just six shy of making history as the first New York Yankee to ever reach 3000 hits and 28th in the history of the game.

Jeter and Yankee fans were hoping to see the Captain accomplish this moment at home. Before the injury Jeter had the remainder of Monday’s 1-0 loss against the Cleveland Indians, as well as a three-game set against the Texas Rangers to try and do this at home, in New York.

My guess is Jeter will not play in the Rangers series at all, but could be back in the Yankees line-up in a week.

How do I know this?

I don’t; and I am absolutely NOT asserting otherwise regarding Jeter’s condition, other than it is a Grade I calf strain and I wanted to learn about it.

Still, it is the Captain so I did some research on the web to find out what and how severe this injury can be regarding limiting of activity etc.

Here are two must-reads, which helped me attempt to remotely understand what is going on with the Captain:

First checkout, Dr. Jonathan Cluett, a top orthopedic surgeon’s article on About.com called Calf Strain – - A Common Sports Injury that gives a complete rundown of typical calf strain. Dr. Cluett defines a Grade I, which is what Jeter was diagnosed with as:

Grade I Calf Strain: Mild discomfort, often-minimal disability. Usually minimal or no limits to activity.

Second, I went to the Hospital For Special Surgery’s website, as the doctors for most pro-teams reside there.

I found that this 2010 article, Muscle Injuries: An Overview by Lawrence V. Gulotta, MD, gave a more detailed explanation of strains and here is his definition of Jeter’s type of diagnosis:

Grade 1: Mild damage to individual muscle fibers (less than 5% of fibers) that causes minimal loss of strength and motion. These injuries generally take about 2-3 weeks to improve.

Who knows if this correlates at all to Jeter’s injury, but it looks as if the Captain will miss some games but he is said to be getting reevaluated Tuesday morning, so more will be shared after that. Continue reading ‘Home-Stand From Hell: Injury Update On New York Yankees Captain’ »

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New York Yankees: Odds Not Good Of Jeter Reaching 3000 Hits In The Bronx

Posted by on 13 June 2011, 1:25 am

How Have Things Been Going At Yankee Stadium?

Since returning home, the New York Yankees have not had much luck.

After being swept by the Boston Red Sox, reliever Joba Chamberlain found out that he needed Tommy John surgery. The next day, starting pitcher Bartolo Colon was added to the Yankees ever-growing disabled list initially for just 15 days, but with a strained left hamstring and being 38-years-old it could take Colon longer, as it is a tricky injury to heal.

In the wake of a second Red Sox embarrassment in a month, the Yankees decided to play baseball again and the perfect time for the stumbling Cleveland Indians to come to the Bronx for a four game set.

The Indians had a hot start about two seasons too early. Now that reality has set in and the Tigers and White Sox have woken up the Indians reign atop the AL Central is about to end.

The Yankees have smacked the Tribe around, winning three in a row, and hoping to complete a four-game sweep on Monday night. The Yankees need to stay in the hunt, as they stay two games behind Boston and don’t want that gap to grow.

There are four games left in this home-stand, one remaining against the Tribe, followed by three games against the Texas Rangers and all eyes will be on the Captain Derek Jeter.

As any sports fan knows, Jeter is seven hits (2993) away from joining the elite 3000-hits club. Jeter’s name will be added to a list that dons just 27 other players in the history of the game, but what makes this more meaningful is he will be the first Yankee to do it.

How badly do Jeter, his teammates and especially the Yankee fans want the Captain to get his 3000th hit at home?

To say severely would be an understatement, because it should really happen in the Bronx where Jeter has played his entire career and in front of the city that worships him.

In addition, Yankee Stadium could use a boost because unlike in the past, “home” has not been much of an advantage in 2011 like it has in the past.

After Thursday afternoon’s match-up against the Rangers the Yankees hit the road for some inter-league play against the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, so it is now or never for the Captain.

Can Jeter get seven hits in four games to reach 3000 at Yankee Stadium?

Well, forecasting the mental aspect is something Jeter himself probably doesn’t know, but why not try to see if history equates into predicting the future.

Looking back on September 2009, when Jeter passed Lou Gehrig for most Yankee hits, he went cold for three games in a row, at home and all three were team wins before he tied it.

Here is a quick reference chart I made after reading stats on my favorite stats site BaseballReference.com:

DATE HITS TEAM RESULT
September 6, 2009 3 2715 8-14 vs. Blue Jays (L)
September 7, 2009 (1) 0 2718 4-1 vs. Rays (W)
September 7, 2009 (2) 0 2718 11-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 8, 2009 0 2718 3-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 9, 2009 3 2721* 4-2 vs. Rays (W)
September 11, 2009 2 2723** 4-10 vs. Orioles (L

*ties record on 3rd hit ** breaks record by 2 hits

The above shows that the Captain is human and got nervous at four hits away, but once that passed he did it without a hitch. So, if this indicates anything his 3000th hit will happen Saturday, June 18th in Chicago.

Please note that comparing breaking Gehrig’s record is a far-fetched measure to what will happen this week with Jeter. You have to realize that it is not common for a player to have one milestone in his career, so with Jeter having one less than two years ago is remarkable.

Without question this accomplishment should overwhelm the Captain because it is that monumental. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Odds Not Good Of Jeter Reaching 3000 Hits In The Bronx’ »

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New York Yankees: Bartolo Colon Officially On 15-Day DL

Posted by on 12 June 2011, 1:21 am
New York Yankees starting pitcher Bartolo Colo...

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

It is official, according Ben Shpigel of the New York Times, New York Yankee pitcher Bartolo Colon will be placed on the 15-day DL, following a misstep while running to first-base to get an out.

Whether Colon will have to be out longer has not been decided, but regardless it is another blow to the already injury riddled Yankees.

Colon has been the biggest surprise and a sure contender for the MLB Comeback Player of the Year, which not most likely pends on how long he is sidelined.

In his nine Yankee starts, Colon has a 4-3 record, posting a 3.39 ERA, with 66 strikeouts, one complete game shutout and has gone just shy of 72 innings total.

On Saturday, Colon was on his way to what could have been his second complete game of the season, as he held the Cleveland Indians scoreless through 6 2/3 innings.

As the saying goes, When It Rains, It Pours, but usually a rainbow follows, with a pot of good luck.

Okay, the was cheesy and ridiculous but better to think positive when you realize your team is in some serious trouble.

 

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New York Yankees: Injury Update On Bartolo Colon

Posted by on 11 June 2011, 5:41 pm
New York Yankees starting pitcher Bartolo Colo...

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

Ian Begley at ESPN New York is reporting that New York Yankees Bartolo Colon underwent an MRI Saturday afternoon at New York Presbyterian, but results are currently unavailable.

Indeed Colon looked as if he hurt his left hamstring in the seventh inning on Saturday afternoon. Colon was in the midst of another scoreless preformance, giving up just two hits to the Cleveland Indians.

The DL looks to be inevitable for Colon at this point, but another one bites the dust in the Bronx.

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