All-Aught Indians--C--Victor Martinez (2002-2009)

The Cleveland Indians are known for either trading away or allowing their best players to leave via free agency. Over the years, the Indians have watched the likes of Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Bartola Colon, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia all ride into the sunset. Nothing was as painful as watching the Indians deal away VMart. The All-Aught Indians catcher is El Capitan, Victor Martinez.

Victor Martinez bled Cleveland Indians baseball, and of all the players that have left Cleveland in recent memory, Martinez was the one guy that didn't want to go. I had hoped that Martinez would retire on the reservation, but it wasn't in the cards. Not winning and Carlos Santana made him expendable. Expendable...Victor Martinez...not a chance.

In July of 1996, the Tribe signed a non-descript 16-year-old shortstop out of Venezuela. He was gifted athletically, and most assuredly, John Hart knew that this kid was going to be a player somewhere, whether at shortstop, the outfield, or catcher. He never stopped producing in the minors, and the only real surprise was that the Indians didn't commit to VMart until 2004.

Martinez debuted with the Indians in 2002 with a cup of coffee in the bigs. In his first start for the Tribe that season, Martinez' first hit was a two-run single against the Blue Jays, to tie a game. The Indians would eventually lose, but Martinez began his career of clutch hits.

In 2003, Martinez would spend June and July and the first part of August with the big league club, as well as most of September. He hit .289 in 49 games, but hit a resounding .349 in his September call-up, locking the starting job in 2004.

Martinez rolled out a .283 average, with 23 dingers and 108 RBI. He would make his first all-star team, and win his first silver slugger award that year. Martinez would play in three all-star games for the Indians (2007 and 2009 as well). His career average with the Tribe was .297, with 103 homers and 518 RBI. Victor will most be remembered for his prowess in the clutch, batting over .300 with runners in scoring position, and over .500 with the bases loaded.

Defensively, Martinez isn't going to confuse anyone with Ron Karkovice, Yogi Berra, Ivan Rodriguez and Lance Parrish behind the plate, but he worked himself into a solid catcher. He could always call a game, and in '07 and '08, threw out over 30% of the opposing basestealers.

The numbers really aren't even half the story. VMart was the player the Cleveland Indians built around, along with CC Sabathia, after they dismantled the team of the 90's. Not only was he a clutch hitter, a switch hitter, able to play first and DH, and a serviceable backstop, but he was the leader of this club, both on the field and in the clubhouse.

He played with an energy that couldn't be matched by any other player this decade. It's ironic when you think about it. He's what Sandy Alomar Jr. promised to be for a decade, but could never quite reach. VMart reached it every year, every month and every game. His most resounding quality was undoubtedly his perseverance. He was always there, always producing, and always the glue that held the team together.

If you want to know the major reason why the Indians fell apart in 2008, look no further than VMart missing most of the season with injury. Sure, there were other issues with that club, but most could be attributed to the fact that the player that many looked to as the captain of the team was gone.

In many ways, Victor Martinez WAS the All-Aught Cleveland Indians. Who was the MVP of the club that nearly went to the World Series in 2007? Was it Cy Young winner CC Sabathia? Nope, it was Victor Martinez. Why? He was the best player on the team, and the best player this decade, especially at catcher.

Good luck VMart in your future endeavors (may you bat .400 for a Boston team that tanks year after year). Cleveland will always be "your house" and "your home," as you so eloquently said while cleaning out your locker with your son. Hopefully, you'll find your way back someday soon.

Here's to Victor Martinez, the All-Aught Indians starting catcher.

The Two Thousand, Aught catchers: Sandy Alomar Jr., Einar Diaz, Eddie Taubensee, Tim Laker, Josh Bard, Eddie Perez, Victor Martinez, Sandy Martinez, Kelly Shoppach, Sal Fasano, Lou Marson, Wyatt Toregas

Indians toss away Meloan--DFA Winston Abreu

In one of the most confounding moves of the season, Mark Shapiro dealt away Jon Meloan on July 2, 2009 for a 32-year old reliever Winston Abreu. Adding more to the confusion, the Indians now have DFAed Abreu today, which essentially means they have 10 days to either work out a trade with another team, release him, or send him to Columbus if he should clear waivers.

Meloan was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers last year in the Casey Blake deal that also brought the Indians Carlos Santana. Meloan has a mid-90's fastball, and a whole bunch of upside. On a team that has a bad habit of signing cruddy relief pitchers, Meloan seemed like an incredible get for Blake, especially when you consider that certain guitar wielding catcher the acquired with him. Sure, Meloan has struggled for much of this season, but certainly the upside for the then 24-year old (turned 25 on July 11) far outweighed his half season struggles.

Unless you're named Mark Shapiro.

You have to question the trade based on the simple logic that Meloan was 24, had a live arm, and upside. Abreu has played with about half the teams in the majors, is 32, and was having one of those seasons that makes scouts scratch their heads. He was pitching too good for a pitcher that's been a whole lot of bad. He was suspended for three games as an Indian, and really bad in the only three games he pitched in (23.14 ERA after giving up six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings over three appearances).

The move made so little sense, that many figured that Abreu had to fit into some other trade scenario with either the Rays, or perhaps as a fill in for another trade involving Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez. It turned out that Abreu wasn't dealt, although it is potentially possible that he was supposed to be moved based on the fact that the Indians dfaed him the day after the deadline. Perhaps he was a door opener for Shapiro with the Rays, who were interested in acquiring both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. Shapiro may have been looking to soften the Rays by taking a lesser player with the hopes of springing some of their slew of prospects. If that was the case, it obviously didn't work.

Either way, the Indians dump Meloan for Abreu, which is slang for acquiring a large pile of dung. Chalk it up to another screw up in a growing list of man for GM Mark Shapiro. Whether or not Meloan fit into the future plans of the Tribe, it doesn't really make sense dumping a live relief arm when you are trying to acquire LIVE RELIEF ARMS.

Victor Martinez leaves "his house"

Roll this one off of your tongue a couple of times: Victor Martinez was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Who the Indians got in return is nearly secondary, but for the record, the Indians brought in three more fireballers to add to their system. The 6'6", 250 lb, 24-year old Justin Masterson is the anchor to this trade for the Tribe, having spent the past two seasons mostly in the back-end of the Red Sox pen. Along with Masterson, the Tribe received two top-ten pitching prospects from the Sox in lefty Nick Hagadone and righty Bryan Price.

Who cares.

Anthony Castrovince reported earlier today that V-Mart spent the afternoon crying in front of his locker. I can't deny feeling the same way that he does.
I've followed this team since birth, and had to live through the teams of the 70's and 80's to get to the 90's. Now the thought of any amount of longevity with regards to losing is nearly too damn painful to even think about. The Indians have shed every noteworthy player on their team. Grady Sizemore remains, but you have to wonder what in the hell he is thinking at this point. Nice sales pitch to Grady, don't you think. "Don't worry Grady, stick it out,and we just might have a winner a couple years from now...maybe."
So now this team is an unknown commodity. There doesn't appear to be any hope for 2010, unless a slew of prospects can somehow surprise the hell out of the American League. Don't count on it. Perhaps 2011 is the year this team rebounds, but don't hold your breath.

Trust me...I haven't barely taken a breath in 37 years waiting...

Blue Light Special at V-Mart

There's not much to mention on the V-Mart front, other than the fact that there has been a surprising silence since early this morning. The Rays apparently dropped out of talks with the Indians when Cliff Lee left the building. There were rumors that the Rays were willing to open up the coffers a bit to get both Lee and Martinez. V-Mart alone isn't nearly as enticing. The Red Sox have already apparently turned down a one-for-one deal that would have given the Indians Clay Buchholz. If they won't deal Buchholz, who has yet to find much success in the majors with any consistency, then I can't see a deal being made. The Mets also seem to be in the mix, especially with Omar Minaya under the gun. A deal for V-Mart could right the ship a bit for the bewildered GM. There are supposedly a few other teams knocking on the Indians door, but as of right now, nothing appears serious or imminent. As for the Indians...

I can't wait until 2011, can you? That's supposedly when the Indians will catch wind in the Mark Shapiro rebuild 2.0. Can't you feel it Cleveland? Grady Sizemore will be firmly in his prime, and about to play in his contract year. Matt LaPorta will be dominating the majors with his power. Michael Brantley will be making everyone forget about Kenny Lofton in the outfield, leading off and stealing bases at will. Carlos Santana will be busy playing the guitar, and becoming the next great catcher in the majors. Hector Rondon, Carlos Carrasco and David Huff will be three of the top starters in the majors. Jason Knapp will be knocking on the door as the top pitching prospect in baseball. Luis Valbuena and Asdrubal Cabrera will have developed into to top middle infield tandem in baseball. Andy Marte will be attempting to top 40 homers for the second season in a row.

Just close your eyes, you can almost see it, can't you?

Of course, for most of you, I had you at Grady Sizemore about to enter his contract year. Sure, he'll be in his prime alright. He'll be prime pickings for Shapiro to dump him for several prospects that will allow the Indians to spin perennially into the abyss of rebuilds that will likely occur under the constraints of the Dolans and the economic marketplace.

Will there ever be lightning in a bottle for this team? Maybe, but I know it's getting less and less fun waiting for it to happen.

More on the VMart watch tomorrow...

Cliff Lee-ving

Cliff Lee has left the building, as the Cleveland Indians traded their ace to the Philadelphia Phillies for AAA RHP Carlos Carrasco, SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, and RHP Jason Knapp. I'm left...strangely...numb.

There was no doubt something afoot last night, when the Indians and the discussions for the Tribe lefty heated up. The Indians spent a bit of time last season rooting through the Phillies minor league organization before they dealt CC Sabathia to the Brewers. Nothing the Phillies had to offer, including Carlos Carrasco, interested Mark Shapiro enough to seriously consider the City of Brother Love as possible suitors. My how things have changed.

Lee leaving is a near-final admission by the Dolans and Shapiro that the Cleveland Indians are long done for 2010. Shapiro's rebuild 1.0 is a complete and utter failure, with the peak coming in 2007, one game from the world series, and the gutter coming, well, take your pick. The deal is staggering, in that it hinges on a 19-year old power pitcher in single A ball who was shut down this year because of a sore arm. Jason Knapp has the capability of topping out in the upper-90's. He also has injury concerns, and we all know how (Adam Miller) upside (Adam Miller) can (Adam Miller) sometimes (Adam Miller) go (Adam Miller) down (Adam Miller) the (Adam Miller) drain. Young power pitchers aren't a dime a dozen, but blown out arms are. Giving up Lee with this kid being the anchor of the deal is a monster risk for a club that has proven it can't take the next step once they HAVE players that can win a series.

The rest of the deal is a pure head scratcher.

Carlos Carrasco has a big arm, but has been lit-up by triple A pitching this year, and many scouts have questioned his head. Lou Marson is a catcher. He's a freakin' catcher. THEY TRADED FOR A FREAKIN' CATCHER? Sure, Victor Martinez will likely leave Cleveland in the next 48 hours, making Marson a likely fill-in. He's top five in the Phillies organization, so he's no slouch behind the plate. Here's the thing. Don't the Indians have Carlos Santana, Wyatt Toregas, Chris Gimenez and Kelly Shoppach? Now they have one more...for a Cy Young award winner with numbers in the ballpark of Roy Halladay. Oh yeah, they have Jason Donald, a SS that many can't figure out where he may play. He could be a second baseman, or a shortstop, or maybe he could play third base. Nice. They picked up a utility guy.

Oh, I'm sure I'll have to stomach some morons talking about how the Indians are a small-mid market team, and that this was the best they could do under the circumstances. That's garbage. Lee was a cheap asset over the next 1 1/2 years, and they had plenty of time to shop him for a package that might include the likes of a player like Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor, who most, including the Blue Jays, considered the three potential gets that were guarantees for the majors. The Indians couldn't get a single one of them.

Well done Shapiro.

The best part about it is that the Indians not only gave up Lee for the package of overrated garbage, but they had to give up Ben Francisco as well. Now, I'm not sad to see Francisco and his fourth outfielder stats gone, but it's funny that the Indians had to give up TWO players for their less than standard haul. It's like shooting a dog in the neck with a BB gun, then kicking him in the ass on his way out the door. I could get into the Francisco piece, but at least this should get Matt LaPorta up to the big club, so I'll just leave it alone. I guess keeping Francisco as insurance for Grady's injury was like everything else Shapiro spews out of his mouth.

You know, I get this team is constrained by the market. I get it. The problem I have is that unless they align every planet, and every prospect works out in the next five years or so, this team will never win a series. The ONLY way to win is to spend when you are on the precipice. No, the team may fail to make money for a few seasons, but a World Series trophy would certainly curtail that. The Indians mantra continues to be "just not enough."

Shapiro was jerkin' everyone around today, mumbling about how this team was better off than when he took over in 2002. You've got to love the irony. The Indians are hunting for a future ace, by trading away an ace. Make that two.

See you around Cliff...

More tomorrow after the Indians deal Victor Martinez for a can of corn.



Great posts on the trade at Tony Lastoria's Indians Prospect Insider and Paul Cousineau's The Diatribe. Here's another from Paul as well.

Tribe woes continue with 7-1 loss to Twins

The Minnesota Twins dominated every part of the game against the Indians on Saturday night, as they beat the Tribe 7-1 in another offensive letdown.

So much for Carl Pavano turning some sort of post-Yankees corner.  He gave up 11 hits in five innings, and left the game having given up five runs.  It wasn't a horrid start.  Nine of the 11 hits were singles, and a few of them were of the light-variety that the 90's Tribe infield likely either would have made a play on, or would have made it more interesting.  Still, there was really nothing to the start.  He's a guy that's obviously supposed to swallow up innings.  Gee thanks Carl for those five innings you pitched.  Thanks a lot.

I'd like to say I have faith in the Tribe front office to bring up David Huff sometime soon, and cut their ties with this guy, but they won't.  I'm sure they'll do something even more idiotic, like bring back Scott Lewis, and send Aaron Laffey back down.  Hey, didn't Zach Jackson start at some point?  Oh yeah, he can't start or relieve anymore.  Maybe they can use him for batting practice, or perhaps he can play short.

Well, the offense has now been shut down by Brian Bannister, Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey in three out of four nights.  Do I really need to say any more about that?  Sure, Bannister and Blackburn have a history of beating up the Indians, but should they?  Then you top it off with Kevin Slowey, and you really have to scratch your head.  Cleveland had nine hits, and struck out eight times.  Four of those nine hits came in the ninth inning, after the Indians were already down 7-0.  Seven of the total hits came from three players, Victor Martinez (3), Shin-Soo Choo (2) and Travis Hafner (2).  Slowey ended up going eight innings, giving up eight hits and only one run, while he struck out seven.  So, just to make sure we have it straight:  Yankees Stadium makes the Indians look like murderer's row.  Young, quality right-handed starters, who are struggling or have just been called up from triple A make the Indians look like they swing a feather.  Nice...

Rafael Perez made an appearance tonight after his disastrous start, and only gave up a hit in an inning of shutout ball.  Sure, he was down 5-0 when he came into the game, but it's also much better than giving up four or five more runs.  Joe Smith threw two innings of shutout ball after Perez.  It's something...not much...but something.

That said, Masa Kobayashi gave up two gopher balls.  Two words...No Masa.  Hey, what happened to Zach Jackson...oh yeah...he's suspended in no-man's land.

The Indians best starter is on the hill tomorrow night, when Aaron Laffey makes his third start (yeah, I said that with a straight face).  He's facing off against Glen Perkins.  Perkins is only a career 1-0 against the Indians, with a 4.76 ERA.  So, am I the only one that figures he's going to pitch like Roger Clemens on Ste...er. 

At least he's a lefty.

Laffey, the longball and the double play leads Tribe over Royals

Aaron Laffey provided the Indians with their best start of the season, as the Cleveland Indians held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7 at Progressive Field.  The Indians moved to 5-9 on the season with the win.

Laffey's start wasn't all peaches and cream, although he did pitch well in only allowing one run through seven innings.  He did get some fielding help with five straight innings with a double play, including a seventh-inning dp with the bases loaded that allowed the Indians to keep their 6-1 lead.  Laffey was really in command of his sinker and slider, and trusted his pitches enough to induce nine ground ball outs, to go along with three K's.

Laffey was called up on April 15th after Scott Lewis was sent to the DL with a strained forearm, and has arguably become the most effective Tribe starter.  Laffey's ERA has dropped to 2.19, and opponants are only hitting a paltry .238 off the young lefty.  His start was the first by a Tribe starter to last until the end of the seventh inning.  Unfortunately, the bullpen did everything it could to blow the lead.  More on that in a minute...

Cleveland's bullpen nearly blows it, and the offense flexes, after the jump...


Rafael Perez didn't get sent down to the minors, since Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro insist that he's earned the right to figure things out in the majors.  Huh?  What?  When did they start this policy?  Isn't this the team that sends it's pitchers on a nightly bunji-jump, from AAA to the bigs?  Management has decided that Perez will be taken out of key eight-inning, lefty situations that he has excelled at since making the club two-years ago. 

Joe Smith faced three batters, and managed to give up two hits and a walk, and ended up giving up three runs, although only one scored with him on the mound.  Masa Kobayashi would relieve him, would face two batters, giving up two hits and a run.  Neither retired a batter.  Jensen Lewis would save the day.  He gave up a sac fly, which made the score 6-5 Cleveland, before forcing Miguel Olivo to, you guessed it, ground into another double play.  The six double plays tied a record for the Indians.

Kerry Wood would add to the bullpen issues, but I'll get to that in a second...in the meantime...

The Indians offense continued it's onslaught tonight, led by the fifth home-runs by both Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez.  Sizemore's homer broke a 2-1 game wide open in the fourth inning.  Ben Francisco and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a couple of one-out singles, before Sizemore launched his Earl Weaver special over the wall in right field to give the Indians their 6-1 lead.

After the bullpen imploded, VMart came through in the eighth, blasting a two-run shot that gave the Indians an 8-5 cushion, that it would turn out to need.

This Indians' offense is potent, and patient, which can be deadly to opposing teams' pitching staff.  They have the penchant for big innings, and can really hit teams with a knockout quickly.  This should keep them in most games, even with a poor pitching staff.  The Indians will likely ride this offense, until the arms work themselves out.  If they don't, it could be a long season.

Kerry Wood did his best to impersonate Joe Borowski.  There's a major flaw with this line of thinking:  Wood throws a bit harder.  Wood's fastball's averaged 96 MPH, and his last pitch, a strike, was 97.  This isn't JoeBlo, even though Wood allowed a Dave DeJesus two-run jack, that left the Indians with only a one-lead.  Wood would settle down, and get a strike-out, his second, to end the inning.  Sure, it would have been nice to see him retire three guys on nine pitches, but he still looked essentially in command, and there really wasn't a time when I didn't think he was going to get that last guy out.  Wood recorded his second save.

Cleveland got another good start from a starting pitcher.  Perhaps this is a trend...I'll leave it at that.  The Indians are now 5-9 and 1-0 in this nine-game homestand.  Brian Bannister was recalled from AAA to face off against the Indians and Cliff Lee.  Hopefully Lee can return to full form against Bannister, who has been nothing but spectacular against the Indians.  Bannister has rolled out a 3-1 lifetime record against Cleveland, with a stellar 1.91 ERA against the team.  He's 2-0 against the Indians in Cleveland.  He's pitched well in AAA, having gone nine scoreless innings preceding his call-up.  It could be an interesting game.

The Cavaliers played like garbage in the second half of their game tonight, but still managed to beat the Pistons by eight points.  I suppose it has to be tough to get up against an opponent like the Pistons, who are, quite honestly, as done a team as you can be in the playoffs.  Watching the Pistons is almost painful.  I can't wait to brush this former great team aside, so we can have games worth watching.

A Message to the AL: The Tribe is for Real, AND Improving

We all know the numbers by now:



• A six game winning streak



• A 13-7 record, first in the AL Central



• A series victory in all but the Yankee series



• A 4-2 record against division rival Chicago



• A 2-0 record against division rival Minnesota



I know, I know, it's early, but it is incredibly tantalizing to compare this season to the past few. After 20 games the past three years, Cleveland was already scuffling. April has historically been a difficult month for this version of the Indians. Under Wedge, Cleveland came into the season 38-59 in April. That history makes this 13-7 start something to keep an eye on. An April with a winning record puts them ahead of their past bell curve.



Still, it’s early, and I don’t have to tell ANY Indian fan that it’s a long season.



How REAL is this team?



Offensively, it's safe to say that Cleveland hasn’t come close to tapping their offensive potential. Cleveland is tied for ninth in the AL in batting with an unspectacular .247 (all stats are BEFORE tonight’s victory). Only two Tribe regulars were batting over .300, and it took a 16 for 26 run by Travis Hafner to get him included in the .300 plus range. The majority of the Indians' runs have come from the home run ball. Look, home runs are important, but depending on the big inning isn’t something you want to hang your hat on. With that being said, the offense is still finding ways to win games, and doing all the necessary things TO get the job done. Average is overrated when you are finding ways to get on base.



Cleveland’s offense has a solid .350 OBP to go along with an enigmatic offense that strikes out a lot, but walks more. Tonight, Cleveland was out-hit 8-7, but managed to take 8 walks. If you put 15 men on base, your chances of winning are pretty good. This is a good sign that we are going to see a giant offensive improvement as the season progresses, and the weather warms up the Tribe bats. Cleveland batted .280 last season, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize they are going to end up around there again this season.



I also can’t express enough how BIG 2-out runs are. The Tribe of the 90’s made a living out of huge 2-out hits. This team seems to have the same sort of drama-inducing sense. Last night, both Josh Barfield and Grady Sizemore’s daggers came with 2-outs. Cleveland does struggle a bit with runners in scoring position at .237, but this will no doubt improve. It has too…or the ball’s going to start to bounce the other way.



Josh Barfield isn’t going to end up hitting .130.



Grady Sizemore isn’t going to end up hitting .270.



Vmart isn’t going to end up hitting .280.



We don’t know WHAT Peralta is going to do, but he WON’T hit .230 this year. He’s hitting the ball hard…and IS a different player this year.



Shin-Soo Choo and Ryan Garko have all found a way into the lineup, and have added a needed spark. Choo probably won’t be around for long, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s been doing. Having interchangeable parts as the year progresses is an added bonus. Especially with injury-prone Trot Nixon (what a start).



Point? This team hasn’t come close to reaching its offensive stride. Sooner or later, this is a team that will score runs in multiple innings to go along with the big inning. Once that happens, there are some AL teams that aren’t going to be all that happy. Realize this. Cleveland is FINDING ways to win. Something tells me we aren’t all that far away from not having to look that hard.



The starting pitching is just warming up. C.C. Sabathia is doing what we expect. He’s a #1 starter. He’s a stopper. In five starts this year, C.C. has given up 3 runs or less in all but one start. He has 35 K’s in 34 innings pitched. More impressively is that he’s only walked 8, and topped out with 3 against Chicago. The key for C.C. is to stay healthy. If he does, this could be a ‘break-the-bank’ year for Sabathia.



Jake Westbrook signed a new multi-year deal (3 years, 33 million). I needed to mention that, because Westbrook has been the complete opposite of Sabathia this year. His ERA stands at 7.96. It came down over a run last night thanks to a low strike zone from the umpire. He hasn’t looked good. Westbrook is to good a pitcher not to turn around. Watch for Jake to turn it around as the weather warms up, and his new contract settles in.



Sowers has been a solid #3 starter for this team. In three of four starts, he’s given up 3 or less runs, and has really done the job expected of him. He doesn’t walk many (we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for his five walk performance against Chicago), he hasn’t given up the long ball, and aside from getting blown up in the Bronx, has been the 2nd best starter on the staff. There’s no reason to think that Sowers WON’T continue this throughout the seasons. Expect consistency, an occasional blowup, but more good than bad. Isn’t that the definition of a #3 starter?



Byrd has been a mild surprise so far. He goes 6 innings. He avoids HUGE innings. This year, he wins games. Many are calling for Byrd to be dealt once Cliff Lee comes back, and I can’t deny that might not be the smart way to go. I do feel that Byrd is underrated, and as a #4 is extremely effective. Of course, once Lee comes back, if you’d ask me who I’d rather have in the rotation, Byrd or Fausto Carmona, I’d pick Carmona every time. That puts Adam Miller as the first guy called up from Buffalo. I like the sound of that.



Speaking of Fausto, how about this kid? After getting lit up in his first start, he has been highly effective, and improving in every start. Psst…he outdueled Johan Santana. You are looking at a #2 or #3 starter in the making, and I’m happy with the Tribe brass finally just putting him in the rotation. He’ll probably be in Buffalo soon, but I suspect not for long.



Cliff Lee is the kind of pitcher you always expect more of. I remember seeing him dominate in Akron, and you have to think that he can do that in the Majors. The question becomes when. He should be back in the rotation next week, and let’s hope that we get the top end starter he should be. He’s looked good in his rehab starts.



Overall, this rotation has been relatively consistent (Byrd, Carmona and Sowers), sometimes spectacular (CC), and head-scratching (Westbrook). But with Adam Miller rolling in Buffalo, and Cliff Lee joining the club this week, this staff is as good as it has been in the last several years…with plenty of room to improve. Look for a move (Byrd or…surprise, surprise, Westbrook).



The Relief Pitching has been pretty darn good. I know, I saw Fultz and Hernandez do their impression of the local pinball machine last night. But, I also so Rafael Betancourt slam the door shut on the Orioles…followed by Joe Borowski striking out the side in the ninth.



Fernando Cabrera has been electric. His ERA stands at 0, while compiling a 1-0 record, with fifteen K’s in 10 innings pitched. There are already calls to move him to the closer roll. I just want to remind you all what moving around a bullpen can do. Leave him be. We need shut down setup guys.



Jason Davis and Betancourt are proving the Tribe brass right. Many felt that both would “grow up” this year. Davis has been pretty lights out (although walking a bunch), and Betancourt has been as well. These two, with Cabrera, have given the Tribe a solid trio to use in the 7th and 8th innings.



The new signings, Aaron Fultz, Roberto Hernandez and Joe Borowski have had their ups and downs. Fultz, overall, has been very good. The last two games, he’s failed to retire a batter, however, with 2 walks and a run-scoring hit. Hernandez has, for the most part, gotten the job done. Still, he’s not lock down any more. Like last night, he can give up a string of hits. Borowski has nine saves, to go along with his 9.00 ERA. He’s given up a run in 4 of his 10 appearances. Still, he’s only blown one save so far, and aside from getting BLOWN UP against the Yankees, hasn’t been anything we didn’t expect. As advertised, this guy is a lot like Bob Wickman. Take a look at Wickman’s stats this year. No, he’s not blown up like Borowski did against New York, but you’ll notice some striking similarities.



You add to that Mike Miller, who’s on the DL, Tom Mastny, and a slew of kids in Buffalo who have been lights out. Certainly, this is a vast improvement.



The Indians fielding hasn’t been close to up to par, but better than it looks from the outside looking in. Barfield and Marte have 4 errors apiece, and Peralta has 3. The Tribe as a team have 18 errors, third worst in the AL. With that being said, anyone who saw the game last night, and the play that Barfield made, shows you what kind of defensive player Barfield is. He covers a country-mile, and makes fantastic plays look easy. He’ll get errors on plays many can’t even get too. Marte looks flat out overwhelmed. Truth be told, he’s starting to scare me a whole lot. Thank god we got Kelly Shoppach in that deal. Peralta IS playing better in the field. His three errors are actually in the top third of the AL, and he and Barfield are playing well together. Again, the defense has struggled, but overall, still is improved. Marte will need to be watched.



Overall, you have to grade the Tribe start as an A-. I’d throw them an A+, but this team still isn’t grooving yet. That’s the exciting piece to this start. Anyone who’s seen this team play over the past few years, knows that there is another gear we haven’t seen yet. Still…



I’m pretty happy with the gear we are in now.



Tonight…Sowers against Bedard. Let’s pull for 7.