It's Tribe Time (2010 Indians)

[CatKnight]

2010 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Marson, Lou               CLE   19  .219    64   14   2   0   2   11   19    0   1   10    9  .344  .333
Toregas, Wyatt            CLE    5  .211    19    4   0   0   0    0    5    0   0    1    0  .211  .211

LaPorta, Matt             CLE   19  .256    78   20   4   0   5    6   14    0   1   11   10  .500  .306
Gimenez, Chris            CLE    3  .455    11    5   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    1    2  .455  .455
Branyan, Russell          CLE    3  .364    11    4   0   0   2    1    2    0   0    4    3  .909  .462

Cabrera, Asdrubal         CLE   19  .226    84   19   5   0   1    5   22    1   1    6   10  .321  .267
Marte, Andy               CLE   20  .228    79   18   3   3   0    4   14    0   0   10    6  .342  .265
Peralta, Jhonny           CLE   21  .273    77   21   4   0   3    6   17    0   0   10   10  .442  .326
Valbuena, Luis            CLE   14  .211    57   12   0   0   1    2    5    2   0    6    4  .263  .237
Rodriguez, Luis           CLE    6  .091    11    1   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .091  .091
Hernandez, Anderson       CLE    2  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    1    1  .167  .143

Sizemore, Grady           CLE   21  .341    85   29   9   1   5   14   11    3   2   13   17  .647  .446
Choo, Shin-Soo            CLE   20  .294    85   25   7   1   1    7   21    1   0   10   11  .435  .355
Crowe, Trevor             CLE   20  .190    79   15   2   0   0    5   11    3   0   10    1  .215  .247
Kearns, Austin            CLE    2  .333     6    2   0   0   1    1    2    0   0    2    1  .833  .500

Catcher: Neither man is exactly impressing me. Nonetheless, without knowing if my AI manager will actually use Carlos Santana (72/90) I'd rather let him develop in AAA-Columbus for awhile longer.

First Base: Notice how well Giminez has done in limited appearances. This is enough to let him stay with the Major League roster even though I really don't need three first basemen. LaPorta's a much better choice for DH than Valbuena was.

Infield: Peralta is doing very well. Marte and Cabrera aren't, but it's hard to argue for replacing them at this time. We will sned Valbuena and Hernandez down however and give some other people a chance.

Outfield: As expected, the only real problem I've having here is from Trever Crowe. It's time for him to go down as well.

Reassignment:
* to Columbus *
2B Luis Valbuena (76/80) [24]
SS Anderson Hernandez (71) [27]
LF Trevor Crowe (72/74) [26]

* to Cleveland *
SS Brian Bixler (73/75) [27] (.227 0-3 w Pirates in 2009) (.395 OBP in AAA)
3B Brian Buscher (71/72) [29] (.235 2-12 w Twins in 2009) (.348 1-19, .458 OBP in AAA)
LF Michael Brantley (74/83) [22] (.313 0-11 in 2009) (.298 0-14, .402 OBP in AAA)

In the aftermath of all these moves, Brantley and Buscher join the starting lineup while Marte moves to the bench.

2010 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Masterson, Justin         CLE   28.2  4.08    5   5   2   1   0   32    8 12.56
Carmona, Fausto           CLE   25.2  3.51    4   4   2   1   0   10    6 10.17
Martinez, Pedro           CLE   20.2  4.35    4   4   2   1   0   14    5 10.45
Laffey, Aaron             CLE   19.0  9.00    4   4   0   3   0    8    8 16.58
Huff, David               CLE   15.2  9.19    4   4   0   2   0   10    8 17.81

Smith, Joe                CLE   17.0  3.18   12   0   0   1   1   10    4 10.06
Perez, Rafael             CLE   15.0  3.60    8   0   1   0   0   11    3 10.20
Rivera, Saul              CLE   14.2  7.36   10   0   0   1   1    7    7 19.02
Wright, Jamey             CLE   12.1  8.76    9   0   1   0   0    9    8 21.89
Grilli, Jason             CLE   12.1  2.19    8   0   1   2   0   10    3  8.76
Perez, Chris              CLE    6.2  2.70    5   0   0   0   3    8    3  6.75
Lewis, Jensen             CLE    3.0  6.00    2   0   0   0   0    3    0 12.00

It can be argued with some fairness that one month is too soon to properly evaluate pitchers.

I don't care. This is a mess.

Starters Masterson's showing potential above and beyond what his real life stats indicate. Carmona and Martinez are merely inconsistent, with some excellent starts and some truly awful ones. Laffey and Huff give up an outrageous number of runners per game. Lest you think their ERA misleading, their DICE isn't much better. (5.95 and 7.79 respectively)

Relievers It's too early to judge Lewis, and Perez looks like he might indeed be a decent closer. With Rivera gone and Grilli putting together some decent performances of late, the only reliever left who makes my skin crawl is Jamey Wright. Again, lest you think his ERA and 21.9 R/9 unfair, his DICE is over 6. Down he goes.

The only real problem with all these changes is that I don't have many people to replace them with.

Reassignment:
* to Columbus *
SP David Huff (76/81) [25]
SP Aaron Laffey (75/76) [25]
RP Jamey Wright (77) [35]

* to Cleveland *
SP Jeremy Sowers (73) [26] (6-11 5.25 in 2009) (1-2 6.23 in AAA)
SP Mitch Talbot (69/75) [26] (3-3 3.16 in AAA)
RP Tom Mastny (71/72) [29] (0-0 2.04 8 SV in AAA)

I could have made stronger choices: SP Nick Hagadone (74/94) can't stay in Columbus forever, but I'd rather let him beat up on AAA-batting for awhile longer. Further, Sowers and Mastny's arbitration clocks are up this year anyway, while Talbot's runs until 2012.

In the aftermath, our rotation is Carmona-Masterson-Sowers-Martinez-Talbot. Mastny goes to long relief bumping Lewis to mid-relief.

[CatKnight]

Major League Baseball
April 29, 2010

AL East                       AL Central                    AL West
Toronto        12  10  --     Chicago        16   5  --     Los Angeles    13  10  --
Boston         12  10  --     Minnesota-wc   12   9   4     Oakland        11  11   1.5
Tampa          10  11   1.5   Detroit        10  12   6.5   Seattle        10  12   2.5
New York        9  11   2     Cleveland       9  12   7     Texas           9  12   3
Baltimore       8  13   3.5   Kansas City     9  12   7

NL East                       NL Central                    NL West
Philadelphia   14   7  --     St. Louis      14   7  --     San Diego      11  10  --
Atlanta-wc     13   8   1     Pittsburgh-wc  13   8   1     Colorado       11  11   0.5
New York       12  10   2.5   Milwaukee      12   9   2     San Francisco   9  12   2
Florida        10  12   4.5   Houston        10  10   3.5   Los Angeles     9  12   2
Washington      9  13   5.5   Chicago         9  13   5.5   Arizona         9  12   2
                              Cincinnati      5  16   9

                              American League               National League
Batting Average               Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) .398      Cristian Guzman (WAS) .410
Home Runs                     Two tied with 8               Justin Upton (ARI) 9
RBI                           Alexei Ramirez (CHW) 24       Andy LaRoche (PIT) 21
Stolen Bases                  Juan Pierre (CHW) 12          Two tied with 11

Wins                          Three tied with 4             Four tied with 4
ERA                           Robinson Tejeda (KC) 1.23     Cole Hamels (PHI) 0.69
Strikeouts                    Felix Hernandez (SEA) 36      Yovani Gallardo (MIL) 39                                                                 
Saves                         Mike Gonzalez (BAL) 7         Three tied with 7

Indians in the Top Ten
Strikeouts                   Justin Masterson 32 (T-2nd AL) (T-8th MLB)

Trades (non-Indians)
None

Major Injuries (3 mo. plus, MLB, non-Indians)
BOS - LF Jacoby Ellsbury (82) [26] (.301 8-60 in 2009) - 3 months
DET - RP Daniel Schlereth (75/87) [23] (1-4 5.89 w D-backs in 2009) - 6 months
LAA - 2B Maicer Izturis (81) [29] (.300 8-65 in 2009) - 5 months

NYM - CF Angel Pagan (80) [28] (.306 6-32 in 2009) - 3 months
NYM - SP Johan Santana (94) [31] (13-9 3.13 in 2009) - 3 months
NYM - 2B Luis Castillo (79) [34] (.302 1-40 in 2009) - 3 months
PIT - 1B Garrett Jones (78/79) [28] (.293 21-44 in 2009) - 3 months
STL - 2B Felipe Lopez (82) [29] (.319 9-57 w D-backs/Brewers in 2009) - 4 months
SDP - 1B Adrian Gonzalez (89) [27] (.277 40-99 in 2009) - 3 months
SFG - 2B Juan Uribe (82) [30] (.289 16-55 in 2009) - 4 months
SFG - SP Matt Cain (93) [25] (14-8 2.89 4 CG in 2009) - 4 months

Milestones
DET - LF Johnny Damon (79) [36] (.242 6-14 in 2010) - 1000 RBI, 1500 Runs
DET - RF Magglio Ordonez (83) [36] (.322 2-18 in 2010) - 1000 Runs, 2000 Hits
CLE - CF Grady Sizemore (87) [27] (.341 5-17 in 2010) - Hit for the Cycle (on April 11!)

LAD - LF Manny Ramirez (90) [37] (.270 5-13 in 2010) - 2500 Hits

[CatKnight]

We're 9-12 with one day left in April, and seven games off the pace because the White Sox are red hot. I've made a number of changes in the hopes of, if not necessarily competing, at least finding out who will be able to help the team going forward.
*******

April 30

Twins 10 Indians 9 (10)
WP: Neshek (2-1), LP: R Perez (1-1), SV: Condrey (1)
HR: (CLE) Cabrera (2), Marte (1), Sizemore (6)

For reasons that escape me, Jeremy Sowers debuts by pitching 9 innings...horribly. Perhaps the AI saw no point in trying to save the game. Our offense sure did as we battle back from 2-0, 8-4 and 9-7 deficits. We finally go to our bullpen in the tenth...and lose.

May 1

Twins 2 Indians 3
WP: Martinez (3-1), LP: Duensing (0-2), SV: C Perez (4)

Brian Bixler (see below) debuts by going 2 for 4 with a run. Martinez does well enough for the win, but it's up to our bullpen to shut the Twins down.

May 2

Twins 5 Indians 0
WP: Baker (4-1), LP: Carmona (2-2)
HR: (MIN) Thome (7)

Scott Baker pitches a two-hit, 8K complete game as our offense takes the day off.

********

On April 30, SS Jhonny Peralta broke his forearm and will go on the 60-day DL. In his place we bring back 2B Luis Valbuena. Our manager moves Brian Bixler to the starting lineup.

*******

Cleveland Indians (10-14)
Fourth Place, (6.5 GB) behind Chicago

*******

May 3

Blue Jays 9 Indians 10
WP: C Perez (1-0), LP: Frasor (0-1)
HR: (CLE) Sizemore (7)

We trail 7-1 entering the bottom of the second thanks to Justin Masterson. Two major rallies led by Michael Brantley (2 for 5, 4 RBI) and Austin Kearns allows us to take a 10-9 lead in the bottom of the eighth. Chris Perez gets the win in a game where we combine for 29 hits.

May 4

Blue Jays 0 Indians 1
WP: Sowers (1-0), LP: Morrow (3-3)

Jeremy Sowers pitches a 2-hit 6-strikeout shutout...then ends his season and quite possibly career with a broken arm. Catcher Lou Marson also goes on the 14-day DL with a separated shoulder. Talk about pyrrhic victories....

May 5

Blue Jays 2 Indians 7
WP: Martinez (4-1), LP: Tallet (0-5)
HR: (TOR) Snider (6), (CLE) Marte (2)

Did Pedro just need time to get back into the swing of things? Another strong performance and he's starting to look like a bona fide ace again. We score all our runs in the third inning, including Marte's grand slam.

*******

The May 4 shutout will prove to be important one way or the other, as it forces me to make my move at least one month ahead of schedule. Carlos Santana and Nick Hagadone (0-4 4.42 in AAA) will have their chance to stay with the club. Santana becomes our starter, Hagadone our number four man ahead of Mitch Talbot.

In brighter news, this is our first sweep of the year.

*******

Cleveland Indians (13-14)
Third Place, (4.5 GB) behind Chicago

*******

May 7

Tigers 5 Indians 2
WP: Bonderman (2-3), LP: Masterson (2-2), SV: Valverde (4)
HR: (DET) M Cabrera (8), Guillen (7), (CLE) Choo (2)

Well, it couldn't last....and in the last few starts Masterson's gone straight from ace to awful. His ERA is now 6.89 after giving up all five runs in the first 2.2 IP. Santana debuts going 1 for 3 with an RBI.

May 8

Tigers 3 Indians 4
WP: C Perez (2-0), LP: Zumaya (0-1)
HR: (DET) Inge (6), C Thomas (3)

Carmona and Perez appear to be turning into a decent team as he finishes a relatively strong performance. Sizemore goes 4 for 5 with 2 RBI as we win it in the ninth on Santana's RBI single.

May 9

Tigers 8 Indians 9
WP: Lewis (1-0), LP: Coke (1-2), SV: C Perez (5)
HR: (DET) Everett (1), (CLE) Choo (3), Santana (1), Brantley (1)

Martinez stumbles a bit and Grilli lets Detroit back in the game, but Lewis stops the bleeding as we deadlock at 7 through six innings. Our offense seems to be remarkably good at making up for our pitching weaknesses however, as Santana and Brantley both get 3 RBI in the 8-9 spots of the order.

*******

Cleveland Indians (15-15)
Third Place, (3.0 GB) behind Chicago and Minnesota

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Santana turned into a rock behind the plate in my Twins dynasty. 89/94 with excellent all-around vitals. Hasn't really produced as he should yet, but he's still only 24 in my game. Definitely something for you to look forward to.

[CatKnight]

YEAH DAWWWG: I have high hopes for Santana, but like in your dynasty he's struggling early on.
*******

That was a pleasant opening to the month, though now we go back on the road for eight days.

LF Jordan Brown comes back in six days, C Lou Marson in nine. If nothing else happens, we will have some decisions to make.
*******

May 11

Indians 1 - Royals 5
WP: Davies (4-2), LP: Hagadone (0-1)
HR: (CLE) Marte (3)

Hagadone makes his career debut and gives us three scoreless innings...then one pretty bad one. I'm not expecting him to be great this year, but I'll be watching closely. If it looks like this little tryst is hurting his development, I'll suck it up and rent an FA pitcher.

May 12

Indians 3 - Royals 2
WP: Masterson (3-2), LP: Farnsworth (0-3), SV: C Perez (6)
HR: (CLE) Bixler 2 (2), (KC) Podsednik (6), Moustakas (1)

Masterson hears rumors of my displeasure (something to do which love notes taped to his locker titled 'Dear Loser') and gives me seven solid innings. SS Brian Bixler does the rest going 3 for 5 with 2 R and all 3 RBI.

May 13

Indians 0 - Royals 10
WP: Meche (1-4), LP: Carmona (2-3)

Ow. Gil Meche pitches a 3H 12K shutout. Not only do our pitchers suck, but Marte and Bixler combine for two errors and four unearned runs.

*******

Cleveland Indians (16-17)
Third Place, 4.5 GB of Minnesota

*******

May 14

Indians 4 - Orioles 5
WP: J Johnson (2-2), LP: Martinez (4-2), SV: Gonzalez (11)
HR: (CLE) Choo (4), (BAL) Scott 2 (10)

We need to get back home ASAP. This road trip is killing us. The only bright spot today is Choo's 4 RBI.

May 15

Indians 6 - Orioles 1
WP: Hagadone (1-1), LP: Matusz (3-3)
HR: (CLE) Sizemore (8), (BAL) A Jones (4)

Hagadone lets me know he'd rather stay with an 8K 7IP run. Sizemore and Choo both get three hits, and Sizemore brings home three of our runs.

May 16

Indians 2 - Orioles 9
WP: Bergesen (3-2), LP: Talbot (0-1)
HR: (BAL) Wieters (5), Crede (7), A Jones (5)

Talbot finally makes his season debut from the #5 slot ... and makes it abundantly clear why the AI would just as soon skip him. It's 5-0 Orioles when he leaves in the third and goes downhill from there.

*******

Jordan Brown (73/80) [26] is ready to come off the DL. He batted .311 10-75 in AA-Akron last year. Does he deserve a shot to make the club? Who would he replace?

Michael Brantley, who's batting .185 1-9 in 54 AB with 3 SB, a .185 OBP and .259 SLG.

Welcome to the show, Jordan.

*******

Cleveland Indians (17-19)
Fourth Place, 5.5 GB of Minnesota

*******

May 17

Indians 4 - Rays 1
WP: Masterson (4-2), LP: Shields (4-4), SV: C Perez (7)
HR: (CLE) Marte (4)

I write more 'love notes' for Masterson, since they seem to work. Marte (2 for 3, 2 RBI) is actually starting to look like a competent player.

May 18

Indians 7 - Rays 1
WP: Carmona (3-3), LP: Garza (2-1)

We persevere despite giving up an error and hitting into nine double plays. Carmona gives up 0 ER in 7 IP. Marte has another stellar day going 3 for 5 with 3 RBI, raising his BA to .263

*******

It's now Marson's turn to come back. Lou Marson was batting .244 2-12 with a .337 OBA when he was hurt. Carlos Santana is currently .242 1-5 (.342 OBA) and Toregas .267 0-1 (.290). I would rather send Wyatt Toregas down, but my friendly AI manager informs me that in that case Marson would start and Santana would sit on the bench.

I do not want anything getting in the way of Santana's development. Far better he get playing time at AAA then splinters in his tail.

*******

Cleveland Indians (19-19)
Third Place, 4.5 GB of Minnesota

********

May 19

Royals 1 - Indians 6
WP: Martinez (5-2), LP: Bannister (2-4)

It feels very good to be home. No real heroes as six players get hits, while Martinez goes eight innings.

May 20

Royals 3 - Indians 1
WP: Hochevar (2-4), LP: Hagadone (1-2)

Jordan Brown, who entered the game with a batting average in the .180s, gets 3 hits in 4 attempts. He's really the only one who has Luke Hochevar's number however, while Hagadone is thrown out of the game after three innings.

*******

It's now time to get ready for the rest of the season.

First, I sent Nick Hagadone (1-2 4.85 in 13 IP) down. Other than his 4.1 IP/G ratio he's really not doing that badly...but that's the point. The only reason we're even remotely in this pennant race is because the White Sox died and the rest of the division isn't much better. I can't expect it to last... and I want him to have plenty of time to practice in Columbus. No doubt he'll come back later.

Second, Andy Marte (77) [26] (.264 4-21) ruptured his pride on a Cleveland Plain-Dealer article suggesting we should trade him for a bag of baseballs. He will be out about two months. Up comes Mark Grudzielanek (74) [39] (.256 0-11 in AAA). It might have been better just to let him decide to retire in the next few months, but as our roster is filling with players looking to make a last gasp (Martinez, and see below) we might as well let Mark try too. Plus, he has an interesting name.

Free Agency
We sign Paul Byrd (69) [39] (1-3 5.82 w Red Sox in 2009) to finish out the season. Byrd actually played for the Indians from 2006-08 before being traded mid-season to Boston. During those 2 1/2 seasons he made fans groan, but did emerge with a 32-27 record and 4 CG. Like Martinez, let's hope he has a little something left in the gas tank.

Trade
Kerry Wood (79) [32] (3-3 4.25 20 SV in 2009) comes off the DL. His $10.5 M salary is just too much so we put him on the block looking for prospects.

The Nationals decide to show us how serious the are about contending and offer SP Collin Balester (69/79) [23] (1-4 6.82 w Nationals in 09) (2-4 4.59 in AA-Harrisburg). Deal.

*******

Cleveland Indians (20-20)
Third Place, 4.5 GB of Minnesota

[petrel]

Great to see you back, CatKnight. Now I need to find some way back myself.

[jshaw]

not to interrupt but how did you code your standings like that?

[AthleticsFan2k8]

That's Nice CatKnight, It's great to have you back by doing a dynasty about the Tribe from Cleveland!

[CatKnight]

petrel: That's why I chose something simple and easy to follow. Speed seems to help me keep coming back to update.

jshaw: Nothing special - I didn't do anything to the export or anything. I opened my text program (I use TextPad, though NotePad works just as well) and typed everything out, lining it up and enclosing it in code tags. There's a little more detail in the 'Dugout: Tips and Tricks' thread.

AthleticsFan2K8: Thanks. I'm glad to see you're still doing your dynasty as well.
*******

We finish up May with our ancient NL rivals, the Cincinnati Reds (O rly?) followed by the ChiSox and Yankees, who are probably looking for revenge after April's trade.

*******

May 21

Reds 10 - Indians 2
WP: Baek (2-2), LP: Byrd (0-1)
HR: (CIN) Rolen (5), Nix 2 (10), Stubbs (4), (CLE) Branyan (3), Brown (1)

Byrd wouldn't have done so bad in 6.1 IP if he didn't give up 3 HR. The score wouldn't look so bad if Rafael Perez knew how to pitch. Sheesh.

May 22

Reds 5 - Indians 1
WP: Cueto (2-2), LP: Masterson (4-3), SV: Rhodes (1)

Meh. Sizemore gets our only RBI when he singles home Bixler. Our bullpen once more blew it.

May 23

Reds 8 - Indians 5
WP: Rhodes (2-2), LP: R Perez (1-2), SV: Cordero (9)
HR: (CIN) R Hernandez (4), (CLE) LaPorta (6)

Rafael Perez's ERA climbs to over 6. He may go down to AAA if he keeps this up. Our offense finally makes a real stab at winning and our bullpen really falls through.

*******

Cleveland Indians (20-23)
Tied for 3rd Place, 6.5 GB of Minnesota

*******

May 24

White Sox 3 - Indians 8
WP: Martinez (6-2), LP: Garcia (1-4), SV: J Smith (2)

Pedro Martinez can usually only give me 5 or 6 innings, but that's okay as he's turning into my most reliable starter. A rather pleasant day led by 1B Chris Giminez (3 for 4, 2 R, 2 BI) who is filling in for Branyan.

May 25

White Sox 6 - Indians 2
WP: Buehrle (4-3), LP: Mastny (0-1)
HR: (CHW) A Jones (7)

So...Paul Byrd misses his start with a minor injury. Fine. Rather than go to our #5 guy, the AI gives the ball to Tom Mastny. Mastny's very clearly a reliever who's only now making his second career start. The result is fairly predictable.

May 26

White Sox 13 - Indians 2
WP: Floyd (6-3), LP: Talbot (0-2)
HR: (CHW) A Ramirez (9), (CLE) Brown (2)

Ah..so this is why the AI doesn't want to use my #5 guy. Okay, I take it all back.

*******

Fortunately(?) Mitch Talbot (now 68/74) [26] (0-2 19.64) won't be bothering us for a little while. He's out for a month with a fractured eye bone after my pitching coach slugged him. It's probably significant that in two years (this and the '08 Rays) he's 0-2 13.50 ERA, 3 starts in 5 games, 13.1 IP and a 9.75 DICE.

I suppose this means we'll give Aaron Laffey (0-2 9.00) a chance to prove I'm wrong about him. Good luck with that.

*******

Cleveland Indians (21-25)
Fourth Place, 7.0 GB of Minnesota

*******

May 28

Indians 1 - Yankees 3
WP: Pettitte (4-5), LP: Masterson (4-4), SV: M Rivera (8)

Like last start, it's not that Masterson does badly...just not well enough. Our offense takes the day off and so we lose.

May 29

Indians 2 - Yankees 3
WP: Robertson (3-2), LP: R Perez (1-3), SV: M Rivera (9)
HR: (NYY) A Rodriguez 2 (13)

A-Roid goes 4 for 4, and is a single short of hitting for the cycle. Jake Westbrook, who we traded to NY in April, avenges his honor somewhat by pitching 6 innings and giving up 2 runs. Giminez continues to impress going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

May 30

Indians 3 - Yankees 6
WP: Burnett (2-4), LP: Lewis (1-1)
HR: (CLE) Marson (3)

Martinez puts in another solid performance, but this time he can't save us from the bullpen.


May 31

Indians 5 - Yankees 2
WP: Byrd (1-1), LP: Vazquez (4-3), SV: C Perez (8)
HR: (CLE) Marson (4), LaPorta (7), (NYY) Teixeira (7)

You mean if we score more runs than the opponents we win? Who knew? LaPorta goes 2 for 3 with 2 runs and an RBI, while Marson and Giminez put in solid performances.

*******

So...what does it mean when you go 1-3 in a series, and pick up 1.5 games in the divisional race?

*******

Cleveland Indians (22-28)
Tied for 4th Place, 5.5 GB behind Minnesota

[CatKnight]

Amateur Draft 2010

It's hard to imagine what this club will look like in 2013-2014...hopefully nothing like it does today. Because of that it's not all that easy to tell what we should draft.

Team Review

Let's take a quick look by position:

Catcher
Lou Marson (74/79) [23]
Wyatt Toregas (72/75) [27]
Carlos Santana (72/90) [23]

Santana's our future, and Marson can turn into a formidable backup. I don't think Toregas has a place in the organization except as a third string backup. I'm a little disturbed that we have no one else worth talking about if something happens to Santana.

First
Russell Branyan (79) [34]
Chris Giminez (70/72) [27]
Matt LaPorta (79/90) [25]

So...LaPorta's our starter of the future, and Branyan will probaby retire/go away in the next couple of years. Giminez is hot now, but it doesn't look like it can last. Again, we don't seem to have anyone else near ready, so first base looks like a priority.

Second
Asdrubal Cabrera (88/92) [24]
Mark Grudzelinak (74) [39]
Luis Valbuena (76/80) [24]
Tony Graffiano (73) [37]
Luis Rodriguez (77) [29]

Cabrera's our future, at least until his contract is up in 2011. Grudzelinak and Graffiano will retire soon. Valbuena and Rodriguez could be worthy backups and we have a tiny bit of depth further down the minor league chain. We're okay here.

Short
Jhonny Peralta (28) [80]
Brian Bixler (72/74) [27]
Jason Donald (71/75) [25]
Anderson Hernandez (72) [27]

Peralta's contract is up this year, but unless he's a total ass in negotiations he should be back. Donald could be a tolerable, if not great backup. It's worth keeping an eye out for a hot shortstop, but not as important as first or catcher.

Third
Andy Marte (77) [26]
Brian Buscher (71/72) [29]

Though this looks very bad, there's help around the corner. Lonnie Chisenhall (63/92) [21] will be ready in a few years, and Wes Hodges (67/76) [25] may be able to back him up. It'd be nice to have another plan if Chisenhall busts, however.

Left
Jordan Brown (72/79) [26]
Trevor Crowe (73/75) [26]
Michael Brantley (77/83) [23]

Despite his poor start this year, Brantley's probably our future with Brown backing him up. We have another OF in A ball who will probably also do well. We're okay for now.

Center
Grady Sizemore (87) [27]

This is frightening. Sizemore's our only CF at any level, and his contract is up next year. We need to find a CF in this draft if possible, and maybe even use my last free agency pick for the year to find someone we can develop.

Right
Shin Soo-Choo (83) [27]
Austin Kearns (72) [30]
Shelley Duncan (71/73) [30]

We have a starter, but no real effective backup. Right's another place to look for help.

Starters
Justin Masterson (84/85) [25]
Fausto Carmona (79) [26]
Pedro Martinez (76) [38]
Paul Byrd (69) [39]
Aaron Laffey (75/76) [25]
Scott Lewis (66/69) [26]
Nick Hagadone (74/94) [24]
Mitch Talbot (68/74) [26]
Anthony Reyes (72/73) [28]
Jeremy Sowers (72) [27]

Ignoring Martinez and Byrd, this give us two players with peaks in the 80-90 range, Carmona at 79, and a host of others. There is significant help in the lower minors though. We just need to hold on for a few years.

Relievers
Chris Perez (85/93) [24]
Rafael Perez (80) [28]
Joe Smith (78) [26]
Jensen Lewis (76) [28]
Jason Grilli (75) [33]
Tom Mastny (67/68) [29]
Tony Sipp (75/77) [26]
Jess Todd (74/81) [24]
Mike Gosling (69/71) [29]
Jamey Wright (75) [35]
Saul Rivera (76) [32]

The bullpen's another story. Chris Perez should be our closer for some time. Rafael's in his prime now. Todd may grow into his position with a little luck. There's only one reliever in the low minors with a peak of 80+ and a lot of chaff. We need to deal with this.

[CatKnight]

Fricking 10K limit!

Picks

1. SS Elmer Alonza (66/87) [20]
Con 71 Pwr 61 Spd 71 Eye 78 Arm 76 Rge 71 Fld 79 Hlt 79
2010-Okla. St: .315 4-37 with 5 SB

Taking into account that health is generally a very good thing, Alonza became one of the top players available. I have high hopes for him in a few years.

2. CF Owen Boudreau (60/83) [17]
Con 63 Pwr 66 Spd 75 Eye 68 Arm 70 Rge 73 Fld 76 Hlt 81
2010-HS (Montreal PQ): .395 10-40 with 4 SB

Boudreau will take a little longer to be ready, but (like Alonza) he has real potential to be our starter in a few years.

3. RP Joe Dorn (58/76) [20]
End 24 Ctr 55 Pwr 80 Mov 58 Def 63 Hit 70 Hlt 73 / Fast 69 Slid 67 CirChg 57
2010-Long Bch St: 4-1 2.75, 23 SV and 80 K in 39.1 IP

We are quickly heading towards the chaff of this draft. There are players with more potential upside but other problems, such as being 16 years old and therefore ready to join the 25 man roster by around 2020. Dorn, at least, has decent power/stuff. If he can improve his control a little bit he might just make it.

4. 1B Travis Usher (55/77) [21]
Con 67 Pwr 66 Spd 55 Eye 66 Arm 74 Rge 63 Fld 68 Hlt 73
2010-S Carolina: .384 17-56 0

Much as I've picked up an aversion to all ball players named Travis, he was the best option left. At age 21 we'll know fairly quickly whether he can improve enough to contribute or be a career minor leaguer.

5. RP Philip Dean (47/78) [19]
End 22 Ctr 57 Pwr 60 Mov 60 Def 83 Hit 72 Hlt 85 / Fast 59 Chg 53 Split 48
2010-HS (Montgomery AL): 6-1 1.72 ERA

Eww. He's like Dorn without the fastball. Still, with that health he might make something of himself and his defense is very good.

6. 2B Samuel Emanuelles (48/72) [16]
Con 55 Pwr 58 Spd 73 Eye 58 Arm 72 Rge 53 Fld 64 Hlt 77
2010-HS (Arecibo PR): .360 4-14 with 4 SB

Eww. Since there were very few people left who even projected to ever see a Major League diamond, this time I went for youth. Emanuelles' only real hope is that the game's aging engine goes nuts and gives him a number of boosts. I want to give it the maximum chance to do precisely that.

For Those Curious:

1st Pick: Washington Nationals
CF Mike Corn (72/87) [21]
Con 75 Pwr 70 Spd 81 Eye 68 Arm 76 Rge 97 Fld 82 Hlt 61
2010-Florida St.: .414 8-38 with 2 SB

Last Pick: New York Yankees
SP Houston Puiggros (48/69) [20]
End 82 Ctr 57 Pwr 58 Mov 50 Def 69 Hit 70 Hlt 73 / Fast 61 Slid 54 Split 46
2010-Georgia: 8-4 4.78

[CatKnight]

Team Statistics
May 31, 2010

Batters

2010 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP

Marson, Lou               CLE   35  .252   115   29   5   0   4   19   26    0   1   19   18  .400  .358
Santana, Carlos           CLE   10  .242    33    8   1   0   1    5    7    1   0    3    5  .364  .342
Toregas, Wyatt            CLE    8  .267    30    8   1   0   0    1    6    0   1    2    1  .300  .290

LaPorta, Matt             CLE   48  .230   183   42   7   0   7   19   35    0   1   22   23  .383  .304
Branyan, Russell          CLE   24  .141    92   13   3   0   3    9   40    1   0    9    6  .272  .225
Gimenez, Chris            CLE   13  .286    42   12   2   0   0    2   15    0   0    4    8  .333  .318

Cabrera, Asdrubal         CLE   44  .275   171   47  13   2   2   10   34    4   2   18   16  .409  .317
Valbuena, Luis            CLE   19  .192    78   15   1   1   1    3   13    2   0    9    5  .269  .222
Rodriguez, Luis           CLE    6  .091    11    1   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    0    0  .091  .091

Bixler, Brian             CLE   28  .171   105   18   3   1   2    8   43    4   0   13    7  .276  .250
Peralta, Jhonny           CLE   22  .280    82   23   5   0   3    6   18    0   0   10   10  .451  .330
Hernandez, Anderson       CLE    2  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    3    0   0    1    1  .167  .143

Marte, Andy               CLE   37  .264   144   38   6   3   4    6   26    0   0   19   21  .431  .289
Buscher, Brian            CLE   12  .357    42   15   4   0   0    3    6    0   1    5    4  .452  .400

Crowe, Trevor             CLE   20  .190    79   15   2   0   0    5   11    3   0   10    1  .215  .247
Brantley, Michael         CLE   15  .185    54   10   1   0   1    0    8    3   1    6    9  .259  .185
Brown, Jordan             CLE   14  .260    50   13   5   1   2    3    9    0   1    4    3  .520  .315

Sizemore, Grady           CLE   49  .289   194   56  14   1   8   24   38    9   3   23   30  .495  .378

Choo, Shin-Soo            CLE   46  .286   175   50   9   1   4   19   48    1   1   23   22  .417  .364
Kearns, Austin            CLE    7  .286    21    6   1   0   1    4    5    0   0    5    3  .476  .444

Catchers: No change from before. I don't trust my manager to not sit Santana on the bench, and I want him to get playing time, so it'll continue to be Marson and Toregas.

First: I have a pet peeve against people who can't even hit the Mendoza line. 92 AB is enough to at least begin to turn things around. Giminez is at least putting in the effort. Branyan will go down.

Second: Similarly, this means I have a problem with Valbuena. The AI isn't using Grudzielanek yet at second. Maybe it will if he doesn't have any competition.

Short: Ditto with Bixler, who's been starting since Peralta got hurt. Peralta should be back in late June.

Third: Buscher at least has done quite well since Marte's been out. Marte will return in late July.

Outfield: Our outfielders (Brown, Sizemore, Choo and Kearns in reserve) are doing enough to keep their job. Sizemore and Choo continue to be the backbones of this outfit.

So, where does that leave us?

Assignments
Cleveland to Columbus
* 1B Russell Branyan
* 2B Luis Valbuena
* SS Brian Bixler

Columbus to Cleveland
* 2B Tony Graffanino (73) [37] (.130 0-0 in 2009) (.257 2-10 in AAA)
* SS Jason Donald (71/75) [25] (.294 1-24 in AAA)
* RF Shelley Duncan (71/73) [30] (.200 0-1 w Yankees in 2009) (.243 11-39)

In the aftermath, Duncan becomes our DH (uhoh), LaPorta to first, Donald at shortstop, and Giminez to the bench.

Our lineup: Sizemore-CF, Brown-LF, Cabrera-2B, LaPorta-1B, Choo-RF, Duncan-DH, Donald-SS, Marson-C

Pitchers

2010 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Martinez, Pedro           CLE   62.1  3.61   11  11   6   2   0   41   23 11.70
Masterson, Justin         CLE   58.1  4.78   11  11   4   4   0   56   19 12.81
Carmona, Fausto           CLE   53.2  3.35   10  10   3   3   0   28   15 12.58
Laffey, Aaron             CLE   19.0  9.00    4   4   0   3   0    8    8 16.58
Sowers, Jeremy            CLE   18.0  3.00    2   2   1   0   0   11    2 10.00
Huff, David               CLE   15.2  9.19    4   4   0   2   0   10    8 17.81
Byrd, Paul                CLE   13.1  4.73    2   2   1   1   0    6    1  8.78
Hagadone, Nick            CLE   13.0  4.85    3   3   1   2   0   15    9 18.00
Talbot, Mitch             CLE    3.2 19.64    2   2   0   2   0    2    1 31.91

Smith, Joe                CLE   34.2  2.60   23   0   0   1   2   18    9  8.57
Perez, Rafael             CLE   32.1  5.29   24   0   1   3   0   23   10 12.80
Grilli, Jason             CLE   29.1  3.99   18   0   1   2   0   20    7  9.51
Lewis, Jensen             CLE   28.0  4.18   21   0   1   1   0   30   11 12.21
Perez, Chris              CLE   19.2  2.29   16   0   2   0   8   24    6  9.15
Mastny, Tom               CLE   17.2  5.60   13   1   0   1   0   12    7 15.28
Rivera, Saul              CLE   14.2  7.36   10   0   0   1   1    7    7 19.02
Wright, Jamey             CLE   12.1  8.76    9   0   1   0   0    9    8 21.89

Similar to the Mendoza line, ERAs over 6 are sure to get my attention. For starters the only one in rotation with that problem is Laffey, who came back up because Talbot is too awful to live. June 1st is one of four dates (April 1, August 1 and September 1 being the others) when I do routine maintenance on my minors and a large number of starters were promoted to AAA. Still, I'm going to leave this alone for now and let them develop. Suffice to say Hagadone (still 74/94) now has company in the form of Alex White (76/93) [21].

Our relievers continue to give me headaches, especially Rafael Perez who should really be snapping out of any early season slumps by now. Again, I'm going to attempt to be disciplined and leave this alone for right now.

Rotation: Masterson-Carmona-Martinez-Laffey-Byrd
Bullpen: C Perez (CL), R Perez (SU), Smith (SR), Lewis (SR), Grilli (MR), Mastny (LR)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

You're getting an impressively good year out of Pedro so far. Also looks like a pretty solid draft you had there.

[CatKnight]

YEAH DAAAWG: Martinez has really surprised me. I expected him to be filler, not my ace!
*******

Major League Baseball
May 31, 2010

AL East                       AL Central                    AL West
Boston         29  23  --     Minnesota      28  23  --     Los Angeles    29  24  --
Tampa          26  26   3     Chicago        27  24   1     Seattle-wc     27  23   0.5
New York       25  26   3.5   Kansas City    25  27   3.5   Texas          25  25   2.5
Toronto        26  27   3.5   Cleveland      22  28   5.5   Oakland        24  28   4.5
Baltimore      21  30   7.5   Detroit        23  29   5.5

NL East                       NL Central                    NL West
Philadelphia   30  21  --     St. Louis      32  20  --     San Diego      28  23  --
Atlanta        28  23   2     Houston-wc     30  21   1.5   Arizona        26  26   2.5
Florida        27  25   3.5   Milwaukee      27  24   4.5   Colorado       25  27   3.5
New York       26  26   4.5   Chicago        26  26   6     Los Angeles    24  27   4
Washington     21  31   9.5   Cincinnati     24  28   8     San Francisco  17  33  10.5
                              Pittsburgh     24  28   8

                              American League               National League
Batting Average               Josh Hamilton (TEX) .337      Pablo Sandoval (SFG) .361
Home Runs                     Jack Cust (OAK) 15            Ryan Howard PHI) 18
RBI                           Justin Morneau (MIN) 45       Mark Reynolds (ARI) 52
Stolen Bases                  Juan Pierre (CHW) 24          Jose Reyes (NYM) 24

Wins                          Josh Beckett (BOS) 8          Three tied with 7
ERA                           David Price (TBR) 1.57        Yovani Gallardo (MIL) 2.30
Strikeouts                    Felix Hernandez (SEA) 77      Adam Wainwright (STL) 78
Saves                         Two tied with 13              Jonathan Broxton (LAD) 16

Indians in the Top Ten
Wins                         Pedro Martinez 6 (T-3rd AL) (T-6th MLB)

Trades (non-Indians)
None

Major Injuries (3 mo. plus, MLB, non-Indians)
CHW - RP Bobby Jenks (82) [29] (2-2 6.59 5 SV) - 13 months
TOR - 3B Jose Bautista (79) [29] (.262 8-21) - 5 months
TOR - SP Brian Tallet (68) [32] (0-6 6.86) - 16 months

CIN - SP Aaron Harang (80) [32] (0-7 4.27) - 4 months
NYM - SS Luis Hernandez (66/68) [25] (.207 0-1) - 7 months
SFG - SP Sidney Ponson (69) [33] (1-2 8.84) - 4 months
SFG - SP Barry Zito (85) [32] (4-5 5.08) - 3 months
SFG - LF Fred Lewis (76) [29] (.250 1-7) - 6 months

Milestones
CHW - LF Juan Pierre (80) [32] (.297 0-15) - 21 game hitting streak
KCR - C Jason Kendall (75) [35] (.247 0-13) - 1000 Runs
MIN - 3B Jim Thome (80) [39] (.281 12-36) - 1500 Runs
NYY - SS A-Roid (93) [34] (.274 13-42) 300 Steals
SEA - 3B Chone Figgins (83) [32] (.290 0-8) - 300 Steals

CHC - LF Alfonso Soriano (77) [34] (.310 14-38) - 300 HR
CHC - 1B Derrek Lee (84) [34] (.282 7-26) - 300 HR
CHC - CF Marlon Byrd (81) [32] (.304 5-24) - 21 game hitting streak
MIL - RP Trevor Hoffman (83) [42] (0-4 4.24 12 SV) - 600 Saves
PHI - RP Brad Lidge (80) [33] (1-3 9.00 5 SV) - 200 Saves

Retirements (April-May) (At least 1 Award)

C Paul LoDuca (Colorado, Age 38)
2010: DNP
Lifetime: .286 80-481, 1112 H, 20 SB
Teams: Dodgers (98-04), Marlins (04-05), Mets (06-07), Nationals (08), Marlins (08)
Honors: 4 x All Star (03-06)

SP Bartolo Colon (Free Agent, Age 37)
2010: DNP
Lifetime: 153-103 4.10 31 CG, 1607 K in 2076.2 IP
Teams: Indians (97-02), Expos (02), White Sox (03), Angels (04-07), Red Sox (08), White Sox (09)
Honors: 1 x Cy Young (05), 2 x All Star (98, 05)

SP Mike Hampton (Free Agent, Age 37)
2010: DNP
Lifetime: 148-115 4.07 21 CG 1 SV, 1384 K in 2264 IP
Teams: Mariners (93), Astros (94-99), Mets (00), Rockies (01-02), Braves (03-08), Astros (09)
Honors: 1 x Gold Glove (03), 2 x All Star (99, 01)

CF Jim Edmonds (Milwaukee, Age 39)
2010: DNP
Lifetime: .284 382-1176, 1881 H, 65 SB
Teams: Angels (93-99), Cardinals (00-07), Padres (08), Cubs (08)
Honors: 8 x Gold Glove (97-98, 00-05), 4 x All Star (95, 00, 03, 05)

[CatKnight]

June 1, 2010

Indians 2 - Tigers 5
WP: Bonderman (4-3), LP: Masterson (4-5), SV: Miner (1)
HR: (DET) Inge (9)

Yet again Masterson gives us a decent performance. This time it's the offense who betrays him. Duncan goes 1 for 4 in his season debut with a run.

June 2

Indians 1 - Tigers 10
WP: Turner (3-2), LP: Carmona (3-4)
HR: (DET) Santiago (3), Damon (8)

It's not a good sign when one of your starters gets bombed, but it's another guy who gets hurt. Paul Byrd goes on the 15-day DL (out for 22 days) when he stumbles over his cane and falls.

June 3

Indians 3 - Tigers 15
WP: Verlander (4-2), LP: Laffey (0-4), SV: Coke (1)
HR: (CLE) LaPorta (8), Cabrera (3), (DET) Laird (4), Damon (9)

The fact a 12-run rout earned Phil Coke a save gives you a pretty good idea how this game went.

               CLEVELAND   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
            Aaron Laffey  2.0  8  1  0  5  5  1  62  10.29
              Tom Mastny  2.0  2  1  0  0  0  1  27   6.97
            Jason Grilli  2.0  1  1  1  1  1  0  38   3.98
               Joe Smith  1.0  1  0  0  2  2  3  24   3.03
            Jensen Lewis  0.1  3  0  0  3  3  0   7   5.70
            Rafael Perez  0.2  3  0  1  4  4  0  23   6.09

*******

Following Byrd's injury we bring up SP-Carlos Carrasco (71/83) [23] (0-4 8.87 in 2009, 4-3 5.21 in AA-Akron). I'm still trying to save Hagadone and possibly Alex White, though the logic of why is starting to escape me. At least my bullpen is methodical about this. Let's take a look:

*******

Cleveland Indians (22-31)
Fifth Place, 6.5 GB of Chicago and Minnesota

*******

June 4

Indians 2 - White Sox 5
WP: Peavy (5-3), Carrasco (0-1), SV: Thornton (6)
HR: (CLE) Choo (5)

Carrasco's debut could have gone worse...and could have gone much better. I think it's time to admit we're just playing this season out... I figured that anyway, but it's still frustrating to watch.

June 5

Indians 3 - White Sox 6
WP: Floyd (7-3), LP: Masterson (4-6)
HR: (CLE) Cabrera (4), (DET) Rios (7)

Let's find out who actually reads these summaries: Who does Seaworld call when Shamu needs a dentist?

June 6

Indians 5 - White Sox 6 (12)
WP: Thornton (2-0), LP: Grilli (1-3)
HR: (CHW) Teahen (9)

Our bullpen blows a solid performance by Carmona. Our offense at least shows up, with Choo going 4 for 5 with 3 RBI

*******

Cleveland Indians (22-34)
Fifth Place, 8 GB of Chicago

*******

June 7

Red Sox 2 - Indians 4
WP: Martinez (7-2), LP: Lackey (4-3), SV: C Perez (9)
HR: (BOS) Hermida (4), (CLE) Marson (5), Brown (3)

A solid game from the only pitcher on our team worthy of the title. No, I'm not bitter. Why do you ask?

June 8

Red Sox 2 - Indians 3
WP: Laffey (1-4), LP: Beckett (8-3), SV: C Perez (10)
HR: (CLE) Kearns (2)

The answer to June 5th's trivia question? An Orca-dontist.

June 9

Red Sox 11 - Indians 6
WP: Matsuzaka (2-1), LP: Carrasco (0-2)
HR: (BOS) V Martinez 2 (12), Reddick (4)

I remember this series IRL. Boston has the second most obnoxious fans in baseball, which is rather sad because it didn't used to be that way before the 'Sox started winning World Championships. I used to be one, but it seems I've defected.

June 10

Red Sox 6 - Indians 4 (13)
WP: Doubront (1-0), LP: Mastny (0-2)
HR: (BOS) Cameron (5), Reddick (5), (CLE) Duncan (1), Brown (4)

Most obnoxious in baseball? Yankees.

*******

Cleveland Indians (24-36)
Fifth Place, 8 GB of Chicago