Peralta progressing nicely
CLEVELAND -- For manager Eric Wedge, judging the progress of Jhonny Peralta is no difficult chore.OK, perhaps Wedge's judgment might be influenced by the big hit Peralta got Wednesday night in the Tribe's 7-6 win over the Rockies in 11 innings. It'll take more than one at-bat, however, to draw raves from Wedge.
"Once he got beyond that first week or two, and settled in and basically became more comfortable, he's done a better job overall," Wedge said. "He'll continue to get better."
In general, Wedge has seen steady progress in the 22-year-old Peralta, whose average was hovering around the Mendoza Line as April turned into May.
His average reads .270 as of Thursday night's game. He's banged seven homers and knocked in 21 runs. Those are better than decent numbers for a ballplayer who looked as if he were overmatched at the season's start.
During those tough times, Wedge never lost faith. He continued to preach the merits of sticking with a talented player like Peralta, who was the International League's Most Valuable Player in 2004 for Triple-A Buffalo.
At times, he found himself trying to live up to that pedigree. It was a struggle, and it reflected in his play.
Yet Wedge's patience and some well-timed rest -- he didn't start the game Thursday night -- have kept Peralta moving forward. It's also eased some of the burden of trying to replace Omar Vizquel.
He's no Vizquel, but that's all right. Peralta can be a good player in his own right.
"He's a young player," Wedge said. "I don't wanna take anything for granted. You wanna keep him strong -- mentally and physically."
Who's where? It was one of those situations that Wedge doesn't want to think about, but he came close Wednesday night to have do more than think. With Victor Martinez out of the game, Wedge had Josh Bard up at the plate.
Bard seemed to hurt himself, and head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff and Wedge came to the field to check on him. Wedge felt relieved that Bard wasn't hurt, which led to the question -- it's an old question -- as to who is the No. 3 catcher.
Wedge remains mum on the subject. So let's go to the versatile Aaron Boone and get his take.
"Well, it's not me," said Boone, saying his bum knee disqualified him.
Then who, Aaron?
"I think I'd have to throw Casey [Blake] back there," he said. "He's my nomination."
Here's the question: Who holds the Indians record for most consecutive hits? (See answer below.)
Quotable: "You could hear the molasses." -- Hall-of-Fame sportswriter Hal Lebowitz, on Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Jimmy Dudley
Did you know? Everybody remembers John Hart as the Indians general manager, but did you know that Hart managed the Indians for 19 games in 1989? He took over near the end of the season for Doc Edwards.
Back to the farm: Teammates came by Jason Davis' locker Wednesday night and wished him good luck. The Indians had decided to send Davis back to Buffalo after taking right-hander Kevin Millwood off the disabled list.
The move didn't surprise anybody, because Davis had gotten Millwood's spot in the first place.
"That was the move we probably needed to make," Wedge said.
He said Davis will remain a starter in Buffalo and will be option No. 1 if somebody else in the Indians rotation goes down with an injury.
The numbers game: Entering Thursday's action, the Indians are 13-13 at home, 20-17 on the road and 33-30 so far this year, after going 9-14 in April, 16-11 in May and 8-5 in June. The Indians are 21-12 (.636) over their last 33 games. ... In Interleague Play, the Indians are 9-2. ... They have won eight of their last nine games since a 12-inning win June 5 in Chicago. ... The Tribe has won a season-high five straight games and has won five straight at home and seven of its last nine at home. ... In 29 starts batting leadoff, Grady Sizemore is hitting .325 (41 for 126) with two homers and 16 RBIs. His .306 average is now 11th in the American League. ... The Indians have six errors in their last 17 games. They are 11th in the league with a .982 fielding percentage. ... C.C. Sabathia is the first Indians pitcher to drive in four runs in a season since the advent of the designated hitter in 1973. Sabathia's four RBIs lead all AL pitchers in Interleague Play.
Tribe tidbits: Indians fans can buy tickets for home games at The Jake through the Internet at www.indians.com, at the Jacobs Field box office, at the seven Cleveland Indians Team Shops in Northeast Ohio and through the Ticketmaster.com phone center (1-866-48-TRIBE). ... The Indians, the Cleveland Clinic and the American Red Cross will conduct a blood drive from 1-8 p.m. ET on June 16 at Jacobs Field. The location inside the ballpark will be the Carnegie Driveway in front of the Club Lounge. The Indians are inviting front office staff and families, game day employees and the local media to participate in the drive. ... Lincoln West won the city's boys baseball crown over Rhodes High School at Jacobs Field, and John Marshall took the girls softball title when the Lawyers beat Rhodes. In February, Cleveland Indians Charities donated $250,000 to save the baseball and softball programs in the city. Both programs were scheduled to be casualties of a failed levy.
On this date: In 1893, the Cleveland Spiders played the New York Gothams (they would eventually take on the nickname "Giants") in a game at the Polo Grounds that became the first Ladies' Day in baseball history. The Gothams gave free admission to escorted and unescorted women, who saw their hometown team beat the Spiders, 5-2.
The Great One: Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will be at Jacobs Field for Saturday night's game against the Diamondbacks at 7:05 ET. Gretzky will be appearing on all of the broadcasts on behalf of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The foundation is conducting the "Home Run Challenge," a program that is designed to create awareness about prostate cancer while also raising money to support the PCF. MLB Charities has committed $50,000 to the foundation.
And here's the answer: Hall-of-Fame outfielder Tris Speaker once had hits in 11 straight at-bats to set the club record. Speaker accomplished the feat in 1920.
On deck: Left-hander Cliff Lee will start Friday's series opener against the Diamondbacks. Lee will face left-hander Brad Halsey.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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