Shelton reflects on first week
SAN FRANCISCO -- For Derek Shelton, his first week as Indians hitting coach is behind him, and it's been a good first week, too.
"We've swung the bats well, and I've gotten to see two nice ballparks," he said Sunday at SBC Park before the game with the Giants. "It's been good, because we've played well -- and we're winning. So it's been a good first week."
Looking back on manager Eric Wedge's call to Shelton to replace Eddie Murray, Shelton said he came to the job filled with excitement and some anxiousness. He said he didn't feel much nervousness, even though his task was a daunting one.
He was being asked to do what Murray wasn't able to do, which was to communicate and help the Indians improve their hitting.
Yet having that assignment and pulling it off are two different matters, and the challenge of it comes fraught with hurdles, particularly for somebody who was walking into his new job midway into the season.
Shelton said he had to remember to temper his excitement and get into the business in front of him. He didn't take long to do this, though. His first few days of reading scouting reports and talking to coaches and players got him into his routine.
Still, he can't shake the excitement. It just comes with the job.
"The excitement is there," he said. "It's gonna stay there; it's the big leagues."
Sore arm: The Indians have all but shelved using Travis Hafner in the field. His sore elbow won't allow him to throw, which means he can only DH.
Wedge called Hafner's elbow a maintenance issue that should improve with time.
Here's the question: Cleveland opened League Park on April 10, 1910. Who did the team play in that first game? (See answer below.)
Quotable: "The youngsters coming up now just go through the motions necessary to make the play. They should bounce around a little, show some life and zip. It adds a little action and gives the fans something to look at rather than the monotonous routine, no matter how perfectly the play is made." -- Hall of Famer Al Lopez, former Indians manager
Did you know: Despite rumors to the contrary, no ball ever landed in the center-field bleachers at Municipal Stadium. Mickey Mantle, Frank Howard and Rocky Colavito all hit balls that bounced near the bleacher wall, some 465 feet away from home plate.
This and that: Wedge reported that Kevin Millwood felt fine Sunday a day after he threw a simulated game here. Millwood should start Thursday at The Jake against the Rockies. ... Since the advent of the designated hitter in 1973, the Indians have never had a pitcher drive in four runs until C.C. Sabathia did so this season. ... Class A Lake County put three players on the South Atlantic League All-Star team. The players are: left-hander Aaron Laffey (5-2, 2.45 ERA), left-hander Tony Sipp (4-1, 2.14 ERA) and infielder Argenis Reyes (.331 with two homers and 33 RBIs). ... The Indians have only four errors in their last 14 games. They are 10th in the American League with a .982 fielding percentage. ... The Indians, who currently own the third-best ERA at 3.60 in the league, have allowed just 11 earned runs in their last 51 innings. The staff allowed just three earned runs in 28 innings in San Diego. ... The Indians are 19-17 in road games.
Tribe tidbits: For the first time since Jacobs Field opened in 1994, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Indians take batting practice during summer night games beginning Tuesday in the Market Pavilion area. The Market Pavilion will open at 4:30 p.m. ET for night games from June 14 through Aug. 31 to allow fans to watch the Indians take batting practice while eating dinner in the Market Pavilion or socializing at the new "Batter's Eye Bar." ... 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 their front-office staff and families, game-day employees and the local media to participate in the drive.
On this date: The first All-Star Game that included black players was played in Ebbets Field in 1949. Catcher Roy Campanella, second baseman Jackie Robinson and right-hander Don Newcombe represented the National League, and Indians star Larry Doby played for the American League, which won, 11-7.
And here's the answer: In a game that drew 19,867 fans, Cleveland lost to the Detroit Tigers, 5-0.
On deck: The Indians have the day off Monday, but they will resume Interleague Play on Tuesday when the Rockies visit The Jake. Jake Westbrook will start, and he'll face Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Streaking Tribe notch fourth straight win
CLEVELAND -- Jake Westbrook was antsy Tuesday night.
"I don't know why," he said. "I can't explain it."
No need to explain it, Jake. After all the struggles you've had this season, antsy isn't a feeling that's out of the normal. But it wasn't a feeling that a handful of runs couldn't ease, right?
Well, his teammates treated Westbrook to plenty of runs. The Indians pounded out a double-digit total to give Westbrook all the backing he would need to beat the Rockies, 11-2, in front of 17,631 at Jacobs Field.
"Any time you get some runs, it's nice," Westbrook said. "I was just mad at myself that we got three runs and I let 'em back into the ballgame there in the third inning. It's kinda one of those things."
He made a point with that analysis, because his words helped to explain why the Indians haven't scored much when he's pitched. Of course, it's just one of those things, eh?
From his 1-0 loss on Opening Day, Westbrook has had his '05 record dotted with games in which the run support that he's gotten from his teammates has been of the minimalist variety.
In their first game home after 12 on the road, the Indians seemed bent on trying to make amends early for Westbrook, though he's not letting that fact weigh on him much.
"When you talk about players being mentally tough, I mean -- from a pitching standpoint -- Jake's been fantastic," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's had to be.
"He's an even-keel guy, a team guy. He understands only what he can control."
What Westbrook can control is the runs he allows, and he kept that to a minimum in his work against the Rockies. But his work was only successful, as he knows well, if his teammates can back up his good work.
And they did. They feasted on the Rockies' pitching.
The Tribe turned a combination of energetic, heads-up play and hard hitting into an early 3-0 lead.
By the end of their third at-bat, the Indians had jumped on Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis (5-4, 5.69 ERA) for five runs and taken a 5-2 lead. They scored two runs in the first, one run in the second and two more runs in the third.
Contributions came from almost everybody.
But it was Grady Sizemore, the hottest hitter in the lineup, who gave the offense a jump-start with his leadoff single in the bottom of the first. Two outs later, Sizemore scored on Travis Hafner's double off the wall in left-center, and Hafner then scored on Jose Hernandez's single up the middle.
Jake Westbrook / P
Born: 09/29/77
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 215 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
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"Offensively, we were very consistent throughout the course of the game, which was very good to see," Wedge said.
For Westbrook, it was great, not just good, to see. Staked with a rare lead, his mission became obvious: hold on to it.
To do so, he knew he had to fight off his early apprehension and find his rhythm. And he did -- eventually.
"Jake had to work himself into the game," said Wedge, whose ballclub has won four in a row. "But he did a great job of doing that. He was stronger as the game went along. He did a much better job of keeping his sinker on the plate."
Aside from some trouble in the top of the third, Westbrook held the Rockies in check en route to his first win since May 29 against Oakland. Colorado's two runs in the third did cut the lead to 3-2. But Westbrook (3-9, 4.79 ERA) never let the Rockies score again before turning a 9-2 lead over to the bullpen.
Not that the Rockies didn't have a couple more chances along the way. Oh, they surely did. Yet Westbrook, admittedly not at his sharpest, would come up with the pitch he needed to keep any of those troublesome spots from turning into a big inning.
In the fifth and sixth, he induced double plays to short-circuit any potential rally.
"I got into some jams there, but I made good pitches when I needed to," Westbrook said. "And the defense is always pretty good, and they took care of it for me."
So did the offense.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Mailbag: Hope left for Boone?
No, I didn't leave my heart in San Francisco, but I did leave a good bit of cash there. I know people talk about how expensive a city it is. Yet their words don't necessarily prepare you for the reality of it.
Want proof? Never mind. It's just my whining a bit here.
But I did find Frisco interesting to explore. Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square (I must have eaten a pound of chocolate at the store there) were worth going to the city just to see, and SBC Park (old Pac Bell) might be the nicest ballpark in the Majors. I'd rank it ahead of Safeco Field, Camden Yard and The Jake as my favorites among the new ballparks.
I'm headed back to Cleveland for six Interleague games with the Rockies and the Diamondbacks. It'll be good to see how the Indians, who look to be playing much better baseball, can handle teams that will test their pitching.
Anyway, enjoy this week's Mailbag, and keep the e-mails coming.
Question: I have been a HUGE Indians fan for years and years, but I have never seen an Indians rivalry that is as good as the current one with the Twins. It seems as if every time we play them, our games go extra innings, and we pull it out with a home run or get done in by some lucky Twins doubles or singles. What can the Indians do to improve in these late innings that will put the Tribe over the top and win those close games with the Twins? -- LeAnn Zerck, Albert Lea, Minn.
Answer: LeAnn, that's a softball question you threw my way, and the answer is equally easy: score runs. The Tribe has to find its bearings on offense, and if it does, its pitching is good enough to get the ballclub back into the AL Central race. But the Tribe has to get better with the bats.
Doing so will remedy any problems the Indians have been having with the nettlesome Twins.
Q: Love the column, Justice. I do not, however, love the letters regarding Aaron Boone. There's a distinct possibility that I'm crazy, but I feel the need to go on record as saying, "I support Aaron Boone." When he starts to come around (which he will), I want everyone to know that I'm not jumping on his bandwagon. -- Jeff Garvin, Tiffin, Ohio
A: Please, Jeff, don't jump off, because if any player will work his way through the disaster of a slump, it'll be Aaron Boone. I give Boone all the applause for hanging tough during these trying times. As I've said before, he's a pro's pro, a fact that's often ignored when dealing with a player who's scuffling.
Many will hide from and refuse to talk about their struggles, but not Boone. He's stood tall in the face of adversity, and I wish more fans could see that side of the man.
Whether I can be certain he'll get through this, I'd be lying if I said I were. But if hard work, drive and persistence have value in getting over life's hurdles, Boone will use those traits to get him over this one. For Boone (and his fans), the good news is that he's hitting .286 through 10 games in June with a decent .342 OBP and healthy .543 slugging percentage.
Q: I was reading your column about Rocky Colavito on the Indians' site. Colavito was my favorite player growing up, and it was fun to remember some of those moments.
Just wanted to point out one error: You mention him playing for the Royals before coming back to Cleveland. Actually, he played for the Kansas City Athletics. The Royals were not formed until 1969. Thanks, again, for the article. -- Tom Pachuta
A: Tom, you're absolutely right, and I had the correction made to the article. Sorry about the mistake. But I'm so used to saying and writing "Royals" that I'd forgotten they weren't a KC first.
I appreciate your setting me straight, and thanks for the compliment.
Q: I just read your article on Rocky Colavito and enjoyed it. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on locating a very old magazine article about Colavito.
Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the magazine, but it was one of the few major sports magazines out at the time -- the summer of 1959. I've done various Internet searches with no luck, but you know more about the subject than I do, and maybe you could give me some hints -- like the names of the major baseball magazines at that time, for instance, or something else that might help. -- David Budin
A: You might be talking about a magazine called "Sports" or "Sport," because it was fairly popular during that period. I think the magazine might be The Sporting News, which was the "Bible of Baseball" back in those days. TSN is still around, but it's lost its tight grip on baseball fans. It's a much broader magazine than it was in the 1950s, '60s, '70s and '80s.
Try these two, because I'm not sure which others were around during that time, David.
Q: Do you think there is any chance that the Tribe could give Josh Phelps another look? -- Keith Ziegler
A: No, I don't see that happening, Keith. The good ship Josh Phelps has sailed already, and it's docked in a port other than the one at The Jake. May it stay afloat somewhere that has a spot for him. The Indians don't.
Q: Now, forgetting that his slide caused -- as C.C. Sabathia called it -- "a minor earthquake," I was wondering if you thought the big guy would be a legitimate option for pinch-hitting duties in Interleague games.
I personally think that Sabathia would be a legitimate pinch hitter for the pitcher in certain situations. Maybe when facing a right-hander when we're short of lefties on the bench or in a tight game where we're trying to preserve as many players as we can, or even in extra innings when we've used the whole bench.
Now, I wouldn't like Sabathia to give up his day job, pitching, but I think he'd be a fairly good option as a pinch-hitter, much like a Mike Hampton or Dontrelle Willis. Also, we can be pretty sure we won't be seeing C.C. as a pinch runner, unless we're hoping to have a Pete Rose-Ray Fosse effect. What do you think?
A: Yours is a good question, Matt. But I think the answer to it is "no." Wedge doesn't like to use his pitchers as hitters or base runners, and it might be a wise decision. The Tribe can't afford to lose any of its best players to their -- shall we say -- devil-may-care approach to running the bases.
Mailbag aside: It's done -- Wedge shaved his mustache. So, please, let's bury discussion of it as a topic -- please. What more is there to say about it, anyhow?
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Sizemore now the top dog
CLEVELAND -- Nobody is talking about who will bat leadoff for the Indians anymore, because manager Eric Wedge has settled on his candidate: Grady Sizemore.
Wedge has wrestled with that spot for most of the season. But he turned to Sizemore out of almost desperation as much as anything else.
"We tried multiple people in that area," Wedge said. "It wasn't just the leadoff [hitter]; the whole dynamic of our lineup really wasn't functioning the way we wanted it to.
"Once Grady went up there, we had some consistency up top, and that's where it starts. That was big for us."
It's was big indeed, because the Indians have played solid baseball with the 22-year-old Sizemore and his speed at the top of the batting order. The recent road trip speaks to Sizemore's ability, because he was 20-for-49 (.408) with one homer, seven RBIs and 13 runs scored.
"We felt that Grady was gonna be a leadoff guy or a middle-of-the-lineup guy," Wedge said. "Obviously, he's taken advantage of [leading off] and it's his.
"Now, it's just a testament to his ability and his toughness."
In San Francisco, Sizemore was sizzling. He went 7-for-12 (.583) with two walks, which are the kind of on-base numbers that a manager longs for. Nobody else who has been in that spot has jump-started the offense the way Sizemore has.
"He's a clutch player," Wedge said. "He likes to be in important situations."
Sign of the times: Right-hander Jason Davis has this green hat on a hook inside his locker. He's proud of the hat.
"It came in the mail the other day," said Davis, taking the hat down to show it off. "My owner's edition John Deere cap."
He then laughed, before adding: "You do know what a John Deere is, don't you?"
Here's the question: On April 8, 1975, the Indians opened their season against the Yankees. Who led off the game for the Tribe that day? Check out the answer below.
Quotable: "It isn't the high price of stars that is expensive; it's the high price of mediocrity." -- Former Indians owner Bill Veeck
Did you know? Jose Hernandez, picked up as a free agent last offseason, is in his 19th season of professional baseball. He spent the 2004 campaign with the Dodgers, where he played four positions: second base, shortstop, left field and third base. In 2001, the versatile Hernandez hit a career-high 25 homers for the Brewers.
Signed, sealed: The Indians agreed to terms with right-hander James Deters (seventh-round pick), right-hander Jason Schutt (10th round), infielder Nick Petrucci (11th round), infielder Andrew Lytle (25th round), left-hander Thomas Cowley (26th round) and right-hander Matthew Loberg (31st round).
Deters went 7-1 with a 2.79 ERA in nine starts for Calvin College in Michigan this spring. He also tossed five complete games and limited hitters to a .218 batting average.
Kevin Millwood / P
Born: 12/24/74
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
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This and that: Right-hander Kevin Millwood will come of the disabled list Thursday and start against the Rockies, Wedge said. The skipper did not, however, announce whose roster spot Millwood will take. ... The Indians are 7-2 in Interleague Play and are 77-71 against National League teams since 1997. ... The Indians have won 14 of their last 21 games. ... Aaron Boone is 10 for his last 29 (.345). ... The Indians are 6-9 against left-handers.
Tribe tidbits: Tribe 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 all front office staff and families, game day employees and the local media to participate in the drive. ... For the first time since Jacobs Field opened in 1994, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Indians take batting practice before Tuesday night games. The Market Pavilion opens at 4:30 p.m. ET, and it will be open for all night games through Aug. 31. Fans will be able to watch the Tribe take their cuts while they eat dinner in the Market Pavilion or socialize at the new Batter's Eye Bar.
The great one: Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will be in 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: With manager/DH Frank Robinson batting behind him, left fielder Oscar Gamble hit leadoff for the Indians in a game they won, 5-3. Buddy Bell, Boog Powell and Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry were also in the lineup in that Opening Day game.
On deck: The Indians meet the Rockies on Wednesday for the second game of their three-game series. C.C. Sabathia will start for the Tribe, while Colorado will start left-hander Joe Kennedy.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Millwood back, Davis sent down
CLEVELAND -- Manager Eric Wedge juggled his starting rotation Wednesday night when he activated right-hander Kevin Millwood off the disabled list and sent right-hander Jason Davis back to Triple-A Buffalo.
The two moves had been expected.
Davis had taken a spot in the Indians rotation when Millwood went on the disabled list May 26 with a strained groin. But after rehabbing the injury, Millwood, who was 1-4 with a 3.20 ERA, pronounced himself fit earlier in the day, and Wedge said the veteran right-hander would start the game Thursday night against the Rockies.
As for Davis, he's going back to Buffalo and will slide into its starting rotation. He'd spent an earlier stint with the Bisons in May, and Davis was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA there in two starts (11 innings, seven hits, three earned runs and nine strikeouts).
"We're going to option Jason Davis out to let him continue starting," Wedge said. "He did a great job up here for us. He was good his first time and a little bit better his second time.
"It's just a tribute to our entire staff when you're forced to send someone like J.D. out."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Swinging for the fences -- and charity
CLEVELAND -- Dave Plusquellic played in some of college baseball's finest stadiums in the 1990s, when he was a member of the Kent State University baseball team.
Plusquellic played at Oklahoma State's 4,000-seat Allie P. Reynolds Stadium and at Russ Chandler Stadium, home of the Georgia Tech baseball team in the heart of Atlanta. He also played under Miami's sunny skies against the Hurricanes, whose stadium earned College Baseball Diamond of the Year honors in 1997.
As remarkable as playing in those ballparks was, no stadium ranks as high on Plusquellic's radar as Jacobs Field. For that's where he and his coworkers at FirstEnergy have played annually for the last five years as part of the Pepsi Hitting Challenge hosted by the Indians.
"At Kent, we played all around," said Plusquellic, a 31-year-old Akron native. "Still, if you love the game, the [Hitting Challenge] tends to bring out the little boy in you. I certainly hope when I'm 80 years old, I still have the same feeling walking out on Jacobs Field as the first time I had to do it."
The odds are high that more participants will be getting goose bumps when they walk onto the field for the 10th annual Pepsi Hitting Challenge being held July 29-31 at The Jake. Team registration for the Hitting Challenge costs $3,300, which benefit Cleveland Indians Charities.
Sixteen teams compete in the Hitting Challenge to score the most "hits" off of a pitching machine -- set between 60 and 70 mph -- during a single-elimination tournament. A team advances to the next round by accumulating the most points, which an official umpire determines.
The tournament finalists will be recognized during a pregame ceremony at Jacobs Field, but the champion gets an extra incentive.
"The winner also gets to come back and play a traditional baseball game against one of the other teams in the bracket, which is randomly chosen," said Melissa Zapanta, director of charitable programs for CIC.
Jim Anderson, a 35-year-old KeyBank player, has been fortunate to compete in one of those seven-inning games at Jacobs Field. For him, the experience was "a dream come true."
"I keep coming back because it's a wonderful lifetime opportunity," said Anderson, who pitched, caught and played center field at The Jake for seven innings. "It's amazing to be down on Jacobs Field and take pitches out of the park.
Anderson said he has taken 11 pitches "yard" at The Jake throughout several Hitting Challenges. Plusquellic has homered a couple of times, too.
"I had to go the shortest route, right down the [left-field] line," Plusquellic said with a chuckle. "It's just really a neat experience. It's one of those things that you kind of stop for a moment and go, 'I just hit one out of Jacobs Field.'"
While Plusquellic's home runs will forever stick in his mind, a home run that his father hammered stands out most.
"His first practice swing he actually hit a home run," Plusquellic said of his father. "He was kind of goofing around saying he would try to hit one out. Everybody was saying, 'Yeah right, you're 50 years old; no way.' That was actually pretty neat."
As neat as slugging a home run over the 19-foot left-field wall can be for some, the chance to escape the office for a weekend to play ball with friends and co-workers is just as great for others.
"It's just a neat opportunity to get out of work and do something with your co-workers," Anderson said.
Demand from co-workers to play in the Hitting Challenge has been great as well, Plusquellic said. Still, demand to play is even greater among other teams.
Try Giant Eagle.
"I know the guy at Giant Eagle, which we beat in the championship a couple of years ago," said Plusquellic, who captains FirstEnergy. "He said that he actually had so many people interested that he had to run tryouts. He had so many people that he had company employees meet him at batting cages, where he pared it down."
Giant Eagle's approach is one way to prepare for the Hitting Challenge. Plusquellic, on the other hand, tries to shuffle the opportunity around the office each year.
"I have probably four new guys this year that I've said something to," he said. "You should see their faces light up when they hear they get to hit on Jacobs Field."
Playing the field at The Jake is something special, too.
"If you have a nice day, it's awesome," Plusquellic said.
For Plusquellic, planting his cleats into a college field was one thing. Standing in the The Jake's outfield poised to snare a line drive is quite another.
"Almost everybody who has ever gone said, 'Make sure to let me know if you need me next year,' he said. "Almost everybody wants to do it again."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Boone's walk-off keeps streak alive
CLEVELAND -- A teammate stuck a blue Post-It note on Aaron Boone's jersey. The note read: "Today we spell redemption B-O-O-N-E."
"You're not supposed to read that," said Boone, who reached up and pulled the note from his jersey.
It was too late. The note had already been read, and it clearly was meant as a tribute to a struggling teammate whose walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning had served as the defining blow Wednesday night in the Tribe's 7-6 win over the Rockies in front of 20,986 at Jacobs Field.
"I didn't crush it," Boone said of his homer. "But I thought I got enough of it. It was down the line and stuff, so ... it was good to see it go over, that's for sure."
No doubt about that. And nobody in an Indians uniform felt more pleased that Boone's ball did go over the wall in left field than C.C. Sabathia did. For it was his unimpressive work in the early going that had buried the Tribe in a 6-2 hole.
He had been entrusted with the task of giving the Tribe its season-high fifth victory in a row, and he looked as if he might do so as he breezed through the first two innings without a problem.
But in the third, Sabathia's performance fell off sharply.
With one out, he gave up a double to Desi Relaford and a RBI single to Danny Ardoin. Eddy Garabito followed with a single to right, and he moved to second on Sabathia's wild pitch.
Garrett Atkins hit an infield single that scored Arboin. Todd Helton walked, and Preston Wilson singled in a run. A popup followed for the inning's second out, but Ryan Shealy's double scored Atkins and Helton.
Shealy's hit also gave the Rockies a 5-2 lead.
"I don't know," Sabathia said, shaking his head. "They got some hits, and I didn't make some pitches, got behind some guys. It ended up being a big inning."
Yet the Rockies wouldn't be finished with Sabathia this night. They scored another run off him in the fourth, and he left the ballgame behind, 6-2, with the bases loaded with runners and just one out.
"I didn't give my team a real good chance to win this game," he said.
Nobody can dispute that. The good thing, though, was that the bullpen didn't let the situation get worse.
Right-hander Rafael Betancourt wiggled out of the fourth. Betancourt struck out Wilson and Dustin Mohr to keep the Indians within four runs.
If anything provided a spark, it was Betancourt's work.
"He kept us in the ballgame," manager Eric Wedge said of Betancourt. "He's a guy who stomped 'em out that inning and kept going."
For after he'd put shut down what had the potential to be the deciding inning, the Indians started to chip away at their four-run deficit.
Their comeback started modestly in the bottom of the fourth. The Tribe scored once that inning and then scored again in the fifth to cut the Colorado lead to 6-4.
After a 52-minute rain delay, the Tribe pushed across a run in the sixth on Boone's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.
Still, the Indians remained a run behind as they headed into the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Jhonny Peralta tied the ballgame with a homer off left-hander Brian Fuentes on a 0-2 pitch.
"A long night out there," Boone said. "We did a lot of good things in coming back, and our bullpen was money again."
Money? The bullpen proved to be the Tribe's "Million Dollar Baby." Betancourt, Matt Miller & Co. cobbled together a string of 7 2/3 scoreless innings, which gave the Indians time and chances to win.
With his solo homer, Boone made sure the Tribe's chance in the 11th didn't go to waste either.
"It feels good -- good," said Boone, who went 2-for-4. "Especially to do it as we're starting to play a lot better as a team. I feel like we're catching our stride, and I personally feel like I am, too.
"I've just got to keep plugging away now."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Millwood ready to return
CLEVELAND -- After sitting on the disabled list since May 26, Kevin Millwood sounded Wednesday afternoon as if he were ready for the Kentucky Derby with the language he used.
"I'm just champing at the bit a little bit," Millwood said.
That's a good way to put things, though. For Millwood, sidelined with a strained groin, has been as eager as Afleet Alex to get on with the show. He's fit and ready to, well ... get back into the starting gate, so to speak.
Millwood was activated following Wednesday's win and will start vs. the Rockies on Thursday.
"It's hard enough to sit around and watch your team play," he said. "But when you're not contributing at all, it's not much fun.
"I'm ready to get out there and try to help us win some ballgames."
In his absence, Millwood could take some solace in the fact that the Indians have turned around their play. They were 21-25 when he went on the disabled list May 26, and they are now 32-30, playing their best ball of the season.
How much better might that record be had Millwood, the team's most veteran pitcher, not gone on the DL?
Who's to say, because the Indians' struggles haven't been with their pitching, which sports the second-best ERA (3.53) in the American League. Their struggles have been with their hitting, a problem that helps to explain Millwood's less than sparkling 1-4 record.
His return to the 25-man roster will mean a roster move. Manager Eric Wedge declined to say Wednesday whose spot Millwood would take.
Here's the question: Who was the player the Indians got in their last trade with the Orioles? (See answer below.)
Quotable: "I'm a light eater. When it gets light, I start eating." -- Former Indians pitcher Tommy John
Did you know: The bat that utility-player Jolbert Cabrera used in a game Aug. 5, 2001, at The Jake is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Why? Cabrera's bat knocked in the winning run against the Mariners as the Tribe became the third team in Major League history to rally from a 12-run deficit.
Signed and sealed: The Indians signed five more draft picks from June 7-8 draft, which gives the team a total of 11 overall. Three of the 11 are from the top 10. The latest signings are: infielder Jordan Brown (fourth round from Arizona), right-hander Kevin Dixon (fifth round, Minnesota State), infielder Matt Fornasiere (12th round, Minnesota), right-hander Michael Finocche (14th round, Louisburg) and outfielder Trevor Mortensen (33rd round, Cal State-Fullerton). Baseball America rated Brown, the 124th overall selection, the 113th best prospect in the entire draft.
This and that: The Indians have won four straight, seven of their last eight and 15 of their last 22 games. ... The Tribe is 8-2 in Interleague Play, and since 1997, the Indians boast a 78-71 record (.523) against National League teams. ... The Indians are 17-0 when they score six or more runs and 26-9 when score four or more runs. ... After beating Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis on Tuesday, the Tribe is now 7-9 against lefties. ... The Indians starters have pitched five innings or more in 50 of their 62 games. ... Entering play Wednesday, Grady Sizemore had 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats. Sizemore's average was a team-high .307, 11th in the American League. ... Jake Westbrook has allowed just three earned runs in his last 13 innings. ... Coming into Wednesday, Jhonny Peralta has hit safely in 21 of his last 27 games. He's batting .311 in that span with five homers and 16 RBIs.
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.
The Great One: Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky will be in Jacobs Field for Saturday night's game against the Diamondbacks at 7:05 p.m. 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 designed to create awareness about prostate cancer while also raising money to support the PCF. MLB Charities has committed $50,000 to the foundation.
On this date: In 1925, the Indians led the Philadelphia A's 14-2 in the seventh inning at Shibe Park. But did the Indians win? No. In an amazing comeback, the A's got to the Tribe's pitchers for one run in the seven, one run in the eighth and 13 runs in the ninth to win, 17-15.
And here's the answer: In 1999, the Tribe traded pitchers Juan Aracena and Jimmy Hamilton to Baltimore for DH/outfielder Harold Baines. The 40-year-old Baines finished the season with the Tribe, batting .271 with 22 RBIs in 28 games.
On deck: The Indians meet the Rockies on Thursday for the third game in their three-game series. Right-hander Millwood, fresh off the disabled list, will start for the Tribe. Millwood will face right-hander Jamey Wright.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Indians edge Rox to complete sweep
CLEVELAND -- The empty bottles of Moet & Chandon champagne sat in the Indians clubhouse.
The Indians had just held a celebration. It wasn't the kind of celebration they're hoping to have sometime in late September, but if they keep winning as they did in defeating the Rockies, 2-1, here on Thursday night, chilled champagne might get uncorked again.
On this occasion, they were simply celebrating a teammate's success, which in part was theirs as well. Kevin Millwood won the 100th game of his Major League career, and in the process, he extended the Tribe's winning streak to six in a row.
"It's something I've been kind of gearing up for the whole season," said Millwood, making his return to duty after three weeks on the disabled list. "I was so close once the season started, but I'll just enjoy it tonight and get on about my business."
Millwood's business, of course, is pitching, and he put on a display of pitching that served as a reminder of how he'd won 100 games in the big leagues.
In a performance that was more gutsy than dominating, Millwood plowed through five innings in one of his hardest workdays of the season. Nobody can label Millwood's outing an easy one.
"I thought he did an outstanding job," manager Eric Wedge said. "He hadn't been out there in a while, and he had to work his way through that first. But you're never quite sure what to expect when a guy hasn't been out there in a while."
In Millwood's case, maybe you do.
He never let the game get away from him, though he could easily have done so in the first inning. It was a testament to his talent that he escaped the frame without allowing a run.
"That first inning I kind of felt like it was my first time out there," he said.
The rust from not pitching showed as Millwood began the inning by serving up a leadoff single. He struck out the next batter before walking Todd Helton. One out later, Millwood walked Brad Hawpe to load the bases.
With the Rockies poised to take the lead early, Millwood hung tough. He got Ryan Shealy to ground out to short to end the threat.
"He did a great job of working through that first inning," Wedge said. "He just got into his rhythm the rest of the way."
Kevin Millwood / P
Born: 12/24/74
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There was no doubt he did that, because the Rockies didn't muster a threat that looked anywhere near this promising. He scattered three more hits over the rest of his night's work before turning the game over to the Indians bullpen.
It was a game that, at the time, could have easily gone another way. For as well as Millwood had pitched, Rockies right-hander Jamey Wright hadn't been someone whom the Indians had pounded around The Jake.
In dissecting the game, Wright (4-6, 5.40 ERA) had one bad inning. It came in the third, and it was a frame that proved the difference in a ballgame where neither team scored runs in bunches.
With the game scoreless, Aaron Boone led off the third with a double. Alex Cora's groundout moved Boone to third base. He scored on Grady Sizemore's single to right field.
With Coco Crisp batting next, Sizemore stole second, and he scored easily when Crisp singled to right field.
"Today, it was a pitching game," Crisp said. "Defense had a great game, as well as pitching."
He was right on both counts, too. Millwood and the bullpen did benefit from defensive plays throughout the night -- great plays that had kept the Rockies from taking the lead.
They did score once in the seventh on Shealy's solo homer off reliever Bobby Howry, and threatened to tie the game in the ninth against closer Bob Wickman.
Crisp, though, made a sliding catch on Jorge Piedra's liner to left with a runner on second and one man out. Wickman followed that by striking out Desi Relaford to seal Millwood's 100th win.
With the win, came the champagne. Millwood and his teammates drank up.
"It's been on ice for a while," he said. "I think [equipment manager] Tony Amato was getting sick of having it around, so good thing we got that out of the way."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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/
Vizquel to face former teammates
SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel won't be too nostalgic about his years in Cleveland when the Indians visit SBC Park on Friday night for a three-game series.
Yet it will be a fun reunion with former teammates in the Interleague matchup.
"I'll probably have some emotions by seeing the guys and shaking their hands, but as soon as the game starts, it's going to be like just another series," said Vizquel, who played in Cleveland for 11 years before joining the Giants this year.
Vizquel, 38, admitted he misses his former home and hometown, and fondly remembers driving to games, seeing the ballpark from the highway and enjoying the lights from far away.
"But it's different now because I'll be playing at home instead of at Cleveland," said the 16-year veteran, who leads National League shortstops in fielding percentage this season, committing only three errors and playing mistake-free ball the last 22 contests.
This marks the first confrontation between the Giants and Indians since the 1954 World Series.
"I knew we were playing them but didn't plan anything special," said Vizquel. "I still talk to a lot of guys from Cleveland -- the media and clubhouse guys and the Indians players from Venezuela ... Rafael Betancourt and Victor Martinez."
While not really thinking about the All-Star Game in Detroit this July, Vizquel -- at least according to Giants manager Felipe Alou -- is among top candidates to be chosen from the club.
Every team must have a representative in the Midsummer Classic.
Vizquel said he'd definitely be surprised to make the game for the fourth time.
"It's because I'm not hitting .300 and having a lot of RBIs and home runs," said Vizquel, batting .294 with 16 RBIs this year. "It would be a great accomplishment for me, coming to a new league and not expecting too much.
"It would be great, just awesome," he said.
Sabathia pitches, hits Tribe to win
SAN FRANCISCO -- Eric Wedge offered a little advice to C.C. Sabathia after his 10-2 win Friday night over the Giants.
What Wedge told Sabathia had nothing to do with his pitching, which rated high marks from the Indians manager. Wedge's comments to Sabathia were about his baserunning, and it is advice Sabathia will be wise to heed.
Here it is: don't slide headfirst.
"I wish he'd told me that before I did it," said Sabathia, his face breaking into a smile. "He could've been on my shoulder saying, 'No.' "
Instead, Sabathia was on his own as he came stumbling and rumbling around the bases in the seventh inning on a play that, at the time, was pivotal in what had been just a 3-2 ballgame.
With a runner on second base and two outs, Giants right-hander Brett Tomko walked Aaron Boone to bring either Sabathia or a pinch-hitter to the plate. Wedge decided to allow Sabathia to bat for himself.
"I really wasn't surprised that he let me bat, because I had 80-something pitches, I think," Sabathia said. "But I really didn't realize the situation until I got into the box. It was a big situation."
In fact, it was the biggest in a game that, at that point, hadn't had many big situations. For the most part, the game had been a duel between Sabathia and Tomko, and the only real difference was the two runs the Indians jumped on Tomko for in the second.
Now, the Indians had Tomko in a jam, but his out was Sabathia, the pitcher and the No. 9 hitter. An easy out, right?
"He threw me a changeup up," he said of Tomko. "I just swung as hard as I could, as usual."
His hard swing sent a drive toward the line in right field. The ball dropped just inches inside fair territory, which sent one run home easily and Boone home a step or two ahead of Moises Alou's throw.
Then Alou's throw skipped away from Giants catcher Mike Matheny.
"I was thinking double all the way," Sabathia said. "I didn't even see the ball get away until late, and I was like, 'Maybe I can make it. Why not give it a shot?'"
Well, he did give it a shot, but Tomko (5-8, 4.07 ERA) had backed up Alou's throw. He retrieved the ball and fired to third base as the 290-pound Sabathia started sliding headfirst into the bag. The umpired called him out.
"It was bad; it was bad," said Sabathia, laughing at himself. "A minor earthquake."
Now, the fact that Sabathia, whose double gave the Indians a 5-2 lead, was called out didn't bother Wedge one bit. He'll never question a player's hustle. But the fact that his ace pitcher created, as Sabathia put it, a "minor earthquake" as he slid hard and headfirst into the bag was a story of a different sort.
It wasn't a slide that Wedge had on his must-see list.
But, hey, after Sabathia's outing against the Giants, Wedge even found humor in what he saw in the seventh. He'll gladly take similar outings like this one from Sabathia (5-3, 3.36 ERA).
"C.C. threw the ball well," said Wedge, whose team broke the ballgame open with five runs in the ninth. "He threw some outstanding changeups -- some good breaking balls. Obviously, the fastball was effective, too.
"But the only way that breaking ball's gonna be effective is if the fastball's effective."
And it was. Sabathia gave up two runs on five hits and struck out six in putting together his seventh strong outing in a row.
"I felt good, you know," he said. "I got behind some guys, but the big thing tonight was that these guys had never seen me. I just tried to come right after 'em."
That approach served him a lot better than his headfirst slide, although it didn't leave Sabathia any worse for the effort.
"I thought I was gonna make it," he said.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Thompson joins Indians
SAN FRANCISCO -- Robby Thompson flew into town Thursday morning, and he said he saw the fog roll over San Bruno.
"Yep, yep, memories came back quickly," said Thompson, laughing. "So, yeah, it's nice to be back here."
Not that he left his heart in San Francisco. That might be too corny a way to put it. But Thompson spent 11 years in the big leagues with the Giants, so please excuse him if he gets a bit nostalgic about baseball in the Bay Area.
He's back here, of course, not because of anything he'll be doing with the Giants. No, he's here as part of manager Eric Wedge's coaching staff. He's replacing bench coach Buddy Bell, who left recently to take the manager's job with the Royals.
And Friday was Thompson's first day on the job.
He said he'd wanted to join the club earlier, but the Indians knew Thompson's teenage son, Drew, was going to go high in the draft (the Twins took him in the second round). They told Thompson, 43, to stay at his kid's side, which was all right with Thompson.
"I thought this would be as good a place as any to start off my 3 1/2 months of doing the bench-coach thing here," he said.
Thompson, who had been on Charlie Manuel's coaching staff in 2002, said he was glad to be back in uniform. But Thompson, who had been a special assistant to general manager Mark Shapiro, wasn't committing to staying in uniform beyond the rest of the '05 season. He said he has two more sons he wants to shepherd through their fledgling careers as baseball players.
"But it's good to be back around on an everyday basis," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Here's the question: Before C.C. Sabathia, who was the last No. 1 pick for the Indians to make it to the bigs? (See answer below.)
Quotable: "Gosh, all a kid has to do these days is spit straight and he gets $40,000 to sign." -- Hall of Fame right-hander Cy Young, a former Indian
Did you know: The Indians have had three pitchers who have spent 15 years or more with the organization. Two of those pitchers -- Bob Feller (18 years) and Bob Lemon (15 years) -- are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mel Harder, the other, spent 20 years in an Indians uniform, and many baseball people say Harder deserves a spot right next to Feller and Lemon in Cooperstown.
This and that: At Triple-A Buffalo, fans might want to start calling right-hander Fernando Cabrera by this nickname: "Fernando the Great." For by any yardstick, Cabrera has been amazing. He earned his first save Thursday against Syracuse. In his last 24 innings, he hasn't allowed a run. Over the season, his record is 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA.
At Class A Kinston, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and left-hander Jeremy Sowers were selected to represent the K-Indians at the Carolina League All-Star Game on June 28, in Frederick, Md. Kouzmanoff leads the league in average (.351), and he's second in RBIs (45) and slugging percentage (.616). Sowers, the Tribe's first-round selection in the 2004 draft, is 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA.
The Indians, who currently own the third-best ERA in the American League at 3.59, have allowed just three earned runs in their last 33 innings.
Closer Bob Wickman earned his 94th save Tuesday with the Indians, a total that ties Wickman with right-hander Mike Jackson for third place in career saves. Wickman has saved 94 of the 105 chances -- a 90 percent conversion rate. Right-hander Doug Jones (129) and right-hander Jose Mesa (104) are the only relievers ahead of Wickman.
Tribe tidbits: For the first time since Jacobs Field opened in 1994, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Indians take batting practice during summer night games beginning Tuesday in the Market Pavilion area. The Market Pavilion will open at 4:30 p.m. ET for night games from June 14 through Aug. 31 to allow fans to watch the Indians take batting practice while eating dinner in the Market Pavilion or socializing at the new "Batter's Eye Bar." ... 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 are 4-2 in Interleague Play. ... The Tribe is 14-0 when they score six runs or more. ...The Indians are 8-16 in one-run games.
On this date: Right-fielder Rocky Colavito became the sixth player to hit four homers in one game, as he helped the Indians beat the Orioles, 11-8, in 1959. He joined Yankees great Lou Gehrig as the only ones to accomplish the feat with four consecutive shots.
And here's the answer: His presence in the bigs with the Indians didn't amount to much, but right-hander Tim Drew, the No. 1 pick in 1997, had a cup of coffee in the Majors in 2000 and 2001 before being traded to the Expos.
On deck: Interleague Play continues Saturday night for the Tribe when right-hander Jason Davis takes the mound at SBC Park. Davis will face right-hander Jason Schmidt.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Indians top Giants, get back to .500
SAN FRANCISCO -- Playing better baseball of late, the Indians improved their record to .500 with a 7-6 victory Saturday night over the Giants in front of 39,961 people at chilly SBC Park.
In its first-ever series in San Francisco, the Tribe jumped on Giants right-hander Jason Schmidt for single runs in the first and second innings.
Two innings later, the Indians pushed their lead to 6-0 with a four-run inning. Two of those runs came off Grady Sizemore's bat. Sizemore hit a double that knocked in the final two runs.
From there, all the Indians needed were for right-hander Jason Davis, filling in for the injured Kevin Millwood, and their bullpen to protect that lead. Davis did his part, turning a 6-3 ballgame over to the bullpen.
It held on, too, and with the win, the Tribe ensured itself of no worse than a 6-6 record with one game left to play on its 12-game road trip.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Millwood throws simulated game
SAN FRANCISCO -- Kevin Millwood took another step toward coming off the disabled list Saturday with the simulated game he pitched here. Millwood threw 65 pitches, and the outing went well.
"He threw all of his pitches; his stuff was sharp," pitching coach Carl Willis said. "I really thought he got better as he went along."
Willis said the Indians will see how Millwood feels Sunday before deciding what their next move with him should be.
"But, right now, we're anticipating him joining the rotation at some point next week, if all things are well [Sunday]," Willis said.
He said the Indians have not tried to rush Millwood, but they have no reason to delay his return to active duty.
"The stuff he brought out on the mound [Saturday] was as good as the stuff he had the late time he pitched when he hurt himself," Willis said.
Millwood should throw another simulated game in the next couple of days, and if that goes well, he'll likely return to the mound Thursday night in a game at Jacobs Field against the Rockies.
Still hungry? Jody Gerut, as urbane as any player in baseball, went to one of his favorite restaurants after the game Friday night. It's a place called the Great Eastern Restaurant, which is in Chinatown.
And Gerut had, well ... a somewhat interesting meal, if it wasn't altogether appetizing to everybody. Here's what Gerut ate: goose chitterlings, jellyfish, frog and duck tongue.
Duck tongue?
"Duck tongue was the best thing I had," Gerut said.
Duck tongue?
"What is duck tongue?" broadcaster Tom Hamilton said. "What, were they out of cheeseburgers?"
Here's the question: Who was the last batter in the history of Municipal Stadium? (See answer below.)
Quotable: "One of the fellows called me 'Cyclone' but finally shortened it to 'Cy,' and it's been that ever since." -- Hall of Fame right-hander Cy Young, a former Indian
Did you know: In 1920, Indians officials changed the name of League Park to Dunn Field, a tribute to owner James Dunn. When Dunn died in 1927, the name reverted to League Park.
This and that: The Indians are 15-0 when scoring six runs or more. ... With a 3.56 ERA, the Indians have the third-best ERA in the American League. The bullpen's 2.55 ERA ranks No. 2 in the league behind the Twins bullpen (2.52 ERA). ... At Triple-A Buffalo, the Bisons have 101 homers after 62 games, and they lead all of professional baseball. The Texas Rangers had 94 entering their game Friday night, and so did Albuquerque, Florida's Triple-A team. No other team in the Majors or Minors entered Friday with a total in the 90s. Veteran Ernie Young leads the team with 15 homers, and he's followed by Jeff Liefer with 12, Jake Gautreau with 12, Andy Abad with 11, Ryan Garko with 11 and Brandon Phillips with 10. ... Right-hander Kyle Denney returned from the disabled list and retook his spot in the Buffalo rotation. The Bisons moved right-hander Steve Watkins to the bullpen. ... The Indians are 75-71 in Interleague Play and 5-2 this season. ... The Indians are 8-16 in one-runs games. ... Aaron Boone is 10 for his last 22.
Tribe tidbits: For the first time since Jacobs Field opened in 1994, fans will have the opportunity to watch the Indians take batting practice during summer night games beginning Tuesday in the Market Pavilion area. The Market Pavilion will open at 4:30 p.m. ET for night games from June 14 through Aug. 31 to allow fans to watch the Indians take batting practice while eating dinner in the Market Pavilion or socializing at the new "Batter's Eye Bar." ... Indians fans can buy tickets for home games at The Jake through the Internet at www.indians.com.
Going, going and gone: To Tribe fans who care (and there are many), manager Eric Wedge shaved off his mustache Saturday.
When asked about it, Wedge said, smiling, "I ain't going there. Any more baseball questions?"
On this date: In an Interleague game at The Jake, a fan threw an explosive device from the upper deck, and it exploded in a lower-level smoking area. Two people sustained minor injuries. Three men suspected of causing the blast, which was heard throughout the ballpark, were held on suspicion of felonious assault and aggravated arson. One was later convicted.
And here's the answer: In a game on Oct. 3, 1993, infielder Mark Lewis struck out to close out the team's history in the ballpark on the shores of Lake Erie. The Tribe lost that last game, 4-0, to the White Sox.
On deck: The Tribe closes out its three-game series at SBC Park on Sunday. Cliff Lee will start the finale, and he'll face left-hander Kirk Rueter.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
