There was a bittersweet moment in the eighth for Travis Hafner and the Indians. Hafner, with the bases loaded, got beaned on the hand. The HBP awarded Pronk his 110th RBI, which breaks a single-season Indians record for RBIs by a DH. He reached a treasured milestone in the game, but at what cost? Unfortunately, Travis had to be taken out of the game after his hand swelled up. No word yet on the extent of the injury. Let’s pray it’s not a broken bone.
Nothing can seem to stop the Tribe these days. Not even a day off. The Tribe continued on the winning trail with a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers Friday night, making it their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 22 games. Grady Sizemore got it all started in the first with a leadoff double. The Indians turned it into a three-run inning and didn’t look back. Sizemore, however, was not done. He ripped a home run the very next inning and added another double later on to finish the night 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Andy Marte also had a solid night, going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Jake Westbrook won yet another game, his 12th of the season and fifth in his last six starts. He gave up two runs and struck out six in seven innings.
ESPN.com has issued their power rankings going into Week 1 of the 2006 NFL season and the Cleveland Browns sit at #27, down four spots from where they were picked in their offseason rankings. The whole center fiasco undoubtedly had something to do with the fall from #23. Here’s the short blurb that was written about the Browns going into the season.
If Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. can get healthy and stay that way, the Browns will actually have some weapons on offense.
The Browns finished with six wins last season and, Bentley injury aside, could still finish this upcoming season with a .500 record, in my opinion. At least for the early part of the season, the defense will be ahead of the offense and will need to carry them until Frye and the rest of the offense can gel with one another. As long as Frye stays healthy and the Browns build on their year of experience under Crennel last season, an 8-8 season is reasonable.
Starting defense OK
The first-team allowed the first touchdown after a long Bears’ punt return started them deep in Browns territory. The Bears were able to drive down the field on them on their second drive but the defense held them to a field goal. Gary Baxter didn’t start due to injury and Leigh Bodden and Brian Russell were held out so they could rest for the opener. Their secondary played rather poorly, but with Pete Hunter and Daven Holly as your starting corners, there really can only be room for improvement once Baxter, McCutcheon, and Bodden are all on the field together.
Green inactive
One of the more interesting inactives for the Browns was running back William Green. Green is battling Lee Suggs, who played sparingly, for a roster spot. Was Green hurt or is he part of an upcoming trade and the Browns didn’t want to risk injury?
Rookies who shined
Kamerion Wimbley once again showed flashes of his superb athleticism, making three tackles and getting to the quarterback on a couple of occasions. Although they weren’t recorded as sacks or fumbles, he caused the QB to drastically hurry his throws on a few plays. The Browns’ second and third-team defensive units were below average in the game, but a couple players stood out. Rookie safety Justin Hamilton exhibited some good run-stopping ability and seems to be a player who is isn’t afraid to still his nose in on plays. Look for him to be a viable option as a backup safety this season. Another rookie, nose tackle Baba Oshinowo, made a couple of nice tackles at the line of scrimmage.
Backup QB
Derek Anderson has outplayed Dorsey so far for the #2 quarterback position, but neither really stands out. If Frye were to go down, having either of these two guys step in behind center would hardly make me feel comfortable. Billy Volek could soon be available.
Overall assessment
The first-team offense’s performance, or lack thereof, was a little concerning and was a step back from how they did last week against Buffalo. But you have to give the tough Bears defense a lot of credit, they are tops in the league. Bottom line: the offense has a long way to go. The defense? Once they get their starting secondary back, which will be soon, they should be in decent shape.