Month: July 2006 (Page 3 of 12)

In the series finale, the Tigers and Justin Verlander defeated the Tribe 4-1 at the Jake. C.C Sabathia pitched decent, allowing four runs in seven innings, but the Tribe couldn’t do much offensively against the rookie sensation. They managed five hits and couldn’t capitalize on the few chances they did get to score. In the fifth, with runners on first and second and nobody out, Wedge once again did not instruct his player to bunt and move the runners over. He allowed Peralta to swing away and the runners stayed put after Jhonny struck out. Verlander struck out eight and won his 13th game of the season. On the bright side, Joe Inglett got his first career Major League home run.

The Indians made another trade in an effort to build for the future. First baseman Ben Broussard was dealt along with cash to the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and a player to be named. Choo, 24, hit .323 with 13 homers and 48 RBI with Tacoma, the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate. Choo, who has almost identical stats to Broussard, was ranked as Seattle’s seventh-best prospect and will join the Indians roster right away. Being a left-hander, Choo will play against right-handed pitching. He also will bring some speed to the team, having stolen 26 bases this season.

The move may signal the end of Todd Hollandsworth’s short stint with the Tribe.

Interesting that the Mariners traded for two first basemen. Although, with the news that they will designate Carl Everett for assignment, Broussard or Perez may see some time as their new DH.

A few days ago, Paul Byrd pulled aside one of his fellow pitchers to give him some pointers. Byrd took reliever Jason Davis into the video room to disect Davis’ delivery and give him some advice about how his pitching style.

“He sat me down and told me about how to read guys and what they’re doing during an at-bat,” Davis said. “We looked at tape from all year, and he showed me that I’m pretty easy to pattern. He told me to switch it up and keep them guessing.”

Byrd was brought to the Indians not only to provide a veteran arm in the rotation, but to take on a leadership role, especially towards the Indians’ young pitchers.

“I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all,” Byrd said. “There’s a fine line between being a know-it-all and being a veteran guy you can talk to. I felt it was time [to talk to Davis].”

“He’s way too good to have an ERA over 5.00,” Byrd said of Davis. “I think he’s [White Sox closer] Bobby Jenks waiting to happen. He’s a basketball player just learning how to pitch. Hopefully [Sunday’s instruction] will help.”

Davis entered Tuesday’s ballgame in a tough spot. Byrd had almost given up the Tribe’s seven-run lead and Davis came on in the fourth with the Tigers knocking on the door. JD proceeded to enduce a double play and went on to pitch three scoreless innings of relief. Davis has been an enigma ever since the Indians brought him up from Double-A in 2002 . He possesses dynamic stuff but has had trouble over the years commanding the ball and settling into a role. If he can somehow figure himself out, Davis has a chance to be an integral part of the Tribe’s future. Hopefully Byrd’s little tutorial is a step in the right direction for Jason.

The Indians may have finally solved the mystery of Kenny Rogers. Dominant earlier in the season against the Tribe, his last two starts against Cleveland haven’t been as sharp by any stretch. On May 28, the Tribe got him for five runs in just over four innings. Tuesday, the lefty couldn’t make it out of the first inning as the Indians went on to a 12-7 victory. The Tribe scored seven in the first frame, highlighted by Jhonny Peralta’s bases clearing double. Rogers didn’t record his first out until Joe Inglett, batting eighth, went down swinging. Things would get interesting, however, as the Tigers would battle back and cut the lead to one as they knocked Paul Byrd out of the game in the fourth. The lead quickly shrank and the game seemed to be falling apart for the Tribe. Then came the savior of the night – the bullpen. Jason Davis, Brian Sikorski, and Fausto Carmona combined to allow three hits the rest of the way and completely shut the door on any more Tiger comebacks.

Grady Sizemore and Jason Michaels set the tone at the top of the Tribe lineup. The two went a combined 6 for 7. Just for kicks, Casey Blake put a capper on the night when he hit a two-run homer the unconventional way in the eighth. Blake hit a ball off the center-field wall and motored all the way around to score an inside-the-park home run.

“Haf (Travis Hafner) told me that any self-respecting power hitter would have stopped at third base,” Blake said with a smile. “I’ll take them any way I can get them. When I came around third, I saw 20 arms waving from the dugout.”