Author: John Blake (Page 31 of 68)

If you’ve read the boxscore already, you’re not reading it incorrectly. That’s ANOTHER complete-game shutout for Jeremy Sowers. He went the distance for the second consecutive time, allowing only five hits in the Indians’ 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Sowers has now given up only nine hits in his last 18 innings pitched, lowering his ERA to 3.98. Newly acquired Shin-Soo Choo got the green light and smacked a 3-0 pitch over the left-field wall in the sixth off Felix Hernandez to give the Tribe the lead, and the win. The Tribe did leave runners stranded, however. In the fourth and the fifth, two double plays with the bases loaded killed any chance of a rally. But the young stud worked his magic and shut down the Mariners, becoming the second rookie pitcher since Dontrelle Willis in 2003 to throw consecutive shutouts.

“Jeremy threw the ball well today,” manager Eric Wedge said. “He was actually more and more efficient as the game wore on. He had good stuff, mixed it up. He was down when he wanted to, up and out of the zone when he wanted to, and he used his breaking ball. He mixed in his changeup. Obviously, he showed a tremendous amount to us from an intangible standpoint.”

In his first start as an Indian, Andy Marte went 0-for-3 with a strikeout but put up decent at-bats each time. In his first trip to the plate, Marte showed his power when he launched a ball to deep left that just hooked foul.

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.