Category: Cleveland Indians (Page 27 of 96)

The wheeling and dealing for the Indians continued Sunday as the trading deadline approaches. GM Mark Shapiro sent free agent-to-be Ronnie Belliard to St. Louis for 26-year-old infielder Hector Luna.

The Cardinals needed a second-base solution for the stretch run, and the Indians needed middle-infield depth for the long haul.

Luna, if you remember, was originally drafted by the Indians back in 1999 and was lost twice because of the Rule V draft.

General manager Mark Shapiro had said Belliard was an option for his club at second base next season. But the 31-year-old Belliard is likely to command a multiyear deal in free agency, and the Indians aren’t expected to want to go that route with him.
The 26-year-old Luna, known for a solid bat but inconsistent glove, will join the Indians in Boston on Monday. With the Cards this season, he’s hit .291 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 75 games.

Belliard’s future with Cleveland was iffy since his contract was up at the end of the season. Ronnie has done some great things for this team over the past couple of years and has showed tremendous attitude and toughness. He would have been a quality asset to keep around another year or so because of what he brings to the team. Belliard displayed a consistent bat and solid defense. The trade saves the Indians money and they get younger in the process by acquiring Luna.

Luna doesn’t exactly blow me away. If he really is “inconsistent” with the glove, that’ll make our defense even worse. Our infield now has to be the worst in all of baseball and I don’t completely agree with the trade. It would have been nice to bring Belliard back but clearly the move was about the money for the Tribe.

Jake Westbrook pitched a dandy but couldn’t get much help from the Tribe offense as the Indians lost 3-1 Saturday night. Jason Michaels had two of the Tribe’s five hits in the ballgame, including an RBI base hit in the third for their only run. Ben Broussard turned the tables on the Indians and helped beat his old club. In his first start against his former team, Broussard hit a solo home run in the ninth to extend the Mariners’ lead. The Indians did flash some skills on the defensive end, something rarely seen this season. Grady Sizemore and Michaels made two outstanding diving catches in the outfield.

Whether it has been poor offense or shoddy defense, Westbrook has seemed to be on the short end of the stick his last few starts. He went eight strong innings but failed to get any support from the bats.

“We didn’t make adjustments tonight,” Sizemore said. “Their pitching staff kept us off our game. We didn’t get runs on the board.”

It’s safe to say that Jeremy Sowers will be sticking around for quite some time in an Indians uniform. As for the other hero of Friday’s game, Shin-Soo Choo, his future with the team may not be as certain as Sowers’, but Choo sure didn’t hurt himself. Choo showed some pop in his bat and some plate discipline as well. Hell, with the crowd at the Jake chanting “Chooooo!”, he already is becoming a fan favorite.

Sowers has been absolutely unbelievable his last two starts and for one night at least, Tribe fans were able to catch a glimpse into what the Indians’ future might look like. Marte didn’t get a hit Friday, but he’s definitely here for the long haul and his time to shine will come. We can’t help but be ecstatic for Sowers and the bright future that he brings. And Choo? Well, he adds a unique look to the outfield and could very well be in the Tribe’s plans. The season may be over, but at least we can take the rest of the season to get a decent look at what these young prospects bring to the table.

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.

It won’t take the sting away from yesterday’s LeCharles Bentley injury, but at least the Indians are finally turning the page on the Aaron Boone era by calling up Andy Marte today:

Third-base prospect Andy Marte was promoted to the Indians from Triple-A Buffalo on Friday, with utility infielder Ramon Vazquez optioned back to the Bisons.

Marte, acquired along with reliever Guillermo Mota and catcher Kelly Shoppach in the trade that sent Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard to Boston, has been generally regarded as the Tribe’s third baseman for ’07. At the time of the trade, the club said he’d need some more Triple-A seasoning before he’d be big-league ready, and he proved as much with a slump at the plate at the outset of ’06.

In recent weeks, though, Marte has been as productive as they come. He earned International League Player of the Month honors in June by batting .304 with 10 homers and 22 RBIs. Earlier this month, he took home the Home Run Derby crown at the Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo.

For the season, Marte has hit .261 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs. He’s made 19 errors in the field.

Boone is still around, but the Tribe isn’t calling Marte up to sit on the bench. He may not be the everyday starter at third initially, but he will be when the team either trades or, if there is in fact no market for him, cuts Boone. Until then, I imagine Marte will still get the bulk of the starts at third.

Good news for Tribe fans. Now, I wonder if Marte can play center….