Adam Miller's on the shelf, but you might have noticed Ryan Miller is having a heck of a season at Class A Lake County. My colleague Kevin Czerwinski recently interviewed Ryan for his "Minor Leagues, Major Thoughts" blog, so check it out here.

The blog and I will be on hiatus this weekend. I'll catch back up with you from Arlington on Monday.

Lefty reliever Craig Breslow, who was designated for assignment by the Indians last week, was plucked off waivers by the Twins on Thursday. Perhaps they'll find more work for him than the Indians did. Breslow appeared in just seven games for the Tribe, putting up a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings.

Top prospect Adam Miller's Minor League season is conceivably over. According to head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff, Miller will be shut down from throwing for eight weeks after having surgery performed on the middle finger of his right throwing hand Tuesday. After eight weeks, Miller will begin a return-to-throw program in either Winter Haven or Goodyear, so the odds of him coming back in time to rejoin the Bisons are slim.

Last year, Miller suffered a strain on the pulley system in that finger. The hope was that he could come back without surgery. But the strain caused his tendon to sag, and his skin, as a result of rubbing against the baseball so often, developed two hardened calluses and an open hole. Team hand surgeon Dr. Tom Graham decided to perform the surgery to reinforce the pulley system.

Tough blow for the Indians, who hoped Miller could help them this season -- either in the rotation or bullpen.

We've got more than 10,000 kids at the park today for another one of those WKYC Weather Education Days. I hope the kids are learning a valuable lesson about global cooling, because summer has already ended here in Cleveland.

Did you somehow miss summer? It arrived Monday, about noonish, and ended around 6:30 p.m. Now we're firmly entrenched in the fall. This absence of summer will be murder on your heating costs, but think how much money you'll save on pool upkeep.

Speaking of absence, Travis Hafner is once again out of the lineup, as expected. He told reporters he had a cortisone injection to treat his injured right shoulder on Tuesday. Hafner said weakness, not soreness, is the main problem with the shoulder. But he said this is only an issue when it flares up and hasn't been a day to day concern this season. He thinks the cortisone shot will allow him to play Friday and prevent him from having to go on the disabled list.

You can't help but wonder if a stay on the DL might be good for the man known as Pronk. If nothing else, it would allow him to go to Buffalo for a couple weeks to regain some confidence in his swing. I guess we'll know more Friday, when the Indians open a brutal 11-game roadie in K.C.

In the meantime, here are the lineups for today's chilly series finale with the White Sox...

INDIANS (24-28): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, RF Ben Francisco, C Victor Martinez, LF David Dellucci, SS Jhonny Peralta, DH Michael Aubrey, 1B Casey Blake, 3B Andy Marte. RHP Jake Westbrook makes his return to the rotation.

WHITE SOX (28-23): SS Orlando Cabrera, C A.J. Pierzynski, LF Carlos Quentin, RF Jermaine Dye, DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, CF DeWayne Wise, 3B Joe Crede, 2B Alexei Ramirez. RHP Gavin Floyd.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• So, official scorer Chuck Murr said that bizarre sixth-inning sequence in which the Indians were awarded a triple steal last night is holding up because of a quirk in the rule book. The triple steal began with Jamey Carroll getting picked off second and was only made possible because of Paul Konerko's botched throw home to nab David Dellucci. Anyway, the last triple steal was pulled off by the Braves on Oct. 1, 1987, in Houston. In that instance, the runner from third broke for home after the Houston catcher tossed the ball bag to the mound, and all other runners advanced.
• RHP Adam Miller had surgery performed on the middle finger of his throwing hand Tuesday in Baltimore. His status for the remainder of the year is still not known. We plan to talk to head trainer Lonnie Soloff after today's game. If he gives us a Miller update, I'll have it on the site.
• Aaron Laffey's 1.59 ERA is the lowest in the AL since April 17. He is still 13 innings short of qualifying for the AL ERA lead.
• LHP Jeremy Sowers improved to 3-3 last night with a win over Toledo in which he pitched six scoreless innings, allowing eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Sowers has a 2.18 ERA in nine starts. Josh Barfield went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and a double in the win.
• Barfield has been heating up at the plate this month at Buffalo, and Asdrubal Cabrera remains cold as can be up here. But Wedge said before Tuesday's game that Cabrera brings so much to the table defensively that that outweighs his offensive struggles. Then Cabrera went out and made two errors against the Sox. Go figure.
• Last night's win was the 8,500th in the history of the franchise.

~AC

Jorge Julio will be designated for assignment when Jake Westbrook is activated off the disabled list Wednesday.

Not a surprising move when you look at Julio's 5.60 ERA in 15 appearances and the nine earned runs he's allowed in his last 10 2/3 innings.

But it is surprising when you consider Eric Wedge went out of his way to praise Julio's arm the other day, when Jensen Lewis was sent out. Wedge said Julio had only struggled of late and that he had pitched well for this club beforehand.

Anyway, Ed Mujica and Scott Elarton survive. Kudos to them.

 

This text message I just received from a buddy says it all: "Get Shoo [sic] up with the big boys. We will go undefeated the rest of the way!"

If Shin-Soo Choo is the answer, the question must be, "Who's the next guy who will be called up from Triple-A and have nothing to do with Victor Martinez not hitting home runs, Grady Sizemore not hitting lefties, Travis Hafner not hitting righties and Jhonny Peralta not hitting anything but solo shots?"

Choo isn't the answer. There's not a single player in baseball who could be the answer, because the Indians' problems run much deeper than one, two or even three spots.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking Choo. I like Choo. And I really like calling him "Big League" Choo. But Choo can't be counted on as the savior of this light-hitting ballclub.

But Choo will be here within the next week -- perhaps even by the end of the week -- and I hope the Indians stick him in one corner outfield spot, stick Ben Francisco in the other and see what happens.

In the meantime, Hafner remains out of the lineup with shoulder soreness. Eric Wedge is going to give him today, tomorrow and Thursday's off day to recuperate, then take a good, hard look at things Friday. It's possible Hafner will wind up on the DL, and, if nothing else, that would give the Indians an easy corresponding move for Choo's promotion.

One move that will definitely be made in the next 18 hours is Jake Westbrook's return from the DL. Wedge said a counter move has been decided upon, but he won't reveal it until after tonight's game. My guess is Ed Mujica will head back down to Triple-A, but who really knows, at this point.

One thing I do know is that Andy Marte will survive tonight's cut, because Wedge announced -- shockingly -- that he plans to start playing Marte more this week, taking advantage of Casey Blake's versatility and the now-open DH spot.

Here are tonight's lineups...

INDIANS (23-28): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, LF Ben Francisco, C Victor Martinez, DH Jhonny Peralta, 1B Ryan Garko, RF Franklin Gutierrez, 3B Andy Marte, SS Asdrubal Cabrera. LHP Aaron Laffey on the hill.

WHITE SOX (28-22): SS Orlando Cabrera, 3B Pablo Ozuna, LF Carlos Quentin, DH Jermaine Dye, 1B Paul Konerko, RF Nick Swisher, 2B Alexei Ramirez, CF Brian Anderson, C Toby Hall. LHP Mark Buehrle.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Top prospect Adam Miller, on the Buffalo DL, saw team hand specialist, Dr. Tom Graham, in Baltimore on Tuesday. The Indians will have an update on his situation Wednesday, but the gist of it, for now, is that Miller has a hole in his skin on the area of his right middle finger, between two calluses, where he had a pulley strain last year. According to head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff, Dr. Graham will either close the hole or have to surgically repair the pulley. In the latter scenario, Miller would obviously be laid up for a while, though Soloff didn't want to speculate how long. All in all... another bizarre injury for the oft-injured Miller.
• Peralta's 10 homers are tied for fourth in the AL. Eight of them are solo shots. And in what is quickly becoming one of my favorite stats to watch, the 10 homers account for 27.8 percent of his hits (34).
• Good time to be a lefty named Ryan in Lake County. Ryan Miller is 7-0 with a 0.93 ERA in nine games, including eight starts. And Ryan Morris is 6-0 with a 2.01 ERA in 10 starts. Both were 2006 Draft picks -- Morris in the fourth round and Miller in the 36th.
• Rick Bauer now has 13 saves at Buffalo. His ERA is 1.69 in 21 1/3 innings of work.
• Jeremy Sowers' 2.45 ERA is the sixth-best in the International League. He starts tonight at Toledo.
• Casey Blake is holding three weeklong baseball camps on June 23-27 in Vermilion, July 28-Aug. 1 in Hudson, and Aug. 11-15 in Beachwood. Camp tuition for the weeklong day camp is $263, and the camp runs from 9:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Campers get instruction from high school/college coaches and players, five days of professional instruction, one t-shirt, and one baseball. Blake will make at least two appearances at each camp to give instruction, sign autographs and talk about the Tribe. Blue Streak Camps is presenting the events. Register online at indians.com/blakecamps or call (440) 287-7644.

~AC 

Didn't have a chance to throw this up here last night, but I've gotten several e-mails from people wondering why Hafner didn't pinch-hit last night. The answer is right here.

Not really sure what to make of this shoulder injury and how much it's affected Pronk this season, but I do know it's been a lingering concern since the last week of Spring Training. He's insisted several times this year that he's as healthy as ever, but that shoulder is routinely wrapped in ice after games, and common sense tells you that a bum shoulder would affect your ability to drive the ball. I'm sure we'll hear more about this at the park today.

The Consortium of African American Organizations is holding an online silent auction in which more than 80 CEOs, executives and celebrities are offering the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with them.

Indians general manager Mark Shapiro and team executive vice president of business operations Dennis Lehman are making themselves available in the auction, for which team president Paul Dolan is the honorary chair.

Shapiro is donating the opportunity to spend half a day with him, and this includes the chance to meet other Indians front-office personnel. The "buy it now" price for this experience is $2,500.

Lehman is offering up one hour of his time at the "buy it now" price of $950.

To view all the executives or register for the auction, go to www.caao2008.cmarket.com.

It's Dollar Dog Night. And... I don't know what in the world just made me think of this... but did you see that Washington Post series about one in three U.S. children being obese? I can't imagine how such a thing could happen.

Travis Hafner is getting the night off, not in observance of Memorial Day, but, rather, in observance of his .197 average against right-handed pitchers. Same goes for Ryan Garko, who seems to be falling into more and more of a platoon situation with Michael Aubrey, although Eric Wedge doesn't want to call it that. Yet.

The lineups... 

INDIANS (23-27): CF Grady Sizemore, DH David Dellucci, LF Ben Francisco, C Victor Martinez, 1B Michael Aubrey, SS Jhonny Peralta, RF Franklin Gutierrez, 3B Casey Blake, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera. RHP Paul Byrd on the mound.

WHITE SOX (27-22): SS Orlando Cabrera, C A.J. Pierzynski, LF Carlos Quentin, RF Jermaine Dye, DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, 3B Joe Crede, CF Nick Swisher, 2B Alexei Ramirez. RHP Javier Vazquez.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• OF Todd Linden and INF Jorge Velandia were both signed to Minor League contracts and assigned to Buffalo. Linden, 27, had been with Triple-A Sacramento, where he was batting .333 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 22 games. He was the 41st overall pick in the 2001 Draft. He's appeared in 270 big-league games with the Giants and Marlins, batting .231 (116-for-502).
• Velandia, 33, was with Triple-A Syracuse, batting .287 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 28 games. He appeared in two games with the Blue Jays, including the second game of that May 12 doubleheader at Progressive Field. In his career, Velandia's hit .182 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 166 big-league games with the Padres, A's, Mets, Rays and Jays.
• Top prospect Adam Miller is hurt again at Buffalo. I'll have more on the site on that in a little bit, but he's developed another blister on the same finger that gave him fits during Spring Training. 
• Congrats to Omar Vizquel, who became the all-time leader in games played at SS by playing in career game No. 2,584 yesterday for the Giants in Florida. He surpassed Luis Aparacio. Ozzie Smith (2,511) is third. Aparacio and Smith are in the Hall of Fame, and Omar, as far as I'm concerned, figures to join them -- wearing a Tribe cap, no less.
• Joe Borowski is tied with Steve Olin for sixth place on the club's all-time saves list, with 48.
• The opposition hasn't attempted a steal on the Tribe over the last seven games. 

~AC

Well, it's one of those days. Let's just go straight to the lineups. Victor Martinez is still out with that finger injury...

INDIANS (22-26): CF Grady Sizemore, 3B Casey Blake, DH Travis Hafner, RF Ben Francisco, 1B Michael Aubrey, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF David Dellucci, C Kelly Shoppach, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera. LHP Cliff Lee on the mound, and according to SI.com, we should all bear Witness to him (a la LeBron) -- and that's just silly. But we can at least watch and hope, for the Indians' sake, that Sunday's rough outing was a fluke.

RANGERS (25-25): 2B Ian Kinsler, SS Michael Young, CF Josh Hamilton, DH Milton Bradley, LF David Murphy, C Gerald Laird, RF Marlon Byrd, 1B Chris Shelton, 3B German Duncan. RHP Scott Feldman on the mound. Wasn't he the Bizarro version of Kramer?

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• When Carmona came out of the game with his hip injury in the third inning last night, it ended the Indians' streak of 32 straight games in which their starters lasted at least five innings.
• The Tribe gave up nine doubles to the Rangers last night. The last time that happened to the Indians was April 14, 1993, at Boston.
• Aaron Laffey's 1.60 ERA since April 17 is the lowest in the AL in that span. He is 15 innings shy of qualifying for the AL ERA lead. Now that Carmona's hurt, he'll get a chance to do so.
• The Indians are 9-for-56 with RISP during the seven-game losing streak.
• The Tribe is batting .205 this month. Talk about dis-May (insert rimshot here).

OK, one last thing...

Perhaps you've seen those touching features ESPN runs every so often called "My Wish," in which a Make-A-Wish kid gets to live out a sports fantasy. Well, the Indians are the subject of one today.

Alonso Faragoso, 7, lives in Las Vegas, but he played on a Little League team called the Indians, so they instantly became his favorite team. Apparently, when he plays baseball video games, he's always the Tribe, as is his sister, so ... the Indians always win. Today he got to suit up in full uniform at his own locker in the clubhouse, play catch on the field, take batting practice, and he'll also throw out the ceremonial first pitch and do the PA announcements in the third inning.

We'll have a story about Alonso in Game Face Magazine in the near future, and ESPN's feature is supposedly going to run in late June.

~AC

UPDATE (6:57 p.m. ET): G.I. Joe's Sgt. Slaughter just threw out the ceremonial second pitch. I'm not making this up. I wish I were.

UPDATED UPDATE (8:50): OK, now I'm glad Sgt. Slaughter is here. Ketchup was on his way to, most likely, a win in the Hot Dog Race when Slaughter clothes-lined him, knocking Ketchup to the ground. As a mustard fan, I relished this moment (pun intended). And... I have no idea why I'm writing about this. Probably because I don't see it ending up in the game story. 

Slew of moves today...

Fausto Carmona's going on the 15-day DL with a left hip strain suffered Friday night. So Aaron Laffey will remain in the rotation a little longer than expected.

The Indians have made a couple moves in their bullpen, optioning Jensen Lewis to Triple-A Buffalo, calling up RHP Ed Mujica and purchasing the contract of veteran RHP Scott Elarton.

Certainly good news for Elarton, who came into Spring Training camp with this club seemingly auditioning for other clubs. I don't think the Indians seriously considered him an option in their 'pen until they saw how well he was throwing in camp. He was one of the final cuts. At Buffalo, he was 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 15 appearances. 

As for Lewis, it's no secret his velocity has been down since Spring Training. He kept insisting it was normal for him to start slow in that regard, and the velocity did begin to pick up by the end of April. But he's still not where he was in his dominant '07. He was 0-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 20 appearances, and he had given up four earned runs over his last four outings.

Mujica? There's a surprise. He was 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in 18 appearances for Buffalo. Rick Bauer, with a 1.18 ERA and 12 saves, has much, much better numbers but is not on the 40-man.

Also interesting that the Indians are making a move with Lewis and not Jorge Julio, who has simply been dreadful lately (six earned runs over his last three innings). Just a week ago, Lewis was considered a closing candidate and he's been one of Wedge's go-to options all season, while Julio has been used sparingly, at best. Of course, they've got an option on Lewis and not on Julio, so that plays into it.

Anyway, I'll have more on the site a little later.

The Indians will cut ties with a player Friday to make room for Joe Borowski. It won't be Michael Aubrey, and it won't be Andy Marte. It will be seldom-used lefty reliever Craig Breslow, who made just seven appearances and went 0-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work.

Breslow was informed after Thursday night's loss that he will be designated for assignment. The Indians will have 10 days to trade him, release him or outright him to the Minors.

"I would have liked to have played a more prominent role here," Breslow said. "I don't feel I was able to showcase my abilities. Hopefully things will work out somewhere else or here or whatever the case may be."

So... the Indians are sticking with six relievers for the time being. Aubrey made a strong case for staying with the club by smacking two homers in his first two big-league starts. Marte? He's, uh, still hanging around.

The blog will be out of service Friday. I'll catch back up with you Saturday.

 

Let's talk a little about this offense.

 

Aside from the occasional random outburst, we've seen the bats struggle to get hot all season. The Indians have only had 13 games in which they've scored more than four runs. They've scored 108 runs in those games and only 186 for the season. So 58.1 percent of their runs have come in 13 stinkin' games.

 

Obviously, the offense has been a concern all year. But this road trip has taken matters to new levels. What we're seeing now is an utterly lifeless approach. For all the Tribe's struggles early on, the club was batting a somewhat respectable (given the circumstances) .275 with runners in scoring position, heading into this trip. But in the last five games (all losses, as you know), they've hit .108 (4-for-37) with RISP, lowering the season mark to .259.

 

In other words, things are getting worse, not better. And we're 46 games into the season. The Tribe has the best starters' ERA in the big leagues, and it's going to waste.

 

Clearly, it's time for changes, but what do you change?

 

Do you fire hitting coach Derek Shelton? If you're one of the dozens of angry e-mailers writing into my inbox on a daily basis, you do. Personally, I'm not convinced that's the answer. As I wrote in this week's mailbag, it's difficult to discern how much credit to give a hitting coach when things are going well and how much blame to give him when they're going poorly.

 

Being around this team on a daily basis, I see the way Shelton works with the hitters, how he goes over the scouting report on that day's pitcher with each guy before each game and has them recite their expected approach, and I've seen how he generally has a good working relationship with the members of this lineup, as well as the other coaches.

 

Dismissing Shelton -- while a possibility, of course -- would seem to me to be more of a message-sender than anything else. And if these guys don't get the message by now, when will they ever? They see the standings. They've seen quality start after quality start wasted. And they've seen one of the more popular guys in the clubhouse sent packing for Pittsburgh.

 

The only messages that absolutely should be sent should come in the form of playing time -- or lack thereof. I liked Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto's suggestion that Michael Aubrey should be stealing some starts against right-handed pitching away from Travis Hafner (.193 against righties) and Ryan Garko (.214). Aubrey's spot on this roster is considered tenuous, but there's no reason it should be at the moment. He's a fine defender, he's homered in his first two starts and he's done nothing but hit when he's healthy in the Minors. Give him a shot.

 

On the other side of the infield, I am past the point of believing Eric Wedge has any intention of giving Andy Marte another legitimate shot at third base, so it's time to cut bait. When Joe Borowski returns from the disabled list tomorrow, try to sneak Marte through waivers, rather than dumping Aubrey.

 

Up the middle, Asdrubal Cabrera simply has to go to Buffalo for a little while to get his bat straightened out. I know he adds quite a bit to this club defensively, but he takes away quite a bit offensively, especially against lefties. Bring up Josh Barfield and have him share the second-base starts with Jamey Carroll for a while. Let's see how much Barfield has matured as a hitter in the past year, and let's give Asdrubal a little time to right himself.

 

Cabrera, if he hits, is this team's starting shortstop of the future. So start dangling Jhonny Peralta. See what kind of interest is out there. He's been around too long to have the mental lapses he shows at the plate and in the field. His contract would be attractive to some teams.

 

Speaking of trades, as the market heats up in the coming weeks, I would hope the Indians would explore interest for Paul Byrd, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers, as well. Byrd, of course, wouldn't have much value at this point, and Sowers is still something of a project, so Laffey is the most appealing trade bait of the three. You hate to part with starting depth, and you have to like the way Laffey has handled himself at the big-league level, but the Indians need help -- particularly in the middle infield and at third base -- and Laffey would have to be attractive to other teams right about now.

 

I appreciate the Indians' respect for the length of the season, but this division is utterly winnable. And with the starting pitching the Tribe is getting this year, there is no reason for this club to be patient to a fault.

 

Those are some of my suggestions. Feel free to share yours.

 

And here are the lineups for tonight's series and road trip finale with the Sox...

 

INDIANS (22-24): CF Grady Sizemore, LF Ben Francisco, DH Travis Hafner, C Victor Martinez, 1B Ryan Garko, 3B Casey Blake, SS Jhonny Peralta, RF Franklin Gutierrez, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera. LHP Laffey on the mound. 

 

WHITE SOX (25-20): SS Orlando Cabrera, 2B Alexei Ramirez, LF Carlos Quentin, RF Jermaine Dye, DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, 3B Joe Crede, CF Nick Swisher, C Toby Hall. LHP Mark Buehrle on the mound. 

 

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

 

• Twenty-five percent of Peralta's hits (32) are home runs (8). Now, if he had 60 or 70 hits, that would really be impressive.
• If the Indians are swept in Chicago today, it would be the first time since Sept. 2003.
• How about LHP David Huff? A day afer being named the Eastern League Player of the Week, he gives up a run over seven innings in a 4-1 win over Altoona last night. He's now 4-1 with an Eastern League-best 2.03 ERA. He has a 1.01 ERA over his last seven starts.
• Gutierrez is batting .128 (5-for-39) in 13 May games.
• Martinez is 3-for-his-last-25. And homerless. Still.
• Don't forget that strikeout promotion from the other night. If you're buying tickets online at Indians.com for the June 10 Dollar Dog game against the Twins, you can save $9 on lower reserved, upper box, mezzanine and bleacher seats. You can enter the promo code STRIKEOUT through midnight, Sunday, May 25.

~AC 

Closer Joe Borowski made what is expected to be his last rehab appearance tonight at Double-A Akron, against Altoona. He went one inning, giving up one hit and striking out a batter. He threw 21 pitches, 12 of which were strikes.

Joe Bo was topping out around 85-86 mph.

"This is my second time throwing to hitters," Borowski told the Akron Beacon Journal. "Each time you throw, your muscles become memory again and you get that free-and-easy feeling. I felt a big improvement just from the other day."

Some people think children are a window into the grace and innocence of the world.

Other people just think they are a great way to score autographs.

Some overzealous dad was using his kid as autograph bait by the dugout a few minutes ago. This happens often, but this guy really had a gameplan going.

With his kid -- who I'm guessing was about 5 years old -- by his side, this guy stood at the side of the Tribe dugout with a huge sign that read, "Mr. Hafner, Can I Please Have Your Autograph?" But here's the genius part... the top half of the sign was changeable. It was like the signs they use to advertise gas prices. When Grady Sizemore walked by, the guy flipped the sign to read, "Mr. Sizemore, Can I Please Have Your Autograph?" And a close inspection revealed that a third alternative was written out for Jermaine Dye.

The kid covered his bases, too. He wore a White Sox hat and a Hafner T-shirt. When Grady walked by, he quickly threw on a Sizemore jersey. In fact, now that I think about it, this might not have been a kid at all. It's possible it was a midget memorabilia hound.

Let's get to the lineups. Mike Aubrey's in there again, as Garko continues to struggle.

INDIANS (22-23): CF Grady Sizemore, RF Ben Francisco, DH Travis Hafner, C Victor Martinez, LF David Dellucci, SS Jhonny Peralta, 1B Mike Aubrey, 3B Casey Blake, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera. RHP Paul Byrd on the mound, gunning for his 100th career victory.

WHITE SOX (24-20): SS Orlando Cabrera, C A.J. Pierzynski, LF Carlos Quentin, RF Jermaine Dye, DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, 3B Joe Crede, CF Nick Swisher, 2B Alexei Ramirez. RHP Javier Vazquez on the mound.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Shin-Soo "Big League" Choo is hot at Triple-A Buffalo. He went 3-for-5 with a homer in the Bisons' 6-5 loss to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs last night. He's hit safely in three straight (6-for-11 in that span) and is now hitting .353 (6-for-17) in five games on his rehab assignment. Choo, coming back from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, will join the Indians when the assignment is up on June 3.
• Right-hander Adam Miller is also on fire. He gave up just two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five scoreless innings in that Bisons' loss. Over his last three starts, he is 0-1 with a 1.13 ERA. I say bring him up and toss him in the bullpen, but what do I know? (Don't answer that).
• There was an error in the notes yesterday that led to an error in my game story. The Indians have had 24 games (or 53 percent of the season) with three runs or less, not 25. They are 6-18 in those games.
• On the injury front, strength and conditioning coach Tim Maxey isn't on this trip. He just had his knee scoped back home. Apparently it's an old high school football injury. Here's wishing him a quick recovery.
• The Tribe's team OPS of .676 is the worst in the AL.

~AC 

If you need a break from watching the Indians' offense flailing away, perhaps you'll enjoy the train wreck that is the 2008 Detroit Tigers. Jim Leyland had a beautiful rant to reporters today, which WXYT has posted on its Web site.

Here's my buddy Jason Beck's story on the circus.

Greetings from Chicago. I love Chicago. And I could use this blog entry to write all the reasons I love Chicago, but that would be counterproductive, because chances are you either A. Have been to Chicago and don't need to hear how great it is, because you already know, or B. Have never been to Chicago but have already heard how great it is and don't need it rubbed in. Everybody loves Chicago, except my boss, but he is what we refer to as the "exception that proves the rule."

A trip to Chicago just so happens to be the grand prize at my local watering hole's Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament, which will take place in August. I was never very good at Rock, Paper, Scissors because of that age-old, over-reliance on Rock. It's just too tempting to use Rock. It's like having a 97 mph fastball with no life on it, and a devastating changeup, but you keep going with the fastball, because it's just too tempting. (Not that I know what it's like to have a 97 mph fastball ... or even a changeup, for that matter.)

If you're a true Rock, Paper, Scissors master, and a little tournament at an East Side Cleveland Irish joint isn't enticing enough, might I recommend the World RPS Society? Or the USARPS League? Or maybe I'll just recommend that you get a girlfriend.

On to the lineups. Jhonny Peralta looked so bad in the field Saturday that Wedge opted to give him a second straight (well, third, if you count the off day) day off, with a .180 hitter filling in for him. That's bad....

INDIANS (22-22): CF Grady Sizemore, RF Ben Francisco, DH Travis Hafner, C Victor Martinez, 1B Ryan Garko, LF David Dellucci, 3B Casey Blake, 2B Jamey Carroll, SS Asdrubal Cabrera. LHP C.C. Sabathia on the mound, looking to save you some money (read below).

WHITE SOX (23-20): SS Orlando Cabrera, C A.J. Pierzynski, LF Carlos Quentin, RF Jermaine Dye, DH Jim Thome, 1B Paul Konerko, 3B Joe Crede, CF Nick Swisher, 2B Alexei Ramirez. RHP Jose Contreras.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• OF Jason Tyner, designated for assignment last week, went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo.
• Joe Borowski used 10 pitches to retire the side in his one-inning rehab outing for Class A Lake County last night. He'll work out of the Double-A Akron bullpen on Wednesday and is expected back after that outing, assuming it goes well.
• Every strikeout logged by a Tribe pitcher tonight saves you $1 on lower reserved, upper box, mezzanine, or bleacher tickets for the June 10 Dollar Dog Night game against the Twins. Just enter the password STRIKEOUT when buying tickets for that game on Indians.com from 10 minutes after the conclusion of tonight's game until midnight Sunday, May 25. The minimum ticket price is $1.
• Casey Blake's 27 RBIs tie for 12th in the AL.
• The opposition has only attempted 26 stolen bases against the Indians this year, with 54 percent of those attempts ending successfully. That's an average of .59 stolen base attempts per game and the second-lowest total in the AL behind the Royals' 21. Last year, opponents were attempting 1.0 steals per game and successful 79 percent of the time.
• LHP David Huff was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. Huff, the Tribe's first pick in the '06 draft, is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA at Akron this season. He has a 0.96 ERA over his last six starts. Outstanding.

~AC

Jake went 3 2/3 innings for the Class A Lake County Captains on Sunday against Lexington. He allowed one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

This was Westbrook's first rehab outing since landing on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left intercostal muscle last month. The Indians will evaluate how he feels and determine if another outing is in order before he's ready to return to the big-league rotation.

Hillary Clinton gave a campaign speech near my Covington, Ky., hotel last night, which brings up an interesting question: Why is Hillary Clinton still giving campaign speeches?

As if we haven't been hammered with enough of the Obama-Clinton battle this year, Hillary, driven purely by ego at this point, is still pushing ahead as if she has any chance of securing her party's nomination. She's saying things like, "You don't walk off the court before the buzzer sounds, because you never know if you'll hit a three-point shot." But a three-point shot at the buzzer doesn't do you much good when you're down by four points.

At last night's speech, Clinton compared herself to the Reds, who had that bottom of the ninth comeback against the Tribe yesterday. Now, if comparing yourself to the Reds isn't a sure sign that you're headed for disaster, I don't know what is.

(Note: The preceding rant was more a matter of common sense than politics. I would hope the pro-Clinton contingent would recognize that and spare me the hateful e-mails. My inbox thanks you.)

All right, it's the last day of the first installment of the Ohio Cup. Of course, we'll still have three more games in this scintillating series at Progressive Field next month. The winner of this annual series gets a trophy. I've yet to have it explained to me who gets the trophy if the series is split. Does it go to the team that scores the most runs? The team that draws the most fans? The team that issues the fewest balks? How does this work, exactly? Perhaps somebody from the Ohio Lottery could explain.

Mike Aubrey is getting his first Major League start today, and he's batting sixth, no less. Opportunities abound in the Indians' lineup these days. If you can hit, you can secure yourself a job in the big leagues. Maybe ol' Hillary should show up to batting practice and get herself a job.

INDIANS (22-21): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, RF Ben Francisco, 1B Michael Aubrey, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Casey Blake, LHP Cliff Lee.

REDS (20-23): CF Ryan Freel, SS Paul Janish, RF Ken Griffey Jr., 2B Brandon Phillips, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, LF Adam Dunn, C David Ross, 1B Javier Valentin, RHP Edinson Volquez.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• On Saturday, Jeff Datz filled in for Joel Skinner as third-base coach, as Skinner was at his daughter's college graduation. Today, Datz is filling in for Luis Rivera at first, as Rivera is at his son Yan's graduation in Puerto Rico.
• The Indians have never been swept in a three-game series against Cincinnati, but they run the risk of doing so today.
• If you want to know why the Tribe is dangerously close to being swept, look no further than the club's 0-for-16 performance with runners in scoring position this series.
• OF Shin-Soo Choo went 2-for-4 with an RBI double for Triple-A Buffalo yesterday against Lehigh Valley. It was his third game in a 20-day rehab stint. Choo, who had Tommy John surgery last fall, is expected to join the Indians at the end of the rehab assignment.
• Indians starters have gone at least five innings in 28 straight games, dating back to April 16. The team's starters' ERA has been lowered from 3.59 to 2.88 over the last nine games.
• Here's an interesting promotion. For every strikeout notched by a Tribe pitcher Tuesday in Chicago, fans will receive $1 off lower reserved, upper box, mezzanine or bleacher tickets for the June 10 Dollar Dog Night game against the Twins. Tickets can be purchased on Indians.com 10 minutes after the conclusion of Tuesday's game through midnight Sunday, May 25, be entering the password "STRIKEOUT." The minimum ticket price is $1. And here's the best part... Team strikeout leader C.C. Sabathia gets the start Tuesday.
• Cliff Lee is 10-1 all-time in Interleague play. That .909 win percentage is the best in the history of Interleague among pitchers with at least 10 starts.

~AC

Just had lunch with my buddy Jeremy Martin, a former PR intern with the Indians. Back in '04, Jeremy and I were sitting at a Tribe game and Chad Durbin was pitching a gem. Scott Stewart was still in the Indians' bullpen at the time, and Jeremy and I decided it would be amazing if Durbin went eight scoreless innings, Rob Deer came out of retirement to hit a solo home run, and Stewart closed it out to get the save. The above headline would have perfectly captured the win and simultaneously made George Thorogood proud. I'm still rooting for this scenario to somehow happen.

So, I don't know how I wasn't assigned to write this article on the MLB.com homepage. But anyway, it's a nice rundown of the link between "Seinfeld" and baseball. Hard to believe the last episode of "Seinfeld" -- possibly the worst finale of any show ever -- aired 10 years ago this week.

All right, I'm on a bit of a time crunch here today, so let's just get right to the lineups, shall we?

INDIANS (22-20): CF Grady Sizemore, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, RF Ben Francisco, 1B Ryan Garko, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Casey Blake, RHP Fausto Carmona. Can't wait to watch Fausto bat. Should be entertaining.

REDS (19-23): CF Corey Patterson, SS Jerry Hairston Jr., RF Ken Griffey Jr., 2B Brandon Phillips, 1B Joey Votto, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, LF Adam Dunn, C Paul Bako, RHP Aaron Harang.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Third-base coach Joel Skinner is away from today's game, attending his daughter, Kate's graduation from Grove City College. Bench coach Jeff Datz is filling in at third.
• Jake Westbrook's rehab start with Class A Lake County is scheduled to last four innings tomorrow. The game against Lexington begins at 1:05 p.m. ET at Classic Park. Closer Joe Borowski will pitch one inning for Lake County on Monday. He will most likely make a second rehab appearance Wednesday.
• The Indians' starting rotation sports the lowest ERA in MLB at 2.93.
• The Tribe's team ERA over the last eight games is 1.13, while the starters' ERA is 0.60.
• The Indians are two wins away from 8,500 all-time.
• Don't forget about the rescheduled Hardball Classic games, taking place at Progressive Field tomorrow. Solon and St. Ed's will play at 3:30 p.m. ET, and Hudson and Avon Lake will play at 8:30 p.m.

~AC

1B Mike Aubrey will join the team here in Cincy tomorrow, with Jeremy Sowers getting sent back down to Buffalo.

The Indians want another bat on the bench in this NL setting. Aubrey was recently promoted to Buffalo from Double-A Akron. He was hitting .341 with five RBIs in 11 games for the Bisons. And you have to feel good for the guy after all the injuries he's battled since the Indians took him with a first-round pick in 2003.

I'm not even much of a Jimmy Buffet fan. I just don't know any other Cincinnati lyrics off the top of my head.

Anyway, greetings from the Queen City. Having covered the Reds for MLB.com in 2005 (and a fine, fine team it was), I always enjoy the trip back to Great American Ball Park to see some old buddies. And it's always nice to catch up with Ken Griffey Jr., who, rather quietly, is sitting at 597 career homers. I think the Reds might actually trade him to the Mariners while he's rounding third after belting No. 600. But that's merely speculation on my part.

As reported yesterday, Jason Tyner was DFA'd to make room for Jeremy Sowers, who gets the spot start tonight. Expect another move before Saturday's game. The Indians won't have any use for Sowers after tonight, and with two more NL games on their plate, I expect them to promote a position player. Mike Aubrey and Josh Barfield strike me as the top candidates. I guess we'll know when we know (and not a minute sooner).

On to the lineups. Travis Hafner is absent for the Indians. Will be interesting to see if Pronk gets a start at first base at all this weekend. Keeping him in there during Interleague used to be a given, but Ryan Garko's been swinging well of late.

INDIANS (22-19): CF Grady Sizemore, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, RF Ben Francisco (fresh off a strong appearance on "The Jungle" with Jim Rome), 1B Ryan Garko, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Casey Blake, LHP Jeremy Sowers.

REDS (18-23): CF Ryan Freel, SS Jerry Hairston Jr., RF Ken Griffey Jr., 2B Brandon Phillips, 1B Joey Votto, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, LF Adam Dunn, C Paul Bako, RHP Johnny Cueto.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• The Indians' rotation has gone 50 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run. According to Elias, that's the longest-ever stretch by Indians starters since the AL began computing earned runs back in 1913.
• Great stat just passed along by PR legend Rob Butcher. According to Elias, if Edinson Volquez (6-1, 1.12 ERA) and Cliff Lee (6-0, 0.67) remain their respective leagues' ERA leaders heading into their matchup Sunday, it will be just the third time in Interleague that such a matchup has occurred. The others were in 1998, when the Mets' Al Leiter (1.60) faced the Yankees' Hideki Irabu (2.19) and 2002, when Boston's Derek Lowe (1.89) faced the Braves' Tom Glavine (1.53). Pretty cool.
• Indians starters have allowed just 38 earned runs in thier last 180 2/3 innings over hte last 25 games. That's good for an ERA of 1.89.
• Some strong pitching down on the farm, as well. RHP Adam Miller gave up just two runs on two hits over six innings in the first game of Buffalo's doubleheader yesterday. His ERA is 2.28 in five starts. Down in Akron, LHP Dave Huff recorded a three-hit, seven-inning, complete-game shutout in Altoona. He is now 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA in eight games.
• Also on the farm, OF Trevor Crowe has been activated off the DL in Akron. He had been out with a lower back problem.
• Tonight's game is on WMMS 100.7 FM in the Cleveland area, because of the conflict with the Cavaliers on WTAM. Here's hoping for a Game 7.

~AC

Oh, and in case you care about such things, the former "Showdown of Ohio" is now known as the "Ohio Cup." It's sponsored by the Ohio Lottery. The winner gets a trophy. So... now you know. 

First off, OF Jason Tyner will be designated for assignment tomorrow to make room for LHP Jeremy Sowers, who is needed for Friday's spot start against the Reds. The happiest recipient of that news is Aaron Laffey, who pitched so well in place of Jake Westbrook that he'll remain here for at least another week. Laffey will either start next Thursday in Chicago or Friday in Cleveland.

Also... Eric Wedge tends to do things by the book, which is what made his decision to pull Betancourt and insert Kobayashi in the ninth today so intriguing. But Wedge said he had not had time to ponder what that move means for the closer's job. Still, it was pretty telling that he wasn't willing to stick with Betancourt with the bases loaded there. As speculated yesterday, it appears Masa is pitching himself into that ninth-inning job.

Well, the Tribe starters' scoreless streak has come to an end at 44 1/3, thanks to the unearned run coughed up by Aaron Laffey in the second inning today.

And speaking of marvelous pitching displays, it's just been brought to my attention that today is the 27th anniversary of one of the most famous evenings in Indians' lore -- Len Barker's perfect game against the Blue Jays.

Two years ago, I rounded up memories from some folks who were in attendance for that game, as well as some fans. I figured I'd bring those links to your attention, if you're so inclined.

If you'd like to read Barker's memories of the perfect game, check out this link. If you'd like to listen to the original broadcast, check this out.

I'm sending today's blog entry out to Andy "Hawk" Call, the Indians' beat writer for the Canton Repository. Today is Andy's last day on the job. He's headed off to a new role in life, where he'll be a hireling in the haughty world of higher education -- in Wisconsin, no less. I wish him and his family nothing but the best in this new endeavor, for Andy is that rarest of rare breeds -- a sportswriter who is 100 percent pleasant to be around. Amazing.

It's Weather Education Day at the ballpark, which means about 6,000 screaming kids will be in attendance. I love these games. Every fly ball is met with a high-pitched shriek as if it might escape the yard. It's kind of like going to games with my brother Bill, who pronounces every fly ball "Gone" the second it jumps off the bat, only to watch said ball turn into a high pop-up to shallow right field.

This stretch by the Indians' starters is truly amazing stuff. If you're like me, and are a fan of well-pitched ballgames, this past week has been a treat. But if you work for Elias Sports Bureau, it's been a nightmare. The Indians have made those guys work overtime. Here's what they've come up with...

• The last Major League team to have a scoreless streak of at least 41 1/3 innings was the 1974 Baltimore Orioles (Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally and Ross Grimsley threw 54 scoreless innings in September of that season).
• The Indians are the first Major League team to record four shutouts in five games since the Orioles of 1995 ended the season with five in a row. This is the firth time in the Tribe's history that the pitchers have had four shutouts in a five-game span. The Indians also did it in 1903, 1913, 1948 and 1965.
• As reported yesterday, this is the longest scoreless streak by Indians starters since 1948, when Bob Lemon, Gene Bearden, Sam Zoldak and Satchel Paige all threw complete-game shutouts in succession (47 innings).

Let's see if Aaron Laffey can keep it going today...

INDIANS (21-19): CF Grady Sizemore, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF Ben Francisco, 1B Ryan Garko, DH Travis Hafner, RF Franklin Gutierrez, C Kelly Shoppach, 2B Jamey Carroll, 3B Andy Marte. LHP Laffey gets the start. Will be interesting to see if he's the odd man out when Sowers is promoted for tomorrow's game in Cincy.

A'S (23-18): CF Rajai Davis, 1B Daric Barton, RF Emil Brown, DH Frank Thomas, LF Jack Cust, SS Bobby Crosby, 3B Jack Hannahan, 2B Donnie Murphy, C Rob Bowen. LHP Greg Smith on the mound.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• The Indians' ERA on this homestand is 0.65.
• The Indians' rotational ERA is 2.96, which is the best in baseball.
• Tribe pitchers have allowed runs in just one inning in their last 49 innings pitched.
• With just 17 errors thus far, the Indians are on pace for 70 for the season, which would break a club record set in 2000.
• The Indians are batting just .199 this month, but that's countered by the 1.64 ERA the pitchers have sported.

~AC

I've been asked if anything should be read into Kobayashi getting the save last night, and the answer, in the immediate sense, is no, because it was a two-inning save. Had the Indians not put up that three-spot in the eighth, Raffy Betancourt was warming and would have come out for the save situation in the ninth.

But I'm getting a growing sense that we'll see Kobayashi get some opportunities to close this season. Betancourt has been shaky. Opponents are really cluing in on his outside fastball, and he's yet to prove he can work inside. As for Borowski, it's tough to know what we're going to see from him when he gets back. Was that lack of velocity a product of the triceps strain, or is he simply showing his age after a lot of use the last two years? Time will tell.

Kobayashi, though, has only gotten better as this season has progressed. He's gotten more and more confident with his slider and more and more comfortable in his surroundings.

Oh, and for what it's worth, last night, Kobayashi, who had 227 saves in the Japanese Pacific League, was asked if his first Major League save will be a big news story in Japan, and he shook his head.

"He doesn't think so," said Toshi Nagahara, his interpreter, "but I do." 

Tonight's headline goes out to former Indians.com intern David Briggs, who was just watching the above "Seinfeld" episode and felt the need to text me about it. I had no other quotes on my mind to tie into today's blog, so that's your headline of the day. Way to go, Briggsy.

It's an ugly day at Progressive Field. The rain is blowing around, the gates just opened and about five people strolled in, and it's looking a bit doubtful they'll start the game on time. Press box attendant John Krepop was just kind enough to show me the Doppler forecast, as if I have any idea what I'm looking at. I don't like conversations about the weather, I don't like looking at weather forecasts and I don't like phrases like "low-pressure system" and "adiabatic process."

Oh, but it's Channel 3 Weather Day at the ballpark tomorrow afternoon, so... sorry if I offended anyone.

Let's just get to the lineups, shall we? In the three minutes I've been writing this blog entry, the grounds crew pulled back the tarp a bit to begin drawing the base lines. So that's a good sign.

INDIANS (20-19): CF Grady Sizemore, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, DH Travis Hafner, 1B Ryan Garko, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, RF Ben Francisco, 3B Casey Blake. LHP C.C. Sabathia pitching.

A's (23-17): CF Rajai Davis, 1B Mike Sweeney, LF Jack Cust, DH Frank Thomas, RF Emil Brown, SS Bobby Crosby, 3B Jack Hannahan, C Kurt Suzuki, 2B Donnie Murphy. RHP Joe Blanton on the mound.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Total combined (listed) weight of tonight's starting pitchers: 545 pounds.
• The six shutouts tossed by Tribe pitchers this season is a Major League-best. The Indians last led the AL in shutouts in 1996.
• Four of the six shutouts have occurred in the last seven games. How rare is that? Well, according to Elias, the last time the Indians had has many shutouts over a seven-game period was May 3-10, 1968 (also known as "The Year of the Pitcher").
• The Indians now have the lowest starters' ERA in MLB at 3.06. The starters have a 2.08 ERA over the last 23 games.
• As reported the other day, Shin-Soo Choo's rehab assignment begins tonight in Triple-A Buffalo. The assignment can last a maximum of 20 days before Choo must be added to the 25-man roster or exposed to waivers (and he'll join the club).
• The Indians are four wins away from 8,500 in their history.

~AC

I don't have the best luck with technology. In fact, I'm typing this blog entry on a laptop that has required technical support about five times in the last four months and, just for good measure, is missing a Tab key.

 

But where my luck really runs dry is with cell phones. This afternoon, my latest phone decided it was done with me. I say "latest," because I am 26 years old, and am already on my ninth cell phone. Allow me to provide you with the rundown...

 

1. Black Motorola (2002-03): This was a decent phone, aside from the fact that it was rather large. Not quite to Zach Morris standards, but still a little hefty. Still , this phone lived a full and productive life.
2. Silver Motorola (2003-05): Now this was a great phone. It lasted two years, which would prove to be a record. And the backlight was green, which, at the time I bought this phone, was a major technological advancement.
3. Silver Samsung #1 (2005-05): This phone lasted all of three months before I left it in a pair of jeans and ran said jeans through the wash cycle. Silver Samsung #1 never stood a chance.
4. Silver Samsung #2 (2005-05): Dropped this one in the toilet.
5. Silver Samsung #3 (2005-06): Dropped this one on the ground. It shattered into two pieces.
6. Silver Samsung #4 (2006-07): Not sure what happened with this one, but one day it just stopped allowing you to see the screen when you flipped it open. You could only see it if you jiggled it just right. Some people would be frustrated by this phone, but I respected it. It only rewarded patience and dedication.
7. Silver Samsung #5 (2007): Surprisingly no complaints about this one.
8. Silver Blackberry #1 (2007-08): It will be difficult for me to discuss this phone without sounding like a bitter, spurned ex-lover. I gave this phone the best six months of my life. I kept it clean, hardly ever dropped it, bought it a protective rubberized cover and introduced it to my family. And today I got dumped without warning.
9. Silver Blackberry #2 (2008-?): Long may you run, Silver Blackberry #2, long may you run...

On to the lineups. Peralta and Pronk both moved up tonight...

INDIANS (19-19): CF Grady Sizemore, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, DH Travis Hafner, 1B Ryan Garko, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, RF Franklin Gutierrez, 3B Casey Blake. RHP Paul Byrd hurling.

A'S (23-16): C Kurt Suzuki, 1B Daric Barton, LF Jack Cust, DH Frank Thomas, RF Emil Brown, 3B Jack Hannahan, SS Bobby Crosby, CF Ryan Sweeney, 2B Donnie Murphy. RHP Justin Duchscherer on the mound.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• In case you missed it, Fausto and Lee each threw nine scoreless in the doubleheader yesterday. According to Elias, the last time a team had both starting pitchers throw nine shutout innings in a doubleheader was the Red Sox on Sept. 5, 1977, at Toronto (Don Aese and Reggie Cleveland). The last time the Indians did it was Sept. 30, 1964 at Boston (Luis Tiant and Sam McDowell).
• In the last 60 years, only two pitchers had an ERA through their first seven starts lower than Cliff Lee's 0.67 mark, according to Elias. Fernando Valenzuela had a 0.29 mark in 1981 and Mike Norris had a 0.45 mark in 1980.
• Class A Lake County right-hander Ryan Miller is 6-0 with a 1.15 ERA in seven starts.
• Indians starters have a 2.17 ERA over their last 22 games.

~AC

Cabrera's unassisted triple play? Or the fact that the Wikipedia entry for "unassisted triple play" included mention of Cabrera's play literally within five minutes of its completion?

This Internet thing is catching on.

It's a non-mailbag Monday, but let's take a few questions, because, in the words of that great unknown 20th Century poet, Newman,...

"THE MAIL NEVER STOPS!"

With Jake Westbrook looking to come off of the DL soon, and with Aaron Laffey's strong numbers, what is the plan for the rotation? Does Laffey have a shot of staying with the big team? -- Chris R., Joplin, Mo.

 

Forget about Westbrook for a moment, because the Indians are first going to have a decision to make with their rotation later this week. As a result of Sunday's rainout and the lack of an off day until the 19^th, Jeremy Sowers will be called up to make the start Friday in Cincinnati. But because of that off day, Laffey wouldn't be needed until the 24^th. It's possible the Indians will stick with Sowers and send Laffey back down, depending on how things shake out. Eric Wedge said he'd have more of an idea on how this will work in about two days.

 

The Indians hope to have Westbrook back by the end of the month. If that's the case, the fifth guy -- Laffey or Sowers -- would presumably be bumped. But I can't help but wonder if Paul Byrd, who has struggled to keep the ball in the park this season, might find himself on the trading block at some point, given that his contract will be up at year's end and Laffey and Sowers have both given reason to believe they can be successful up here. Just a thought.

 

Why is it that since the name change, it's as if Jacobs Field never existed? For example, the article about Jason Tyner's call-up references that he hit his first career home run at Progressive Field last year with the Twins, and I've seen a few other examples of this on STO this year, as well. I'm pretty sure that it was still Jacobs Field when all this stuff happened. -- Joe M., Akron, Ohio

 

I'm with you, Joe. This bugs me, too. I personally don't see anything wrong with saying "at Jacobs Field," because that was, after all, the ballpark's name at the time. But in an effort to honor the spirit of the name change, in my articles, I've tried to address the problem by referring to it as "the ballpark formerly known as Jacobs Field" when referencing a pre-2008 event. But that runs the risk of being overly wordy (like most of what I write). I guess the safest bet would be to say "in Cleveland." Anyway, this is just one of life's many small annoyances.

 

Why don't we get the daily Tribe notes this season? I miss the reports on the Minor Leagues. -- Mitch S., Monsey, N.Y

 

Glad you asked, Mitch, because I've been meaning to address this. This season, MLB.com did away with the notebooks as we once knew them. Instead of filing one pregame notebook that rounds up the daily happenings with the club, our writers are doing separate stories, each of which get a headline, thus making it easier for you to follow what's going on.

 

Of course, some of the daily minutia of what transpires with the team isn't necessarily worthy of separate headlines, which is a big part of the reason I started this blog.

 

And as for the Minor League roundups that I used to put in my daily notes, those have actually improved. Our milb.com crew has begun posting daily team-by-team roundups, which are easily accessible from the team home page. If you check out the "News and Notes" section of the site, under "Features," there's a link to this roundup. Here is today's, as an example.

All right, the tarp is off the field, the Indians and Blue Jays are set to double-up, and the blog is back up and running. I'm sure you missed it.

As part of my two-day sabbatical, I was in attendance for that Cavs massacre of the Celtics on Saturday night at the Q. And every time I go to an NBA game, I'm reminded of why I go to so few. Between fire-breathing scoreboard, the obnoxious pregame announcements of the home team's starting five and The Diff (a Q specialty), it's all just too much for me to take. So I'm glad to be back in my element.

The players are allowed to use the pink bats and wristbands and whatnot for game one today, which is nice. In other news, Jake Westbrook will throw a simulated session tomorrow, and he's still on target to return to the rotation later this month. Closer Joe Borowski threw a bullpen session today and is on track to be back in about a week and a half.

Here are the lineups for game one...

INDIANS (18-18): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, RF Ben Francisco, DH Travis Hafner, 1B Ryan Garko, SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Casey Blake. RHP Fausto Carmona on the mound.

BLUE JAYS (17-21): RF Brad Wilkerson, 2B Aaron Hill, CF Alex Rios, 3B Scott Rolen, DH Matt Stairs, 1B Lyle Overbay, SS Marco Scutaro, C Rod Barajas, LF Joe Inglett. RHP A.J. Burnett hurling.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Cliff Lee is going for his seventh win in as many starts later today. The last Tribe pitcher to achieve that feat was Duster Mails in 1920. According to the notes, that was during Tom Hamilton's first season in the radio booth. Hammy must have rubbed somebody wrong in the PR department to earn this abuse.
• Casey Blake has 15 RBIs in his last 15 games. His 25 RBIs are tied for seventh-most in the AL with Magglio Ordonez.
• In the three previous traditional doubleheaders played in this building, the Indians own two sweeps and one split.
• The Indians' 3.41 ERA out of the starting rotation is the best in the league.
• Tonight's nightcap and Wednesday's game will air on WMMS 100.7 FM because of the conflict with the Cavaliers on WTAM 1100. It's a Joe Tait-Hamilton battle royale. Who's your pick?

~AC

Last night's activites at my favorite New York City establishment, combined with an early wake-up call for the cab ride to LaGuardia, have me dragging a bit for tonight's opener of a four-game set between the Indians and Blue Jays. I appear to have come down with a case of what WTAM's Mark Schwab just told me is called "Bar Throat" -- i.e., the affliction brought on by talking too much in a loud bar.

I really don't mind this illness, as it was caused by conversations with some friends about, among other things, the need for dental floss dispensers in restaurants, the need for a form of wet nap that can be used not only to clean your hands but also to swipe your tongue and thereby improve your breath, and the possibility that dropping a penny from the top of the Empire State Building can kill a guy on the street (that would be cents-less violence, if you ask me).

Important conversations all. And the important news on the Indians front today is that Victor Martinez is back in the starting lineup, which reads as follows...

INDIANS (16-18): CF Grady Sizemore, RF Franklin Gutierrez, LF David Dellucci, C Martinez, SS Jhonny Peralta, DH Travis Hafner, 1B Ryan Garko, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, 3B Casey Blake. LHP C.C. Sabathia pitching.

BLUE JAYS (17-19): RF Alex Rios, 2B Aaron Hill, 3B Scott Rolen, CF Vernon Wells, DH Kevin Mench (just acquired from the Rangers today), 1B Lyle Overbay, C Rod Barajas, LF Brad Wilkerson, SS Marco Scutaro. RHP Roy Halladay hurling. 

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Here's an ugly stat for you: 91 players currently qualify for the AL batting title. The Indians have four guys in the bottom 20 spots -- Peralta (.221) is 74th, Blake (.210) is 79th, Hafner (.209) is tied for 82nd, and Cabrera (.187) is 89th. Let me hear you say, "Ugh."
• On the bright side, the Tribe's starter's ERA of 3.59 is third in the bigs behind that of the A's (3.30) and Blue Jays (3.44).
• Grady Sizemore has logged 121 at-bats and has yet to ground into a double play. The Rays' Akinori Iwamura (137 at-bats) is the only AL player with more at-bats and no GIDPs. 
• Cabrera, Jamey Carroll, Garko, Gutierrez, Andy Marte, Martinez, Peralta and Sizemore will all have pink bats at their disposal on Mother's Day. Players around the league will be using the bats to raise awareness about breast cancer.

I'm getting benched Saturday and Sunday, so the blog will be on hiatus. On the site, Justice "The Thrill" Hill will fill in.

~AC

The Indians have found a taker for Jason Michaels, who was designated for assignment Tuesday. The Tribe is sending J-Mike and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named. Michaels is making $2.15 million this season. The Indians are on the hook for most of that contract. I don't know the deadline yet for the player to be named.

I needed several things to happen last night, and none of them occurred.

1. I needed a monsoon to wash over the Bronx, wiping out Wednesday night's game by, say, 5 p.m.
2. I needed a car waiting for me, gassed-up and running, outside Yankee Stadium.
3. I needed two items in the glove compartment of said car -- a map to Red Bank, N.J., and an envelope filled with $2,000 in cash.

Had all of this actually happened, I could have been in attendance for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's benefit concert at the 1,500-seat Count Basie Theater last night, where the band did the entire Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born to Run albums, in sequence.

Sounds like an amazing night. Wish I could have been there. But I guess my hopes were unrealistic. The car, gas and cash thing was likely, but not the monsoon.

Anyway, it's the last day in the Bronx. The weather forecast for today's game looked grim last night, but we're all right for now. Martinez is out again with that stiff neck (Wedge said Vic really "sucked it up" to play last night), and Travis Hafner is getting two days off in a row as his slump drags on.

INDIANS (16-17): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, DH David Dellucci, SS Jhonny Peralta, LF Ben Francisco, RF Franklin Gutierrez, 1B Ryan Garko, 3B Casey Blake, C Kelly Shoppach. RHP Paul Byrd hurling.

YANKEES (17-18): LF Johnny Damon, SS Derek Jeter, RF Bobby Abreu, DH Hideki Matsui, 1B Jason Giambi, CF Melky Cabrera, 2B Robinson Cano, 3B Wilson Betemit, C Jose Molina. RHP Mike Mussina on the mound. 

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY... 

• Every time Lee completes an outing, the good people at Elias come up with some ridiculous stat about how good his start to the season has been. Here's today's: Since the end of World War II, only three pitchers have won their first six starts while posting a lower ERA than Lee's 0.81 mark. They are Feranando Valenzuela (0.33 in '81), Roger Clemens (0.73 in '91) and Pedro Martinez (0.79 in '97). All three of those pitchers went on to win the Cy Young Award. 
• Speaking of the Cy Young, C.C. Sabathia (AL Cy Young, '07) will oppose the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay (AL Cy Young, '03) tomorrow night at Progressive Field. Between the two of them, the pitchers own 215 career wins and seven All-Star appearances.
• The Indians have clinched their first outright season series victory against the Yanks since going 7-6 against them in 1992. The last time the Tribe won a series in Yankee Stadium, as they've done here, was June of 2001. Today, the club is going for its first sweep in the Bronx since April of 1989.
• This needs to be said somewhere, so I'm saying it here... Hafner's GIDP in the ninth inning was the most ridiculous double play I've ever seen. For those who didn't see it, Hafner pinch-hit with the bases loaded. He swung weakly at a curveball, sending it into the dirt in front of home plate. Molina picked up the ball, stepped on home plate and threw to first for the easy DP. The ball didn't even make it to the infield grass. Wow.

Lastly, a quick anecdote from last night's postgame. Masa Kobayashi brought out a bottle of celebratory saki to share with his teammates, I guess it was pretty strong stuff. Hafner said it tasted like tequila. Dellucci took one sip, winced and said, "I could put this in my car and get 30 miles to the gallon."

~AC

When you spend a day in New York City, you can traverse the concrete jungle and get lost in the claustrophobic convention that is Times Square. You are sure to run into some interesting people -- like the Naked Cowboy singer, or the one-armed man I saw today, wearing a placard promoting a local barber shop. (Now, I'm no marketing guru, but if your business revolves around the wielding of sharp objects, I don't think sending a one-armed man out to do your advertising makes a heck of a lot of business sense.)

But today I opted to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, for the most part, and instead take a nice jog through Central Park. It's a fine place to get a run in, provided you can handle the occassional whiff of manure from one of the buggy horses fresh off a heaping helping of Beefarino. And if you're lucky enough to get a mugger on your tail, your 5k time will improve dramatically.

Back here in the Bronx, the Indians have offered up another surprising lineup. Andy Marte is playing for a second consecutive day, Victor Martinez (still nursing that stiff neck) is in at DH, giving Travis Hafner a day off, and Casey Blake is at first. Ben Francisco is the latest winner of the "Bat in the No. 2 spot for a day" contest, sponsored by Pepto Bismol.

Two special guests in the Tribe clubhouse before today's game. Former first baseman Eduardo Perez, now a "Baseball Tonight" analyst on ESPN, stopped in to say hello to his old teammates. Perez is beloved in this clubhouse, even if his tenure on the team was brief. ESPN's Erin Andrews stopped by. She's also very popular. I'll let you discern the reasons. Oh, and former big-league manager turned Indians advisor turned ESPN analyst Buck Showalter is sitting next to me in the press box as I type this. Always good to see Buck.

On to the lineups...  

INDIANS (15-17): CF Grady Sizemore, RF Ben Francisco, LF David Dellucci, DH Martinez, SS Jhonny Peralta, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera, 1B Casey Blake, C Kelly Shoppach, 3B Andy Marte. LHP Cliff Lee faces his toughest opponent to date. His stuff has been so good this season that you'd expect it to translate, but he'll be challenged tonight.

YANKEES (17-17): LF Johnny Damon, SS Derek Jeter, RF Bobby Abreu, 1B Shelley Duncan, DH Hideki Matsui, CF Melky Cabrera, 2B Robinson Cano, 3B Morgan Ensberg, C Jose Molina. RHP Chien-Ming Wang pitching. 

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• Cliff Lee has not walked a batter in his last 21 innings pitched and his 74 consecutive batters faced without a walk is the longest active streak in MLB.
• Triple-A Buffalo LHP Jeremy Sowers turned in seven shutout innings at Syracuse last night. He allowed just three hits, walking two and striking out two. Sowers is now 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in six starts. 
• Last Friday's rained-out game against the Royals has been rescheduled for Saturday, September 13, at 1 p.m. It will now be part of a day-night doubleheader.
• The High School Hardball Classic games rained out at Progressive Field on April 30 have been rescheduled for Sunday, May 18. St. Edward will face Solon at 3:30 p.m., Aurora will face Kenston at 6 p.m. and Hudson will face Avon Lake at 8:30 p.m. Get your tickets on indians.com.
• Derek Jeter is batting .349 in his career against the Tribe. That's his highest average against a single team.

Lastly, be sure to check out the latest issue of Game Face Magazine, which went live today.

~AC

Congrats(?) to reader Kevin N. from Endwell, N.Y., for coming up with the new name for the blog. "CastroTurf." It's short, it's witty, it has a baseball tie-in. It's a definitely step-up from "Castrovince's Corner." My only complaint is that I didn't come up with it myself.

Kevin, if you're reading this, e-mail me your address and I'll be sure to send you a small token of my appreciation. I hope you like Spaghetti O's!

Runner-up in the blog-naming contest was Mike P. from Colorado Springs, who submitted, "Nice Game, Pretty Boy." A solid, solid Seinfeld reference (which is what I was looking for). But more than half the people I ran it by gave me a puzzled look, and there's no need to puzzle the masses.

First things first, Victor Martinez was a late scratch from tonight's lineup because of a stiff neck. He is day to day. He'll be replaced by Kelly Shoppach -- the only other member of the roster with a batting average over .300.

So here we are in the Bronx for one last series at The House that Ruth Built and George Steinbrenner Gutted and Renovated. Perhaps this will be viewed as sacrilegious, but I don't feel a sense of palpable history at this place the way I do at Fenway and Wrigley. For all intents and purposes, this place is "only" 33 years old, given the renovations of the mid-70s. But that's not to say a lot of baseball history hasn't been made here since then.

Anyway, the new Yankee Stadium going up across the street looks, from the outside, at least, like it would be ready for action by the All-Star break. They've made dramatic progress on that place since last fall's ALDS. The exterior is quite impressive. I took a picture of it on my phone, and if I ever find out how to get said picture onto the computer and then on this blog, I'll do it.

Let's get to tonight's lineups...

INDIANS (14-17): CF Grady Sizemore, 2B Jamey Carroll, SS Jhonny Peralta, 1B Ryan Garko, RF Franklin Gutierrez, DH Travis Hafner, LF Ben Francisco, C Kelly Shoppach, 3B Andy Marte. RHP Fausto Carmona on the mound.

YANKEES (17-16): LF Johnny Damon, SS Derek Jeter, RF Bobby Abreu, DH Hideki Matsui, 1B Jason Giambi, CF Melky Cabrera, 2B Robinson Cano, 3B Wilson Betemit, C Jose Molina. LHP Andy Pettitte pitching.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

• The Indians are batting .165 over their last three games.
• The Tribe last won a regular-season series in Yankee Stadium in June of 2001. Since 2002, the Indians are 3-17 in the Bronx in the regular season. 
• Tonight's game and the games on May 10 and May 12 will all be broadcast on WMMS 100.7 FM, because of the conflict with the Cavaliers' playoff games on WTAM.
• OF Bronson Sardinha has been signed to a Minor League contract and will report to Triple-A Buffalo, which needed another body in the outfield now that Ben Francisco has been promoted.
• Jason Michaels was officially designated for assignment two days after his 32nd birthday. Ouch.

Lastly, two quick blog-related updates. For one, my friend Kate pointed out a major error on my part, as I neglected to list "Rivalry Week" among the things you can't say without sounding drunk. Actually, "Rivalry Week" might be on the list of things you can't say, period. Anyway, my apologies for the omission. 

Also, I plan to make not-so-long-anticipated blog name change sometime during this series, so be on the lookout for that.

~AC

 

As just announced by Mark Shapiro on a conference call with reporters. J-Mike will be designated for assignment Tuesday to make room for Ben Francisco. The Tribe will have 10 days to trade or release Michaels.

Ben Francisco is eligible to join the Indians on Tuesday (10 days after his demotion back to Buffalo), and that's just what he'll be doing. Francisco was pulled out of the second game of Buffalo's doubleheader today and told he'll be coming back to the big leagues.

"I don't know what their plans are, but Torey [Lovullo] told me to be ready to play," Francisco told The Buffalo News. "'ll be there Tuesday ready to be in the lineup if they want me to be. It's definitely a little boost to be in the big leagues. I was trying to stay positive down here and work on things. It was tough but that's the way it goes. I'm looking forward to the opportunity. I'm ready to be in Cleveland so I'm ready to run with it."

Jason Michaels and Andy Marte are the two most likely candidates for displacement as a result of this development. The Indians won't announce anything until Tuesday. The safe money might be on Michaels, who, obviously, is off to a slow start and doesn't have a guaranteed contract after this season. Perhaps the Tribe will try to find a way to trade him.

Will Francisco save this struggling offense? Please. But the time for patience with the current lineup has obviously passed.

 

 

No makeup date set yet, as far as I've heard. More info will be posted on the site.

We won't be starting on time tonight. That much I can assure you. They still hope to get the game in, though.

It rained all day here, forcing indoor BP, but it cleared up around 4 p.m. But now more thunderstorms are rolling in from the Toledo area. Assuming they don't get held up on the turnpike, they'll be here relatively shortly. I'll post more when I know it.

In the meantime....

THINGS YOU CAN'T SAY WITHOUT SOUNDING DRUNK...

1. Asdrubal
2. Judicial system (I stole this from Dana Carvey... always cite your sources, kids)
3. Mitsubishi
4. Worcestershire sauce
5. Joe Jurevicius
6. The Indians should sign Barry Bonds.

(If you have others, feel free to pass them along)

If tonight's game does indeed occur, these are your lineups...

INDIANS (14-15): CF Grady Sizemore, RF Franklin Gutierrez, LF David Dellucci, C Victor Martinez, SS Jhonny Peralta, DH Travis Hafner, 1B Ryan Garko, 3B Casey Blake, 2B (say it with me) Asdrubal Cabrera. C.C. and his ever-shrinking 7.88 ERA on the mound.

ROYALS (12-16): CF David DeJesus, 2B Mark Grudzielanek, 3B Alex Gordon, LF Jose Guillen, 1B Billy Butler, RF Mark Teahen, DH Miguel Olivo, C John Buck, SS Tony Pena. RHP Luke Hochevar makes his fourth career start.

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY:

• On Thursday night, Wedge brought out Rafael Perez to face Ichiro Suzuki in the eighth inning. Willie Bloomquist was caught stealing to end the inning. When Suzuki led off the ninth, Wedge went with closer Rafael Betancourt, rather than sticking with the lefty Perez. Why? "It's always a lot easier for a guy to come in and get a save when they start their own inning," Wedge said.
• Here's a nice change of pace. Mike Aubrey is replacing a player on the DL, rather than going on the DL. Aubrey, the Tribe's first overall pick in 2003, has been promoted to Triple-A Buffalo for the first time. He'll be filling in for last year's Eastern League MVP, Jordan Brown, who went on the DL with tendinitis in his knee. Wedge said Brown's injury is not serious.
• Travis Hafner has two multi-hit games since April 14.
• I just saw tomorrow night's giveaway item, the "CyCy" Sabathia bobblehead doll. It doesn't resemble a guy who weighs 290 pounds.
• Wedge words of wisdom: "I don't know who said, 'Practice makes perfect.' If you're practicing the wrong way, you're getting worse."

All right, I'll be riding the pine the remainder of this weekend, so the blog will be on a two-day hiatus. Over on the site, you'll be placed in the capable hands of David "Young Zeus" Briggs, who not only is the tallest sportswriter in the business but who also was the associate reporter in Cleveland last season. Enjoy.

~AC