Indians Confidential

HISTORICAL PLAYER: CF GRADY SIZEMORE is making his 3rd consecutive trip to the All-Star Game…He now has 100 career HR and 99 career SB and is vying to become just the 2nd player in Indians franchise history to hit 100HR and steal 100 bases as an Indian…JOE CARTER (151HR, 126SB) is the only other Indians player to accomplish the feat (1984-89)…Grady currently leads the team in On-base %, Slugging %, OPS, Games, at bats, PAs, runs, hits, Total Bases, triples, HR, RBI, walks, steals and extra base hits……On the year he is hitting .269 (91-338) with 56 RS, 18 2B, 4 3B, 22HR, 50RBI & 20 steals (23attempts) in 85 games…He has hit safely in 25 of his last 30 games batting .296 (37-125) w/7 2B, 11HR & 20RBI (1.025 OPS)…He has 10HR in his last 23G & has 14HR in his last 34G… Among AL leaders, Sizemore is 1st in HR (22), 3rd in TB (183), t4th in BB (50), T7th in RS (56), 9th in SB (20) & 7th in OPS (.913)…Is the only player in the AL with 20HR and 20 steals this season…Last Indian to lead the AL in homers was ALBERT BELLE (50)in 1995…Hit his 100th career HR Saturday in the Metrodome

SHARP LEE: Is making his first appearance on the AL All-Star Team…He is now 11-2 w/a 2.43 ERA in 17 starts (1CG/SHO, 118.2IP, 104H, 32ER, 19BB, 99K)…When he started 11-1 he became just the 4th Indians pitcher in franchise history to start a season 11-1 or better…It is the 5th time it happened as he joined Johnny Allen (12-0 in 1937, 11-1 in 1938), Gaylord Perry (11-1, 1974) & Charlie Nagy (1996, 11-1)…Cliff Lee is currently 2nd in the AL in ERA (2.43), 1st in winning % (.846), t2nd in wins (11), 9th in avg against (.236) and 8th in strikeouts (99)… Was the first Indians pitcher since GREG SWINDELL in 1988 to win his first six starts…ACCORDING TO ELIAS Since end of World War II, only 3 pitchers have won their first six starts while posting a lower ERA: Fernando Valenzuela (0.33) in 1981, Roger Clemens (0.73) in 1991 and Pedro Martinez (0.79) in 1997 …ALL THREE WON THE CY YOUNG AWARD…Only 2 pitchers in the last 60 years since 1948 had a lower ERA through first 7 starts than Cliff’s 0.67ERA – MIKE NORRIS, OAK, 1980 (0.45) and FERNANDO VALENZUELA, LAD, 1981 (0.29)…

WHAT A NIGHT: CF GRADY SIZEMORE went 3 for 4 w/4RS, a walk, steal and 2 homers last night in Chicago…It was his 4th two-homer game of the year and the 5th of his career…He leads the league with 21 HR and is vying to become the first Indians hitter since ALBERT BELLE (50) in 1995 to do so.

HISTORICAL PLAYER: CF GRADY SIZEMORE now sits at 99 career home runs and 99 career steals and is about to become just the 2nd player in Indians franchise history to hit 100HR and steal 100 bases as an Indian…JOE CARTER (151HR, 126SB) is the only other Indians player to accomplish the feat (1984-89)…Grady currently leads the team in on-base & slugging %, OPS, games, at bats, runs, hits, total bases, triples, homers, walks, steals and extra base hits…He has 9HR in his last 20G & has 13HR in his last 31G… Among AL leaders, Sizemore is 1st in HR (21), 3rd in TB (174), T4th in BB (49), T7th in RS (55), 8th in SB (20) & 7th in slugging % (.534)…He is the only 20HR/20SB player in the AL to date.

TV SWITCH: The following games have been switched on the television schedule… On Saturday, July 5th STO will televise that night’s contest from Minnesota & on Saturday, July 12th vs. Tampa Bay, WKYC will air the 7:05 PM tilt from Progressive Field

HODGES ON OLYMPIC WATCH LIST: Akron 3B WES HODGES has been selected to play in the Futures Game in Yankee Stadium on July 13 for Team USA and is one of 60 players currently being considered for the 24-man United States Olympic Team that will be selected on July 16th…The Olympics begin in Beijing, China on August 9th…Hodges is hitting .307 (94-306) with 15 2B, 9HR & 64 RBI in 82 games this year for Akron…He leads the Eastern League in RBI and is 2nd in hits.

RUNDLES AN ALL-STAR: LHP RICH RUNDLES is the lone representative for the AAA Buffalo Bisons in the Triple A All-Star Game…He is 5-4 this year w/a 3.48 ERA in 32 games (33.2IP, 26H, 13ER, 20BB, 39K).

CHISENHALL SETTLING IN: 2008 First Round pick INF LONNIE CHISENHALL has hit in 6 straight games and over his last 5 contests is 11 for 20 (.550) w/2 2B, 1HR & 4RBI to raise his average to .286 (16-56, 5RBI, 13G) on the season at A Mahoning Valley.

TOREGAS BOMBS: CA WYATT TOREGAS hit 3 homers for Akron last night at Erie (Aeros hit 7 for the game)…He entered the contest with 4 homers on the entire season.

Fri., July 4 at Minnesota (7:10PM ET, WTAM/IRN, STO)

RHP Paul Byrd (3-9, 5.26) vs. RHP Livan Hernandez (8-5, 5.22)

Sat., July 5 at Minnesota (7:10PM ET, WTAM/IRN, STO)

LHP Aaron Laffey (4-5, 3.24) vs. RHP Kevin Slowey (5-6, 3.47)

Sun., July 6 at Minnesota (2:10PM ET, WTAM/IRN, STO)

LHP Cliff Lee (11-1, 2.34) vs. LHP Glen Perkins (4-2, 4.31)

In a season of tough losses, Tuesday night’s 3-2 extra inning loss to the White Sox could very well be right near the top.  The Indians hung in there against a team that they are trying as hard as they can keep pace with, and on a night where they tried to get their deficit back down to 9.5 games, Joe Borowski did what some say he does best - blow a save.

The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 10th when Casey Blake hit a solo homer to left.  Borowski came on, and gave it back, but of course not till he got the first two outs, making it even tougher to swallow.  He got Joe Crede to ground out, and then struck out Nick Swisher.  Then with the game looking like it belonged to the Tribe, Jo-Bo imploeded, giving up a solo homer to Alexei Ramirez, just his 6th of the year.

As if that was hard enough to watch, the implosion continued.  Pinch-hitter Dewayne Wise singled, stole second, as everyone usually does vs Borowski, then scored when Orlando Cabrera singled to center, and Wise came in with the winning run to make it 3-2.  They don’t come much tougher than this.

As they have done a ton of times this season, the Indians wasted a good outing from Cliff Lee, as he went 8 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, walking one and striking out three.  Lee dropped his ERA to 2.26, but could not get any run support to move his record past 11-1.  He allowed a run in the 2nd, then the Indians tied it in the 6th when Kelly Shoppach hit a homer to left to make it 1-1.

All that aside, the end was painful to watch.  The team falls to a full 10 games under .500 at 37-47.  Instead of being 9.5 back of the Sox if they could have hung on to win, they now fall 11.5 back, and are still in last in the AL Central.  The time to start making moves is nearing, and games like this one only made that point all the more clear.

As the 2008 All Star Game in the Bronx approaches and the season reaches its mid-season point, I wanted to recognize the Indians most consistent force, Cliff Lee. This 29 year old started the season with questions and doubts about even making the rotation and now this presumably All Star holds an 11-1 record with a paltry 2.34 earned run average after 15 starts. Cliff has been dominant, holding opposing hitters to a .247 batting average against. This 6 foot 3 inch, left-hander has given up 2 or more runs in only three of his starts and has been undeniably the best pitcher in all of baseball in the first half. He has also amassed 90 strikeouts in 103.2 innings with only 16 walks.

This is a sign of the work and dedication that Cliff has put in to improving his game and his control. With all of the injuries and troubles that have faced the Tribe this year, Cliff seems to be unfazed and on a mission to go out and give the Indians a quality start each and every time he takes the hill. When July 15th and the All Star Game takes center stage, I look forward to seeing Cliff Lee representing the Indians on the national stage.

If there is one thing the Indians have been able to count on in this season that appears to already be lost, it’s the pitching of starter Cliff Lee. Last season Lee found himself in Buffalo with the teams Triple-A club, and this year, unless there is some stunning collapse over the next two weeks, Lee will find himself in New York with the American League All-Star team.

Last night at Progressive Field Lee moved to 8-1 when he’s pitched the day after an Indians loss, as he threw a career-high 11 strikeouts in the teams 4-1 win over the Giants to salvage the finale of the three-game set. Lee is now 11-1 on the season. He went 8 innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking one and recording 11 K’s. His season ERA drops to 2.34. Manager Eric Wedge said postgame that Lee and C.C. Sabathia have been carrying the starting pitching the last few weeks, but for the most part Lee’s carried it the whole season.

On offense, the team got to Giants starter Matt Cain early, scoring three runs in the third after getting runners on in the first and second innings. Jamey Carroll, who continues to play well, tripled in a run when the ball bounced off the wall in deep left, and then Jhonny Peralta doubled in two more runs to make it 3-0. The Giants got their only run of the game in the 4th, but the Indians came right back as Carroll singled in Kelly Shoppach to make it 4-1.

Carroll is now hitting .293 on the season, and an injury to Josh Barfield and the poor play at the Major League level by Asdrubal Cabrera has allowed Carroll to play everyday, which he’s taking advantage of. Peralta had two hits as well, and put his average at .244. Overall the team pounded out 8 hits, Shoppach also went 2-for-3.

The win puts the team back to 7.5 back of the White Sox in the division, but they still have a share of last place with the Royals. At 36-43, they sorely need to go out and sweep the Ohio rival Reds at home over the weekend. C.C. Sabathia, who is 5-and-8 with a 4.06 ERA, will start for the Indians tonight . Daryl Thompson, who’s 0-and-0 with a 0.00 ERA, will start for the Reds. First pitch at Progressive Field is set for 7:05 p.m.

While the white flag has not officially been raised, let’s just says it’s on the pole and in position. The Indians have reached a point in the 2008 season many thought they would never get to - last place in the division, and basically ready to call it quits and get ready for a fire sale to start building for the 2009 campaign. Last night at Progressive Field, the team lost their 6th game out of their last 8, making Barry Zito look like the Barry Zito of old, falling to the Giants 4-1.

Coming in with a mark of 2-11, Zito threw one-run ball over 6.2 innings, making the Indians batters look more like a Double A club, because calling them a Triple A club at this point would be too generous. Yes, many agreed that Zito had his best stuff Wednesday night, commanding the plate and throwing well to both sides of the plate, but again, this is Barry Zito - a pitcher that has been back and forth from starter to bullpen, and a pitcher that was 2-11 coming in.

While Zito controlled the Indians at the plate, Jeremy Sowers did what he could to keep the Indians in the game. He ran into trouble right away in the first, allowing two quick runs, but settled down from there. His main enemy at the plate was Jose Castillo, who was a triple away from the cycle, hitting a double, homer and single in four at-bats. His solo homer in the third put the Giants up 3-0, and with the Indians offense going quietly in the night, that was more than enough for Zito.

The offense finally broke through with their only run of the game in the 7th, when Shin-Soo Choo singled in Kelly Shoppach to make it 3-1. It was all the offense the team would show vs Zito, and four Giants relief pitchers. The team put up 6 hits, and against Zito, a pitcher who averages three walks per outing, they never got a free pass the entire night.

The loss puts them at 35-43, and with the Royals beating the Rockies, a team the Indians were swept by over the weekend, the team is now in last place in the division by .5 game. They are 7.5 back of the White Sox, who lost on Wednesday night. Tonight is the finale of the set, with Cliff Lee at 10-and-1 with a 2.45 ERA going for the Indians. The Giants will send out Matt Cain, who’s 4-and-5 with a 4.31 ERA. First pitch at Progressive Field is set for 7:05 p.m.

It’s amazing to think that Cliff Lee is the Indians MVP at this point of the season, but that fact came back to the forefront last night in Detroit as he pitched well enough to earn his 10th win of the season as the Indians topped the Tigers 8-2. The win wraps up the teams longest road trip of the season, an 11-game outing in which they went 5-6, hitting KC, Texas and Detroit.

Lee is the first AL pitcher to win 10 games, he went 5 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. The reason for the short outing was the fact the game was hit by a 57-minute rain delay. The bullpen finally did a nice job after blowing a game Saturday, as Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt and Masa Kobayashi went a combined four innings, allowing one hit total and walking three, striking out two.

The offense got off to a fast start, as Ryan Garko hit a three-run blast to deep left off of Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis in the first inning to give the Tribe a quick 3-0 lead. The team chased Willis in the second, as Kelly Shoppach hit a two-run homer to make it 5-0, then Garko got hit by a pitch to bring in a run, Jhonny Peralta singled to score a run, and Shin Soo-Choo hit a sac fly to make it 8-0.

Willis lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing 8 runs on three hits. He has been a big bust so far for the Tigers, has he’s been hurt, and is carrying an 0-1 mark now with an ERA of 10.32. He has started just four games, and has pitched only 11.1 innings, allowing 13 earned runs on seven hits. The Indians only had six hits, but were on cruise control most of the night due to the early lead that they carried as well as their bullpen.

New second basemen Josh Barfield batted ninth, and did little at the plate, going 0-for-4 with a fly out to center, foul out to right, fly out to deep left, and ground out to third. Grady Sizemore got a rare night off, as Franklin Gutierrez started in center and hit lead off.

Tonight the Indians come back home for the first time since late May, as they start the first of six at Progressive Field vs the Twins and then a weekend interleague series vs the Padres. C.C. Sabathia, who’s 3-and-8 with a 4.81 ERA, will start for the Indians. The Twins will send out Scott Baker, who’s 2-and-0 with a 4.03 ERA. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.