Indians Confidential

Besides beating the Blue Jays 2-1 Saturday, the Indians were very busy off the field, first shipping veteran pitcher Jake Westbrook to the Cardinals. Here is the release by the team:

The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has traded RHP JAKE WESTBROOK and cash to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a three-team trade between the Indians, Cardinals and San Diego Padres. In the deal the Indians have acquired RHP COREY KLUBER from the San Diego Padres.

Kluber, 24, has spent the entire season to date at AA San Antonio going 6-6 with a 3.45 ERA (122.2IP, 121H, 59R/47ER, 40BB, 136K, .259 avg) in 22 games/21 starts. He currently leads the Texas League in strikeouts (136), strikeouts per 9.0IP (9.98K/9.0IP) and is 2nd in innings pitched (122.2IP). Over his last 4 starts he is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA (26.0IP, 18H, 5R/ER, 8BB, 30K) and the Texas League recently named him the player of the week.

The Padres selected Kluber, a 6-4, 215-pound right-hander, in the 4th round of the 2007 June draft out of Stetson University (FL). In 2009 between A Lake Elsinore and AA San Antonio he went a combined 9-13 with a 4.56 ERA (154.0IP, 155H, 90R/78ER, 70BB, 159K) in 28 starts. He tied for seventh in strikeouts among all of minor league baseball with 159 in 2009. Kluber will report to AA Akron in the coming days.

Westbrook went 6-7 w/a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts (127.2IP, 133H, 66ER, 44BB, 73K) this year with the Indians after missing the entire 2009 season due to right elbow surgery. The 2004 American League All-Star had a record of 69-69 with a 4.29 ERA in 218 games/179 starts with the Indians (1191.1IP, 1269H, 568ER) from 2001-2010 after being acquired from the NY Yankees on June 29, 2000.

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While it seems like moving Shin-Soo Choo to the two-hole was a great decision by Manny Acta, he couldn’t throw innings of relief pitching for the Indians Friday night, as the team fell for the 5th straight time, losing to the rival Reds 7-4. Choo slammed a pair of homers, and had three hits, but it was not enough as Aaron Laffey’s issues out of the pen continued.

The Indians clawed their way to a 4-4 game after Choo hit his second homer in the 5th as the team scored three runs. Laffey, coming in for starter Jake Westbrook, gave it right back, throwing pitches up in the zone as the Reds scored twice in the top of the 6th to go up 6-4.

“Just not really commanding the ball the way I was from the beginning of the year,” Laffey said. “It’s just a matter of executing the pitch, and following through, and throwing the pitch where I want to. I haven’t been able to do that the last couple of times.”

Laffey has allowed runs in all of his last three outings, including Friday as the Indians didn’t push another run across in falling 10 full games under .500 at 15-25.

“Once we score runs like that to tie a game or get ahead, you have to get your bats back in the dugout and swing again right away,” Acta said. “Giving (runs) back right away is not a good feel.”

Westbrook went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out three. Kerry Wood, who gave up five runs in the 9th against KC on Wednesday, allowed a solo shot to Brandon Phillips in the 9th for the final run of the game to make it 7-4.

Laynce Nix had three hits, including the tiebreaking double in the sixth inning for the Reds, and Jonny Gomes also homered for Cincinnati. The win for Cincy comes a day after they blew a huge lead in losing to the Braves. “You can dwell on it and stay in it or you can put it behind you,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “That shows the kind of character this team has. You have to do that in this game. You don’t have time to feel down about the game you just played. When that happens, depression sets in and nothing good comes out of it.”

Late-inning comebacks have been the surprising Cincinnati Reds’ recipe for success, but they’re starting to end up on the wrong end of such rallies.

Having been knocked out of first place in the NL Central, the Reds look to bounce back from their most discouraging loss of the season when they face the scuffling Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

Cincinnati (23-18) scored three times in the bottom of the ninth Tuesday to beat Milwaukee 5-4, its 10th win of the season in its final at-bat. The Reds’ luck ran out in Atlanta, however.

Cincinnati lost 5-4 to the Braves on Wednesday by allowing a run in the ninth, but that paled in comparison to what happened the next day.

Cincinnati jumped out to an 8-0 second-inning lead Thursday on Joey Votto’s grand slam, his fifth homer in 12 games. The Reds led 9-3 after eight, but Atlanta scored seven times in the ninth – capped by Brooks Conrad’s pinch-hit grand slam – to send Cincinnati to a stunning 10-9 loss and out of the top spot in the Central.

“It was a horrible ending,” said manager Dusty Baker, who appeared close to breaking down after the game. “Boy, that was a tough one.”

One of the biggest surprises in baseball, Cincinnati will try to quickly put the painful defeat behind it, and a three-game series against struggling Cleveland might be just what it needs to do so.

The Indians (15-24), in danger of falling a season-worst 10 games below .500, have plated 12 runs while batting .199 during a four-game skid. The slide has coincided with trips to the disabled list for Asdrubal Cabrera(notes) and Grady Sizemore.

Because of the injuries, Cleveland had Trevor Crowe leading off and Jason Donald batting second in a 9-3 loss to Kansas City on Thursday. Both were at Triple-A Columbus less than one week ago.

“It’s been a struggle,” manager Manny Acta said. “We’re not hitting balls out of the ballpark and we’re striking out too much. Something has got to give.”

Getting on track offensively could be difficult against Bronson Arroyo (3-2, 4.78 ERA).

The right-hander pitched a seven-hitter in a 7-2 win over St. Louis on Sunday and has gone 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA in his last four starts.

Arroyo also looked strong in his lone start against the Indians last season, yielding one run in eight innings of a 3-1 victory May 22.

Cleveland counters with Jake Westbrook (2-2, 4.27), who worked around nine hits for his 13th career complete game in a 5-1 win over Baltimore on Sunday.

Westbrook, who didn’t pitch last season while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, won his last two starts by allowing one run in each. He went 0-2 with a 5.74 ERA in his first six.

“I feel great right now, and that’s encouraging for me,” the right-hander said.

Westbrook, who has not won three consecutive starts since Sept. 18-30, 2006, will make his first start against the Reds since June 23 of that year. He allowed three runs in six innings of a 3-0 loss.

The Indians dropped four of six to the Reds last season but lead the series 32-31.

Votto had two homers and five RBIs in five games against Cleveland in 2009.