Indians Confidential

The Indians wrapped up their busy day with shipping Kerry Wood to the Yankees:

The Indians today announced the club has traded RHP KERRY WOOD and cash to the New York Yankees for a player to be named or cash. Transaction must be completed on or before October 15.

Wood, in his second season with the Indians, went 1-4 w/a 6.30 ERA and 8 saves in 23 relief appearances (20.0IP, 21H, 14ER, 11BB, 18K) between two separate stints on the disabled list. He was activated onto the 25-man roster this morning after a 19-day stint on the DL with a blister on his right index finger.

Tomorrow the Indians are expected to recall RHP JEANMAR GOMEZ to start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, August 1 at 1:07PM ET. He will be making his second Major League start after defeating the Detroit Tigers in his Major League debut on July 18 in Cleveland (7.0IP, 5H, 2R/0ER). Over his last two Triple A starts upon returning to Columbus he has gone 2-0 w/a 1.80 ERA in 2 starts (15.0IP, 13H, 3ER, 1BB, 11K).

With the trade deadline Saturday afternoon, the Indians moved another vet on Friday night, moving one of Manny Acta’s favorites, Austin Kearns to the New York Yankees.

“He’ll be a prospect, but he will have major league value,” said GM Mark Shapiro of what the team will get from New York.

Kearns was on the playing field in Friday’s nights 8-1 blowout loss to the Blue Jays, and had a sense something was going on when he was pulled in the 7th.

“I thought something might be up when they took me out of the game,” said Kearns. “I’ve been traded once before and you never know when it’s coming.”

Kearns was a solid vet with the team, hitting .272 with eight homers and 42 RBI. It’s the second move in three days, as the club moved Jhonny Peralta on Wednesday night.

Acta was a big fan of Kearns, and he will be missed by the club. “I’ve got a soft spot for this guy,” said manager Acta. “He played for me in Washington and he came to camp this spring for the first time without a guaranteed job.

“He made the club and he carried this club for about a month or so when Grady Sizemore got hurt and some of our other older guys weren’t performing. I’m glad he’s getting a chance to go to a contender at this stage of his career and maybe win a ring.”

Kerry Wood, who was on the DL with a finger blister, was called up to the roster to take his spot on the roster.

Indians manager Manny Acta talks with the media prior to the Indians-Yankees 7/28 game at Progressive Field. He talks about the status of injured closer Kerry Wood, the mentality of closer Chris Perez, why Josh Tomlin got the start on Tuesday night, and the comeback of pitcher Anthony Reyes.

If there is one word that can define the second half of the the Cleveland Indians it should simply be “youth.”

The team will continue to play to win, but the next two and a half months will be all about the future, and the moves that the team has made over the past few days does nothing but cement that fact.

Coming out of the All-Star break, the team had a new backup catcher, as the team cut ties with 39-year Mike Redman, making room for Chris Gimenez, who is only 27.

While Gimenez is not the catcher of the future, the Indians still want to see what type of long term production they can get from him, so when everyday starter Carlos Santana needs a break, Gimenez will get the call.

The team on Saturday put closer Kerry Wood on the disabled list, citing a blister on his finger that popped up while in Texas the week before the break.

Jensen Lewis, who has been on the train a few times between Triple-A Columbus and Cleveland a few times this season, is back with the big league club taking Wood’s roster spot.

While the move came from an injury, one has to wonder if this is another way of trying to eventually phase Wood out of being the teams closer. He has been terrible this season, blowing three saves and his ERA is over six.

Chris Perez, who saved the second game in the doubleheader on Saturday, will get the save chances for Wood, and if he can deliver, it will only further push the team towards cutting ties with Wood, who is making over $10 million this season.

Sunday the club will throw 22-year-old Jenmar Gomez at the Tigers in looking for the sweep. He is making his Major League debut, coming up from Triple-A where he went 6-8 with an ERA of 5.70.

Indians manager Manny Acta has already said this is nothing more than a one game spot start for Gomez, but it will give him a taste of pitching at the Major League level and will show the Indians what type of mental makeup up the youngster has.

Gomez replaces infielder Anderson Hernandez on the roster, as the 28-year-old was designated for assignment. In 22 games for the Indians since being called up from Triple-A Columbus he was hitting just .246.

The moves all put an emphasis on youth, showing that when it comes to things to look for in the second half of 2010 for the Indians, it is all about getting younger and seeing what foundations this team has for the future.

The Cleveland Indians will kick off the second half of the season Friday night at home as they take on the Detroit Tigers. With the first half now officially over, it is time to look back and give out some grades.

Sunday we graded the offense, and it is only right to do the same with the pitching staff. It has been a staff that many felt would struggle, and while the bullpen has had their share of lumps, the starters have pretty much held their own.

While the team is 34-54, last place in the division, they would be a lot worse if the pitching staff had not carried them through some games of the first half. With that, here is our grades for the pitching staff for the first half of 2010.

Chris Perez – The relief pitcher has had a tale of two seasons, at one point closing for an injured Kerry Wood, then going to the setup role in the pen when Wood was healthy. Has good stuff, and showed it at points in the season getting out of some jams. On the other hand, blew a big save early in the year in Detroit, and has to get tougher when called upon in that role. Is 0-2 with seven saves with an ERA of 2.62. Overall not a bad first half. Grade – B

Frank Herrmann - Had a long scoreless streak leaving Triple-A and coming to the Indians, but that went bye bye during the teams road trip to Pittsburgh. Still, he has been a great story and has throwing well in going 0-0 with a save and an ERA of 2.81. A surprise to be at this level, but is taking advantage of it by doing the one thing that Manny Acta preaches – he throws strikes. Grade – B+

Fausto Carmona - The teams only All-Star, Carmona has rebounded after a terrible 2008 and 2009. Some felt that

his career would be over, but instead he came back and listened to pitching coach Tim Belcher and is 8-7 with an ERA of 3.64. Easily could have 11-13 wins if he could have gotten some needed run support. Will be interesting to see how he wraps up 2010 and moves forward as the team has him around for a few more seasons. Grade – B

Jensen Lewis - Is 2-2 with an ERA of 3.86 in 20 games, going back and forth between Triple-A and the big league club. Lewis at some point will be at the MLB level for good, but for now the Indians use him as a guy when needed to come out of the pen, or a guy that can go to the minors and continue to work on his game. Grade – B

Mitch Talbot – He has been the surprise of the staff, going 8-8 with a 3.99 ERA in 17 starts. He throws strikes, does not get rattled easily, and seems to find ways to work out of jams. With run support another guy that could have 11-13 wins, but for a guy that a lot of people did not even know who he was, he has been a great addition coming from the Tampa Bay Rays for catcher Kelly Shoppach. Grade – A-

Rafael Perez – Two blown saves, and an ERA of 4.06, there is no doubt you have to hold your breath every time he comes in a game. Teams are hitting .320 against him, yet he has appeared in 37 games for the club, and the team seems to still count on him in key situations. He has thrown better than last season, but when you look at those numbers, that is not saying much. Grade – D

Jake Westbrook – Started slowly coming back from major surgery, but has shown toughness in going 5-5 with a 4.75 ERA in 18 starts. He may never be a 15-game winner, but is the veteran of the starting staff, and players look at him for advice and come to him to ask about other teams he has faced in the past. It would be a shame to see the team dump Westbook in the second half fire sale, as he is worth keeping around. Grade – C

Aaron Laffey - The team seems to still feel that Laffey can at some point be a starter, but that remains to be seen. He pitched well when the team ran off five straight recently, but other than that has struggled, going 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. Has almost as many walks (24) as strikeouts (25), and that is simply a number that has to improve if he is going to stay in the rotation. Grade – C-

Joe Smith – The submarine thrower started the year with the big league club, then got some work in Columbus before coming back to the Indians. Is 1-1 with a 5.17 ERA, but teams are hitting just .237 against him. Has a blown save but six holds, and has given up three homers. Overall it is a season where the Indians want to see what he can bring long term to see if he is worth keeping around. Grade – C

Justin Masterson - Seemed at first like it was going to be a long season for Masterson, who at one point had lost 11 straight dating back to last season till he finally won a game in Chicago. Has thrown much better since around Memorial Day, going overall 3-8 with a 5.31 on the season. Give credit to Manny Acta for keeping him in the rotation when many were calling for him to be sent to the pen or the minors. Grade – D+

Tony Sipp - Another player the team has turned too quite a bit, throwing in 38 games, going 1-2 with eight holds and one blown save. At one point showed a lot of ability in getting batters out, then at times teams seemed to use him for batting practice. Teams are hitting .259 off of him, and he needs to stay focused and keep throwing strikes if he wants to stay as a main part of the teams pen in the second half. Grade – D

Hector Ambriz - In spot duty really has not shown much, going 0-1 with an ERA of 5.86. Teams hitting .353 against him, and you have to wonder if he is going to make it another month at this level. Grade – D-

David Huff - At one point looked like he would continue his success from last year, as he started the year at 2-2, then the bottom dropped out. Since then has gone 0-7, and his ERA is over six at 6.04. Was shipped to the minors to find his stuff, and so far in Columbus is 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA. Found himself in way too many jams, and too many times allowed a bad play by a teammate to stay with him too long. We will see what he does the next time at the MLB level. Grade – D-

Kerry Wood - Many felt the Indians would showcase Wood to try to then trade him, but bad outing after bad outing seems to have sealed that fate. Wood was hurt to start the year, then has done little to impress any team, including the Indians. Is 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA and has blown three saves while saving just eight games. Wood is a waste of the $11 million he is making, and while it would be a surprise to see the Indians simply reelase him, he deserves it if it happens. Grade – F

Coming into this season the Indians were supposed to be a solid hitting team with many question marks pointed straight at the pitching staff.

Now we are nearing the All-Star break and the Tribe’s pitchers are starting to be the strength of the team. In the last five games, every starter has earned the win with closer Kerry Wood getting three saves.

The other two games were saved by Chris Perez on Wednesday night, and Frank Herrmann getting his first Major League save yesterday afternoon completing a four game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.

This was also the first four game sweep of the Jays since 1995. Overall the pitching staff has a home ERA of 4.16 and a road ERA of 5.14 this year. Starter Justin Masterson has looked stronger and stronger each time he takes the mound.

Opening day starter Jake Westbrook is 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA over his last ten starts. Fausto Carmona is 7-6 with a 3.68 ERA, and Mitch Talbot is 8-6 with a 3.88 ERA this season. With the struggling David Huff (2-9, 6.04 ERA) being sent down to AAA Columbus, Aaron Laffey (1-2, 5.55 ERA) has been put into the fifth starter spot for now.

The bullpen has settled in with Chris Perez (0-2, 2.90 ERA) setting up for Wood (1-3, 6.62 ERA) nicely at the back end. Herrmann (0-0, 2.13 ERA) has pitched extremely well in his thirteen appearances walking only two batters while striking out seven. The bullpen has a record of 5-14 with a 4.94 ERA through 72 games.

Cleveland Indians closer Kerry Wood is being given a much deserved day off tonight. He has saved three games in as many chances, and in as many days.

The 1998 N.L. rookie of the year is in his sixteenth season in the majors and his third year as a full time closer (second with the Tribe). Wood has a record of 1-3 with a 6.62 ERA in twenty games this season. He also has eight saves in eleven opportunities.

This is not the same “Kid K” that struck out twenty Astros hitters on May 6, 1998, but he still can hit the upper nineties on the radar gun. After starting the season on the D.L. with a right shoulder injury, he has been plagued by inconsistency.

He has either been lights-out or has blown up this season with no in between. In his last ten appearances he is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and five saves over nine-plus innings pitched.

When asked about Kerry’s performances over the last three games Indians manager Manny Acta said, “It’s great, it’s a big sigh of relief that he can come out and do what he has done”.

Acta also said that not everyone can go into a game that is tied or with a one run lead, having no margin for error, and handle the pressure. Wood is working on adding a “cutter” to his arsenal of pitches this season to compliment his fastball and curve. He may also be getting hot at the right time.

A contender might want to add a flame-throwing back of the bullpen type of guy to their club as the trade deadline looms right around the corner on July 31. Righty Chris Perez will be tonight’s closer if needed.

Last season Kerry Wood had a couple of meltdowns in Chicago against his former team the Chicago Cubs. Wednesday night was another meltdown to a National League team, this time though it was a one-pitch meltdown that sent the Indians home losers for the 4th straight time.

Wood gave up a meatball homer to former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins in the bottom of the ninth as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 7-6 comeback win over the Indians at Citizens Bank Park.

The homer was Rollins’ first career walk off dinger, and came after the other Indians pitchers had held him in check as he was 0-for-4 going into the at-bat.

“Pretty deflating, even when we didn’t execute, we still got into the 9th with a lead,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “They had the bottom of the order up, the leadoff walk killed us. We got to the bottom of the 9th with a lead, and we blew it.”

The shame of this latest loss is that the Indians fought hard to take that one-run lead in the 9th when with runners on first and third with one out Carlos Santana hit a shot to short, and Rollins tried to go home, but the throw was off and Trevor Crowe scored to make it 6-5.

The Indians though, as has been the case throughout the 2010 season, could not get that all important 7th run home, as Russell Branyan hit a liner to first that was caught and Austin Kearns, who had walked, was doubled up to end the inning and set up Rollins’ heroics.

The loss also ruined a good night for Shin-Soo Choo, who continues to make his case for the All-Star game. He was 2-for-4 with home runs 9 and 10, both no doubters that gave the Indians leads each time.

“He’s been good for us the whole year,” Acta said. “This is a ballpark for a guy like him that hits the ball to all fields it suits him perfect. He did that, he was one of the guys that really executed today.”

Jake Westbrook was shaky all night though, going just 5 innings, allowing four runs on 7 hits with a walk and two K’s. He threw just 75 pitches, but clearly didn’t have his best stuff.

The team though did what they had to do from an offensive standpoint, that is get the lead and give the ball to their closer. It was Wood who couldn’t put Philly to bed.

“It’s frustrating when you walk the first guy, obviously,” Wood said in the postgame. “It’s not worse though than giving up a two-run homer to lose the game, if you make pitches you can get around the walk.”

The Indians have lost the first two games of the series by one-run each game, losing to Jamie Moyer 2-1 Tuesday night, and now losing in a shootout 7-6.

They have lost four in a row and drop to 18 games under .500, their low point of the season. They close out the series at 1:05pm Thursday in Philly before heading to play the Reds in Cincy over the weekend.