Young players staking their claims
Chris Perez
In the month of June (11.2 innings) the shaggy reliever has posted an ERA of 2.31. Perez has faced 43 batters and held them to an average of .184, striking out eight and only allowing two walks. Most encouraging of Perez’s June numbers is the 65 percent of pitches thrown have been for strikes.
Perez has eight holds on the season, good for 16th in the AL, all after resuming set-up duties upon Kerry Wood’s return. During his time as the team’s closer Perez notched six saves while losing only two games after coming on late. His pedigree is solid and his experience during Wood’s injury make Perez a very attractive option to shut the door in the future.
Carlos Santana
Since coming up on June 11th, catcher Carlos Santana’s 1.179 OPS fourth highest in MLB. He is batting .333 through 51 at-bats, his strikeout to walk ratio is 1:2 and his 14 RBI are already seventh most on the team.
Since coming up he has played in 16 of 17 games, and by most accounts has handled the staff quite well. In 125 at the dish, he has committed only one error and thrown out 50 percent of runners trying to steal on him. There is literally nothing not to like about Santana.
Mitch Talbot
The biggest surprise of the year, this Rule 5 draft pick has come on strong since moving from the Rays organization. Talbot’s ascent shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as he was blocked by the likes of David Price and Wade Davis.
Talbot has been the best pitcher on the Indians staff so far this year, posting a 3.55 ERA with eight wins and six losses. Sixty percent of Talbot’s pitches have been strikes, he has only allowed eight home runs and has walked 35 against 47 strikeouts. If Talbot can sustain his pitching his future in the Indians rotation seems secure.
Minors
Michael Brantley
Tribe fans got a sneak preview of Brantley at the beginning of the season, but his tenure was too short and disappointing to get a real feel for his game. In the 56 games he’s played for Columbus since being demoted Brantley has hit .310, had almost equal walks and strikeouts, driven in 25 and stolen 10 bases.
While the Indians would like to see more stolen bases and higher numbers of extra-base hits from the centerfielder, as recently as Monday manager Manny Acta claimed that Brantley would be with the big club “soon.” The last time that was said about a prospect Carlos Santana was called up the next day. While Brantley might be a bit behind Santana, his time will be coming very soon.
Cord Phelps
Though Luis Valbuena has been hitting well since his demotion (.438 through four games), he certainly has to worry about this switch-hitter stealing his thunder. Phelps began the season at AA Akron, but quickly earned a promotion after batting .296 with eight doubles and 23 RBI.
Since his promotion to Columbus Phelps has kept a hot bat, hitting .346 in 14 games adding five more doubles, a triple and a home run. One reassuring aspect of Phelps game (for Valbuena, that is), is that he has shown a tendency to commit errors at the four spot in the infield. In 52 games Akron the young righty committed 10 errors; in 14 games at Columbus another three. Phelps has to tighten up his defense or find a new position if he wants to make the big league squad anytime soon.
Big League Choo now has a crew
The Indians are really trying their hardest to put butts in the seats this year, their latest gimmick is offering fans a free t-shirt with their purchase.
The deal, heralded as the “Choo Crew ticket & T-Shirt combo,” is actually a pretty cool way to get more fans in the stadium, in my opinion. I couldn’t find the shirt in their store, but I imagine it looks something like the logo to buy the tickets online, seen here.
At only $30, or $15 on a student night, for a lower reserved seat, it’s a deal worth going for. In fact, it may be a deal I take them up on shortly. Plus, it’s about time that Choo got some love. After all, this is his last non-arbitration eligible year; we gotta get this guy to stick around!
That’s three
The Indians won their third straight this evening, and their second straight against the Blue Jays in this series.
To put this in context, the Indians have only won three straight three times previously this season.
- April 15-18 (2 wins vs. CWS, 2 wins vs. TEX)
- May 9-12 (win vs. DET, 2 wins vs. KCR)
- June 9-12 (2 wins vs. BOX, 2 wins vs. WSH)
It’s been a long year, and it’s certainly going to be longer, but after another quality Fausto outing and a long solo shot from Matt LaPorta, maybe things are looking up?
Be optimistic Tribe fans.
Marginalia: Haf’s back, Donald’s down
Notes:
- While the Indians are happy to have designated hitter Travis Hafner back in the starting lineup tonight against the Blue Jays, the one conspicuous absence is that of shortstop Jason Donald.
Donald has been absent from the starting nine since injuring his wrist on June 25th. The infielder jammed his wrist while diving to make a play on a grounder Friday against the Reds. The Indians are almost certainly taking it easy on Donald because of his age, but his continued absence does seem worrisome for a team with many struggles up the middle.
- One player the Indians are not going soft on is catcher Carlos Santana. Since being promoted “Supernatural” (as dubbed by Castrovince) has played in 15 of 16 games, including day games after night games. Though the sample is small, the club is certainly going to have to watch how they use the young backstop.
- On a good note beat writer Anthony Castrovince included another update on shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, mention that he is continuing progress in rehab.
Bran-man back to the Emerald City
[picappgallerysingle id="4153218"]In a move that should surprise exactly no one, the Indians dealt Russell Branyan to the Seattle Mariners in return for two minor league players.
This is Branyan’s second stint with the M’s, for whom he was an offensive workhorse last season. To fill his spot on the 25-man roster Matt LaPorta was recalled from AAA Columbus.
LaPorta had become a casualty of the Kearns-Branyan blockade, prevented from playing in either of his primary positions by the run-producing veterans. In order to get the young slugger more at-bats he was demoted. During his time in the Ohio capital (17 games) he hit .353 with five homers and 16 RBI, a far cry from the .218, one home run and seven RBI he amassed during his limited 35 game run in Cleveland.
This move will certainly benefit the Indians much better in the long term, and the addition of two more minor league players will be a boon as well.
Ezequiel Carrera, a 23-year-old center fielder from Venezuela, was originally signed by the Mets in 2005. This season at AAA Tacoma (64 games) he has hit .268 with six doubles, two triples, 18 RBI and nine stolen bases. In his minor league career he is a .291 hitter with 115 stolen bases and 265 runs (436 games).
Baseball America described Carrera as a potential fourth outfielder because of the lack of power he has demonstrated throughout his minor league career. His plus speed and ability to draw a walk, make him an ideal candidate for a late-inning sub as a pinch hitter or runner.
