4/19 GAME RECAP: INDIANS 2 - ASTROS 3

Written by Jen Coblitz on Apr 19, 2013 20:11.

Player of the Game

Lonnie Chisenhall provided the Indians with their only 2 runs, hitting a 2-run home run in the 4th innings. This is Chisenhall's first Player of the Game this year with a score of 4.18.

Feathers Up

Though Brett Myers appeared to be pitching injured, he pitched 5 solid innings. Myers did give up 2 home runs, but limited the Astros to just 3 runs.

Jason Kipnis performed well in his first game back from an elbow inury. Kipnis went 2-4 with 2 singles, a walk, and stole his first base of the year.

Feathers Down

The Indians fell tonight to the worst team in baseball, extending their losing streak to 5 games.

Brett Myers still has not recorded a win this season. Myers now has a 0-3 record in 3 starts.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Houston Astros 3

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First Homestand Attendance Analysis

Written by Joseph Coblitz on Apr 19, 2013 00:22.

Going into the season, the Cleveland Indians PR team was bragging about selling out the home opener in ten minutes after the Michael Bourn signing, making it seem like a return to age when getting tickets to a home opener meant standing in a line for hours and finding out they sold out before you got to the front.

The Indians have sold out every Opening Day since 2007 (when they didn't officially have one) except for 2010 when they sold a season high 38,900 seats. So basically, selling out Opening Day isn't that exciting since they have done it almost every single season since Jacob's Field opened in 1994.

The real trick is the rest of the opening home stand as in recent years these have been some of the worst selling games in franchise history. In fact, in 2011 the Indians set an all time low in attendance during the second game of the year, then reset the record the next day, hitting an all-time low of 8,726. Of course, all these numbers are total tickets sold, not actually fans in the park, so they are even inflated a little over how many people were at the game.

There is good reason for fans to stay away from the ballpark on those days, in general the sub-50 degree temperatures that can be expected the first few weeks in April. This season the weather has been particularly nasty, but when the tickets for these games went on sale, no one could have predicted the weather for the past week and as stated before, attendance numbers reflect total tickets sold, not actual game day attendance.

Since 2007 (well after the Indians sell out streak ended), the Indian have averaged about 18,000 fans per game in April (and a few in March), almost 5,000 per game below their regular season average. This season, the Indians have averaged 11,427 fans per game in April (there is one home game left this month), almost 7,000 fans per game less than their already low average. This is despite playing their first six games on the road in domes, waiting for the weather to warm up in Cleveland.

Going back to 2011, that opening series can probably be considered the worst home stand since the creation of Jacob's Field. The Indians opened the season at home (always a mistake) against Chicago and averaged just 9,500 fans per game (excluding the sold out opener). Obviously, this was worse than this season, but the average temperature was just 41º compared to this years 53º and it came after an absolutely terrible 2010 season, while this year saw the most exciting offseason in years.

Early Spring press made it seem like ticket sales were good and season ticket sales were up, but a sub 10,000 fan crowd against Boston on Tuesday made things look a little different. This is made even worse when you look at who they played. The Yankees are the best single team draw for the Indians and they came for the only time this year last week. Over the past six years the Indians have averaged almost 9,000 more fans against New York than their normal average and average almost 1,000 more fans against the AL East in general. Most likely the weather kept those "die hard" Yankee fans away this year, when they normally come in July, meaning it probably cost the Indians as many as 40,000 total ticket sales by having this series early in the year.

Overall, the situation looks bad. The Indians likely overexagerated preseason sales in an attempt to bolster ticket sales, but it didn't work as well as they hoped. These early season number are embarassing, and go to show that Indians fans are completely jaded and will not buy in speculation. The Indians record may have proven their fans correct for staying home, it just remains to be seen if the Indians start winning, will the fans show up? Early speculation: probably not.

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Series Preview: Indians at Astros 4/19-21

Written by Mike Melaragno on Apr 18, 2013 22:22.

Cleveland Indians (5-9) at Houston Astros (4-11)
Series 6, Games 15, 16 and 17
Minute Maid Park, Houston: 0.883*, Pitchers park

Series Overview

The Astros are probably the worst team in the American League, maybe in all of baseball. The organization, led by new general manager Jeff Luhnow and assistant GM David Stearns, trimmed the payroll to $26.1 million for the 2013 season, by far, the lowest in Major League Baseball. This is an obvious rebuilding campaign in which leadership has its eyes set on 2015 and beyond. For the rest of the American League, espeically the West, they are a welcome addition (to beat up on) for the next several seasons. Recently, the Athletics have had a taste of what it is like: sweeping them in three games. According to Elias, the A's scored six runs in the first inning and held on for a 7-5 win over the Astros on Wednesday afternoon. Oakland rode a six-run first inning to beat Houston in the first game of their three-game series on Monday night. Over the last 60 seasons, only four other teams have scored at least six runs in the first inning multiple times against an opponent in a single series: Houston vs. Cincinnati in July 2003, Detroit vs. Texas in July 2000, Florida vs. the Cubs in March/April 1998 and Milwaukee vs. Toronto in April 1982. Prior to their series against the Astros, the A's had scored at least six runs in the first inning only once over the previous three seasons combined (8 runs against the Angels on July 17, 2011). So even for a bad hitting team in the A's, even they had no problems with the Astros pitching staff.

The Astros have some good young talent, including former Athletic Chris Carter in left field and Jose Altuve at second base, but the starting pitching is awful. Hopefully, this is the series the Indians get the bats going on a consistant basis. If not, it could be a long season in Cleveland.

Friday, April 19 8:10 EDT (STO)
Brett Myers (0-2, 8.82 ERA) vs. Lucas Harrell (0-2, 5.63 ERA)

Formally a member of the Chicago White Sox, Harrell secured the #2 spot in the rotation in spring training, behind Bud Norris. Harrell throws his fastball around 92-93 MPH and touches 95. He leans heavily on his two-seamer, particularly against right-handed batters. The pitch has good sinking arm-side run and generates a lot of ground balls. His best strikeout pitch is a mid to upper 80′s slider that he commands well on the glove side of the zone. He also throws a solid 82-84 MPH curveball and an average 81-84 MPH changeup. Harrell commands all of his pitches pretty well and does a good job of keeping the ball downstairs, which could cause the Indians hitters trouble because they tend to anticipate balls up in the zone to drive. Overall, he does not miss many bats at all, but he keeps the ball on the ground and does not walk many hitters. He is a bad matchup for the Tribe, but hopefully they can score enough runs to beat him. As for Myers, he made one real mistake Sunday against the White Sox, giving up a two-run homer to Paul Konerko, enough to give him the loss. He gave up just those two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four. This was a far cry from Myers' previous two outings, one of which was an odd relief appearance after Carlos Carrasco got ejected from a game. Minute Made Park is pitchers friendly, so let's hope this propels Myers to another good start.

Saturday, April 20, 7:10EDT (STO)
Scott Kazmir (0-0, 0.00 ERA, first start of 2013) vs. Philip Humbar (0-3, 2.89 ERA)

This will be the first start of the year for Kazmir after coming off the 15-day disabled list with a strained right ribcage muscle. It will be interesting to see how the injury to his "side" will effect his pitching mechanics, which have never really been polished. He saw improved command in the spring over his previous three seasons, so we will keep an eye out to see if that trend continues on Saturday. In Humbar's three starts so far this season, Houston's offense has provided only one run, with his line reading 0-3 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 8:4 K:BB ratio over 18.2 innings. There is a guy who will be sitting in the other dugout that knows his pain: Justin Masterson. If one takes away the win-loss record of Humbar, we have the makings of a classic contact pitcher who should find his won-loss record improve over time, possibly this season. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Indians have bashed him in seven career appearances - an 8.74 ERA and 22:11 K:BB ratio in 22.2 innings. Although many of the current Indians have not had a lot of at-bats against him (Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis both have ten at-bats against him), this lineup matches up well against Humbar.

Sunday, April 21, 2:10EDT (STO)
"Where Is?" Ubaldo Jimenez(0-2, 11.25 ERA) vs. Eric Bedard (L) (0-1, 7.04 ERA)

First off, this game has the potential to be the best little league game you watch this season. You know, the ones where the pitchers can't throw strikes, the fielders can't catch the ball and the lineup bats through a few times before it reaches the limit? Why?

Bedard's first start of the year was a relative success, but his second one could be compared to how Ubaldo Jimenez pitched against the Red Sox, maybe even worse. He walked four batters, let a run score on a wild pitch, and was finally taken out of the game after Nate Freiman blasted a three-run homer to extend the A's early lead to 6-0. Bedard will try to get back on track on Sunday afternoon against the Indians. If he turns in another performance like Monday's, the Astros will have to consider dropping him from the rotation, even if the team lacks a suitable replacement, which they certainly do. If you are an avid prospect follower, you associate Bedard with a lot of talent in your head when he was with the Baltimore Orioles, and a lot of that talent’s still in there, even after all the injuries he has faced in his career. Bedard’s 2012 season numbers were just fine for a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, even with the limited stamina. Where this starts to make a little more sense is in considering what Bedard has done lately, and in considering that he hasn’t reached 130 innings since 2007.

What I just wrote about Bedard can also be written about Jimenez; especially the former.

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4/18 Recap: Red Sox 6 - Indians 3

Written by Joseph Coblitz on Apr 18, 2013 16:49.

Player of the Game

Runs were hard to come by for the Indians tonight, but Mike Aviles found a way to be involved in most of them. He wins tonight's Player of the Game for his one run scored, one RBI, 1-4 effort. He knocked in the first run of the game for the Tribe after Mark Reynolds had doubled with a ground out and scored the second after he doubled himself.

Feathers Up

The Indian killer for the Red Sox series was Boston firstbaseman Mike Napoli. In three games, Napoli went 5/12 with two runs scored and five RBI, but in the third inning of tonight's game, he didn't get a hit. With two outs and runners at second and third, Zach McAllister struck out Napoli. While striking out Napoli isn't all that impressive (he has k'd 20 times in 15 games), it was impressive to see an Indians pitcher keep him from clearing the bases just once during the series.

The Indians get to play three games against the worst team in baseball starting tomorrow. Feathers Down: The Astros may be saying the same thing.

Feathers Down

For the first time this season, Zach McAllister pitched less than six innings and walked a batter. His start wasn't all that bad as he made it through five innings, striking out six, but with the offense missing pieces and being as hit or miss as it has been early this year, giving up three runs is simply too much. The good part of this is that he is still averaging more than 5 innings per start and has only walked two batters in three starts. He has been, by far, the second best pitcher in the Indians rotation so far this year, despite being named the fourth starter.

Tonight wasn't a great night for Michael Brantley, who struck out in each of his first three at bats, twice looking. The called third strike in his second at bat was more than questionable, but arguing about it certainly didn't help as he struck out looking the next time out as well.

The Indians have now lost four in a row, looking like a shadow of the team that won the first two games against Chicago by a combined score of 10-4. Since then, they have been outscored 22-9 in four games by the colored and non-colored Sox. The sweep leaves the Indians in last place in the AL Central.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Boston Red Sox 6

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4/17 Game Recap: Red Sox 6 - Indians 3

Written by Joseph Coblitz on Apr 17, 2013 16:16.

Roster Update: The Indians placed center fielder Michael Bourn on the 15 Day DL today after he cut his hand while sliding into first base against the White Sox last weekend. Corey Kluber was brought up in his stead, most likely because of the over taxing of the bullpen in last night's game. He will likely be used out of the bullpen until Saturday, when he will likely be sent down for starting pitcher Scott Kazmir.

Jason Kipnis is still day-to-day with right elbow soreness and has been announced out for both today and tomorrow's games. He missed some time during Spring Training with the same injury and it could partially explain his struggles at the plate early this year. If he is not able to return by this weekend, he could be another candidate for the very active Indians disabled list.

Player of the Game

With a two run home run making up 66% of the scoring tonight, Nick Swisher wins his team leading third Player of the Game of the season. His final POG score was 4.72

Feathers Up

The difference between Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez was obvious today when Masterson loaded the bases with no one out in the second inning. In a very similar situation last night, Jimenez walked in two runs as part of a seven run inning. Tonight, Masterson struck out Dustin Pedroia, got the second batter to pop out to the infield and the third to fly out as well, ending the threat.

Nick Swisher and Jason Giambi did exactly what they were signed to do and they did it back-to-back in the sixth inning. The pair of solo home runs brought the Indians within two. Giambi flew out in each of his first six at bats with the team, but hit a towering home run 417 feet to deep right field

Feathers Down

Justin Masterson had a bad start today against the Red Sox, giving up more runs before the first out was made in the first inning than he had all season prior. A great play by Mark Reynolds to get a runner at home helped limit the damage, but Masterson still allowed three runs in the first inning. Between his last two scoreless outings, Masterson had thrown 19 consecutive shut out innings. Each of the first six Boston hits went to the opposite field as the Red Sox obviously had a good game plan coming into tonight against Masterson.

Lonnie Chisenhall demonstrated the difference between aggressive baserunning and smart baserunning as he was thrown out trying to turn a single into a double to lead off the third inning. Down by three, the Indians needed multiple base runners, not just one man in scoring position and the ball was hit to right, never getting by the right fielder, Shane Victorino. Regardless of the end results, Chisenhall should have stayed on first and saved that aggressiveness for a later time.

The Indians used their top relief corps (Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano) in a losing effort again tonight, magnifying their inability to score runs and get the lead late in games. The player to miss the most is closer Chris Perez, who has had just two save opportunities this season and has pitched in just four games. The Indians don't like to use him in non save situations, but will have to, just to keep him ready in case one ever occurs.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Boston Red Sox 6

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4/16 Game Recap: Red Sox 7 - Indians 2

Written by Joseph Coblitz on Apr 16, 2013 17:04.

Player of the Game

In a competition of relievers, Nick Hagadone (2.56 POG score) takes the cake with two innings pitched as he allowed just two walks and no hits or runs. The lefty struck out three as well and just barely edged out Bryan Shaw (2.51 POG), who struck out four in 1.1 innings. It is Hagadone's first award of the season and just the second won by any relief pitcher in 2013.

Feathers Up

Cody Allen was phenomenal, throwing two more innings than he should ever have had to. In three innings, he struck out six and allowed no earned runs of his own, although he did allow his three inherited runners to score. The fact that he was needed in the second inning is a "Feathers Down."

In a similar vein, Nick Hagadone was also excellent, coming in for relief of Allen. He threw two innings and showed that he has no trouble getting out hitters on either side of the plate. In fact, he struck out the last two batters to end the sixth inning, both right handers, looking. Hagadone allowed no hits or runs while striking out three.

In conjunction with the things already said about the effort by the bullpen in long relief here is an interesting stat. In the second inning, the Red Sox outscored the Indians 7-1, but in the other 8 innings the Indians held the advantage at 1-0. This is further testament to the ability of the Indians pitching and defense to concentrate and keep the game close, even if the offense can't hold up it's end of the bargain.

Feathers Down

Ubaldo Jimenez looks exactly like he did last year and his ability to switch from looking like the best pitcher ever to the worst at a moments notice is second to none. After a great opening start, Jimenez has floundered, giving up 14 runs in his last six innings. Tonight, he threw a perfect first inning before walking in two runs in the second, part of a five walk, two hit, seven run inning. He was unable to make it out of that second, ending a streak of three straight pitchers to throw at least six innings.

The Indians had a chance to come back (thanks to a magnificent effort by the bullpen) in the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with one out for Carlos Santana. Prior to today, Santana had been the Indians best hitter and, down six runs, this was the Indians best chance to get back into the game. Santana struck out, after which Ryan Raburn scored from third on a wild pitch. Mark Reynolds ended the inning with a fly out down the right field line, but the pivotal at bat was Santana's inability to hit even a sacrifice fly.

Boston deserves a lot of credit for their defense. Coming into the game they were second in the league in fielding percent, so everyone knew they were solid and they continued that throughout the game. While there weren't really any fantastic individual plays, there were quite a few difficult plays that the Red Sox made without any trouble. Their outfield deserves special recognition as they play extremely well as a unit.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Boston Red Sox 7

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Indians trade Eric Berger to Houston

Written by Mike Melaragno on Apr 16, 2013 12:08.

The Cleveland Indians traded AA starting pitcher, Eric Berger (he of the infamous mustache) to Houston today in exchange for catcher Chris Wallace. This was a move that was made in response to the lack of catching depth in Akron and Columbus due to the injuries to Lou Marson (neck), Carlos Santana (thumb) and Alex Laviski (toe).

According to the Houston Astros media guide, Chris Wallace grew up in the Houston area and attended the University of Houston. The Astros drafted him in the 16th round of the 2010 draft. He's never been considered much of a prospect, snagging the 30th place (according to Baseball America) in the organization going into 2012. Whenever you are drafted that late, the odds are against you of becoming a viable everyday player.

As a power-hitting catcher in the Houston system, Wallace produced at a decent .251/.330/.397 level in 2012, mainly at AA Corpus Christi. According to scouts, he strikes out too much, and his upside isn't high. As a result, he was passed on the Houston depth chart by catching prospect Carlos Perez and thus making him available. Still, Wallace looks like a good piece of a typical AL lineup, even if it's as a backup or twice-weekly role from the bench. He can also play a little first base, which would give Terry Francona even more flexibility on defense.

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Series Preview: Red Sox at Indians 4/16-18

Written by Mike Melaragno on Apr 15, 2013 00:59.

Boston Red Sox (8-4) at Cleveland Indians (5-6)

Series 5, Games 12, 13 and 14
Progressive Field (2012): 0.899*, Pitchers park.

Series Overview
The Red Sox make their only trip to Cleveland for 2013. It should be a fun series, as the Red Sox seemed to have re-tooled after last season. A new manager and a revamped bullpen can do wonders for any organization...

Closer Joel Hanrahan is day to day because of a sore right hamstring that may be contributing to throwing off his mechanics on the hill, according to new manager John Farrell. Expect Andrew Bailey to receive the call to save out a game or two. It has been 11 days since rookie phenom Jackie Bradley Jr. had his last hit, a second-inning single in the Rogers Centre off Blue Jays pitcher Josh Johnson. Entering Tuesday’s game, Bradley has gone hitless in 20 at-bats since then, his average falling to .097 (3 for 31). According to ESPN Stats and Info, only four American League players (25 plate appearances or more) have a lower average.

The weather looks okay for the series. I do not expect any rain-outs.

Tuesday, April 16 7:05 EDT (STO)
Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) vs. Felix Doubront (L) (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

According to scouts and videos I have watched via youtube, Doubront has a deceptive over-hand delivery. He has a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball in the 91-93 mph range. The pitch runs in on left-handed batters therefore breaks a lot of bats. His change-up is above-average with a chance to be a good major league pitch. He throws is in the low-80s and gets good downward action. He also flashes a high-70s curve. This pitch still needs work but could become average.

Wednesday, April 17, 7:05EDT (STO)
Justin Masterson (3-0, 0.41 ERA) vs. Alfredo Aceves (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

Aceves, in the rotation for an injured John Lackey (biceps), pitched effectively enough in his last start to earn a win. It was Aceves' first start since June of 2011 and it was a solid outing for him. Lackey will miss at least a couple of starts, so Aceves will continue to occupy his spot in the rotation. Aceves is an interesting guy, as addressed here.

Masterson should be the AL Pitcher of the Month, as his 0.41 ERA is very impressive. A bad matchup for Masterson will be Will Middlebrooks, as the Boston third baseman is very good at hitting sinkers.

Thursday, April 18, 7:05EDT (STO)
Zach McAllister (1-1, 2.19 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (L) (2-0, 1.42 ERA)

Thus far in 2013, Lester, much like the Indians, has already outdueled and beaten some former Cy Young Award winners: CC Sabathia, R.A. Dickey, and David Price who he beat last Saturday in a duel at Fenway Park, which Red Sox fans were treated to a 2-1 Red Sox win in 10 innings. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 1.42, which is more than seven runs lower than it was after three starts in that 2010 run when Lester himself finished fourth in the CY Young award race. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Lester has thrown his cutter 31 percent of the time this season, his highest rate in the last five seasons. Hitters are slugging .250 off Lester's cutter, the lowest since the aforementioned 2010 season.

Nick Swisher is hitting .326/.429/.587 with two homeruns and six doubles in 46 at-bats against Lester.

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Chicago White Sox Wrap-Up 4/12-14

Written by Joseph Coblitz on Apr 14, 2013 07:59.

Game 1: 4/12 - Chicago White Sox 0 - Cleveland Indians 1
Player of the Game: Justin Masterson (2), 10.44 POG Score
The Indians started the series off strong with a complete game shut out by Justin Masterson, who is now 3-0 with just a single run allowed this year. There was little offense by either side (just 8 total hits by both teams), but the Indians were able to group two of those together in the ninth inning for an exciting walk off win. Michael Bourn hit a one out double and Nick Swisher singled him in from third with two outs to win the game.

Game 2: 4/13 - Chicago White Sox 4 - Cleveland Indians 9
Player of the Game: Nick Swisher (2), 7.03
The bats came out a day after the two Central Division rivals combined to score just a single run. The Indians lead the scoring with three home runs (Yan Gomes, Mark Reynolds and Nick Swisher). Starting pitcher, Zach McAllister was strong as well, giving up just a single earned run that crossed the plate after reliever Bryan Shaw gave up a home run to Alejandro De Aza. The win moved the Indians to .500 on the year

Game 3: 4/14 - Chicago White Sox 3 - Cleveland Indians 1
Player of the Game: Michael Bourn (1), 3.80
The Indians won the series, but lost the finale as the bats went silent yet again. Michael Bourn lead off the game with a home run, but the Indians were kept off the boards from then on. Brett Myers threw his best game by far in 2013. He allowed just two runs on a home run to give up the lead in the sixth inning. Vinnie Pestano then failed for the first time of the year, giving up a solo home run to Alejandro De Aza (remember him?) for his first run allowed of the year.

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Series Preview: White Sox at Indians 4/12-14

Written by Mike Melaragno on Apr 12, 2013 00:39.

Chicago White Sox (4-5) at Cleveland Indians (3-5)
Series 4, Games 11, 12 and 13
Progressive Field (2012): 0.899, Pitchers park.

Series Overview
In my opinion, the White Sox are the best team in the central division this season. I have taken some heat for declaring this as the Tigers, on paper, seem to be the behemoth of the American League. From top to bottom, the White Sox have the ingredients to make the playoffs and go deep in October. Chris Sale, who will throw Saturday, knows how to truly pitch, even when tired. Now, if he could actually be strong enough to maintain his best stuff for a full season, he’ll be in annual Cy Young conversations. Paul Konerko continues to be as smart a power hitter as you’ll find, with an undervalued great, short swing. With a short compact swing, it is unlikely he will have a regression year. Alex Rios played hard, attentive, composed and smart last season. He also possesses all the athletic skills to continue that upward track. Jake Peavy stayed healthy enough to earn trust as a solid number two starter. Adam Dunn rebounded last season to reach the acceptable bottom performance levels of a three true outcome hitter, and I bet he’ll stay just about there again. Much like the Indians, their bullpen is pretty stacked. It’s a very strong part of the White Sox. If Jesse Crain or Matt Thornton fail in a defined 8th inning role, manager Robin Ventura is not afraid to try a Matt Lindstrom, or a Donnie Veal. Nate Jones can throw as well and Hector Santiago as a long reliever is a luxury.
The White Sox are a team that is poised and built to win the world series this season. A good showing from the Indians this series will boost my confidence level in the team moving forward.
The weather looks a little better this weekend although still very cool, damp, and mushy. We should get all three games in though.

Friday, April 12, 7:05 EDT (STO)
Justin Masterson (2-0, 0.69 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (L) (0-0, 11.25 ERA)

Masterson looks like the ace everybody thought he would be this season through his first two starts. The only concern has been his command problems, particularly with his fastball. Considering his WHIP in 2012 was a hefty 1.45, the seven walks so far this season are something to keep an eye on. Signed as a six-year minor league free agent last winter, Quintana was very good in a nine-start, 2.77-ERA, 1.17-WHIP performance in for Double-A Birmingham. This earned him a trip to The Show last May, where he continued his dominance to the tune of a 1.25 ERA in his first eight appearances (six of which were starts) into a more permanent rotation spot once John Danks was lost for the year. Quintana relies upon command to succeed as his stats show, thrived to a 2.04 ERA behind a 3.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio before the All-Star break, but slipped to 5.01 when his K-to-walk rate was 1.38 after it. He is a pitcher who must hit his spots but with the free-swinging Indians, he could certainly give them headaches.

Saturday, April 13, 4:05EDT (STO)
Ubaldo Jimenez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (L) (1-0, 1.84 ERA)

Sale's command did not include its typical pinpoint control in his last start against the Mariners, as he served up a two-run homer in the first inning off the hot bat of Mike Morse, marking his first extra-base hit allowed of the year. A former member of the back-end of the bullpen, Sale's arsenal seemed suitable to starting: His fastball still averaged 91.7 mph and could touch 97, his slider remained as filthy as ever, and he leaned more on his change-up to handle the larger share of right-handed hitters he faced. It's that skill set which presents him an excellent chance at a repeating as a dominate starter, even an ace, as a starter this season.

Sunday, April 14, 1:05EDT (STO)

Brett Myers (0-1, 12.19 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (1-1, 5.56 ERA)

Myers was supposed to start last Wednesday's game, but the Indians opted to just use him to eat innings Tuesday, sparing the bullpen which is a key element in Terry Francona's managerial philosophy. He has now surrendered 14 earned runs over 10.1 innings this season. Myers pitched the final 5.1 innings of Tuesday night's game, giving up seven earned runs on 11 hits, after starter Carlos Carrasco got pounded for seven earned runs before being ejected after throwing at Kevin Youkilis in the fourth inning. Peavy's previous start this season was awful, giving up six earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out seven over 5.1 innings Tuesday against the Nationals as he was facing perhaps the most dangerous lineup in baseball. This start has skewed his overall numbers slightly, as his first start of the season was excellent. Look for him to bounce back Sunday against the Indians as no current Indians batter has had much success against him, with the exception being Jason Kipnis who has two home-runs off Peavy in only eight at-bats.

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