The results are in. Here is how your Tribe players fared in the month of May. The order is based on the entire seasons performance while the stats and rating are just based on May. Here are April's rankings to compare (the difference is noted in parenthesis).

 1. Jason Kipnis Above (+2)

5 Home runs: After going homerless in April, Jason Kipnis found his power stroke (and his running shoes) in May. He lead the team for the month in both home runs and steals and is also leading in leadership. This is the new face of the franchise. We are all Kipnisses.

2. Asdrubal Cabrera Above (+6)

14 RBI: With injuries to Hannahan, Santana and Hafner, Cabrera has found himself in a middle of the lineup role that he is taking well too. Cabrera lead the team in slugging for the month of May and was second in walks as well as he shows himself to be a well rounded player.

3. Derek Lowe Even (-1)

8 Walks: Lowe has been extremely frugal in allowing walks, but his 40 hits allowed have kept his WHIP higher than he would like. He saw a little drop back in May from his hot start, but is still performing at a better level than expected.

4. Jeanmar Gomez Even (+1)

3 Losses: It seems unfair that Gomez and Jimenez should have the same amount of losses. He has easily been the second best pitcher on the team to this point in the year although he, like Lowe, has seen a step back since April. He has the opposite problem of Lowe in that he doesn't allow many hits, but walked 15 during May.

5. Michael Brantley Above (+6)

7 Steals: Brantley is tied with Kipnis for most steals on the team. Most impressively, after starting off even in April (2 SB, 2 CS) he has since only been caught 2 more times. I said last month that Brantley was improving at the end of the month and he was, in every facet of his game.

6. Justin Masterson Even (+1)

30 K's: The Indians ace continues to lead the team in strikeouts as he shows at least some spark of improvement. Masterson definitely was better in May than in April, but still has work to do to become the dominant pitcher he was in 2011.

7. Chris Perez Above (+7)

100% Saves Converted: Perez certainly brought the Rage in May as he earned every Indians save but 2 and never blew an opportunity. He currently leads all of baseball in saves and fist pumps. What more could you ask from a closer?

8. Shin-Soo Choo Even (+7)

18 Runs: As Cabrera is learning to be a middle of the lineup hitter, Choo has been learning to lead off and taken very quickly to his new role. He was second on the team in runs for the month and has started stealing bases again (5 SB, 0 CS in May).

9. Vinnie Pestano Above (+1)

8 Holds: Pestano had an ERA of 2.25 and 9 decisions (1 win, 8 holds) in 13 games played in May. Pestano is basically dominating the entire league, just about every other day.

10. Casey Kotchman Even (+10)

6 Doubles: Kothman's rise has more to do with the large list of players no longer on the roster than his own improvements, but he has improved. He has hit this month the way he was expected to before he joined the Tribe. A lot of singles, a few doubles and one or two home runs. If he can play the rest of the season like he has this month, there is going to be a place on the roster for him.

11. Jose Lopez Above (+12)

.410 SLG: Jose Lopez has to have been the biggest surprise on this team. The Indians looked to be in trouble when Hannahan was hurt the same time Chisenhall was on the MiLB DL, but Lopez has filled in admirably. In limited action (17 games) Lopez had 12 RBI and 5 doubles and didn't play too bad defensively either.

12. Nick Hagadone Above (+10)

2.25 ERA: With Rafael Perez being placed on the 60 Day DL Hagadone is here for the long haul and that's not a bad thing. So far this year he has a .077 batting average allowed against lefties. This is one prospect that doesn't need anymore seasoning.

13. Josh Tomlin Even (-4)

3 Home Runs Allowed: Tomlin missed a couple starts this month with wrist problems, but in those he did make he showed the same results as last year. His .206 BAA and 1.09 WHIP show he doesn't give up many hits, but when he does they leave the ballpark. His inflated ERA of 4.42 can attest to that as well.

14. Joe Smith Below (-2)

4 Wins: I'm not sure what happened to Smith this month. He pitched in more games than any other reliever and did pick up 4 wins, but he also allowed 19 total hits and walks in less than 12 innings along with 7 earned runs. 

15. Ubaldo Jimenez Below (-2)

2.00 WHIP: How does a former Cy Young award winner get a WHIP over 2.00? By walking 28 batters in 32 innings. Ubaldo has lost all control over his fastball and has struggled just as badly this month as he did last.

16. Shelley Duncan Below (0)

.214 ISO: Isolated power is the difference between slugging percent and batting average. This year, that ISO puts Duncan among players like Mark Teixeira, Luke Scott and Mike Moustakas. The difference between Duncan and a possibly All-Star bid? None of those other hitters are batting .167.

17. Johnny Damon Below (New)

.261 OBP: An on base percent of .261 is really impressive when you're batting just .171. If you didn't think someone could be worse both offensively and defensively, then meet his replacement.

18. Jeremy Accardo Above (New)

9.72 K/9: Accardo has been nothing but great since joining the Tribe in the position he should have held all year. It is such a waste that the Indians allow contract situations to dictate how they make their team. 

19. Aaron Cunningham Below (-1)

.150 AVG: The lowest batting average (of players with more than 11 at bats) on a team full of low batting averages belongs to Cunningham. I know he doesn't play every day, but neither did Mario Mendoza and he still managed a career average of .215.

20. Tony Sipp Below (-1)

.267 BAA: Sipp has vastly improved over April's debacle and his batting average against is the best stat to show it. Although he still allowed more than 5 runs per 9 innings he is starting to get things under control.

21. Lonnie Chisenhall Even (New)

3 Games Played: The rash of injuries has forced the Indians the Indians to bring up a few young players, but Chisenhall is one they should have brought up anyway. He hit a home run in his first at bat and will look to increase his level of play in the coming months to earn a permanent job as the Indians starting third baseman.

22. Juan Diaz Even (New)

4 Hits: Diaz has been extremely impressive as a call up straight from AA. He was the only option at shortstop while Asdrubal Cabrera was injured and hasn't looked like he is playing out of his level at all.

23. Luke Carlin Even (New)

100% SB%: Carlin stole a base during the last game of the month to give him a perfect stolen base percent. He also has a fantastic mohawk that helps protect him from getting a concussion when hit with a foul ball.

24. Scott Barnes Even (New)

1 IP: Scott has pitched an inning. It was a good inning. He walked two batters and struck out another, but didn't allow any runs.

25. Lou Marson Below (-1)

4 Hits: Marson has the same amount of hits as Juan Diaz even though he has 10 more at bats. Juan Diaz was in AA two weeks ago. Marson should be in AA now. He does, however, currently lead the team with facial stitches with 3.

No longer with us (in no particular order):

Demoted or Released (April ranking in parenthesis):

Jason Donald Below (17)

Zach McAllister Even (DNP)

Jairo Asencio Above (25)

Dan Wheeler Below (21)

Disabled:

Carlos Santana Below (6)

Travis Hafner Below (1)

Jack Hannahan Below (4)

Those are my rankings and assessments. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong. @BRBBlog on Twitter.

This is a new segment that may be recurring on a monthly basis. Basically I will be ranking the Indians players by importance to the team with notes to whether they are exceeding expectations, meeting them or falling behind. I will also include their most important stat and why it is so.

Travis Hafner Above

.450 OBP: Although his batting average has dropped a little over the last week (.295), Pronk is still second in the AL in OBP. His excellence in this, the all-mightiest of basic stats, makes him top offensive player on the team.

Derek Lowe Above

4 Wins: Lowe's greatest ability is that he can keep a team in the game. The Indians have rewarded his ability by giving him a league leading 4 wins through April. Lowe has certainly been the best surprise on the Indians so far this year.

Jason Kipnis Even

20 Games Played: Kipnis hasn't been the best offensive player statistically, but by being solid defensively and on the base-paths, he has become a steady point for this team to base itself around. He has played every game this season for the Indians at second base.

Jack Hannahan Above

14 RBI: Hannahan has been Mr. Clutch this year, knocking in the most runs on the team and doing so from the bottom half of the lineup. This is probably because the Indians lead off hitters don't get on base as much as their middle of the lineup hitters, but I'll try not to take all the credit away from Jack.

Jeanmar Gomez Above

.161 BAA: There isn't one stat you can use to describe Jeanmar's performance this year as they are all fantastic. He has done exactly what was asked of him, from the bullpen or as a starter, on short or long rest. He has not allowed hits, walks or runs scored and has struck out 13 in 15.1 innings.

Carlos Santana Even

18 Walks: This total ranks him second in the league, right above Travis Hafner. His ability to get on base by other means makes it a lot easier to accept a .262 batting average.

Justin Masterson Below

6 IP per game: Where is the Indians ace who had a chance to go the full 9 every five days last season? Masterson has been hit like crazy this year, giving up almost a hit per inning in addition to the 17 batters he's walked. His turn around is the single most important thing the Indians need for this baseball team to be successful.

Asdrubal Cabrera Even

10 Extra Bases: This is one of the stats I keep on my own and I believe it is even more important than stolen bases, because it brings greater reward to the team with less risk. His 11/13 on extra base attempts (extra bases + steals / extra bases + outs on the base paths) makes him the best base runner on the team this season.

Josh Tomlin Even

3 Walks: Every pitcher on the staff who was in Cleveland all month has walked more batters than Tomlin (except Pestano). This includes relievers who have only pitched 7 innings, while Tomlin pitched over 20. Josh is a control freak and be remain successful as long as he remains one.

Vinnie Pestano Above

8 Inherited Runners Stranded: Pestano leads the team in runners stranded by other pitchers as he has continued from where he left off last year. His job as holder is just as important as Perez's as closer and is usually more difficult as Pure Rage gets to come in with nobody on base.

Michael Brantley Below (but rising)

6 Doubles: Brantley has made a huge comeback after hitting below .200 for the first three weeks of the season and is now sitting at .250. He has also taken over the team lead in doubles. As he gets on base and into scoring position more, it will only increase the potential of Hafner and Santana.

Joe Smith Above

1.74 ERA: Smith leads Indians relievers in ERA and least amount of credit given. There is no question anymore of whether he is one of the top three coming out of the Tribe bullpen. The question is "is he the top one?" While Perez gets the glory and Pestano gets the love, don't forget about the lowly side armer, who destroys evething that gets in his path.

Ubaldo Jimenez Below

14 Walks: As a power pitcher, you should never walk more batters than you strike out, but Jimenez has come up with Fausto Carmona syndrome as he has only struck out 13 batters. He will need to start missing some bats if he wants to maintain his #2 spot in the rotation and will need to find his control if he still wants a job in professional baseball.

Chris Perez Even

7 Saves: Perez is tied for the league lead in saves as he is doing his job extremely well. He is paid to close out games, no matter how he does it and he has only failed once so far this season.

Shin-Soo Choo Below

.697 OPS: For those who don't know, great players usually have an OPS of 1.000+. Bad players, like Kotchman, have one around .500. Choo's OPS is embarassing for him and the only way to fix it is to start hitting for some power. Choo has walked a fair amount this season (10), but has yet to hit a home run or triple. Hopefully when he returns from his injury in May, he will find his power stroke.

Shelley Duncan Below

.344 SLG: The Indians have 5 players hitting above .400 slugging even though they didn't hit a home run the last week plus in April. Duncan is not one of them, but should be. The only powerful right handed bat in the lineup is being out hit by Kipnis and Hannahan among others. He will probably be pushed back into a pinch-hitting role with the acquisition of Johnny Damon.

Jason Donald Even

5 Runs: You may say that 5 runs scored in nothing, there are guys on the team with double that, but Donald has only been on base 8 times. He also has two steals and is yet to be caught, making him extremely productive when he does get on base. He has already played 4 positions for the Tribe this year as well, the perfect definition of a utility man.

Aaron Cunningham Below

2 RBI: Cunningham has mostly been used as a late inning defensive replacement, but also has started in right field for Choo during his injury. Through that time he has managed to get 37 at bats, but has produced as close to nothing as possible. He has a total of 9 hits and his 2 RBI came in back to back games. It is almost a surety that Cunningham will not be on the team the next time I write one of these.

Tony Sipp Below

5 Holds: Sipp has done just about the absolute minimum to get his job done at this point in the season. With young stud Nick Hagadone on the roster now, his job as left handed specialist may be in jeopardy.

Casey Kotchman Below

.149 Batting Average: This guy was in the top ten in hitting in 2011 (Currently is second to last in AL). Kotchman's absolute lack of success is inexplicable. All the Indians can do at the moment is drop him to the bottom of the lineup, enjoy his solid defense and wait for Beau Mills.

Dan Wheeler Below

4/8 Inherited Runners Scored: Wheeler has been very predictable when he comes in from the pen with runners on. He will let them score. He has really hurt Manny Acta's strategy of taking out a starting pitcher extremely early in the game.

Nick Hagadone Above

0.69 WHIP: Even though his sample size is small, his numbers are impressive as he has struck out 5 batters in 4.1 innings and has only allowed 3 base runners and one run to score. Hagadone belongs in the "Bullpen Mafia" and will hopefully never have to put on a Clippers uniform again.

Jose Lopez Below

1 Home run: This home run is pretty much the only thing Lopez has done this year. He has 3 RBI in 5 games and his .190 batting average in limited time makes him next on the chopping block if the Indians want to bring up someone else/Lonnie Chisenhall.

Lou Marson Even

3 Games Played: How can you judge a player with only 3 games under his belt. This is actually a great number as it means Carlos Santana is playing every day and at the position that he brings the most value to. Marson needs to be ready down the line, later in the season as fatigue hits Santana and he can't play behind the plate every day.

Jairo Asencio Below

0 Options: Asencio has the worst batting average against on the team and the second worst ERA (7.15). He has allowed more runs, hits and walks than any pitchers on the staff except 4 of the five starters even though he has pitched in less than half the innings those pitchers have. He does not deserve to be on a Major League roster.

Out: Rafael Perez (DL) Even

.143 BA (Against righties) .231 BA (Against lefties): So much for matching up. Did we learn nothing from Money Ball? It doesn't matter what hand you throw with. Get used to Hagadone, Cleveland.

Those are my rankings and assessments. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong. @BRBBlog on Twitter.

Just prior to the Opening Day, the Indians signed short stop Asdrubal Cabrera through the 2014 season and today the Indians have extended catcher Carlos Santana through 2016 with an option for 2017. Santana's contract is worth a total of $21 million which could end up being a steal if he continues to improve the way he is projected to. The Tribe already had Santana under control through 2016, but by guaranteeing him money now, they will end up paying a lot less then they probably would have to through the arbitration years. As it is the highest single season payout for Santana would be his 2017 option of $12 million. 

This deal is similar to the one Grady Sizemore signed in 2006 as it involves a very young player through his first year or two of free agency. As always with a long-term contract there is some risk, but in this case that risk is small, especially considering that the entire contract is valued at less than a single season of Prince Fielder. For those who may be of the mind that the Sizemore deal was a mistake or failure, realize that for the $23 million total value of his contract he played in almost 700 games and hit 113 home runs with 475 runs scored and 110 steals. He could have played two seasons at that rate and been a steal, but he played four great seasons and two subpar. If Santana can produce what he did last year every year for the length of his contract, he will have earned every penny of it.

The outlook for 2012 was positive going into Spring Training. Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo were all healthy. The worst two pitchers from last season's starting rotation (Mitch Talbot and Fausto Carmona) were nowhere to be seen. The Indians actually went out and aquired some average talent players (Kevin Slowey, Ryan Spilborghs and Russ Canzler) to fill in the gaps in the roster. It looked like everything that made the Indians good last year was still in place while improvements were made in some weak spots. So much for that.

Within the first week of camp opening both Grady Sizemore and Chris Perez sustained injuries. Sizemore will be out until May while Perez was limited to only three innings all Spring (Perez was perfect over those three innings, so that is a good sign). The offense as a whole was terrible scoring only 133 runs and batting .147. On an individual level, no player was able to stand out and take any of the open positions. Old players like Shelley Duncan and Jason Donald played poorly and were unable to secure positions on the starting roster until late in Spring. Lonnie Chisenhall and Matt LaPorta were unable to secure positions at all and were sent back to the minors (along with Trevor Crowe and Ezequiel Carrera). The new players in camp didn't fare well either as the expected starting left fielder, Ryan Spilborghs, failed to make the team entirely as did expected starting pitcher Kevin Slowey. Of the players aquired in the offseason, only Derek Lowe, Casey Kotchman, Jose Lopez, Aaron Cunningham and Jairo Asencio were able to break the 25 man roster. To top a terrible Spring off, Ubaldo Jimenez has been suspended for his first start for hitting former teammate Troy Tulowitzki during an exhibition game. He will probably appeal the penalty so he can pitch the second game of the season, but he will still miss a start at some point because of it. 

The good news is that most of that doesn't actually effect the regular season. While some of the personell decisions could have been better (Chisenhall instead of Lopez and Carrera instead of Cunningham), these shouldn't be a huge drain on the team. The Indians strongest point from last year, the Bullpen Mafia, is still intact with the exception of the two weakest pitchers (Chad Durbin and Frank Herrmann). The offense is largely the same from last year, but hopefully we will see a resurgance from Choo and Hafner and some improved numbers coming from first base from Kotchman. The starting pitching staff looks to be a huge mystery after Justin Masterson as we wait to see if Josh Tomlin was a fluke last season, if Jimenez can forget about last year and if Lowe still has it. All in all it should be an interesting and entertaining season so stay tuned to what surely will be a wild ride.

The whole season is riding on one man's shoulders. We are all Kipnisses.

The Indians have set their 25 man roster for the regular season. There are a few surprises, but it is generally what was expected going into Spring Training. Shelley Duncan and Jose Lopez both played themselves into more important roles with the team while Lonnie Chisenhall, Matt LaPorta, Russ Canzler and Ryan Spilborghs were all unable to crack the top 25. Chisenhall will certainly be waiting in AAA for Jack Hannahan to make his first mistake, but the others may see their time with the Tribe cut short and have to move on elsewhere.

Position Players

 C: Carlos Santana
1B: Casey Kotchman
2B: Jason Kipnis
SS: Asdrubal Cabrera
3B: Jack Hannahan
LF: Shelley Duncan
CF: Michael Brantley
RF: Shin-Soo Choo
CIF: Jose Lopez
MIF: Jason Donald
OF1: Grady Sizemore
OF2: Aaron Cunningham
C2: Lou Marson

The only change that needs to be made before the season starts will be the placement of Grady Sizemore on the 15 day disabled list. This will allow room on the team for one more outfielder. Last week it looked like this position would be taken by Spilborghs and it still could, but by doing it this way it allows a little hope that either Ezequiel Carrera or Trevor Crowe could make the opening day roster. These two players would offer something no one else on the starting roster really has, which is speed. It never hurts to have a player who can pinch run, steal a base, get a bunt down and come in defensively in the outfield.

Starting Pitchers:

 Ace: Justin Masterson
#2: Ubaldo Jimenez
#3: Josh Tomlin
#4: Derek Lowe
#5: Jeanmar Gomez

The rotation ended up being as expected with Gomez beating out Kevin Slowey and David Huff. Masterson, Jimenez and Tomlin remain from the 2011 rotation, while Lowe will essentially replace Fausto Carmona. The injury to Carlos Carrasco provided the other opening in the starting five.

Bullpen Mafia:

Reliever: Rafael Perez
Reliever: Joe Smith
Reliever: Tony Sipp
Reliever: Vinnie Pestano
Reliever: Dan Wheeler
Reliever: Jairo Asencio
Closer: Chris Perez

The bullpen is set, with the newest invitee taking the last spot. The fact that no pitcher was able to stand out and claim the last two spots during Spring is a little disconcerting, but the core of the Bullpen Mafia remains and that should be good enough. Chris Perez will be able to start the season as closer and his set up men, Pestano and Smith have pitched well this Spring. The left-handers Rafael Perez and Tony Sipp also remain from last seasons roster.

Disabled List:

Carlos Carrasco (60 Day DL - Out for Season)

Fausto Carmona (Roberto Hernandez Heredia - Restricted List)

This is the complete 25-man roster as of April 1, 2012. There will be no further updates on this page.

With Kevin Slowey starting today, the battle for the fifth starting pitcher should be a little clearer. Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Tomlin and Derek Lowe hold the first four spots in the 2012 Cleveland Indians starting rotation while Jeanmar Gomez, David Huff, Zach McAllister and Slowey compete for the last spot.

So far, Jeanmar Gomez appears to be the most ready. He has pitched in four games this Spring and is yet to allow a run and has only allowed four hits. His dominance has not been matched this Spring by any other Indians starter except Justin Masterson who has been dominant ever since his poor debut. After his successful rookie season, the only thing keeping Gomez in the minors to start this year is the lack of flexibility in Kevin Slowey.

Speaking of Slowey, his appearances have been getting worse and worse with each outing. In four starts, he has given up 0, 2, 3 and most recently 4 runs. Slowey has never been a considered a flame thrower, but this Spring he has been terrible at missing bats. In only 12 innings he has walked 4 and allowed 19 hits. Hopefully for Indians fans, this experiment will end before the regular season starts.

The other two pitchers up for that last spot have not really had enough innings to judge. Huff has a 5.73 ERA through 11 innings and McAllister has 4.50 through 6. McAllister has yet to start an official Spring game and Huff has only started 3. The lack of innings given to these two pitchers could be a sign that the Indians are already favoring Gomez and Slowey. With Huff's contract situation not being very different than Gomez's it is hard to conceive the Indians making him the 5th starter. It definitely seems that the Indians 5th starter competition is down to a two horse race.

Slowey throwing against the Giants on 3/21

There are two probable spots open for the 2012 bullpen and a plethora of possible pitchers to fill them. Since we are about two weeks into Spring Training, it seems like a good time to discuss the options. 

The 2012 bullpen will look fairly similar to the 2011 version with the exception of two pitchers. Chad Durbin left the team in free agency and Frank Herrmann's spot is up for grabs as well, although he could win it back with a strong Spring. To this point, Herrmann has thrown the most of any Indians relief pitcher and it doesn't look good. In 6 innings through 4 games he has allowed 10 hits and 5 runs. He does have a good strikeout to walk ratio of 6-1, but it doesn't matter if every out is a strikeout when allow almost a run per inning.

Jeremy Accardo, Hector Ambriz and Nick Hagadone are also in the running for either spot and currently hold identical 1.80 ERAs. Each pitcher has allowed a single run in exactly 5 innings pitched. Ambriz has been especially effective, only allowing two hits and striking out four. Hagadone has the highest ceiling of these three players, but is the least likely to make the team initially due to his age and the availability of minor league options.

Former AL East closers Chris Ray and Dan Wheeler have not fared so well in Cactus League play thus far, each with ERAs above 10.00. Both pitchers accepted Spring invites from the Tribe in attempt to regain their former glory. Even though their is no chance of them closing on a team with Chris Perez and Vinnie Pestano, they could still take that Chad Durbin role of veteran pitcher on this team. They will have to shape up soon however, as each pitcher has allowed 10 hits already this Spring in a combined 9 innings pitched.

The last player to mention is Corey Kluber, who has an outside chance of making the team this year. He finished the season on the Indians last year, but more than likely will be the first player cut of the group listed here. The Indians may pitch him more often as the Spring progresses, but to this point he has only thrown 3 innings and is yet to allow an earned run. He has walked 1 and struck out two.

At this point in the Spring, Accardo and Ambriz seem to be the front-runners with Herrmann and Hagadone waiting in the wings in case something happens. Ambriz has not pitched in the Majors since 2010 when he had a 5.59 ERA for the Indians, but the team seems willing to give him a second shot. Accardo had a bad season last year for Baltimore, but was once a strong closer, earning 30 saves with the Blue Jays in 2007. If the Indians decide not to go with the young guns, he wouldn't be the worst choice they could make.

Nick Hagadone throws a pitch against the Diamondbacks in Spring Training action.



A crowd of 5,500 watched today as The Cleveland Indians hosted the reigning AL Champions at Goodyear Ballpark. Much of the crowd came to see Texas Ranger's pitcher, Yu Darvish, who made just his second start of the Spring. Yu Darvish is one of the biggest hyped players this year. Texas acquired the 25-year old Japanese native in January, signing him to a 6 year, $60 million deal.

Amongst those at the game were several media outlets, including several Japanese media members, ESPN, and MLB.TV. The crowd seemed very anxious to see what young Yu Darvish could do. So what did he do?

Darvish started the game with 2 walks, to Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera. Unfortunately, the Indians could not take advantage of such a gift, as both Brantley and Cabrera were thrown out trying to steal second. The bottom of the first ended with a Shin-Soo Choo strikeout.

In the bottom of the second, Travis Hafner popped out in foul territory to first base. Jose Lopez received the first hit off of Darvish with a broken bat single to center field. The Indians were retired in the second inning after Jason Kipnis and Fred Lewis both stuck out swinging.

The Indians finally got to Darvish in the third inning. Jack Hannahan led off the inning with a double to center field. Darvish then walked the next two batters, Lou Marson and Michael Brantley. With the bases loaded, Asdrubal Cabrera knocked Hannahan in with a single. Choo then grounded into a double play, which scored Lou Marson. Hafner ended the inning with a fly out to center field.

Yu Darvish pitched three innings today, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits. He also struck out 3 and walked 4. Overall, Darvish did not look impressive. His pitches seemed to ride high and he was wild at times. Even though he struck out 3 Indians in 3 innings, he did not seem like a dominating strike-out pitcher today. This was only his second start of the Spring. We look forward to seeing what he will do in the rest of the Spring and how he will pitch in the regular season as the Texas Ace.

Final Score: Texas Ranger 8 - Cleveland Indians 8 in 10 innings

Yu Darvish throws to Michael Brantley

Fausto "Roberto Hernandez Heredia" Carmona has been cleared of his crimes in the Dominican Republic, but it is still unknown whether he will be allowed to return to the United States after his newly assigned work program has been completed. The real question now is, would the team even want him to?

Even before this news came out, the Indians were looking to shore up their starting rotation after an inconsistent season. Ubaldo Jimenez was brought in towards the end of the regular season and Derek Lowe immediately after, basically setting up a starting four (Justin Masterson, Jimenez, Josh Tomlin and Lowe) that Carmona wouldn't be able to touch. Immediately after the news came out, the Indians made another move as insurance in case Carmona couldn't come back by trading for Kevin Slowey.

The Indians have shown which pitchers they want to see work the most work this Spring as the only pitchers who have started games are David Huff, Jimenez, Masterson, Slowey and Lowe. Tomlin has thrown five innings in relief and Zach McAllister has thrown four. While it will take a little while longer to see which pitchers are the best fit for the rotation, it is unlikely with this many options that there won't be five options better than Fausto. 

Even if Carmona did return today, he would already be a week behind the other pitchers as far as actual games go and three weeks behind in training. Even with this new news we shouldn't expect him back anytime soon. Of course you cannot predict the future and if the Indians starting staff is struggling and Fausto gets his visa by the All-Star break he could be given another chance to make it. Who knows, maybe all his head problems were caused by the worry that his second name would be revealed and with it out in the open he will be able to relax. If he is able to come back later in the year he could be a great addition, especially if the team is dealing with the usually injury problems.

The good news is that the Indians do not need Fausto "Roberto Hernandez Heredia" Carmona in the rotation to compete this season and do not have to pay him anything until he returns to the team. If and when he does return, he could either help the team by pitching or could probably be released with little cost to the team. The Indians continue to hold their line, that they are undecided about what to do, but are keeping an eye on the situation.

After a three games in Goodyear, the Indians have went 0-2-1 against the Cincinnati Reds. While it's great fun to finally see baseball again after the long offseason, we shouldn't take these early games very seriously. In the three games played, the Indians have used a total of 21 pitchers, who have given up 26 runs in 27 innings. The statistically best pitcher so far this Spring? Jeanmar Gomez with three strikeouts in two innings and no hits allowed. The worst? Recently named Ace, Justin Masterson who was destroyed yesterday by the Reds lineup to the tune of a 40.50 ERA in 1.1 innings pitched. None of this is real or really matters.

The only truly important things that can happen this early in Spring are injuries and the Indians have already had a couple. The back injury to Grady Sizemore is definitely a cause for concern. Last October we discussed possible outfield configurations without Grady and none of them looked good, until the team re-signed Sizemore later in the offseason. Now it looks as if he will continue to miss time due to injuries and will need to be replaced, at least early on, in the outfield. The obvious first choice is to move Michael Brantley to center, leaving a hole in left field. This could be filled by any number of Spring Training invitees, or one of the three eligible players from last years roster (Shelley Duncan, Ezequiel Carrera or Trevor Crowe). The best choice at the moment would probably be Ryan Spilborghs (0-2 with a run and an RBI so far this Spring). He has the most experience at the pro level and is a more athletic choice than either Duncan or trying to change Matt LaPorta back into an outfielder. Felix Pie, Aaron Cunningham and Thomas Neal round out the rest of the options. Neal is probably the player with the most upside of those listed, but he has yet to prove himself in the Majors and the Indians are more likely to go with a veteran of at least a couple years at this point in the season. One of the players listed will also be on the roster as the fourth outfielder as well as either Duncan or LaPorta making the team as a pinch hitter/back-up firstbaseman.

The other injury of note was to All-Star closer Chris Perez. Pure Rage strained an oblique in his first bullpen session of the Spring and looks to be out at least three weeks. He should be back in time for the regular season, but without an entire Spring of pitching against real hitters, he may not be ready. This isnt as big of a deal as the Sizemore injury because of the great depth in the Indians "Bullpen Mafia". Look for Vinnie Pestano to get any of the save chances the first week of the regular season with Chris Perez moving back into that role as soon as he is ready.

I'll leave you with a few shots from Monday's game. Remember not to worry and just enjoy the game. Nothing really counts for another month. See you at the Ballpark!

Action during the second inning of Monday's Spring Training game. Zizzy, the Goodyear Ballpark mascot, enjoys the game with the other fans. 

Indians new starting first baseman, Casey Kotchman.