Week 3: Browns vs. Ratbirds

With the Tribe off last night, I'm reduced to giving my worthless prediction for the Browns game at M&T Bank Stadium. I didn't even realize it was a 4:15 start until yesterday. It is not my favorite thing to have to sit around on Sunday waiting for the second game, especially when my favorite team is 0-2. I want them back on the field ASAP so I can try to forget about the first two games. Obviously, the Browns need to win this one or their season may already be over, as dumb as that sounds just three games into the season. Really, I don't think anyone knows what to expect from the brown and orange at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost and I wouldn't be surprised if they won big.

Remember what happened last time the Browns visited Baltimore?

The Ravens should be nice and rested after Hurricane Ike disrupted their plans last weekend in Houston. But that also means they could be rusty. And with a rookie quarterback in there, you would think that this is the perfect time for the Browns to throw in some blitzing schemes to try to rattle young Flacco. Then again, we've rarely seen that type of planning on defense so who knows what's to come. I do know that with Robaire Smith out of action for the year, it's one less big guy up front to occupy their offensive line.

On the Browns side of the ball, it's imperative that they come away with some points this weekend. A whopping sixteen points through two games isn't going to cut it in this league. Not to mention their meager 206.5 ypg average, good for second-to-last in the AFC. With the weapons this team has, there is no excuse for that type of output. I expect Braylon to elminate the drops, Winslow to be involved more, and Stallworth to be standing on the sidelines in street clothes again. So now on to my prediction...

I see this game coming down to the wire, even though it should not. The Browns are head and shoulders above the Ravens talent-wise. But this is a road game, and the Browns just won't make it easy - just look at last year's game against an overmatched Ravens team. The Browns also have a coaching staff that consistently has looked overmatched and ill-prepared. Play-calling, clock management, and coaching decisions have been even worse than the execution on the field. I could honestly see this one coming down to another Phil Dawson field goal as the clock is winding down with the Browns of course having no time outs and scrambling to the line (a la the 16-15 win in Pittsburgh back in 1999). It was excusable for an expansion team, but I'm not sure why it's still possible 10 years later. Nevertheless, I'm going with Browns 16, Ravens 13.

Other Browns Notes: Phil Dawson is actually hoping for a repeat of last year's performance in Baltimore. Well, at least the part where the teams wins... And more good news - Eric Steinbach is hurting. Just what we need... And Tony Grossi gives his thoughts in his Friday podcast.

Tribe Update: After their final off-day yesterday the Tribe is back in action tonight. This will be the last game that my wife and I will be attending this year so I hope to be sent out on a good note. Fausto Carmona is on the hill for the good guys to start the final 10-game push for .500 or better... Based on my expecations going into this season, Ryan Garko has truly put up some puzzling numbers this year... Jensen Lewis seems to be enjoying the tiring role of everyday closer... And kiss Buffalo goodbye, the Tribe is now calling Columbus its AAA home.

On the brink of 20 wins

With their dominating 10-4 victory last night in Detroit the Tribe has now won 15 of 18... 8 in a row on the road... and 9 in a row overall. All impressive numbers to be sure - but not as impressive as Cliff Lee upping his record to 19-2. Do you realize he is on pace for a mind-boggling 24 wins this year? It sounds crazy, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised if he pulls it off.

"I just want to get as deep in the game as I can," Lee said. "Give the team a chance to win and put up as many zeros as I can."

Lee continued his season of dominance by going 7-2/3 innings and allowing 2 runs on 6 hits. He likely would have notched his 5th complete game of the season if he wasn't on a pitch count (and he should be now). And Lee got plenty of run support on this night as the Tribe belted 4 homers on the way to their 10 runs. Ben Francisco got into the act twice and even Jamey Carroll joined the home run party for the first time this season.

Lee will look to become the Tribe's first 20-game
winner in over 30 years on Sunday

So for the first time since June of 2005 the Indians have put together a 9-game winning streak. And even better news, they have climbed up to third place in the Central. I know it's all too little and too late this year, but I think Eric Wedge deserves some credit for how this team is playing now. How many other big league teams could withstand losing their Cy Young ace, having their #2 starter (Carmona) being injured for a stretch, trading away another veteran rotation guy (Byrd), trading their starting third baseman, and having their #3 and #4 hitters injured for a huge chunk of the year and still be around .500? Not to mention all the bullpen problems this year. It shows a lot of heart by this team to still play at this level after all that turmoil. And I think it bodes well for the team's future.

The Indians will look to continue the hot streak and go for the sweep tonight with Fausto Carmona on the mound for the good guys. Then they will enjoy a much-deserved day off on Thursday before starting a home series against the Mariners.

Other Tribe Notes: The team seems to be split on the decision to add instant replay. I'm actually OK with it, but why in the world would you throw it in right in the middle of the season??? Then again, this is Bud Selig we're talking about... Ryan Garko is finally on a bit of a hot streak... and Aaron Laffey may be back up with the big league club soon.

Browns Update: It will be a battle for a roster spot among Syndric Steptoe, Travis Wilson, and Steve Sanders... The team trimmed the roster down to 75 yesterday, with final cuts coming later this week after Thursday's preseason finale... Travis Daniels is just happy to not be on the Dolphins anymore.

Cavs Update: An interesting look at some predictions for this NBA season. Sasha for Most Improved??? Even I'm not that big of a homer... and Dan Gilbert is moving more things from Detroit to Cleveland.

Building a lead

There a few things to be happy about (aside from Cliff Lee's turnaround) during this 2008 season for the Tribe. But we should be thankful that they seem to have found a way out of last place and are now building a cushion on K.C. to keep them stuck in the basement. Last night's 9-4 victory at the Prog featured three home runs by the Indians (watch 'em: Sizemore, Garko, and Choo). It marked the Indians' eigth win in their last eleven games and gave newcomer Anthony Reyes his second victory with the Tribe. Even though only 18,946(!) were there to witness it, I'm starting to think that this team may actually be building something for the future. Obviously this is far too little and far too late to make any noise this season, but their goal should be to get back to .500. I had written that goal off a few weeks ago, but at 57-67 (.459) they at least have a shot again.

Grady swatted his 28th HR of the season in the 6th

They will need to go 24-14 over their last 38 games to reach .500, which is a stretch. But they have gone 20-18 over their previous 38 games amid the turmoil of all the trades and injuries. With Barfield, Martinez, and Hafner all hopefully back soon it is an attainable goal and could prove to be a springboard into a much better 2009 season. And it at least gives us some reason to watch every night, right? Zach Jackson will look for his first win as an Indian tonight as the series continues.

Other Tribe Notes: Grady Sizemore is happy to finally hit another home run... Ryan Garko is now more focused... Eric Wedge just wants all his guys back... and finally, there are plenty of reasons to avoid ESPN, but this article is worthy of a read.

"I'd have to say the down you get from failing is way worse than the up you get from being successful. It's something you've got to be able to get past and learn from. … You see people make excuses and you just don't want to be that guy." - Cliff Lee

Browns Update: Some injury updates in the wake of the Giants game, revealing that Cribbs and DA may be lost until the season opener (just what we wanted, ugh). Cribbs has the dreaded high ankle sprain and they are probably just going to be overly cautious with Anderson's concussion. This could spell trouble. I predict a full-blown QB controversy among some fans if Brady Quinn plays well in his start Saturday night. And Terry Pluto gives some thoughts on the team and some scribbles in his notebook.

Cavs Update: LeBron James chipped in 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in Team USA's 116-85 whipping of Australia in the Olympic quarterfinals. The Redeem Team will move on to the semifinals Friday morning to face the winner of the Argentina/Greece quarterfinal game.

Hitting rock bottom

I thought the Tribe hit rock bottom this season on July 9th when they lost their 10th consecutive game. It seemed at that point that things couldn't get much worse. They had blown a bunch of winnable games during that stretch and finally slid to 16 games under .500 before partly righting the ship and rattling off four straight wins over Tampa Bay just before the All-Star break. The worst of the season was over, right? Time to look toward the future and watch some of the younger guys fight for spots on the team next year. At least that could be interesting to watch. But there was nothing interesting about yesterday's game in Tampa Bay. A more proper way to describe it would be sickening.

The Indians officially hit rock bottom yesterday around 4:00 PM when their bullpen completely imploded. Holding a 7-4 lead heading into the 9th inning it felt like things were safe and they would escape taking two of three in the series against the resurgent Rays. But then Edward Mujica, the latest experiment in the great closer search of '08, was handed the ball. Just nine pitches later, Eric Wedge was forced yank Mujica from the game with the score tied at 7 and still no outs. Masa Kobayashi got the call and did Mujica one better, allowing three more runs on just 8 pitches and not recording an out. Final score: 10-7. The Rays danced around near home plate and the Tribe headed off to Toronto to continue their awful season. Thankfully we are spared from watching the 'pen again today as the Tribe has the day off in Canada.

Next up, Kobayashi to complete the implosion

I should note that the bullpen can't be completely blamed for this one. Indians hitters were nearly as awful (excluding Jhonny Peralta who was a stellar 5-for-5), leaving 18 men stranded on base. It's just a continuation of the year-long theme of zero clutch hitting and disastrous bullpen work. And that's a great recipe for a last-place finish.

Other Tribe Notes: Ryan Garko was benched yesterday after not running out a ground ball in the second inning, just to round out the Tribe's great day. Garko has really been a mystery to me this year. And some injury updates and call-ups yesterday. I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict that Brendan Donnelly will be getting a shot at the closer's role in the near future. He can't be any worse than the other candidates have been.

Browns Update: FINALLY, we get to see the Browns on the field in some real game action (at least as real as the preseason can get). They will take on the Jets tonight at the Stadium in a 7:30 kickoff. Thankfully the Brett Favre saga didn't end until yesterday, but I have a feeling it will still be somewhat of a media circus surrounding the Jets. Romeo Crennel is looking forward to assessing his players in a real game setting. And Brady Quinn promises to remain a patient understudy to DA.

''I want to see how the rookies react to the environment with people in the stands and it actually counting,'' Crennel said. ''Also in the preseason, the tempo of the game increases. . . . So I want to see how they handle that. Will they hit? That becomes an important thing — and how they handle getting hit.''

Cavs Update: The Cavs released their 2008-09 schedule yesterday. They will be the very first game on the NBA schedule this year, opening in Boston on October 28th with revenge on their minds. The Cavaliers will be featured on 25 national TV games (not including games aired on NBATV). They also get another Christmas Day game, this time against their bitches, the Washington Wizards.

LBJ & the Cavs will look to spoil the ring ceremony on 10/28

Also of note, Bud Shaw agrees about the lunacy of LeBron playing in Europe. We will get to see LBJ take center stage on Sunday when Team USA plays China in their Olympic opener.

Can this Byrd still fly?

Maybe I was wrong about Paul Byrd. Perhaps he still has a little bit left in the old tank. I've been hoping for a start like this from him for a while, for my own selfish reasons. Last night's outing wasn't pretty (with him they rarely are) but it was effective. Byrd went 5-1/3 innings and got the win as the Tribe beat the Angels 5-2. This is now the Indians' 7th win in their last 8 games after their horrendous 10-game slide. And this one ended a five-game winning streak for the best team in baseball.

"Every inning was a battle," Byrd said. "It was just one of those nights where nothing came easy... I flirted with disaster all night, and somehow came out on top. Rarely do I pitch well against teams I play for, so it's just nice to beat the Angels."

This game featured some rarities worth noting. First, Andy Marte hit another home run and got a single. That gives him a whopping 2HR and 3RBI on the year. But if you dig deeper into his game log, you'll find that this was his fourth multi-hit game since July 5. So maybe the increased playing time has made him more comfortable at the plate. And if that's the case, I guess I can see why Eric Wedge is so hesitant to move Jhonny Peralta (another HR for him last night) to third right now. So Ryan Garko will continue to be the odd man out, unless Casey Blake is moved before the deadline.

The other rarity from last night was Masa Kobayashi's 1-2-3 9th inning for the save. I don't have any statistics at my disposal (actually I don't really know where to look), but I'd venture to guess that there haven't been many 1-2-3 9th inning saves for the Tribe at all this year. In fact, the bullpen has saved only 16 of their 42 wins (38%) this year (compared to 49 of 96, or 51%, last year). But Kobayashi is now 4-of-6 in save opportunities and hopefully he can continue to get an extended look in the closer's role for the Tribe.

Maybe there will still be a trade market for Byrd, who fought hard on Monday night

Other Tribe Notes: Good news from the injury front - Fausto Carmona is expected to make his return on Saturday against the Twins. And Mark Shapiro has some options in free agency this winter, but how likely is he to pursue them? He also needs to determine which player will be the final piece of the CC trade.

Browns Update: Less than 24 hours until training camp opens and no news is good news. But here's a handy guide to camp in Berea. And the Browns have somehow dropped from #9 to #10 in espn.com's NFL power rankings, without even playing a game or holding a practice yet. Those rankings frustrate me to no end, yet I still look at them regularly.

Cavs Update: Not really breaking news, but LeBron James continues to be an all-around good guy. And he shares some thoughts on the 2008 Olympic team.

"Four years ago, I wasn't put in the position I could care. I didn't get to go out and play the way I could," James said. "This time I'm a captain and I know we are going to be a very tough team to beat."

Back in action

At last, the Tribe will be back on the field again tonight in Seattle. I'm very curious to see how they will perform in the second half of the season. If I'm Eric Wedge, the one goal I'm setting for this team is to get back to the .500 mark by the end of the season. With 68 games remaining, that means they would need to go 40-28 (a .588 clip) the rest of the way. Given the way they've performed so far this year, that may seem like a lofty expectation. But with less pressure, hopefully a more stable roster, and maybe, just maybe some guys returning off the DL (namely Victor Martinez and Fausto Carmona... I'm not really expecting anything from Hafner's bum shoulder this year), the team might start to look more like the AL Central champs of 2007.

But with the trade deadline approaching, there may still be some changes coming. As I noted yesterday afternoon, Asdrubal Cabrera was called back up from Buffalo and will join the team for tonight's game in Seattle. He was able to correct himself at the plate in AAA, hitting .326 (46-for-141). I still expect to see Casey Blake traded to a team in contention before the deadline so that could cause some re-shuffling in the infield. If Blake is indeed moved, then I would really look at DH'ing Jhonny Peralta, moving Cabrera to shortstop (his natural position), taking an extended look at Andy Marte at third, keeping Jamey Carroll at second (damn that Barfield injury and Phillips trade), and getting Garko back to regular time at first. This way you can look toward 2009 to really see what these guys can do.

And before next season, I'd be completely open to bringing Blake back on a smaller contract. He's a great clubhouse guy, a decent hitter, and a very versatile guy on defense. He'd be an ideal utility player for probably a couple more years. But we'll see how everything plays out over the next couple weeks. Terry Pluto also has a plan for the second half, with an eye towards the 2009 season.

Will Casey be dealt before the deadline?

Browns Update: Yesterday Phil Savage confirmed that Joe Jurevicius will likely start the season on the PUP list, meaning he will miss the first 6 weeks (five games) of the season. At this point I'm just hoping he is able to make it back to the field in what will likely be his final season in the NFL. Jurevicius was huge for the team last year, especially on third down, where he so often kept the chains moving with big catches. Get well soon JJ.

''We're obviously very concerned about Joe's situation,'' Savage said. ''It's been very frustrating for everybody. Every time he's taken a step forward it's been two steps back."

Cavs Update: Not really an update on the Cavaliers, but an interesting story about ousted PD Cavs beat writer Branson Wright. He was definitely not one of my favorite writers, and the biggest newspaper in the state owes it to the team and its fan base to get someone better in there. (Pssst... I will work for much less than you paid him. All I require is a cushy chair courtside at the Q and a laptop.)

The Cavs summer league team will also be in action again tonight at 8:00 in Las Vegas against the Wizards. You can catch the action on NBATV or for free here if you're bored on a Friday night. I promise I won't tell anyone...

An unlikely sweep... and other thoughts

Well maybe the Indians are finally rounding back into form? Maybe the Rays really are just a fluke and are now crashing back to earth? Or maybe that team meeting before Thursday's game actually woke the Tribe up? We won't really know the answers until the second half of the season starts. But for now, the four-game sweep of Tampa Bay sure was a nice way to cap off an otherwise miserable first half of the 2008 season. And it was definitely unexpected coming on the heels of a horrendous 10-game losing streak.

Friday night's game featured more solid pitching from Cliff Lee, who notched his 12th win on the year with a 5-0 victory. With a 12-2 record and a tidy 2.31 ERA, today Lee did get the nod as the All-Star Game starter on Tuesday night in New York City. Quite a turnaround from his dismal performance in 2007. On Saturday the Indians won 8-4, behind Ryan Garko's career-high 5 RBI night. And yesterday's game featured a very bizarre stat line, one I thought I'd never see again to be perfectly honest. And Jhonny Peralta seems to be finally reaping the benefits of his laser vision correction surgery (7 hits and 2 home runs this weekend). We even had an Andy Marte sighting! And Ben Francisco is playing well again, raising his average by 14 points with a 12-for-19 series. The only bad news I could find after the Tribe's weekend was the fact that they allowed the Red Sox back into first place in the AL East...

A truly backwards weekend: Tribe sweep & a Mastny win!

More Tribe: American League home run leader Grady Sizemore takes his swing up against the short porch in right tonight in New York for the Home Run Derby. And we got a glimpse of the future with new prospect Matt LaPorta on Sunday in the Futures Game. And of course, I will miss seeing this in a Tribe uniform during interleague games. That is a hell of a swing for a pitcher.

Gladiators Update: The fun ride ended on Saturday afternoon as the Philadelphia Soul beat our Gladtiators 70-35 in the National Conference championship game. Early offensive mistakes and a turnover really put them in trouble in the first half and they just were never able to recover. But 2-14 to 9-7 and two playoff wins is nothing to take lightly. Good job by Bernie Kosar, the entire coaching staff, and the players. I'm now a fan and will be looking forward to more indoor football next spring.

Cavs Update: No news yet on the neverending James Posey saga. But Terry Pluto has some thoughts on what is happening behind the scenes in Cavalier-land.

Runs Aplenty

I'm going to miss watching our offense face the Rangers pitching staff. Like I said yesterday, if the Indians were in the AL West the offense might crack .250. Hell, if they keep it up tonight they may crack .250 before this series ends. Again the Tribe bats were on fire, this time banging out another 17 hits and 15 runs on their way to a 15-9 win. The team batting average raised another whopping 5 points, now up to .243 (they started this series at .233!).

Cliff Lee was clearly not on his game, but did get enough run support to notch his 9th win... and maybe even solidified his chances at an All-Star game start. The STO cameras caught him in the dugout punching the Gatorade jug in frustration (please use your right hand next time Cliff) after giving up his 6th run to tie the score. But the offense was able to pick him up with five big runs in the top of the 6th, capped by David Dellucci's three-run shot, and never looked back. Maybe tonight we'll be able to see things cool down with a good pitching match-up between CC Sabathia and old friend Kevin Millwood. Although I wouldn't bet on it the way the ball flies around in Arlington...

Ryan Garko went 4-for-5 with a career-high 6 RBI on Wednesday night

Bats missing again in the Second City

After taking Monday off to grieve for the Cavaliers and hopefully regroup for an Indian Summer, I was excited to watch the Tribe last night in Chicago. Then late in the work day yesterday, my buddy Nicko reminded me that we have only two guys in our entire lineup hitting over .241. Yikes.

So it was more of the same for the anemic offense last night. CC pitched 7 solid innings, giving up two runs on two solo homers (or course one by Jim Thome, who has done that about 200 times to us since joining the White Sox). But the bats could only muster one run against Jose Contreras and the Tribe fell to its fourth straight loss. (Ryan Garko did manage to get a hit last night to raise his average to .243, so we now have a whopping 3 guys hitting over .241. Yipee!) And this is on the heels of them reaching their high-water mark of the season at 3 games over .500. Baseball is a funny game, but honestly, I'm really not laughing right now. Something has to change soon. The team's batting average is now down to an eye-popping .234!

More of the same from the Tribe on Tuesday - bad hitting and ex-Indians beating them

Browns Update: I wish I had good news to report to Berea, but over the weekend I saw that Ryan Tucker broke his hip. Reports are that he will be back in about three months, but still not real good news. At least Phil Savage is smart enough to stockpile bodies on the o-line, so we'll see what Rex Hadnot can do for us. Bad things always happen in threes I'm told. So with the Cavs losing to Boston, the Tribe in a tailspin, and Tucker's hip, let's hope things start looking up soon.

Cavaliers Update: I want to take a break from this team but I can't, mainly due to my addiction to the RealCavsFans forums. Here's an interesting read on Dan Gilbert's thoughts of the state of the team.

That's More Like It

Maybe Eric Wedge's little pep talk did spark something. Maybe this team isn't ready to roll over quite yet. Or maybe Detroit isn't that good. We'll know more as the season unfolds, but for now last night was finally one to enjoy for Tribe fans. Fausto Carmona pitched well again, even with 30 pitches in the first inning. Most importantly, he stuck up for his teammates by plunking Ramon Santiago and Gary Sheffield after John Verlander hit Ryan Garko and Jason Michaels.

Other signs of encouragement - Garko and Travis Hafner both hit home runs, Jamey Carroll did more than we've seen from Asdrubal Cabrera in weeks, and the bullpen (Lewis, Kobayashi, and Betancourt) looked pretty good, even if they were spotted a 10-run lead.

We'll see if they can keep it up when playing indoor baseball in the BaggyDome in Minneapolis this weekend. But for one night, all seemed well at the Jake (I know, I know, but look at the poll results). If anything, last night's win kept us out of the basement of the AL Central. That has to give us a little morale boost, right?

Updated AL Central Standings:

	W	L	Pct.	GB
Chicago	9	6	.600	-
Kansas City	9	7	.563	0.5
Minnesota	7	9	.438	2.5
Cleveland	6	10	.375	3.5
Detroit	5	11	.313	4.5

Fausto pitched well again, and stuck up for his guys