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.

Streaking to redemption

Well, the Tribe has found a way to come full circle. I never thought it would happen back on July 10th when they were hitting rock bottom in Detroit. But they have claimed redemption with a ten-game winning streak to erase the memories of that horrible losing streak, and fittingly, they did it in the same city for a little extra emphasis (isn't it always fun to beat Detroit?). Their 9-7 victory over the Tigers last night was the latest in a shocking turnaround that has them sitting just 2 games under .500 with 30 games left to play.

"You have to stay in the moment," said Wedge. "You don't want to get ahead of yourself and you definitely don't want to look back. You just keep trying to get better."

This streak has been immensely enjoyable for me mainly because of the way it seemed to come out of nowhere. But if you look deeper, the team has played great baseball since the trade deadline on July 31st. In that stretch of 25 games they have gone 19-6 (.760). In those 25 games the bats have come alive, with the team averaging 6.08 runs per game, while allowing 4.76 runs per game. And they've done it with the long ball as well - out-homering opponents 35-20 in that same stretch. The Indians are finally getting consistent hitting throughout their line-up and it is translating into wins. As I said yesterday, it is likely too little, too late for this season, but it should make things a lot better for Tribe fans heading into next season.

Last night the Tribe added two more home runs from hot-hitting Kelly Shoppach (6 HR's this month) in the 4th and then Shin-Soo Choo in the 7th. Fausto Carmona didn't have his best stuff again, but he was able to give the team 6 innings of work and the bullpen was able to hold it down (although there were some scary moments between Rafael Betancourt and Jensen Lewis). So now the Indians will enjoy a day off before starting a weekend series with the Mariners. Hopefully the off-day doesn't get anyone out of their rhthym. But the Mariners are 22-42 on the road - by far the worst in the AL. I'm just happy I care again about an Indians/Mariners series this year!

Choo went deep again last night and has showed some real promise over the last month

Other Tribe Notes: Looks like Victor could finally be back this weekend, with Hafner and Barfield soon to follow. And also some good news regarding Matt LaPorta in Akron.

Browns Update: The Browns will look to avoid any major injuries tonight in their preseason finale at Cleveland Browns Stadium against the Bears. Romeo thinks it's time to look 'decent,' and I can't say I disagree. And here's a Browns season preview along with 'expert' picks (those always make me laugh).

30/30 and a half-game behind

The Tribe just kept rolling along last night, collecting their eighth straight victory with a 4-3 win in 10 innings in Detroit. This makes it 14 wins in their last 17 games and they are creeping closer to 3rd place in the Central, now just a half-game behind the Tigers. Grady Sizemore became just the second Indian in team history to join the 30/30 club, adding two more HR's last night. He now has 31 homers and 34 steals, and actually a decent shot at the exclusive 40/40 club with 32 games still left to be played.

Welcome to the 30/30 club Grady - got enough left for 40/40?

"He's unbelievable," manager Eric Wedge said of the three-time All-Star. "You wouldn't know if it was his first or his 30th. In a low-scoring ballgame, he set the tone. That's what he does. He does it from a spot in the order that can give us a lot of energy."

Newcomer Zach Jackson gave the Tribe another good start, going 6-1/3 and allowing 3 runs. Then the bullpen (where have you been all year???) really came through with some solid work, aside from Masa Kobayashi's two hits allowed and no outs recorded. Rafael Perez and Brandon Donnelly kept the Tigers scoreless for 2-2/3 innings. And the suddenly hot-hitting Franklin Gutierrez gave the Indians the lead for good in the top of the 10th with a shot to left field. Jensen Lewis came on to close things out was able to register a 1-2-3 10th for his 7th save in 8 chances. It makes me wonder how good this team could have been with a semi-consistent bullpen all year...

The Indians will look for their ninth in a row tonight with ace Cliff Lee on the mound for the good guys. He will look to improve on his 18-2 record and his 2.43 ERA... although I'm not sure what else he can do at this point for an encore. He has simply been incredible all year. With a win the Tribe would also move ahead of the Tigers in the standings for the first time since June.

Other Tribe Notes: Victor Martinez may finally be ready to return before the rosters expand on Monday. But not so fast for Travis Hafner. And Matt LaPorta is back in town after his beaning in China. Let's hope he's able to finish out the season in Akron.

Browns Updates: Brady Quinn will likely get another start in the Browns' quest to avoid injury before the season opener (a.k.a. their final preseason game). This is good news for Brady, as I'm sure he can't be happy with his performance in the last game. Although I'm a little concerned that Derek Anderson's next snap he takes in a live game will be on September 7th against the Cowboys... BQ has also been putting in some extra time with Donte Stallworth... And don't expect to see much from the Browns again in the finale, as they will be without lots of players.

A little breathing room

The Tribe finished a nice weekend series win on Sunday, taking two of three from the Angels, the owner's of the best record in baseball. They really could have taken all three from L.A. (or Anaheim, whichever you prefer) if not for some very sloppy defense on Saturday. But as a hefty singer from the 70's once said, two out of three ain't bad, especially in a season like this one for the Tribe where most fans are just hoping to squeeze out any positive vibes.

My wife and I were at the Prog on Friday night to see Cliff Lee go the distance for win #17 in a 3-2 victory (even if it did cause us to miss this). Lee has found the winning formula for the Tribe this year - just keep the game out of the hands of the bullpen. He induced four double plays in that victory, and watching him pitch this year really is great if you followed his struggles last year. By my estimation (and barring any injuries) he should get about 7 more starts before the season is over, and if he pitches anywhere near the level he has so far, win #20 should be here around mid-September.

Sunday's 4-3 win featured a Houdini-like escape in the top of the 9th by Jensen Lewis to get Jeremy Sowers just his second win on the year. Grady Sizemore gave the Indians the lead for good in the 6th. And to illustrate how well the Angels have played this year, this was their first series loss to an AL opponent since May. That is pretty impressive. With the win the Tribe has now won 7 of their last 10 and they have opened up some breathing room in the fight to stay out of the basement in the Central. They currently stand a game and a half up on the Royals and only 3-1/2 behind the Tigers. They will enjoy a day off today to make room for the Browns on MNF :)

Jeremy Sowers finally notched win #2 on Sunday

Other Tribe Notes: The Indians will have some big names in the line-up on Tuesday night in AAA Buffalo. Martinez homered in Akron on Sunday. And Jensen Lewis wants to be the closer of the future. Personally I'll settle for dumping a boatload of money on K-Rod (and his 47 saves already) this winter.

Browns Update: The Browns finally get back on the field tonight for their second exhibition game, this one on Monday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Today's PD jokes about a possible Super Bowl preview, but is it really that far-fetched? There are plenty of reasons to watch this one, even if we will possibly play this team twice more after tonight. Want another reason? It's the debut of the Browns in brown pants. I'll admit, I'm excited for a peek at the new look. And of course, don't forget Tony Grossi's noon chat today.

"I've seen a highlight reel of Braylon [Edwards] catching the ball and me running for touchdowns. We're not the team to look over anymore. Cleveland is in the house. Put us on prime time and let's see what we can do." - Josh Cribbs

Cavs Update: LeBron and Team USA destroyed Germany today, 106-57 to finish pool play in the Olympics. His stat line reads 18 points (7-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range), 3 rebounds, and 2 steals in just 18 minutes of action. If you missed the game, it can be seen in its entirety here (not that I would ever condone watching something like that in the office). Team USA will continue play on Wednesday in quarterfinal action against Australia.

"Going against Greece and going against Spain, it was really easy to get up for," James said. "And we could have easily came in and had one of those games where we make excuses, but we didn't take a step backwards today and that was good, it was really good."

And speaking of LeBron, we've finally found an article about him in a national publication that is worthy of reading. Stop the presses, there is sanity out there. While I don't agree with everything in there (particularly the Ferry bashing - and granted, this was written before we acquired Mo), it is the first national story I've seen that presents valid points as to why LBJ would want to stay here. Imagine that.

Climbing our way out

Don't look now but there's a new last place team in the AL Central. For the first time since July 26th, the Tribe has emerged from the cellar and put the Royals back in their rightful place. I'll try not to get too far ahead of myself, but I see we are only 3-1/2 back from Detroit now too. And just so you don't think I'm kidding, visual proof:

The Indians won their fifth straight game last night, this time a 7-5 victory over the Orioles. They did it with more solid hitting and again overcame some shaky bullpen work late in the game. They were also helped by Baltimore kicking the ball all over the field, amassing four errors in the process.

Jeremy Sowers was in line for his long-overdue second victory of the year (he has gone at least six innings in five straight starts, yet has nothing to show for it) but Masa Kobayashi quickly put an end to that. Kobayashi's line for the night - 0 outs, 2 hits, 1 earned run, and 1 inherited runner scored on 13 pitches. Not good. But Rafael Perez was good (his ERA is down to 2.80 after a disastrous start to the season) and he enabled the Tribe bats to get another win over an AL East team.

Asdrubal Cabrera was the hero at the plate again last night, getting the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth. Cabrera is now hitting .324 for the month of August (8 hits in his last four games) and appears to finally be comfortable again at the plate. And Jensen Lewis did some nice work in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to get the save in the ever-changing closer experiement for the Tribe. They will look to extend the winning streak tonight at the Prog with another one against Baltimore. Newcomer Anthony Reyes will make his home debut for the good guys.

I could get used to this winning thing

Bye-Bye Birdie: It wasn't all good news from the Prog yesterday. Paul Byrd was dealt to the gates of hell to play for Satan's team (otherwise known as being traded to the Boston Red Sox). I wasn't aware that Byrd had even cleared waivers when I learned of the deal yesterday afternoon. As I've said before, he wasn't the greatest pitcher ever to wear an Indians uniform. But he had a lot of heart and I will always fondly remember his Game 4 start in New York last year in the ALDS. And Byrd was treated so unfairly in last year's ALCS with the whole HGH thing. I will always wish him well personally, but I hate seeing him go to Boston. Ugh. The Indians will either get cash or the infamous player to be named later in return...

"I don't know if the trade is ironic because of the HGH thing," said Byrd. "I think it's more ironic because it's the team that beat us. I wasn't a Red Sox fan this off-season, let's put it that way. Putting on that Red Sox jersey may take a minute or two."

Other Tribe Updates: The neverending search for bullpen help was again a topic of discussion yesterday. And with Byrd's spot in the rotation coming up again tomorrow, it looks like Aaron Laffey may be coming back up to Cleveland.

Browns Update: Just when I thought it was safe to type "arthroscopic surgery" in an earlier Browns update, we're hit with this. I know we are deep at tight end, but it's still not something we need. And Tony Grossi had been saying that depth may help us land a defensive back in a trade, so now, who knows? At least Donte Stallworth wasn't really trying to win the number one receiver job.

Detroit Disaster, Walk-Off Style

I thought it couldn't get much worse, but I guess I was wrong. Lucky for me I wasn't a witness to the carnage in Detroit. I knew better than to watch a game featuring Paul Byrd on the mound, against a hot Tigers lineup, all while trying to halt a 9-game losing streak. Too many factors going against us in this one. I did sneak a peak around 8:30 and to my surprise I saw the Tribe was up 6-0. But still, I flipped to a different channel because I knew it could only get worse. But even in this disastrous season for the Tribe, I honestly didn't think it would end as badly as it did. I saw the score flash across the bottom of the screen on ESPN late last night but didn't bother to check out the gory details until this morning.

So if you took my advice yesterday and decided not to watch as well, here's what you missed: The Indians managed to blow that 6-0 lead in a shockingly quick and pathetic fashion. It started in the bottom of the 7th when the wheels started to come off for Paul Byrd (as they usually do in his starts). Then it continued with Rafael Betancourt (what the hell happened to this guy???) letting the Tigers all the way back into the game, with the score tied 6-6 by the time the dust had settled. Then new closer project Jensen Lewis finished things off by allowing a line-drive home run to Miguel Cabrera to extend the losing streak to 10. Hey, only 13 more days till Browns training camp opens!

More dancing at home plate at the expense of a Tribe reliever

Unfortunately for all of us, the season continues tonight when the Tribe returns home to face the once-laughingstock, now first place Tampa Bay Rays (no more 'Devil' in the name now I guess). Aaron Laffey will try to halt the embarrassing losing streak. I'm more interested to see how many people will actually show up at the Prog.

Cavs Update: James Posey is expected to sign a contract soon. Hopefully it's with the wine and gold. I know we will likely have to overpay for him with our full mid-level exception for at least four years, but I think it's worth it to bring him in. And it would hurt the Celtics, while improving our roster. We'll see how this plays out...

Draft Day is Almost Here

We're two days away from the 2008 NBA Draft and with the Tribe off last night, I want to focus my attention on improving the Cavaliers. I'm excited since this is our first first-round pick since 2006 and the Shannon Brown Experiment. Actually, the first round hasn't been very kind to the Cavaliers over the years - take a look for yourself. The last decade, aside from Andre Miller and the King himself have been notably painful. But then again, Jim Paxson was prominently involved in most of that, so hopefully we are onto greener pastures with Mr. Ferry heading things up.

This draft is of particular importance to the long-term and short-term future of this franchise. Ideally you'd like someone that can step in and help right away since the team is so close and LBJ will be deciding on his own future in two short seasons. For that reason alone I do NOT want to take on another project. So my short list includes the following players I think can immediately help this team get to the next level. Keep in mind, I am no expert and these are solely my own opinions. And I do realize that in order to get some of these players we would obviously have to work our way up via trade:

• Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA - He would finally give us a 'true' PG and wouldn't be overwhelmed stepping in and starting for this team right away.
• Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas - I got to see him play in person in the NCAA tourney in Detroit in March and I love his game. He would be a great scoring threat next to LBJ.
• D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas - Again, a 'true' PG and he's used to the limelight coming from a school with big expectations in a great conference.
• Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis - A great scorer and big-bodied SG that would also give us another scoring threat from the perimeter.

I'm sure there are others who would help but I think these four are safe bets. I would be happy to walk away with any of them. And yes, I'm staying away from soft Euros and white guys. Sorry but those are the rules I play by. I've also heard some talk of the Cavs getting back into the 2nd round for another pick. Hopefully that is the case because they've uncovered some gems there in the past (Carlos Loozer and Daniel Gibson immediately come to mind).

For fun, here is ESPN's latest mock draft. I always enjoy going back to these after the fact to see how wrong all the 'experts' are. And here's a quick draft blurb from today's PD, with a quote from Ferry. I didn't expect him to really tell us anything.

Will we find LeBron's Pippen on Thursday night?

Tribe Update: More talk about CC's future and a look at past deadline deals from the PD today. And it looks like Jensen Lewis and Asdrubal Cabrera (.408 BA) are finding themselves in Buffalo. This is good news to me for two reasons: 1) our bullpen is awful and 2) I honestly don't know how much longer I can watch Jhonny Peralta play shortstop.

Browns Update: Not really an update, just me wasting some time at work reviewing some great highlights from 2007. If this, this, and especially this don't get you excited for 2008, well, you suck.

Tribe Mastnyed in Texas

I think that has a good ring to it - from now on when one of our pitchers gets pummeled I think I will call it "getting Mastnyed." Tom Mastny certainly was Mastnyed in his spot start last night, as expected. He was only able to go 1-1/3 innings last night while giving up 5 runs (2HR) and struggling through 56 pitches. And trust me, it could have been a lot worse than that. Eric Wedge was able to save the 'important' (if you can call them that) bullpen arms with mop up work by Jensen Lewis, Edward Mujica, and Scott Elarton. Rafael Perez and Elarton was able to complete the torching by throwing gas on the fire in the bottom of the 8th after the Tribe was able to cut the lead to 9-6. Final score 12-7 and the one-game winning streak snapped just like that.

The good news is that the Indians' bats were able to pound out 15 more hits last night and again raised the team batting average. It now stands at a blistering .239 (up six whole points over the last two games). So if we played in the AL West and got to face the Rangers 19 times a year, our team BA might even crack .250. But I have a feeling our ERA would also be a lot worse. Let's hope for some better results tonight when Cliff Lee hits the mound for the third of this four-game series.

The Rangers enjoyed facing Tom Mastny on Tuesday night

Cavs Update: Terry Pluto thinks the Cavaliers need to put more emphasis on regular season games. I tend to agree.

Browns Update: Phil Savage is in no hurry to re-work Kellen Winslow's deal. And Tony Grossi knows the Browns revamped defense will be put to the test in 2008.

Maybe?

Maybe the Tribe needed a 13-9 softball-type slugfest like last night vs. the Rangers to right the ship? Or maybe it's just an anomaly against a bad pitching staff in a hitter's ballpark. Either way it was fun to finally see the offense make some noise last night and pick up Aaron Laffey when he had a rare bad outing. It was one of those nights for the Indians at the plate - 4 HR's, 4 doubles, 16 hits in all, and 7 RBI by Casey Blake (all before the end of the 4th inning!). They actually raised the team batting average three points with last night's performance - still a paltry .236, but I'll take any type of progress at this point. Blake had two home runs and Ben Francisco and David Dellucci added the others.

Hopefully things can start rolling now but it will be even more difficult to keep the momentum going tonight, as Jake Westbrook has been put on the 15-day DL. To make matters worse, Tom Mastny gets the start tonight for the Tribe, since Jeremy Sowers just pitched for AAA Buffalo on Sunday. Jensen Lewis was also called back up today to help in the bullpen. Let's hope the bats can stay warm because I have a feeling they will really be needed in this one...

Casey was all over the bases on Monday night on his way to 7 RBI

Cavs Update: LeBron James was just named the #3 earner in pro sports over the past year, behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. All this in the dinky little godforsaken market known as Cleveland. Here's to hoping that he sees that market size does not matter and he will stay home in June of 2010. We need you LeBron... just look how much you mean to this city: www.lebron2010.com (brought to you by the great Glen Infante of RCF fame).

There is a 'W' in Sabathia

It took 5 starts, but Carsten Charles Sabathia finally earned his first victory of the season last night, pitching 6 shutout innings and allowing only 4 hits while notching 11 strikeouts. This was much needed from the big fella and a welcome sight for all Tribe fans. And to double our pleasure, the offense decided to make a rare appearance too.

The final tally was 15-1 (damn you Jensen Lewis!) as the bats worked for a season-high in runs and hits (17). The highlights for me were, of course, Casey Blake's grand slam and Franklin Gutierrez's 2-out bases loaded double that scored three. And I must mention that David Dellucci did put together a very nice night at the plate, going 2-5 with a HR. His average is up to .275, so maybe I'll have to lay off him for a little while.

The only low spot in the game for me was Travis Hafner going 0-5 to drop his average to .213. He needs to turn it around too, but the good news is he still has 142 games left on the season. Hardly a time to panic. Let's hope the bats have some hits left in them tonight as Fausto Carmona takes to the hill.

Casey did his part to help the slumbering offense, hitting a grand slam on Tuesday night

Late Tuesday Tribe Wrap

Sorry I'm late on my Tuesday Tribe thoughts - I had my four wisdom teeth removed this morning. Let me tell ya, that was a barrel of monkeys. As I sit here typing I have some sort of elastic contraption with two ice packs wrapped around my head. You could also say it's to dull my early season Tribe headache. Last night's 9th inning was more of the same, with Jensen Lewis giving up a game-winning HR to a pinch-hitting Jason Varitek. The loss puts us now at 5-9, searching for answers 14 games into the year. Will I regret become a Tribe season ticketholder this year? Naaah, I'm a glutton for punishment ;) Speaking of punishment, CC Sabathia is pitching again tonight! Wisdom teeth and CC all in the same day!

More 9th inning fireworks from the wrong team at the Jake has me in a foul mood
*and yes, it is now the Jake again, to try to conjure up some of the old magic