Indians Game Information, March 5
CLEVELAND INDIANS (7-5-0) at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (4-4-3)
RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka(0-0, 4.50) vs.LHP Madison Bumgarner(0-0, 2.45)
TV: N/A Radio: Indians.com/webcast
BROADCAST INFORMATION: This afternoon’s Indians/Giants game can be heard for free on Indians.com by simply registering a username and password at Indians.com/webcast, Indians.com or MLB.com…those currently registered can enter their current usernames and passwords at any of the above links.
TODAY’S TRANSACTIONS: The Indians today re-assigned INF JESUS AGUILAR, OF JEREMY HERMIDA and LHP EDWARD PAREDES to minor league camp…Hermida will remain in Major League camp for the next several days.
MONDAY’S RECAP: The Indians defeated the Chicago Cubs 13-5 Monday at HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, as Cleveland improved to 7-5 on the 2013 Cactus League slate matching their win total for the entire 2012 spring (7-22-3). Cleveland homered 3 times and collected 20 hits overall (7 XBH’s) to raise the team’s spring average to .285. The Tribe plated runs in each of the first 6 innings and received multi-hit efforts from 7 of the 9 players penciled into the starting lineup. LONNIE CHISENHALL and NICK SWISHER had particularly productive afternoons with 3 hits apiece. Chisenhall fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle and drove in 3, while Swisher picked up a pair of singles, his first homer of the spring and a game-high 4 RBI. MARK REYNOLDS also drove in 2 runs with a solo homer in the 2nd and an RBI-double in the 3rd, while DREW STUBBS collected 2 extra-base hits (double, triple) and a pair of RBI. FRANCISCO LINDOR played all 9 innings and singled twice. Cleveland used just 3 pitchers in the contest, as CARLOS CARRASCO, ZACH McALLISTER and TREVOR BAUER each worked 3.0 full innings while combining for 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.
TODAY’S TILT WITH THE BOYS FROM THE BAY: The Indians travel to Scottsdale Stadium this afternoon for the first of 3 exhibition matchups against the reigning World Series Champion San Francisco Giants…the McCovey Cove Dwellers will travel to Goodyear this Thursday (March 7), and again on March 16… the Indians have gone 2-5-1 against the Giants since joining the Cactus League circuit in 2009…Cleveland hosted San Francisco in the first ever Cactus League game played at Goodyear Ballpark on Feb. 25, 2009…JEREMY SOWERS took the mound in that contest against TIM LINCECUM, which the Giants won 10-7…the Indians are 4-5 against the Giants during regular season Interleague Play with all 9 meetings taking place between 2005-11.
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Today’s Lineups:
CLEVELAND LINEUP
24 Michael Bourn CF
6 Lou Marson C
10 Ben Francisco DH
33 Nick Swisher 1B
9 Ryan Raburn LF
46 Cord Phelps 2B
1 Ezequiel Carrera RF
66 Juan Diaz SS
82 Luis Hernandez 3B
20 Daisuke Matsuzaka
SAN FRANCISCO LINEUP
7 Gregor Blanco CF
88 Kensuke Tanaka 2B
8 Hunter Pence RF
28 Buster Posey C
9 Brandon Belt 1B
14 Francisco Peguero LF
35 Brandon Crawford SS
13 Joaquin Arias 3B
29 Hector Sanchez DH
40 Madison Bumgarner LHP
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Indians Game Information, September 1
CLEVELAND INDIANS (55-77, 4th, -17.5G) vs. TEXAS RANGERS (78-53)
RHP Jeanmar Gomez (4-7, 5.11) vs. RHP Scott Feldman (6-10, 4.95)
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
POSITIVELY 4TH STREET: The four-run threshold has emerged as somewhat of a benchmark for the Indians this season, as the Indians are 41-25 when plating at least 4 runs in 2012…conversely, Cleveland is 14-52 when being held to 3-or-fewer runs…Tribe has scored 3 runs-or-less in 10 of the club’s last 12 games.
LATE LAUNCHES: CASEY KOTCHMAN connected for a 2-run HR in last night’s loss…the blast marked the 13th home run hit by Cleveland in the 9th inning this season, T3rd-most in the A.L. and majors behind Toronto (17), and New York-AL (14)…that said, the Indians are just 3-9 this season when hitting at least one 9th-inning home run.
GOTTA HAVE A FIDDLE IN THE BAND: The Clevelanders are playing host to the Texas Rangers for 3 games this weekend, first meeting between the two clubs in nearly 4 months since Tribe took 2 of 3 tilts from May 4-6 here at Progressive Field…tonight marks the 2nd of 6 scheduled games between the Indians and Rangers over the next 14 days…Cleveland went 1-9 vs. Texas in 2011.
Indians Game Information, August 28
CLEVELAND INDIANS (55-73, 4th, -16.5G) vs. OAKLAND ATHLETICS (70-57)
RHP Zach McAllister (5-4, 3.50) vs. LHP Tommy Milone (10-9, 3.87)
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
PROGRESSIVE PITCHING: Cleveland’s starting rotation has combined to post a 3.55 ERA (38 ER/96.1 IP) over the club’s last 17 games at Progressive Field since July 21, holding opponents to 3 earned runs-or-less in 15 of those 17 home games…staff has a 5-8 record in that 17-game span…Indians starters have a 3.91 ERA (166 ER/381.2 IP) in 63 home games overall this season, but a 6.39 ERA (252 ER/354.2 IP) in 65 road games.
A HURLER-HEAVY HOMESTAND: Cleveland’s pitching staff has posted a 2.75 ERA (11 ER/36.0 IP) and .254 (34-134) avg. against through 4 games of the current homestand, holding New York-AL and Oakland to 2.75 runs-per-game (11RS/4G); relievers have been particularly effective, registering a 1.59 ERA (3 ER/17.0 IP) with a .155 (9-58) avg. against…at the same time, the Yankees and Athletics have a combined 1.54 ERA (6ER/35.0 IP) in those same 4 contests, while the Tribe has batted .154 (19-123) with 1.5 runs-per-game (6RS/4G), going 2-for-28 (.071) w/ RISP.
PHELPS HONORED: Indians minor league 2B CORD PHELPS was named to the International League’s postseason All-Star team in an announcement made earlier today…Phelps, 25, has hit .277 (128-476) with 33 2B, 16 HR and 58 RBI over 128 games for Triple-A Columbus; he also leads the IL with 78 runs scored and is T4th in doubles…he was also elected as the starting 2B for the IL’s mid-season All-Star team.
Indians Game Information, August 26
CLEVELAND INDIANS (55-71, 4th, -15.5G) vs. NEW YORK YANKEES (73-53)
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (9-12, 5.59) vs. RHP Freddy Garcia (7-5, 4.96)
First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
A HERO’S WELCOME: Today, Senator JOHN GLENN, an Ohio native and former NASA astronaut, will throw out a ceremonial first pitch to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first space flight…Glenn, also the first American to orbit the Earth, is scheduled to meet with members of the media at noon in the Indians dugout…as part of the festivities, astronaut Mike Forman will sign autographs in the Indians Kids Clubhouse prior to today’s game and NASA-themed interactive activities will be available in the Progressive Field Mezzanine area throughout the afternoon.
SAVE IT: Indians closer CHRIS PEREZ recorded his 33rd save in last night’s win, now 3rd-most in the A.L. and 4th in the majors behind JIM JOHNSON (39), FERNANDO RODNEY (39) and JOEL HANRAHAN (34)…Perez has also saved 60.0% of Cleveland’s 55 wins in 2012, which is the highest such percentage by any closer in the majors…a special nod to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian for the idea the led to this note.
THE COMFORTS OF CLEVELAND: Cleveland’s starting rotation has combined to post a 3.24 ERA (32 ER/89.0 IP) over the club’s last 15 games at Progressive Field since July 21, holding opponents to 3 earned runs-or-less in 13 of those 15 home games…staff has a 5-6 record in that 15-game span…Indians starters have a 3.85 ERA (160 ER/374.1 IP) in 61 home games overall this season, but a 6.39 ERA (252 ER/354.2 IP) in 65 road games.
Indians Game Information, August 24
CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-70, 4th, -14.5G) vs. NEW YORK YANKEES (72-52)
RHP Corey Kluber (0-2, 6.27) vs. LHP CC Sabathia (12-3, 3.56)
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
IN A NEW YORK MINUTE: The Indians are set to begin a 10-day, 10-game homestand by hosting the New York Yankees for 3 games to wrap up a brief season series…at just 6 games, it will be the most abbreviated season-series between the Indians and Yankees since they met 6 times in 2007…New York swept a 3-game series from Cleveland at Yankee Stadium back on June 25-27…Tribe’s last winning campaign vs. the Bronx Bombers came in 2008 (4-3), as Cleveland is 8-18 against New York-AL over the last 4 seasons (2009-12), going 4-7 during that same span at Progressive Field.
ROSTER MOVE: The Indians today announced that the club has promoted INF/OF MATT LaPORTA from Triple-A Columbus…to make room for LaPorta, RHP FRANK HERRMANN has been optioned to Columbus…LaPorta has spent nearly the entire season at Columbus, hitting .264 (99-375) with 19 2B, one 3B, 19 HR and 62 RBI in 101 games (.350OBP/.472SLG/.822OPS)…he currently ranks 9th in the International League in SLG pct. (.472) and HR (19), tied for 10th in RBI (62) and 11th in OPS (.822)…he has appeared in 52 G at 1B for the Clippers and 25 in LF…he was previously
w/ Cleveland for one stint (June 3-12), appearing in 3 games (2-for-11, R).
AROUND THE BLOCK: According to STATS LLC, this season marks just the 3rd time in franchise history for Cleveland to endure multiple losing streaks of at least 8 games (also 1969, 1987)…despite being charged with 20 errors over the club’s last 27 games, Cleveland’s defense still maintains the 5th-best fielding pct. in the A.L. at .985 (68 E/4659 TC)…Cleveland’s starting rotation has a 3.49 ERA (30 ER/77.1 IP) over the club’s last 13 games at Progressive Field, holding opponents to 3 earned runs-or-less in 11 of those 13 home games…JASON KIPNIS is one of just 4 players in the majors this season to collect at least 10 homers, 60 RBI and 20 stolen bases, joining the Brewers’ RYAN BRAUN, the Cubs’ STARLIN CASTRO and the Angels’ MIKE TROUT…minor league OF LeVON WASHINGTON, who had right hip surgery in late April, is scheduled to be added to High-A Carolina’s roster tomorrow…MATT LaPORTA is 12-for-37 (.324) with 7 RBI in 10 career games against the Yankees.
Indians Game Information, August 18
CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-65, 3rd, -11.5G) vs. OAKLAND ATHLETICS (63-55)
RHP Corey Kluber (0-1, 8.56) vs. RHP Bartolo Colon (9-9, 3.55)
First Pitch: 9:07 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
GRAND PLANS SCRAPPED: SHELLEY DUNCAN connected for his first career grand slam in last night’s 6-4 loss, the 2nd hit by an Indian this season (also Kipnis, June 1 vs. MIN)…over the last 32 games in which Cleveland has hit a grand slam, it marked just the 2nd time for the Tribe to take a loss (also 9-8 loss, April 11, 2012 at DET; Valbuena) and snapped a streak of 9 such wins…last night’s game also marked the first time for Cleveland to score exactly 4 runs on a grand slam since taking a 5-4 loss May 19, 2002 vs. KC when TRAVIS FRYMAN accounted for all of the Tribe’s offense.
LEAVE ‘EM WANTING MORE: The Indians bullpen took last night’s loss after allowing a pair of inherited runners to score in the 8th, a rarity considering the fact that Cleveland relievers have permitted multiple IR’s to cross home in only 9 games this season (1-8 record in those games)…last night marked just the 3rd time in VINNIE PESTANO’s career to allow multiple IR’s to score, as the right-hander entered last night’s contest having stranded 15 of 16 this season…collectively, the Tribe’s ‘pen has stranded 71.4% (110 of 154) of IR’s overall this season, the 5th-best mark in the A.L.
FAMILIAR FACE: The Indians are set to face A’s RHP BARTOLO COLON in tonight’s contest…Colon was originally signed by Cleveland in 1993 as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic and went on to appear in parts of 6 major league seasons with the Tribe, going 75-45 with a 3.92 ERA (448 ER/1029.2 IP) over 162 games/160 starts in an Indians uniform.
Indians Game Information, August 17
CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-64, 3rd, -11.5G) vs. OAKLAND ATHLETICS (62-55)
RHP Zach McAllister (5-4, 3.46) vs. LHP Tommy Milone (9-9, 3.91)
First Pitch: 10:07 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN: Cleveland is in the early portion of a 10-day, 9-game road trip through Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle while holding a 13-7 (.650) record against teams from the A.L. West, the 3rd-highest winning pct. vs. that division by any team in the majors this season behind Chicago-AL and Tampa Bay (both .654, 17-9)… Cleveland has batted .278 (188-677) with a .353 OBP, .403 SLG and 4.7 runs-per-game (94 R/20G)in those 20 games against the A.L. West, while the Tribe’s pitching staff has registered a 3.40 ERA (68 ER/180.0 IP) and .247 avg. against…this marks just the 2nd time all season for the Tribe to travel west of the 95th meridian, as the Indians had played just 2 road series against A.L. West foes to this point in the season (@Seattle & @Oakland as part of a 7-2 trip April 13-22).
LEFTIES OF LATE: Cleveland’s offense is batting .282 (59-209) with 14 XBH’s (9-2B, 5-HR) vs. left-handers over the club’s last 11 games (beginning August 1), while the Indians have won 4 of last 5 games they have faced a left-handed starting pitcher (wins against: Brian Duensing, Felix Doubrant, Franklin Morales, C.J. Wilson)…Cleveland is 14-25 overall this season in games started by opposing lefties.
THAT’S THE POWER OF GLOVE: Cleveland’s pitching staff absorbed 3 more unearned runs in Wednesday night’s loss to the Angels, all resulting from the 3 errors committed by the Tribe’s defense in the 2nd inning…Cleveland hurlers have been charged with 55 unearned runs this season, 2nd-most in the A.L. and 4th-most in the majors behind Detroit (58), Houston (57) and San Diego (57)…17 of those 55 unearned runs (or 31%) have come in the span of the Indians’ last 10 games, while the Tribe’s defense has been charged with 9 errors during that same stretch for a .976 fielding pct. (9 ER/378 TC)…Cleveland’s .985 overall team fielding pct. this season is still 4th-best in the A.L. and 5th in the majors.
Indians Game Information, August 15
CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-63, 3rd, -10.0G) vs. LOS ANGELES ANGELS (61-56)
RHP Roberto Hernandez (2012 debut) vs. RHP Ervin Santana (5-10, 5.82)
First Pitch: 10:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
HALO EFFECT: Indians right-hander ROBERTO HERNANDEZ is set to make his 2012 debut with the club in search of his first career win against Los Angeles-AL…is winless despite owning the 5th-lowest career ERA all-time as a starter against the Angels (min. 5 starts), a list topped by teammate JUSTIN MASTERSON…Hernandez has an 0-3 record in those 7 starts, averaging less than 3.0 runs of support-per-9.0 IP (2.76 RSA).
RUBBER SOUL: Cleveland enters today’s tilt with a 16-21 record in series finales this season (6-11 on the road), which includes a 7-7 mark in rubber games (3-2 on the road)…club has lost 6 of last 9 rubber games after winning 4 of first 5 to begin the year…a victory today would secure the Indians’ first series win since taking 2 of 3 from Detroit July 24-26.
LEFT COAST: After getting a pair of shots from MICHAEL BRANTLEY and CASEY KOTCHMAN last night, Indians left-handed batters have now connected for a major league-high 69 home runs in 2012.
OAKLAND STROKE: Tonight the Indians will fly to the Bay Area to face the Athletics for just the 2nd time in 2012 after taking 2 of 3 in Oakland April 20-22…club is 98-133 all-time at the Coliseum, but has won 5 of last 8 there.
Indians Game Information, August 14
CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-62, 3rd, -9.0G) vs. LOS ANGELES ANGELS (60-56)
RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11, 5.25) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (0-1, 5.68)
First Pitch: 10:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
JUST LIKE CALIFORNIA: Cleveland is in the early portion of a 10-day, 9-game road trip through Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle while holding a 13-5 (.722) record against teams from the A.L. West, the highest winning pct. vs. that division by any team in the majors this season…Cleveland has batted .281 (171-609) with a .360 OBP, .402 SLG and 4.7 runs-per-game (84 R/18 G) in those 18 games against the A.L. West, while the Tribe’s pitching staff has registered a 2.96 ERA (54 ER/164.0 IP) and .235 avg. against…this marks just the 2nd time all season for the Tribe to travel west of the 95th meridian, as the Indians had played just 2 road series against A.L. West foes to this point in the season (@Seattle & @Oakland as part of a 7-2 trip April 13-22).
ALLENTOWN: CODY ALLEN has logged 11.1 consec. shutout innings since having his contract selected from Triple-A Columbus July 20 (opponents 3-for-34, .088 at the plate)…that it the longest scoreless streak to begin a major league career exclusively in relief with the Indians since TOM WADDELL had a streak of 12.1 scoreless IP from April 15-May 5, 1984.
WINS AND LOSSES: Cleveland beat the Angels 6-2 last night to get off to a 1-0 start on this 10-day, 9-game road trip through Los Angeles-AL (1-0), Oakland (3 games) and Seattle (3 games)…the victory also snapped a 10-game road losing streak…Cleveland finished recent 7-game homestand at 3-4 against Minnesota (1-2) and Boston (2-2)…the Indians have not had a winning homestand or road trip since July 2-8 when the club went 4-3 against the Angels (2-1) and Rays (2-2) during a 7-game stretch at Progressive Field…the Indians have won 4 of their last 6 games, but have still lost 18 of 25 and 21 of their last 30 games – a stretch that was significantly impacted by a season-high 11-game losing streak from July 27 – Aug. 7 that saw Cleveland lose 7.0 games in the divisional standings…Cleveland has held a lead at some point in 7 of the club’s last 13 losses…the Indians finished July at 11-15 for their 2nd consecutive losing month after going 11-9 in April and 16-14 in May…club is 4-9 to start August…Cleveland’s overall 2012 record sits 8 games below the .500 mark (54-62), 16 games shy of the club’s season high-water mark (8G, 26-18 on May 24)…the Indians have been at or above the .500 mark for 102 of the last 120 days, including 97 consecutive days from April 15-July 21…Cleveland is one game above the .500 mark at home (30-29), winning 13 of 24, 19 of 36 and 28 of the last 51 games at Progressive Field after starting the year 2-6 in Cleveland…club’s road record sits 9 games below the .500 mark (24-33), losing 10 of 11 and 11 of last 13 away from Cleveland.
Indians Game Information, August 12
CLEVELAND INDIANS (53-61, 3rd, -9.0G) vs. BOSTON RED SOX (56-59)
RHP Corey Kluber (0-0, 6.10) vs. LHP Jon Lester (5-10, 5.36)
First Pitch 1:05 p.m. (ET)
TV: STO Radio: WTAM/Indians Radio Network
ELIAS SAYS: BRENT LILLIBRIDGE went 3-for-4 w/ a 2B, HR and 2 RBI in last night’s victory…according to Elias, Lillibridge became just the 2nd player in the last 53 seasons (1960-2012) to homer against Boston within 4 weeks of wearing a Red Sox uniform…just last month (July 17 at Fenway Park), the White Sox’s KEVIN YOUKILIS became the first player to pull that trick since Detroit’s TED LEPCIO did it on May 5, 1959 at Tiger Stadium just days after being traded by Boston.
THE STANDINGS: The Indians beat the Red Sox 5-2 last night, cutting their deficit to 9.0 games behind Chicago in the A.L. Central standings…the Tribe is also 8.5 games back in the A.L. Wild Card standings… Cleveland has been in 3rd place for 28 straight days after spending 56 consecutive days in either first or 2nd place (April 24-July 14)…of the 129 days of the Indians’ season, Cleveland has been in first place for 40 days, 2nd place for 46 days and 3rd place for 33 days…Cleveland held a season-high 4.0-game lead on May 17, but has gone 31-45 since.
LEFT COAST SWING: At the conclusion of the today’s game the Indians will head West to begin a 10-day, 9-game road trip against the Angels, Athletics and Mariners…trips starts with the Tribe’s first and only visit to Anaheim this season to conclude the season series against the Halos, who have traveled to Cleveland twice this season (Indians hold a 4-2 advantage in 2012 play)…the Tribe is 122-140 all-time at Angel Stadium, going 11-17 over the last 5 seasons at “The Big A” (2007-11).
