The 2009 Cleveland Indians Are Just a Silhouette of the Team They Once Were

The above photo says it all. So far in 2009, the Cleveland Indians and its fans are a silhouette of its former selves with no definition, no detail, no characteristics, no face, no excitement, and no emotion … by Daniel Wolf 12 reads Opinion The above photo says it all.

Turner Sports baseball analysts offer up All-Star Game opinions
One attraction of all-star games: There’s plenty to second-guess.

Big inning hurts Tribe, Sowers vs. Sox
Big inning hurts Tribe, Sowers vs. Sox Jeremy Sowers was strong early but gave up a combined five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and the Indians’ offense was once again quiet in a 6-2 loss and a series sweep at the hands of the White Sox at Progressive Field.

Nats make room after trade for Nyjer Morgan, option Dukes
The Washington Nationals sent outfielder Elijah Dukes to Class AAA Syracuse on Wednesday, making room to add newly acquired outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-hander Sean Burnett to the 25-man roster.

Ramirez extends RBI streak in Marlins win over Nats
Hanley Ramirez extended his RBI streak to 10 games, pinch-hitter Wes Helms beat out a potential double-play ball to put Florida ahead in the eighth inning and the Marlins remained unbeaten against the Washington Nationals this year with a 5-3 Wednesday.

Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro says fan base is ‘traumatized?’…

An ESPN column quotes Indians general manager Mark Shapiro as saying the fan base is “traumatized” and that “everything we do now is compared to what we accomplished .” Two things: First, I think there’s a small percentage of fans who can’t get past the fact that it’s not 1995 anymore.

Cleveland Indians will dive into international free-agent market: Indians Insider

The $2.4 million the Indians spent last year in the international free-gent market was the most they spent since signing Danys Baez in 1999.

Konerko, Dye help White Sox pour it on Tribe

The rainy weather stopped the game prematurely, and the Chicago White Sox ended Cliff Lee’s night soon after it started.

Baseball Today (AP)

Indians Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Everyone likes to make a good first impression. Chris Perez would probably like a mulligan on his.

The Indians’ newly acquired reliever made his debut with his new team Monday night in the Indians’ 6-3 loss to the White Sox and it couldn’t have been much worse.

Acquired by the Indians on Saturday in a trade that sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis, Perez, in his first appearance with the Indians, hit the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning, walked the third, and eventually was charged with four runs on two hits, two hit batters, a walk, and a wild pitch, all in just 2/3 of an inning.

Indians officials have high hopes for the fireballing Perez, who brings a much needed power arm to the bullpen.

Angels extend AL West lead after sixth win in a row
Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales hit back-to-back home runs that put Los Angeles ahead and the AL West-leading Angels won their sixth straight game, 5-2 over the struggling Texas Rangers on Monday night.

Funny, but it doesn’t look like fun for Cubs

C halk it up as a lost weekend for the Cubs. They dropped two of three against the White Sox, and the one game they won - a thrilling one-run victory Friday - left everyone with a bad taste in their mouths thanks to twin blowups by manager Lou Piniella and right fielder Milton Bradley.

Manny drops to seventh among OFs in NL All-Star voting
Manny Ramirez dropped one spot to seventh place in All-Star voting among NL outfielders with four days remaining in balloting for starters.

Summer of Discontent continues…Indians fall again

The slide continues, and each loss seems uglier than the last. For the 11th time in their last 13 games, the Indians fell, 6-3, to the White Sox on Monday, despite a 9th-inning rally that proved to be too little, too late.

Indians add Perez, Barfield sent to minors (AP)
Chris Perez jumped leagues and went backward in the standings. In three days, the reliever went from first place to last. Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals to help Cleveland's dreadful bullpen, Perez, a right-hander with a fastball in the mid-90s, was added to the roster on Monday as the last-place Indians opened a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Interleague Game Capsules

Brandon Phillips went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and three runs scored, as the Cincinnati Reds breezed past the Cleveland Indians, 8-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set at Progressive Field.

Indians activate INF Asdrubal Cabrera (AP)
The Indians have activated infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from the 15-day disabled list and put him in the lineup Sunday against Cincinnati. Cabrera had been sidelined since June 3 with a shoulder injury sustained in a collision at second base in Minnesota. He was scheduled to bat first and play shortstop in the finale of a three-game interleague series against the Reds.

Rivera earns 500th career save as Yankees sweep Mets
Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save, becoming the second reliever to reach the milestone, and the New York Yankees beat the punchless Mets 4-2 on Sunday night for a Subway Series sweep.

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Indians Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

The Indians began the next phase of their season Sunday. That’s the phase of the season in which player development and evaluation take precedent over competing for a division title.

The Indians, who lost 8-1 Sunday to Cincinnati, essentially pulled the plug on their season Saturday with the trade of Mark DeRosa to St. Louis. DeRosa was acquired from the Cubs in a trade last winter. He was brought to Cleveland to try to help the Indians contend for a division title.

With the Indians having spent virtually the entire season in last place, any hopes of contention have disappeared. So the focus shifts now to getting looks at some younger players with an eye toward 2010.

According to manager Eric Wedge, the trade of DeRosa means Jhonny Peralta will become the fulltime…

Tribe wishes DeRosa well
Tribe wishes DeRosa well The swap that sent veteran Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for right-handed reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later reeked of past, white flag-waving moves by the Indians.

Tribe outgunned in Ohio Cup finale
Tribe outgunned in Ohio Cup finale The Tribe lost to the Reds on Sunday, 8-1, finishing up the season series with their Buckeye State brethren with a 2-4 record.

Indians on DeRosa trade: ‘It’s our fault’ (AP)
Mark DeRosa's three-month stay in Cleveland was much shorter than anybody envisioned, and his former teammates are putting the blame squarely on themselves. “I don't think the intention was to get him for a couple months and then trade him,” AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee said Sunday.

Burnett dominates as Yankees one-hit Mets in Subway Series
A.J. Burnett combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada made Citi Field seem small with opposite-field homers, and the Yankees rolled past the Mets again, 5-0 Saturday night.

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Danks, Linebrink blank Cubs; Getz steals home
John Danks pitched seven shutout innings, Chris Getz stole home against Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago White Sox got another run on a bases-loaded infield fly rule Sunday to beat the Cubs 6-0.

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Indians add Veras to roster, demote Jensen Lewis (PA SportsTicker)
Reliever Jose Veras was added to the Cleveland Indians‘ roster on Saturday and reliever Jensen Lewis was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

Cleveland Indians crush Reds behind Sowers’ pitching

The numbers did not favor Jeremy Sowers entering Friday night’s game against Cincinnati at Progressive Field.

Reds’ Bailey beats Indians 7-3 (AP)

Homer Bailey struggled to grip his pitches for the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians appear to be losing their hold on the season. Bailey labored through five innings for Cincinnati, walking seven and throwing two wild pitches, but was good enough for the Reds to beat the Indians 7-3 on Saturday night.

Shapiro addresses speculation on Wedge
Shapiro addresses Wedge’s security The fingers of fans remain pointed at Indians manager Eric Wedge, but GM Mark Shapiro continues to deflect the negative attention away from his beleaguered skipper.

Ortiz homers as Beckett, Red Sox fluster Braves
Josh Beckett threw seven more scoreless innings against the Braves and David Ortiz homered, leading the first-place Boston Red Sox past slumping Atlanta 4-1 on Friday night.

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Baseball Capsules (AP)
Johan Santana bested Chris Carpenter in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners, and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 Thursday to win their first series since early June. Nick Evans hit a two-run double in a three-run fourth inning for the Mets, who gave up an unearned run in the first and then rallied before a crowd of 41,221, the largest in Citi Field history and the first sellout…

Early exit for Pavano, long night for Tribe
Early exit for Pavano, long night for Tribe Carl Pavano was rocked for eight runs in 3 2/3 innings and the Indians, despite a ninth-inning rally, never recovered in a 10-6 loss to the Pirates on Wednesday night.

Pluto:An inability to develop players is main culprit for Cleveland Indians‘ 2009 failur

Not sure if it was the front office who wanted LaPorta and Wedge was not fully on board.

Phillies closer Lidge reinstated from DL
Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge has been reinstated from the 15-day disabled list.

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Issues remain for Peralta, Wedge
Issues remain for Peralta, Wedge When the Indians wrap up their three-game set with the Pirates on Thursday night, you can expect to see Jhonny Peralta in the lineup and at third base — a position that has become his home, albeit begrudgingly.

Off-duty officer shoots two in lot after Angels game
An off-duty police officer shot and wounded two men who had assaulted him in the crowded Angel Stadium parking lot after Wednesday …

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Tribe acquires Veras from Yankees
Tribe acquires Veras from Yankees The Indians acquired right-hander Jose Veras from the Yankees for cash considerations on Wednesday. The right-handed Veras had been designated for assignment by the Yanks last week.

Voters step to ballot box, make smart All-Star choices
With just more than a week remaining in All-Star balloting, are the fans getting it right? USA TODAY’s Paul White takes a look …

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Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge’s job security helped by mixed history of midseason firings

Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge, here arguing with umpire C.B. Bucknor. The Cleveland Indians began their season with five losses, struggled to 14-26 and after a mild rally, have lost their last three games in a poorly-played series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pineiro, Cardinals dominate Mets with two-hitter
Joel Pineiro pitched a career-best two-hitter to end a five-start losing streak, dominating the New York Mets again and leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a rain-delayed 3-0 victory Tuesday night.

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Reds‘ Votto finds strength to battle mental health stigma in locker room
Joey Votto said Tuesday he thought he was going to die, following the death of his father last August. It took guts for the Cincinnati Reds first baseman to say that.

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Manny breaks his silence, cheered in Albuquerque
Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez was welcomed back to baseball with rousing cheers. Ramirez, easing back into playing shape after a 50-game drug suspension, suited up for Tuesday night’s game with the Albuquerque Isotopes, wearing No. 99 for the Dodgers‘ top farm club.

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Nevada prep baseball phenom: ‘I’m not LeBron yet’
Bryce Harper didn’t flinch with television cameras focused on him, even though his upper body was tangled in microphone wires.”Part of life, I guess,” the 16-year-old quipped Tuesday.

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Sizemore, Huff put halt to Tribe’s slide
Sizemore, Tribe put halt to recent slide Grady Sizemore returned to the lineup with sparkling results, and David Huff turned in his best outing in the big leagues in an 5-4 victory over the Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park.

Royals’ Crisp out for season with shoulder injury
Kansas City Royals center fielder Coco Crisp will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday.

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Fanalytics: To see pitchers’ futures, keep eyes on flies
Pitchers don’t have full control of what happens to a batted ball once it’s hit. What they do have some control over is whether a ball is hit on the ground or in the air. Research has shown that about one in 10 fly balls leaves the park on average.

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Huff’s 8 shutout innings halt Tribe slide (AP)

During another horrid ninth inning by a bullpen that can't be trusted with a lead of any size, manager Eric Wedge probably thought he was watching yet another game get away from the Indians. Maybe his job, too. Only this time, and the Indians aren't exactly sure how they pulled it off, this late-inning meltdown didn't wind up as a loss.

Ailing Mets put OF Carlos Beltran on disabled list
Carlos Beltran is going on the disabled list because of a bone bruise on his right knee, an enormous blow to a struggling New York Mets team already decimated by key injuries.

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Nats gain ground in race not to be all-time worst
The loss was like many others suffered by the Washington Nationals this season. The starting pitcher dug himself a big hole in the first inning, the bullpen made things worse, and the lineup couldn’t get a timely hit.

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Redding earns first win with Mets, slows Pujols, Cardinals
Tim Redding pitched into the eighth inning for his first win with the Mets and substitute setup man Brian Stokes got Albert Pujols to ground into a crucial double play, leading New York past the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 on Monday night.

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