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Laffey, Sowers struggle in short stints against Reds. Battle far from over
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008
SARASOTA, FLA.: The three-headed monster that is the Indians' No. 5 starter was on display Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
It was Cliff Lee starting with Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers following, neither of the latter two very successfully. All three are competing for the final spot in the rotation, and if the decision rested on Tuesday's outing, Lee would be the winner by acclimation.
But this is not an election. Each pitcher has several more appearances to help or hurt his cause. In addition, manager Eric Wedge will not base his decision on spring training performances alone.
''It will not be based on results,'' Wedge said. ''It's what we are seeing.''
Moreover, track records will count, which is a plus for Lee, who was a solid winner before falling on his sword last year.
On the other hand, as Lee said, ''It doesn't really matter what you did in the past. . . . I don't have a spot because of that.''
He had little trouble vanquishing hitters Tuesday.
''I worked on locating my pitches, and for the most part, I put them pretty close to where I wanted,'' said Lee, who gave up only a 30-hop single in one inning. ''They didn't score, so I'll take it.''
Lee's outing had been postponed because of an illness.
''I think it was a sinus infection,'' he said. ''I've never been sick for a week and felt so bad.''
Laffey and Sowers both struggled. Laffey gave up five runs on three hits and three walks, working only two-thirds of an inning. Sowers got three outs, but he gave up four hits and a walk, though to be fair, three of the hits never left the infield, including a bunt single.
''It seemed like when the count was 0-and-2, I'd give up a hit,'' Laffey said. ''I think I pitched better when I was behind in the count. Obviously, I wasn't very pleased with my performance.''
What problems plagued Laffey? ''What I did wrong was pretty much everything,'' he said.
Rainy day
Tuesday's game was ended after five innings (making it official), with the Tribe trailing the Reds 7-4.
Franklin Gutierrez slammed a solo homer, and Aaron Herr doubled to score a run.
Extra duty
Wedge said that Andy Marte, who played first base for the first time Tuesday, has begun to take fly balls.
The career third baseman, who is trying to make the team as a utility infielder, doubled home two runs against the Reds. The hit was Marte's first in 10 at-bats.
''If he puts up good at-bats, he'll drive the ball naturally,'' Wedge said.
Cuts coming soon
The first cuts of spring probably are only a few days away, though ''cuts'' is not the accurate word.
Not until late in spring are players likely to be released. For now, players who are trimmed from the big-league camp will be reassigned to the minor leagues.
Marching onward
The Tribe returns to Winter Haven today to play the Atlanta Braves. Paul Byrd will start against Jair Jurrjens. In the bullpen will be Joe Borowski, Rafael Betancourt, Aaron Fultz, Rick Bauer, Edward Mujica, Jeff Stevens and Rich Rundles.
SportsTime Ohio will televise the 1 p.m. game, and it also can be heard on WAKR (1590-AM) radio.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
SARASOTA, FLA.: The three-headed monster that is the Indians' No. 5 starter was on display Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
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