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Lewis and Cabrera improving skills with 'seasoning' stint in Buffalo
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Tuesday, Jun 24, 2008
BUFFALO, N.Y.: Reliever Jensen Lewis was back to his old self, bouncing around the Triple-A Buffalo clubhouse willing to talk to anyone.
Infielder Asdrubal Cabrera wasn't as accommodating, silently ducking reporters who wanted to talk to him about his fast start since returning to the Bison.
Neither is expected to be gone long from the struggling Indians. Yet, how well each accepts and adjusts to his ''seasoning'' stint could play a part in how long it takes for them to rejoin their big-league teammates.
''You're not helping yourself if you just come down here and pout about it,'' Lewis said. ''Of course, anyone's going to deal with some disappointment about being sent down. But the way I see it, the quicker you get yourself together, the quicker you can go back up.''
Both are producing at Triple-A. Lewis is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 13 strikeouts in six appearances. In 12 games, Cabrera is batting .408 (20-for-49) with three doubles, three RBI and nine runs scored.
Both are back in Triple-A for different reasons.
Lewis was a relatively unknown right-handed reliever who burst on the major-league scene midway through last season and helped pitch the Tribe deep into the playoffs.
Still, Lewis, 24, was surprised when he was sent back to Buffalo on June 4. Lewis had
a respectable 3.82 ERA with 22 strikeouts and three holds in 302/3 innings with the Tribe.
''It was weird because it wasn't necessarily a demotion,'' Lewis said. ''I wasn't really struggling at the big-league level. It was more like I was kind of pitching without all my ammo. There was never a big blowup or a meltdown or anything. I just felt like I was often grinding through innings this year, whereas last season, I had some outings where I was really able to dominate.''
Decrease in velocity
There was a noticeable decrease in velocity for Lewis. Radar guns routinely read between 85 and 89 mph on his fastball this season, not his usual high-end mark of 92 mph.
''People might think it's just three miles per hour, but hitters were able to take that much more time to make decisions [on] my pitches,'' he said.
In addition, Lewis said there were a ''couple of mechanical things'' that he knew he had to adjust, minute changes he had taken care of in a matter of days with Bison pitching coach Scott Radinsky.
Unlike many, Radinsky isn't one to get too caught up in numbers.
''The other day in a game, Jens was between 88-91, and some of the pitches were OK,'' Radinsky said. ''But he got himself in a situation where he needed a strikeout. He got it, but the velocity didn't change — the stuff behind it did. It was the same velocity; it just had some life in the zone.''
Lewis' ability to reach back for something more has returned now that he has gotten back his usual pregame routine.
''Everybody has their own routines up there, and I'd kind of gotten away from doing some of [the] things in early work before games that really work for me,'' Lewis said. ''It's amazing how in just seven days back to my routine here, how much better I feel. It's like flipping a switch.''
Lewis doesn't discount the value of having had this time to take a step back.
''Once I get back up there, and something happens again, I'll be able to diagnose it and adjust a lot quicker,'' he said. ''In a lot of ways, this could be one of the biggest blessings I've had my entire career.
''I'm getting back to being blue-collar and being humble. I'm learning that when I do the work necessary and put in the time, the games just become so much more fun because you don't have a single doubt in your mind.''
Struggling at plate
As for Cabrera, it's hard to read the 22-year-old Venezuelan native. But one thing is clear: It certainly shouldn't have come as a surprise to Cabrera when he was sent to Buffalo on June 9 after struggling at the plate for the Indians.
It is not unusual for a second-year player to struggle after a successful rookie season. Cabrera was dazzling after his August call-up last season, taking the second baseman job from Josh Barfield.
But few expected that he would struggle this much this season. He hit .184 (29-for-158) in 52 games after he batted .283 (45-for-159) and helped spark the Tribe to the AL Central Championship last season.
Yet, for as bad as Cabrera looked with the Indians at the plate, he has quickly figured out the flaws in his swing in Buffalo.
''How do you recognize something that's going wrong and cure it so fast?,'' Bison manager Torey Lovullo asked. ''We're not sure, but he looks good right now.
''When he first got down here, he was feeling for the ball. He wasn't using his hands to finish his swing. He had a lengthy approach, and he was mostly concerned with making contact.''
Lovullo said Cabrera looked out of sorts at the plate for just two games — one as a right-handed batter and another from the left side. And then things clicked.
''It seemed like from that point forward, he's gotten his hands back with a good load, he's recognizing balls and strikes and he's putting a good swing on every ball that's in the zone,'' Lovullo said.
Perhaps Cabrera feels more comfortable having taken a step back to face Triple-A pitchers.
''Still, we know that in order to hit that way at any level, he has to follow that process,'' Lovullo said. ''So as long as he's here and doing it and producing, we feel like he can get back to the big-league level with this same approach and be successful despite the upgrade in pitching.''
As for Cabrera's attitude, Lovullo said he expected worse.
''I thought he'd come down here moping, as a lot of guys do in that situation,'' Lovullo said. ''But he's been here for a week and he's been exceptional. He's been vocal, he's been a leader, he's had great at-bats and he's made his plays defensively.''
Lovullo said he has detected a sense of relief out of Cabrera.
''From Day One, it looked like he was relieved because he didn't have to be unsuccessful again up there and he could just take a deep breath and say, 'OK, make it better, take care of business here and get back to the big-league level,' '' Lovullo said.
''My read on him is he's going to be here a short time and then get back to the big leagues. He's too valuable as a player to be in the minor leagues.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
BUFFALO, N.Y.: Reliever Jensen Lewis was back to his old self, bouncing around the Triple-A Buffalo clubhouse willing to talk to anyone.
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