Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
Woman rescued after falling through rotting floor in house
Police say couple had 50 stolen hubcaps
Strip club hosts 'Lap dances for Haiti'
Teen driver crashes into Bath Twp. home
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Police: Man tries to buy crack with credit card
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
State auditor cites Highland Athletic Booster Club
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
NBC Releases Olympics Announcer List
Akron Zips:
Zips favored on road against MAC West leader
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. New Jersey Nets
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Sizemore and Martinez hit multiple-run homers
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 11:24 p.m. EDT, Apr 21, 2009
CLEVELAND: Next time the Indians hold a competition to pick a starting pitcher, maybe they should ask Aaron Laffey to be a judge.
Laffey and Jeremy Sowers lost just such a challenge last month to Scott Lewis, who went on the disabled list with a strained elbow April 11. Taking his place in the rotation was Laffey, who after his first Indians start said he thought it should have been his spot to begin with.
Maybe he was right.
Tuesday night at Progressive Field, Laffey became the first Tribe pitcher to last seven innings, as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7 in front of the smallest crowd in the history of the stadium at 11,408.
Offensively, it was a big night for Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore. Martinez singled three times and jacked a two-run homer to right in the eighth after the Royals had closed the gap to one run. Sizemore whacked a three-run homer in the fourth to temporarily break the game open.
''Laffey pitched an outstanding ballgame,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''Pitching seven innings was a separator for us, especially with what happened after the seventh.''
More on that later.
Laffey's performance was not the embodiment of perfection, but it was solidly efficient. He gave up seven hits, walked three and hit a batter.
''Before I came up, I threw a bullpen down there,'' Laffey said. ''It wasn't really a bullpen, only 10 or 12 pitches with the catcher standing in front of the plate. But it really helped me. Something clicked in.''
The Royals had plenty of baserunners, but Laffey displayed an uncanny knack for throwing double-play balls. Five times the Royals beat the ball into the dirt for routine double plays that extricated Laffey from potential disaster.
Speaking of disasters, after Laffey (1-0, 2.19 ERA) left, the bullpen made another calamitous impact on the game.
Joe Smith took over in the eighth and retired none of the three batters whom he faced. Masa Kobayashi followed and gave up two hits before getting the hook. With three runs home and runners at first and third, Jensen Lewis took over and retired the side on a sacrifice fly and yet another double play.
The six double plays tied the franchise record, which had been accomplished three times previously, the last time in 1988 against the California Angels.
Kerry Wood got his second save of the season for the Tribe but not before giving up a two-run homer to David DeJesus.
''Right now, we're trying to fight through it with the bullpen,'' Wedge said. ''We're going to need all of the guys down there.''
Maybe not. After the game, Zach Jackson was sent to Columbus and Tony Sipp was recalled. Sipp made four appearances at Triple-A and gave up three runs, eight hits and five walks in seven innings, striking out 10.
The only run off Laffey came in the first, when Coco Crisp led off with a double and stole third. Laffey struck out the next two batters, but he gave up a line drive single to left to drive in Crisp before inducing Mike Jacobs into lifting an inning-ending fly to left.
Laffey has made two starts in place of Lewis, giving up three earned runs and 10 hits in 121/3 innings, walking six and striking out eight. In both starts, he was matched against the Royals and Sidney Ponson, and the Tribe won both games, though Laffey did not get the decision in the first.
According to a baseball axiom, a pitcher who faces the same team twice within a few days is likely to have a much tougher time of it the second time. That wasn't true of Laffey, but it was for Ponson.
Laffey didn't feel handicapped by facing the same team twice in seven days.
''They had three or four different guys in the lineup tonight,'' he said. ''It also helped, because I know how my stuff plays against them.''
Ponson (0-2, 7.04 ERA) lasted only 31/3 innings and allowed six runs, eight hits and four walks. Last week at Kauffman Stadium, Ponson was a harder read for Tribe batsmen, who managed only two runs and six hits in six innings against him.
This time around, Ponson was fortunate he didn't allow double figures in runs.
The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but scored only because a pitch got past catcher Miguel Olivo for a passed ball.
In the third, Mark DeRosa, Martinez and Travis Hafner singled consecutively to load the bases, but the only run scored on a force play at second.
Sizemore finally put a major hurt on Ponson in the fourth with his homer. Naturally, the Tribe went on to load the bases, scoring this on a wild pitch.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians.
CLEVELAND: Next time the Indians hold a competition to pick a starting pitcher, maybe they should ask Aaron Laffey to be a judge.
Laffey and Jeremy Sowers lost just such a challenge last month to Scott Lewis, who went on the disabled list with a strained elbow April 11. Taking his place in the rotation was Laffey, who after his first Indians start said he thought it should have been his spot to begin with.
Maybe he was right.
Tuesday night at Progressive Field, Laffey became the first Tribe pitcher to last seven innings, as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7 in front of the smallest crowd in the history of the stadium at 11,408.
Offensively, it was a big night for Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore. Martinez singled three times and jacked a two-run homer to right in the eighth after the Royals had closed the gap to one run. Sizemore whacked a three-run homer in the fourth to temporarily break the game open.
''Laffey pitched an outstanding ballgame,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''Pitching seven innings was a separator for us, especially with what happened after the seventh.''
More on that later.
Laffey's performance was not the embodiment of perfection, but it was solidly efficient. He gave up seven hits, walked three and hit a batter.
''Before I came up, I threw a bullpen down there,'' Laffey said. ''It wasn't really a bullpen, only 10 or 12 pitches with the catcher standing in front of the plate. But it really helped me. Something clicked in.''
The Royals had plenty of baserunners, but Laffey displayed an uncanny knack for throwing double-play balls. Five times the Royals beat the ball into the dirt for routine double plays that extricated Laffey from potential disaster.
Speaking of disasters, after Laffey (1-0, 2.19 ERA) left, the bullpen made another calamitous impact on the game.
Joe Smith took over in the eighth and retired none of the three batters whom he faced. Masa Kobayashi followed and gave up two hits before getting the hook. With three runs home and runners at first and third, Jensen Lewis took over and retired the side on a sacrifice fly and yet another double play.
The six double plays tied the franchise record, which had been accomplished three times previously, the last time in 1988 against the California Angels.
Kerry Wood got his second save of the season for the Tribe but not before giving up a two-run homer to David DeJesus.
''Right now, we're trying to fight through it with the bullpen,'' Wedge said. ''We're going to need all of the guys down there.''
Maybe not. After the game, Zach Jackson was sent to Columbus and Tony Sipp was recalled. Sipp made four appearances at Triple-A and gave up three runs, eight hits and five walks in seven innings, striking out 10.
The only run off Laffey came in the first, when Coco Crisp led off with a double and stole third. Laffey struck out the next two batters, but he gave up a line drive single to left to drive in Crisp before inducing Mike Jacobs into lifting an inning-ending fly to left.
Laffey has made two starts in place of Lewis, giving up three earned runs and 10 hits in 121/3 innings, walking six and striking out eight. In both starts, he was matched against the Royals and Sidney Ponson, and the Tribe won both games, though Laffey did not get the decision in the first.
According to a baseball axiom, a pitcher who faces the same team twice within a few days is likely to have a much tougher time of it the second time. That wasn't true of Laffey, but it was for Ponson.
Laffey didn't feel handicapped by facing the same team twice in seven days.
''They had three or four different guys in the lineup tonight,'' he said. ''It also helped, because I know how my stuff plays against them.''
Ponson (0-2, 7.04 ERA) lasted only 31/3 innings and allowed six runs, eight hits and four walks. Last week at Kauffman Stadium, Ponson was a harder read for Tribe batsmen, who managed only two runs and six hits in six innings against him.
This time around, Ponson was fortunate he didn't allow double figures in runs.
The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but scored only because a pitch got past catcher Miguel Olivo for a passed ball.
In the third, Mark DeRosa, Martinez and Travis Hafner singled consecutively to load the bases, but the only run scored on a force play at second.
Sizemore finally put a major hurt on Ponson in the fourth with his homer. Naturally, the Tribe went on to load the bases, scoring this on a wild pitch.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Posted 06:42 AM, 04/22/2009
To Wedgie: DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO NOT, insert Kabayashi into the game unless the tribe is at least 10 runs ahead or hopelessly out of the game. He DOES NOT, and I repeat DOES NOT have AAA stuff let alone AL stuff. Deadweight!
Alliance, Oh
Posted 06:57 AM, 04/22/2009
Nice crowd last night---Oh that's right, a team across the street that will pay their good players and keep them or do whatever it takes to get the best players are playing for a possible championship. 11,000, yeah right! More like 1100!
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:00 AM, 04/22/2009
Agree hokie - I saw 35 ,000 fans dressed as empty green seats! This is a bad baseball team and its going to get worse. I am surprised the hitting has been good, competition has a little to do witht that. The pitching is horrendous and there is no help in sight regardless of the opinions of the die hard flag waving little indian fans.
Posted 08:57 AM, 04/22/2009
KBDAM....did you get cut from the tee-ball league as a kid? Not picked for the high school team or something? You sure are a sour grape about baseball in Cleveland.
Get a life and go move in with Grump. You two would have a blast all day complaining about the team and the owners and everything else in life. I don't think I have EVER seen a positive comment on her from Grump!
baytown, TX
Posted 09:11 AM, 04/22/2009
I'll admit that the bullpin stinks so far, But they are a yound good hitting team that hustles. They will be fine by summer, Hope that's not to late,
Go Tribe, Mitch
Posted 09:54 AM, 04/22/2009
Who the hell wants to go watch a baseball game on a cold wet night in April?
I'm glad to see the starting pitching coming around, and the offense is playing well. Just need to fix that bullpen.
Farragut, TN
Posted 11:23 AM, 04/22/2009
The bullpen was beyond bad last night. They only needed to succeed for one inning in order to turn the game over to Kerry Wood, but that was almost too much for them. The bullpen group contains some players who are just not Major League pitchers. Some very poor decisions were made when it came time to choose the 25-man roster. Now, it will be necessary to reconstruct that group, one player at a time, while still finding a way to compete.
