DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Indians Continued

quote above by bonefish:



You may be a little premature on that second base one.

Well, let's all hope so.

Kipnis can certainly get crazy hot.

Speaking of crazy hot. Game time temperature last night at 7 pm CST was:



And it's predicted to be hotter today at Global Life Park. (Texas Rangers Stadium)

That's tough.

I guess they don't postpone baseball for heat.

Is Tomlin still on the roster?

I guess he's mentoring Cody Allen.

Tomlin must be teaching him the old straight down the middle overhand "comes at the hitter like a beach ball" pitch.



Virtually unhittable. (Unless you swing at it.)

All players can do is pray for heat lightning. Is that the outside temperature or the field temp? Usually the latter runs hotter.

Two good reasons not to put Jose Ramirez at 2B ... 1) he's a good 2B - better than Kipnis - but he's even better at 3B, and 2) why expose him to the risks of getting his knee blown up by a hard-sliding player trying to break up the double play? There's also the risk of getting your ankle rolled or being spiked that is much lower playing at 3B. Like I posted earlier in the thread, I'd rather throw a 2nd tier prospect at the Mets and bring back Asdrubal Cabrera to play 2B if Kipnis doesn't start hitting on a consistent basis.

Yandy Diaz is a good hitter that has yet to show much power potential, but I can remember quite a few "line drive" type hitters who developed into pretty good power hitters. Anybody remember George Hendrick? Guy had the best wrists since Henry Aaron, but when he first came up, it was all hard ground balls and line drives, mostly up the middle or to right field. Same thing with Joe Carter, who couldn't pull anything when he first got here. Jim Thome was a fairly skinny guy as a young player who sprayed line drives to all fields, and ended up with over 600 HRs. Last, Michael Brantley appeared to have a bit of a slow bat, with too long of a swing, but he has become a solid hitter with gap-to-gap power that produces lots of doubles, and 20+ HRs per year. Point being, guys continue to develop even after reaching the bigs. The really hard thing to "teach" is the ability to make solid contact in the first place - hitting a pitched baseball at the MLB level is hard.

bonefish above:



No kiddin'. I cringe before the game when I look at the starting line-up after the 1, 2, & 3 hitters.

Roberto Perez?

I love Yandy Diaz, I put him in RF and leave him there. He plays everyday, he is a good enough athlete and with a + arm he might fix that position. He went 4 for 6 last night, on 1 of his outs he drove it to the wall in RF. If you havent seen them, check his arms out, looks like he has done some curls.

Kipnis is also starting to come around hitting wise, hit a 2 run shot. I also agree, he can get crazy hot. I leave him at 2B.

Our best defensive infield is with Diaz at 3rd, and Jose at 2nd.

Frankie and Jose are just incredible together.

just a summer day

Per WTAM, Indians' flagship radio station, Ryan Merritt has cleared waivers and will be assigned to AAA Columbus Clippers.

First-pitch temp: 107 degrees. Third-pitch result: Double off left-center wall by Francisco Lindor.

Zimmer has surgery, to return in 8-12 months


By Jordan Bastian MLB.com

ARLINGTON -- After Bradley Zimmer broke into the Major Leagues last season, it was easy to dream about what kind of player the imposing center fielder could become for the Indians. Now, Cleveland has to wait the better part of a year to find out if Zimmer will be the same.

Prior to Saturday's game against the Rangers, the Indians announced that Zimmer will need 8-12 months for a return to full baseball activities, following arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder (labrum repair). Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure on Friday in Dallas.

"I feel so bad for him," Indians manager Terry Francona said on Friday. "He's such a good kid. I don't have any doubt -- he'll come back from this. He's not a pitcher. It's just missing the developmental time. But, OK, so if his clock changes a little bit, that doesn't mean he's not going to be a great player."

Zimmer, who was Cleveland's first-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, has hit .237 with a .671 OPS in 135 games over the past two seasons with the Indians. In 34 games this year after being named the Opening Day center fielder, Zimmer hit .226 with a .611 OPS and a 38.6 percent strikeout rate (44 in 114 plate appearances) before being optioned to Triple-A Columbus on June 5.

Zimmer last appeared in a game for the Clippers on June 10. It was around that time that the outfielder experienced discomfort in his right shoulder during one-handed hitting drills. When the pain persisted while throwing, Zimmer was shut down and sent to the team's complex in Arizona to focus on rehabbing the issue. The injury ultimately led to Friday's season-ending surgery.

At the earliest, Zimmer might be ready to return by the end of next Spring Training, barring any setbacks along the way. The longer end of the timetable would put the center fielder on pace for the second half of next season.

Zimmer -- listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds -- was nicknamed "Machine" by his teammates and looked like a player built for Statcast™. He lived up to that description by flashing speed atypical of a player his size. Zimmer's 30.1 Sprint Speed in 2017 ranked tied for ninth in MLB. Zimmer also boasts the hardest-hit ball (114.6 mph on May 30, 2017) by a Cleveland batter in the Statcast™ Era. Last year, he also unleashed a 101.5-mph throw on an assist from center field.

"He's a freak of nature, man," said Tribe reliever Adam Cimber, who was teammates with Zimmer at the University of San Francisco. "He's tall, jacked, he's got an arm. He can swing it for average. He can swing it for power. He's fast. He's definitely one of the more freaks of natures that I've played with."

While Zimmer is sidelined, outfielder Tyler Naquin will continue to get an opportunity in center field for the Indians. Cleveland also has fleet-footed rookie Greg Allen, who is currently with Triple-A Columbus, but has had stints with the Indians this season and a year ago. On the current roster, veteran Rajai Davis will also continue to get time in center for the Tribe, which may look into outfield help at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

Worth noting

• With two hits off lefty Martin Perez on Friday night, Tribe outfielder Brandon Guyer now has a .261/.386/.478 slash line in 83 plate appearances against left-handers this year. Among American League hitters with at least 80 plate appearances vs. lefties, Guyer's on-base percentage ranks 13th, his .377 wOBA ranks 16th and his 139 wRC+ ranks 17th.

"He looks dangerous to me again. That's huge," Francona said. "You see where we want to hit him in the order -- right behind Edwin [Encarnacion]. That's a big spot and he looks like he's starting to feel a little dangerous. That's really good."

• Left-hander Ryan Merritt, who was activated from the disabled list and designated for assignment on July 13, cleared waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Columbus. Merritt dealt with shoulder and knee issues, dating back to Spring Training, and has fought through diminished velocity this season. In six starts at Triple-A this year, the lefty has a 5.88 ERA with 20 strikeouts vs. one walk in 26 innings.

"We all have a soft spot for him," Francona said. "It just seemed like it's been a little bit uphill for him so far this year. But, he feels good. Now, he can take a deep breath. He knows where he's going to be and he can go pitch."

• In need of a catcher following the Thursday trade that sent prospect Francisco Mejia to the Padres, Cleveland has signed Rob Brantly to a Minor League contract and assigned him to Triple-A Columbus. In parts of four MLB seasons with the Marlins and White Sox (2012-17), Brantly has hit .230 with a .628 OPS in 125 games.

https://www.mlb.com/indians/news/bradley-zimmer-has-surgery-on-right-shoulder/c-286715932

Second bomb tonight for Yonder! 10-0 Tribe in the 7th!

Yonder Alonso ($8M this season) 2018 stats:
87 G: .262, 15 HR, 56 RBI

Carlos Santana ($20M this season) 2018 stats:
96 G: .209, 15 HR, 56 RBI

https://twitter.com/JLEWFifty/status/1020855306300116994

Not only is he having a better year offensively than Santana, but he is outstanding defensively as well.

16-3 Indians.

2 outs, bottom of the 9th.

I hope they manage to pull this one out.

Looks like they made this one work out. It stood up.

Bats and bullpen look tighter for the second half. Just amazing offense!

Wahoo! Go, Tribe!

man, what a night. I hope the Browns can score that much

Thought this was a football score at first. LOL

Asdrubal Cabrera could be the next Met to move: He's hitting .280, .332 OBP, 17 homers, positional flexibility. Brewers, Cleveland, Phillies among the teams with interest in him.

https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1021124845667586049

Whoever convinced Kluber to grow his beard long should be taken out back and shot.



Not that it looks bad.

I think when you're a precision pitcher like Kluber, you shouldn't significantly change your facial composition/weight during the season. By even only a few grams.

For instance he might slightly alter his head movement during his wind-up/delivery if the beard scratches his neck.

I don't know. Sounds good to me.

He should cost next to nothing.

Asdrubal can play any position on the infield, is at least as good as Kipnis at 2B, and probably better, plus he's a switch hitter. His slash line is much better than Kipnis's - OPS is .820. Do it, and remember that just because you shore up 2B doesn't mean you can't still get help in the outfield.

And we're worth it. Never forget that. We could use some really reliable slash lines for the run.

Good to see the organization go out and get some bullpen help. I saw some people were mad about prospects.

It's not this often for the Indians that they have great hitting, very good pitching, and a manager that can pull it all together. They had to make this move.

Too many times we have ripped this team for not doing anything, and putting out Shapiro's patented "so and so is coming back in a few weeks, which is just like a trade!" comments, it's good to see that this front office gets it. Much like the Cavs are about to find out, there will be a time where moves like that end up costing us, but for a real run at it again, especially with the bad taste of the last two years, it's worth it.

Olney: Why the Indians have an edge over AL contenders

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24151070/buster-olney-why-cleveland-indians-edge-al-contenders



Five American League teams have better won-lost records than the Cleveland Indians. With almost two-thirds of the 2018 season completed, the Indians rank 29th of 30 teams in bullpen ERA. Bradley Zimmer, who was supposed to be the Indians' center fielder this season, just had major shoulder surgery and is out for the rest of this year. And with just eight days remaining before the trade deadline and clubs scrambling to plug holes, the Indians might rank among the most cash-poor teams in baseball, with little financial flexibility.

But with all of that said, the Indians might be better positioned for the stretch drive and October than any contender in baseball, with some enviable advantages that could make them very dangerous.

Because Cleveland inhabits the AL Central, baseball's worst division, it is already in a commanding position to reach the postseason while avoiding the one-game wild-card playoff. The Yankees can't say that, nor can the Red Sox or the Astros. The Indians' lead over the Minnesota Twins is 9½ games, and rival executives believe the Twins will become sellers in the next eight days. According to FanGraphs, the Indians' chances for reaching the postseason stand at 99.6 percent.

Every decision made by the front office and manager Terry Francona over the next nine weeks can be viewed through this prism of certainty. If the hard-grinding Jose Ramirez needs an extra day to rest a nagging injury -- or two days, or six days, or two weeks -- the Indians will have the space to make that happen. Corey Kluber's work ethic is renowned, but the Indians can save him from himself by limiting his workload, by skipping a start or two, by pulling him an inning or two earlier than they normally would.

Other contenders may have to push exhausted relievers through August and September, using them on back-to-back days repeatedly. Francona, now operating a bullpen fortified by last week's trade for relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, won't really have to push any of his relievers on any given day, other than to prep them for situations that could arise in October.

The Yankees continue to search for a major rotation piece, the Red Sox seek a high-end reliever and maybe a second baseman, and the Astros need a closer. The Indians' front office already has executed the heaviest lifting of its trade deadline work through last week's trade, and now it can focus on fine-tuning the roster by adding pieces that are more easily acquired than what New York, Boston or Houston seeks.

The Indians could use a right-handed hitting outfielder, but as was demonstrated last winter, cheap outfield options are generally plentiful. Maybe the Giants will become sellers and look to cash in Andrew McCutchen before he becomes a free agent. Maybe the Marlins move Cameron Maybin. The Reds have a surplus of outfielders from which they could deal, and reportedly, the Indians expressed interest in Adam Duvall. Maybe Carlos Gomez will get hot and become a trade option. Whatever, however: The Indians can wait for a solution to emerge -- and they'll have choices in this spot, inevitably.

They could add a third baseman and shift Ramirez to second base, something they did late last season. Maybe that's why they have talked to the Mets about Asdrubal Cabrera, a switch-hitter and former Indian who can hit for power and generate good at-bats. Maybe they'll take a run at Mike Moustakas, while asking the Royals to pay Moustakas' salary in return for Cleveland forking over a better prospect. Maybe the Indians will wait for more alternatives to develop in the August waiver period.

And one more thing, about the waiver process: Because of the Indians' won-lost record, they will likely be the waivers gatekeepers in the AL. For now, it appears Boston, Houston, the Yankees, Seattle and Oakland will all rank behind Cleveland in the waivers pecking order -- giving the Indians the first shot to consider each player who passes through. The Indians could use this position to try to add, or they could use it to try to block the other contenders: If the Indians place a claim on a player ahead of the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees, the Indians will prevent that player from ever reaching the AL's superpower teams.

The Red Sox and Yankees might each win 20 more games than Cleveland this year in the regular season, and yet the Indians could possess these enormous competitive advantages late in the season.

Fun read.



I don't blame any one for skipping over my posts.

But I do post every single year:



Last year was extraordinarily fluky because the Tribe had that historic 22 win streak that started in August (too early).

this is tough for me tonight. I love both teams, the Tribe and the Buccos. I guess that means I'll be happy (or disappointed) with either result. I have a feeling the Pirates 9 game winning streak is about to come to an end though.

We are not getting much done here. Break this skid soon, I hope.

this series means a lot more to the Pirates than the Indians. It's almost a foregone conclusion that the Indians are winning the AL Central, but the Pirates are trying to scratch and claw their way into relevance and need all the help they can get.

yeah, at this point the Indians don't have much motivation ... their slot is determined, which is pretty rare in late July

No excuse for losing , except you get beat !

A delightful afternoon game coming today.

I hope the Tribe beat them so bad that their great grand kids are born dizzy.