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Any updates on Hafner?

I hope he's alright. He was having an ok season.

Tuesday should test our mettle.

Because he tends to struggle in non-save situations. Lots of closers have the same problem.

I don't have stats to prove it, but I remember seeing something while watching a game once that said as much.

Link

Chris Perez has a 2.95 ERA in save situations and a 3.36 ERA in non-save situations. His WHIP is actually better in non-save situations.

Making judgments on a guy after he has pitched 14.2 innings is probably not a good idea. If anything it's because Chris Perez was never really that good to begin with.

I understand Manny doing what he does with Perez, it's been a problem the last 13 and a half months. But he's gotta shake it. There may be a moment down the line somewhere, maybe even in a playoff game where he needs Chris to come in and hold a tie game. If he gives up on CP in non-save situations, what happens down the line in that moment? You can't justify going to him if you did that

If he keeps giving up runs in those situations, obviously the plug would have to be pulled at some point, but it's still early and Manny thinks he can get him right.

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It just seems silly to me that a team with "Home Field Advantage" has to start on the road, But I assume it won't stay that way...

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I agree. The home field advantage team should NEVER have to win on the road to be ahead in the series, that's why they give them the extra game at home. So you go on the road and lose 2 you have 3 must wins in a row, even though they are all at home. That's just stupid.

I find it astounding that my Pirates and the Tigers have the same record headng into tonight. The Pirates offense has been three notches below abysmal for all but about 4 games, we've had one hot stetch from Pedro Alvarez and one consistently great player in McCutchen... yet here we are, same record.

That said, I wouldn't feel too confident about adding a game to your lead tonight, Tribe fans... Verlander against the Pirates offense could be ridiculous. And we get to deal with Sloth Fielder again for the first time and historically that hasn't been a good thing.

J/C

Sipp, you're horrible. Why are you still taking up a roster spot on this ball club?

Verlander about to no-hit the Pirates.

I gotta say, there have been so many no-hitters in the past few years that I'm almost bored unless it's a perfect game.

The worst part of tonights game, is Zambrano will get the W if the score stays. Man, that guy is a turdface.

Sounds like tonight we're making up for catching some breaks the last couple of games. Just one of those games where you hit a bunch of ropes right at people.

Soft liner through the middle to break up the no-no after 8.1. Take THAT, Verlander.

Honestly, I like the guy. I get slammed with Tigers stuff up here, and for my money, he's the best pitcher in baseball. And to top it off, he's the farthest thing from the all-to-common professional athlete POS. I was kinda hoping he got it.

Too bad that after a big win in front of nearly 30,000, Indians' closer Perez thought it would be a good time to slam the fans ...

Excerpt:

After the game, Perez criticized the Tribe’s fans. The closer was booed during the 10th inning of the Indians’ 6-5 win over the Mariners on Thursday, a game played before an announced attendance of 12,894.

“I’m tired of getting booed at home, so I figured I’d throw strikes today,” he told reporters.

When he was asked if it bothered him to get booed by fans at home, Perez said, “It doesn’t bother me, it (ticks) me off. I don’t think they have a reason to boo me.

“They booed me against the Mariners when I had two guys on. It feels like I can’t even give up a baserunner without people booing me. It’s even worse when there’s only 5,000 in the stands, because then you can hear it. It (ticks) me off.”

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2012/05/20/sports/nh5507824.txt

Jim Ingraham's baseball notes: Kevin Youkilis could be a right-handed hitter to watch

Sunday, May 20, 2012

By Jim Ingraham
News-Herald.com

It's possible Kevin Youkilis may soon become available. The Indians could always use another hitter, especially a right-handed hitter.

Should the Indians consider taking a run at Youkilis if the Red Sox make him available?

Sure, why not?

Youkilis, who, by the way, is an Ohio guy (born in Cincinnati, attended the University of Cincinnati), is on the disabled list, rehabbing a back injury at Class AAA Pawtucket.

The Red Sox may activate him as soon as Monday, at which time he is expected to go back to third base. While Youkilis was on the disabled list, rookie Will Middlebrooks filled in at third base and did enough damage with his bat to suggest he's Boston's third baseman of the future.

Youkilis, at age 33, is not.

But he might make a nice rental for a team in contention at the trade deadline. Youkilis is in the last year of his contract. He's making $12 million this year, but a team acquiring him at the July 31 trade deadline would only be on the hook for a little less than half of that total, or $5 million.

That's not outrageous for a couple of months of the kind of numbers that Youkilis might be able to produce. The Indians have a solid third baseman in Jack Hannahan, but Hannahan is a left-handed hitter in a nearly all-left-handed hitting lineup that figures to face plenty of left-handed starters and relievers.

Hannahan this year is hitting .194 against left-handers.

Youkilis could split time with Hannahan at third and Casey Kotchman, another left-handed hitter, at first base. He could even give the Indians a right-handed hitting DH on days Travis Hafner needs a break.

The Indians could find at-bats for Youkilis. Could they find the money to afford him? Getting him at midseason would cost them $6 million in salary, or about $5 million if acquired at the trade deadline. Youkilis' contract includes a $13 million club option for next year, which the Indians obviously wouldn't want. The buyout on the option is $1 million.

What would the Red Sox want for Youkilis in a trade? Not much if the acquiring team was willing to pick up all of what's left on his contract.

Boston might otherwise want some pitching, perhaps some bullpen help. The Indians have some surplus there.

For now, Youkilis will soon be activated by the last-place Red Sox. He'll likely go back to third base, giving other teams the chance to gauge his health and production. It will proceed from there. Will Boston stay in the race or fall out of it? That will be a factor, too.

The Youkilis situation could be worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.

I'd be fine with giving Youkilis a shot here. I'd like to try and find a long term option for a hitter instead of a rental but I doubt we'd find that.

Is there anyone on KC that they'll be doing a fire sale for around the deadline?

Don't know, but I'd love to get Billy Butler or Alex Gordon.

Sat, May 19

Manager Dusty Baker seemingly hinted at using Chapman as the Reds' closer, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Recommendation: Baker said, "He was going to be in rotation. We came up with Plan B, maybe it's time to think about Plan C."

Yeah, I don't blame him either.

I wish I could manage to make the trip up and sit through a game without jumping off the top deck from the pain. I would go to every game I could. Same thing with the Browns and Cavaliers.

Its not the customer's duty to support a seller. Its the seller's duty to make them want to. Beyond that, he chose to sound off on a day the fans showed up. He also took a really good win and made it into a story about him. Not good PR for a team that's moaning about poor support. Perez needs to lose the rabbit-ears and pay attention to the job at hand - closing games.

I do see his point though.

Chris Perez has 13 saves in 14 opportunities. He has a 3.31 ERA. He has struck out 15 and walked only 6 in 16 innings.

Still, he puts a runner on and fans start blasting him. He is as close to an automatic save as you'll find in the American League, on a first place team, yet still people boo when he puts a runner on.

I do think that this kind of crap comes into play when free agents access where they want to play.

Chris Perez says Indians fans should support team
The Associated Press – 25 minutes ago

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Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Chris Perez reacts after striking out all three Miami Marlins batters in the ninth inning to secure the Indians' 2-0 win in an interleague baseball game in Cleveland, Saturday, May 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Chris Perez reacts after striking out all three Miami Marlins batters in the ninth inning to secure the Indians' 2-0 win …

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CLEVELAND (AP) Chris Perez is throwing some heat at Cleveland fans.

The All-Star closer didn't back down Sunday from comments made Saturday questioning why fans are not turning out to see the first-place Indians and why some in the sparse crowds boo the home team.

''The fans are going to come, I know that,'' Perez said. ''It's just a slap in the face when you're in first place and last in attendance. Last. Not 25th or 26th. Last.''

The right-hander said he has been frustrated by small crowds for a long time and that it came to a head Thursday when he was booed because two men reached base while he eventually saved a win over Seattle.

''That was the last straw,'' said Perez, an outspoken, gregarious team leader who regularly uses social media to interact with fans.

''I got a lot of messages and some of it was funny,'' Perez said of overnight reaction by fans.

While the Indians encourage Perez's aggressive style of challenging opposing hitters, the confrontational comments did not sit well.

Team president Mark Shapiro said the organization differs with the way Perez spoke, adding that the Indians do get fan support. Shapiro said the reliever's words come from a desire to win and get more fans to come to the ballpark.

''We clearly disagree with him about our fans,'' Shapiro said. ''We appreciate our fans. We respect our fans.''

Shapiro said the 26-year-old's comments were likely borne from frustration combined with a desire to succeed.

''He's been one of the more dominant closers,'' Shapiro said. ''What drives him to succeed in that role are emotion and competitiveness and passion, and I think a lot of that was behind what he said.

''It's clear that what's behind the emotion is how great he feels our situation is - how incredible he feels the team is, the ballpark is, and his desire for more people to experience it.

''He's saying, 'Pay attention. Look what we've got here.' ''

After earning his 13th save Saturday by striking out the side on 10 pitches to clinch a 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins, Perez criticized fans who boo the home team and said negative vibes are a reason big-name free agents such as Carlos Beltran don't sign with Cleveland.

It came after the season's second-largest crowd, 29,799. Including a sellout of 43,190 for the April 5 opener, the Indians' 15,188 average through 22 home dates is a far cry from the team-record 455 consecutive sellouts in the late 1990s.

''Nobody wants to play in front of 5,000 fans,'' said Perez on Saturday. ''We know the weather stinks, but people see that (low attendance). Other players know that.

''You had a choice of playing in St. Louis where you get 40,000 like Beltran chose to do, or you can come to Cleveland.''

Perez said Sunday he hadn't spoken to Beltran or others who signed elsewhere, adding that in conversation with teammates, opponents and a few former Indians, he drew the consensus that Cleveland is not now a popular place to play.

''Baseball is supposed to be fun,'' Perez said. ''It is like that in Philadelphia every day. It helps you. You draw energy from the fans.''

Shapiro countered by pointing out that several current Indians enjoy the city and have signed long-term contracts to stay. He thinks the current controversy will blow over and hopefully not impact Perez or the ballclub.

''I really feel like it's a moment in time, a story for right now,'' Shapiro said. ''If you polled our players, by and large, what you'd see is a largely universal appreciation for our fans.''

Perez said he had no ulterior motive for his comments and he isn't trying to draw attention to himself.

''It's just so frustrating,'' Perez said. ''I've been here since 2009, was one of the first guys in the (rebuilding) trades. If this was 2010, I wouldn't say anything. We deserved to be booed, we were bad.''

Cleveland went 65-97 in 2009 and 69-93 the next year, then spent much of last season in first place until fading to finish 80-82. They entered play Sunday 23-17.

Perez has done his part to boost sagging attendance. He has bought six season tickets to give away, understanding how the area has been hit hard by the economy and that some fans can't buy tickets. He doesn't, however, comprehend the overall apathy.

''I don't understand the negativity, in general,'' Perez said. ''Why? We have a first-place team. How many teams in the country would want that right now?

''You think the Tigers are happy? The Tigers are in third place. We're in first place. Enjoy it.''

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Taking 2 out of 3 at Yankee stadium feels really good.

I don't agree with what Chris Perez said, but part of me thinks he is doing this to light a fire, and it's working.

Fans are hard everywhere. They're tough here in Chicago. They boo their own players. Philadelphia anyone?

It's sports, you're paid a lot of money, deal with it.

As far as if the money was even and I had multiple offers? I'd go to where the best fit was which would also to me be the best place for me to win championship. Of course I would consider Cleveland more than a guy like Carlos Beltran, going to play in front of a hometown crowd even if it's only 15k would be awesome.

I don't know why Carlos Beltran didn't want to play for Indians. If he truly didn't want to play there because of the fans, then that's a guy who's not fit for Cleveland, or really anywhere outside of Tampa or Kansas City.

We're tough on our players, but we're also more loyal than most with our players. You're good to us, we'll be good to you.

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Also, saying it's no fun playing in front of 10k opposed to 40k isn't going to sit well when you're a guy making 7 figures playing in a town that is still recovering from economic trouble. I know he doesn't mean it like that, but it doesn't look good.

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I'm not talking about how it's going to sit with fans, I'm talking about the reality that playing in front of large crowds is more fun than playing in front of empty seats... it has nothing to do with how much money the guy is making. People can harp on the money these guys make all they want, I don't care if you make $40K a year or $4 million it's hard to get amped up to do your job day after day after day if nobody seems to care... (except to boo you when you have that one bad outing)

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I also don't think Beltran didn't want to come to Cleveland because of the amount of fans that show up just like that doesn't matter when FA's choose their city of choice. I'm sorry, but if you honestly think that when management, the agent, and the player are in their conference room hammering out a deal, that fan statistics come into play, that's laughable.

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He admitted that he never spoke with Beltran, I believe he was just naming a "big name" free agent to use as an example. And of course it never comes up as part of the deal because there is nothing you can do about it. But if you believe its not in the back of the players mind then I think you are wrong. Is a player going to turn down millions of extra dollars because of it? I don't know, probably not.. but if the dollars are close, I'm going to where its fun to play and I have a chance to win championships... and if at all possible, I'm going somewhere that I don't have to potentially play the first 3 weeks and the last 3 weeks with a chance of snow...

And that's the point, Cleveland has the deck stacked against it... weathers bad, teams been bad, economy is bad.... the one thing it used to have was solid fans... these guys don't give a rats patoot how many people watched a few innings on TV or call in to whine to the radio shows, they want butts in the seat...

It's kind of funny really, we get upset when these players don't approach the game with this child-like enthusiasm... but when I was a kid, playing in front of fans and hearing them cheer was a big part of the fun and excitement...

Game on! Hopefully in about three hours the Reds will be sitting in first place in the NL Central! What I wouldn't do to be at GABP downing a couple of 3-way conies from Skyline right now. Go Redlegs!!

You know why big name free agents don't come to the Indians? Because they don't really try to go out and get any. They don't want to put their chips forward. They want to put a deal out that they think is good, instead of what the market dictates. It doesn't work. They don't even try anymore. Did they even attempt at bringing in any one this season?

Also, DC, like I said, Perez's comments don't "It makes it easier for us to get through the season when there are fans" I'm sorry man but that looks bad. Not as bad as Beckett throwing out a "we only get 18 days off a year, but nevermind my salary and 5 months off between seasons"

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree about the fans coming into play with where a player wants to go. Having 40k a night in St. Louis is only a bonus.

Albert Pujols left that to go to a place where they don't show up until the 3rd inning and leave after the 7th.