Tribe pitching shaping up … sort of
With a little more than a week until Opening Day, the Indians starting rotation appears to be set.
Unfortunately, it looks like the bullpen may now be a bit unsettled.
Hey, it wouldn’t be the Indians if everything was bees and honey now, would it?
Manager Manny Acta is leaning toward naming Josh Tomlin as the fifth starter, joining Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco and Mitch Talbot in a starting rotation that will try and help the Tribe avoid its third consecutive season of 90+ losses.
As for the bullpen …
When spring training opened, Acta said he expected the bullpen to be the strongest part of team. But questions starting to pop up about the relievers.
Joe Smith is still recovering from an abdominal strain and probably won’t be ready when the season starts and Jensen Lewis has been sent to Class AAA Columbus.
Four relievers are definitely on the team: closer Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Tony Sipp and Chad Durbin. Smith was originally on this list, but if he has to go on the disabled list, that leaves three open spots.
Acta has to choose from Frank Herrmann and Justin Germano, who pitched decently for the Tribe last season, along with Doug Mathis and Vinnie Pestano, non-roster players who, if they make the team, means the Indians will have to make room for them on the 40-man roster.
Not the type of decisions Acta was expecting to face so close to Opening Day.
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For all the talk about the Browns have blown draft after draft since 1999, turns out the Tribe is just as bad:
According to Terry Pluto’s latest in The Plain Dealer:
- Of all the players the Indians drafted from 2004-07, Josh Tomlin is the only one who has a chance to start this season.
- The Indians had five picks in the top 124 players in 2007: Trevor Crowe (No. 14), John Drennan (33), Stephen Head (62), Nick Weglarz (94) and Jensen Lewis (124). None of them will be on the Opening Day roster.
- They had five picks in the top 75 in 2006: David Huff (39), Stephen Wright (56), John Rodriguez (57), Wes Hodges (69) and Matt McBride (75). The Tribe is still waiting for a payoff.
- No one from the 2005 draft will be in the majors.
Who was running the draft during those years, Butch Davis?
There’s hope, though. Lonnie Chisenhall (first) and Cord Phelps (third) from the 2008 draft and Alex White and Jason Kipnis, the top two picks from 2009, may be with the Tribe sooner than later.
Let’s hope so, because with the Indians have zero money to spend on free agents, the draft is the only way they will get fresh talent on the diamond at Progressive Field.
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Kent State continues its magical mystery tour through the NIT tonight in Boulder against Colorado.
Since being snubbed by the NCAA, the Flashes have totaled more than 7,500 miles by traveling to St. Mary’s in California and then to Connecticut to take on Fairfield in their first two games.
Tuesday night’s game against the Buffalo’s will be the Golden Flashes third straight on the road, all in different time zones. Since mid-February, Kent has played 11 of its 13 games away from home.
Which makes the team’s 25 wins even more impressive.
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Josh Cribbs is not happy about the NFL changing the rules about kickoffs.
Red Right 88 