http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/21765 Recent articles about Jensen Lewis en-us The Cleveland Indians pick up another win, this time a late come from behind one over the Kansas City Royals. Jhonny Peralta got it done early and Franklin Gutierrez got it done late. While Kelly Shoppach got it done in both cases. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:05:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310082 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310082 The landscape of bullpens continues to change. St. Louis has an intriguing decision to make soon between a rookie and a playoff hero. Both Cleveland and Oakland have found new closers while Pittsburgh is on the verge of getting its own stopper back from injury. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:57:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309808 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309808 Travis Hafner makes his return to baseball action as he heads to Triple-A Buffalo on a rehab assignment to DH for the Herd. Josh Barfield will tag along and Victor Martinez will be right behind them on Tuesday. Plus the Vanderbilt tandem of Starter and Closer has re-surfaced in the Major Leagues and the reworkings of Asdrubal Cabrera. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:18:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307904 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307904 The Cleveland Indians, backed by Jeremy Sowers' six plus strong innings, win a series from the AL West Leading Los Angeles Angels. Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez were un-solvable and Jensen Lewis navigated his way through a tougher than it should have been ninth inning to convert save chance 3 of 3. Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:19:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307554 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307554 For the first time since going on the Disabled List, Travis Hafner was swinging a bat cleanly. Hafner hit a ball into the upper decks during BP and expects to hit once again on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jensen Lewis welcomes the challenge of the Closers role. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:47:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/306592 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/306592 Most trading deadlines have past in fantasy leagues so the main source of help is going to come from the waiver wire. Here are a few players that are hot over recent days and can help you bring home a fantasy championship. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:43:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305578 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305578 Jensen Lewis slams the door shut in his second save chance and the Cleveland Indians pick up their fifth straight win after a defeat of the Baltimore Orioles. Multiple players knocked in runs, but Asdrubal Cabrera had the big night. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:41:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304889 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304889 It's been only three days since my last post (why does that sound like I'm in a confessional?), but a lot has happened with the Tribe. Paul Byrd and Ryan Garko both seemed to have learned a lesson, but in different ways. Byrd threw a complete game against Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays, for his fourth win in his last five starts. His ERA during that period is 1.80 and all of those starts have been quality starts - a least as defined by MLB's statisticians (at least 6 inning, no more than 3 runs). The veteran got a little remedial help with his curveball from the master of the pitch - Minnesota broadcaster and former MLB and Tribe pitcher Bert Blylevin. Whatever Blylevin told him, it seems to be helping. Byrd reportedly has cleared waivers and can be traded. I would not be surprised to see the Tribe hang on to him though and bring him back next year if it can be done at a reasonable price. Byrd is now 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA and has last year's post-season success to add to his appeal. How many fifth starters in the league offer anything more attractive than that? Add in his veteran presence on an otherwise young staff, and the idea may not be as dumb as many of you are thinking it is as you read this. Meanwhile, Ryan Garko seems to have learned another kind of lesson - don't dog it when you're barely holding on to your spot on the roster. After being benched for one game and most of another for failing to run out a dribbler down the line, the Tribe 1B got his chance to get back into the lineup Saturday. Garko went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. He also sprinted down to first after getting hit by a pitch. That may be a bit over the top, but it's clear Garko did not enjoy his couple of days in the Eric Wedge doghouse. Newly acquired starter Anthony Reyes is getting kudos for his first outing with the Tribe. He went 6 1/3 innings Friday night against the Jays, allowing just 1 run on 7 hits and striking out 4. Reyes' fastball topped out at about 90 and was mostly in the 88-89 range - just a bit shy of what the Tribe had been expecting apparently. He mixed in a breaking ball and change-up, which he used to get some lazy flyball outs when he needed them Reyes appears as though he's going to be a pitch-to-contact kind of pitcher who will need his control to do well. Think a young Paul Byrd. Better yet, don't think of that at all, because one Paul Byrd is plenty, thank you. Better to say we can expect Reyes to be a finesse pitcher, who may live or die by the flyball. There have been a zillion pitchers in the history of baseball who have been quite successful with that approach. So far, with his work in Buffalo and Cleveland, it appears Reyes has a chance to add to the list. Speaking of lists, the one listing the names of Cleveland closers for 2008 just got one name longer. Jensen Lewis, coming off a solid 9th inning save Friday night, apparently is the latest member of the Tribe's frightening bullpen to be given the opportunity to close out games- at least for this minute, which is longer than Ed Mujica lasted in the role. This is pure speculation (wishful thinking?), but ESPN reported Friday that a non-contender put in a claim on Oakland closer Houston Street, who is having a bit of an off-year. Any chance that it could have been the Tribe? The only other team that could have beat them out on a claim would have been Seattle. Under rules governing revocable waivers teams in the player's own league get first dibs if he is claimed by multiple teams. The point is moot though, since - according to ESPN's Buster Olney - the As and the other team - whoever it was - couldn't work out a deal. Sun, 10 Aug 2008 22:05:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303838 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303838 Cleveland has a(nother) new closer! Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:35:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303460 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303460 Anthony Reyes has a successful debut with the Cleveland Indians and Jensen Lewis had his turn in the wheel of closers and it was quick and painless. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:19:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303326 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303326 Taking a closer look at the bullpen management of Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge. Tom Mastny's struggles, Jensen Lewis and former Indian Craig Breslow's success with the Minnesota Twins. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:05:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295479 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295479 Tribe fans talk about next year's starting rotation and how thin it is. "We got Lee, Carmona and Laffey" they say. "After that who knows." Better put Aaron Laffey in the "who knows" category. On June 24, after holding the Giants to a run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings at the Jake, Laffey's ERA was 2.83. Five starts later, his ERA is 4.23, and he is 1-3 in those five starts. It's pretty difficult to add a run and a half to your ERA in five starts, but Laffey managed. Here's how: In the past five starts, Laffey has pitched 23 2/3 innings and allowed 22 earned runs. I don't even need my calculator to know that is darned near a 9.00 ERA. He has given up 38 hits and 12 walks during that stretch. Again, I don't need to my calculator to know that comes out to a WHIP of just over 2.00 and nearly 5 walks per 9 innings. Is his confidence rattled? Are his mechanics off? Has the league figured him out? That's hard to say sitting in my living room in suburban NY, but something is clearly out of kilter. So much so, that Tribe manager Eric Wedge wouldn't make any promises when asked whether Laffey might not be the guy to go down to Buffalo to get straightened out when Fausto Carmona comes back at the end of the week. After Laffey gave up 8 runs on 12 hits in just four innings plus in today's game in Anaheim, Wedge was non-committal when asked about the roster move coming up Friday - telling MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince: "We're not going to decide anything right now," manager Eric Wedge said. "We don't need to do anything until Friday night after the game, at the earliest. We haven't made any decisions just yet." Matt Ginter is the presumed odd-man-out, but he's put up two quality starts in two tries since joining the Tribe's rotation in what was supposed to be a cameo role. Jeremy Sowers, who has been a major disappointment this season could also go, but it is likely (at least I think so) that the Tribe - which has already farmed out Sowers this year for retooling - will want to keep him up in the hopes he can work things out on the big-league level between now and the end of September. Which brings us to the bullpen. I had planned to do a piece tonight about how the pen seems to be coming around and how it has been central to the Tribe's recent run of victories. An then today - and Tom Mastny and Jensen Lewis - happened. The duo combined to give up 6 runs over three innings in relief of Mastny, rendering moot any effort the Tribe's offense made to make a game of it. And that doesn't even count the 3 runs of Laffey's that Mastny gave up on a grand slam by Angel's catcher Jeff Mathis. In Mastny's defense, he last pitched 10 days ago. I've said it time and again this year and in the past, I don't know how Wedge expects his 4-7 relievers to be of any value whatsoever when he pitches them once every leap year or so. But still, Mastny was awful and Lewis wasn't much better. But the bullpen has been strong in the past 9 games before today - a stretch which saw the Tribe go 7-2. During that run, the pen has tossed 28 innings allowed 6 earned runs, 17 hits and 7 walks. That's an ERA of 1.92 and a WHIP of 0.86 (I'm not going to let the stats I dug up go top waste). Exclude one 4-run blowup by Juan Rincon, and the Tribe's bullpen ERA during the 9-game run is 0.64. Masa Kobayashi has 2 saves and Mastny, of all people, has the pen's lone win during the Tribe's recent hot streak. More importantly, a few key pitchers seem to be settling into roles. Raffy Perez, back firmly in the set-up role where he excelled last year, threw 7 innings in four appearances over the 9 games and did not allow a run. Kobayashi had the 2 saves and has pitched well in general since taking over the closer's role. Edward Mujica threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings during the stretch as he has begun to make a move toward the latter innings of games. The roles being established now though appear to be nothing more than an attempt to wrestle this season under control. While impressions will be made the rest of the way, it's doesn't appear as though anyone will be locking up their role for next season. In another piece for MLB.com, Castrovince reports that Wedge sees the bullpen situation as - shall we say - fluid. "The roles are wide open," Wedge said. "But I do see signs. We've got plenty of time to continue to look at these guys. They're going to have an opportunity to step up and figure out if they can play a prominent role in this thing." Still, in the same piece, Castrovince reports the Tribe doesn't think it will find its 2009 closer on its 2008 club, again quoting Wedge: "A lot would have to happen with the people we have down there now for us to not go out and get somebody," Wedge said. "Somebody would have to grab the role, really lock into it and prove that we can count on them. That's a lot to happen in two and a half months." Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:41:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294667 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294667 The Indians brass, led by Mark Shapiro, Chris Antonelli and Eric Wedge met in Minneapolis today to discuss immediate and future changes to the Tribe lineup. As previously noted here at Tribe Report, the Indians will immediately address the bullpen. The first move will be Joe Borowski's removal as Tribe closer. It's not known whether or not he will be moved out of the roll and into the pen, or if he will be outright released. It's believed that the Indians are in the midst of trying to trade him, and won't announce anything in regards to where Borowski ends up until the official moves are made before tomorrow night's ballgame against the Twins. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:52:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285625 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285625 A busy day on the transaction front for the Tribe, and there is one move I just don't get. Jensen Lewis is back at Buffalo and Jorge Julio is still on the team. Here's how it all came about The Tribe - as I thought might be the case watching the injury occur - put Fausto Carmona on the DL today, meaning Aaron Laffey will stick around even after the expected return of Jake Westbrook early next week. The Tribe brought up Scott Elarton from Buffalo to take Laffey's spot on the roster. That too makes sense as Elarton was having a pretty good season in the pen for the Bisons. Here are his stats from Buffalo: 15 appearances, 1 win, 2 losses and a a 2.45 ERA. He allowed 21 hits and 7 walks in 25 2/3 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .223 BA. In his last 8 outings he's allowed just 1 earned run in 13 1/3 innings. So, so far I'm with you. It's the next move (which is actually two moves) that I don't get. The Tribe sent back Jensen Lewis to Buffalo and brought up last year's every-other-weekly call-up Edward Mujica. You might wonder why the Tribe didn't bring up Buffalo's closer Rick Baeur instead of Mujica. Bauer has outstanding numbers, as we mentioned yesterday, with 12 saves and a 1.83 ERA as well as 25 K's in 19 2/3 innings. Mujica has been - Mujica, with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP But Mujica's not going to be here long. When Westbrook rejoins the rotation in a few days, I'm pretty sure it will be Mujica who will shuffle back to Buffalo. Baeur is not on the 40-man roster, so the Tribe would have had to make room for him on that roster and then, when the sent him back a few days from now, would have used up his first option. My question is this: Why not put Jorge Julio out of our misery after his awful outings of the past few weeks instead Lewis, who was part of the so-called closer-by-four-man committee just a week ago? Lewis has hardly begin great, but Julio has been downright awful and has shown a lack of poise on the mound. He is of no value and should be gone sooner rather than later. Does this move make any sense to you? Sat, 24 May 2008 16:41:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270663 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270663 OK tell the truth. How many of you out there felt that, down 2-1 in the third inning against the Sox tonight, things seemed bleak. Almost hopeless. Another night, another miserable performance by the Tribe offense. Just how much more of this can you watch? I know I'm reaching the breaking point. Don't expect any pertinent points here, or any analysis worth a damn. We've done and read more than enough of that and the bottom line is you don't win if you don't score. It may be getting to be time to pull out that off-season list of literary classics four and and half months early. There is not one guy on this team hitting right now. Not a single one. In the only inning the Tribe had any real opportunity they played small ball and got their only run on the board. That was the highlight for the night. Eric Wedge keeps complaining that his offense isn't performing. Wedge's boss keep saying he can't turn things around with just one new bat from outside the organization. Maybe not. But at some point you have to try. On the other hand, the other teams have to be willing to cut guys loose. It's probably about a month too early for that. In the meantime, how can it hurt to give Andy Marte and Michael Aubrey a look. Just a little aside. It appears even the Web master at Indians.com is in a slump. In the eighth inning, with the Tribe sporting four base hits - three of them of the infield variety - the lead headline on the site read as follows "Indians' bats coming alive in support of ace" Indeed. Jensen Lewis is blowing up the ballgame right now. It's well past my bedtime. Good night nurse! Tue, 20 May 2008 21:53:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269201 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269201