Cabrera helps Tribe win fifth straight
CLEVELAND -- When it comes to Jeremy Sowers and the Indians' bullpen, not much has changed in the past four months.
Sowers, more often than not, pitches well enough to win but usually picks up a no-decision or a loss, while the Tribe's beleaguered 'pen has found it difficult to keep the floodgates from opening.
But the change that has occurred over the past two nights at Progressive Field centers on the Tribe offense, which has all of a sudden found some resiliency in a season that has certainly required it.
It showed Tuesday night when the Indians, after staking Sowers and the bullpen to a three-run lead only to see it evaporate into a tie, rallied back with two runs in the eighth inning to beat the Orioles, 7-5, and collect their fifth straight win before 21,143 fans.
"They just keep coming at them," manager Eric Wedge said. "That's what we're all about and that's the way it should be."
That hasn't been commonplace for most of the season, though, as Cleveland came into Tuesday's game just 3-13 when the game is tied after seven innings and 2-11 if its tied after the eighth.
Those numbers need not apply to the first two games in a four-game set with the Orioles, a similar out-of-contention club plagued by a self-destructive bullpen.
But the numbers did apply to Sowers and the rough time he has had in the first inning. The young left-hander raised his first-inning ERA to 9.00 on Tuesday after he put the first two runners he faced in scoring position before Melvin Mora brought home the first with an RBI single and Aubrey Huff plated the second with a sacrifice fly to put the Tribe in an early 2-0 hole.
"He has to do a better job of having it when he gets out there instead of working his way into it," Wedge said.
The Tribe's bats had it when they came up for their first at-bats against O's lefty Garrett Olson. All nine hitters came to the plate as Jhonny Peralta, Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez and Andy Marte all collected RBI singles to give Sowers a 4-2 cushion before he came back for the second inning.
"Any time your team scores four runs out the gate, especially after you give up two to start, it's a good confidence boost," Sowers said. "It's always more fun to pitch with the lead."
The fun continued when the Indians gave him more to work with in the fourth inning. Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a double and scored on a sharp hit ball by Jamey Carroll, which Mora bobbled before throwing into the seats on the first-base line.
It wouldn't be enough to make things uninteresting for once, though, as the Tribe bats went cold and the O's heated up against Sowers and the Indians' bullpen. After adding a run in the fifth inning, the Orioles chased Sowers in the seventh before they collected back-to-back RBI singles off Masa Kobayashi and Rafael Perez, respectively, to tie it at 5.
It could have been worse, as Perez stifled the threat by inducing Mora into a groundball double play to maintain the tie.
"Masa didn't have it tonight," Wedge said, "but Perez picked him up and carried it to the next inning as well."
Cleveland's bats followed Perez's lead when they got to Baltimore reliever Jim Johnson in the bottom of the eighth. Shin-Soo Choo took a fastball to the side to get on first before advancing to second on a Marte sacrifice bunt. Cabrera brought the go-ahead run home with a sharp single up the middle to break the tie and reclaim a lead they really shouldn't have had to reclaim in the first place.
"He's been really playing some good baseball," Wedge said of Cabrera, who went 3-for-4 Tuesday and is hitting .301 since he was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on July 18. "He's put some really good at-bats together. The kid's really worked hard in Buffalo and he's really worked hard up here."
After Ben Francisco's RBI single gave him an insurance run to work with, Jensen Lewis, the latest reliever to get his chance as a closer, made quick work of the O's in the ninth inning. He struck out the final two Orioles hitters to pick up his second career save, cap the 1-2-3 inning and close another see-saw night at Progressive Field.
"It's been back and forth," Wedge said, "but, overall, it's been pretty good baseball."
Copyright 2008 Sporting Life UK Ltd, All Rights Reserved.
Wilson headed to disabled list
ARLINGTON -- C.J. Wilson is headed to the disabled list with bone spurs in his left elbow. He will travel to Los Angeles as soon as he can to see Dr. Lewis Yocum about the possibility of having surgery.
This was decided between Wilson and manager Ron Washington after Tuesday night's game. Joaquin Benoit will be activated from the disabled list, where he's been since July 5 with inflammation in his right shoulder, and replace Wilson on the Rangers' roster.
"He was throwing 93 [mph] but effectiveness has got to be a part of it," Washington said. "He's got to get it right."
However, it was an earlier exchange between Wilson and Washington that caught people's attention.
Wilson entered Tuesday's game in the eighth inning -- his first setup appearance of the season -- and struggled to get his pitches over for strikes. He walked Bobby Abreu to lead off the inning and hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch before striking out Xavier Nady on a full count. Wilson then walked Robinson Cano to load the bases and gave up a grand slam to Richie Sexson.
After the grand slam, Washington went to the mound to make a pitching change. Wilson flipped the ball to Washington and began to walk off the mound.
"I was extremely upset," Wilson said. "That's what happened."
Wilson didn't get far, though, before Washington grabbed him by his right arm, pulled him back toward him and said something before letting him go.
"I told him, 'Don't flip the ball to me. You hand it to me,' " Washington said.
Wilson said he'd been trying to pitch through his bone spur problems. But after his performance Tuesday and his postgame meeting with Washington and general manager Jon Daniels, it became clear a trip to the disabled list was the only option.
"There's no other plan. What am I supposed to do? Go out there and walk everybody? The team needs to win," Wilson said.
The only question now for Wilson is exactly how much time he will miss. Wilson said there was no doubt he would have to have surgery on his throwing elbow at some point, but he said it would be up to Dr. Yocum as to how soon he would need to go under the knife.
"I'm going to have to have elbow surgery at some point," Wilson said. "It's just a matter of what Dr. Yocum says. Whatever he says goes."
Wilson is 2-2 this season with 24 saves and a 6.02 ERA. In 46 1/3 innings, he's walked 27 batters. He's also allowed at least one run in five of his past eight outings, blowing two saves during that span.
With that in mind, Wilson has come to terms with taking a trip to the disabled list for the good of his team.
"If I feel like a four-letter word, I can't help the team win," Wilson said. "We have plenty of capable guys in the bullpen who can."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Improbable night ends with extras win
CLEVELAND -- Shortly after Wednesday turned to Thursday at Progressive Field, Kenny Rogers got up from his seat in the dugout and headed to the bullpen.
No, "The Gambler" didn't make his first relief appearance since the 2006 World Series. But on a day(s) like Wednesday, which started off with the Tigers dealing future Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez to the Yankees and ended with a 14-12, 13-inning comeback win that took five hours and 33 minutes to complete, nothing could be ruled improbable.
"No matter what happens, that will go down as one of my most memorable because of everything that happened," Jim Leyland said after his 2,633rd game as a Major League manager. "I'll never forget that game."
For as much significance as many Tigers put into Thursday morning's win, the unforgettable game ended rather unceremoniously. Casey Fossum struck out pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll, sending the team off to a mini standing ovation from a handful of displaced Tigers fans.
But it was how the Tigers got there that made it so memorable.
Facing the odds-on favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award in Cliff Lee, the Tigers, particularly starter Nate Robertson, didn't help themselves as they saw the AL's eighth-best offense put up eight runs in the first three innings to take an 8-1 lead.
Errors from outfielders Marcus Themes and Curtis Granderson certainly didn't make things easier on Robertson, but all the runs were definitely earned as the spectacled lefty couldn't close the deal with two outs. Both the home runs he allowed -- a solo shot to Ben Francisco and a three-run homer from Grady Sizemore -- came with two outs.
"I didn't throw very well," Robertson said. "My slider was off and on, and they weren't missing a whole lot of pitches. But what's so great about the game ... is you can come to the ballpark and you never know what you're going to see."
What Robertson and the rest of the 26,596 in attendance saw was the Tigers peck away at Lee with a run in the third and another in the fourth on Miguel Cabrera's 19th homer of the season. Then, in the fifth, the Tigers chased the 14-game winner after new everyday catcher Brandon Inge's leadoff homer, an RBI single from Placido Polanco, a sacrifice fly from Cabrera and another RBI single from Gary Sheffield.
"Next thing you know," Granderson said, "we've got a shot."
All of a sudden, it was 8-6 and the game was in the hands of the Major League's worst bullpen.
"I've seen that happen before where a guy that's having a [heck] of a year gives up five, six, seven runs and it looks like you've got another win," Leyland said. "You're sailing through, then, all of a sudden, something freaky happens."
"Freaky" might be the only way to describe how the Tigers finally tied it in the eighth inning and eventually took the lead in the ninth.
Down to their last four outs and now down 11-7 after Aquilino Lopez and Todd Jones allowed home runs to Ben Francisco and Kelly Shoppach, respectively, the Tigers rallied for four runs on a walk and four straight hits off Ed Mujica. Polanco followed with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to put the Tigers ahead and set up new closer Fernando Rodney for his second save of the year.
But it didn't go down that easy.
Shoppach ripped a knee-high Rodney fastball into the left-field bleachers to tie the game at 12 and send the game into extra innings. All Leyland could do was "tip his cap" to the Indians' catcher, who finished the night 5-for-6 with three doubles and two home runs, tying the Major League record for most extra-base hits in a single game.
"It's very rare that the other team wins when a guy has a night like that," Leyland said.
They did, though.
Never really mounting a threat through the first three extra innings, the Tigers had to rely on their bullpen to keep them afloat.
Bobby Seay escaped in the 10th inning when, after loading the bases with an intentional walk to Shoppach and a plain old walk to Andy Marte, he struck out Andy Gonzalez to end the threat. In the 12th, it got even more hairy when Casey Fossum loaded the bases with no one out and Shoppach at the plate.
"That's where the emotions go up and down," Granderson said. "Mentally, you're just trying to stay tough and understand that your team isn't the only team that's out there for five-plus hours. They're out there as well battling."
But the battle would go on as Shoppach went down swinging before Marte grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
"I've had it happen to me many, many times in my career," Leyland said. "You're at home, you load the bases in the bottom of the extra innings and you don't get the run. Invariably, the other team scores in the next inning."
The Tigers did, of course, as Polanco scored Carlos Guillen with a groundout and the Tigers tacked on an insurance run.
"It's just one of those moments where it shows you it's an incredible team game," Inge said. "Some of your guys may not be having their best nights, but everyone picked up the slack."
And just think, the Tigers and Indians get to go at it less than 12 hours after Fossum struck out Carroll as Thursday's first pitch is set for 12:05 p.m.
"I'm ready to go," Leyland said. "I wish the casino was open. I'd go for an hour or two and play the slot machines."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Phils back Kendrick early, sink Braves
ATLANTA -- Before they turned the National League East into a muddled mess and their normally potent offense went quiet, the Phillies were one of the hottest teams in baseball, fresh off a sweep of the reeling Braves.
That momentum ended in Atlanta, however, when the Phillies proceeded to drop 13 of their next 18 games.
Back in Atlanta three weeks later, they seem to have rekindled some of those good feelings just in time for a critical stretch that could determine where this season leads.
On the strength of Kyle Kendrick's six-plus innings and four RBIs from Shane Victorino, the Phillies resumed their recent dominance of the Braves with an 8-3 win on Tuesday night at Turner Field.
With the win, Philadelphia is now 1 1/2 games ahead of Florida in the National League East standings. The Phillies are 6-1 against the Braves this season.
The Phils play 19 games this month against NL East opponents. Tuesday was a promising start to that daunting stretch.
"We were struggling a little bit, but guys are starting to swing the bats now, and guys are starting to pitch a little better, and we'll be all right," said Kendrick, who, along with ace Cole Hamels, has kept the Phillies in the division race, even though they have lost nine of their past 12 games.
Kendrick improved to 6-0 in his past 11 starts against NL teams, and the Phillies are 11-0 overall in those starts.
After tossing eight scoreless innings Wednesday against the A's, Kendrick held the Braves without a run for the first six innings.
"He was sailing along there tonight," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Kendrick.
Then Kendrick said he briefly lost his concentration. He allowed the first three batters to reach base in the seventh inning, and his night was done after a two-run double by pinch-hitter Greg Norton trimmed the Phillies' lead to 5-2.
Kendrick said that mental lapse ruined what was an otherwise great outing, one that once again put the Phillies in a position to win the game.
"Kendrick has been nice to have since he showed up," Manuel said, later adding, "He's been absolutely great for us. I don't know what we would have done last year or this year without him."
J.C. Romero relieved Kendrick with a runner on second base and no out in the seventh. He got Gregor Blanco to ground out before walking two batters to load the bases. After an RBI groundout by Mark Teixeira, Romero induced two harmless groundouts to second, and emphatically pumped his fist before walking toward the dugout.
"It's something the bullpen has been doing all season, and he came in and shut the door and stopped that momentum," said Victorino, who hit a two-run homer in the third inning off Braves starter Charlie Morton.
Entering the ninth with a two-run lead, Pedro Feliz had a sacrifice fly and Victorino slapped a two-out, two-run single that gave the Phillies a comfortable 8-3 lead they could turn over to Brad Lidge.
Nearly the entire Phillies' order had its way with Morton, who surrendered six straight hits to start the four-run third. The Braves rookie was chased after allowing five runs in two-plus innings, the shortest outing of his young career.
Six of the Phillies' top seven hitters in the order had at least two hits Tuesday, a good sign after batting .181 in their past 11 games.
"We all hit well and it seemed like we haven't been doing that, but it was nice to get some hits and drive in some runs and score some runs," Victorino said.
Pat Burrell, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, became the second Phillies player to hit at least 20 homers in eight consecutive seasons when he went deep off Morton in the second inning. Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is the only other Phillie to accomplish the feat, as he hit 20 or more in 14 straight seasons from 1974-87.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Branyan's batting 'edge' computer-aided
MILWAUKEE -- A couple of times a week, one of Russell Branyan's teammates will put down his PSP or his iPhone -- gifts from the owner over the last couple of years -- and peer at Branyan sitting at a laptop computer in the training room, playing what looks like an old school arcade game. Think 1982's Q*bert, but not as high-tech.
Branyan is working, not playing games.
"Guys ask questions about it," Branyan said. "But I don't know if anyone else has committed to it."
Nope.
"I've gotten plenty of questions," said Chris Joyner, the Brewers' strength and conditioning specialist. "But no one has jumped in."
Branyan jumped in this spring when he decided to commit more regularly to the "Vizual Edge Performance Trainer," a computer program billed as weight training for the eyes, developed by the Visual Fitness Institute out of Vernon Hills, Ill. The software includes a number of exercises tailored to a variety of sports, that according to its developer, Dr. Barry Seiller, can help athletes improve their visual alignment, flexibility, recognition and tracking, as well as their depth perception.
Branyan is interested in the depth perception drill. He says his work with the Vizual Edge software -- two or three times a week for as little as 10 minutes per session -- is certainly not the only reason for his resurgence this season with the Brewers.
But Branyan believes it has helped.
"It makes sense that you train the muscles in your eyes, just like you train the muscles in the rest of your body," he said. "You might think you're focused on the ball as it's coming at you, when really you're focused just behind it. That can be the difference between a swing and a miss and making good, hard contact.
"I know how this game is," Branyan said. "I know I could have come up and landed flat on my face, then been back in the situation I've always been in, sitting on the bench and wondering when I'm going to play again. I'm fortunate to have been able to come up swinging the bat well in Triple-A and continue it here."
The 32-year-old was jobless when Brewers pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training in February, but he convinced Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin to give him a Minor League opportunity. It made sense for both sides -- the Brewers didn't have a third baseman lined up at Triple-A Nashville, which happened to be Branyan's current hometown.
A hot start for the Sounds -- a .359 average and 12 home runs over 45 games -- earned Branyan a promotion to Milwaukee, where he became the left-handed half of a third-base platoon with Bill Hall.
Hall remains unhappy, hitting .182 in June despite playing mostly against left-handed pitching, but Branyan has found success. He was just 1-for-7 in two starts against the Braves, but is batting .286 in 25 games with 10 home runs and 17 RBIs. Branyan hit his 10 homers in his first 59 at-bats.
"He's always been a guy I wanted to spend time with," Brewers hitting coach Jim Skaalen said. "But I'm not taking any credit for what he's done. He came to us with a great setup, taking quality swings. There's just so much natural ability there, so much easy power."
Branyan's problem has always been getting the most of that "easy power." He has struck out 784 times in 1,945 career big league at-bats, and this season is only slightly better than that pace, with 29 whiffs in 77 at-bats this season.
But when Branyan has made contact this year, he has done damage. Part of that has to do with seeing the baseball better, which in turn has to do with the Vizual Edge software.
In the depth perception drill, Branyan looks at a box on-screen with four quadrants -- up, down, left and right. One of those quadrants appears three-dimensional, appearing to "pop" off the screen or "sink" into it. Using the arrows on a laptop or a joystick, he has to identify which box is affected and the computer keeps his score. There are five levels of difficulty; Branyan gets up to Level 4.
"And that's pretty difficult," he said.
He was introduced to the program in the Cleveland organization, and has used it off and on since, including during his 2004-2005 stint with Milwaukee. The Brewers run their Minor Leaguers through its various exercises, and Brewers scouts have used it as part of their evaluations of potential Draft picks.
When he was looking for a job this spring, Branyan decided to commit.
"I said, 'What the heck. I'm going to stick with it,'" he recalled. "I had it at the house, and in the mornings I would wake up before the rest of the family and spend 10 minutes working on it."
He believes it can be especially effective for hitters coming off the bench or players who start only a few days per week.
"I think this program is really beneficial for that," Branyan said. "When you're not in there every single day, seeing live pitching come at you at that speed, [the program] is a real benefit to help bench players stay sharp.
"That's basically what I'm doing. I'm coming off the bench, platooning with Billy and not playing every day. I think it's more of a benefit to me now than when I was playing every day at Triple-A."
He's been a boost to the Brewers, who are 20-11 since Branyan's May 25 big league season debut, and 14-8 with him in the starting lineup. With right-hander Nick Blackburn starting for the Twins on Friday night, Branyan should be in the starting lineup at the start of a three-game Interleague Series.
It was pointed out that he debuted at third base one year to the date from Ryan Braun's first game with the Brewers in 2007. The similarities end there, Branyan said with a laugh.
"I'm a little different that he is," Branyan said. "I'm just happy to be in the big leagues and I'm going to work to keep it going."
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Aviles' homer boosts Royals to victory
ST. LOUIS -- There's doesn't seem to be any stopping Mike Aviles.
Aviles, the Royals' irrepressible rookie shortstop, lined a home run in the eighth inning on Tuesday night to give right-hander Kyle Davies a 2-1 Interleague victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
"I basically went up there to hit a ball in the gap because we had our 3-4-5 hitters coming up behind me," Aviles said. "Hopefully I'd get in scoring position."
What better scoring position than trotting around the bases?
Facing left-hander Ron Villone, Aviles drilled a 1-1 pitch into the left-field bullpen to snap a 1-1 tie. It was the third home run in 12 games for Aviles, who is batting .333 since being called up from Triple-A Omaha.
"It was going to be high, and it was a changeup. It shouldn't be high," Villone said. "Changeups should be low. I was looking for a ground ball, and I hung a pitch. A guy took advantage of it and I lost the game."
The win gave Davies a 3-0 record and the Royals a 5-2 mark in Interleague Play this year.
Not only that, the Royals have won four of their last five games after a stretch in which they were a grisly 4-19.
"It was a really rough month," manager Trey Hillman said. "I don't want to let up too much. We've got to keep grinding it out. But I think they're playing looser and even when we start out behind, they believe now that we've still got a chance to come back."
Davies gave the Royals that chance as a full house of 43,793 packed Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals struck first in the third, but it could've been a bigger inning. Cesar Izturis, batting ninth behind pitcher Joel Pineiro, got a pop-fly double and Skip Schumaker singled. First and third, no outs.
But Davies got Brendan Ryan to rap into a double play, executed nicely by Aviles. Izturis scored, but a real crisis was averted.
Davies pitched in with the Royals' first run, too, bunting Ross Gload to second base after a single. David DeJesus lined a two-out single to center and Gload was home.
This was Davies' fourth start and for the fourth straight time, he held the opposition to one run. It's all a matter of confidence built during his early-season stay with Triple-A Omaha.
"Knowing I don't have to be perfect and I can still get people out," he said.
Davies pointed out that this was the fifth straight game in which the starting pitcher had given the Royals at least seven innings, saving wear-and-tear on the bullpen.
"That way we can give the ball over to [Ron] Mahay in the eighth and give it to [Joakim] Soria in the ninth. It's an easier game that-a-way when your starter goes seven," he said.
That's exactly the way it happened against the Cardinals with Mahay and Soria each pitching a 1-2-3 inning.
In fact, Mahay was warming up to replace Davies when he looked up to see Aviles' line drive heading his way.
"It was a cool night tonight and it wasn't traveling as good as it does when it's warm out," Mahay said. "But I saw it just keep traveling out there and it was a good feeling."
Maybe he should have jumped up and caught the souvenir.
"I could've, but I don't think it would've looked good if I'd have hopped off the mound and caught it," Mahay said.
Soria followed Mahay and notched his 16th save in 17 chances, making it look easy again.
"It's never easy," Soria said.
Not much has been easy for the Royals this season, including the well-documented 12-loss skid that began with Jon Lester's no-hitter at Boston.
"The team's a whole lot better," Davies said. "I wasn't here, but this team should not have lost 12 in a row. Knock on wood, that's not going to happen again."
Aviles, who played behind Davies for Omaha, senses good things as well.
"We have a good group of veteran guys and young guys here and it makes a good environment," Aviles said. "For right now, our record doesn't show that but things are turning around."
Aviles is doing his part, even fulfilling his manager's fondest hopes.
"I was sitting there hoping somebody would go boom," Hillman said.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Acta confronts Dukes in Nats' dugout
WASHINGTON -- In the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday's game between the Nationals and Pirates, TV cameras showed Nationals manager Manny Acta dressing down outfielder Elijah Dukes in the dugout.
The confrontation came a few minutes after Lastings Milledge hit a two-run homer, scoring Dukes ahead of him. According to baseball sources, Acta was not angry with Dukes for showboating with Milledge near home plate after the home run. There was a miscommunication in the dugout. Dukes thought that Acta didn't want to shake his hand.
After Nationals closer Jon Rauch was able to record the final out of the game, Dukes refused to shake Acta's hand. A few minutes later, Acta, Dukes and general manager Jim Bowden had a closed-door meeting and settled the issue.
Acta did not return a phone message, while Dukes and Bowden weren't available for comment.
It's the third time in less than a week that Acta, who is usually a patient man, has displayed his emotions with a player in public. Last Friday against the Giants at Nationals Park, Acta came out of the dugout and spoke heatedly with right-hander Jason Bergmann after the latter had walked opposing pitcher Tim Lincecum with the bases loaded.
A few minutes later, Bergmann threw a slider up in the zone and Jose Castillo deposited it over the right-center-field wall for a three-run homer. After the inning ended, Acta showed his emotions again. He was upset that catcher Jesus Flores called that particular pitch against Castillo, and told the catcher so in the dugout. Acta believed Bergmann should have used his curveball, which is his best pitch.
Copyright 2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
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