SB Nation - Cleveland Indians

Twins In Late Season Battle To Avoid Last Place

Steve von Horn — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:35:26 -0000

The Minnesota Twins have worked their way into an unsavory race to avoid landing in last place in the American League at the end of the 2012 regular season -- something they couldn't manage to escape in 2011 -- so it's scoreboard watching time for fans that hope to retain some modicum of dignity heading into the offseason. The Twins and Cleveland Indians are locked up in last with identical 62-88 records heading into action on Friday, Sept. 21, and the remaining schedules for each team include matchups against playoff-caliber competition.

The Indians have been awful in the second half of the 2012 season, going 18-47 since the All-Star break, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Twins are safe from getting locked in the AL cellar for the winter. Joe Christiansen of the Star Tribune has broken down the remaining schedules for each team, and here is what lies ahead for the Twins and Indians:

Twins: at Tigers (3), vs. Yankees (3), vs. Tigers (3), at Blue Jays (3)

Indians: at Royals (3), at White Sox (3), vs. Royals (3), vs. White Sox (3)

For more on the Twins, visit TwinkieTown. For more on the MLB, visit Baseball Nation.

Progressive Field Attendance About What You'd Expect For Indians-Twins

Brendan Porath — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:30:57 -0000

A late September weekday game between the two worst teams in the American League, temperatures in the low to mid 60s, two lineups largely comprised of guys you've never heard of...and you end up with the kind of Progressive Field crowd that you'd expect. But the pictures are still jarring and depressing:

Via Zack Meisel of MLB.com:

Check out Let's Go Tribe for more on the Indians, and head over to Twinkie Town for more Twins coverage. Also be sure to visit Baseball Nation for even more news and analysis from around the league.

Josh Willingham Became First Twin To Hit 35 Home Runs Since 1970

Steve von Horn — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:29:37 -0000

Minnesota Twins slugger Josh Willingham smashed his 35th home run of the 2012 season during Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians, which makes him the first Twins player to reach the 35 HR mark for a single season since Harmon Killebrew hit 41 long balls in 1970. The historical note comes via Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500, who also reminds fans that Twins history was marred by a long drought of 30+ home run hitters from 1987 to 2006 -- a streak finally snapped by Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau.

Willingham has been a revelation for the Twins since he signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the team during the off-season. The 33-year-old slugger has posted a batting line of .262/.369/.901 over 594 plate appearances with the Twins in 2012, but his home run prowess has been even more intriguing.

Target Field is a big park that actually suppresses home runs when compared to the average ballpark, so the fact that Willingham has managed to belt the sixth-most home runs of any player in the American League is quite an accomplishment.

The season has been a disaster for the Twins, but Willingham has more than pulled his weight. According to FanGraphs, he has produced $17.5 million in value on the field for Minnesota this season. That's quite a deal, considering his contract.

For more on the Twins, visit TwinkieTown. For more on the MLB, visit Baseball Nation.

Jason Kipnis Nominated By Indians For Roberto Clemente Award

Satchel Price — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 18:04:33 -0000

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis expressed his gratitude to reporters after being nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award on Tuesday, as Jordan Bastian of MLB.com writes.

The award, named after one of the game's legendary athletes and ambassadors, is given to the player who, "best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement."

Kipnis spoke of his appreciation for receiving the honor given the off-field contributions of many other Indians players, as each team receives one nomination.

Anyone who gets into the same sentence with [Clemente] is obviously honored. You try to be a good person and a good teammate on and off the field. Everyone knows that's what he was. He is a role model for that... There's a lot of guys on this team that I know personally could have been good recipients of that award, too. They do off-field activities and help out where they can, and give up some of their free time to visit people in hospitals and stuff like that. I'm definitely honored to accept the nomination and represent Cleveland.

The 25-year-old second baseman has also had a solid season on the field, hitting .253/.326/.378 with 14 homers and 27 stolen bases.

Indians Radio Broadcast Rights Subject Of Bidding War

Brendan Porath — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:42:05 -0000

You may be hearing the dulcet tones of Tom Hamilton on a different radio station next season. Paul Hoynes reported Monday night that WTAM 1100 and 92.3 The Fan are currently in a bidding war for the Tribe's radio broadcast rights. Crain's Cleveland reported that 92.3 is the favorite to acquire the rights,

WTAM has provided the Indians radio broadcast since 1998, with Hamilton as the mainstay play-by-play voice. The station has a powerful AM signal, allowing Tribe fans to pick up the games across several states on clear evenings. Regardless of who wins the bidding war, the beloved Hamilton will still be in the chair providing the call. Hamilton is an Indians employee and his contract runs through 2016. His partner Jim Rosenhaus, who has a great radio voice, is up for review with his contract ending after this season.

For all your Indians news and notes, check out Let's Go Tribe.

Justin Verlander To Be Featured On E:60 Next Week

Griffin Gotta — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:53:30 -0000

The Detroit sports scene continues to get national attention, as ESPN's E:60 feature series will profile Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. ET, according to a report by Tony Paul of The Detroit News.

Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was spotlighted on the show in late August, and the show will now look at Verlander's passion for speed -- fast talking, fast cars and fastballs, for example -- at his Virginia home. The show includes a look at commercial shoots and continues onward to Opening Day for the Tigers, according to the article, which also includes a preview of Verlander's segment. The reporter narrating the preview is one of ESPN's top baseball insiders, Buster Olney.

Verlander is 13-8 this season for Detroit with a 2.91 ERA, ninth-best in the major leagues. He pitches Friday night in Cleveland against the Indians, as the Tigers open a three-game weekend series, sitting one game behind the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central division lead.

Head over to Bless You Boys for more Tigers coverage, and check out Baseball Nation for even more news from around the league.

Chris Perez Takes Aim At Indians Owner Larry Dolan

Dave Ryan — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 23:53:57 -0000

Unhappy with his team's inability to go after big name players, Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez continues to speak his mind to the media at every turn, and expressed angst to FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi about Cleveland owner Larry Dolan's decision-making in recent years.

"Josh Willingham would look great in this lineup," Perez said about his former teammate, who left to join the Minnesota Twins in the offseason. "They didn’t want to [pony] up for that last year. That’s the decision they make, and this is the bed we’re laying in."

When asked about how he compares Dolan with an owner like Mike Ilitch of the Detroit Tigers, Perez said it isn't even close.

"Different owners," Perez said. "It comes down to that. The Tigers are spending money. Ilitch wants to win. Even when the economy was down, he spent money. You get what you pay for in baseball."

Head over to Let's Go Tribe for more Indians coverage, and be sure to visit Baseball Nation for more news and analysis from around the league.

Jurickson Profar Hits HR In First Career AB

Brendan Porath — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:09:23 -0000

Jurickson Profar began his Major League career in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, going deep in his first at-bat in the big leagues.

He took a 2-1 fastball from Indians starter Zach McAllister twenty rows deep into the right-field stands at Progressive Field, as the ball was gone as soon as it left the bat (video of the solo shot here).

Profar was considered untouchable at the trade deadline, and he appears to already be making an impact at the big league level. The homer was the first ever hit in Major League Baseball by a player born in 1993.

The HR was the start of a four-run third-inning rally by Texas. The Rangers now lead the Tribe 4-2 as they try to clinch the series in Cleveland.

You Can Give Up On Your Delusions Of Mark Cuban Owning The Indians

Brendan Porath — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:01:01 -0000

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to Twitter late Thursday night to talk about the Republican Convention, Mitt Romney, the economy, and tax matters. But slipped into the barrage of tweets on non-sports issues was a quick response to an inquisitive Clevelander. The billionaire NBA owner was asked if he'd be willing to purchase the Cleveland Indians, and his response was short and sweet (after the jump):

Via @MCuban:

There have been baseless rumors over the years that Cuban might be interested in buying the Indians (with reports of his interest in the Cubs and Pirates having slightly more legitimacy). You can end your delusions about Cuban pulling the Tribe from the throes of the Dolan regime.

Obviously, the Indians brutal summer has added to the despair, depression and anger at owner Larry Dolan. That will lead to rampant and hopeful speculation. Maybe you can keep your Dan Gilbert hopes alive?

For all your Indians news and notes, visit Let's Go Tribe.