New pitcher. Same results.

Fausto Carmona allowed six runs on six hits in five innings as the Indians stumbled to a 8-5 loss Wednesday at the hands of the Rangers.

Sheldon Ocker found the performance similar to Lee’s monday clunker. Both pitchers pitched five innings. Both pitchers allowed four runs in the second inning and both pitchers gave up runs in the fifth inning.

Lee gave up a three run home run to Hank Blalock in the fifth Monday.

Carmona allowed two runs in the inning on a double by Michael Young, a triple by Josh Hamilton and misplayed bouncer up the middle by Nelson Cruz.

Down in Texas, the wins are all about the red hats. The Rangers have not donned the red caps since 2000, the last time they won the first two games of the season, MLB.com’s TR Sullivan writes.

Other game stories:
Paul Hoynes — Cleveland Plain Dealer
Anthony Castrovince — MLB.com
Jeff Wilson — Texas Star Telegram

That’s not what I said!

Cliff Lee found himself in a bit of controversy after one of his comments was miscontrued by the panel on Baseball Tonight.

“If Victor Martinez lays out and is able to catch that ball, those runs don’t score,” Lee said following Monday’s loss according to Paul Hoynes. 

Lee sought out Martinez to make sure he knew what he really meant.

“I was saying two feet is the difference in those runs right there,” he said Wednesday. “It’s not, ‘He should have made that play.’ I was saying, ‘If they hit it two feet to the right, he makes that play.’ It was taken out of context, because I had just gotten through saying I take responsibility and expect more out of myself.” Lee said according to Anthony Castrovince.

While on the topic of Lee, He is currently on schedule to pitch against CC Sabathia April 16th in the New Yankee Stadium opener.

Whats happenin’ in Akron?

The Cleveland Indian’s top organizational prospect, Carlos Santana, wasted little time showing Akron fans how could he can be when he sent the second pitch he saw over the fence for a three run home run.

Staff ace, Hector Rondon took care of the rest as he struck out six and allowed one earned run in 5 2/3 innings as the Aeros beat the Bowie Baysox 9-5 Wednesday night.

Aeros beat writer Stephanie Storm says that Rondon could find himself in Cleveland sooner rather than later.

The home run was extra special for Santana, who finished the game 2-4 with four RBI and a run scored. It was his 23rd birthday as well.

The Rest…

Jamey Carroll will not need surgery to repair his broken left hand. He will still miss four to six weeks though.

Wes Ferrell and Sandy Alomar Jr. headline this year’s class of Indian’s hall of famers.

Anthony Castrovince already has a profile for Carl Pavano’s start tonight up.

Today is another opening day as the Double A Akron Aeros are supposed to kick off its season against the Bowie Baysox 7:05 p.m. tonight at Canal Park.

Ohio.com Aeros beat reporter Stephanie Storm is getting the season started by talking to the Indian’s most-heralded prospect, Carlos Santana.

The switch-hitting catcher draws comparisons to Victor Martinez for his offensive abilities.

Scroll down to the previous post to get a full series preview.

The Plain Dealer also took a minute to look at the Indian’s minor league systems and how they have centralized them in Ohio. Single A Kinston (North Carolina) and the Indian’s spring training complex in Arizona are the only two minor league clubs not in Ohio.

The Indians will be looking to bounce back from their dreadful debut Monday tonight. Although Terry Pluto writes that the shot Cliff Lee took off the elbow had more to do with the bad outing then anything.

Paul Hoynes wrote Lee did have some bright spots. Hoynes also notes that five of the last seven World Series champions lost its openers.

The Star-Telegram in Texas wrote that tonight’s starting pitcher Vincente Padilla was the Ranger’s best pitcher last year is now in a contract season.

The Rangers also got a smooth start from rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The two heralded prospects were traded to the Rangers from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Mark Texiera two seasons ago.

The Rest…

Anthony Castrovince wrote about Travis Hafner’s journey the past few seasons.

The Classic Indian’s movie “Major League” is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It doesn’t mention it in the story, but the Indians will have Rick Vaughn bobble head night on June 15th.

Texas Rangers ace Kevin Millwood was making his fourth consecutive opening day start since joining the Texas Rangers.

The results have never been good (0-3).

They were Monday.

Millwood pitched seven strong innings allowing just one run and five hits, all singles, to pick up the easy 9-1 win.

Millwood has been a disappointment for the Rangers. Over the last two seasons his ERA has hovered above 5.00. His record stands at 19-24.

Yet, the former Indian always seems to do one thing well: beat the Indians, Paul Hoynes wrote. Millwood is now 4-1 in six career starts against the Tribe.

Conversely, Indians starter Cliff Lee has never been very good while pitching in Texas (3-3, 9.19 ERA in six career starts), but that didn’t seem to be the reason for his troubles Monday.

Lee retired the first four batters of the game before being hit in the left forearm on a Hank Blalock single up the middle.

The Rangers took advantage of the situation, posting four runs in the in the inning.

The Indians brass said the forearm shot was not a factor, Sheldon Ocker wrote.

Lee worked well through the third and fourth innings, but gave up a three-run home run to Blalock in the fifth that sealed his fate.

Anthony Castrovince had this to say in his blog:

Today’s loss boiled down to a poorly pitched second inning and one particularly bad pitch to Blalock in the fifth.

On the other hand, Millwood was simply brilliant. Jim Reeves of the Star-Telegram credited Millwood’s off season conditioning to the good start.

Reeves points out Rangers club president Nolan Ryan basically informed his pitchers during the off season to get in shape or find a new team.

Although the Rangers swung the bats well, the hitters gave all the credit to Millwood.

The rest…

The Indians were awestruck to have former President George W. Bush in their locker room Monday. Bush, a former owner of the Rangers, threw out the first pitch.

Catcher Kelly Shoppach, as well many other players, received signed baseballs from “Dubya” as well as pictures.

– Omar Vizquel expects to play in Thursday’s game.

“I can’t hit Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona,” Vizquel joked with Paul Hoynes.

– Anthony Castrovince has already moved onto Wednesday. Fausto Carmona must keep his composure and emotions intact, he writes.

Good riddance, Goodyear.

At least that’s the tone coming out of spring training. Appropriately, the Indians ended their 30-game stay by struggling mightily in a 9-8 loss to the Cubs Thursday.

This time it was Anthony Reyes turn to get roughed up. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on six hits in two innings, per Sheldon Ocker.

This was the first time Reyes really struggled all spring. Asdrubal Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta both committed errors.

The best part about the game though? IT DOESN’T MATTER.

If Cliff Lee pitches well Monday, no one will even care about the spring.

The Indians flew to Houston yesterday to play the Astros tonight and tomorrow at Minute Maid Park before heading to Arlington, Texas to play the Rangers Monday in the season opener.

Manager Eric Wedge called the spring “unusual” and unlike any he has seen, according to Anthony Castrovince.

Wedge said the World Baseball Classic and battles for the bullpen and starting pitching spots made it different and sometimes difficult.

Players are just sick of spring training as well.

“It’s good to get out of here,” he said. “Everybody’s been champing at the bit to get out of here for a while. It will be a shot of fresh air getting into a big league stadium [Minute Maid Park]. Hopefully we’ll be a little more crisp.”

The best of the rest…

A couple of good profiles hit the Internet when Anthony Castrovince broke down Jhonny Peralta’s importance to the Indians and Sheldon Ocker profiled Fausto Carmona.

Both good reads.

Jake Westbrook is doing well in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, but will be staying behind in Goodyear to continue the process, Paul Hoynes wrote.

Hoynes is even becoming technologically advanced by filming his interview, check it out.

David Dellucci is also staying back in Goodyear as he rehabs his strained calf, Hoynes notes.

Who cares? Is this guy really going to make an impact on this team? I doubt it.

The real nugget from Hoynes’ notebook is that Adam Miller is progressing through his bullpen sessions and is ready to face batters.

Not sure what that means or how the new grip has altered his actual pitches, but it is progress none the less.

Anthony Castrovince answered his mail bag today.

Terry Pluto scribbled about Travis Hafner, Masa Kobayashi and Josh Barfield, to name a few.

Cleveland Indians starter Cliff Lee was shelled yesterday in a Spring training game against the Rangers as he allowed nine earned runs and 11 hits in just under three innings of work.

Apparently Lee was working on the location of his fastball and threw the pitch the majority of the time.

Our own Sheldon Ocker examined the effort in this piece, which includes a shot at ESPN.

The best thing Lee did yesterday was back up third base and home plate, The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes wrote.

MLB.com staff writer Anthony Castrovince noted that Lee will be facing the very same Rangers team on opening day in less than three weeks.

Hoynes and Castrovince took the time to feature second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera today too. Hoynes focuses on Cabrera as a hitter and his development over the last year before diving into how Wedge will work his starting lineup.

Castrovince decided to discuss his glovework first as he started at shortstop yesterday.

OTHER NEWS

Team USA had a dramatic come-from-behind victory last night as they scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Puerto Rico 6-5.

Andruw on the outs

It doesn’t appear that Andruw Jones will be making the Texas rangers this season. Has any player ever fallen so far, so fast? Apparently his defense isn’t anywhere to be seen either.

MLB.com’s TR Sullivan wrote this:

Jones, the biggest threat to Byrd this spring, did his work in a Minor League game. Batting leadoff in every inning, Jones went 2-for-5 with a double, a walk and a stolen base. He is hitting .258 with 14 strikeouts in 31 at-bats in Cactus League games, and his once-great defensive ability has not shown up in the field.

Technically, the Rangers have to decide by Friday if they’ll put him on the Major League roster, but it seems quite clear they have no interest in doing that.

STORY THAT MAY INTEREST ONLY ME

I am currently working my way thrrough the new Tom Verducci-Joe Torre book “The Yankee Years” and it is a great book that examines baseball during Torre’s 12 years with the Yankees.

One of the key early figures early in the book is former MLB pitcher Rick Helling, who repeatedly stood up at union meetings and said the steroid issue needed to be addressed, to which he was mostly ignored.

Now, Helling was just hired as a special assistant for the Major League Baseball Players Association.

The Indians play the Rangers today at 4:05. Here are the starting lineups:

INDIANS:
CF Grady Sizemore
2B Jamey Carroll
DH Travis Hafner
3B Jhonny Peralta
RF Ben Francisco
C Kelly Shoppach
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
LF Matt LaPorta
1B Michael Aubrey
LHP Cliff Lee

Kerry Wood, Joe Smith, Masa Kobayashi, Tony Sipp, Juan Salas, Matt Herges and Ed Mujica are all scheduled to pitch today, per Anthony Castrovince.

RANGERS:
2B Ian Kinsler
3B Michael Young
CF Josh Hamilton
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Marlon Byrd
LF David Murphy
1B Chris Davis
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
SS Elvis Andrus
RHP Scott Feldman

There has been a lot of reaction around baseball today as the news that New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez allegedly failed a drug test in 2003 hit the airwaves.

It should be known that Rodriguez failed a test in 2003, before Major League Baseball had its new steroid policy in place.

Anyhow, My favorite response so far has been form Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant, who is now dubbing the 2003 Texas Rangers lineup “Injector’s Row.”

The Lineup included such alleged juicers as Juan Gonzalez, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Alex Rodriguez.

Also on the Ranger’s 2003 roster of dysfunction:

Ugueth Urbina was the closer of that team. Although Urbina has never been accused of juicing that I know of, he is currently sitting in a Venezuelan prison for attempted murder.

Urbina, allegedly, attacked five farm workers on his residence with a machete and poured gasoline on them in 2005.