Borowski: Role as Indians closer secure

Indians closer Joe Borowski was inserted into his first ninth-inning save situation of the spring Monday, allowing a leadoff single before recording two strikeouts to finish off the Devil Rays. Borowski is anything but the typical closer who intimidates with high-90s heat, but he’ll be the one anchoring the Cleveland bullpen when the regular season kicks off. Furthermore, with the ancient Roberto Hernandez and the erratic Rafael Betancourt serving as the primary setup options, Borowski’s job may be safer than many think...for the time being, anyway. If you’re looking for cheap saves in mixed formats, then Borowski certainly has to be considered.
Source: MLB.com

Dellucci has four homers in spring

Indians OF David Dellucci is hitting .306 with six runs, one double, four homers and seven RBI in 13 spring games. Dellucci is sure to start in left, especially against all right-hand pitching, making him a sleeper in deeper leagues. He hit .292 with 13 homers last season in Philadelphia but has shown great potential in the past.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com

Carmona: Will begin season as Indians fifth starter

Adam Miller's re-assignment to Minor League camp Tuesday means the battle for the fifth spot in the Cleveland rotation is officially over. "Fausto [Carmona] is our fifth starter," Indians manager Eric Wedge said, confirming what had been expected for several days.

Carmona, 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in four Grapefruit League starts. In 10 innings this spring, the right-hander has given up 10 hits and three walks while striking out five. The 23-year-old Dominican went 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA in 38 games, including seven starts, for the Indians as a rookie last season. Like a lot of rookies, Carmona was inconsistent. During one stretch between April 30 and July 1, Carmona allowed just three runs and struck out 19 in 18 1/3 innings. On the other hand, opponents batted .374 against the right-hander, including .395 after the break. Wedge said Carmona's struggles at closer should not overshadow the great job Carmona did as a starter and the "unbelievable" job the youngster did in a setup role for six weeks.

Carmona, who was ticketed to open the season as the No. 1 starter at Triple-A Buffalo until left-hander Cliff Lee went down with an injury, has tweaked his delivery and believes the changes will help him during the coming season. The change helped improve Carmona's performance enough to convince Wedge and the Indians that the right-hander deserves to start in a season-opening rotation that will also include C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Jeremy Sowers and Paul Byrd.

He’s worth consideration in AL-only formats, though it’s unclear what his role will be once Cliff Lee is ready to return from his abdominal injury.
Source: MLB.com

Garko: Slated As Indians Back Up 1B

Indians 1B Ryan Garko went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Sunday's spring game against the Dodgers. He is now 12-for-41 (.293) with three runs, two doubles, one homer and seven RBI in 11 spring games. Garko should back up Casey Blake at first base when the season opens. With Garko's solid skills at the plate, Fantasy owners will want to target him in AL-only drafts and just keep him reserved until Blake gets hurt -- which is a common occurrence. If he ever lands a full-time gig, he would be worth adding in all Fantasy formats.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com

C.C.: Candidate For 15-Plus Victories

Indians SP C.C. Sabathia earned his first spring win Sunday against the Dodgers. He worked five innings, allowing four hits, one walk and no earned runs. He also had two strikeouts. Sabathia now has a 3.21 ERA through four spring starts totaling 14 innings. He also has 10 strikeouts. Sabathia will be 28 in 2008 and the hefty lefty ace has the potential to be overlooked on Draft Day. His great WHIP makes him a Rotisserie beast, while the Indians' offense should help make them a contender and Sabathia a candidate for 15-plus victories.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com

2007 Indians Projected Lineup

2007 Cleveland Indians

Batting Order

1. CF Grady Sizemore
2. 2B Josh Barfield
3. C Victor Martinez
4. DH Travis Hafner
5. 1B Casey Blake/Ryan Garko
6. RF Trot Nixon/Casey Blake
7. LF David Dellucci/ Jason Michaels
8. SS Jhonny Peralta
9. 3B Andy Marte

The Tribe may be platooning more than any other AL team this season. Dellucci and Michaels could be a very effective LF tandem. Dellucci, in fact, could hit in the No. 2 spot against right-handers. Garko performed well as a full-timer in September while Hafner was out, so he'll find a way to stay in the lineup if he can continue to hit. Blake helps his case by being able to play either outfield or first base.

Rotation

C.C. Sabathia
*Cliff Lee
Jake Westbrook
Paul Byrd
Jeremy Sowers

*Fausto Carmona

*Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee will start the season on the disabled list because of an abdomen strain. Right-hander Fausto Carmona likely will take Lee's spot in the starting rotation.

Closer: Joe Borowski

Cliff Lee Will Start Season On DL

Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee will start the season on the disabled list because of an abdomen strain. The lefty, who went 14-11 with a 4.40 ERA last season and is 46-24 since 2004, felt the strain in his right abdomen during a throwing session early in spring training. The Indians hope Lee, their No. 3 starter, will at least be able to resume throwing for the final two weeks of training camp. Lee is expected to be out until mid or late April.

Right-hander Fausto Carmona likely will take Lee's spot in the starting rotation, though veteran Paul Byrd or young Jeremy Sowers could be moved into the third spot. Sowers, who went 7-4 in 14 starts after being called up from the minors last June, is listed as the fourth starter. Byrd, 36, who was 10-9 with a 4.88 ERA a year ago, is No. 5.
Source: AP

Cliff Lee Has Abdominal Strain

Southpaw Cliff Lee was scratched from his scheduled bullpen session on Thursday because of a strained right abdominal muscle that has plagued him throughout camp. Indians head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff said the club will evaluate Lee, who has yet to make a Spring Training start, again on Sunday. If the symptoms of the strain are still lingering by that point, Lee would be shut down from throwing for a period of 10-12 days, putting his start to the season in jeopardy.
Source: MLB.com

Barfield Adds Speed To Indians Lineup

Former Indians catcher Sandy Alomar extolled the virtues of the Tribe's new second baseman, Josh Barfield, on Monday.

"He'll steal 50 bases in the American League," said Alomar, now a spring invitee with the New York Mets. Alomar was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 when he watched Barfield play several games as a rookie with the San Diego Padres.

Now that Eric Wedge is Barfield's manager, some observers are of the opinion that Barfield's stolen-base total might shrink. Wedge is seen by many as a manager who prefers to avoid the steal and the bunt as weapons.

Probably closer to the truth is that Wedge will make use of the tools his players are capable of using. If Wedge has speed available, he isn't apt to waste it. If Wedge has a team of plodders -- which has been the case since he has been with the Tribe -- he isn't going to have the offense run itself into outs.

"It's all about your people," Wedge said Wednesday. "We have a little more speed than we've had before. We were more aggressive (on the bases) the second half of last year when we brought up the kids and were able to do more running."
Source: ohio.com

Casey Blake To Start At 1B For Tribe

Casey Blake has been named the Opening Day first baseman by manager Eric Wedge, the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

This would appear cosmetic as Ryan Garko will see plenty of time at first and Blake will provide spot duty in the outfield and maybe even third base. Our 2007 projection has Blake hitting .269 with 22 home runs and 69 RBIs, which is pedestrian for the outfield (his listed position), but could add some value if he qualifies at first.
Source: RotoWire.com

Peralta Corrects Vision

After struggling with blurry vision in 2006, Jhonny Peralta underwent eye surgery to correct the problem in December.

Peralta resisted suggestions to wear contact lenses for almost the entire 2006 season, but he finally caved in and produced a .348 batting average over a seven-game stretch to finish the year. Granted, that’s a small sample size, but it’s hardly a stretch to think that Peralta benefited from actually being able to see the ball. With a clearer road ahead, the 24-year-old shortstop is a good bet to rebound in 2007.
Source: MLB.com