Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew McNulty

Cleveland Indians 2009 Starting Rotation Analysis

Andrew McNulty — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:45:17 -0400

The 2009 Cleveland Indians look to rebound after a disappointing 2008 season. The rotation seems to be the biggest question in camp this year. For the first time in 10 years, CC Sabathia is not in a Tribe uniform, which may still startle a few. But even though the old anchor is gone, there is still optimism in the new starting staff.

Cliff Lee, who won the American League Cy Young award last year with a 22-3 record, will now be the ace who will hopefully lead the Indians to the promised land, October. With Lee now the No. 1 guy on the Indians roster, the rotation looks very different than it has in years. We probably won't see another 20 win season from Lee, but a 15-18 win record is very possible if he can come out with the same mentality as last year.

The Tribe will need the rotation to be successful this year if they want to contend in the American League, and Fausto Carmona could be a large key to the Indians' success. He struggled in 2008 after a stunning performance in 2007 in which he was second in the majors in ERA. The Indians need him to master his patented sinkerball and go after hitters like in 2007.

If healthy, the Indians would have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. These are also the only two spots in the rotation that are secured.

Carl Pavano is the newest addition to the Indians staff. After having a rough go in New York, Pavano looks to jump start his career like Kevin Millwood did in 2005.

Pavano could have a big impact on the Indians rotation if he can stay healthy. He doesn't have to win 18 games, but if he can be a consistent pitcher and win anywhere from 10-15 games, then I see the Indians being contenders this year. If he can't regain his old form, then he will be a filler piece until Jake Westbrook comes back around June or July.

Anthony Reyes is scheduled to be the fourth man in the rotation. After having a falling out in St. Louis, he looks to continue his career in Cleveland, where he pitched decent last year. He came in midseason and had a couple of good outings before he went on the DL. He could be a big piece to this puzzle if he can be productive and give the Indians 8-10 wins.

The fifth spot is still up for grabs and looks like it will be until the end of camp. The favorite, as most of us know, is Aaron Laffey, who has had success with the Tribe when healthy. He looks like he could emerge as the No. 5 guy.

Scott Lewis is a guy that I have had my eye on for a while. He came in at the end of last year and pitched very well, better than anyone expected. He comes into camp as the underdog, but if he continues to exceed expectations, then he could very well come out on top.

Whoever fills the fifth spot in the rotation needs to be able to be a productive force this year. I think that if everyone stays healthy, this rotation has the potential to be one of the best in baseball.

The pressure really is on Fausto Carmona and Cliff Lee. Can they repeat their memorable seasons that we fans knew and loved? That is the real question, and only time will tell. Even if one of them goes down, I think the rotation can succeed because of the depth that the Indians have in the minors.

Cleveland Indians: 2009 Bullpen Analysis

Andrew McNulty — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:46:56 -0500

Well, here we go again. It's an odd year in Cleveland and therefore, the Indians are on pace to have a great year. This years team has made some upgrades from the 2007 team who came one game short of making the playoffs.

With the addition of Kerry Wood and Joe Smith the bullpen looks like a force to be reckoned with. The buzz up here is that with Kerry Woods injury history, he'll fall apart by mid season. I for one, don't see that happening.

He has seemed to work through every injury and has come back stronger from each one. Even if he does go down we have a couple of pitchers who easily take over the closing role.

Jensen Lewis came in last year and went 13 for 13 in save opportunities. Also, with Joe Smith, you get a good, young side armed pitcher who is great for match up situations against right handed hitters. Rafael Betancourt looks like he could gain his 2007 form again.

He really is the wild card in the bullpen because if he can repeat his performance in 2007, then the Indians should have a great season. Rafael Perez is also a key to this bullpen. His ability to pitch against lefty's gives the Indians a great match up in their favor.

After a strong performance in 2007 and 2008, he looks ready to be the seventh and eighth-inning guy. With the Masa Kobayashi can hopefully become a success after his first season.

He struggled with the big league hitters and the Indians expect him to have a bounce back season. The final spot in the bullpen is up for grabs. If Adam Miller is healthy I could see him grab that spot just because the Indians need to see what he can do.

If his finger is still blistering, then it looks like any of the non roster invites could take that spot. Also, it could go to one of the starting pitchers who are looking to lock up that fifth spot in the rotation.

In my next piece, I'll go through and analyze the starting rotation so look out for that.

Browns Vs. Steelers "Lets Get Ready To Rumble"

Andrew McNulty — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:01:42 -0400

It has been a rough week for the Browns. They lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and then on Tuesday, they lost their only asset in the secondary, Sean Jones. Now, they must face their rivals at the worst time possible.

But after all of this, the Cleveland Browns know what they have to do this Sunday night in the national spotlight. Win.

If the 0-1 Browns want to accept all of the national attention, then they must get the job done and it all starts with the defense. Since the preseason ended, we have lost our Strong Safety and Free Safety in Brodney Pool and Sean Jones. So this week will be the debut of Mike Adams and Nick Sorenson.

Will they be up to the challenge of defending the secondary? If Sunday was any indication as to what we will see this weekend, you can bet that Big Ben will have a field day.

I'm not saying that my Brownies won't come out and play to the best of their ability, but their best efforts might not be good enough to dethrone the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You have to beat the best to be the best and that's what the Cleveland Browns must do in order to be atop the AFC North.

If the Browns feel that they can beat the Steelers, they must also do it on offense and special teams. This mean that Braylon Edwards cannot drop four balls. Donte Stallworth and Joshua Cribbs are two key players who need to be ready if the offense wants to succeed.

Last week we saw that with Stallworth out, the Dallas defense was able to key in on Edwards and ignore the rookie receivers. The Browns need their third string wide receiver in Joshua Cribbs to play because he gives them a chance to score on special teams as well as offense.

Without these play makers, Derek Anderson has no chance to lead his team to their first ever win against Pittsburgh under the Romeo Crennel regime. The Browns can pull off the upset, but it will be an up hill battle against the team who has given them so much grief since their return in 1999.

The NFL's oldest rivalry is about to face off this Sunday at 8:23 pm. The Steelers have won the last 15 of 16 meetings between the two. Each team throughout the years have given viewers a fight worth remembering. How fitting that they all time series is tied at 55 wins each.