The Jays travel to Cleveland to face a club with a struggling offence, particularly against lefthanded pitching. It might be just the tonic for Ted Lilly.
* General: Coming off a 5-4 road trip ... The Tribe is hitting just .237 as a club, and are second-last in runs scored and in the AL cellar in hits. They're nearly two runs per game below their pace from 34 games into 2004 ... Their pitching and defense numbers are pretty good; Cleveland's been unlucky to go just 4-10 in one-run games ... Eric Wedge has seen the leadoff spot turn into a mysterious sinkhole, no matter who's been manning it. Leadoff hitters are hitting .115 over their last 61 at-bats with two walks ... Cleveland is just 1-8 when facing a lefthanded starting pitcher ... Wedge has used 30 different lineups already ... Wedge will skip Scott Elarton's turn in the rotation, to the chagrin of Jays hitters ... The pitching coach is Carl Willis, who frustrated Jays hitters in the '91 ALCS ... Juan Gonzalez will DH for AAA Buffalo today as he begins a rehab assignment ... Cleveland will pick 14th, 30th and 60th in the upcoming draft ...
* David Riske: Has tremendously improved his control this season ... Not always used in high-leverage situations despite how well he's been throwing the ball ... Still easier to draw a walk off him than hit him hard, though his location has been good ... Great movement on his two-seam fastball ... Exploding action on his four-seamer, even though it tops out in the low 90s ...
* Travis Hafner: Very quick swing and tremendous power to right -- he really reminds me of Carlos Delgado when he turns on a pitch ... Tremendous presence in the batter's box, also like Carlos ... Likes the ball up, regardless of whether it's a fastball or offspeed ... Can drive it the other way, too; he's trying to emphasize going with outside pitches during his recent hot streak ... Can be frozen by lefties who come from a sidearm or three-quarter angle ... Off-balance on pitches right in on his fists ...
* Casey Blake: Good power to left ... Capable of driving balls down in the zone ... Opens up quickly and can turn on inside fastballs ... Can be fooled by breaking stuff away ... Can't reach fastballs -- or really, any pitches -- on the outside corner ... Jody Gerut was activated by the Tribe today and should get some playing time this weekend ...
* Josh Bard: Extreme contact hitter with only one walk and one strikeout ... Inside-out swing as a lefty ... Likes to take pitches to right-centre as a righthanded hitter ... Chases pitches high, but will make contact ... Good two-strike spoiler when he chokes up ... What a luxury for Cleveland to have two switch-hitting catchers! ...
* Victor Martinez: Has struggled terribly as a lefthanded hitter, and believe it or not, he's become a mere part-time catcher when a righty takes the mound ... As a righthanded hitter, he has excellent plate coverage and uses the whole field ... Gun-shy as a lefty right now and has been caught looking on a lot of strikes recently. Wedge called his approach from the left side as "anxious" ... Fooled by breaking pitches and, like '04 Hinske, finds himself out on his front foot too soon ... Runs well for a catcher ... Although he had allowed 20 stolen bases (in 25 attempts) heading into Tuesday night's game, he gunned down two would-be Angel basestealers and picked off a third ...
* Jake Westbrook: Disappointing thus far ... Doesn't have the velocity to leave his fastball up in the zone as regularly as he has been ... Has he lost mph off his heater? ... Throws tight curve as his primary out pitch ... Runs a two-seamer away from lefthanded hitters ... Smooth full-windup delivery ...
* Kevin Millwood: Coming off an excellent performance in Anaheim ... Slider is nothing special and can hang ... Aggressive with two-strike counts and prefers not to waste pitches ... Likes to work hitters down and in, then up and away ... Low-nineties on his two-seam fastball ... Nice signing by Cleveland ...
* Alex Cora: Orlando Hudson-like level swing ... Sprays the ball all over the field ... Not a quick bat, and he can't catch up to high heat ... A hustler, and very alert on the basepaths ... A slap hitter but not really in the Joey Cora mold ... Can be fooled by breaking pitches up ...
* Coco Crisp: Heady, fast baserunner ... Line-drive hitter with gap power ... Can drive fastballs up in the zone, where his hands are deceptively quick ... All thee of his homers are as a lefthanded hitter ... Coming off a hot series against the Angels, in which he homered off K-Rod -- K-Rod! -- earlier this week ... Doesn't like the ball on the inside corner from either side of the plate ...
* Ronnie Belliard: Unusual build for a middle infielder; he weighs more than 200 pounds at 5'8", and it's not all muscle ... Violent swing and a real pull hitter ... Likes the ball down ... Yanks pitches to third base and down the left field line ... Will chase pitches away and will get himself out if you leave it out there ... Likes to swing at the first pitch ... Belliard on steroids: "I don't need that...I'm fat, and I'm always going to be fat" ...
* Bob Wickman: Since he gave up four runs in his disastrous save attempt, he's been really lights out ... Just one run on six hits over his last ten innings ... Slow slurve that he'll throw anytime in the count, usualy up around the eyes ... Throws strikes and uses his defence ... Has been dodging bullets lately, as his teammates have tracked down some hard-hit balls ... Both of his blown saves cost Kevin Milwood victories ...
* Jhonny Peralta: Not the light-hitting middle infielder I thought he was -- he's solidly built ... 4 homers (some of them long) and 20 strikeouts in just 73 at-bats ... Good weight transfer, keeps his stance closed, and uses his arms well in his swing -- think a miniature Manny Ramirez ... Peralta: "I have power...Not big-time power, but I could hit between 15 and 20 [homers]" ... Has benefited from shortening his swing ... Still just 22 ... Can't lay off any breaking pitches away (a la Jose Cruz, Jr.) ... Pulls his head off pitches away ... Eddie Murray recently told Peralta to crowd the plate more in an attempt to deal with the outside hole in his swing. It's paid off ...
* C.C. Sabathia: The disheveled lefty is 3-1, 3.24 all-time against the Jays ... Lugubrious delivery from the stretch makes him a tempting mark for base stealers. He prefers to ignore runners rather than be distracted by them ... Doesn't issue many walks and generally exhibits excellent location ... Throws his four-seam fastball around 93 mph, but it's fairly straight. For this reason, he's susceptible to the long ball whenever he fails to spot it accurately ... Can dial it into the mid-to-high 90s, but with less control ... Sweeping curve that's very tough on lefties; it ends up in the dirt and away ...
* Grady Sizemore: Long swing but good power ... Poor 5/21 BB/K ratio ... Can really fly on the basepaths, but is still honing his instincts in terms of base stealing ... Nice range in centre ... Does not like pitches on the outer half ... Chases pitches down, and has trouble catching up with fastballs when he's thinking off-speed ...
* Ben Broussard: Dead-red fastball pull hitter ... Keeps his hands very high in his stance, like a Jim Thome, but his swing more resembles a younger Jason Giambi ... Prefers the ball in ... Chases pitches down and is a sucker for sinkers and splitters ... Seems to have trouble picking up the ball against lefthanded pitchers ... Not a fast baserunner ... Not a slick gloveman, but he's better than Hafner ...
* Aaron Boone: In a deeply prolonged slump, he's just 11 for his last 88 (.125) ... He hasn't driven in a run in his last eleven games ... A bit unlucky lately, as he's been hitting it right at people ... Prefers the ball out over the plate ... Can be jammed with fastballs in ... Will chase down and away, particularly now that he's in the throes of his slump ... Frozen by righthanded sliders ... What is it with those '03 Yankees? Like Jason Giambi, there's some serious talk of asking Boone to head to the minors to work out his swing ...
That said, Cleveland features several hitters on the cusp of breaking out, two solid starting pitchers and a very steady bullpen. It should make for an exciting and well-matched three-game set.
This week's Scout features an antsy young catcher, a faltering postseason hero and a middle infielder who's rather candid in his self-assessment.
On to the Advance Scout!* General: Coming off a 5-4 road trip ... The Tribe is hitting just .237 as a club, and are second-last in runs scored and in the AL cellar in hits. They're nearly two runs per game below their pace from 34 games into 2004 ... Their pitching and defense numbers are pretty good; Cleveland's been unlucky to go just 4-10 in one-run games ... Eric Wedge has seen the leadoff spot turn into a mysterious sinkhole, no matter who's been manning it. Leadoff hitters are hitting .115 over their last 61 at-bats with two walks ... Cleveland is just 1-8 when facing a lefthanded starting pitcher ... Wedge has used 30 different lineups already ... Wedge will skip Scott Elarton's turn in the rotation, to the chagrin of Jays hitters ... The pitching coach is Carl Willis, who frustrated Jays hitters in the '91 ALCS ... Juan Gonzalez will DH for AAA Buffalo today as he begins a rehab assignment ... Cleveland will pick 14th, 30th and 60th in the upcoming draft ...
* David Riske: Has tremendously improved his control this season ... Not always used in high-leverage situations despite how well he's been throwing the ball ... Still easier to draw a walk off him than hit him hard, though his location has been good ... Great movement on his two-seam fastball ... Exploding action on his four-seamer, even though it tops out in the low 90s ...
* Travis Hafner: Very quick swing and tremendous power to right -- he really reminds me of Carlos Delgado when he turns on a pitch ... Tremendous presence in the batter's box, also like Carlos ... Likes the ball up, regardless of whether it's a fastball or offspeed ... Can drive it the other way, too; he's trying to emphasize going with outside pitches during his recent hot streak ... Can be frozen by lefties who come from a sidearm or three-quarter angle ... Off-balance on pitches right in on his fists ...
* Casey Blake: Good power to left ... Capable of driving balls down in the zone ... Opens up quickly and can turn on inside fastballs ... Can be fooled by breaking stuff away ... Can't reach fastballs -- or really, any pitches -- on the outside corner ... Jody Gerut was activated by the Tribe today and should get some playing time this weekend ...
* Josh Bard: Extreme contact hitter with only one walk and one strikeout ... Inside-out swing as a lefty ... Likes to take pitches to right-centre as a righthanded hitter ... Chases pitches high, but will make contact ... Good two-strike spoiler when he chokes up ... What a luxury for Cleveland to have two switch-hitting catchers! ...
* Victor Martinez: Has struggled terribly as a lefthanded hitter, and believe it or not, he's become a mere part-time catcher when a righty takes the mound ... As a righthanded hitter, he has excellent plate coverage and uses the whole field ... Gun-shy as a lefty right now and has been caught looking on a lot of strikes recently. Wedge called his approach from the left side as "anxious" ... Fooled by breaking pitches and, like '04 Hinske, finds himself out on his front foot too soon ... Runs well for a catcher ... Although he had allowed 20 stolen bases (in 25 attempts) heading into Tuesday night's game, he gunned down two would-be Angel basestealers and picked off a third ...
* Jake Westbrook: Disappointing thus far ... Doesn't have the velocity to leave his fastball up in the zone as regularly as he has been ... Has he lost mph off his heater? ... Throws tight curve as his primary out pitch ... Runs a two-seamer away from lefthanded hitters ... Smooth full-windup delivery ...
* Kevin Millwood: Coming off an excellent performance in Anaheim ... Slider is nothing special and can hang ... Aggressive with two-strike counts and prefers not to waste pitches ... Likes to work hitters down and in, then up and away ... Low-nineties on his two-seam fastball ... Nice signing by Cleveland ...
* Alex Cora: Orlando Hudson-like level swing ... Sprays the ball all over the field ... Not a quick bat, and he can't catch up to high heat ... A hustler, and very alert on the basepaths ... A slap hitter but not really in the Joey Cora mold ... Can be fooled by breaking pitches up ...
* Coco Crisp: Heady, fast baserunner ... Line-drive hitter with gap power ... Can drive fastballs up in the zone, where his hands are deceptively quick ... All thee of his homers are as a lefthanded hitter ... Coming off a hot series against the Angels, in which he homered off K-Rod -- K-Rod! -- earlier this week ... Doesn't like the ball on the inside corner from either side of the plate ...
* Ronnie Belliard: Unusual build for a middle infielder; he weighs more than 200 pounds at 5'8", and it's not all muscle ... Violent swing and a real pull hitter ... Likes the ball down ... Yanks pitches to third base and down the left field line ... Will chase pitches away and will get himself out if you leave it out there ... Likes to swing at the first pitch ... Belliard on steroids: "I don't need that...I'm fat, and I'm always going to be fat" ...
* Bob Wickman: Since he gave up four runs in his disastrous save attempt, he's been really lights out ... Just one run on six hits over his last ten innings ... Slow slurve that he'll throw anytime in the count, usualy up around the eyes ... Throws strikes and uses his defence ... Has been dodging bullets lately, as his teammates have tracked down some hard-hit balls ... Both of his blown saves cost Kevin Milwood victories ...
* Jhonny Peralta: Not the light-hitting middle infielder I thought he was -- he's solidly built ... 4 homers (some of them long) and 20 strikeouts in just 73 at-bats ... Good weight transfer, keeps his stance closed, and uses his arms well in his swing -- think a miniature Manny Ramirez ... Peralta: "I have power...Not big-time power, but I could hit between 15 and 20 [homers]" ... Has benefited from shortening his swing ... Still just 22 ... Can't lay off any breaking pitches away (a la Jose Cruz, Jr.) ... Pulls his head off pitches away ... Eddie Murray recently told Peralta to crowd the plate more in an attempt to deal with the outside hole in his swing. It's paid off ...
* C.C. Sabathia: The disheveled lefty is 3-1, 3.24 all-time against the Jays ... Lugubrious delivery from the stretch makes him a tempting mark for base stealers. He prefers to ignore runners rather than be distracted by them ... Doesn't issue many walks and generally exhibits excellent location ... Throws his four-seam fastball around 93 mph, but it's fairly straight. For this reason, he's susceptible to the long ball whenever he fails to spot it accurately ... Can dial it into the mid-to-high 90s, but with less control ... Sweeping curve that's very tough on lefties; it ends up in the dirt and away ...
* Grady Sizemore: Long swing but good power ... Poor 5/21 BB/K ratio ... Can really fly on the basepaths, but is still honing his instincts in terms of base stealing ... Nice range in centre ... Does not like pitches on the outer half ... Chases pitches down, and has trouble catching up with fastballs when he's thinking off-speed ...
* Ben Broussard: Dead-red fastball pull hitter ... Keeps his hands very high in his stance, like a Jim Thome, but his swing more resembles a younger Jason Giambi ... Prefers the ball in ... Chases pitches down and is a sucker for sinkers and splitters ... Seems to have trouble picking up the ball against lefthanded pitchers ... Not a fast baserunner ... Not a slick gloveman, but he's better than Hafner ...
* Aaron Boone: In a deeply prolonged slump, he's just 11 for his last 88 (.125) ... He hasn't driven in a run in his last eleven games ... A bit unlucky lately, as he's been hitting it right at people ... Prefers the ball out over the plate ... Can be jammed with fastballs in ... Will chase down and away, particularly now that he's in the throes of his slump ... Frozen by righthanded sliders ... What is it with those '03 Yankees? Like Jason Giambi, there's some serious talk of asking Boone to head to the minors to work out his swing ...
