News
Perez next on Indians' fix-it list
Cleveland (6-12) vs. Minnesota (9-9), 1:05 p.m. ET
By Stephen Ellsesser / Special to MLB.com
04/25/09 10:43 PM ET
CLEVELAND -- One by one, Eric Wedge's worries are vanishing, but with the Indians staring up at everyone in the AL Central standings, they aren't going away fast enough.The rotation is looking better, and that's helping the bullpen. Next on the list is getting Rafael Perez back in the dominant form he displayed the previous two seasons. Saturday against the Twins, Perez looked a little more like himself.
After leaving the Indians to play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Perez has struggled in nearly every outing this season, putting up some uncharacteristic numbers. For now, the result has been a new, undefined role for the lefty. Once a reliable setup man, Wedge has said Perez will be confined to low-pressure game situations until he stabilizes. "We're about good to go to get him back in here," Wedge said. "I don't expect it to be too long before he is back in that [setup] role."In seven appearances this season coming into Saturday, Perez was 0-1 with a 16.71 ERA. He had given up 10 hits, walked nine and hit one batter, allowing 13 earned runs in just seven innings of work.
Wedge had said he doesn't plan to use Perez in high-pressure situations for a while. When he called Perez's number against the Twins, the bases were juiced, but the Tribe was already trailing by four. Perez allowed a run to score on a sacrifice fly before retiring the next two batters. Perez stuck around to face left-handed batter Jason Kubel in the top of the seventh. After Kubel doubled, Joe Smith relieved Perez.
Four batters faced, and three batters retired. One run off a sacrifice and a strikeout -- all in all, it may have been Perez's best work since Opening Day, when he pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a 9-1 loss to the Rangers.
Perez made a career-high 73 appearances last season, going 4-4 with a 3.54 ERA. Wedge tapered off Perez's workload near the end, and he remains conscious of piling too much on the setup man. For now, Perez's early-season struggles have the team baffled. "You really feel it next year when you push it at the end after you've done a lot, and that is the reason we backed off," Wedge said. "And he had a good spring." In the Classic, Perez pitched three scoreless innings for the Dominicans, who made a surprising early exit in the tournament after making the semifinals in 2006, striking out three. Whether it was the extra work last season or whether altering his Spring Training routine by playing in the Classic was responsible, Perez has not been the same this season. Wedge is willing to rule out one cause, though. "You'd hate to use an excuse like the weather," he said. "If it's something like that, he's going to have to overcome it to play here." Pitching matchupCLE: LHP Aaron Laffey (1-0, 2.19 ERA)
Laffey doesn't know how long his spot in the Indians' rotation will last, but he's certainly made the most out of the opportunity, to this point. Laffey was strong against the Royals in his first start on April 15, and even stronger in his second appearance against them six days later. He went seven innings, allowing just a run on seven hits with three walks, two strikeouts and a hit batter. What was most impressive was the way the sinkerball-tossing lefty always had a double-play ball in his back pocket. He induced five double plays in all. Laffey, who is filling in for an injured Scott Lewis, is 1-1 with a 5.75 ERA in four career starts against the Twins. MIN: LHP Glen Perkins (1-1, 1.50 ERA)
Perkins was finally rewarded with a victory after delivering his third straight eight-inning outing, holding the Angels to one run on four hits. Despite getting drilled in the left thigh by a Bobby Abreu liner for the first out of the seventh inning, Perkins managed to make it through eight innings while throwing just 84 pitches. He likely would have completed the game had his leg not started to stiffen up. Perkins is the first Twins pitcher in almost four years to log three successive eight-inning outings. The last to do so was Johan Santana, who accomplished the feat June 2-14, 2005. Tidbits
Mired in an 0-for-17 slump over the last five games, Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta had Saturday night off. Wedge said there are no lingering elbow problems for Peralta, just that he is "not squaring balls up consistently." ... Matt LaPorta continued his tear with Triple-A Columbus, going 2-for-4 with a home run in the Clippers' 9-7 win over Indianapolis on Friday. LaPorta is hitting .370 on the year with four homers and 11 RBIs. ... The Indians are hitting .212 as a team since scoring 22 runs against the Yankees on April 18. ... Between the JumboTron and the big-screen TV in the clubhouse, the NFL Draft was must-see TV for Indians players and staff Saturday afternoon. ... Tribe pitching legend Bob Feller signed copies of his book Saturday night during the game. Tickets
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• Monday: Indians (Cliff Lee, 1-3, 5.25) vs. Red Sox (Tim Wakefield, 2-1, 2.45), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Indians (Anthony Reyes, 1-0, 4.76) vs. Red Sox (Brad Penny, 2-0, 7.80), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Indians (Fausto Carmona, 1-3, 7.36) vs. Red Sox (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET
Stephen Ellsesser is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
