News
Back to basics, and the Sox, for Pavano
Cleveland (31-46) vs. Chicago (37-38), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
06/28/09 5:34 PM ET
CLEVELAND -- Carl Pavano hopes the White Sox recognize him Monday night at Progressive Field. Because that would mean the mechanical flaws that have haunted Pavano in recent starts have been corrected. The last time Pavano faced the Sox, on June 5 at U.S. Cellular Field, he tossed a three-hit shutout. Pavano hasn't been the same since. In the three starts following that brilliant outing, the Tribe's No. 2 starter has gone a woeful 0-2 with a 12.15 ERA, allowing 23 runs (18 earned) on 31 hits over 13 1/3 innings. What needs to change Monday night? "It's just about getting that consistency in my delivery that puts me in a position to throw the ball downhill and have better results than I've been having," Pavano said. "My stuff has been up, and the results are showing that." The first of Pavano's three rough starts came against the Royals on June 10, when he was dealing with a stiff neck. He admitted he tweaked his mechanics as a result of feeling uncomfortable. "I had to change some things to get around it, and I definitely got out of whack," Pavano said. "I started to get side to side in my delivery. I'm trying to get back to getting that angle back to where it creates more quality pitches." After Pavano's second rough start, which came June 15 against the Brewers, the Indians said he had some mild right shoulder soreness, so he took a few extra days between starts. The extra time off only made Pavano look all the more rusty last Wednesday in Pittsburgh. "He's really a mechanical guy," said Kelly Shoppach, who usually catches for Pavano. "He's had a couple dings going out there the last couple times. Sometimes when you have those dings, your mechanics get out of whack because you're trying to compensate. Hopefully he's gotten past the discomfort he's had." Pavano said he's feeling healthy, but he's entered the territory that some were concerned about when the Indians signed him to a one-year, incentive-laden contract before 2009. Because Pavano pitched just 93 1/3 innings between the Majors and Minors over the past three injury-plagued years he spent with the Yankees, there will be concern that his arm will tire before the end of this season. He's at 85 1/3 innings pitched this year. "It's been a while since I've been at this number of pitches," Pavano said. "So there are things that are going to come up that I'm going to have to battle through and work through. I just hope to feel better about my starts from this point forward. I've hurt the team and hurt myself [the past three starts]." Pavano's stuff appears to be intact, but his mechanics need to be fixed. "He has such a big, long body," Shoppach said. "If one little thing gets out of whack, it can screw up everything." Pitching matchupCLE: RHP Carl Pavano (6-6, 5.80 ERA)
Pavano took a few extra days between starts to nurse a sore shoulder and work out some kinks behind the scenes. But his outing Wednesday against the Pirates proved he remains a work in progress. Pavano was rocked for eight runs on 11 hits with one walk and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. While five of the runs off Pavano were unearned, as a result of a throwing error by shortstop Luis Valbuena in the Pirates' six-run fourth inning, the simple fact was that Pavano didn't make pitches when it counted. He is 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in two starts against the White Sox this season. CWS: RHP Gavin Floyd (5-5, 4.45 ERA)
Despite a rocky first three innings, Floyd produced his seventh consecutive quality start in a 10-7 victory against the Dodgers on Wednesday. Floyd threw 71 pitches in the first three innings, allowing three runs. Over his final three innings, however, he made just 37 pitches, allowing no runs. In total, Floyd went six innings, giving up three runs (one earned), while striking out three and walking two. Over his last seven starts, Floyd is 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA. Floyd is 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. He is 1-1 against them this season and last faced them on June 6 at U.S. Cellular Field. In that contest, Floyd picked up the victory, lasting 6 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on five hits, striking out seven with one walk. Tidbits
Newly acquired right-hander Chris Perez will be activated in advance of Monday's game. ... The Indians wrapped up Interleague Play with a 5-13 record this season. They are just 11-25 in Interleague Play over the past two years. ... Aaron Laffey's third rehab appearance in his return from a strained right oblique was a rough one on Sunday. In 3 1/3 innings for Double-A Akron, Laffey allowed three runs on five hits with six walks, two strikeouts and a hit by pitch. Still, he might be ready to rejoin the Indians' rotation later this week. If Laffey does, it's expected he'd take the rotation spot of Tomo Ohka. ... Right-hander JD Goryl, 23, has been signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Tribe. He made his professional debut for the Tribe's Arizona Rookie League team in Goodyear, Ariz., on Friday, tossing two hitless innings. Goryl is the son of Indians player development advisor Johnny Goryl, who has been assisting the organization since 1982. Tickets
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• Tuesday: Indians (Cliff Lee, 4-6, 2.92) vs. White Sox (Clayton Richard, 2-1, 4.33), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 2-5, 5.44) vs. White Sox (Jose Contreras, 2-7, 5.19), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
