News and Links

December 2, 2011

Oddity: So he only played one lackluster season in Cleveland, but for some reason, this series of links on Oddibe McDowell cracked me up.  I guess a tipster keeps sending copies of his water bill, so they keep publishing it.

Jensen Lewis finds a new home: Jensen Lewis has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  A Cincinnati native, Lewis actually grew up rooting for the Indians in the 1990s.  He had some success with the Tribe at the Major League level, but in 28 innings pitched at Triple-A Columbus last season, he was 3-2 with a 5.14 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 22 strikeouts.  The Indians released him last summer; he didn’t pitch at the Major League level in 2011.  There were some reports that Lewis’s velocity had dropped dramatically; it may be why the Indians lost faith in his abilities.  His high point with the team was probably his performance in the 2007 playoffs; he pitched two perfect innings against the Yankees in the ALDS and his 2.1 perfect innings pitched in game two against the Red Sox during the ALCS helped lift the Indians to victory. (The Indians beat Boston 13-6 in extra innings).  Unfortunately, Lewis struggled toward the end of the ALCS (like the rest of the team), but I’ll never forget those performances early in the playoffs.

More from the CBA: If the Indians can’t make the playoffs, I’m at least glad they qualify for something.  They’re one of the first teams to qualify for the Competitive Balance Lottery.  Unfortunately, only six of these teams will get one of the supplemental picks after the first round.  (The other 12 teams are: Diamondbacks, Athletics, Orioles, Padres, Reds, Marlins, Royals, Pirates, Rays, Rockies, Cardinals and Brewers.)  This is based on market size and revenue, so even the defending World Champion Cardinals have a chance for one of these picks.  One thing that’s unique about these spots: they can be traded.  Not for cash, but the pick can be traded for another player.

Link: At the Hardball Times, Chris Jaffe discusses the 40th anniversary of a big day for trades in Major League Baseball.  (There are several Indians involved)

Link: In this Retrosheet article, Tom Ruane looks at how the Indians once had five players with 15+ game hitting streaks at the same time.

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