Monthly Archives: April 2019

Shorthanded Cavaliers lose to Kings

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were without both Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson in Thursday night’s 117-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Even with Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson it would have been tough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to come away with a victory Thursday. The Sacramento Kings are a much better team than Cleveland and proved just that in their victory over the Cavaliers.

Sacramento raced out to a 29-22 lead after first quarter. Cleveland came back a bit in the second quarter and outscored the Kings 29-28. Sacramento bounced back and scored 36 points in the third quarter compared to Cleveland’s 33. The Kings closed things out in the fourth by adding 24 points, four points more than Cleveland’s 20.

Cleveland actually shot better and out-rebounded Sacramento in the contest. 54.3% from the field for Cleveland compared to 49.5% for Sacramento. 44% to 36.8% from three-point range. 53 rebounds (10 offensive) for Cleveland and 40 for Sacramento. The difference came in the steals department, Sacramento finished with 12 steals while Cleveland only had three.

Cleveland just did not have enough scoring to keep up with Sacramento

Jordan Clarkson led the way for the Cavaliers with 22 points off the bench. Clarkson made nine of 13 attempts from the field including two of five from three-point range. Clarkson rounded out of his performance with three assists, two rebounds and one steal.

Collin Sexton added 19 points of his own on a 8-14 shooting effort. Clarkson made three shots from deep in five attempts. Sexton also added three assists and one rebound to his final line.

Cedi Osman finished with 17 points on a 7-11 shooting night (3-5 from three) while also adding four assists and three rebounds.

Ante Zizic got the start and finished with a double-double. Zizic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, two of which are of the offensive variety. All but two of his points came from the paint.

Larry Nance Jr. had a huge rebounding night, finishing with 16 rebounds. All but one of Nance’s rebounds were defensive. Nance also scored 11 points, giving him a double-double in the loss.

The Cavaliers will travel to Golden State for the next game to take on the Warriors Friday at 10:30 P.M.

Trevor Bauer makes history in Indians victory

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Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer made MLB history in Thursday’s 4-1 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.

Trevor Bauer made MLB history in Thursday’s victory over Toronto. No, it was not the Indians first no-hitter since Len Barker’s perfect game in 1981. Trevor Bauer is the first pitcher ever to pitch five or more innings in the first two starts of a season and only allow one hit. Bauer pitched seven innings Thursday and did not allow a hit and struck out eight. Although Bauer did walk six batters and hit another.

Bauer did not want to be taken out of the game, but after a discussion with manager Terry Francona they determined it was the right thing to do. Considering this is only his second start of the year it is hard to justify keeping Bauer in the game with 117 pitches after seven innings. There is no point in overworking someone and risking injury in early April.

Cleveland had a combined no-hitter until the ninth inning when Brad Hand allowed the first Blue Jays hit of the game. Hand allowed Toronto’s only run of the game as well, a RBI double off the bat of Teoscar Hernandez.

The Indians got some help offensively Thursday, scoring four runs on seven hits. Leonys Martin and Tyler Naquin both finished with two hits. This is an encouraging sign after both have struggled mightily to start the season.

Greg Allen grounded into a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning allowing the first run of the game to score. Roberto Perez would follow with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Jose Ramirez got his first RBI of the year with a sacrifice fly of his own in the seventh inning. The fourth run of the game came across to score after Brad Miller drew a bases loaded walk.

Cleveland looks to take a 2-0 series lead Friday at 7:10 P.M.

Indians take on Blue Jays in second home series

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After splitting their first home series of the year with the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians (2-3) are set for a four-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays (3-4).

Game 1: April 4 6:10 P.M. – Trevor Bauer (0-0) versus Aaron Sanchez (1-0)

The first game of the series pits Trevor Bauer against Aaron Sanchez. Bauer is not yet in the win column while Sanchez is 1-0 on the year. Trevor Bauer has some mixed results in a very small sample size. Brandon Drury, Freddy Galvis and Luke Maile are all 1-2, although Galvis does have a home run against Bauer. Justin Smoak is 3-9 with three RBI’s and Devon Travis is an unimpressive 2-13 with one home run.

Aaron Sanchez has shut down Indians hitters in the past quite well. Jose Ramirez is the only Indians hitter with a successful track record against Sanchez. Jose Ramirez is 2-5 with a run batted in. Jake Bauers, Leonys Martin, Brad Miller, Tyler Naquin, Roberto Perez, Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Santana are a combined 6-47. Cleveland will have a tough time getting hits and scoring runs in the opening game against Toronto.

Game 2: April 5 7:10 P.M. – Shane Bieber (0-0) versus Trent Thornton (0-0)

The second game of the series features two young pitchers in Shane Bieber (23) and Trent Thornton (25). Shane Bieber has only pitched two five Blue Jays batters in the past and things did not go well. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Billy McKinney and Devon Travis are all 1-3 off Bieber. Rowdy Tellez is 2-3 with two doubles. Bieber will have to a better job in this start against Toronto in order to come away with a win.

The Indians batters have never faced Thornton before so there could be a learning curve on both ends. Cleveland could get plenty of hits or be completely shut down. In Thornton’s first start of the year he went five innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight. Cleveland will need to keep the strikeouts down against someone who is capable of racking them up.

Game 3: April 6 4:10 P.M. – Carlos Carrasco (0-1) versus TBA

Toronto is yet to name their starter for Saturday’s game, but Cleveland knows who they will go with. Carlos Carrasco gets the chance to redeem himself after a disastrous first start of the year in which he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings against Minnesota.

Carlos Carrasco has pitched well against Toronto in the past. Justin Smoak is 1-11 off of Carrasco and has struck out eight times. Alen Hanson, Teoscar Hernandez and Dalton Pompey are all 0-3. Randal Grichuk and Billy McKinney are both 1-4. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 2-7 with four strikeouts. The only Blue Jays hitters with any sort of success comes in a rather small sample size. Rowdy Tellez is 2-3 with two doubles while Devon Travis and Richard Urena are both 1-3.

Game 4: April 7 1:10 P.M. – Mike Clevinger (0-0) versus Marcus Stroman (0-1)

The fourth and final game of the series will have Mike Clevinger and Macrus Stroman on the mound. The Indians right hander nicknamed “Sunshine” has been absolutely dominant against Toronto. Randal Grichuk is 0-4 with three strikeouts. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has struck out in both of his at-bats against Clevinger. Billy McKinney and Rowdy Tellez are both 0-3 and Devon Travis is 0-1. Justin Smoak and Teoscar Hernandez are the only batters with a hit against Clevinger. Smoak has a home run in two at-bats and has driven in three. Hernandez’ only hit is a double.

The Indians do not have a whole lot of success when it comes to facing Marcus Stroman. Brad Miller is 5-26, although he does have a triple and has three RBI’s. Jose Ramirez is 3-15 and has gotten on base with a walk twice. Jake Bauers (0-3), Leonys Martin (0-6) and Roberto Perez (0-4) are all hitless against Stroman. Carlos Santana is 4-14 with two doubles and one walk. Hanley Ramirez is 4-16 with two doubles and has driven in three runs against Stroman. The biggest surprise of all is that Tyler Naquin has four hits in nine at-bats when facing Stroman. Cleveland will have to hope that other batters are able to get hits, because if the past repeats itself it will be a long day for the Tribe.

Francisco Lindor may miss three weeks

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Cleveland Indians All-Star shorstop Francisco Lindor could miss three more weeks after his evaluation with Dr. Robert Anderson.

Francisco Lindor had his injured ankle evaluated in Green Bay, Wisconsin and it turns out he may miss three more weeks of the season. Lindor is being diagnosed with a mild high ankle sprain. Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reported the news Tuesday afternoon.

A rough timetable has been established for Francisco Lindor’s return.

This plan is as expected when it comes to the type of injury and the position that Francisco Lindor plays. Add in the fact that Lindor also suffered a calf injury and expected time missed is not a surprise.

If it takes Francisco Lindor a bit longer to return that is more than fine. First and foremost Cleveland needs Lindor to be healthy. A healthy Lindor for the majority of the games is better than no Lindor at all. The last thing the Indians need at this point in time is for Lindor re-aggravate the injury and have his return delayed even further.

Cleveland has seen just how easily it is for someone to have trouble coming back from these types of injuries. The Indians were without Michael Brantley for the last two months of 2017 due to an ankle injury. Brantley attempted to play in the playoffs but was rather disappointing, going 1-11 in three games. In regards to his calf injury, Lonnie Chisenhall missed a lot of time in 2018 because of a calf injury. Lindor ending up like either player would be less than optimal for Cleveland.

It appears that the Indians are being cautious when it comes to Francisco Lindor. This is the best option to take. Cleveland without Lindor for an extended period of time would be in trouble. The Indians lineup is just not all that imposing without Lindor and if he were to miss more time than expected it could seriously impact their postseason aspirations.

Cavaliers lose “Tank Battle” with Suns

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were defeated by the Phoenix Suns on the road by a score 122-113.

The “Tank for Zion” is still on. Cleveland was defeated by Phoenix Monday night. The Cavaliers were without Kevin Love who missed the game due to shoulder soreness. This made things much more difficult for a team that struggles without him.

The Cavaliers struggled in the assist department, finishing with 17 compared to the 28 Phoenix had on the night. Cleveland also had difficulty getting shots up as Phoenix had 12 blocks on the night.

The Cavaliers were able to out-rebound the Suns Monday 56-46. The impressive part is that Cleveland managed to crash the offensive boards and finished with 18 offensive rebounds.

Collin Sexton scored 21 points on 9-23 shooting. This is not necessarily the best shooting night for Sexton as he only made one of four three-point attempts. Sexton finished Monday night’s contest with four rebounds (three offensive) and three assists.

Again Jordan Clarkson enjoyed a productive game off the bench, scoring 20 points in 33 minutes. Clarkson made 8-16 shots in the contest, including going 1-3 from deep. Clarkson also added six rebounds (two offensive), three assists and one steal.

Ante Zizic put together a strong performance in 14 minutes. Zizic scored 15 points on 5-6 shooting. All six shot attempts came from within six feet. Zizic was also able to grab seven rebounds, five of which were of the offensive variety.

Tristan Thompson scored 15 points of his own on 6-8 shooting. Like Zizic, all of Thompson’s shot attempts came close to the hoop. Thompson also had five rebounds (four offensive) and made three of six free throws.

The Cavaliers only have four more games left this season and are all but guaranteed to have a high pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Cleveland next game is against the Kings in Sacramento Thursday at 10:00 P.M.

Indians defeat White Sox in home opener

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The Cleveland Indians were able to defeat the Chicago White Sox by a score of 5-3 in Monday’s home opener.

Cleveland got a strong pitching performance from Mike Clevinger in his first start of the year. “Sunshine’ pitched well in the surprisingly sunny, but chilly home opener. Clevinger went seven innings, allowing one hit and striking out 12. Unfortunately Clevinger was not able to come away with a win as Oliver Perez gave up the lead in the eighth inning.

Perez gave up an RBI double to Yoan Moncada to tie the game. Jon Edwards would surrender a two-run homer to Ryan Cordell who came in as a pinch hitter. The Indians found themselves down 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth and that is when the rally started.

Leonys Martin reached on a walk. Jose Ramirez lined out for the first out of the inning. Jake Bauers would double with Martin going to third. Chicago intentionally walked Carlos Santana to load the bases. Hanley Ramirez would reach on an error, scoring Martin. Max Moroff would single to bring home Bauers. Roberto Perez was walked, this allowed Santana to score. Greg Allen came in as a pinch-hitter for Tyler Naquin and was also walked, Hanley Ramirez would score to make it 5-3 Indians.

Brad Hand came on in the top of the ninth and shut the door for the Indians, securing their first win at home in 2019. Hand struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Cleveland’s bats appeared to finally wake up after a rather unimpressive start to the year. Cleveland finished with eight hits and reached base via walk five times and managed to double their season run total in one game.

The second and final game of the series will take place Wednesday at 1:10 P.M.

Browns acquire Eric Murray for Emmanuel Ogbah

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The Cleveland Browns acquired safety Eric Murray from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah.

This was a trade that could be seen coming from a mile away. After acquiring Olivier Vernon from New York, Emmanuel Ogbah became expendable. Cleveland sent Ogbah to Kansas City and acquired safety Eric Murray in the process. Ian Rapoport reported the news Monday.

Ogbah was already a no-show in Berea Monday. Although reports say that he was expecting a trade. This would make Ogbah’s presence unnecessary. During his time with the Browns Ogbah was not able to live up to his successful rookie campaign. After that a mix of injuries and inconsistent play made upgrading the position a necessity.

The newly acquired Eric Murray should at least compete for the starting safety spot. Cleveland waived Derrick Kindred Monday and sent Jabrill Peppers to New York in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal. There was a clear need to address the safety position and that is just what John Dorsey did.

Eric Murray has appeared in 45 games in his three-year career, starting 11 of them. Murray finished his time with the Chiefs with 88 total tackles. This includes three tackles for loss, one of which was a sack. Murray also successfully defended seven passes and intercepted one. Pro Football Focus grades Murray as above average and 50th overall among those that play the safety position. While there are 49 others ahead of him what matters is that the grade is above average.

The Browns were going to get rid of Emmanuel Ogbah one way or the other. Ogbah has not lived up to expectations, is in the final year of his deal and he is not one of John Dorsey’s guys. Acquiring Eric Murray and giving him a chance to compete for the starting safety spot is the perfect type of trade for the Browns to make at this point in time.

Browns to waive Ricardo Louis

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The Cleveland Browns are going to waive wide receiver Ricardo Louis.

Ricardo Louis is the second player that the Cleveland Browns waived Monday. The first being Derrick Kindred. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news Monday Morning.

Louis was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. A neck injury kept Louis off the field for the entirety of the 2018 season. In his two seasons on the field Ricardo Louis caught 45 passes for 562 yards. Louis also returned nine kickoffs for 164 yards. Louis started 12 of the 32 games he appeared in during his time with the Browns.

Before the Browns acquired Odell Beckham Jr., Louis appeared on the outside looking in. The receiver room had the likes of Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway and potentially Rashard Higgins (if he agrees to a deal with Cleveland). Now with Beckham in the mix, Louis is the odd man out.

Even if Ricardo Louis had not suffered an injury last season it was more than likely he was on his way out. New general manager John Dorsey has essentially cleaned house in regards to unproductive Sashi Brown players. Louis was not exactly a superstar when he did play. Although the fact that his quarterbacks were Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan, Charlie Whitehurst and DeShone Kizer does not exactly lead to productive play.

Could Ricardo Louis turn things around if given a chance to play with Baker Mayfield? Sure. Rashard Higgins was not considered to be anything of worth until Mayfield lined up under center, developing chemistry along the way. It is possible, but given the fact that the Browns have a stocked wide receiver group they do not necessarily needs Louis. It is best to let Louis potentially catch on with a different team and get a chance for more playing time than what he would have in Cleveland.

Browns to waive Derrick Kindred

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The Cleveland Browns are planning to waive safety Derrick Kindred.

Cleveland continues to overhaul their roster. The Browns are waiving safety Derrick Kindred. This was reported Monday morning by NFL Networks’ Ian Rapoport.

Derrick Kindred was a fourth round pick of the Browns in the 2016 NFL Draft. In his three years with Cleveland Kindred started 17 of 42 games he appeared in. Kindred finishes his career in Cleveland with 144 total tackles, 10 of which went for a loss. Kindred also intercepted two passes, defended 12 and forced one fumble.

Apparently the Browns attempted to trade Kindred but were not able to find someone interested in his services. Some expected Cleveland to keep Kindred on their roster to compete for the starting safety spot, but the Browns are looking other areas to fill the position. The position became vacant after the Browns traded Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants in the Odell Beckham Jr. deal.

Cleveland has already expressed interest in Tre Boston and Eric Berry to replace Peppers. Now with Kindred out of the picture it appears even more likely that one of the two will end up on the roster. In addition to finding a replacement in free agency, Cleveland will look to find a safety in the upcoming draft. A combination of a free agent on a short deal and drafting a safety seems like the best avenue to take when it comes to addressing this vacancy in the secondary.

Even if Derrick Kindred would have remained on the roster another safety would be acquired. Kindred is yet to show anything that he is worthy of the starting safety spot. Considering that Cleveland is going for it this year it makes sense trying to find an upgrade over Kindred to solidify their defensive backfield.