Leo: A sticky situation

My son has once again amazed friends and family with his “creativity”.  He imbedded a large clump of silly putty in his hair this week and after a furious attempt to pull or wash out the putty,  my wife decided to break out the dreaded “Leo Family Scissors”…

The Clippers, however, may have found the secret formula to avoiding such a traumatic conclusion: Some nights it’s pitching and others it’s late inning offense.

Columbus has managed to win the first three games of the season, all by one run each. It’s the best start since 1997.

The first two games of the series in Indianapolis were very similar. The Clippers scored early and held enough of the lead to escape with a close win.

Saturday’s game took a different turn. The Clippers lead 2-0 early, but Indianapolis scored six unanswered to lead 6-2 heading into the eighth. That’s when the Clippers showed their first bout of offensive toughness. Mike Sarbaugh’s lineup produced three tallies in the eighth and two more in the ninth to grab a 7-6 lead. Even after Josh Judy was unable to close things out, an Alex Presley homer sent the game to extras, the Clippers resiliency shined through again as Jerad Head’s leadoff double led to the eventual winning run.

“It didn’t seem we were ever down mentally.” Mike Sarbaugh said, “It was definitely a team effort.”

The Clippers obviously couldn’t have started any better than three wins in three tries to start the season, but maybe more importantly than the wins, the Clippers have shown early signs of a team that will compete until the end.

Clippers second baseman Jason Kipnis stated, “We are getting some good experience early in the season.”  It was Kipnis’ triple that fueled the eighth inning rally on Saturday. “We’re learning a lot about ourselves. We’re never going to feel like we’re out of it.”

That should serve them well long after the season opening road trip is complete. This has the making of a team that can avoid a silly putty-scissors type of fate.

Other items of note:

* The Clippers are attempting to go 4-0 for the first time since 1980.

* Ezequiel Carrera has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games, dating back to last season. Counting last year’s playoff run, Carrera has reached in 27 of his last 28 games. The longest International League on base streak belongs to former Clippers outfield Jose Constanza. He has reached in 27 straight, obviously a streak that started while he was patrolling the Columbus outfield in 2010.

* Don’t forget to check the Clippers YouTube page  for interviews after each game.

* Columbus has won seven straight games over Indianapolis (12 of last 14), reaching double-digit hits in every game.

* You can follow Clippers players on Twitter: Lonnie Chisenhall (@TheChizKid), Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid), Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty), David Huff (@theREALdavehuff), and Luke Carlin(@CarlinsCorner).

* The Cleveland Indians organization is off to a great start, carrying a 13-6 record overall:
Cleveland 6-2 (1st)
Columbus 3-0 (1st)
Akron 1-2 (T-5th)
Kinston 1-1 (T-2nd)
Lake County 2-1 (T-2nd)