The Indians outrighted reliever (and Clippers broadcast favorite) Jensen Lewis to the Columbus roster today after he cleared waivers. Lewis is still Indians property because it’s his first time being outrighted, so he was forced to accept the assignment.

He has been tremendous as a Clipper, posting a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances last year, but has yet to solidify a spot in Cleveland’s bullpen for the long term. His ERA lowered from 2009 to 2010 (4.61 to 2.97), but allowed nine earned runs in 5.2 innings of spring action before getting bumped off the 25-man roster.

It was assumed that Lewis was locked into a spot in Manny Acta’s bullpen, but you know what happens when you assume…

The bad news is that Lewis much re-prove himself to the Indians in order to get back to Progressive Field. The good news is that we’ll soon have a Jensen Lewis interview (which is always entertaining) coming to a Clippers broadcast near you…

* RHP Joe Smith (Wright State alum) hasn’t pitched in two weeks because of a strained abdominal muscle. It looks like he’ll miss Cleveland’s opener also.

* Jason Bastian of MLB.com writes that Tony Sipp, Chad Durbin, Rafael Perez, and Chris Perez are locks for the big league bullpen with three spots open. Interestingly, we thought there was only one spot open once Durbin was signed. That was before Smith’s injury and Lewis’ demotion. My how things change…

* Indians GM Chris Antonetti recently stated that top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall (3B) is Columbus-bound, but there is a chance that Jason Kipnis (2B) and Alex White (RHP) could start the year with Akron. Stay tuned!

* Speaking of the roster shuffling, Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon-Journal recently tried to solve the mystery of Cleveland’s Opening Day bunch. He has free agent acquisitions Jack Hannahan, Travis Buck, and Adam Everett making the big club. That could throw a wrench in the plans of guys like Shelley Duncan, Trevor Crowe, Luis Valbuena, and Jayson Nix to name a few.

* It appears Jason Donald is out of the equation for the Indians Opening Day roster (bone bruise on left hand). When he returns, he’ll be the likely third baseman.

* The Indians released Ben Carlson, Andrew Shive, Nick Kirk, Matt Speake, and Alex Morales from the organization. Players battling for a Triple-A spot are not likely to get released, but it happened to 1B/OF Stephen Head at this time last year. I’m told it could happen again…

* The Lake County Captains received their 2010 Midwest League championship rings before a game at Goodyear Ballpark last week. The Clippers will be awarded the 2010 Triple-A National Championship rings prior to next week’s exhibition against the Indians. Click here for ticket info.

* The 4th Annual Clippers 5K and Fun Run is scheduled for 1:00pm on Saturday, April 16th. That’s just a few hours before the Clippers home opener! The boys at Second Sole Racing are once again handling the preparations. It’s always a good time! 

* There has been a Jason Davis sighting in Goodyear!

* Clippers Merchandise Director Krista Oberlander has one again exceeded any and all expectations with the new line of Clippers apparel at the Cargo Shop. Call the office at 614-462-5250 for hours of operation.

* The Huntington Park center field ticket booth is now open from 10:00am-2:00pm, Monday through Friday leading up to the season. Say hello to my man Kevin Daniels!

* Tickets are just five bucks to see the Clippers play the Ohio State Buckeyes in an exhibition on April 5th. Click here for tickets!

* This blog will be improving yet again! I’m told the changes involve customization, widgets, mobile posting, captions, and a commenting system that is easier for the bloggers and commenters. Are you excited yet?

As the season draws closer, there is more news to pass along. Therefore, the blog will start to get a bit busy. Here is the latest…

* Many Clippers season ticket holders stopped by Huntington Park on Saturday to pick up their tickets, check out the ballpark, and participate in some fun activities. The weather cooperated and a good time was had by all.

* Manny Acta stated that the first round of cuts in Major League camp could come as early as Friday and he didn’t disappoint.

* RHP Corey Kluber, RHP Hector Rondon, and INF Jared Goedert were placed on the Clippers roster. Rondon is out for the season after having Tommy John surgery last August.

* Jared Goedert suffered a strained right oblique muscle last week. He is expected to miss at least two weeks of action. He has been ticketed for Columbus, but his injury may temporarily alleviate the clogged depth chart if he isn’t ready to break camp with the rest of the team. Lonnie Chisenhall is expected to be the Clippers main man at the hot corner with Goedert, Cord Phelps, and possibly Jack Hannahan in the mix as well.

* Jason Donald’s hand injury could make the Indians battle for third base and interesting one. Donald seemed to be the favorite, but that could change. Chisenhall, Phelps, Valbuena, and the rest will be assessed closely for the near future.

* Other roster cuts included LHPs Kelvin de la Cruz and Nick Hagadone optioned to Akron and LHP Drew Pomeranz, RHP Bryce Stowell, and CA Chun Chen re-assigned to minor league camp.

* There are now 54 players in major league camp with 29 cuts remaining. More moves are expected this week.

* Former Clipper Nick Johnson was inked by Cleveland this week. He is currently out with a wrist injury, but he’ll provide some insurance behind Matt LaPorta at first base and possibly behind Travis Hafner as DH. Johnson played in Columbus as a Yankees farmhand in 2001 to 2003.

* The Indians announced they’ll hold a Bob Feller Memorial Service on Thursday March 31st at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. The Clippers will have special pre-game presentations before the March 30 exhibition game with Cleveland to honor and remember Feller and Harold Cooper.

*I was sad to learn of the passing of former player/coach Mitchell Page. The soft spoken Page died at age 59 of unknown causes. He was on the Washington Nationals staff in 2007 when the Clippers became their Triple-A affiliate. Page was responsible for hiring “Boots” Day as the Columbus hitting coach and while Columbus didn’t have a great club that year, “Boots” delivered some of the best bus ride stories I’ve ever heard. It’s true what they say; baseball can be like one enormously large family.

* On a lighter note, congrats to Clippers Marketing Director Mark Galuska on his recent engagement. I couldn’t find a photo of Mark, but he looks just like this man:

It’s been a week since we last visited and there is plenty to discuss, too much in fact for just one blog entry so Ryan and I will have to turn up our blogging intensity a bit as the season draws closer. For now, here are some of the things happening in the world of Clippers baseball…

* My friend, sportswriter Chuck Murr has added to the list of former Clippers that are now playing elsewhere. From what I can tell, most or all of these are in minor league camp, but it’s a nice addition to our recent “Where are they now”… RHP Jon Meloan (Athletics), LHP Zach Jackson (Rangers), RHP Greg Aquino (White Sox), INF Josh Barfield (Phillies), RHP Jose Veras (Pirates), RHP R.J. Swindle (Rays).

* Ryan and I recently chatted with Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider about several topics. Click here to listen to a portion of the sensational broadcast journalism on display!

* The Indians traded Aaron Laffey to Seattle last week. The acquired player is 25 year old INF/OF Matt Lawson. He batted .293 26 doubles, 7 triples, 9 HRs, and 56 RBIs in a combined118 games in Double-A. Lawson started the 2010 campaign with Texas, but was traded to Seattle in the same deal that moved Cliff Lee to the Rangers. Lawson was originally drafted in the 14th round of the 2007 Rangers draft.

* Shelley Duncan is now playing in the Cactus League. He was out because of a pulled back muscle.

* Jason Donald was hit by a pitch on the hand last week, but the x-rays were negative and he’s listed as day-to-day.

* Jordan Bastian of MLB. com recently wrote a nice piece about outfielders Travis Buck and Chad Huffman. They are both fighting for a job in Cleveland or possibly Columbus. Buck does have an out-clause in his contract if he doesn’t make the Indians 25-man squad.

* Most assume top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall will start the year with Columbus, but he’s making it tough to for Manny Acta to bump him off of the Indians roster. Chisenhall is 7-for-15 (.467) with two doubles, two HRs, and 4 RBIs in the early portion of the Cactus League. The 22 year old smacked 17 homers with 84 RBIs over 117 games with Akron last year.

* Congratulations to John Strawn, Wittenberg University’s assistant sports information director. He finally took the plunge and is purchasing a Clippers 20-game season ticket plan! I’ve only been telling him for the past three years that it was a no-brainer. For all the benefits of being a season ticket holder (even having a partial plan) check out this page.

* The Clippers now have a Tumblr page! I don’t know anything about Tumblr, but I’m told it’s awesome.

* Don’t forget to follow the Clippers, the Clippers broadcast, and the Indians on Twitter.

* The Cincinnati Enquirer believes the Louisville Bats will have a really good team in April. I tend to agree.

* Less than three weeks until the Indians arrive at Huntington Park for the exhibition game against the Clippers. Click here for tickets!

* We have a new champion! “Livin’ La Vida Leo is the new name of my portion of this blog. Thanks to Clippers caricaturist Steve Campbell for that submission. You can usually find Steve in the left field pavilion at Huntington Park drawing until his wrist hurts! Click here for more on his work. We may begin some negotiations for a Scott and Ryan caricature for this blog!

Here some of the other recent blog name suggestions:

Leo’s Line Drives
At the Stadium: By Leo
Letter High Fastballs with Scott Leo
Leo’s In the Dugout
Touching All the Bases with Scott Leo
Baseball Works Cited: By Leo
Scott Gets Real
Ahead in the Count with Scott Leo
Leo’s On Base Blog

Keep them coming! Who knows when there may be a new winner! Remember, not even ”The Nature Boy” Ric Flair was the champ forever. Bring on more contenders!

(more…)

It’s hard to imagine sipping on a cold beverage on a warm summer evening at Huntington Park when you’re busy scrapping ice off the windshield of your car, but (believe it or not) baseball is right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers will be working out under the desert sun in Goodyear next week and Clippers “Opening Night” in Indianapolis is two months from today!

So, in the spirit of preparing for better (and warmer) times, here is the first 2011 edition of baseball’s favorite bullet-pointed blog segment:

* Thanks to all that have submitted possible names for the “Leo” portion of the blog. Here are some of my favorites:

Leo’s Roars (“Leo the Lion” themed… nice)
The Skinny with Scott (I am also extremely thin, so it fits)
The Red-Headed Stepchild Report (the hair sometimes causes me grief)
Easy Eddie Leo’s Everyday Thoughts (inside joke…I was once called Eddie by a fan)
Leo’s Lip (playing off the legendary Leo Durocher)
Scott’s Hot Shots (also a baseball broadcaster term, well done)
Leading off with Leo (it has a ring to it)
Scott’s Scuttlebutt (this one is also fun to say)
Leo’s Lowdown (this one makes it sounds like I’ve got the “scoop”)
Scott’s Thoughts (I’m a fan of anything that rhymes)

Keep the suggestions coming to sleo@clippersbaseball.com. I’ll make a selection this weekend and send a Clippers prize to the person that has the winning name.

* Our friend Tony Lastoria (Indians Prospect Insider) is featuring his Top 50 prospects which include Jess Todd, Ezequiel Carrera, Vinnie Pestano, Jared Goedert, and Jordan Brown. Keep checking Tony’s site for more!

* Recent reports suggest the Indians are in talks to free agent pitchers Jeremy Bonderman and Kevin Millwood. It’s unlikely the Tribe would sign both, but one addition to the big league staff could make it tough for Josh Tomlin, David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez, and others to make the big league rotation. Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, and Mitch Talbot seem to have a strong hold on the other four spots.

* Doctors have cleared catcher Carlos Santana to start spring training on time, so there is no reason to believe he won’t ready for Cleveland’s Opening Day. However, it’s not a lock that Lou Marson will be his back-up. There is one school of thought that Marson could start with the Clippers in order to play every day and improve his offense. That could mean that either Luke Carlin or Paul Phillips land in the bigs. There is still a possibility that the Indians will add a veteran catcher (i.e. Mike Redmond last year) as late as the end of spring camp (once other teams make some cuts).

* Grady Sizemore won’t be playing in any Cactus League games until at least mid-March so there’s a chance that he won’t be ready for Opening Day and might see some time on the rehab circuit, similar to Russell Branyan last year. Stay tuned…

* The Triple-A National Championship Game is on the move. It will be played in Albuquerque in 2011. Here is the new logo:

The Clippers held a 10.5 game lead in the West Division after a 11-7 win over Pawtucket on July 26th. Now that lead is down to just two games over Louisville and the Clippers have lost eight of the last nine…

* The Clippers and Syracuse Chiefs will play a doubleheader today at 5:00pm. Columbus has lost 10 of 12 in Syracuse dating back to June of 2007. The Chiefs swept Columbus at Alliance Bank Stadium last year.

* Columbus is now 67-49 on the season. The Clippers .578 winning percentage is third best in the league behind Durham (.623) and Scranton/WB (.591).

* Louisville is showing no signs of slowing down. The Bats are 29-7 since July 1st and they’ve won 11 straight at home.

* Jared Goedert is slumping. He is just 7-for-36 (.194) over his last nine games. Goedert has not homered since July 27th.

* The Clippers have hit just two HRs in the last nine games. Prior to that, Columbus had 17 HRs in nine games. The team has gone 169 at-bats since the last.

* Jose Constanza is tied for 2nd in the league’s “stolen base race”. Constanza has swiped 28 bags, tied with Durham’s Desmond Jennings. Boomer Whiting of Syracuse has 29. 

* The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA in 94 games this year. Since then, the ‘pen has an ERA of 10.01 ERA.

* The Clippers attendance average of 8,736 per game is 3rd in Minor League Baseball.

* Huntington Park welcomes the Clippers back on Friday night at 7:05pm to start a crucial weekend series with Louisville. The Zooperstars will be there. Click here for tickets.

Talk to you soon!

The transaction wire is heating up and there are plenty more moves coming that could affect the Clippers…

* The Indians promoted Jeanmar Gomez to make today’s spot start and he did not disappoint. Gomez fired seven innings and didn’t allow an earned run… 7IP, 5H, 2R, 0ER, 1BB, 4K.

* Zach Putnam was added to the Clippers bullpen to replace Gomez for the time being, but Gomez is expected to return to the Clippers for his next outing. Putnam was 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 20 appearances in Akron. The right-hander was drafted in 2008 out of the University of Michigan (don’t hold that against him).

* Infielder Justin Toole joined Columbus from Kinston. No word on how long Toole’s stay with the Clippers will last, but it may be a short stint considering the other moves that will be made soon.

* To make room for Gomez in Cleveland, Anderson Hernandez was designated for assignment and could land back in Columbus if he clears waivers. Hernandez batted .246 with 2 RBI in 22 games with Cleveland.

* Asdrubal Cabrera is rehabbing a broken left forearm with Akron and is expected to re-join the Tribe next week. The Indians can now activate Cabrera without issue because Hernandez was removed from the 40-man roster. Cabrera is on the 60-day disabled list, which doesn’t count against the 40-man.

* Shin-Soo Choo took batting practice today and is expected to rehab with Akron this week before joining Cleveland on Friday. Choo has been out with a strained right thumb. Choo is on the 15-day DL, but was originally thought to be out until late August or September.

* Anthony Reyes is set begin pitching in Goodyear and will start to work his way back into the fold in the coming weeks during a 30-day minor league rehab assignment. Reyes made only eight starts last year before being sidelined and eventually undergoing Tommy John surgery.

There will be a quiz later so stay tuned!

* In other news, our friend Tony Lastoria has this article on Bryce Stowell’s rise through the minors.

* After the game in Norfolk tonight, the Clippers will be heading for Durham in this 80+ passenger, double-decker bus…

* The Clippers have changed the starting rotation more in the last couple days than in the previous month. Josh Tomlin has been announced as tonight’s starter against the Tides.

* Jeanmar Gomez was scheduled to start tonight, but he’s been announced as the spot starter tomorrow in Cleveland.

* David Huff was originally going to get that opportunity, but the Indians changed their minds after a message was posted to Huff’s twitter account announcing that he was going back to the bigs. Now, Huff will pitch tomorrow for the Clippers instead.

* Here is the latest on the Clippers rotation:
Tonight – RH Josh Tomlin @ Norfolk
Sunday – LH David Huff @ Norfolk
Monday – RH Yohan Pino @ Durham
Tuesday – RH Carlos Carrasco @ Durham
Wednesday – TBA @ Durham

* Justin Germano made a spot start for Huff last night when it was believed Huff was Cleveland-bound. It is likely that Germano would stay in the rotation until Gomez comes back for the bigs.

* Jose Constanza has not played since the All-Star break because of flu-like symptoms. He was sick at the All Star game, but did make an appearance as a pinch-runner in the 8th inning.

* Jared Goedert has clubbed 16 homers in 35 games with the Clippers. He hit 16 in 46 games with Class A Lake County in 2007, but suffered a shoulder injury that pushed him off the Indians radar… until now.

* The Clippers pounded out 16 hits last night and have at least ten hits in 17 of the last 22 games. The team is batting .308 during that stretch and averaging 6.2 runs per game. Columbus has double-digit hits in 47 games this year.

It’s decision time. All the speculation and hoopla is finished. The pros and cons have been examined and re-examined. Here is the verdict… I’m having Bd’s Mongolian Barbeque for lunch. It’s really good food (stir-fry is always a good choice) and their Arena District location is within walking distance of the ballpark.

I was going to have ESPN televise a one hour special so I could make my announcement, but apparently that idea was already taken. So I figured this blog was the next best thing…

* The Clippers host Indianapolis tonight and tomorrow at 7:05pm from Huntington Park. Quick Change will perform between innings on Friday.

* The suspended game between Columbus and Pawtucket will be completed on Friday, July 23 at 5:35pm. The Clippers lead 5-4 when play resumes in the 6th inning. The regularly scheduled game should start 20 minutes after the conclusion, but not before 7:05pm.

* Jared Goedert continues to crush the baseball, but his glove is still failing him. He has homered 13 times in 29 games with Columbus, but has 9 errors in 25 games at third base. Most of his errors have been errant throws to first.

* The Clippers were 53-32 before back-to-back losses to Toledo. The 21 games over .500 are a season-best for the Clippers and the best record since 1999. The ’99 squad was 29 games over and finished 25 over .500.

* Michael Brantley is now back in Cleveland. He batted .315 with a .391 OBP in 59 games. Brantley was recalled when Shin Soo Choo went on the disabled list with a thumb injury.

* Clippers President/General Manager Ken Schnacke is my guest on the Indians Minor League Magazine Show next Tuesday (July 13) on SportsTime Ohio.

* Indians Prospect Insider has a nice article on the ups and downs of super utility-man Chris Gimenez.

* The Clippers lead in the West Division is currently 8.5 games. Columbus has not been in the playoffs since 2004 and hasn’t won a Governors Cup since 1996.

The Clippers re-enter divisional play tonight, carrying just a two game lead over Indianapolis.

* The Clippers fell 4-3 to Gwinnett last night in front of 12,227 hot dog eating fans. It is the largest crowd in Huntington Park history.

* Jared Goedert blasted a two-run homer against the Braves in the 8th inning. He went deep three times in the Braves series.

* Brian Buscher was released by the Indians today. The 29 year old signed with Cleveland in the off-season after spending 2009 in the majors with Minnesota. He batted .265 in 47 games playing thid base before the arrival of Goedert.

* The Clippers have spent 77 consecutive days in first place.

* Lou Marson is 7-for-40 since joining Columbus (.175), Luis Valbuena is 4-for-11 (.364).

* Josh Rodriguez rejoined the Clippers after being transferred to Akron a few days ago. He was 4-for-8 with a double and one RBI with the Aeros. J-Rod is batting .341 over 26 games in Triple-A.

* Huntington Park will be open for Columbus’ annual “Red White and Boom” festival. The fireworks are Friday, July 2nd. Click here for more info.

* Nick Weglarz is batting .328 in 18 games at Huntington Park, but only .059 on the road over 9 games. He missed six games last week because of knee tendinitis.

* Michael Brantley is batting .341 over his last ten games. He is 10 for his last 21 (.476).

* Brantley is a guest of “Clippers Extra Innings” on Universal Sports Columbus (WDEM-TV). The show will air Thursday at 5:30pm.

That’s all for now. See you at the ballpark!

As the second half of the Clippers season begins tonight, I’m returning to the blog after much needed break. I’ll still be posting the lineups here, but I’d like to get back to the good stuff from earlier in the year. Start looking for things like the “Mailbag” and “Clippings” again. As a matter of fact, here are some “Clippings” to get half #2 underway…

* The Clippers are playing the third of a four-game series in Rochester tonight at 7:05pm. Josh Tomlin will start against Red Wings lefty Glen Perkins.

* Nick Weglarz has not played since 6/18 because of tendinitis in his knee. He suffered a stress fracture to his tibia last year and had surgery where a steel rod was inserted into his leg. Mike Sarbaugh said the tendinitis is probably related to the surgery.

* Weglarz is 1-for-8 on the road trip and is now batting .059 (2-for-34) in nine road games, compared to .353 (18-for-51) in 15 home games. 

* Universal Sports Columbus (WDEM-TV), channel 17 in Columbus is airing “Clippers Extra Innings” each Thursday at 5:30pm. It’s a 30 minute show dedicated to your Hometown Heroes. This week’s show includes a chat with Chris Gimenez.

* Sunday’s tilt at Pawtucket was suspended due to rain in the 6th inning with the Clippers leading 4-3. It will be resumed in Columbus on Friday, July 23rd and be followed by the regularly scheduled 9-inning game.

* The Clippers are 42-30 after 72 games, exactly halfway through the season. Last year the Clippers were 33-39. The last time Columbus was above .500 at the midpoint was 2008 (41-31).

* The Indians announced that Aaron Laffey will start on Friday in Cincinnati. Laffey was 0-1 with a 3.98 ERA over four Triple-A starts. He walked seven in his last outing.

* The Clippers rotation will now look like this:
Tonight: RH Josh Tomlin (6-3, 4.36)
Tomorrow: LH David Huff (NR)
Friday: RH Carlos Carrasco (5-3, 4.29)
Saturday: RH Jeanmar Gomez (4-7, 5.76)
Sunday: RH Yohan Pino (7-3, 4.65)

* Entering tonight’s game, Josh Rodriguez is batting .435 (10-for-23) against Rochester in six games. J-Rod is hitting . 329 with 5 HR and 17 RBI in 23 games since his promotion from Akron.

* Matt LaPorta is scheduled to appear on Bruce Drennan’s “All Bets Are Off” on SportsTime Ohio tomorrow after the Indians-Phillies game.

Listen to the Clippers tonight in Rochester at 7:05pm on AM 920 WMNI or http://www.clippersbaseball.com

Follow the Clippers broadcasts on Facebook and Twitter for in-game updates.