The Clippers look for three straight over Syracuse tonight at Huntington Park…

* Trevor Crowe’s career-best 18 game hitting streak ended last night. He was 0-for-4 in the Clippers 5-4 win over the Chiefs. Crowe batted .342 (25-for-73) during the streak.

* Masa Kobayashi was released after the game last night. Kobayashi was 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA in 18 games with the Clippers. He was outrighted from Cleveland on May 18th (0-0, 8.38 ERA).

* Fausto Carmona allowed just two runs in seven innings against Syracuse on Thursday. He is now 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA in five minor league starts since the Indians optioned him on June 5th.

* Hector Rondon pitched six innings last night, allowing one run. He is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings at Triple-A (two starts). The right-hander is a combined 9-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 17 games (15 starts) at Akron and Columbus.

* Thanks for all the compliments regarding my appearance on the Indians “Minor League Magazine Show” on SportsTime Ohio. The show, hosted by Al Pawlowski and Mark Schwab, airs on Tuesdays at 6:00pm.

* The Clippers Booster Club is chartering a bus to Indianapolis for Sunday, August 23rd. Click here for details.

* Kenny Ray has been moved to the bullpen. The Clippers rotation now consists of Fausto Carmona, Hector Rondon, Chuck Lofgren, Jeremy Sowers and Zach Jackson.

* Monday is Dime-A-Dog Night at Huntington Park. Last month’s hot dog extravaganza drew a record crowd of 12,223.

* Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro will be attendance again tonight. Shapiro saw Carmona and Rondon pitch the Clippers to a pair of victories to start the home stand. Click here to hear our interview with Shapiro.

See you at the ballpark!

The All-Star break is behind us and the Clippers begin an eight-game home stand tonight against Syracuse…

* Jordan Brown was 0-for-1 in last night’s Triple-A All-Star Game. The International League defeated the Pacific Coast League 6-5. Indianapolis’ Erik Kratz was the MVP.

* Wyatt Toregas (concussion) and Andy Marte (personal matters) did not participate in the game.

* Toregas is expected to be available tonight. He hasn’t played since suffering a moderate concussion last Tuesday (7/7). He was hit in the head by a foul ball while catching the ninth inning of a 13-6 loss to Indianapolis.

* Tony Graffanino entered the break batting .308 (12-for-39) in his last ten games. 

The Clippers try to salvage the final game of the weekend in Toledo at 6:30pm tonight.

* Fausto Carmona will start tonight against the Mud Hens. Carmona was optioned to the Arizona League on June 5th. He was 2-6 with a 7.42 ERA in 12 starts with Cleveland, walking 41 batters in 60.2 innings. Carmona has made tw minor league starts prior to tonight, allowing one run in 13.2 IP. He is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in the minors.

* Wes Hodges returned to the Clippers lineup last night, going 0-for-4 as the designated hitter. Hodges played four ”rehab” games with Lake County after a long stint on the disabled list (sprained left wrist).

* Zach Jackson allowed sven runs in six innings of work last night. He has lost four straight decisions since returning from a spot start with Cleveland on May 27th. Jacksn’s ERA is now up to 5.40.

* The Clippers starting pitching has tallied only 34 quality starts in 83 games.

* A roster move is needed to make room for Carmona today. The Indians have announced that Hector Rondon will also be promoted from Akron to Columbus for his next start.

Rondon, the top pitching prospect in the organization, won each of his first five starts and was 7-5 with a 2.75 ERA for the Aeros. His ERA was the fifth-best in the Eastern League, he was tied for fourth in victories, and tied for fifth with 73 strikeouts in just 72 innings. He was holding Double-A opponents to a .227 batting average. Rondon is expected to start Wednesday against Indianapolis at Huntington Park.

* In other roster news, the Indians released veteran outfielder George Lombard. He played only eight games, batting .368 (7-for-19) with 4 RBI. Lombard, 33, spent most of the season on disabled list.

* Michael Brantley was not in the lineup last night. There are two reasons for his absence. 1) Brantley has been battling a chest cold 2) Torey Lovullo feels he’s been too agressive with Brantley, playing him in 78 of the 82 games this season. Brantley missed three games early in the season with a tight hamstring.

* Brantley continues to play a couple days per week in left field, preparing him for a promotion to Cleveland. Trevor Crowe patrols center on those days.

* Matt LaPorta continues to see significant time at first base for the same reason, presenting many theories and questions about the moves the Indians will make before the trade deadline at the end of the month. Stay tuned.

* Reliever Matt Herges was designated for assignment by Cleveland to make room for the  recently aqcuired Winston Abreu. Herges, 39, did more than hold his own in the bigs (2-1, 3.55, 21 games). There is no word on his interest in re-joining the Clippers if the opportunity arises.

* The Clippers are 6-18 since June 11th. Columbus led the IL West Division on June 7th and now sits in last place, 11 games back.

* Columbus is the top hitting team in the International League (. 276 team average). The team’s ERA is up to 4.72, worst in the league.

* I’ll be hosting an All-Star break edition of the Indians Minor League Magazine Show on Tuesday, July 14th. The show, hosted by Al Pawlowski and Mark Schwab, airs on Tuesdays throughout the season at 6:00pm on SportsTime Ohio.

Enjoy the remainder of the holiday weekend and we’ll chat again later.

July has arrived… and so has another edition of “Clippings”…. enjoy!

* The Clippers meet the Toldedo Mud Hens tonight for the first of five straight. The first two are at Huntington Park and Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Toledo.

* Columbus has lost six straight and 16 of the last 20. The Clippers are now 34-45 (.430) and 8.5 games out in the IL West Division. Toledo won last night, so the Clippers are in last place.

* The Clippers were 9-19 in June and 3-10 at home. Ouch.

* Aaron Laffey will start for the Clippers on Friday in Toledo. He was scheduled for five innings (80 pitches) in his last start for Double-A Akron, but lasted only 3 1/3. He gave up three runs on five hits with six walks and a hit batter. It is unknown if this will be his final rehab appearance, assuming the result is better.

* Wes Hodges is very close to returning to the Clippers lineup. Hodges has been on the disabled list since May with a sprained left wrist. He is 4-for-9 with 2 RBI and an error in four “rehab” games with class A Lake County. Torey Lovullo expects Hodges to get about 15 at-bats before returning to Columbus.

* Andy Marte was named the International League “Player of the Week”. Marte batted .478 (11-for-23) with 2 HR and 8 RBI in six games last week.

* Marte may find a tough time getting into the lineup when Wes Hodges returns. The Indians will want Hodges to play third base on a regular basis, which leaves little room for Marte. He may see a game per week at first, one per week at third, and a few as the designated hitter. The outfield is another possible option.

* Huntington Park will be open for Friday’s “Red, White and Boom” fireworks extravaganza. McGuffey Lane and Phill Dirt and the Dozers will be performing live starting at 3:00pm. Click here for more info.

* Akron has five players on the Eastern League All Star team:

1B Beau Mills
CA Carlos Santana
OF Nick Weglarz
P Vinnie Pestano
P Hector Rondon

* We should know which Clippers have been selected to the International League All Star squad tomorrow. Jordan Brown, Andy Marte, Matt LaPorta and Wyatt Toregas are all strong candidates.

* Jack Cassel was scheduled to pitch Thursday for the Clippers, but that may change. Cassel has made 15 consecutive starts and may simply need a rest. I’ll keep you posted.

* The Clippers ERA is now 4.58, worst in the International League.

* The Clippers Booster Club is taking a bus trip to Progressive Field on Friday, July 31st to see the Indians and Tigers. Click here for details.

The Clippers snapped a six game skid with a 8-7 win last night in Rochester. Columbus rallied with a six-run eighth inning to take the lead. Jordan Brown and Andy Marte hit the first back-to-back Clippers homers of the season.

In other news….

* As posted below, Michael Aubrey was traded to the Orioles today. The former first round pick has suffered from multiple injuries during his career, but has stayed healthy this season. He played in 59 games Clippers games, batting .292. The first baseman/designated hitter was removed from the 40-man roster in the off-season.

* Stephen Head returns to the Clippers tonight after a two game rehab stint with Mahoning Valley. Head, on the disabled list since May 7th, was 2-for-7 with 3 RBI and a homer with the Scrappers. Head injured his right knee on February 28th in an Indians spring training game and tweaked it on May 1st sliding for a ball in right field.

* Trevor Crowe joins the Clippers tonight after being optioned from Cleveland.

* Right-hander Greg Aquino has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Columbus. He was designated for assignment on June 19 and was 1-2 w/a 4.50ERA in 10 relief appearances for Cleveland (16.0IP, 13H, 8ER, 15BB, 11K). Aquino should join the Clippers in the next day or so.

* No word concerning the recently designated Luis Vizcaino. He could accept an assignment to Columbus if he clears waivers.

* The Indians acquired former Clippers reliver Jose Veras in a trade with the Yankees today. A move will be neccessary to make room for Veras on the Cleveland 25-man roster. Veras pitched in Columbus in 2006 and in 25 appearances out of New York’s bullpen this season, was 3-1 with a 5.96 ERA.

* Wes Hodges is expected to be activated from the disabled list later this week. He’s expected to play three innings, maybe with Mahoning Valley, on Friday. Hodges has been on the DL since May 13th with a sprained right wrist. He was also suffering from a bad shoulder early in the season.

* The Tribe has signed three more players from the draft:

OF Jordan Henry (7th round, Mississippi)
INF Casey Frawley (17th round, Stetson)
INF Greg Folgia (40th round, Missouri-Columbia)

The Indians have signed 22 of their 50 picks.

* The Clippers were just 2-10 in the last twelve games, entering last night. Jordan Brown was the player to play in each of those game and bat over .300. Brown hit .302 during that stretch.

* With the victory last night, the Clippers are now 5-1 in extra innings games.

* Last night was the 72nd game of the season…. the Clippers are now into the second half of the schedule.

* LHP Tony Sipp has been on the Columbus-Cleveland shuttle more than anyone this year. This is Sipp’s third call-up the the bigs. LHP Rich Rundles and INF Josh Barfield have each been recalled twice from the Clippers. A total of 22 players have spent time on both the Columbus and Cleveland rosters.

I’m sure there is more, but time is up… I’ll be back with lineups, notes and roster moves shortly.

The Clippers dumped Rochester 10-3 last night to even the series… tonight’s first pitch is slated for 7:05pm.

* The Famous Chicken makes his annual stop in Columbus tonight. Click here for an interview I conducted with the most beloved mascot in sports. The national media was been reporting the chicken may soon retire.

* Indians Assistant General Manager Chris Antonetti is in town for the series with Rochester. He’s mostly watching Matt LaPorta at first base to see if he’s a viable option for the Indians. LaPorta has been splitting time between first and the outfield since returning from Cleveland, but he’ll play exclusively at first while Antonetti is here.

* The Tribe announced they’ve signed five more draft picks:

RHP Austin Adams (5th round, Faulkner University)
RHP Cory Burns (8th round, Arizona)
RHP Preston Guilmet (9th round, Arizona)
RHP Dale Dickerson (16th round, Nicholls State)
RHP Tyler Sturdevant (27th round, New Mexico State)

* The Clippers put together a seven-run fourth inning in last night’s win. The largest inning this season was eleven runs on June 1st against Norfolk. The eleven runs tied a franchise record.

* The Columbus-Cleveland shuttle is about to get very busy again. Aaron Laffey will pitch for the Clippers tomorrow on a rehab assignment. Jake Westbrook and Scott Lewis are expected to pitch for the Clippers very soon. No word on whether Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore are candidates to make a stop in Columbus at some point during they’re recovery.

* The coaching staffs for the Triple-A All Star Game have been announced:

International League
Manager: Rick Sweet (Louisville)
Coach: Gary Allenson (Norfolk)
Coach: Ken Oberkfell (Buffalo)

Pacific Coast League
Manager: Randy Ready (Portland)
Hitting Coach: Brian McArn (Sacramento)
Pitching Coach: Dwight Bernard (Tacoma)

I’ll be back with lineups and notes in a bit.

Columbus and Rochester meet tonight at 7:05pm…

* Jake Westbrook has suffered a setback on his rehab assignment. He complained of soreness in his surgically repaired right elbow. Westbrook played catch Monday and may attempt a bullpen session on Wednesday. He still could join the Clippers on the upcoming road trip if the soreness subsides.

* Aaron Laffey will start for the Clippers on Thursday. He is expected to throw three innings or 50 pitches. Laffey has been shelved since May 23rd with a strained right oblique. Laffey has thrown a few bullpen sessions in preparation for Thursday.

* The Indians announced they’ve signed four draft picks:

1B Ben Carleson (6th round, Missouri State)
RHP Brent Brach (10th round, Monmouth)
LHP Kirk Wetmore (11th round, Bellevue CC)
INF Kyle Smith (14th round, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

* The Clippers lost 4-2 last night to Rochester, but 12,223 entered Huntington Park. It is the largest so far at the new ballpark. The Clippers are averaging 9,293 fans per game, the most in all of minor league baseball.

* Stephen Head is scheduled to play a few innings for Mahoning Valley on Friday. Head banged his right knee in an Indians spring training game on February 28th and re-injured it on May 1st against Durham.

* The Famous Chicken will be at Wednesday’s game. A record crowd a 20,131 attended the Chicken’s first Columbus appearance in 1980. I’ll have a link to an interview with the feathered phenom in a bit.

THE FAMOUS CHICKEN

The Clippers meet Rochester in the opener of a four-game set tonight at 7:05pm.

* Tonight is Dime-A-Dog Night at Huntington Park. Sugardale hot dogs for ten cents each… there is nothing better.

* Clippers catcher Wyatt Toregas returned to the lineup Sunday in fine form. He homered off Louisville’s Sam LeCure in his first at-bat. Toregas missed two games after taking a foul ball off his right hand. Toregas is now the hottest Clippers hitter, batting .421 (8-for-19) in his last six games.

* The Clippers offense is struggling overall. Michael Aubrey is 4-for-23 (.174), Jordan Brown is 3-for-18 (.167), Andy Marte is 4-for-19 (.211) and Michael Brantley is 3-for-19 (.158) over the last five games. Brantley had a 19 game stretch in which he batted .333 before the recent slide.

* Aaron Laffey could be Columbus-bound this week. He is scheduled to pitch three innings on Thursday, likely with the Clippers. He suffered a strained right oblique muscle and was placed on the DL back on May 23rd.

* We are still waiting on the “official” word that Jake Westbrook will pitch Wednesday. Westbrook has thrown seven scoreless innings over two starts with Akron. Torey Lovullo has said he’ll go about five innings or eighty pitches…unless there has been a setback behind the scenes.

* Kirk Saarloos is slated to make his first start since June 5th. He was skipped in the rotation after allowing eight runs, four earned in only two innings against Charlotte. Saarloos is 3-7 with a 5.63 ERA (11 starts) heading into tonight vs. Rochester.

* Ryan Mitchell, my broadcast partner, paid a visit to the “Sandwiches on Deck” stand in the right field corner at Huntington Park. He returned with this gigantic ice cream sundae in a clipper ship…

That’s all for now… meeting adjourned.

The Clippers and Bats play Saturday and Sunday to complete a four-game series at Huntington Park. Here is the latest:

* Clippers manager Torey Lovullo was back in the dugout Friday. Lovullo missed Thursday’s game to attended his daughter’s high school graduation. Jon Nunnally was the acting manager in the Clippers 6-1 loss to the Bats.

* Wyatt Toregas suffered a bruise on his right hand from foul ball on Friday. The injury occurred on the outside knuckles of Toregas’ hand. He is listed as day-to-day and expected to be available Saturday off the bench. Damaso Espino will start in his place.

* Chuck Lofgren pitched six innings, allowing three runs against Louisville on Thursday. He is 1-2 with a 3.71 ERA in three starts for Columbus. Lofgren, 23, led the Eastern League with a 1.48 ERA in eight starts for Akron before his promotion.

* Jake Westbrook threw four scorless innings Friday for Akron. Westbrook is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and is expected to appear with the Clippers on Wednesday against Rochester. Westbrook has allowed four hits in seven innings over his two Double-A starts.

* Scott Lewis fired three perfect innings for Lake County on Thursday. Lewis retired all nine batter faced, including three strikeouts. The former Ohio State standout is expected to make a stop in Columbus during his rehab assignment.

* The Clippers Booster Club is still looking for folks to make a bus trip to Cleveland on Friday, June 26th. The Indians are playing the Reds at Progressive Field and the trip includes a pre-game party on the Party Deck. Click here for more info.

* Wes Hodges, Stephen Head and George Lombard all remain on the comeback trail from the Clippers disabled list. It appears Head is the closest to returning. He has been working on base running after the Clippers batting practice sessions. Head banged his knee against the wall in an Indians spring training game in Goodyear and re-injured it while sliding for a ball in April.

* Tomo Ohka will start for the Indians on Saturday. Ohka was not expected to make the Clippers roster this year, but farm director Ross Adkins decided to keep him as a long reliever and the gamble paid off. Ohka joined the rotation when Aaron Laffey was called up and proceeded to go 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA over nine starts. He is only the second Japanese-born pitcher to start a game for Cleveland. Kaz Tadano (2004) is the other.

* Michael Brantley is the hottest Clippers hitter… batting .357 (15-for-42) over his last ten games.

* Andy Cannizaro is next best… 11 for his last 33 (.333) over an eight game stretch.

* Wilson Valdez is 4-for-20 (.200) with a double, triple and three RBI since being traded to the Mets for the Clippers roster.

* Kirk Saarloos was pushed to the back of the rotation, missing his scheduled start on Friday. According to Torey Lovullo, the move was made to give Saarloos a few extra days of rest. Saarloos has made eleven starts (3-7, 5.62 ERA). He lasted only two innings in his most recent outing (June 5th at Charlotte) and allowed eight runs, four earned from five hits.

* The Louisville Bats are in town and so are some familiar names from their parent club in Cincinnati. George Foster is signing autographs at Huntington Park this weekend and Eric Davis is camping in the Bats dugout.

Foster, 60, was a career .274 hitter with 348 HR and 1,239 RBI. He won the National League MVP in 1977, a season in which he drove in 149 runs and homered 52 times. He is a five-time All-Star and two-time World Champion.

Davis, 47, is a special assistant to Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty. He is a two-time All Star and won the 1990 World Series with Cincinnati.

* Tony Graffanino was scratched from the Clippers lineup just before Thursday’s game. Graffanino has been battling a stiff neck since the end of the recent road trip. He is listed as day to day.

There is plenty more, but I’ll have to check back later…