LaPorta Up

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

.LMFAO... What ever dude. As if your thoughts about me carry any weight. There are plenty on this board brighter than you or me who don't find my postings a joke what so ever. But if it makes you feel important to make such statements. Feel free.

Thanks...I'll always feel free to point out that you are a joke and constantly get owned by someone in a discussion or debate. You just had to own up again in the Browns thread. The one before that was the claim the Steeler's had only one center on their roster. It happens a lot to you.

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

Not yet at all. Only pointing out he had a pretty bad debut. Could have been nerves.

Nerves?

Did you even watch the game? Verlander would've shut down Murderer's row in that game.

[Masters]

@oldcrow1945 said:

Thanks...I'll always feel free to point out that you are a joke and constantly get owned by someone in a discussion or debate. You just had to own up again in the Browns thread. The one before that was the claim the Steeler's had only one center on their roster. It happens a lot to you.

Ha ha ha. The fact that you have to use terms as getting owned and calling someone a joke tells me all I need to know about you.

Yep, I was wrong, PIT had a second C on their roster. God fobid I over look a second guy who doesn't see time

[Masters]

@oldcrow1945 said:

Nerves?

Did you even watch the game? Verlander would've shut down Murderer's row in that game.

Sure. It's the kids 1st big league game. Did he even get the ball out of the infield?

I did. Yeah Verlander did pitch great. I wouldn't go to the stretch you just did. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

[CIMO.]

LaPorta didn't look good in his first start, but he was one of the few guys who actually worked the count, fouled off a bunch of pitches and actually put the ball in a play against Verlander. No one was hitting Verlander so the best you can do is get his pitch count up, which LaPorta actually did pretty well.

And he adds a clutch 2-run homer in a tight game today. Hopefully (for the Tribe and my fantasy team) it's the first of many.

[Oldcrow1945]

Masters said:

. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

My statement is conjecture and therefore It cannot be proven to be corrrect or incorrect. The difference in what I said in that snippet and the things you say should be rather obvious. Your statements were not conjecture and were factually incorrect. As I said, you have a habit of doing this.

[Kosar_For_President]

Jacked one last night. What a game.

[Beanpot]

Masters said:

Sure. It's the kids 1st big league game. Did he even get the ball out of the infield?

I did. Yeah Verlander did pitch great. I wouldn't go to the stretch you just did. Cause it ain't like CLE lineup is anywhere close to Murderers row (shall I insert what a joke you are by even making such an outlandish statement?).

Uh, he didn't compare the 09 Indians to the 27 Yanks, he simply said that Verlander was good enough to beat anyone that day. I sure as hell don't find that to be a stretch at all. Personally, I thought LaPorta was as overmatched as the rest of the team but it was nice to see him foul off three fastballs at the end. The couple of curveballs that finished the AB were simply unfair. Verlander was a witch that day as outlandishly reported here:

Verlander displays 'no-hitter stuff' in an electric performance against Indians

By JON PAUL MOROSI

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

It’s a wonder that the Comerica Park scoreboard didn’t short circuit. Had the leftfield display ever shown something that looked quite like this?

NOW PITCHING: VERLANDER.

MPH: 100.

TOTAL: 114.

For those unfamiliar with baseball shorthand, here’s a translation: On his 114th pitch, in his seventh and final inning on Sunday afternoon, Tigers ace Justin Verlander threw a 100-m.p.h. fastball.

“No-hitter stuff,” left-hander Bobby Seay admired.

“I’m impressed,” teammate Brandon Inge said.

And yes, Verlander saw it.

“I look,” he said, smiling.

On this particular day, it was hard not to look. As the intensity climbed, Verlander’s fastball became faster.

Triple-digit pitch count. Triple-digit velocity.

How many pitchers in baseball belong in that 100/100 Club?

Verlander was asked how often he’s been able to throw that hard beyond the 100-pitch mark. He could think of one other occasion: June 12, 2007, his no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers.

More importantly, after Detroit’s seventh-inning rally produced a 3-1 triumph over the Cleveland Indians, Verlander had his first back-to-back wins since last August. The Tigers took a series from a division rival, beat defending Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee (1-4), and pushed to within a half-game of the American League Central lead at 13-11.

“Justin was brilliant,” manager Jim Leyland said.

“Last year, I wasn’t quite right for the whole year, really,” said Verlander, whose velocity has returned now that he has a lower, more consistent arm angle. “That’s why I worked so hard this spring and made changes that I knew were necessary.”

Verlander struck out 11, his most in a game since 2007. The right-hander allowed only two hits and pitched masterfully after encountering turbulence in the third and seventh.

The Indians had the bases loaded and no one out in the seventh – walk, double, intentional walk – but Verlander retired the next three hitters in order.

“A lot of times, they’ll leave the guy in to intentionally walk him and then take (the pitcher) out,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Don’t take me out. Don’t take me out. Don’t take me out.’ Once I looked over and didn’t see him (Leyland) coming out, that’s when I focused in and said, ‘All right. Here we go. Let’s get these guys.’”

He did.

The first out would be the biggest of all, since Verlander had already expended 110 pitches by the time Kelly Shoppach stepped into the batter’s box. Verlander wanted to strand Shin-Soo Choo at third base, no matter how much effort it took.

“I wasn’t thinking, ‘Let’s get an economical out,’” Verlander said. “I was thinking, ‘Let’s strike out everybody.’”

Leyland remembered Shoppach had hit for power against the Tigers last year (six home runs) and felt uneasy. On Sunday, though, Shoppach’s aggressiveness helped the Tigers. Verlander threw him a first-pitch fastball, up in the zone, and the catcher took a big swing. The ball went high but not far. Magglio Ordoñez settled under it in rightfield. One out.

Then rookie outfielder Matt LaPorta, who was making his debut, stepped to the plate. LaPorta is a highly-regarded prospect and may ultimately hit many home runs against the Tigers. But he probably didn’t see anyone like Verlander in the Double-A Southern League, which is where he was at this time last year.

LaPorta fouled off three fastballs – including fabled Pitch No. 114 – before Verlander slowed the pace. He spun two curveballs, the latter for a called third strike.

So it was left up to another rookie: infielder Luis Valbuena. He gamely fought off a pair of 99-m.p.h. fastballs. Then Verlander snapped another curve, and Valbuena bounced it to shortstop.

At the moment Adam Everett tapped his foot on second base for the inning-ending force, Verlander jabbed at the air as he pivoted toward the dugout. Leyland’s decision to issue the intentional pass to David Dellucci, who batted .500 in the series, worked wonderfully.

Hitters had stepped out of the batter’s box several times during the afternoon, attempting to disrupt Verlander’s rhythm. It didn’t work. And for one afternoon, at least, Verlander’s struggles with Cleveland – a career-long trend – melted away before a mesmerized crowd of 27,411.

“He was pretty tough,” said Victor Martinez, Cleveland’s switch-hitting slugger. “He was mixing his pitches. He was throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes, and then the 95, 97 fastball. You’ve got to give him credit. He was on today. There’s nothing you can do about that.”

Now it's up to you if you want to somehow prove that Earle Combs would have surely figured out Verlander the second time around but that's clearly another topic.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090504/SPOR...against+Indians

Beanpot

[Beanpot]

@kosar_for_president said:

Jacked one last night. What a game.

It was a sick game. I was yelling at Wedge to walk Wells and put in Sipp and that clearly wouldn't have worked, given the hit last night and the shot today. But that HR by LaPorta was a thing of beauty. A jump out of the chair moment.

Hell if I know what the kid is going to become, but it's damn nice to have some hope in that bat.

Beanpot

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

Wedgie preaches to the media that you cant bring guys up and sit them on the bench. He's said many times young players have to play everyday yet he's sat LaPorta the last 3 games. This guys a complete idiot, he tells you what you want to hear and does the complete opposite, if you look at LaPorta's BA youd think he was struggling but he was hitting line drives he just couldnt find an alley. So now he sits for 3 games, you get him out of a rhythm and you hurt his confidence, way to manage man.

Also if they walk another person with 2 on and no outs to load the bases to make for a possible double play im going to go crazy. Everytime they do it I say "well here comes a double" and 95% of the time Im right. Just venting.......GOD help us

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

No LaPorta again today.......WTF!!!!!!!!!!

[Beanpot]

nmills said:

This guys a complete idiot, he tells you what you want to hear and does the complete opposite, if you look at LaPorta's BA youd think he was struggling but he was hitting line drives he just couldnt find an alley. So now he sits for 3 games, you get him out of a rhythm and you hurt his confidence, way to manage man.

Wouldn't surprise me one bit if he's let go after today (assuming the score holds). Maybe a week from Monday, our only off day this month - though that's in the middle of a road trip. Either way, the gallows are looming for Wedge.

Beanpot

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

@beanpot said:

Wouldn't surprise me one bit if he's let go after today (assuming the score holds). Maybe a week from Monday, our only off day this month - though that's in the middle of a road trip. Either way, the gallows are looming for Wedge.

Beanpot

he'll be gone by mid june, we have a daunting schedule over the next month. Id be surprised If we weren't 15 games out by then and thats just not gonna cut it. I'd like to put more blame on the players but Wedge makes so many bone headed decisions I just dont understand. He gives guys days off when there on a hot streak, the releivers are so outta wack right now how are you supposed to get comfortable when you pitch once every 2 weeks. You bring up LaPorta and sit him 4 straight games, you wont move peralta to 3rd, you wont move Sizemore to the 3 hole when he leads the team in strikeouts with 36, why did Hafner come back so soon if he was still injured. I dont get it, I think he might have hung around Romeo a little this offseason.

[Kosar_For_President]

nmills said:

I'd like to put more blame on the players but Wedge makes so many bone headed decisions I just dont understand. He gives guys days off when there on a hot streak.

You know I was thinking the same thing. But I think it might be more about trying to EVERYONE on the same page. I agree with you though, he'll pull Cabrera if he goes 0-4 after a 8 game hitting streak. Is very un-wedge like.

[rich4eagle]

I do not get it about LaPorta as all of you have already said. You just do not bring up a guy who struggled last year and then got off to a great start this year and then have him get splinters in his ass.

Wedge is cooking himself. And Shapiro is proving more each year he is just ordinary.

this team has been a huge disappointment so far

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

were facing a lefthander today so hopefully will get another chance to see LaPorta again

[CLEVELandMILIDH]

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

05/12/09 11:40 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- The Indians were getting ready to stretch before Tuesday's game against the White Sox when Matt LaPorta came sprinting out of the clubhouse and up the stairs of the dugout.

He wasn't late for stretching, but he was close.

"No matter how early I get here [to the ballpark]," LaPorta said with a smile, "it seems I'm always rushing around."

Life in the big leagues has moved quickly for LaPorta, and things only figure to get faster in the coming weeks.

The Indians didn't call LaPorta up from Triple-A Columbus to have him sit.

Well, not for a long time, anyway.

After four straight days of a LaPorta-less lineup, frustrated fans eager to see the Tribe's top prospect get a legitimate chance to impact the lineup got their wish Tuesday. He was also back to his old position from his University of Florida days, getting the start at first base.

Manager Eric Wedge and general manager Mark Shapiro have both made it clear that it is the Indians' intention to give LaPorta an increasingly regular presence in the lineup, so you can probably count on him to be in action Wednesday, when the Indians wrap up their three-game series against Mark Buehrle and the White Sox with a businessman's special at Progressive Field.

"He's a guy that, as you watch the next week or two, you're going to see play more and more," Shapiro said. "He wouldn't be up here if we didn't expect to play him more and more and help us score runs more consistently."

With David Dellucci and Ben Francisco not performing up to expectations and Travis Hafner still on the disabled list, LaPorta has a chance to steal some at-bats in left field and at designated hitter. Ryan Garko's ability to move between first base, DH and the corner-outfield spots also helps.

LaPorta is just less than two years removed from being taken by the Brewers as the seventh overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft, and he's less than a year removed from the culture shock that came with the blockbuster CC Sabathia trade that brought him to this organization.

The Indians want to temper expectations for the 24-year-old LaPorta, who is batting just .188 (3-for-16) with a homer so far.

"The expectations for a guy with that little time in professional baseball are unfair," Shapiro said. "Over time, we think he can be a run-production bat. Initially, he's going to have some ups-and-downs."

In addition to transitioning to the big leagues, LaPorta is also getting reaccustomed to first base -- a position he hasn't played with regularity since he was with the Gators. He only played one game at first while with Columbus.

During his four-day absence from the lineup, LaPorta did pregame work at first. He made one gaffe in the seventh inning Tuesday, however, when he didn't field his position properly on a would-be groundout to second that instead resulted in an error when LaPorta couldn't find the bag on the throw.

Where does LaPorta's positional future lie? Who knows?

"I think I've become a pretty good outfielder," LaPorta said. "Whether it's there or first base really doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm in the lineup and helping my team win."

And by the sound of things, he'll be in there more often in the coming days.

[CIMO.]

I think he missed three home runs and 8 RBI by a combined distance of about 2 feet tonight. Maddening as a Tribe fan, excruciating as a 12th place fantasy owner.

[CIMO.]

He's back.

Trevor Crowe to the 15-day DL, LaPorta to Cleveland.

[Kosar_For_President]

@cimo. said:

He's back.

Trevor Crowe to the 15-day DL, LaPorta to Cleveland.

And they'll sit him. JK

Did I just read right Hafner left 7 guys on base last night, put a fork in that dude, no?