It's looking more and more like the Indians are going to make a change in their starting rotation. Left-hander David Huff lost his ninth game Saturday and the Indians are studying their options.
David Huff has allowed 11 earned runs in 10.2 innings over his last two starts, both losses, for the Indians.PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Manny Acta said discussions continue on whether left-hander David Huff will be replaced in that starting rotation and optioned to the minors.
In losing his ninth game Saturday, Huff allowed five runs on six hits in five innings. He walked six and has won one game in his last 11 starts.
"We have to look at our options and our depth," Acta said before Sunday's 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh. "We're in the middle of it. Nothing is set in stone."
Huff led the Indians with 11 victories last year as a rookie. It's been a different story this year. He was the last starter to make the rotation in spring training and he's 2-9 with a 6.04 ERA in 13 starts. The opposition is hitting .310 against him. He's allowed 88 hits and 30 walks in 70 innings. Huff's WHIP (walks and hits divided by innings pitched) is 1.69, meaning an average of 1.69 runners per inning are reaching base.
"It's mind-boggling because Dave has the stuff to pitch effectively up here," said Acta. "I really believe in his stuff.
"He's not a so-called soft-tossing lefty. He can sit at 90 mph to 91 mph the whole game and has a good breaking ball and change-up. He's just not throwing enough strikes."
If the Indians do make a move their options are Class AAA Columbus are Aaron Laffey (0-1, 3.98), Carlos Carrasco (5-3, 4.22), Yohan Pino (6-3, 4.36) and Josh Tomlin (6-2, 2.81). Laffey would probably be the No.1 candidate. He opened the year in the Tribe bullpen and was sent to Columbus specifically to get stretched out as a starter in case the big-league club needed help.
Pirates catcher Jason Jaramillo tags out a sliding Anderson Hernandez who was attempting to score on a fly ball hit to right fielder Lastings Milledge by Justin Masterson in the fourth inning Sunday at PNC Park.INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: Three times is not the charm.
Ruben Niebla, an assistant to the Indians’ big-league coaching staff, became the third member of the team to be carted off the field this season because of injury. Niebla suffered an injury to his right leg Sunday during batting practice while chasing a ball in the outfield.
Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was carted off the field on May 17 at Tropicana Field after breaking his left forearm. Left-hander David Huff was taken off the field on a cart at Yankee Stadium on May 29 after getting hit in the head by an Alex Rodriguez line drive.
He knew you when: Reliever Jensen Lewis, who pitched at Vanderbilt, yelled to a photographer standing near Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez before Sunday’s game, “I need a picture. In a couple of years, he’ll be too big time to give me one.”
Alvarez, who also played at Vanderbilt, was the second player taken in the 2008 draft. The Pirates called him up last week.
Stat of the day: The Indians went into Sunday’s game having turned a big-league high 84 double plays. It’s a deceiving stat because to top that category, pitchers must be putting way too many runners on base.
— Paul Hoynes
Pino and Tomlin are not on the 40-man roster and space would have to be cleared for them.
Quite an eyeful: One of the reasons Acta likes interleague play is because he gets to see players that he's only seen on TV or read scouting reporters about. Acta caught quite an eyeful from Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen.
"I wanted to see McCutchen bad because I'd heard so much about him and see him on TV," said Acta. "He's the real deal. He's a player anybody can build around."
In Pittsburgh's 6-4 victory Saturday, McCutchen walked three times, had two hits and scored three runs. He tripled with two out in the eight and scored an insurance run on Garret Jones single.
End of the line: Frank Herrmann will always remember the streak.
"It's what got me here," said the Indians' right-handed reliever. "I'll always look back fondly on it. I spent over four years in the minors. It got me here and it got me off to a good start."
Herrmann was charged with a run in the eighth inning Saturday to break a streak of 34 scoreless innings over 26 appearances between Cleveland and Columbus. The streak started on April 8 in Columbus.
"I don't think the streak happened because of luck," said Herrmann, who was called up on June 4. "I don't expect to go 35 more. I'm confident in my abilities, but I know I'm definitely not good enough to go the rest of the year without giving up a run."
Said Acta, "Frank joined us at the right time. Our bullpen was at its lowest point and helped stabilize things where we had three reliable arms at that point."
Ex-Tribe coach robbed: Former bullpen coach Danny Williams reports that his Brunswick home was broken into over the weekend. Among the items stolen were three "championship rings" won with the Indians.
Williams was fired at the end of last season along with manager Eric Wedge and the rest of the coaching staff.
Finally: Look for rookie catcher Carlos Santana to get rested about once a week. "It's tough to take your No.3 hole hitter out of the lineup," said Acta.