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firstbigweekend · 05-14-2004, 11:27 PM

Cleveland Blues Update — April/May 1903
By Chauncey St. John, Associated Press

CLEVELAND — Broncos rookie Mordecai Brown threw a five-hit shutout in his major-league debut, blanking the Boston Americans on April 3. Brown lost his next four decisions, but it was his first outing that helped set the tone for the next two months in Cleveland.

Of course, the Broncos' 15 hits — four doubles and 11 singles — in Brown's debut didn't hurt. Neither did the April 19 trade of SP Matthew Mazarella, SP Jonathan Paynter, CF Homer Smoot and 3B Bill Bradley to New York (A) for 2B Jimmy Williams, CF Mike Donlin and $2 million.

Williams replaced Bradley at third, and Donlin moved into centerfield full time. The Broncos took on more than $11 million in salary, including Donlin's $8.65 million contract that expires after the season.

"This was an expensive trade for us," Chronister said, "but we have more than $71 million sitting in the bank and there's no reason not to spend it on talented young players such as Mike and Jimmy. Mike's contract is up come October, but we're confident we can sit down and get an extension worked out."

The Broncos finished April on a four-game winning streak and had a 16-12 record for their first-ever winning April. Cleveland finished three games behind New York in the American League.

Cleveland had some impressive individual performances in the first month. Designated hitter Sam Crawford led the AL with a .427 batting average and a .994 OPS; LF Jeffrey Schank had a league-high seven homers; Danny Murphy and Donlin tied for second in the AL with 25 RBI; and Bob Wicker tied for AL honors with six wins and also had a league-high 23 strikeouts.

As a team, the Broncos led the American League in batting average (.307), home runs (12), stolen bases (72) and runs scored (172). Their pitching was a bit more questionable, being ranked 11th in three of the five major categories. Cleveland did finish second in homers allowed (1).

"Our pitching staff is still very young. Very talented, but very young and with a lot to learn," Chronister said. "I'm sure they'll come around very shortly, and when they do I'll feel extremely confident in our ability to stick around the top of the American League."

The Broncos won back-to-back player of the week awards in early May. Crawford was named AL player of the week May 3 after hitting .560 with six RBI in 25 at-bats, and Mullin earned the honor the next week with a record of 2-0, a 1.50 ERA and a seven-hit shutout of Washington. Wicker also pitched a shutout that week, blanking St. Louis (A) on four-hits.

Less than a year removed from a terrible second-half collapse, Cleveland went on a 10-game winning streak in the middle of May that put them in first place for the first time in their history. The Broncos moved into a tie for first with New York (A) with an 8-5, 11-inning victory over Boston (A) on Friday, May 14, and took sole possession of the AL lead with a 5-4, 10 inning win over Detroit the next day.

"I can't express how proud I am of these guys and how they played in those two extra-inning games," Broncos manager Wilbur Nether said. "After last year, no one else put pressure on them, but they had heaped quite a load of pressure on themselves to perform better, and they withstood every ounce of that pressure last weekend."

Crawford continued his hot hitting early in the streak, collecting five hits in the win over Boston and four against Detroit. He cooled off quickly, though, hitting just .174 (4-for-23) fives games of the month, though he still finished hitting .373 with a .913 OPS, both of which topped the AL. He was also third in runs scored (42).

When the streak ended May 23, Cleveland sat atop the American League at 30-18, two games ahead of New York and St. Louis. Wicker threw a three-hit shutout against Philadelphia (A) during the streak and finished May with an AL-best 12 wins and 47 strikeouts.

After another loss to the Highlanders, the Broncos began another winning streak, finishing May with six straight victories. At the end of the month, Cleveland was 36-19 and led St. Louis (A) by four games.

"This is exactly what I thought these guys could do," Chronister said. "I knew if we just gave them enough time to gel and get some experience, they'd be able to fight for the league title."

Schank was named player of the week May 31, hitting .500 with five homers and 11 RBI. Three of those homers came against New York on May 25 when Schank was 4-for-5 with six RBI. He finished May second in the AL in OPS (.905), first in homers (12, seven more than anyone else), second in RBI (42) and second in runs scored (44).

Through May the Broncos still lead the American League in batting average (.296), home runs (26), stolen bases (133) and runs scored (324) and were tied for fourth in walks (138). Their pitching had improved considerably, moving up to fifth in ERA (3.40), sixth in opponent average (.265), a tie for first in homers allowed (4) and seventh in runs allowed (240).

In the minors: Jake Dunleavy, the Broncos' second-round pick, hit .236 with four homers and 15 RBI in Double-A Akron and appeared to be well on his way to a call-up to Buffalo. Sure enough, Dunleavy was called up to Buffalo on May 17.

Around the league: Pittsburgh starter Christy Mathewson no-hit New York (N) on April 9 in a 4-0 win over the Giants.

Chicago (N)'s second baseman Cupid Childs collected his 2,000th career hit April 29 against Brooklyn with a ninth-inning double off Ambrose Puttmann.

Former Cleveland starter Bill Hoffer no-hit Chicago (A) on May 12. Hoffer struck out just one batter and walked eight in St. Louis (A)'s 5-0 victory.

April batters of the month: New York (A)'s John Titus (.375, .545 SLG, 28 RBI) and Brooklyn's Joe Kelley (.406. 554 SLG, 11 RBI).

April pitchers of the month: New York (A)'s Harry Howell (6-1, 2.00 ERA, 1 SHO) and Brooklyn's Frank Kitson (6-1, 2.39 ERA).

May batters of the month: St. Louis (A)'s Emmet Heidrick (.390, 1 HR, 26 RBI) and Pittsburgh's Ginger Beaumont (.393, 17 RBI).

May pitchers of the month: Hofer (6-1, 1.74 ERA, 1 SHO) and Kitson (4-1, 1.43 ERA, 1 SHO).

05-14-2004, 11:27 PM	#22
firstbigweekend Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Lawrence, KS Posts: 43	Cleveland Blues Update — April/May 1903 By Chauncey St. John, Associated Press CLEVELAND — Broncos rookie Mordecai Brown threw a five-hit shutout in his major-league debut, blanking the Boston Americans on April 3. Brown lost his next four decisions, but it was his first outing that helped set the tone for the next two months in Cleveland. Of course, the Broncos' 15 hits — four doubles and 11 singles — in Brown's debut didn't hurt. Neither did the April 19 trade of SP Matthew Mazarella, SP Jonathan Paynter, CF Homer Smoot and 3B Bill Bradley to New York (A) for 2B Jimmy Williams, CF Mike Donlin and $2 million. Williams replaced Bradley at third, and Donlin moved into centerfield full time. The Broncos took on more than $11 million in salary, including Donlin's $8.65 million contract that expires after the season. "This was an expensive trade for us," Chronister said, "but we have more than $71 million sitting in the bank and there's no reason not to spend it on talented young players such as Mike and Jimmy. Mike's contract is up come October, but we're confident we can sit down and get an extension worked out." The Broncos finished April on a four-game winning streak and had a 16-12 record for their first-ever winning April. Cleveland finished three games behind New York in the American League. Cleveland had some impressive individual performances in the first month. Designated hitter Sam Crawford led the AL with a .427 batting average and a .994 OPS; LF Jeffrey Schank had a league-high seven homers; Danny Murphy and Donlin tied for second in the AL with 25 RBI; and Bob Wicker tied for AL honors with six wins and also had a league-high 23 strikeouts. As a team, the Broncos led the American League in batting average (.307), home runs (12), stolen bases (72) and runs scored (172). Their pitching was a bit more questionable, being ranked 11th in three of the five major categories. Cleveland did finish second in homers allowed (1). "Our pitching staff is still very young. Very talented, but very young and with a lot to learn," Chronister said. "I'm sure they'll come around very shortly, and when they do I'll feel extremely confident in our ability to stick around the top of the American League." The Broncos won back-to-back player of the week awards in early May. Crawford was named AL player of the week May 3 after hitting .560 with six RBI in 25 at-bats, and Mullin earned the honor the next week with a record of 2-0, a 1.50 ERA and a seven-hit shutout of Washington. Wicker also pitched a shutout that week, blanking St. Louis (A) on four-hits. Less than a year removed from a terrible second-half collapse, Cleveland went on a 10-game winning streak in the middle of May that put them in first place for the first time in their history. The Broncos moved into a tie for first with New York (A) with an 8-5, 11-inning victory over Boston (A) on Friday, May 14, and took sole possession of the AL lead with a 5-4, 10 inning win over Detroit the next day. "I can't express how proud I am of these guys and how they played in those two extra-inning games," Broncos manager Wilbur Nether said. "After last year, no one else put pressure on them, but they had heaped quite a load of pressure on themselves to perform better, and they withstood every ounce of that pressure last weekend." Crawford continued his hot hitting early in the streak, collecting five hits in the win over Boston and four against Detroit. He cooled off quickly, though, hitting just .174 (4-for-23) fives games of the month, though he still finished hitting .373 with a .913 OPS, both of which topped the AL. He was also third in runs scored (42). When the streak ended May 23, Cleveland sat atop the American League at 30-18, two games ahead of New York and St. Louis. Wicker threw a three-hit shutout against Philadelphia (A) during the streak and finished May with an AL-best 12 wins and 47 strikeouts. After another loss to the Highlanders, the Broncos began another winning streak, finishing May with six straight victories. At the end of the month, Cleveland was 36-19 and led St. Louis (A) by four games. "This is exactly what I thought these guys could do," Chronister said. "I knew if we just gave them enough time to gel and get some experience, they'd be able to fight for the league title." Schank was named player of the week May 31, hitting .500 with five homers and 11 RBI. Three of those homers came against New York on May 25 when Schank was 4-for-5 with six RBI. He finished May second in the AL in OPS (.905), first in homers (12, seven more than anyone else), second in RBI (42) and second in runs scored (44). Through May the Broncos still lead the American League in batting average (.296), home runs (26), stolen bases (133) and runs scored (324) and were tied for fourth in walks (138). Their pitching had improved considerably, moving up to fifth in ERA (3.40), sixth in opponent average (.265), a tie for first in homers allowed (4) and seventh in runs allowed (240). In the minors: Jake Dunleavy, the Broncos' second-round pick, hit .236 with four homers and 15 RBI in Double-A Akron and appeared to be well on his way to a call-up to Buffalo. Sure enough, Dunleavy was called up to Buffalo on May 17. Around the league: Pittsburgh starter Christy Mathewson no-hit New York (N) on April 9 in a 4-0 win over the Giants. Chicago (N)'s second baseman Cupid Childs collected his 2,000th career hit April 29 against Brooklyn with a ninth-inning double off Ambrose Puttmann. Former Cleveland starter Bill Hoffer no-hit Chicago (A) on May 12. Hoffer struck out just one batter and walked eight in St. Louis (A)'s 5-0 victory. April batters of the month: New York (A)'s John Titus (.375, .545 SLG, 28 RBI) and Brooklyn's Joe Kelley (.406. 554 SLG, 11 RBI). April pitchers of the month: New York (A)'s Harry Howell (6-1, 2.00 ERA, 1 SHO) and Brooklyn's Frank Kitson (6-1, 2.39 ERA). May batters of the month: St. Louis (A)'s Emmet Heidrick (.390, 1 HR, 26 RBI) and Pittsburgh's Ginger Beaumont (.393, 17 RBI). May pitchers of the month: Hofer (6-1, 1.74 ERA, 1 SHO) and Kitson (4-1, 1.43 ERA, 1 SHO). __________________ -- Life, its beauty, is all bound up in the fact it can surprise you.