5/29/2006

Another Dazzling Performance

Jeremy's latest start featured another dominating performance on the mound. This commentary comes from MLB.com on yesterday's game:

Jeremy Guthrie's domination at Triple-A Buffalo continued Sunday, as the right-hander helped the Bisons to a 9-4 win at Columbus by tossing six scoreless innings in which he gave up just five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Guthrie took a no-decision, but his ERA improved to 0.53 on the year. Shortstop Ramon Vazquez and first baseman Jake Gautreau both drove in three runs, and Ed Mujica (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings of relief to get the win.

5/27/2006

Jeremy's Fastball Registers at 99 Miles per Hour

Jeremy Guthrie's fastball has been clocked recently at 99 miles per hour. See the above link for additional information.

Jeremy's Bright Future Imminent

This article was recently published by Knight Ridder newspapers all across the country.

A Pitcher Named Jeremy Could be the Answer for Indians

by Terry Pluto
Knight Ridder Newspapers

If the Cleveland Indians are truly serious about contending, Jeremy Sowers will replace Jason Johnson in the starting rotation.

If not Sowers, then they should bring up Jeremy Guthrie, who has been tremendous at Class-AAA Buffalo, where he's 3-0 with an 0.64 ERA and has not allowed a run in his last two starts.

Two pitchers named Jeremy . . .

Either would be a better option than Johnson, who is scheduled to start Sunday in Detroit.

The Indians are nine games behind the Tigers as they open a three-game series in Detroit tonight. They are eight games in back of the World Series champion Chicago White Sox. They are in baseball's toughest division.

They can't keep starting a guy whose ERA is 12.42 the last four times out. Jason Johnson is 32 years old. He was 16-26 with a 4.80 ERA for the Tigers the last two years.

He's 2-4 with a 6.52 ERA this season. Since the year 2000, he's 44-78.

The Indians like to examine statistical trends.

Think about this: Before this season, Johnson was a much better pitcher in his career before the All-Star break (33-44, 4.43) than after (19-42, 5.48).

There is no rational reason to stick with the veteran right-hander unless the Indians were out of options, but they have two exciting alternatives at Buffalo.

Most fans are aware of Sowers, who is 6-1 with an 0.94 ERA. He's on a streak of 22 scoreless innings. In 67 innings this season, he's allowed only one home run!

He a finesse lefty. He doesn't strike out a lot of hitters (37 in 67 innings), nor does he walk many (18). He wins games, gets batters out. He's started only 37 pro games, but he's 20-5 for his minor-league career.

Compare that with Johnson, whose minor-league record was 35-48. His overall big-league mark is 54-90. He has a good arm, a 92 mph fastball and an impressive sinker. But the parts are far better than the finished product.

The Indians say they love Sowers, but wouldn't mind giving him a little more time to work on holding base runners and some other subtleties of pitching.

OK, bring up Guthrie.

He has been terrific at Buffalo. In fact, the Indians have rated his last two starts even better than those of Sowers. On the season, Guthrie's 0.64 ERA is backed by 29 innings of 19 hits, no homers allowed and 21 strikeouts.

He showed promise with the Tribe in the bullpen last month, where he had a 4.63 ERA in 11 innings. His fastball was in the high 90s.

A creative idea would be to put Sowers in the rotation for Johnson, Guthrie in the bullpen for Guillermo Mota.

Unlike the 23-year-old Sowers, who has been a pro for less than two years, Guthrie is 27. He's in his fourth pro season. The four-year deal he signed with the Tribe out of Stanford is about to expire. He won't be a free agent, but the Indians must decide how he fits.

Let's find out now, and do it knowing he'll help more than Mota.

There was a reason the Indians first backed off from Mota during the trade talks with Boston in the Coco Crisp/Andy Marte deal. There were concerns about Mota's arm, even though he did pitch in 67 innings of relief in 2005.

Mota's fastball remains in the mid-90s. He is supposed to have an excellent change-up, but has used it sparingly. On the season, he is 0-3 with a 5.89 ERA. Digging deeper, you discover he's given up five home runs in only 18 innings. In May, his ERA is 8.20 with three homers in 7 innings.

Shall we be kind and say that he's trending in the wrong direction, to use the jargon of today's baseball executives?

The Indians have won seven of their last nine games. The pitching staff is shaping up. C.C. Sabathia has been dominating. Veteran Paul Byrd is a notorious slow starter (career 5.01 ERA in May), but is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA and only three walks in his last four starts.

The time to make a move is now, both in the standings and with the pitching staff.

Jeremy's Latest Start for the Bisons

Below is the report of Jeremy's latest start for the Buffalo Bisons. The complete article can be viewed by clicking the link above.

Coming off a rough road trip, it was not in the Mud Hens' favor to run into one of the stingiest pitchers in the International League, Buffalo's Jeremy Guthrie.

Guthrie did not relent. The Bisons won 5-0 at Fifth Third Field last night, leaving Toledo with its fourth straight loss.

Although the Hens loaded the bases in consecutive innings early, the Buffalo right-hander got strikeouts both times to finish the side. Guthrie, who was sent down last week after a stint with Cleveland, has given up just two earned runs in 28 innings pitched for the Bisons this season. He improved to 3-0 with an 0.64 ERA.

"He threw the ball well, sometimes you tip your hat to them," Hens infielder Kevin Hooper said

"He located the ball well and was on top of his game."

At 20-24, the Hens are five games back of Indianapolis in the International League West division. They finished 3-7 on their most recent road trip.

Guthrie, the Indians' first-round draft pick in 2002, threw in the 90s consistently in his five innings and had seven strikeouts.

"Sometimes you can hit those [fast] guys and sometimes you can't," Kelly said. "He had all of his pitches working so that's what made it tough."

Impressive Performance in the Major Leagues

These excerpts come from the article that can be seen by clicking the link above, speaking of Jeremy's recent visit to the major leagues:

Guthrie, 27, was optioned to Class AAA Buffalo when relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt was activated and added to the 25-man roster before Tuesday night's game against Kansas City.

Making six appearances in relief, Guthrie was 0-0 (4.63 ERA) from April 22-May 9 - giving up six runs on 11 hits in 11 2/3 innings, striking out 12 and walking five.

"[Guthrie] did an outstanding job for us," said Tribe manager Eric Wedge. "He made some great strides.

"I can't say how many strides he made, not just this year, but in the last two. He became the odd man out."

Guthrie became the odd man out because he has minor-league options left.

At Buffalo, Guthrie will return to the starting rotation, where he was 2-0 (1.00 ERA) in three starts before being recalled by the Indians on April 22.

The Indians projected that Guthrie, the 22nd overall pick of the 2002 draft, would be in their starting rotation by now. He joined the organization with gaudy credentials - a 26-6 record (2.72 ERA) in two years at Stanford.

"But," said Tribe pitching coach Carl Willis, "this is not an easy game to play. The money is nice, but it can be a bit of a distraction.

"He earned his status as a first-round pick, but finding yourself under the microscope for the first time takes some getting used to."

Guthrie, 31-31 in three previous minor-league seasons at Buffalo and Class AA Akron, is off to his best start as a professional. "We've done a lot of work on his delivery," Willis said.

"Because it has improved, he's commanding his fastball better and he's got the hard slider back that he had in college."

Welcome and Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Jeremy Guthrie Fan Club blog. Our blog postings will celebrate and track the career of a remarkable individual in the world of sports. Jeremy Guthrie has distinguished himself as a gifted athlete but is also a devoted husband and father, a devout Christian, an intelligent scholar, and an active leader in community service. In an era devoid of moral values and role models it is refreshing to witness the resounding success of Jeremy Guthrie, a man of sterling character, integrity, and virtue.

Jeremy was the #1 draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft and currently pitches for the Baltimore Orioles.

This blog will include postings of news articles, links, statistics, reflections, biographical insights, and commentary from fans and supporters of Jeremy Guthrie. We invite you to publish comments on the site or send intriguing articles for a blog post.

I know Jeremy well after having spent two years with him as a Christian missionary in Europe. He has remarkable determination, discipline, conviction, ability, and heart. It is my hope that this blog will help more people come to know a great leader and example in our age.