Here today ... Clippers keep winning as players come and go
Clippers 6, Bats 4
After climbing the ranks of the Cleveland Indians organization from Lake County to Lynchburg and Akron, first-year Clippers manager Tony Mansolino thought he was ready for the adjustment to triple-a.
“I wouldn’t say that anything about triple-a has caught me by surprise, because I knew there would be a lot of turnover, a lot of movement,” Mansolino said. “But no matter how ready you think you are, it’s still an eye-opener.”
Given that only 10 of the 27 players on the opening day roster remain with the Clippers, it’s a minor miracle that they are 20 games over .500 and have a comfortable 10 ½-game lead in the International League West.
The Clippers continued
to roll Friday night with a 6-4 win over the Louisville Bats before an announced crowd of 10,100 at Huntington Park. Eric Haase homered twice and Brandon Barnes once to pace the Clippers.
Many of their top players have been promoted to Cleveland, some as injury reinforcements and some because of their stellar play. Oscar Mercado, Bobby Bradley, Nick Wittgren, Adam Plutko, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Jefry Rodriguez are among those who have played a significant role with the Indians.
“It’s a testament to the organization how well we’ve done with all the turnover we’ve had,” said Mansolino, who is 289-215 in his fourth season as a manager. He has worked in the organization since 2011. “We’ve been able to overcome all the losses with the depth we have.
“Of course, I came into the season with a lot of optimism. I felt like we had some good players. We’ve lost some talented players to the big-league team and picked up some good ones from double-a.
“Nothing prepares you for this. It’s a much more dramatic turnover in triple-a than doubleA. Those guys are there to gain experience. These guys are here auditioning for the big leagues.”
Building some semblance of team chemistry is admittedly a mighty challenge.
“This is the only level where you have guys 36 years old and 22 years old with lockers next to each other,” Mansolino said. “Some guys have families in tow with them, and some guys are single running around Columbus. It’s such a unique situation. The revolving door makes it tough, but you just take it day to day and work with what you have.”
While Mansolino, his coaching staff and players are trying to win games and championships, they’re fully aware of their ultimate goal. Eric Stamets of the Clippers is tagged out by Bats first baseman Nick Longhi on a groundout in the fifth inning.
“Whenever a guy goes to the big leagues, we celebrate it and so do the players,” Mansolino said. “We hate to lose people, but from a team standpoint we’re thrilled for them. You just move on. Somebody else steps in and takes their place. That’s baseball.”
The facelift will continue when the major league rosters are expanded Sept. 1.
“It’s a day-to-day grind,” Mansolino said. “No matter what your lead is, you can’t coast. You try to handle business the same way every day, no matter who you have.”
Louisville got out to a fast start Friday night as Narcisso Crook led off the game with a home run.
Haase hit a solo homer in the third and added a two-run blast, well over the left-field bleachers, in the sixth. The Clippers scored twice in the fourth on successive hits by Yu Chang, Daniel Johnson and Barnes. In the sixth, Barnes homered to make it 4-2.
Shao-ching Chiang (6-5) struck out seven in 5 innings for the win. He allowed two runs, eight hits and two walks.