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Aeros welcome LaPorta
Left fielder in trade gets three hits in split with Baysox
By Stephanie Storm
Akron Beacon Journal sportswriter

He didn't hit a home run.

That's the first thing most Indians fans want to know after Matt LaPorta played his first two games as an Indians minor-leaguer at Double-A Akron Wednesday.

But the new left fielder did combine to go 3-for-6 with three singles in the Aeros' doubleheader split against the Bowie Baysox at Canal Park.

Just two days after joining the Indians organization as the centerpiece of the trade that sent CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers, LaPorta legged out an infield single in the first game and lined two solid shots through the left side in the nightcap.

''It was just another game in a new ballpark with a different team,'' LaPorta said, shrugging off the night's significance.

And the Aeros did hit home runs - second baseman Josh Rodriguez and catcher Wyatt Toregas' homers combined to lead the Aeros to a 3-0 win in the first game before the Baysox came back for a 5-0 win in the second game.

But it was LaPorta on whom many eyes were focused. LaPorta hit 20 home runs at Double-A Huntsville in the Southern League and came to town with rather large expectations for a 23-year-old who has never played above the Double-A level.

''I suppose everyone expects him to hit four homers today,'' Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said before the doubleheader. ''But we just want him to settle in and get comfortable.''

After striking out looking in his first at-bat in the first inning, LaPorta sent a shot back up the middle in his second at-bat in the third.

The ball bounced oddly enough off the mound that he was able to leg out a base hit - but just barely.

Of all the things LaPorta is reported to do well - and there are plenty of them - it's obvious that running with any kind of speed is not one of them.

That is is why LaPorta, 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, is a first baseman by nature. The Brewers converted him to an outfielder because Prince Fielder is their first baseman.

''For now, he's going to be playing left field and hitting in the middle of the lineup,'' Sarbaugh said. ''We are going to be doing some early first-base work just to keep him fresh, but he's going to be an outfielder for now.''

Although he hasn't played much left field, he looked comfortable out there in both games. And as the night wore on, he increasingly looked more comfortable at the plate.

''Going in, it looked like he was trying a little too hard, just trying to do too much,'' Sarbaugh said. ''Then he settled down and had a couple good hits.''

In the second game, the Brewers No.1 pick (seventh overall) in the 2007 draft hit both singles with two outs, the second breaking his bat.

''I haven't played in three or four games, so I was really just going out there trying to get my timing back,'' LaPorta said.

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EASTLAKE, Ohio -- When Rob Bryson has too much time to think, too much time for his nerves to twitter or, simply, too much time to stretch, he gets a little antsy.

So it makes sense that Bryson, one of four prospects the Tribe acquired from the Brewers for CC Sabathia, didn't like the four- to five-day buildup that came with being a starting pitcher.

"I think having preparation is what messes me up," Bryson said. "I like getting the call 'Hey, you're getting the ball right now.' You go in there and your adrenaline's going, and you give them what you got for however long is left in the game."

With the Class A Lake County Captains, Bryson will get that adrenaline boost often, although he will somewhat see it coming. The 20-year-old right-hander will pitch in a "priority role," getting the call every third day to throw at least two innings per outing.

Captains manager Aaron Holbert said Bryson, who saved five games with the low Class A West Virginia Power, will not step in as the team's closer right away, but did not rule it out in the near future.

Indians farm director Ross Atkins said that the team abstains from "grooming closers," so even if Bryson does pick up a save or two, fans shouldn't view it as an omen. Atkins also wouldn't rule out the possibility of Bryson returning to a starting role at some point.

Regardless, Bryson certainly has the makings of a closer.

His fastball hums in around the mid-90s and his slider serves as his out pitch. But that's it for now, at least. Bryson said he is trying to develop a changeup, but he remains a ways from being a legitimate three-pitch pitcher.

It hasn't stopped Bryson from being effective. In 22 appearances, five starts, with the Power this season, Bryson walked just 20 batters while striking out 73, an average of 11.9 per nine innings pitched.

"Youth, strikeouts, power, athleticism. Those are the things that jumped out of us," Atkins said. "You don't typically find that type of power with those strikeout numbers."

Bryson was drafted out of high school by the Brewers in the 31st round of the 2006 Draft and signed one year later as a draft-and-follow out of Seminole Community College in Florida. He didn't see any bullpen action until joining the rookie league Helena Brewers last summer, but has started sparingly since then.

He doesn't particularly miss it.

"As a starter, you have to pace yourself, pitch to contact and not give them your best stuff until you're in a jam," Bryson said. "As a bullpen guy, what you see is what you get. I just give them my best stuff right off the bat."

The pressure to give the Captains his best stuff off the bat certainly weighs on Bryson, especially with him being part of the trade for Sabathia, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.

"Obviously, I'm kind of under the microscope right now," Bryson said. "If I don't succeed and don't have success and don't pitch well, then obviously the Indians made a mistake."

Holbert, who sees a number of players come in and out of his clubhouse throughout the year, said he and his coaching staff will pay close attention to Bryson, making sure he's comfortable in his new environment and not trying too hard to impress.

"There's a lot of expectations on the kid for being in that trade," Holbert said. "But even if he was just traded for a box of baseballs, you want to prove to your new team that you're worthy of being traded for that box of baseballs."

Shortly before Bryson found out he was headed to Ohio, Power manager Jeff Isom called Bryson into his office to tell him he had been promoted to the Brevard County Manatees, the Brewers' advanced Class A team. Atkins said it was in Bryson's "best interests" to start with the Indians at lower Class A so that his playing field could be "as level as possible" in coming to a new organization.

Bryson said he has no hard feelings about the demotion of sorts, because he's still a long way from making the big leagues.

"The way I look at it, no matter where I go, I have to put up numbers," Bryson said. "If I just do it again here, hopefully I'll be back up [to advanced Class A].

"I want to give the Indians what they traded for."

That is so clutch, good for him. It'll get plenty of attention in Cleveland, would be more so if it had happened in a home game in Akron. Wow.

Jerry Crasnick ESPN Feature on Matt LaPorta

Sporting News Feature on Matt

Zach Jackson a scoreless inning (2 H, 2 K) in a blowout win.

Rob Bryson (Thursday) a shaky outing (1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 0 K, next reliever stranded his two runners).

Matt LaPorta still away with a family situation post-Futures Game.

Matt LaPorta singled and walked; note that former draft pick that got away Deik Scram is having a surprisingly mediocre season with Detroit's AA club.

Back-to-back two-out fielding errors by his Lake County teammates led to Rob Bryson allowing three unearned runs in his two-inning stint Sunday.