Guess What Jeremy Sowers Wants for His Birthday

The problem with calling up hot pitching prospect Jeremy Sowers to Cleveland is that the Indians don't have one single starter that Sowers could replace. Yeah, they don't have one, however, they do have three. With Indians starters Jake Westbrook, Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson all lugging around approximate ERAs of 6.00, pressure mounts for Sowers' callup from Buffalo for his birthday this week. If not this week, then the sooner the better, considering that the Indians just dropped a three-game series to Detroit. Presumably, Johnson would be the odd man out, either by being relegated to the bullpen or by trade. Sowers, 23 years old on May 17, has been nothing less than spectacular for the Bisons, where he is 5-1 with a 1.21 ERA after beating fellow prospect Hayden Penn of AAA Ottawa for the second consecutive time in seven days. In his last four starts, Sowers is 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA. Jeremy Sowers, who also goes by A.J. Sowers, fits the mold of a classical crafty lefty. Sowers projects as a 15-20 game winner with good makeup, composure and skill. Cleveland's top 2004 pick, Sowers is now 19-5 over his brief minor league career.