With the Indians’ recent August surge, winning 15 out of their last 20 games, maybe talk show hosts (read:  WKNR) seem to be upset that the ballclub is finally playing well.  I can understand the frustration since this season started with so much optimism, but continuing to be angry about the situation is a little odd.

 

When a team determines that they are out of the race, they can do two things:  1).  They can continue to play the same people showing their fans they haven’t given up (Baltimore, Chicago Cubs) or 2).  They can start looking at things with an eye toward the next season, like Mark Shapiro did.  I prefer the latter. 

 

I grew up in the sixties and seventies when the Indians were out of the race by June in most seasons, and they did little to find out about the young players they had during the periods of non-contention.  Instead, they were happy to keep playing the Tom Veryzers and Duane Kuipers of the world, not bothering to find out if younger guys could help the team.  Instead of giving guys like Lou Piniella, Richie Scheinblum, and Jay Bell chances to play on bad teams, the front office let them go.  None of those guys could play for a team usually in the bottom half of the standings?

 

As for this year’s team, should they try to lose the rest of their games?  They brought in some young guys who appear to have some talent and can help this club in 2007 and beyond.  That’s what the Indians should do.  Find out about the Joe Ingletts and Ryan Garkos and Kelly Shoppachs.  This knowledge will help them in the off season as to what their needs are. 

 

I always laugh at people who complain about winning.  If the Tribe continued to lose, they would bitch and moan whether the squad was ever going to turn it around.  These same people are irritated that some of the wins came against the Royals and Devil Rays.  Would they prefer getting swept by those teams? 

 

What is happening is that the Indians are showing they were not that bad all along.  They aren’t the best team in the American League, but they are clearly better than the two teams just mentionned along with the Mariners and Orioles.  Things are beginning to balance out.  A little too late for a playoff run, but not too late to give hope in 2007.

 

MW

 

Do you want proof the young players brought in by the Indians have energized this team?  The Tribe has won 13 of its last 18 games.  Critics will say sure, but the schedule lightened up with seven games against the Royals and three with Tampa Bay.  However, Cleveland won a series vs. the contending Angels to open this streak, and took two of three against the team with the best record in the American League this weekend.  It hasn’t all been a cake walk for the young Wahoos.

 

One reason for optimism was the comeback victories against Jeremy Bonderman and Justin Verlander.  The Tribe put a three run frame against Bonderman and a six run inning against Verlander.  Both big innings were accomplished without a home run.  The bullpen also did its job both nights, putting up five zeroes combined in the two games.

 

Yesterday was a different story.  Cliff Lee continued his struggles giving up three HR’s to the Tigers in a 7-1 loss.  Lee has now allowed 30 more hits than innings pitched, and hitters are batting .291 against him this year, compared to a lifetime figure of .263.  The lefty from Arkansas has not been the same pitcher he was last season, when he went 18-5.  The ballclub needs a return of the 2005 version of Lee to become contenders in 2007. 

 

One of the dingers by the Tigers was a little suspicious.  Marcus Thames hit a low and in fastball over the fence in centerfield for a two run bomb.  On television, the ball looked like a routine fly to center off the bat.  I understand the ball was carrying well at Jacobs Field yesterday, but still…  I wonder if Thames’ bat could be used to seal up a wine bottle. 

 

The Tribe announced Fausto Carmona had been sent to Buffalo to "lengthen" him out.  I guess he will come back a little taller.  It appears the Indians will give rookie Jeremy Sowers two more starts before being replaced by Carmona in the rotation.  GM Mark Shapiro said around four hurlers will be recalled after the September 1st roster expansion.  I’m guessing Rafael Perez, Carmona, Jeremy Guthrie, and Brian Slocum are the four in question.  Among position players, it will probably be only Franklin Gutierrez and Kevin Kouzmanoff.  The Indians only have 37 men on the 40 man roster, so they have room to add some guys not currently on the 40 man. 

 

On the field, it’s the first look at the Blue Jays with six games against them over the next week and a half.  When the team leaves for Texas on Thursday, they will get some reinforcements.  The Wahoos need to go 21-12 the rest of the way to get back to .500.  If they continue to play as they have for the past three weeks, it’s an attainable goal.

 

JK

 

I had plenty of time to think while watching the Tribe overcome a 10-1 first inning deficit Wednesday night.  Here are some of the things I was pondering…

 

Wedge’s handling of the pitching staff.  I realize that having a horrible bullpen makes a manager gun shy.  What worries me is the extended outings demanded of the starters in a season going nowhere.  Last night, C.C. Sabathia threw 122 pitches in his win over Kansas City.  The big lefty is the Tribe’s best starter, and putting extra wear and tear on his arm at this point in time in this season is not very smart.  The skipper has also extended Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd in recent weeks.  Use the young guys in the pen for an inning at a time and bring them in to start the frame.  It does no good to hurt the arm of a Sabathia or Westbrook in a season where you are going to finish fourth.  I want Wedge to try to win, but keep an eye on 2007 too.

 

Cavs sign Scot Pollard.  A solid signing for GM Danny Ferry.  He gets a veteran who is willing to bang to be the fifth big man in the rotation.  The one flaw for Pollard is durability.  In the last four seasons, the most game he has played in a campaign was 61 in 2003-04.  The last time he played 80 games was five seasons ago.  I’m sure Mike Brown is not expecting Pollard to play 70 games this season, in spite of Kenny Roda’s insane thought that Pollard should start.  He’s a veteran who knows the league and wants to win.  He should help the Cavaliers this season.

 

Should Edwards play?  Why not.  If the doctors clear him, then why shouldn’t Romeo Crennel give him a few plays in a live game.  He has to get on the field at some point, and do you really want that moment to be in a regular season game.  Yes, he could re-injure the knee, but he could get hurt in practice too, or don’t you remember LeCharles Bentley.  I’m pretty sure the Browns’ team physicians wouldn’t say last year’s #1 draft pick could play if his knee was in bad shape.

 

The return of Casey Blake.  Blake has had a fine season, although has had to go on the disabled list twice.  But, if Eric Wedge is going to put him back in the lineup, and he will, it should be mostly as a left fielder.  It would be doing a disservice to the franchise to cut the playing time of Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez, and Shin-soo Choo in order to play the veteran.  Again, he need to find out about these guys for 2007, and they need to get as many opportunities as possible.  This is something to keep an eye on down the stretch.

 

Enjoy the start of the high school football season this weekend.  Those kids play for the team, not the individual.

 

KM

 

As the Cleveland Indians front office looks forward to 2007, I have looked at their roster and needs as well.  One thing this ballclub needs is a proven right handed hitter to protect Travis Hafner.  More and more teams are pitching around Pronk to get to Victor Martinez, who is a good hitter, but doesn’t have a lot of home run power, nor does he run well.  The best spot in the lineup for Martinez might very well be lower in the order, perhaps in the #6 hole.

 

Couple this with the defensive weaknesses, mostly in regards to throwing, and you have to wonder about the catchers’ future with the Indians.  Yes, he has been playing some 1B since Kelly Shoppach was returned to the big club, but is Martinez’ bat good enough to play that position on a contending team?  Unless he can jack the number of home runs per season to 25+, the answer is probably no.

 

Yes, I realize that the Tigers went with Chris Shelton and Sean Casey, and the Yankees played Andy Phillips at first for most of the year.  Power isn’t a prerequisite to play 1B on good teams.   However, Martinez’ power numbers are starting to drop.  After belting 23 HR’s and 108 RBI’s in 2004, his numbers dropped to 20 dingers and 80 ribbies last year.  This year, the HR number will drop to 16 to 18.  Maybe playing 1B most of the time will give his power numbers a boost, since the wear and tear of crouching behind the plate will be reduced, if not gone.  As a catcher, his impact as an offensive player is starting to diminish.

 

So, it might be the ideal time to trade Victor Martinez.  He is the type of player who should bring considerable return for the franchise.  The Indians need a power hitting corner outfielder, preferably a right handed hitter.  It needs a second baseman, and a lot of help in the bullpen.  Dealing Martinez might fill two of those holes.  I understand that the switch hitter is a core player, but it appears he is starting to decline a bit, perhaps due to catching around 140 games the past two seasons. 

 

Remember what Branch Rickey said, it’s better to trade someone a year too soon, than a year too late.  This is a huge decision for GM Mark Shapiro.  Remember that Shapiro dealt Roberto Alomar, who never had a very good year after leaving here.  He took a lot of flak, and the return from the Mets wasn’t what was expected, but the GM’s evaluation of Alomar was correct.  If Shapiro has those feelings about Victor Martinez, he should pull the trigger and fill some holes in return.

 

MW

 

Friday night’s debacle against the Devil Rays really was hard to take.  C.C. Sabathia pitched another fine game, but left after the 8th inning with a lead.  Sabathia was over 100 pitches, so Manager Eric Wedge went to his struggling bullpen.  Jason Davis is inconsistent, but had the team’s only save, so he was the leading candidate to be brought in.  However, Wedge decided to go with Brian Sikorski, who has allowed four HR’s in nine innings thrown in a Tribe uniform.  Why?

 

I understand that the rest of this season is to see what the club has for next year.  But, the skipper still has an obligation to Sabathia, who has been a loyal soldier to the organization.  The big lefty has been pitching lights out over the last month, and is not getting any wins to show for it.  Out of all the options at hand to pitch the ninth, Sikorski would have been the fourth option to me. 

 

First, I would have used Davis.  Yes, he runs hot and cold, but he did earn the save at Fenway Park earlier this month, and he didn’t hold the lead in his most recent chance against the Royals because of Hector Luna’s error.  My second choice would have been Tom Mastny (this was before his save on Saturday) since he has done nothing but get guys out since being called up from Buffalo.  I would have used Fausto Carmona ahead of Sikorski, just based on pure stuff. 

ir

So, Sikorski comes on and Travis Lee hits one off the fence immediately.  The manager waited until the game was tied to get Davis into the game, and the big righty gave up a walk and the game winning hit to Carl Crawford.  Keep in mind that Davis is horrible when entering the game with runners in scoring position.  What gives?  What turned into a series win against the D-Rays should have been a series sweep.  The next night, Mastny did come on and pitched two impressive frames, striking out three.  Before yesterday’s game, the STO announcing crew told me that the rookie righthander may not get the next save situation.  Why the hell not?

 

Eric Wedge has been the Tribe’s manager for four seasons.  The bullpen has been in shambles for 2-1/2 of those years.  Only when Bob Wickman was here and everybody knew he was the closer, has the relief corp been settled.  It appears that Wedge or Carl Willis do not know how to identify a guy who can wrap up a game.  I agreed with their assessment of Carmona, but when that plan failed for the moment, there’s no alternative.  Mastny got the last save, so he should get the next opportunity.  If he fails, he’s the lastest who did.  If he succeeds, maybe the Indians found a guy who can close. 

 

This is not to say that Tom Mastny is the next Mariano Rivera, but he has demonstrated the ability to get guys out.  He deserves the chance, and he deserves it more than a guy who’s allowed four dingers in the equivalent of one game. 

 

JK

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed restricted free agent forward Drew Gooden to a three year contract the other day, putting another piece from last year back in place.  The debate as to whether or not it is a good signing will be waged, but it doesn’t hurt to keep a starter from a team that won a playoff series on the squad.

 

Gooden is one of the favorite whipping boys for the fans since most people would like a Karl Malone type as the team’s power forward.  But, the Kansas alum is a serviceable player, and sharing time at the #4 spot with Anderson Varajao isn’t a bad twosome to have at the position.  I believe Gooden could provide more offense if the team ran a few plays for him.  Actually, it would be nice if they ran plays for anybody. 

 

Another year under Coach Mike Brown’s defensive system should improve Gooden’s ability to defend the pick and roll, a major weakness for him last year.  That’s the main reason the former Jayhawk star would sit late in games in favor of Varajao.  It’s likely Brown will go with a four man rotation at the 4/5 positions with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Donyell Marshall.

 

The Cavs still have a glut of wings.  Besides starters LeBron James and Larry Hughes, GM Danny Ferry still has Sasha Pavlovic, Luke Jackson, Stephen Graham, Ira Newble, and rookie Shannon Brown on the roster.  They also still need a point guard.  Eric Snow can probably still give the team 20 good minutes per game in the regular season.  Who plays the other 28?  It’s obvious the wine and gold have soured on Damon Jones.  I’m sure Hughes can give them some minutes at the point, but he is not the long term answer at the position.  Rookie Daniel Gibson might work out down the road, but not this year.  This is still an area needing a solution. 

 

The Cavs might still be able to get a good solid role player at this late juncture in the free agent period.  Training camp starts in six weeks, so it is getting late quickly.  Starting the season with basically the same team will help the Cavs get off to a good start, but the roster has to be upgraded to advance further in the playoffs.

 

JK

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians made some roster moves this weekend to allow Jeremy Guthrie to start the second game of Saturday’s day/night doubleheader.  They designated the beleaguered Guillermo Mota for assignment before Friday’s game and called up infielder Ramon Vazquez because Joe Inglett couldn’t go Friday due to a leg injury.  To make room for Guthrie before the night game on Saturday, the Tribe designated Vazquez for assignment.  The curious thing was the journeyman’s reaction to the move.

 

The utility man said he never got a fair shot with the Tribe.  He said he refused to go to Buffalo because it was clear he was not in the Indians’ plan for next season.  Huh?  Actually, Vazquez got a huge benefit of the doubt when Eric Wedge did not want Brandon Phillips coming off the bench as spring training ended.  Phillips outperformed the former Red Sox and Padres infielder, but Vazquez made the club anyway.  How’s that not getting a fair shot.  It appears to me as if it was Phillips that didn’t get an equal chance.

 

I would say that Vazquez is pretty quick to figure out the Tribe had no plans for him in 2007.  What clicked that switch on for him, was it bringing up Joe Inglett?  Was it trading for Hector Luna?  Was it his batting average hovering around .200 for much of the season?  Was it his three error game at SS earlier this season?  Guys like Vazquez are as replaceable as a light bulb.  A younger guy is always going to get a shot at taking that job on a baseball team.

 

Down on the farm, Kevin Kouzmanoff went 4 for 4 for the Bison yesterday raising his average at the AAA level to .378.  Overall, the third baseman is hitting .388 with 19 HR and 63 RBI in 289 at bats.  The Kouz should get a September call up after the Buffalo season ends.  He’s had some back problems, so a move to the outfield (LF?) could be forthcoming.  Then again, if Andy Marte doesn’t start hitting a little bit, maybe Kouzmanoff stays at 3B. 

 

Despite Guthrie’s control problems on Saturday, here’s hoping he get a few more starts in September.  He may have had a case of nervousness in his first big league start, but I think the brass will want to start limiting Jeremy Sowers innings soon, especially since he has shown his effectiveness in a Cleveland uniform.  That could open some slots in the rotation for Guthrie.  Since the former 1st round draftee is out of options next season, the front office has to find out more about him in the show.

 

It’s on to the road for the Tribe for the next week and a half, with a chance to play spoiler at Minnesota, and then on to Tampa and Kansas City. 

 

MW

 

 

 

It finally happened!  The Cleveland Indians won their second consecutive game, defeating the Los Angeles Angels last night, 14-2.  It was the first time they won two in a row since July 1-4 when they won four straight against the Reds and the Yankees.  Since that point, one at a time has been the Tribe’s mantra.

 

However, Cliff Lee celebrated his new contract extension with his 10th win, and homers by Travis Hafner and Ryan Garko paced the offense along with a three hit game by Shin-Soo Choo.  Hafner is having a marvelous season, an MVP type of campaign which is being overlooked by many because of the Indians lot in the standings.  Pronk is tied for 2nd in the AL in HR’s with 34, is second in OPS, and is third in the Junior Circuit in RBI’s.  Unfortunately, his team’s fourth place standing makes most people unaware of his huge stats.

 

This weekend, fans will finally get a look at Jeremy Guthrie as a starter when he takes the hill in one of the games against the Royals on Saturday.  Previously, all of the former first round draft pick’s appearances have come out of the bullpen.  Guthrie has had a solid season at Buffalo this year and deserves a shot at a start. 

 

Speaking of young pitchers, Adam Miller continued his dominance in the AA Eastern League with a four hit shutout last night, striking out 11.  Miller has ascended to the top of Baseball America’s Hot Prospect List with his pitching since the beginning of July.  Miller will probably be with the big club in September, but as a spectator.  The front office does not want to put more wear and tear on the youngster’s arm, especially with an elbow problem in his past.

 

The trade of Todd Hollandsworth means that Franklin Gutierrez has returned to the big club.  Gutierrez picked up his offense after being returned to Buffalo, raising his batting average to .281.  An outfield of Sizemore, Gutierrez, and Choo could really cover some ground, and with both rookies having good arms, would upgrade the defense immensely.  GM Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge said the defense was a big problem, and every change made recently has made that part of the team better. 

 

Anyway, it’s four with the Royals this weekend before a trip to Minnesota, Tampa, and Kansas City.  The auditions continue for 2007, and it looks right now like the Tribe picked up some guys who can play in the deadline deals.  Are Mota and Boone the next to go?

 

JK

 

The Plain Dealer jumped all over the problem with stopping the running game as the reason the Indians lost to the Angels last night, 5-4.  However, there is another reason for the defeat that was missed.  That would be the lack of a lefty in the bullpen.  The Tribe has been without a lefty since Rafael Perez was returned to Buffalo a few weeks ago, and last night’s game cried for a southpaw to be used.

 

With the score tied going into the eighth inning, righty Rafael Betancourt came on and gave up a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero.  Another right handed hitter, Juan Rivera was next and he flew out to center.  Lefty hitter Garrett Anderson followed, and with Betancourt pitching carefully because Anderson has some pop, walked.  Tim Salmon (R) was next and he struck out, with the Angels working a successful double steal to put runners on second and third.  Angels’ pilot Mike Scioscia then pinch hit the lefty hitting Adam Kennedy for Robb Quinlan, and Kennedy singled to break the tie. 

 

If a lefty was in the ‘pen, he could have been used to face Anderson, and then another righty could have come on to face Salmon.  Or either Scioscia would have kept Kennedy on the bench knowing a lefty would come on, and if Kennedy had come up a lefty could have been used at that point.  The Indians were beat as much because they had no lefty reliever as by the successful double steal. 

 

Even though the Wahoo’s are playing a lot of young players, the object is still to win the game.  Cleveland hamstrings itself in trying to win because they don’t have a southpaw in the bullpen. 

 

It’s nice that radio talk show hosts can evaluate talent so quickly.  I’ve heard hosts on WKNR pretty much proclaiming Andy Marte as a bust after 22 at bats.  On the other hand, Shin-Soo Choo is being hailed as the next big thing.  Do these guys realize that Travis Hafner just went through an 0 for 17 streak?  Or that Joe Inglett was hitting .350 after 20 or so at bats?  It takes a little bit bigger sample to evaluate a player than 20 plate appearances. 

 

I do like Choo’s patience at the plate, but at this point he has to prove he can hit a breaking pitch.  Marte has made some nice plays defensively, and has hit in a little tough luck.  He’s whiffed 5 times in 22 official at bats, so he’s not been Russell Branyan or Jason Dubois so far. 

 

Willie Mays started out something like 0 for 24 to start his big league career.  Good thing talk radio wasn’t around then.

 

KM

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians return from a 2-5 road trip to take on the Los Angeles Angels tomorrow night at Jacobs Field.  It was a trip in which the Tribe led six of the seven games.  Not only that, they led those six games in the seventh inning or later.  It was an amazing because the optimists following this team realize they could have been 6-1 in this period, easily.  However, the game isn’t over until the 27th out is recorded, and currently the ballclub doesn’t have anyone who can do that. 

 

The amazing thing is how this team continues to bounce back.  I realize many people are critical of Manager Eric Wedge because of the disappointing season and the club’s record in one run games somehow suggests he is deficient in game management.  However, I think the skipper’s most important job is to manage the players in the clubhouse.  Wedge’s message of one game at a time is more important than ever after tough losses, and obviously the fact this team took early leads in the following game after one of these devastating defeats shows his message is still getting through.

 

One of the criticisms I do have of Wedge is his failure to use his entire roster.  Right now, the Tribe has a five man bullpen because of the manager’s reluctance to use Guillermo Mota (for obvious reasons) and rookie Tom Mastny.  Mota should be dealt for a low level prospect or released, and if the pilot isn’t going to use Mastny, he should be returned to Buffalo.  Apparently, Jason Davis is the new closer, and since we have been critical of Davis in the past, it’s funny that JD attributes his recent success to not thinking.  That is what we felt the problem was all along. 

 

The Tribe may have lost Casey Blake to an ankle injury on Saturday night.  Since Ryan Garko is struggling, I would like to see the team bring up Kevin Kouzmanoff from Buffalo.  Kouzmanoff has hit a combined .380 at Akron and Buffalo this year, and has belted 3 HR’s in his time in AAA in a little over a week.  This move would be assuming that Kouzmanoff can play a passable 1B.  The 25 year old is a lifetime .300 hitter in the minors, proving he can flat out hit.  He doesn’t have any overwhelming "tools", except for the ability to hit ’em where they ain’t.  It would be a message to all in the minors, that if you produce, you can get a shot on the big club.

 

This week’s action features a match up of young pitchers on Tuesday, when Jeremy Sowers takes on the Angels’ Jared Weaver.  Sowers passed his test against the Red Sox in Fenway, allowing two runs in five innings.   These are the things a Tribe fan has to look forward to in 2006. 

 

MW