Remember the Cleveland Indians have played only 14 games. It’s less than 1/10th of the season. It’s the equivalent of the first game for the Browns. We all recall how that turned out, yet our football team wound up with a reasonable shot at the playoffs. Couple that with the fact that no one has jumped out to a 12-3 start in the AL Central, putting the Tribe six or seven games out just two weeks into the season. However, the Cleveland Indians need to start winning series. Starting a seven game homestand at 1-4 is not what Eric Wedge’s guys needed.
The offense cannot sustain any type of attack; although it is encouraging that the Tribe is at least starting rallies by getting guys on base. They just can’t get the clutch hit. Once you get past Ryan Garko in the 6th spot in the batting order, opposing pitchers breathe a sigh of relief with the likes of Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, and Casey Blake coming up. Three guys hitting under .200 doesn’t exactly strike fear in anyone’s hearts.
At this point, it’s a punch and judy offense for the Cleveland Indians. When the Tribe was hitting the ball big time in 2005 and 2006, they were a doubles machine. This year, they rank 12th in the AL in doubles. They rank second to last in the league in slugging percentage as a team. Only Minnesota, Kansas City, and Oakland have hit fewer home runs so far in 2008. As mentioned previously, they are getting men on base, ranking 8th in the league in on base percentage. However, the extra base hit is missing from the offense, and that means they need three hits to score a run.
With the offense struggling, it might be time to time to give some people a day or two off. Why not give Jamey Carroll, who has shown an ability to get on base, a couple of days at 2B. Could Andy Marte give you less offensively than Casey Blake is giving the Indians right now? Or you could play Blake in the outfield in place of Jason Michaels, who is currently hitting under .100. It also might be time to play for one run, in order to score by making outs, or with two hits. Without the extra base production, there is a definite need to manufacture runs.
As for the batting order, can anyone explain why Jhonny Peralta hits fifth, ahead of Ryan Garko? Garko is a much better pure hitter than the shortstop who has problems making contact at times. Spacing out the strikeouts is a key to making up the batting order for the Indians. It’s not like Peralta adds a dash of speed amidst Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Garko. Garko is the more consistent hitter, and has the potential to be a better run producer than Peralta.
It is still very, very early in the season. A four game winning streak put the Tribe at 9-9, that’s all it takes. However, the Cleveland Indians have to figure out a way to score when they are not hitting home runs, or hitting the gaps. Right now, the Tribe has scored less than five runs in a game nine times, coincidentally the same number of losses they have accumulated. It’s not time to panic, but it is time to try some different things and/or play some different guys to get this team going.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 