Last night, it all came together for the Cleveland Indians. They actually hit the ball, got good starting pitching from Fausto Carmona, and for the most part, the bullpen did its job in a 11-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The offense had their extra base hit bats going, collecting three doubles, a triple, and two home runs in the win. This is something that has sorely been missing after the first two games of the campaign. Grady Sizemore got his first double of the year last night, in game 16. That’s amazing, considering he belted more than 50 doubles just two years ago.
The offensive problems thus far have been documented here, but the relief pitching for the Indians has also been a disappointment. And it extends beyond the closer spot. Joe Borowski blew two ninth inning save opportunities, but the troubles in the bullpen go beyond him. This was a strength of last year’s team, and even though GM Mark Shapiro did bolster this area in the off-season, so far, it has been an area of concern. The most effective guy out there thus far has been lefty Craig Breslow, picked up on waivers from the Boston Red Sox at the end of spring training. That’s really a problem.
Outside of the aforementioned lefty, every member of the Tribe bullpen has allowed more hits than innings pitched except for Jorge Julio, who has allowed 8 hits in 8 innings. This wouldn’t be alarming for starting pitchers, who really can give up a hit per inning without having damage caused. However, relievers come into situations with men on base many times. Giving up a hit in that situation makes for a opposition rally. And with the way the Indians are scoring runs, that’s the difference between a win and a loss.
Another problem for the relief corps has been the amount of walks. Last year, Cleveland pitchers were very stingy with free passes, but this year has been radically different. Last night, with a 10-1 lead, Jensen Lewis came in and walked the first two hitters he faced. That cannot happen. Lewis has walked six and struck out eight. Julio has walked five and fanned six. He came in against Boston with a 2-1 lead, and promptly walked the first two men he faced. Rafael Betancourt has walked just one with his usual pinpoint control, and Masa Kobayashi also has walked just one. Look for Eric Wedge to give the Japanese veteran more opportunities with Borowski on the shelf.
Nothing can ruin a season like a bad bullpen, so it isn’t too early to start examining roles. Outside of C.C. Sabathia, the starting pitching has been fairly solid, although it would be nice to see Paul Byrd have another good start or two. But, it deflates a team to lose games late. That has happened several times already this season. Turn two of those games around, and suddenly the Indians are at .500 for the first 16 games. It might be time to use Breslow and Kobayashi instead of Lewis and Julio.
Adjustments must be made and made quickly if the bullpen doesn’t get straightened out. Otherwise, the Tribe could dig themselves a hole that they won’t be able to get out of. Mark Shapiro likes to be patient, but it might be a luxury he can’t afford in 2008.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 