On May 15th, the Cleveland Indians headed to Cincinnati with a 22-19 record and sitting in first place in the AL Central Division. Since that date, the Tribe is 11-21 and has fallen 8-1/2 games behind the first place White Sox. A combination of a poor offense, a leaky bullpen, and injuries has turned a team that had pennant aspirations to a squad looking forward to 2009. It’s an amazing turnaround in a short period of time. Equally amazing is the stubbornness of the manager and front office. Here’s a top five list to ponder:
1. Not using the entire roster. This is probably Eric Wedge’s biggest weakness as a manager. The team acquired Craig Breslow from the Red Sox before spring training ended as a second left-hander, and he rotted from non-use. Today, he’s pitching for the Twins, a team ahead of the Indians, and has an ERA under 2.00. The skipper is doing the same thing with Rick Bauer, who is pitching once a week. It’s hard to maintain any type of consistency without pitching on a regular basis.
The same is true for the everyday roster. Before getting Sal Fasano (doesn’t that make you excited) yesterday, the Indians were playing with a 22-man roster. This is because the manager refuses to use Jorge Velandia, Yamid Haad, or Andy Marte. If these guys are major leaguers, they should be able to play. If not, get rid of them. And in Marte’s case, if the GM thinks he should play and the manager doesn’t, there is a bigger problem.
2. The batting order. Is there any reason why Jhonny Peralta continues to hit in a prime spot? We have been critical of Casey Blake in the past, but why isn’t he hitting fifth against the Rockies the past two nights. Blake leads the team in RBI’s, and the Tribe SS hasn’t had a hit with a runner in scoring position seemingly all year long. Peralta should be in the lower third of the order until he shows some sign of life.
3. Asdrubal Cabrera. The Indians played the young infielder a good month after it was clear he was struggling mightily at the plate. Wedge believed Cabrera’s defense justified his inclusion in the lineup, but we will agree to disagree on this one. Anyone batting less than .200 cannot be an everyday player.
4. More bullpen issues. Do you have more confidence in Tom Mastny or Edward Mujica? Mastny has an ERA of under 2.00 at Buffalo, and based on his performance last year, he should be on the major league roster. Also, Jeff Stevens has pitched well at Akron and Buffalo; why not give him a shot at the big league level. Also, Rafael Betancourt’s performance does not merit him pitching in the 8th inning, but he keeps going out there and giving up runs in that situation.
5. Move the young guys up. The Tribe finally moved C Chris Gimenez up to Class AAA Buffalo after he hit .339 with 6 HR and 26 RBI at Akron. He has an OPS at the AA level of 1.024, an excellent figure. 3B Wes Hodges is hitting .316 with 9 HR and 54 RBI at Akron. Considering the marginal prospects in Buffalo, why can’t these guys on the fast track? The organization values plate discipline (although it seems like they don’t care at the big league level), and Gimenez has a strike out to walk ratio of 33/52, and Hodges is 51/29, an acceptable figure. Let’s let these guys get some time at Buffalo, and if they do well there, let’s take a look at them.
It’s probably a good thing the Indians didn’t make the World Series last year, since they seem to have an inability to beat National League teams. They are now sitting at 2-7 in interleague play this season, five games behind the 7-2 marks of the White Sox and Royals, who are now just 2 games behind the Tribe. That means the Indians would be just 3-1/2 games out without the games against the Senior Circuit.
Now the it’s the Dodgers, Giants, and Reds before it’s back to familiar surroundings. In the meantime, enjoy the Sal Fasano era.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 