The Cleveland Indians came out of the All-Star break with a thud, but rebounded to take two of three in Seattle against the Mariners, who are the only team in the AL with a worse record than the Tribe. The win on Saturday broke a 10 game road losing streak, and it was the team’s first road series win since beating the Dodgers just about a month ago. Still, it was better than losing a series to the woeful Mariners. Now, it’s on to Anaheim to take on the team with the best record in the American League, the Angels.
Cliff Lee continued his tremendous season yesterday, throwing a complete game in a 6-2 Indian victory. The lefty is now 13-2 with a 2.29 ERA on the season. It is amazing to me how many people talk about dealing Lee for more prospects. Yes, he is having a career season. However, it’s not like Lee is a stiff who is having the first good season of his career. Remember, Lee won 18 games in 2005, and 14 games in 2004 and 2006. He finished in the top five in the AL Cy Young Award voting in ’05, and may win the honor this year. If you look at his statistics, it’s pretty clear that last season’s horrible record was the aberration, not this season.
Asdrubal Cabrera returned to the ballclub as we requested, and had hits in each game he played. Both hits went to left-center field, which is encouraging in that the infielder is going with the pitch. Cabrera played 2B in both games, but I think he will get some reps at shortstop with Jhonny Peralta getting some partial days rest at DH. Jamey Carroll played well in Cabrera’s absence, and doesn’t deserve to lose all of his playing time. Carroll could be another veteran available in a deal at the July 31st deadline.
It was interesting to note that one pitcher who did not appear in the series was Rafael Betancourt. He certainly could have pitched an inning in the 8-2 loss on Friday night, but wasn’t used. Perhaps Eric Wedge no longer feels comfortable in using the right-hander with a lead, and that is why he wasn’t used in the two victories. Edward Mujica pitched two scoreless frames in the Saturday win, continuing his good performance. It may be that Mujica is going to get a good look with games on the line in the second half.
Wedge says the Indians are staying committed to Jeremy Sowers, who did gain his first win of the season on Saturday, but early on, the southpaw was very shaky. He got out of trouble with double plays in the first two innings, and then gave up a few loud outs while seemingly cruising through the next three innings. With a 9-2 lead in the sixth, Sowers hit a batter, gave up a hit, and then walked a hitter, ultimately giving up two runs. It was a win, but I don’t think anyone is counting the days until Sowers next start. On the other hand, if they are playing for 2009, the team has to find out about the young lefty.
However, it was disturbing for the skipper to talk about the ballclub needing David Dellucci. The veteran did drive in a run in Sunday’s victory, and he was in the lineup for two of the three games. Maybe the Tribe is showcasing him, but his performance of late would only serve to lower his already ebbed trade value. The front office has heard from pretty much everyone that they need to make other arrangements for the OF/DH. Allowing him to take at-bats away from people this team needs to see is not a productive use of the Indians time out of contention.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 