If only the Indians could play the Toronto Blue Jays more often. The Tribe rebounded from a sickening loss in Tampa on Wednesday to sweep the Jays over the weekend, capped by Cliff Lee’s league leading 16th win on Sunday. In seven games against Cleveland this season, the Blue Jays scored just eight runs, making it pretty easy to win the season series against Toronto, 6 games to 1. With a ten game home stand starting against Baltimore tonight, the Tribe could be on the verge of their best stretch since early May. Here are some tidbits from the last week…
When Anthony Reyes won his Indian debut Friday night, he became only the third Indian pitcher to have a winning record (Lee and Carmona). That’s how bad this season has been. In fact, if you take Lee’s 16-2 mark out of the equation; the Tribe’s record is a woeful 36-62. Carmona (5-4) and Reyes (1-0) are each just one game over the break-even point.
Sources say right-hander Paul Byrd has cleared waivers. The way he has pitched over the last month, he becomes the most desirable starting pitcher on the market. It would not be surprising to see Byrd dealt to a contender in the next week or so. His complete game win over the Blue Jays didn’t hurt his market value. Also, Aaron Laffey threw eight shutout innings for the Bison on Saturday and could step into Byrd’s spot in the rotation.
After the debacle in Tampa, the Indians called up Reyes and Brandon Donnelly, replacing Matt Ginter (DL) and Tom Mastny, who has been sent to Buffalo. The question is: What did Mastny do wrong? Overall, he hasn’t been effective, but he also has rarely pitched. If the move was made to get him some work, then fine. Meanwhile, Juan “Run per outing” Rincon continues to be on the roster. I know someone in the front office likes Rincon’s arm, but you still have to get guys out.
Watching the Buffalo box scores, I noticed that veteran Jeff Weaver is working out of the bullpen. His last four outings have been one or two inning stints. Perhaps it is a good way for him to salvage a big league career. He was getting waxed as a starter at the AAA level. With the problems in the Cleveland bullpen, it’s worth taking a shot.
Arizona lost 2B Orlando Hudson to a season ending wrist injury, so would they be interested in Jamey Carroll as a replacement? Carroll has performed very well this season for the Tribe, playing more than expected because of Asdrubal Cabrera’s poor performance. The Indians have veteran utility man Tony Graffanino at Buffalo, and he should be ready for a return to the big leagues. Meanwhile, Cabrera’s bat is showing signs of life, hitting around .270 since his return from the minors.
The 10 game home stand features only three games, this weekend against the Angels, versus a playoff contender. Yes, the Indians are out of it, but it would be cool to finish ahead of the Tigers even in a year where almost everything has gone wrong. Also, look for Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield to start rehab assignments this week. Martinez could be back in the lineup before the end of the home stand.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 