The baseball season is only three games old, so there is no need for concern that the Cleveland Indians started 0-3. The starting pitching hasn’t been good, and the hitting has not come through in the clutch. However, it is disturbing that neither starter was able to get past the fifth inning when the rotation was the biggest question mark on the team. It doesn’t give anyone a warm and fuzzy feeling.
The best news about the Texas series is that it was the only visit this year for the Indians into the hitters’ paradise that the Rangers play in.
However, the three game sweep got me thinking…What happens if the Tribe gets off to let’s say a 20-30 start? Will GM Mark Shapiro decide to end Eric Wedge’s tenure as the Indians’ skipper?
Wedge does not irritate me as much as he does other people, particularly with his "Wedge-speak" style of describing the game. However, the results are what they are. In seven years, the Indians have made one post-season appearance (2007) and they have missed the playoffs by one game once (2005). Wedge has won more games than he has lost, but they have really only been a playoff contender after the All Star break one other year (2004) since he was named manager.
One of Wedge’s weaknesses has been the month of April. His teams get off to slow starts virtually every year. They have recovered to record respectable finishes by putting together torrid second halves of the schedule, including last year when they won 40 of their last 68 games. They finished strong in each of the last four seasons.
Starting 0-3 doesn’t mean another slow start this year, last year the Tribe started 2-0 and still were below .500 for the month. They went 0-3 in 1996 and still finished the season with 99 wins. No one is comparing this edition of the Indians to the ’96 team, though.
We have already speculated that the reason for the slow starts is the incorrect make up of the roster coming into the season. It seems like the manager treats the first month of the season as some sort of expanded spring training, trying to determine how he will use people instead of formulating that before the bell rings on Opening Day.
The other thing that bothers me about Wedge’s approach to this year’s team is his love of versatility. You need that from your bench, but not from the starters. We don’t need to see different outfield alignments on an everyday basis, especially one with Ryan Garko roaming the green. Former manager Mike Hargrove used to remind people that starters are starters for a reason. Wedge needs to use his bench, but should also determine starters who will be in the lineup day in and day out.
Shapiro and Wedge seem to be joined at the hip, and the manager and GM should be on the same page. However, the GM also has to see that something isn’t working and fix the problem. Slow starts have killed this team in the past, whether it be the bullpen (’06), lack of hitting (’08), or injuries. The common thread is the manager. If the season starts to go south, can Shapiro afford to be extra patient in 2009.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 