Hooray! The Cleveland Indians actually won a series this week, taking two out of three at home against the Chicago White Sox. The bullpen is actually taking a little bit of a form, and while the starting pitching hasn’t been spectacular, it has generally gotten the ballclub into the sixth or seventh inning, Jeremy Sowers notwithstanding.
However, this team is still in panic mode. With a 13-22 record, there is no need to be happy with the direction of the team, and there is no doubt that changes should be made, but are they the correct changes?
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Eric Wedge said they are considering giving Jhonny Peralta some time at both corner positions. Both? Peralta may be joining the increasing number of players who may play 1B for the Tribe? Pretty soon, the team will run a promotion where random fans will get a chance to play the position for an inning.
Perhaps the Tribe’s defensive issues are due to the fact that they are constantly changing positions for the players. On Tuesday night, the White Sox got two insurance runs from a Matt LaPorta error. LaPorta was playing first for the first time this season, while Ryan Garko, a first baseman for the last three years, was the DH. Can anyone explain why the rookie wasn’t DH’ing while Garko played first? I feel pretty confident that Garko would have made the play.
That is not to denigrate LaPorta, who definitely should be in the lineup more often. It is just to point out the team isn’t putting its best defensive team on the field. Switching guys all over the place does not generally lead to good defense.
Of course, this blog pointed out in the off-season that the Indians’ best defensive infield would be Asdrubal Cabrera at SS, Mark DeRosa at 2B, and Jhonny Peralta at 3B. This wasn’t done because Peralta and DeRosa are more “comfortable” at their current positions. Versatility is good for reserve players. Your starters should play the same spot everyday.
The panic is starting to seep to the minor league level. The organization moved top pitching prospect, Hector Rondon, from the starting rotation where he was 5-0, to the bullpen at Akron. After his start to the season, I would have moved him as well, but to Class AAA as a starter in place of guys like Jack Cassel or Kirk Saarloos. The bullpen is indeed a concern for the Tribe, but it’s not like the starting rotation doesn’t have any holes either. Anthony Reyes or recently sent down Jeremy Sowers aren’t exactly lighting up the world.
Let Rondon pitch five or six games at Columbus, and if he still is lights out, bring him up to the big club.
The problem with the Indians is they seem to be unwilling to make decisions; they seem to be afraid to make a mistake, or at least admit one. They still have Masa Kobayashi on the roster even though the manager has no plans to ever use him, nor should he based on performance. David Dellucci continues to be on the team, and keeps showing up in the starting lineup. Jeremy Sowers keeps getting opportunities.
There is a fine line between patience and stubbornness and the Cleveland Indians are straddling that line. If you want to improve the defense, make the change in the infield alignment. Play Luis Valbuena at 2B more often. If Matt LaPorta is on the roster, he should be playing at least five games per week. Bring Zach Jackson back up and let him start, he did a decent job during the last two months of 2008, certainly better than Sowers.
Despite all of this trouble, the Cleveland Indians are just 5-1/2 games out of first place. Taking a bold step now might just salvage the season. However, the decisions must be made based on past performance and without regard to the payroll. I don’t know if the front office is capable of not worrying about making mistakes.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 