Why Tribe Can’t Stand Pat

The second half of the baseball season starts tomorrow night, and the Cleveland Indians are in good position to make the playoffs.

They have a 6-1/2 game lead in the American League Central Division and after they return from the trip they start tomorrow, they will play 39 of their last 65 contests at Progressive Field.

So, the question is does the Tribe need to make a move before the July 31st trading deadline? After all, they lead the AL in ERA and rank third in the league in runs scored per game.

Don’t they have enough on the current roster to win the division? Isn’t Michael Brantley getting ready to come back, giving the team an added bat?

The reason is simply this…president Chris Antonetti, GM Mike Chernoff, and skipper Terry Francona cannot assume that everything that went well in the first half is going to continue after the All Star break.

Jose Ramirez has been arguably the team’s most valuable player in the first half, filling in for Brantley and hitting .295 with a 769 OPS. His prior career high in these categories is .262 with a 646 OPS.

Now, Ramirez is just 23 years old and is improving day by day as he should be, but what if he wears down because this is the most he’s played at the big league level?

Tyler Naquin was a solid hitter in the minors, but what he has done at the big league level is eye popping. He has a 965 OPS and 21 extra base hits in 159 at bats. Even the most ardent supporter of the rookie can’t think that’s going to continue.

Lonnie Chisenhall is 27 years old now and should be entering the prime of his career. He entered the break hitting .299 with a 819 OPS, both highs for his time in the bigs.

He has had hot streaks like this before, though. In 2014, Chisenhall was hitting .332 with 9 HR and 41 RBI in the first half of the year. After that, he hit .218 with an OPS of 591.

You have to have an alternative if this happens again. We aren’t saying it will, but you have to be ready.

Rajai Davis (35 years old) and Mike Napoli (34) have been huge for the Indians in the first half, but Francona has leaned on them a lot, probably more than he planned going into the season, but Brantley’s injury and the suspensions of Abraham Almonte and Marlon Byrd changed those plans.

The front office has to be prepared for a possible fall off in production from that duo.

And while Brantley should be back by at latest the beginning of August, there is no telling if he will hit like the guy who finished 3rd in the MVP voting in 2014. There may be a period of adjustment or he may wind up being 75%. Still a solid player, but not producing like normal.

Look, we aren’t saying all of these players will decline in the second half, but a good front office has to anticipate that things will go wrong. Getting another bat will allow Francona to give some players a rest and that player could be plugged in if someone regresses after the break.

And it never hurts to upgrade your bullpen, but that has been addressed before.

Yes, the Indians have good chemistry and have a very good team. However, you can still make it better.

The Tribe needs to do everything it can to win the division and avoid the dreaded, one game wild card playoff.

That’s why you make a move. It may just put you in the World Series.

Cavs Get Older, But Better

It is incumbent for a champion to not stand pat, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are no exception.

Even though they delivered the first championship for the Cleveland area in 52 years, there is no question every other team in the NBA is now gunning for them, especially the squad they defeated in the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors.

They signed one of the league’s top five players (probably top three) is Kevin Durant, to go with a unit that won an NBA record 73 games this past season.

We all know by now the wine and gold lost two players in free agency, Timofey Mozgov going to the Lakers, and Matthew Dellavedova to Milwaukee in a sign and trade scenario for a trade exemption.

Using that trade exemption and preying on the Bulls need to shed salary to sign Dwyane Wade, GM David Griffin picked up another veteran shooter for the bench in Mike Dunleavy.

Soon to be 36 years old, the 6’9″ former third overall pick is a career 38% shooter from behind the arc, but he’s been improving with age, making 40% of his shots from distance since turning 30.

To be sure, the Cleveland bench has a lot of age on it, adding Dunleavy to Richard Jefferson (36), Mo Williams (33), and Channing Frye (33). But if you limit these guys to 15-20 minutes per night, they can be highly effective for Tyronn Lue.

It appears the bench will get another veteran soon, as Lue intimated the organization is talking to another of LeBron James’ former Miami teammates in big man Chris Andersen, who just turned 38.

He’s a guy who doesn’t need to score, just wanting to play defense and rebound. He grabbed 4.5 per game in 18 minutes with Memphis last season.

As we have said before, we also expect Jordan McRae to be a rotation player for 2016-17 too, getting many of Dellavedova’s minutes.

Rookie Kay Felder has shown in the summer league that he has some ability, but when you are the defending champs (that sounds awesome, no?), it will be difficult for Felder to see minutes in Cleveland.

More likely, he will be getting a lot of minutes for the Canton Charge.

We would like to see the Cavs somehow get another younger player to help out next season. We like Terrence Jones, who played with Houston last season.

Jones will start the season at 24 years old and is 6’9″. He averaged 12 points per game in his second year in the league, but saw his minutes drop a year ago.

The league is putting a premium on guys from 6’7″ to 6’9″ who can play out on the floor, and Jones fits that bill.

He is a free agent, and might be worth a look for the Cavaliers.

Of course, the most important signatures that Griffin needs to get on paper are James and JR Smith, who are both free agents. It has been reported that Smith is close to a deal, and James has already told the world he will be back to defend the title.

The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be better than they were the night they won their first NBA Championship, and we doubt Griffin is finished trying to improve the team, because he is always looking.

To be sure, he will be creative in getting this done.

Tribe Needs To Improve ‘Pen and Catching

The Cleveland Indians enter today’s play, the last game before the All-Star break, with a 6-1/2 game lead in the AL Central Division.

That lead is tied for the largest in Major League Baseball, as the Cubs have the same lead over the Pirates and so do the Giants over the Dodgers.

The Tribe will not be back at Progressive Field until July 26th, as they resume the schedule with another 10 game trip to Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Baltimore. It will be their third trip of that length in a two month span.

When they return home, they will play almost two-thirds of their remaining games at home, a huge advantage for Terry Francona’s club.

And of course, at the end of July comes the trade deadline, where teams can bolster themselves, addressing weaknesses before the home stretch of the schedule.

The Indians rank third in the AL in runs per game and lead the league in ERA, so there aren’t gaping holes on the roster.

However, the biggest right now is the bullpen and the catching situation.

Most teams could use more depth in the ‘pen, and Cleveland is no exception.

Right now, Francona appears to have confidence in only Bryan Shaw (8th inning) and Cody Allen (9th inning).

Jeff Manship appears to be easing his way back into Tito’s good graces as well.

Shaw, though, is susceptible to the gopher ball (7 in 34 innings), and Allen walks too many hitters (18 in 39 innings). So, GM Mike Chernoff needs to get help there, although perhaps the answer is currently on the roster or in the organization if the skipper and Mickey Callaway would just give them some opportunities.

Dan Otero (1.31 ERA in 31 games) has been much better than expected, and maybe fireballing Austin Adams could do the job too if given a shot.

The other problem the management needs to address is the Yan Gomes issue.

Gomes is simply the worst offensive player in the sport right now, hitting .168 with a .200 on base percentage. That’s right, his OBP is at the Mendoza line.

Yes, the pitchers say they like throwing to Gomes, especially Corey Kluber, but did you know that the staff’s ERA with Chris Gimenez behind the dish is 3.47, compared to 3.70 with Gomes and 3.71 with Roberto Perez (only 4 games).

We know that Gomes is a leader on the team, one of the “core” players Francona turned the clubhouse over to a year ago, but he’s been terrible.

Yesterday, he came up with Abraham Almonte on 2nd with nobody out and while he did hit a line drive, he didn’t move the runner. When you are hitting .160, you better be able to get a bunt down.

No one definitively has said Gomes has an option left, but if he does, the smart move is to send him back to AAA when Perez is ready.

No matter how good Gomes is defensively and handling pitchers, his lack of hitting should be costing him at bats.

And if Michael Brantley can return, Francona needs to give some players some time off in the second half. The Tribe roster has been pushed hard and is running on fumes a bit with the break coming.

They also have to protect Rajai Davis, who has been a huge contributor, but is 35 years old and makes his living with his legs.

This is a much better situation than the last two years, when there were gaping holes on the squad. This team just needs some tweaks.

With the lead they have, the pitching they have, and the schedule they have, this team should be playing in October. But the organization can’t be complacent.

Tribe Needs To Get Better…At Accomodating Crowds.

The Cleveland Indians have a growing problem.

No, it’s not a willingness to improve their team, which currently resides at the top of the American League Central Division, although the issue is a result of their success.

The problem has to do with attendance, and we aren’t complaining about the club’s rank among major league teams in getting fans to show up.

The current homestand has seen a sellout on Monday, the fourth of July, and a crowd of 24,000 plus for a noon start on Wednesday. This weekend’s four game set against the Yankees promises more large crowds at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Who could have figured that winning baseball is the best marketing plan?

The problem is handling these larger crowds. It doesn’t seem like Progressive Field is equipped to accommodate the growing throngs of people who want to be part of Indians’ baseball.

Keep in mind that the ballpark holds approximately 8,000 people less than it did two years ago, and when 42,000 fans regularly showed up at then Jacobs Field, there didn’t seem to be the problems there are today.

Maybe our memory betrays us, but that is our perspective.

At the games we have attended over the last month or so, we have noticed long lines waiting to get in the park, and we have confirmed with several other fans that this is not unusual.

If you arrive at the park at least a half an hour before the game starts, or any event for that matter, you should be able to be in your seat by the time the contest starts. We don’t believe that is in unreasonable request.

The lines getting into Progressive Field 15-20 minutes before the first pitch should be a concern to the front office. They simply have to have a better way to get people in the seats.

Once in the stadium, we have noticed restroom doors locked and poor staffing at concession stands. The latter means standing in line 15-20 minutes to get something to eat or drink. That’s unacceptable.

The Indians are finally getting good crowds going to Progressive Field, and they must improve the customer service.

Fans shouldn’t be expected to have to arrive an hour before a game begins in order to be in their seats when the first inning begins.

After this homestand, the Tribe will be on the road again because of the Republican Convention and won’t return until July 26th. This gives them plenty of time to fix the problem.

Because in our estimation, the crowds are going to continue to increase as the season progresses because the Indians are a very good team.

Our guess is that there will be more attendance figures over 20,000 the rest of the year, than there will be smaller crowds than that figure.

In fact, for many games, they would probably be able to sell more than 34,000 tickets, something we thought about when they put the storage containers in the right field upper deck.

What the organization doesn’t need is fans finally deciding to go to an Indians’ game, and having a bad experience due to standing in lines for extended periods.

The front office has done the hard part. They’ve put a team on the field that people want to see. Now, they have to make sure fans can be in their seats to watch it.

Once Again, Ignore The Warriors Until Next June.

Last year, when all the hullabaloo from the national media was going on about the Golden State Warriors, we said we would escape the noise until if or when the Cavaliers had to play them in the NBA Finals.

Now that they have signed Kevin Durant as a free agent, we will comment about them now, and then ignore them again until if or when the wine and gold have to play them in a playoff situation, which, of course would be the rubber match between the two franchises for an NBA Championship.

Many national pundits are conceding the 2016-17 title to the Warriors while wondering if they can go 82-0.

Basketball doesn’t work that way. It will be interesting to see who’s game or shots are altered by Durant’s arrival, and how it affects the player who will get less looks.

Since Stephen Curry is the two time MVP, our guess is that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will have to change the way they currently play, and how will that play out.

And to fit Durant’s salary in, the Warriors will have to sacrifice the roster depth they’ve had over the past two seasons. This means more minutes for the starters.

We saw how the extra playoff minutes took a toll on Curry during The Finals, and will it take a toll on the remaining squad if all of them have to play two to three minutes per game over an 82 game season.

And don’t forget, an injury could derail the best laid plans of Golden State too.

What should the Cavs do to combat the Warriors move?

There isn’t much they can do, because of salary cap constraints, but with the limited resources they do have, we would look for another wing defender (preferably someone 6’7″ or 6’8″) who can have shooting range.

Kind of a smaller version of Channing Frye.

Remember that there are players on bad teams, non-playoff teams that when used in the right situation can be a perfect fit on a club with championship aspirations.

Before LeBron James came back to Cleveland, people were upset with Tristan Thompson, because at that point, he was the second best player on the team, and was limited offensively.

But when the Cavs became a title contender, Thompson’s skills of being able to defend smaller players out on the floor, and his ability to get offensive rebounds were invaluable to the wine and gold.

So, now that Thompson is the fourth or fifth best player on the roster, he is regarded as a very good player.

The same is true with Matthew Dellavedova, who parlayed his contributions the last two seasons into a $38 million contract with Milwaukee.

When he was a rookie, we wondered aloud why Mike Brown kept putting him into games. He was a solid defender, but at that point didn’t have a reliable jump shot and wasn’t a particularly good ball handler.

However, on the James-led Cavs, Delly’s defensive skills and gritty play earned him minutes. He improved his jump shot too, and became a solid threat from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see how he plays with a team that will probably be in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference next season.

So, there are guys in the league who could come here and be very productive in the Cavaliers’ situation.

We trust in GM David Griffin’s ability to find those guys.

As for the Warriors, they will be the story in the regular season, much like they were this year.

We know how it all turned out in the end.

Tribe Not A Secret In Cleveland Anymore

The Cleveland Indians will hit the halfway point of the 2016 Major League Baseball season today in Toronto on pace for either 98 or 100 wins for the year.

And although we did predict them to win the American League Central Division title, even we didn’t think they would be this good.

Moreover, the Tribe’s club record 14 game winning streak has not only drawn attention to them nationally, but also within northeast Ohio, where they were becoming an afterthought to the Browns and the world champion Cavaliers.

We were at the Hard Rock Casino Friday evening, and when Francisco Lindor fielded the last grounder in the bottom of the 19th inning and threw to first for the out, a cheer went up throughout the venue.

Yes, people in this area are excited about the Indians.

While everyone figured the pitching staff would perform well, and it has, ranking 1st in the AL in ERA by a pretty good margin, the Indians have also scored a lot of runs, 6th in the Junior Circuit in scoring per game.

How? That’s a mystery based on the other offensive stats.

Cleveland is 10th in on base percentage, 6th in slugging, and 6th in OPS. They are 8th in batting average.

They have used their speed though, leading the league in stolen bases and triples.

They also have the most sacrifice flies and the fourth least runners left on base, meaning they have made the most of their opportunities to score runs.

That’s something you have to wonder will hold up in the second half, and that’s why many experts think the Indians need to get another hitter at the trade deadline.

While that would be nice, the back end of the bullpen is a concern too.

Bryan Shaw has been in 37 games and Cody Allen in 34. The next most games appeared in by a Cleveland reliever is 28 by Zack McAllister.

It is obvious that Terry Francona only has confidence in the first two pitchers listed and both of those guys have flaws.

Shaw is prone to giving up long balls (7 homers in 31-2/3 innings), and Allen has control issues (17 walks in 34 innings).

For those who say it is not a big deal, bringing Bryan Shaw into a one run game is a nail biter. He gives up a dinger, and it’s a tie game.

As for Allen, the walks mean he pitches himself into trouble more than he should. That’s something you can’t have in a pennant race or in the playoffs.

McAllister has been a disaster recently, so much so that Francona doesn’t use him in high leverage situations anymore. He can’t throw anything but a fastball for a strike. We know it, and so do big league hitters. There is no reason to look for anything but a heater facing the big right-hander.

We would start using Dan Otero and/or Joba Chamberlain with more regularity in close games to see if they can handle the load. But, we all know about Tito’s loyalty to those who have performed in the past.

Making a move for top flight relief pitcher would enable Allen to pitch the eighth inning and leave the 7th for Shaw.

The Tribe doesn’t need to shorten games like Kansas City because their starters are much better than the Royals, but it would make the bullpen as lethal of a weapon as the rotation.

The front office is anticipating large crowds during this week’s homestand after a 22-6 record in June and a six game lead in the division.

Who knew that winning would be the best marketing plan?

And don’t forget that after the convention leaves town, the Indians will be home for long stretches in August and September. The way the Tribe plays at Progressive Field this season, that’s a huge advantage.

But the front office can’t stand pat, and we don’t think they will. They know this is one of baseball’s best team this season.

Right Now? No Complaints

The month of June was certainly a wonderful month for the city of Cleveland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the 52 year drought for the city without a major league sports championship. The whole area partied like never before, and citizens still have a collective smile on their face that may not be wiped off for a long time.

Or at least until the Browns start playing.

And the Indians have gone 21-6 during the month, and currently are riding a 12 game winning streak, one game away from tying the franchise record.

They have stamped themselves as one of the best teams in the American League.

So, right now, there is nothing to complain about with the Cleveland sports scene, and if you can come up with something, you are probably nit-picking.

Sure, some people continue to bring up the Cavaliers possibly trading Kevin Love, but that seems to be more about those people not understanding that Love has sacrificed his scoring for the good of the team.

Also, if you are going to move Love, don’t you have to get somebody better than him? We understand the usual mentality here is a bunch of average players is greater than one all-star player, but for the most part, the players who are better than Kevin Love in the NBA, aren’t being traded by their teams.

There isn’t even any angst about LeBron James leaving the Cavs after opting out of his contract this week. James has publicly stated he is returning to defend the championship, and his agent told people a year ago that he would be opting out of his contracts in 2015 and 2016 to maximize his earning capabilities.

We feel confident also, that the front office will do everything it can do to keep JR Smith on the roster, and Matthew Dellavedova too, unless another team breaks the bank for him.

Do we have concerns about the Indians’ bullpen? Yes, but we’ve discussed this before and with the starting pitchers giving Terry Francona at least seven innings on most nights recently, it’s become less of a factor.

Dead roster spots for the Tribe? Outside of Tito’s obsession with having eight relievers, many of whom sit around in the bullpen eating sunflower seeds, getting paid to watch games, you really can’t complain about someone being on the roster who shouldn’t be.

The club’s 25th man, Michael Martinez, has proved very useful and has actually mixed in some key hits and supplied good defense at several positions. He’s a lifetime .200 hitter, but is hitting .290 with the Indians in limited at bats.

The Browns are a month away from opening training camp and OTA’s are over, so there isn’t anything to worry about there for the time being. Hue Jackson seems to be giving young players, who Mike Pettine seemed to ignore, a new life.

There actually seems like the new front office has a plan in place to get better using young guys, instead of mixing in fading veterans in an attempt to win a few games to stay relevant into November.

It’s good to be a Cleveland sports fan right now. Today.

We are sure something will irritate us soon. That’s the nature of sports.

If Tribe Makes A Deal, They Have Depth in System

The hottest team in baseball resides right here in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians have rolled off 10 straight wins, and currently sit atop the American League Central Division by five games over the Kansas City Royals.

There shouldn’t be any doubt that president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff should be sellers when the major league trade deadline hits at the end of July.

What should the Indians be focusing on?

Many people want Cleveland to get a bat, believing the offensive surge that has occurred over the last month is not sustainable.

We believe the focus should be on the bullpen, because Terry Francona seems to trust only Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen when he has a lead late in games, and both of those guys have some warts that are troublesome.

Shaw has been prone to the long ball, and Allen goes through periods where he struggles to throw strikes.

As a result, Francona is letting his starters go longer into games than normal, something may not be a big deal one or two times through the rotation, but if the Indians are going to make a run in the post season, they need to monitor the workload of the starting pitchers.

We have already seen Tito and Mickey Callaway push back Danny Salazar earlier in the month, and Corey Kluber got an extra day as well.

Most of the speculation regarding getting help either in the bullpen and/or in the lineup centers on giving up prospects, as that is what most teams are looking for.

If you are going to push to go deep into the playoffs, you can’t deal people currently on the roster. You need to add to the squad, not move people around.

So, eliminate the speculation on dealing Trevor Bauer and Lonnie Chisenhall. Tyler Naquin may be expendable, because he could still get sent back to minors when Abraham Almonte is activated.

We wouldn’t do that, but the Indians might.

So, what prospects are expendable?

If the Indians are going to make a big splash, they would like have to give up one of their two prime outfield prospects, Bradley Zimmer or Clint Frazier. Right now, Frazier is the brighter star, having a better season in Akron.

The other guy people talk about is Bobby Bradley, the slugging first baseman at Class A Lynchburg. Bradley has contact issues, but when he connects, the ball goes a long, long way. The talent evaluators with the Tribe have to decide whether or not Bradley will ever be more than the next Russell Branyan.

If they don’t think so, he could be a very popular piece in making a major move.

The Tribe also has some starting pitching in reserve, guys who could contribute to a major league team as early as next year.

We’ve already seen Mike Clevinger, but there is also Adam Plutko, Ryan Merritt, Shawn Morimando, and in the lower levels of the minors, you have Julian Merryweather and Justus Sheffield.

And don’t forget C Francisco Mejia, just promoted to Lynchburg and the Tribe’s representative in The Futures’ Game.

If the Indians receive a player they would control for 2017 and perhaps 2018, they may be willing to move a top line prospect. However, it would be very difficult to move Zimmer and Frazier, two guys who could be starters as early as next year, for a two month rental.

The farm system is finally producing, and if the Indians play it right, they could be the team to beat in the Central Division for the next 4-5 seasons.

Besides the prospects, they have Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, both under 23-years-old playing everyday.

Antonetti and Chernoff have plenty of ammunition to go out and get an impact player without giving up on the future.

They can deal from organization depth. It’s been a long time since the Indians could say that.

Champion Cavs Can’t Stand Pat This Summer

There is no question the city of Cleveland and northeast Ohio is having a love affair with their newly crowned NBA champions.

We think that by now, every person in the area has at least one shirt proclaiming the Cavaliers as champs based on seeing people walk around malls and other public venues.

We think if folks around here bumped into a member of the team, they would respond by giving them a huge hug, and that includes a shirtless JR Smith.

However, it’s now the off-season, and the worst thing a defending champion should do is stand pat, there has to be a couple of tweaks to the roster, as upsetting as that will be to the average fan, who now has an emotional attachment to everyone on the squad.

Now, there won’t be changes to the team’s core. LeBron James said he will be back to defend the title, and it is doubtful that the starting five will be altered, even though Smith is a free agent.

Our guess is that the team and Smith will work out a deal this summer to keep the sniper in wine and gold.

It also means that Kevin Love will be back too. We said it during The Finals and will say it again. Love may be a bad match up vs. Golden State (although Cleveland played better with him on the floor in Games 5 and 7), but he is a very good player against the 28 other NBA teams.

Remember, he did average 16 points and 10 rebounds a game in the regular season, and he’s not as bad a defender as people think.

The changes should come in the second five.

Matthew Dellavedova has been valuable and a crowd favorite in his time here, but if another organization is going to offer him $8-10 million per year to play, we can’t see the Cavs matching that.

We feel the organization thinks Jordan McRae can be a contributor next season with his length and scoring ability, and he can play point guard too. And he’s long at 6’6″.

The way the NBA plays these days, the guys who are 6’6″ – 6’8″ and can defend around the perimeter as gold. Teams can switch defensively with those guys without penalty.

And don’t forget that Delly seemed to lost confidence in his shot as the playoffs progressed.

Also, the one player GM David Griffin drafted Thursday night was a point guard, Kay Felder.

He will always have a special place here because of his role on the championship team, but the Cavs’ front office might be willing to move on.

Also, Timofey Mozgov is a free agent and depending on what he is offered around the league, he probably won’t be back. At his size, someone will make him a big offer.

The Cavaliers will have to replace him as well, as they will need a rim protector at times, and you need five big men to get through the regular season.

If the Cavs were to make a deal, perhaps Iman Shumpert may be the player they are willing to trade. He’s a very good defender, but his offensive game regressed this season, and he was very prone to turnovers in the playoffs.

His salary could be a trade chip if Griffin and Tyronn Lue want to get a little more length on the perimeter, one of those 6’6″-6’8″ guys.

There will definitely be some tweaks to the roster before training camp opens this fall. That’s the way it has to be.

Coaches and GM’s can’t fall in love with a roster the way that fans do after a title.

Does Tribe Have MLB’s Best Pitching?

Lost in the championship fever that has stuck Cleveland and northeast Ohio is the possibility that another of our major league teams can make a post-season appearance.

That would be the Cleveland Indians, who have won six straight overall, 11 consecutive games at Progressive Field, and currently sit three games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central Division.

The Tribe is led by their pitching staff, which leads the American League in ERA at 3.57.

Do the Indians have the best pitching in baseball? You can make a case they do.

Cleveland’s ERA would rank 6th in the National League, but you have to take into account that AL teams score more than their Senior Circuit counterparts by an average of .15 runs per contest.

However, you also have to figure in the ball parks that each of the five NL teams play in.

This season, Progressive Field is the second best hitters park in the major leagues, behind only the thin air in Colorado at Coors Field.

So, the Tribe hurlers are compiling that low ERA playing half of their games in the best hitters yard in baseball that rests close to sea level.

The five NL teams with lower team ERA’s are the Cubs, Mets, Dodgers, Nationals, and Giants.

The best offensive yard of those teams is AT & T Park in San Francisco, and it ranks 17th in favoring offense. Remember, there are 30 major league teams, so they are in the bottom half of that category.

Wrigley Field has a reputation as a great hitters’ yard, but the wind must be blowing in so far this season, because it ranks 26th.

Citi Field (Mets) is 18th, Nationals Park is 22nd, and Dodger Stadium is ahead of only Tropicana Field in Tampa in promoting offense.

What would the Indians ERA be if they didn’t play in a hitter’s park? Their ERA on the road this season is 3.47.

That figure is better than San Francisco (3.56) and Los Angeles’ (3.80) figure on the road, and virtually the same as Washington’s (3.46).

This means the Cubs and Mets aren’t just pitching great at home in pitcher friendly stadiums, they are doing it on the road too.

The factor that favors the Indians is that 10 of the parks favoring batters are in the American League, the only “pitchers’ parks” in the Junior Circuit are Tampa, Oakland, Seattle, Houston, and Chicago.

By the way, the only surprise there in US Cellular in the Windy City. The NL shocker is Cincinnati, which we call “Great American Bandbox”.

So, perhaps the Indians don’t have the best pitching staff in the majors, but it’s pretty fair to say they are definitely in the top three.

And that’s with some bullpen issues that raise their heads occasionally. Remember, the Tribe has lost eight games that they were tied or led after six innings, and dropped three others where they tied it up after trailing after six.

If they had won half of those games, the Indians would be 47-24 today, and have a commanding lead in the division.

That’s why we feel the biggest need for this team at the deadline is another arm in the bullpen that Terry Francona trusts.

As Tito often says, when you think you have enough pitching, you go out and get a little more.