I was skeptical about Brady Quinn.  I thought he was overhyped at Notre Dame and I was happy Phil Savage chose Joe Thomas with the third overall pick in the past draft.  I’m still thrilled with the Thomas pick, but I have that same feeling about the deal the Browns made to move into the first round to pick the former Irish quarterback.  Quinn looks like he has the goods to be a top flite NFL quarterback.  I know it’s only the pre season, but he showed poise and pocket presence against the Broncos’ defensive starters, things good pro signal callers have.  It’s also something the Browns other quarterbacks do not possess.

 

That still doesn’t mean Quinn should be start on September 9th against the Steelers.  In fact, I continue to maintain the longer Romeo Crennel can wait to start the rookie the better.  If the Browns can win enough games to keep Quinn out all season, that would be perfect.  The more he can learn, and the less he can get hit, the better off the former ND quarterback will be.  Charlie Frye should be the starter against Pittsburgh and hopefully an improved offensive line and better running game will hide Frye’s deficiencies.

 

So far it appears that Phil Savage has hit on all three of his top picks.  Thomas will start at tackle and it would not be a surprise if Eric Wright starts at cornerback.  And there is no question that if Quinn did not play the position he plays, he would be a starter as well.  The GM needed a very good draft in 2007, and it appears he delivered the goods.

 

One position that doesn’t look as good is the kicking spot.  Phil Dawson had a tough second half of last season, and has missed two field goals in the exhibition games.  It would not be shocking to see the Browns bring in a kicker for a tryout after the first round of NFL cuts tomorrow and give him a shot this Thursday against the Bears.  The Browns cannot afford to get into scoring territory and come away empty.  There might be a new kicker in place by Week 1.

 

Another issue is the failure of another reliable pass catcher to step up.  Joshua Cribbs has been the best of the non-starters and should be the #3 receiver because Tim Carter and Travis Wilson haven’t shown much.  It does appear that Rob Chudzinski is willing to use Cribbs’ versatility on end arounds, and I’m guessing we will eventually see a pass off of that play.  This is something past coordinators were hesitant to do.  Chudzinski will probably split out Kellen Winslow Jr. as much as he can to replace the lack of quality wide outs.

 

This week’s game will be a waste.  I’m sure Quinn will play and probably so will Ken Dorsey as the starters will make only token appearances to avoid injuries.  Watch the special teams play.  The guys who excel in that phase will be the front runners for back up spots.  Jerome Harrison should earn a roster spot because of his play on special teams, and so has Chaun Thompson.  The real fun will occur on Saturday when the final cuts will be announced.  There are sure to be surprises.

 

JD  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians have a 1-1/2 game lead in the AL Central despite an offense that has been amenic at best for the last month and a half.  There is no question that the pitching has been tremendous as the offense has scored three runs or less in 16 of their last 34 games.  The question here is what can be done to get this team out of its collective funk or is this team just not a good hitting team?

 

The last time the Tribe attack sputtered this much the hitting coach, Eddie Murray, lost his job.  Since Derek Shelton is in Eric Wedge’s inner circle and the Indians don’t make changes as wake up calls, his job is safe at least through the end of the year.  One thing is noticeable, however.  The once patient hitting style Shelton has preached since getting the job in June of 2005 has disappeared.  In the past couple of weeks, starting pitchers rarely work up a sweat against Cleveland.  How many times have starters entered the sixth inning having thrown less than 70 pitches. 

 

I doubt that Shelton’s message has changed, so it appears the batters have tuned him out.  Maybe that’s the biggest need for a change.  The Indians have to get back to taking a lot of pitches and working counts and making the opposition hurlers work and work hard.  This gets the team into bullpens where the pitchers would be starters if they were good enough. 

 

In the meantime, Wedge should go back to a lineup that had success earlier in the season.  Move Grady Sizemore back to the leadoff spot and put Travis Hafner back in the three hole.  Both hitters are in the top five in the league in walks so they get on base and make pitchers throw a lot of pitches.  In between, Casey Blake needs to be dropped to a lower spot in the order.  In his place, I would put Asdrubal Cabrera, who has done nothing but impress since being recalled from Buffalo.

 

Put Victor Martinez back in the clean up spot followed by Ryan Garko.  The bottom of the order would consist of Jhonny Peralta, Blake, and the RF and LF, with Kenny Lofton hitting ninth when he is in the line up.  Lofton has not provided the spark many were hoping for when he was acquired from Texas last month.  He has also stopped running so he isn’t creating scoring opportunities at the top of the order.  The front office also has to make a decision on Trot Nixon who is now rarely playing.  If Shin Soo Choo were hittng well at Class AAA, he would probably be on the 25 man roster now.

 

Since the attack is struggling, Wedge should get back to basics and start playing for one run when at all possible.  Sometimes when you play for one run, you get two or three.  That means bunting, hit and run baseball which means making contact.  Perhaps a Chris Gomez gets more playing time because he can put the bat on the ball.  The way the pitching has been over the last month or so, if the Indians can get five runs, they will win.  Three of the best pitchers in baseball in the last month are on the Tribe (Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook), unfortunately the offense hasn’t helped them out with any runs.

 

MW

 

 

The worst case scenario happened for the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff last night in the team’s 23-20 loss to the Lions at Browns’ Stadium.  The play of Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson was lackluster and rookie Brady Quinn made his debut and drove the team to two touchdowns, albeit against a bunch of defenders who will probably be cut in the next week or so.  Quinn’s success already have the fans on his side, but GM Phil Savage has to know that the best thing for Quinn is to sit, hopefully until 2008.

 

It is definitely a problem when Ken Dorsey is your most effective veteran QB.  Once again Frye and Anderson could not put points on the board, and with Crennel’s job in the balance, that’s a huge thing for the head coach.  Frye made his usual bad decision on a quarterback sneak that came up woefully short near the end of the first half, and almost missed a wide open receiver resulting in an interception.  Anderson also threw a pick to stop his opening drive short of the end zone. 

 

Still, the coach needs to pick his starter this week before the NFL’s dress rehearsal, the 3rd pre-season game.  The old saying about if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any applies to the Browns.  It is not Crennel’s fault, nobody has stepped up to claim the job.  The fact that Quinn came in and played well gives the fans the ammunition needed to want the Notre Dame rookie as a starter.  Maybe Crennel should allow Quinn to start the next game so he can play against some starters.

 

Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s attack has proven that it can move the ball.  Most of the time, it hasn’t been the defense that has stopped the Browns, it has been poor decisions or poor throws by the signal callers.  If you had to make a decision between Frye and Anderson, you probably would pick the former, but there is nothing to suggest he can make enough plays to win games in the NFL.  I realize that the front office saw the same thing and that’s the reason they traded a first round pick to get Quinn.  That’s still not a reason to put Brady’s career in peril.

 

Crennel needs someone who can hold the fort for awhile and pick up some wins in the meantime.  There is no doubt Quinn will be the man eventually, but who goes against the Steelers on September 9th?  There has been much speculation recently that the loser of the Frye/Anderson will be traded or released, making Dorsey the primary backup and sounding board for the starter and the rookie.  Just another reason a decision has to be made. 

 

Maybe the best move is to play Dorsey and Quinn next week and see if the former proves worthy enough to be the starter.  At least he hasn’t played poorly in the first two games.  Either way, the developments of last nights’ game has to give Crennel a headache.  It’s got to be more painful for him to watch knowing his job security is at stake than it is for the fans.

 

JD

 

Hooray!  The Cleveland Indians actually scored more than three runs in a game!  Fausto Carmona again demonstrated he is one of the American League’s best pitchers, striking out 10 in eight innings in a 5-2 win over the Tigers.  The victory moved the Indians back into a first place tie with Detroit.  The ballclub also picked up a split of the two game series following Tuesday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Motor City Kitties.  That guy has me questionning whether or not Eric Wedge has too many interchangable parts, and is he too quick to use them.

 

In the seventh inning, Ryan Garko hit a one out double and he was replaced by Chris Gomez as a pinch runner.  Why?  Garko was already in scoring position and would have scored on a single not hit directly at an outfielder.  It’s too early to take out one of your better hitters in a tie game.  Then, after Trot Nixon was intentionally walked, he was not replaced.  He was taken out for defense in the top of the eighth, replaced by Franklin Gutierrez.  The question is this:  If he was going to put in Gutierrez for defense anyway, why not put him in as a pinch runner.  A gapper by Josh Barfield, although unlikely, would have scored the faster Gutierrez.

 

In the eighth, the skipper pinch hit for Kenny Lofton to lead off the inning.  Although there is no question Lofton struggles against southpaws, there is no need to hit for him with no one on base in a tie game.  Remember, the Indians were not losing at the time.  In the American League, you only have four extra players, so you have to leverage when to use someone who did not start.  Wedge wasted two players, or options, when he didn’t have to.

 

This brings me to the ninth, when the aforementionned Gomez led off with a double.  That brought Jhonny Peralta to the plate.  Bunt, ground out to second, hit a deep fly ball, whatever, he had to get the winning run to third.  Instead, Peralta struck out.  The manager could have used Asdrubal Cabrera to bunt, but didn’t.  He could have used Michaels, a pretty good situational hitter, but he wasn’t available.  The only options Eric Wedge had was the rookie (Cabrera) or Kelly Shoppach, who strikes out a lot.  He used another contact hitter, Gomez, to pinch run, although he did have the hit to get them going in the ninth.

 

I understand the manager has many decisions to make during the game, but where is the bench coach to help in these situations?  Both of these guys have to be thinking an inning or two ahead.  When the Tribe has had a set line up the last few years, these decisions weren’t necessary, but with platoon situations at a couple of spots, they are this year.

 

The striking out issue has to be addressed this off season.  The Tribe has five everyday players who will strike out more than 100 times this year:  Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake, Peralta, and Barfield.  I believe at most you can have three in the batting order.  Hafner and Sizemore aren’t going anywhere.  That leaves the rest of the infield outside of the first baseman.  Which one would you pick to stay?  I say you keep Barfield because of his age and because he’s a good defender.  The SS is average on defense at best, and Blake is entering his mid 30’s and is not going to improve at this stage of his career.  GM Mark Shapiro needs to get a couple of professional hitters to fill out the batting order for 2008.  The lack of contact really hampers this offense.

 

KM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think there is any question that Charlie Frye took the lead in the Browns’ quarterback derby Saturday night over Derek Anderson.  Frye hit on 12 of 15 passes and moved the team better than Anderson in his opportunities.  The latter threw balls into coverage and checked the team into some questionnable plays.  Frye’s lead over Anderson isn’t what it should be though because of the former Akron quarterback’s past, and that’s probably the reason the team drafted Brady Quinn.

 

Frye made two mistakes.  One was the backwards pass to Jerome Harrison that the running back didn’t track down and resulted in Kansas City’s only touchdown.  The other error was the same type of mistake he have seen from Frye in the past.  Instead of throwing the ball away by the goal line at the end of the first half, the QB allowed himself to be tackled and the clock ran out before the Browns could kick a sure field goal.  I realize Frye was trying to make a play, but he has done this before and he has not learned from his past mistakes.

 

No matter how many good plays Frye makes, he will be judged by the errors he makes in pressure situations.  You simply cannot have bad decisions by your quarterback at the end of games or halves.  Remember the errant throw against the Ravens that was picked off in the end zone as the Browns were driving to take command of that game?  Charlie Frye played very well in that game, but what fans, the coaching staff, and perhaps his teammates remember is the interception.  I’ll bet not many realize he was 21 of 33 for 298 yards and a touchdown to go with the interception in the 16-15 loss.

 

Charlie Frye’s play under pressure is suspect, and Saturday night’s game just reinforces this idea.  There is no doubt Romeo Crennel feels the same way and that’s why Derek Anderson is still in the mix.  The great quarterbacks make their bones with less than two minutes to go and their team needing to score in order to win.  The coolness under pressure, sound decision making, and clock awareness are all traits the best QB’s possess.  Frye cannot play well for 58 minutes and then make a bone headed play late to cost the team a game.

 

Crennel’s job depends on not losing games where his team outplays their opponents.  Watching the Browns dominate the Chiefs last weekend only to win because of a late game kickoff return for a touchhdown doesn’t cause confidence in his quarterback situation.  Would you want your job to depend on the decisions of Charlie Frye?  That, more than anything else, is why the QB position is still up for grabs.

 

JD 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the first time in a long time, you can say that if the baseball season ended today, the Cleveland Indians would not be a part of the post season.  By losing 21 of their last 35 games, the Tribe now trails the Tigers by a 1/2 game in the AL Central and now are behind both the Mariners and Yankees by a game in the AL Wild Card chase.  The biggest reason for the slide is the lack of hitting, as Cleveland is second last in the junior circuit in runs scored since the All Star Game.

 

At the break, the Indians were third in the league in runs scored, and although they were 3rd in the AL in striking out, they were also 3rd in drawing walks.  Since the mid-summer classic, the Tribe ranks 13th in runs scored.  They have struck out more than anyone else in that time period, and have dropped to the middle of the pack in getting base on balls, ranking 8th.  The lack of extra baserunners via the walk and the lack of contact are as big a reasons as any for the lack of production.  Yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Yankees was a microcosm of those two elements.

 

Early in the game, Yankees’ starter Andy Pettitte hardly broke a sweat.  He did not throw his 60th pitch until the sixth inning.  What happened to the Indians’ attack of earlier in the campaign when starters would hit the 100 pitch mark around the 7th frame?  The Tribe also rarely hit a ball to the outfield in this time span.  After Grady Sizemore flew out to left in the first inning, I don’t think a ball reached an outfielder until the fourth.  The rest of the balls put in play were weak groundballs to Yankee infielders.  It was exasperating to watch.

 

Then came the mental mistakes by both the players and the coaching staff.  Jhonny Peralta gets picked off first with the bases loaded!  My first reaction was what was first base coach Luis Rivera thinking?  It’s his responsibility to tell Peralta to get back since the baserunner cannot see the first baseman coming in behind him, especially with the bags juiced.  Peralta is certainly not blameless since he cannot go anywhere with a man on second, but Rivera has to tell him a play is coming. 

 

In the ninth inning, the Indians got themselves into a situation where they scored a run off of Mariano Rivera at had runners on second and third with no one out.  They could have tied the game without a hit.  However, the only way this could be accomplished would be by making contact.  Manager Eric Wedge allowed raw rookie Asdrubal Cabrera to hit against the future Hall of Famer instead of Kenny Lofton or Trot Nixon, and he promptly fanned.  A ground ball to second or first would have scored the run and moved Franklin Gutierrez who doubled in a run to third as the tying run.  The strike out did nothing to help.  I have to believe Lofton would have put the ball in play. 

 

Then Grady Sizemore failed to make contact, again.  I repeat myself.  Sizemore is too good of a player to strike out as much as he does.  He must put the bat on the ball more often.  Casey Blake then flew out to end the threat and the game.  Many speculated that Cabrera wasn’t pinch hit for was no other infielders, outside of Blake who was the DH, were available.  That’s baloney.  Tie the game up, and then worry about who plays where.  Move Chris Gomez to second, put Blake at 3B, and lose the DH.  Heck, if Lofton pinch hits and gets a single, maybe you win in the bottom of the ninth.

 

This team needs a kick in the pants.  I’m not usually in favor of ranting and raving for no reason, but I think it’s time Wedge gets tossed out of a game.  I thought he could have yesterday when Melky Cabrera homered for the Yanks after taking a borderline pitch for a ball instead of strike three.  He should have went out and told the plate umpire his pitcher was being squeezed. 

 

This team needs to wake up with the Tigers on the slate the next two weeks.  If they can’t get it together soon, they will head into September with a big hole to climb out of.

 

MW 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently on WKNR’s Tony Rizzo Show (the station’s best show in a long time), the host posed the question of what Cleveland team’s front office do you have the most confidence in.  The response was stunning.  Many, many callers said they had the most confidence in the Browns’ GM Phil Savage and owner Randy Lerner.  This, of course, is understandable based on the several recent playoff appearances by our football team.  Oh, that’s right, they’ve made the playoffs just once since returning to the NFL in 1999.  Well, at least they contend for a playoff spot year in and year out.  No, they don’t do that either.

 

I thought about this again because of the mocking the Indians took over the signing of Russell Branyan to a minor league contract.  The critics laughed about how the Tribe solved its hitting woes by inking the veteran slugger who strikes out more often than not.  I saw the move as Mark Shapiro giving a former Indian a chance to play somewhere.  There was no intention of ever bringing Russell the Muscle back to Jacobs Field.  Even skipper Eric Wedge was peeved at questions about Branyan, saying he is there to help out Buffalo, nothing more.  Yesterday, the Tribe dealt the ex-Padre to the Phillies for cash, proving there was no grand plan to have him start at 3B for the Tribe.

 

Yesterday, the Indians picked up veteran infielder Chris Gomez from the waiver wire.  Gomez played for the Orioles this year and hit .302 in a reserve role.  Because the ballclub doesn’t need a fifth starter for awhile, they will carry only 11 pitchers, so Asdrubal Cabrera will stay on the big club at least until August 25th.  This move will give Eric Wedge some more infield depth and an extra right handed bat.  Look for Gomez to make his Indian debut Sunday afternoon against the Yankees when lefty Andy Pettitte goes for the pinstripers.

 

Meanwhile, when will the Tribe bats come alive?  A good sign was seen last night as Victor Martinez had a three hit game for the first time since July 20th.  The bats erupted for seven runs in the 7-5 win over the White Sox, the key blow being Kelly Shoppach’s three run dinger.  Auite simply, the big three of Martinez, Grady Sizemore, and Travis Hafner has to hit for this team to make the post season.  Hafner’s troubles this season have been well documented, but Sizemore has not performed up to expectations either.  Although his walks are up, his doubles are down (last year 53, this year on pace for 32) and his whiffs are up (last year 153, on pace for 169).  The centerfielder is too good of a player to strike out as much as he does.

 

The Indians also announced that Shin-Soo Choo has been sent to the Gulf Coast League to start rehabbing his elbow injury and went 1 for 4 yesterday.  If Choo can show he is healthy, will the team start the process of replacing Trot Nixon in the line up.  The youngster has more pop and is better defensively than Nixon.  He showed last season that he can hit big league pitching.  Remember, had he not been hurt, he would have been here when David Dellucci got hurt in June.  He also could take Hafner’s spot on the roster if Pronk is out for any length of time.

 

Despite the recent problems, the Indians still have a 1-1/2 game lead in the AL Central Division.  Imagine the hand wringing if they were three games out of first?  Please Tribe fans, drown out the annoying Yankee fans this weekend.  Of course, winning is the best mute button when it comes to the front runners who cheer for the Bronx Bombers. 

 

MW

 

 

 

 

 

 

He’s here, he’s here!  You can almost imagine the Browns fans running through the streets of Cleveland much like Paul Revere, screaming about 1st round draft pick Brady Quinn’s signing and his appearance at training camp.  After a lot of public hand wringing about Quinn’s agent, Tom Condon, not having the QB’s best interests at heart, or Phil Savage’s lack of committment in getting the former Notre Dame star in camp, Quinn is in, but probably because it was the right time for the Cleveland Browns.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the Browns waiting to bring the rookie in later rather than sooner because it provides them with a built in excuse for sitting him on the bench.  Something that will do nothing but help Quinn’s chances to be a very good NFL signal caller.  Since Quinn didn’t show up until three days before the team’s first pre-season game, it is doubtful he will get a chance to play Saturday night against the Chiefs. 

 

Imagine what would happen if veteran QB’s Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson struggled in their first appearance, and then the former Irish QB came in and played well against KC’s second and third teamers.  The outcry to give Quinn more playing time would be enormous.  Every mistake one of the veteran’s made would result in a cascade of boos at Cleveland Browns Stadium, and screams to put the rookie in the game.  Playing right away is the worst thing that can happen in the development of Brady Quinn.

 

Two of the better young quarterbacks in league are Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers, both high draft picks who basically sat their entire rookie years.  After sitting and watching for a season, both were able to step in and be very productive players right away.  This should be the blueprint the Browns should follow to maximize Quinn’s potential.  The 2007 Cleveland Browns are not a team ready to make the playoffs, in fact they will be fortunate to be 8-8 this season.  They are starting a rookie left tackle, and have only one running back they can realistically rely on.

 

Now the Browns have a great reason for not throwing Quinn in the fire.  He missed two valuable weeks of training camp when the team put in their new offensive system.  He can’t possibly be ready to face the sophisticated NFL defenses without these extra weeks of preparation.  That’s what they will tell the fans.  The fact that it’s also the best case scenario for the rookie doesn’t hurt.  Quinn would be best served by watching and learning, and most importantly not getting hit.

 

The difference reported in the media on the money involved wasn’t large enough to merit a hold out on this length.  The Browns didn’t get the deal done, because it was in their best interest to not have Brady Quinn in camp until now.  I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it certainly seems very plausible than Quinn wasn’t signed to protect him and to avoid a quarterback derby in which he would be the fan favorite.

 

JD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On July 4th, the Cleveland Indians sat on top of the AL Central Division with a 51-33 record.  Today, they still have a 1/2 game lead, but they have gone 11-16 since our nation’s birthday.  That’s how the last 1/6 of this season has gone.  Included in the 16 defeats are three by a 1-0 score, including yesterday’s game at The Metrodome.  In this span, the Tribe ranks 10th in the AL in runs scored ranking ahead of only Oakland, Toronto, Texas, and Minnesota.  This is not a one or two week thing.  This has gone on for a month now, and there is no light on the horizon.

 

In their last four games, the Indians have allowed 0, 2, 3, and 1 run.  You have to win all these games if you want to make the post season.  The pitching staff did their job.  However, Cleveland has won just two of those games, dropping the last two.  How many times in those games did the "little ball" fail them.  Getting guys to second with no one out and stranding them there.  It occured twice yesterday as Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner lead off the fourth with singles, but Ryan Garko struck out, Trot Nixon fouled out, and Jhonny Peralta flew out.  Then in the sixth, Garko doubled, and then Nixon, Peralta, and Barfield failed to advance runners.  Again, these are mistakes contenders cannot make.

 

It’s time for a shuffling of the lineup.  With Kenny Lofton aboard, Grady Sizemore should hit lower in the batting order.  The Indians’ best hitters are in no particular order:  Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Sizemore, and Ryan Garko.  Lofton can still get on base.  Those guys should be together in the batting order.  I must also reiterate our plea for Franklin Gutierrez to play everyday.  The ballclub scored five runs off of lefties (including Johan Santana) on Thursday and Friday with the young outfielder contributing.  They have to get him in there on an everyday basis. 

 

Also, Eric Wedge’s stubbornness with regard to Casey Blake must end.  The team is scuffling and Wedge puts Blake in the #3 spot, usually reserved for a team’s best hitter.  Let’s be perfectly clear about this:  If Casey Blake is hitting in the middle of your order, YOU ARE NOT A GOOD HITTING TEAM!!!!  Hitting him second does make some sense since he takes a lot of pitches and can hit the ball to the right side.  But, he shouldn’t hit third, fourth, or fifth for that matter.  It seems that whenever the skipper sees something wrong with the batting order, Blake is the cure. 

 

Here is the lineup I would use going forward:

 

LF  Lofton

RF  Gutierrez

CF  Sizemore

  C  Martinez  

DH  Hafner

1B  Garko

3B  Blake

SS  Peralta

2B  Barfield

 

If Mark Shapiro doesn’t get a leadoff hitter over the winter, you can still move Sizemore back in spring training.  Also, if you are going to sit Lofton against southpaws, then slide Gutierrez into the top of the order (he lead off at Buffalo) and put Jason Michaels in the #2 hole where he hit all last season.  If nothing else, this move would shake up the squad, something that is needed to jolt the Indians out of their month long malaise.

 

MW 

 

The Cleveland Indians head to Minnesota for a four game series this weekend, and then go to Chicago for three more with the White Sox before coming home for a big three game set against the Yankees.  Our thoughts and prayers certainly go out to those people who lost loved ones in the bridge collapse in the Twin Cities.  As they head on the road, I have some questions about the Tribe heading into the last third of the season.

 

Will Asdrubal Cabrera be here soon?  At the very least, the infielder will be activated prior to September 1st to make him eligible for post season play.  After hitting over .300 at Akron, Cabrera was moved to Class AAA last week, and has played both SS and 2B at Buffalo.  It certainly seems like the Tribe is grooming him to take over the utility infield duties from Mike Rouse.  Since Cabrera is reported to be a slick glove, could Jhonny Peralta be moving to the hot corner sooner than later?  There is no question that if Cabrera can handle himself offensively at Buffalo, he could prove to be an alternative to Rouse and/or a slumping Josh Barfield.

 

Was Shoppach’s homer was worst thing to happen?  Remember June 26th when Shoppach hit a three run homer to cap a five run ninth to beat Oakland?  Since then, he has gone 1 for 26, seemingly trying to hit every pitch out of the yard.  Early in the season, the catcher was hitting pitches to right center with great success, getting his average into the .380 range, albeit in a part time role.  He needs to get back to that approach in the last two months to help strengthen the Tribe bench.

 

Should Hafner have bunted?  In Wednesday’s disheartening 9-6 loss to Texas, Travis Hafner came to the plate with a man on and one out with the Tribe trailing by three in the tenth inning.  The Rangers put on the shift, having 3B Ramon Vazquez playing almost behind second base.  Pronk showed bunt on the first pitch before eventually striking out.  He should have followed his instincts and laid one down.  I don’t advocate this on a regular basis, since Hafner is the Tribe’s best power hitter.

 

But in this situation, he should have taken what the Rangers were giving.  The Indians needed another baserunner to get the tying run to the plate.  Even if Pronk hits one seven miles, they would still be trailing 9-8.  My question is why wasn’t the entire coaching staff and Eric Wedge telling him to drop a bunt down or at least just shorten up his swing and take the ground ball single?  Those are the kind of things that get magnified in a pennant race.  The Tribe may not have come back to win, but the smart baseball play would have been to take the single in that situation.

 

Why Laffey against the Twins?  The Tribe could have started Aaron Laffey at home against the Rangers on Wednesday, giving the rookie a chance to make his first major league start against a non-contender.  It also would have given the entire rotation an extra day of rest, which might be needed at this time of the year.

 

However, going against Minnesota will allow the southpaw to go against a lighter hitting team whose best hitters (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) both hit left handed.  I guess we will see how this one works out tomorrow.

 

KM