The Cleveland Indians have had a resurgence as of late, winning six of their last nine games following the sweep by the San Francisco Giants almost two weeks ago.

This has led to fans thinking about contention once again, because no matter what happens this weekend against Toronto, the Tribe is going to enter the all-star break as a contending team.

However, the biggest area of concern surrounding the Indians should be the bench. 

Granted, this ballclub has overcome several injuries to key players, like Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore, and still manages to be a game and a half ahead of Detroit in the AL Central Division.

Hafner’s return, both from injury and a couple of off years due to the shoulder problems, does help out because he adds some depth to the lineup, but there are other concerns.

The all-star break couldn’t come at a better time for Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera, who appear to be running on fumes. 

Although it’s a great honor to make the American League squad, Cabrera looks like a guy who could use a day off.

Unfortunately for Manny Acta, it’s difficult to take either player out of the lineup because of the possible candidates to replace them, particularly when the Indians were struggling offensively already.

With Sizemore struggling at the plate, it’s got to be tough for Acta to sit Brantley down for a few days.  The latter’s batting average has dropped about 30 points over the past few weeks, although he did get two hits Wednesday night.

The skipper’s alternatives to replace Brantley are Austin Kearns, who is hitting .209 with a single homer, Travis Buck, who has been plagued by nagging injuries, and Shelley Duncan, who is a player who should only see action against southpaws.

Those aren’t real appealing choices.

As for A. Cabrera, he’s been the Tribe’s best offensive player basically from day one of the 2011 season, so you can understand the manager’s unwillingness to sit him down. 

Also, he’s playing like a gold glover defensively, and his likely replacement would be Orlando Cabrera, who lacks among the worst AL infielders in terms of range. 

The best option among the bench bunch is Buck, who is hitting a robust .252 with a 669 OPS. 

The balance of the reserve players are Lou Marson, who got regular playing time with Matt LaPorta out, but didn’t really take advantage, hitting .229 with a 574 OPS, Jack Hannahan (.213 with a 637 OPS), Kearns (603 OPS), and either Duncan (.237 with a 674 OPS) or rookie Cord Phelps (.196 in limited duty with a 641 OPS).

We say either because one of those two players will likely be sent to Columbus to make room for Zach McAllister, who is replacing Fausto Carmona in the rotation.

Here’s hoping it’s Phelps, who needs regular playing time at his age, but isn’t getting it here. 

Acta has done a great job mixing and matching lineups and getting the most out of the little production he gets from his reserves. 

Still, why not help out the manager and the pitching staff, which has performed spectacularly so far this season, and get a bat, preferably one who hits right-handed, to come off the bench.

Keeping guys like Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera fresh might be the biggest challenge for Acta this season. 

The front office has said it can spend some money for the playoff hunt.  The bench is an area that definitely needs some help.

MW

Yesterday, the country celebrated its birthday, the 235th of the good old USA. 

Baseball fans celebrated the halfway point of its long season.  A marathon, not a sprint longtime  fans of the sport will tell you.

Well, the Cleveland Indians arrived at that point of the campaign in first place in the American League Central Division, something not many people forecast coming into the season. 

Yes, all kinds of things could happen the rest of the year.  The Tribe could play like they did in the early part of June, when their offense couldn’t score any runs, the defense started to betray them, and the starting pitching showed some holes. 

Whatever the case, the Cleveland Indians sit on top of the division with a one and a half game lead on Detroit.  Whenever you hear die-hard Tribe fans complain about the team, they will say they just want a team that can compete.  Well Indian fans, you have what you are looking for.

Yet, there still doesn’t seem to be much of a buzz surrounding this baseball team.  Heck, you have to be excited if you watched last night, when Austin Kearns of all people, hit a three run homer to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead against the New York Yankees.

Fans, including us, complain about the ownership, which seems to be the reason people are not flocking to Progressive Field in support of this team.  If that is the reason not to go to the ballpark, you are biting off your nose to spite your face.  You are missing out on watching a team that plays hard, are solid people, and have maybe the best bullpen in the sport. 

It shouldn’t matter who is the owner at this point.  They don’t appear on the field.  They aren’t making the catches, throwing the pitches, or hitting a breaking ball the opposite way for a two run insurance dinger like Carlos Santana did last night. 

Team president Mark Shapiro said the team has money to spend to add to the team at the trading deadline.  If you’re ticked that they haven’t made a move just yet, no one has.  There are still too many teams who think they still have a chance.

It is doubtful GM Chris Antonetti will make a blockbuster move because that would involve using one of the organizations top prospects, and it wouldn’t be a good deal to move guys like Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White, or Drew Pomerantz on a rental player.

Staying away from the ball park means you are missing Asdrubal Cabrera transform into one of the best shortstops in the big leagues.  You are missing Santana’s development as a hitter, and Travis Hafner’s rebirth as Pronk. 

You are not seeing Josh Tomlin define what a “pitcher” is all about, and seeing Carlos Carrasco mature as a legitimate starting pitcher before our eyes. 

You are also missing the “bullpen mafia” do its thing, led by all-star Chris Perez, who has already saved 20 games.

This is not to defend the past actions of the Dolan ownership.  They still gave up on two seasons when they authorized the trades of Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in 2009.  But it turns out that Carrasco (obtained for Lee) and Justin Masterson (traded for Martinez) have turned out to be cornerstones of the starting rotation.

Enjoy this Tribe summer.  Enjoy the pennant race.  If you are a baseball fan, you don’t have anything else to do.

KM

 

Cavalier fans seem to be split on the team’s most recent transaction, dealing PF J.J. Hickson to Sacramento for SF Omri Casspi and a first round draft choice, that unless the Kings get good again soon, will never wind up in the hands of Cleveland GM Chris Grant, or whomever is occupying that seat in 2017.

Many feel Hickson showed he was ready for stardom based on the second half of this season, when he averaged just about 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. 

Those people obviously discount the feelings of the man who watched Hickson practice everyday, Byron Scott.

Scott is an old school guy, a player who was stunned when he learned that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird became friends after shooting a shoe commercial in the late 1980’s.  Scott and his Laker teammates knew how much Johnson was obsessed with beating Bird, and they couldn’t believe that feeling would remain the same after they became cordial.

This trade might have a lot to do with a game in early December, when the Miami Heat came to Quicken Loans Arena for the first time since LeBron James joined them. 

The Cavs’ head coach watched as several players on his team fawned over and held running conversations with James, while his new team was hammering his old one.  For a guy like Scott, who cut his NBA teeth in the midst of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry of the 80’s, this had to be tough to watch.

Hickson was one of the LeBron guys, a player James said should get more playing time.  He wasn’t the only one, for sure, but it seems like Grant and Scott are slowly pushing the “James Gang” out the door.

The coaching staff wants players who are tough, that won’t back down from opponents, that will not concede anything to the opposition. 

In talking about Casspi, Grant spoke of his “nastiness”.  Others connected to the Kings spoke of how Casspi is ultra-competitive, and is not shy of confidence. 

In short, he’s a guy who would have knocked LeBron James on his butt on a drive to the basket on that December night, not joked with him, sitting back while the Heat embarrassed the Cavaliers.

Cleveland got some measure of revenge by beating Miami on their next visit in town, but that was one game too late for a guy like Byron Scott.  It shouldn’t have taken a humiliating loss the first time around to get that kind of effort.

The Cavs’ new regime wants players who can play, but who also are tough.  The team seemed to get that message toward the end of the season and started playing better with guys like Baron Davis, Ramon Sessions, Samardo Samuels, and even Ryan Hollins playing with that type of passion. 

Hickson exhibited that on some nights, but not every night, and Scott saw that, and it appears didn’t like it.

Byron Scott has been around the NBA block.  He’s not a first time head coach in the league, he’s been around it as a player, assistant coach, and head coach for almost 30 years.

He has an idea of what type of players win in the NBA, and he is setting out to get them.  Obviously, J.J. Hickson isn’t one of those players.  Let’s trust Scott knows what he’s doing (he’s taken a team to The Finals), and remember, there are more than likely, more moves to come.

JK

The Cavaliers haven’t made everyone happy with what they did on draft night a week ago.

The choice of Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick isn’t what has raised the ire of basketball fans in Cleveland. 

Although some have said GM Chris Grant should have taken Derrick Williams at #1, and then parlayed that by taking Kentucky guard Brandon Knight with the fourth overall pick, most people agree that Irving will be at the very least, a solid starting point guard in the NBA.

Others see a higher ceiling, but Irving was the best player in the draft, so he should be the first choice.  Not taking the most talented guy with the first pick would have been a mistake.

It’s the second first round pick that have people shaking their heads, Texas PF Tristan Thompson. 

Critics say that the Cavs already had depth at that spot in J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao, who started at center when healthy last season.

Those people also say the two areas where the wine and gold suited up presentable NBA players last season were at point guard, with Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions, and at power forward with Hickson, Varejao, Antawn Jamison and rookie Samardo Samuels.

Therefore, the gaping holes at both wing positions, shooting guard and small forward, the most athletic positions in the league, were ignored.   The team still has no one who can score at those spots.

Be patient people.  The off-season didn’t end with the draft. 

In fact, with the ensuing lockout and the possibility of a shortened season because of labor issues, it might be the longest off-season ever.

Grant still has plenty of time and ammunition to get players to play those spots, with the lure being the excess of talent at the two positions already mentioned.

Sessions will almost certainly be moved because there is interest in him throughout the league, and even though Byron Scott has no qualms about playing two point guards together, it looks like Sessions would be the odd man out.

There is no question he can play though, averaging 13.3 points and 5 assists per night while shooting 46.6% from the floor.  He also gets to the foul line, averaging a little over five attempts a game.

Also, one or two of the power forwards will be moving on as well.  Certainly, Jamison, whose contract expires after next season, should be a desired trade chip for that reason and for his ability to be able to put the ball in the basket.

Varejao would also be coveted by contending teams, because he’s a very good rebounder and defender.  He doesn’t need the ball to be effective. 

Hickson would draw interest because he’ll be just 23 years old in September, and he scored almost 14 points with eight and a half rebounds last season.

He’s still regarded as a player on the rise.

With Thompson’s strength being defense and rebounding, he seems to be more similar to Varejao.  Add in the latter’s big contract and the Brazilian would seem to bring the most back in return.

So, with all the rumors out there talking about Hickson, Anderson Varejao might be the player to be traded ultimately.

He would have to show he’s healthy after his foot injury last season. 

Also, he’s a prominent link to the LeBron James era, and there are not a lot of those guys left on the Cavs’ roster. 

Just relax Cavs’ fans!  More changes are to come. 

NOTE:  This was published just prior to the strong rumor that the Cavs have traded Hickson to Sacramento for SF Omri Casspi and a future first round draft pick.

Casspi gives the Cavs a starting small forward.  He averaged almost 9 points and 4.5 boards a game in about 25 minutes.  He just turned 23 a little over a week ago, so he definitely is a player with upside.

If there aren’t, then you can line up to start bashing the team management.  Scott might be right with you.

JK

Although many people had been clamoring for some sort of move over the past few weeks, the news was still somewhat shocking. 

The Indians recalled Lonnie Chisenhall from Columbus and designated Adam Everett for assignment.

Everett is a class act, but his production at the plate was not up to major league standards, which was predicted here when he was signed.  Everett has never been a good major league hitter (lifetime .248 batting average), and over the past few years has struggled to keep a big league job.

Chisenhall, the Tribe’s top prospect along with Jason Kipnis, was put right in the lineup at 3B, where he hopefully will stay most of the time.  Manager Manny Acta hinted that the rookie will be given some time off against tough lefties.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Chisenhall holds his own at the plate, which would be an improvement over incumbent Jack Hannahan, whose average has dipped under the .220 mark.

If he succeeds, he could give the front office the courage to continue the influx of players coming up from Columbus in place of the non-productive veterans.

Kipnis could be the next guy to arrive in Cleveland.  He’s a second baseman by trade, and will be playing in the Futures Game in Phoenix prior to the All Star Game.

He’s currently hitting .292 with 9 HR and 44 RBI (877 OPS) with the Clippers and leads the International League in triples.  He probably would already be here except that he hits left-handed, like most of the current Indians.

Luis Valbuena is another Clipper who should come back to Cleveland soon, and he’s someone who has played in the outfield (LF) this season. 

Valbuena, a switch hitter, is batting .314 with 10 HR and 49 RBI (895 OPS) at Columbus.  Remember, that in his rookie year of 2009, he had a solid season with the Tribe.

The organization also has to make a decision on Nick Johnson by the end of this week, per his contract.  Johnson, a former Yankee and National first baseman, is only hitting .220 in the capital city, so GM Chris Antonetti may be trying to buy some time with him to extend the call up date.

It was good to see Chisenhall be brought up because quite frankly, it was beginning to look like the management was ignoring the fact the Tribe is just a game out of first place with July 1st on the horizon.

That would have spurred more criticism of the much maligned Dolan ownership, and really, who could have blamed the fans? 

There are no guarantees that no matter what the blueprint the front office laid out is, this team will contend in 2012 or 2013. 

You have to take advantage of your record and try to stay in the race. 

That doesn’t mean trading top flight prospects, but it does mean not settling with has become a bench that may be among the game’s worst. 

With Shin-Soo Choo likely out for 6-8 weeks, and with Grady Sizemore continuing to struggle, the Indians need to look internally for more offense. 

The starting pitching has been solid for the most part and if they can take a lead into the late innings, they have benefited by having one of the best relief corps in the game behind them.

Hopefully, Chisenhall is the first of a few young players making the trek up I-71 to Cleveland.  Anybody who has shown an ability to hit would be welcome.

MW

The front office of the Cleveland Indians was optimistic in spring training about how the 2011 season would turn out. 

They liked the way their pitching staff finished the year, and thought guys like Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, and Carlos Carrasco could be effective major league starters.

Then, the Tribe got off to a red-hot start, winning 30 of their first 45 games, and the team looked like one that had post-season aspirations.

Since then, the Indians have lost 20 of 30 games, and now sit at just five games above the .500 mark.  But they are still tied for first place with Detroit with the halfway point of the season a week away.

What should they do at the July 31st trading deadline?

Well, in a month’s time, the Indians’ season could be very different.  They could be firmly in first place, still battling with Detroit and/or Chicago, or they could be out of the race.

However, right now, they are very much contenders, and they owe it to the players on the roster and to their fans to do everything they can to try to win right now, even though they may be a year or two ahead of schedule.

It’s premature to start thinking of trading some of Cleveland’s top prospects to help a pennant drive.  Forget about dealing players such as Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Alex White (who is currently injured), and Drew Pomerantz. 

Those players are the foundation for what hopefully will be years of post-season contention by the organization.

GM Chris Antonetti can look to move some decent prospects to help fill the current holes on the roster, but the problem there is finding a trade partner.

A current look at the American League standings show no team is more than 10 games out of first place, and only five clubs are more than five games out. 

So, there aren’t many AL teams looking to tell their fans that it is time to look toward 2012.

In the National League, four teams (Marlins, Cubs, Astros, and Padres) are more than 10 games out of first, and the Mets and Dodgers are 9-1/2 out.

Those might be teams looking to trade players on the last year of their contracts.  A lot of speculation has centered on Padres OF Ryan Ludwick, who is a good right-handed bat, and may be available.

Another player to try to get would be Cubs OF Reed Johnson, a fourth outfielder type who has had good success against left-handed pitching.

The point is this, it’s easy to say the Indians should go out and make a trade, but there aren’t a lot of teams ready to call it a season and trade veteran players. 

Therefore, it is incumbent on the front office to go to the minor leagues for some help, because it is clear that there is need for improvement, particularly now that Shin-Soo Choo will be out for at least six weeks.

Players like Luis Valbuena deserve a shot to be more productive with the bat that the Austin Kearns and Adam Everetts of the world.  Valbuena, who suffered through a horrible season with the Tribe last year, is hitting .314 with 10 HR and 49 RBI and a 892 OPS at Columbus. 

As for Everett, he could be replaced soon by Jason Donald, who spent much of last year with the Indians. 

If the Indians continue to hover around first place in a month, there won’t be much of a debate.  The Tribe management will need to do something to bolster the team for the stretch run.  If they don’t, more questions will enter the minds of the fans regarding the current ownership.

MW

A night that was supposed to be one of excitement and optimism turning out to be disappointing for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Yes, they picked the best player available in Kyrie Irving, the point guard of the future with the first overall selection.  But after weeks of speculation regarding Enes Kanter and Jonas Valenciunas, GM Chris Grant selected F Tristan Thompson of Texas with the fourth overall pick.

So, the disappointment with Thompson is probably more because he wasn’t thought to be the guy the Cavaliers wanted.  People will speculate they wanted Valenciunas, but didn’t want to wait, and Kanter was taken with the third pick, thus ending ideas that the Cavs could take him and deal him for more picks.

Thompson is considered a good defender and shot blocker at 6’9″ and 230 pounds, and well as having good hands, which translates into being a force on the boards.  However, he is limited offensively.  He does draw an inordinate amount of fouls, but isn’t a good free throw shooter at this time.

He is just 20 years old, and you can improve a shooting touch with a lot of work, and the rookie is said to have a good work ethic.  You can’t teach defensive instincts or the desire to rebound as easily as you can help someone put the ball in the basket better.  Thompson ranks high in quickness, rebounding, and intangibles.

The puzzling thing is that power forward is an area of strength for the wine and gold with J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao.  That probably means a deal is imminent involving one of those players. 

That depth makes Cleveland’s first pick in the second round strange as well.  They selected Justin Harper, a 6’9″ forward out of Richmond, although they traded him to Orlando for two future second round picks.

With their second pick in round two, the Cavs took another power forward in 6’9″ Milan Macvan from Serbia.  It is said Macvan will not play here this year, if at all, but he is a fundamentally sound player with strength, good post moves, and a good passer.  Some say he is the Serbian Brian Cardinal, so he’s a solid player.

For those complaining about the draft, remember that the off-season is not over tonight.  There is an entire summer in which moves can be made, and some could even be made before morning,  You never know.

Grant has not used the trade exemption.  He has a glut of power forwards, one of which could be moved for a shooting guard or a small forward.  He has three quality point guards, including Ramon Sessions, who is reportedly getting interest from the Bucks, Lakers, and Knicks.  He also has the potentially (depending on the new labor agreement) expiring contract of Antawn Jamison.

And it’s not as though Thompson is some sort of stiff either.  He’s a very young player with just one year of college experience, who has a great deal of room for growth.  The scouting report on him says he is a willing worker, and that’s a great attribute to have.

So relax, Cavalier fans.  They didn’t get the guys who were talked about for several weeks, but they did get a player with talent.  They also set themselves up to make a trade out of strength.  Teams looking for a quality power forward should be calling Chris Grant soon.  The Cavaliers have some available.

JK

The Cleveland Indians surprised many people Sunday when they announced the firing of hitting coach Jon Nunnally.  Nunnally has been replaced by Bruce Fields, who was the team’s minor league hitting coordinator, and has major league experience in this position with the Tigers.

Nunnally was the scapegoat for two months of slumps by key players such as Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana, and Grady Sizemore, but it says here the biggest reason for the change was the continued strikeouts by Tribe hitters.

Indians’ hitters have fanned the third most times in the AL, behind only the Tigers and Angels.  Since manager Manny Acta likes to play what he calls “action baseball”, which includes putting runners in motion and the hit and run, this is not a good statistic.

When the Indians were having success offensively early in the season, they were in the middle of the pack in striking out.  Acta obviously believes that the hitters needed to cut down on swings with two strikes, and that message wasn’t getting through to the batters.

If you have a team that is below average in power, you need to make contact.

For example, the Angels, who rank second in whiffing and fourth from the bottom in home runs, have the third worst offense in the American League.  Acta doesn’t want that happening to his team.

If nothing else, it is a move that shakes up the ballclub.  And with the way the Indians have been playing in the month of June, that’s not a bad thing.

Another change that was made was with the injury to 1B Matt LaPorta, the skipper said Carlos Santana would get the bulk of the playing time at first, with Lou Marson going behind the plate.

With the other alternatives on his bench, it’s kind of sad that Marson is probably the best option offensively because he’s not exactly known for his stick.  However, when compared to Austin Kearns and Adam Everett, he looks like Albert Pujols. 

It is curious that Travis Buck was recalled to replace LaPorta on the roster because Shelley Duncan seems to be a better choice, although Buck is a better defensive player.  Isn’t that why Kearns is on the roster?

Look at the right-handed batter currently on the team, that is to say, exclusively right-handed hitters:  Marson, Kearns, Everett, and Orlando Cabrera.  No wonder the Tribe has problems against southpaws.

It is crazy to think that we are almost to the half way point of the season and Everett and Kearns are still here.  By the way, Cord Phelps game winning three run homer on Sunday gives him more RBI’s than those two players COMBINED.

Something else might have to be addressed soon, the performance of the starting rotation, or at least two fifths of the rotation, namely Fausto Carmona and Mitch Talbot.  Right now, those two and not keeping their team in games on a regular basis. 

Trading Carmona makes no sense because his value is very low, so perhaps a demotion to the bullpen with Jeanmar Gomez taking his start is in order.  Keep in mind that Zack McAllister and recently David Huff are both pitching well in Columbus as well. 

The front office could easily make a move by sending Frank Herrmann, who has pitched very well recently, back to AAA and moving either Talbot or Carmona into the bullpen to make room for Gomez.

No matter what happens in the next ten games, the Cleveland Indians are going to reach the halfway point of the season in contention.  That means they can’t afford to stand pat.  They need to improve the team any way they can to keep them in the race. 

MW

This Thursday night is the first day in the rebuilding of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ franchise. 

They will officially turn the page on the LeBron James era by having the first and fourth overall picks in the NBA draft.  Right now, they have those picks, that is.  They also possess the #32 and #54 overall choices, so a nice infusion of talent is coming the way of a team that won just 19 games last season.

Although there is debate on who Cleveland will choose with the first pick, there is no question they will take Duke PG Kyrie Irving.  Irving is regarded as the best player available, and if you have the first overall choice, you have to take the best player.  That’s how drafts work.  They are designed for poor teams to get talent, so you have to take the most talented player.

That is not to say Arizona F Derrick Williams is not a gifted athlete, he most certainly is.  However, the question on Williams is what position he will play in the NBA, the #3 spot or the #4 spot.  It is said Williams doesn’t have the ball skills to play small forward, and it is questionable he has the size to guard power forwards on the NBA level. 

Despite these questions, there is no question Williams is second best player available.

The next debate for the wine and gold is who to take at #4.  It seems to be a choice between C Enes Kanter and PF Jonas Valanciunas.  Kanter, from Turkey, is considered the more finished prospect.  He is strong and considered to be a player who can step right in and be a starter, or at least a rotation player right away. 

Valanciunas is viewed as a player with more upside, with plenty of room for improvement.  He also has contract issue with his European team and may not be able to play in the NBA this season.  Picking him would mean another choice in the lottery next season, which is considered by many a deeper draft with many of the guys who didn’t come out this year being included.

Of course, there is the possibility of a trade because GM Chris Grant has to use the trade exemption acquired when James went to Miami last season by the middle of July.  There has been talk of using that bargaining chip along with a player, perhaps Ramon Sessions, who would be superfluous with the Irving choice, to move up to the second overall pick, thus netting the Cavs, Irving and Williams.

And don’t forget the expiring contract of Antawn Jamison which will be a valuable thing as well, although not until the trading deadline in February.

Another thing, you know that Dan Gilbert is willing to absorb a bad contract to make a deal work in the long run.  That’s how his basketball team is sitting with the first pick, he was able to take Baron Davis’ contract which the Clippers wanted to dump in, and they received an unprotected lottery pick in return.

As for people questioning Grant credentials, it says here he is a better talent evaluator than his predecessor.  Remember, Grant signed Kyle Lowry to an offer sheet last summer, which Houston matched.  Lowry had a very good year with the Rockets.

He also found street free agents Manny Harris and Samardo Samuels, who were contributors in their rookie seasons.  They may never be stars, but they weren’t drafted and Grant found them.

Also, he picked up Sessions in a deal for Delonte West.  Sessions is a solid NBA player, and certainly helped Cleveland last season.

All in all, Thursday night will be a big night for the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Kind of a re-birth of the franchise.

JK

Remember back in April when the Cleveland Indians called up rookie right-hander Alex White to make a start against the Detroit Tigers? 

It was viewed as a bold step for the organization, a departure from the days when the Tribe erred on the side of caution when it came to bringing up their prospects.  Critics of the front office heralded the change.

That seems like a long time ago.  The Tribe was winning then.

Now the Indians have lost 16 of their last 22 games and have fallen out of first place in the AL Central, yet they seems unwilling to try to improve the team by replacing some of the people on the roster who are struggling mightily.

Yesterday, Manny Acta was questioned about the lack of moves being made, and he gave the old Cleveland mantra, something along the lines of it’s not like a department where you can just go and exchange players. 

Meanwhile, Seattle, which finds itself surprisingly in contention in the AL West brought up their prize prospect, Dustin Ackley, to help them win right now.

Noted baseball writer Christina Kahrl reacted to Ackley’s promotion by saying sometimes you can win with young players, not despite them.

The Indians will likely active DH Travis Hafner in the next couple of days, and with that move coming, GM Chris Antonetti should not stop there.

Hafner’s activation should mean Travis Buck will be sent back to Columbus.  In a corresponding move, Cleveland should designate Austin Kearns for assignment and bring back OF/DH Shelley Duncan.  Duncan provides power from the right side, and is a better hitter against southpaws than Kearns.  It leaves the Tribe short a defensive outfielder, so…

They should designate Adam Everett for assignment and bring up OF Ezequiel Carrera.  Carrera might just be the best defensive outfielder in the organization, and could also fill a pinch-running role.

Losing Everett would leave the team an infielder short, so Orlando Cabrera can move into the role as a utility infielder.

Don’t forget that rookie Cord Phelps is on the roster.  Critics will point to Phelps 1 for 16 start and question why he should get more playing time, but the way he has been used hasn’t exactly been conducive to a young player’s success.

Playing a day, having two days off, and then playing again might be something a veteran can handle, but it doesn’t help someone who is used to playing everyday. 

If they don’t want to play Phelps, then replace him with Jason Kipnis, who is hitting .296 with 7 HR and 39 RBI (874 OPS) at Columbus.  By the way, most observers rate Kipnis just a notch below Ackley as a prospect. 

The last move to be made is with the starting rotation where it’s time to give Jeanmar Gomez another look-see.  Since being sent back to the minors, Gomez has been dominant, compiling a record of 6-1 with a 2.28 ERA. 

Gomez can take the roster space of Chad Durbin, he of the 7.39 ERA, with Mitch Talbot or perhaps Fausto Carmona moving to the bullpen.

This may sound radical or even crazy, but remember this.  In spite of this horrible stretch of baseball, the Tribe is still just a game out of first place.  They owe it to the players to try to stay in this thing as long as they can. 

Besides, they wouldn’t be losing anybody who figures into the organization’s long-range plans. 

The time to act is now.  Here’s hoping the front office doesn’t settle back in to its mode of looking toward next season.

MW