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

 

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians are reeling.  They have lost 14 of their last 23 games, and fortunately for them the Tigers are having problems as well, so the team remains just one game out in the AL Central.  The Tribe also did not make any moves at the trading deadline, as GM Mark Shapiro deemed the cost for relievers like Octavio Dotel and Eric Gagne too high.  Only time will tell if he is right.  However, the ballclub’s roster still has problems that were not addressed at the deadline.

 

I was already to rant and rave about the front office’s inability to make a decision on Fernando Cabrera, but he was designated for assignment after last night’s 3-1 loss to Texas.  Aaron Fultz will be activated today to take his roster spot, giving the team a second lefty in the bullpen.  They still have Mike Rouse on the team, thus giving Eric Wedge no options on the infield if someone needs a rest or is simply not hitting.  The ABJ’s Terry Pluto advocates bringing up Luis Rivas from Buffalo.  Rivas played for Minnesota a few years ago, hitting around .250, or about 120 points higher than Rouse.  He has spent most of this year playing SS at Triple A.  He would make a more useful bench player for the skipper. 

 

If you look at the history of the Shapiro-Wedge partnership, this isn’t unusual.  There is normally dead weight on the roster, mostly because of the manager’s reluctance to play someone.  Cabrera was that guy on the pitching staff this year, although Wedge’s hesitance was due to the pitcher’s inability to get people out.  In the past that player has been the utility infielder (John McDonald or Ramon Vazquez).  I don’t think much of Chicago’s Ozzie Guillen as a manager, but he makes use of every man on his roster.  There is no dead weight there.  I think the Indians play at a disadvantage at time, because they really only have a 23 or 24 man team.  The minute the manager loses confidence in a player, that guy needs to go.

 

Another weakness of the organization is the hording of prospects, sometimes past the date of maximum value.  This paints Shapiro into a corner, and that’s where bad decisions are made.  Think of Brandon Phillips.  He was out of options, and no move with was made until the end of spring training.  The return on Phillips was far less than it would have been had he been dealt over the winter.  It seems the same thing is occuring with Andy Marte.  Look at the young outfielders on the big league roster and the top two levels of the minors:  Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Brad Snyder, Trevor Crowe, and Brian Barton.  You only can play three at a time, yet Shapiro is unwilling to part with one of them to improve a team with playoff aspirations. 

 

I understand the Tribe needs to continue to develop prospects because they don’t have the unlimited resources of the Yankees and Red Sox.  They need to have more than one option at each position.  But, you also have to take advantage of a chance to make the playoffs when the opportunity is there.  With two legitimate aces at the top of the rotation, a better chance might not come along for awhile.  I think Mark Shapiro does an outstanding job, but sometimes front office people can fall in love with their prospects.

 

In the meantime, Gutierrez needs to play.  Another fielding mistake by Nixon, a veteran, missing a cut off man, assisted the Rangers in getting two runs last night.  This miscue, plus an error by Casey Blake, cost Fausto Carmona two runs.  When you aren’t hitting, these errors, both mental and physical, come back to bite you.  As the page is turned to start August, the Cleveland Indians need to make a fresh start, and their manager needs to play the best players, whether or not they have experience.

 

KM

 

 

 

 

The Indians hitters continued their month long slump this weekend, dropping two out of three against the Twins in a series where Minnesota could have been removed from the pennant race.  Tribe bats have produced three runs or more just twice in the first seven games of this home stand, which ends with a three game set against the Rangers this week.  Since the team isn’t producing offensively, Eric Wedge’s moves are coming under a little more scrutiny, and there were some curious moves this weekend.

 

Let’s start on Saturday night.  Johan Santana no-hit Cleveland for the first 5-2/3 innings, leading 2-0.  But, Travis Hafner reached the two time Cy Young Award winner for a two run blast to knot the game at 2.  That’s when the weird moves began.

 

Wedge pinch hit Kenny Lofton for Josh Barfield to lead off the eighth inning.  He was leading off the inning so there was no one on base.  Lofton made an out so he was wasted.  Since Mike Rouse had to enter the game defensively, Wedge lost his only pinch running option late in a game.  Had Victor Martinez, Hafner, or Ryan Garko reached in the ninth, only Trot Nixon or Kelly Shoppach were available to pinch run.  However, a bigger gaffe was the decision to not use Rafael Betancourt to pitch the ninth.  Even though Joe Borowski is the Tribe closer, Betancourt is their best reliever, and Wedge lost a one run game late because he refused to use his best option out of the bullpen.

 

Betancourt was rested too.  He had not pitched since Tuesday night against Boston.  It was another example of a manager not using his best option because you are supposed to use your closer in a tie game in the ninth at home because there will be no save chance.  The reason is that normally the closer is the team’s best reliever.  That’s not the case for the 2007 Cleveland Indians. 

 

On Sunday, Wedge left his best defensive right fielder on the bench in the eighth inning of a 1-0 game and it cost him when Mike Redmond hit a C.C. Sabathia pitch over Trot Nixon’s head to tie the game.  If your team is based on pitching and defense, why not have Franklin Gutierrez in the game in the late innings.  This is also my problem with the Lofton trade.  The problem on offense is not LF, where Jason Michaels, Gutierrez, and Ben Francisco did a decent job, it’s right field.  It appears Nixon will continue to play there while Gutierrez loses at bats.  The youngster has four more home runs and only 14 less RBI despite getting almost 175 less at bats.  The bigger improvement in the attack would come from replacing Nixon with Lofton.

 

The trading deadline is less than 48 hours away, and the Tribe still needs another relief pitcher and a utility infielder.  They also need to clear a spot on the 40 man roster if lefty Aaron Laffey is going to start on Saturday.  In the meanwhile, they are wasting a roster spot on Fernando Cabrera who is a ten run man, only pitching when the Tribe is up or down by that many runs.  I have a feeling another deal is in the offing, this one to assist the bullpen.  The biggest thing though is the Tribe needs to start winning again.  The Tigers aren’t going to keep struggling, and the Mariners and Yankees are playing well.

 

MW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dallas Morning News and the Plain Dealer have reported the Tribe has obtained Kenny Lofton from the Rangers for minor league catcher Max Ramirez.  See  previous blog for opinion on getting Lofton.  Hopefully, his third go round with the Indians is the charm.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Indians are 8-11 since their six game winning streak ended in Detroit on July 4th.  They likely will be starting a rookie next week against the Rangers in Aaron Laffey, who will replace Cliff Lee in the rotation.  The best hitter the past three seasons, Travis Hafner, is in a slump that has lasted three months.  The New York Yankees will win the conclusion of a suspended game today to close within four games of the Tribe in the wild card race.  Even an optimist like me is getting concerned.

 

I am not a big critic of managers, and I particularly don’t like second guessing.  I watched last night’s game and there would have been no way I would have let Lee take the mound to start the fifth inning.  The score at the time was 4-1, Boston.  Lee had walked the first two hitters in the fourth, and was lucky Josh Barfield made a great stop on Julio Lugo’s bullet or it would have been 6-1.  Jason Stanford has not pitched in long relief in a while, so why not replace Lee down only three runs and your team still in the ballgame.  Three hits, a walk, and an error later, the score was 7-1, and the Red Sox extended the lead to 9-1 by the end of the fifth, thus putting the game out of reach.

 

Now, I understand that Stanford could have gotten bombed, and I know the Indians put the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the inning.  But the skipper put the importance of getting innings out of his starter ahead of winning the game.  After losing two out of three to start the series, the Tribe needed to get a split.  Sending a struggling Lee out there was not the correct decision.

 

Look at the upcoming schedule.  After this homestand concludes with three against the Twins and Rangers, the Tribe hits the road for four more with the Twins and three against the White Sox.  Then the Yankees and Tigers come to town.  No breathers there.  The club needs to pick it up if they want to remain as a leader in the playoff derby. 

 

It’s quite obvious that Franklin Gutierrez should be in the lineup everyday.  With dingers the last two nights, he now has seven for the season, or the total that David Dellucci and Trot Nixon have contributed, combined.  He’s also hitting over .300, although he has just a little over 100 at bats.  

 

More on the Tribe offense.  This team has developed patience.  They work counts, and most starting pitchers cannot make it through seven innings because this team makes them throw many pitches.  It’s a trademark of a good offensive team.  The Yankees of the late 90’s excelled in this area.  The Cleveland hitters must take the next step, though.  That would be to execute when the extra base hits aren’t coming.  That means hitting behind the runners and making contact to score runs with outs.  That’s what the Tigers do, and the Red Sox as well.  This will continue to be an inconsistent attack until that occurs.

 

The trading deadline is just a few days away.  If getting a relief pitcher like Octavio Dotel costs you a Ben Francisco, I think you have to do it.  A one-two pitching punch like Sabathia and Carmona is something the Indians haven’t had going into the post season since 1954.  If they can get there, those two guys could make it a lengthy trip.

 

KM

 

 

 

 

 

The Indians are scuffling coming out of the All Star break, going just 6-6 in the twelve games played since the Mid-Summer Classic in San Francisco.  We remain just 1-1/2 games behind the Tigers in the Central Division, and since the Mariners and Twins are struggling as well, they’ve increased their lead in the Wild Card to three over the Mariners.  However, look who’s charging…The Yankees have closed to within 4-1/2 games of the Tribe in their effort to make the post season yet again.

 

Last night, the team wasted a very good outing by C.C. Sabathia, losing to Boston 1-0.  The big lefty allowed just one run in seven innings, and that was on a flyball to left that should have been caught by Ben Francisco, but instead was a two out single by Mike Lowell.  The Tribe had opportunities, but Grady Sizemore was thrown out at third on a grounder to short in the first, and in the fourth after Ryan Garko led off with a double, Jhonny Peralta swung at the first pitch and grounded to short, not moving the runner.  These are the lack of fundamentals that drive fans crazy, and costs the ballclub in close games.  Of course, most of the fans at Fenway Park West, I mean Jacobs Field, blame Eric Wedge for this.  But, both Sizemore and Peralta know better.

 

The truth is the Tribe hasn’t hit since the break.  Outside of the red hot Garko, Victor Martinez, and Franklin Gutierrez,  the offense is not producing.  Check out these stats since July 13th: 

 

Grady Sizemore   12 for 51

Travis Hafner       10 for 45

Josh Barfield          8 for 39

Ben Francisco         2 for 16

Casey Blake         12 for 49

Jhonny Peralta      12 for 42, but just one extra base hit

Trot Nixon              7 for 25, but just one extra base hit

 

Since the starting pitching is on a downward turn, it’s more important than ever that the hitting produces.  That becomes problematic when 2/3’s of the line up isn’t hitting.  And when you aren’t hitting, you can’t run yourselves out of potential rallies, either.  Based on track records, some of these guys will get hot, but Nixon hasn’t hit since the middle of May, and Hafner has been in a funk since May 1st.  When Eric Wedge goes to his bench to rest one of his infielders, he gets a worse hitter in Mike Rouse, so there’s no relief there.

 

With two more against Boston and Minnesota coming in, the Indians have five more games against teams with very good pitching.  Again, the pressure on Sabathia and Carmona to pitch great is increasing, and it gets even worse with the lack of runs being scored. If the Tribe can start winning again, they could put the Twins out of the mix after this weekend. 

 

KM

 

 

 

 

With the Cleveland Indians visiting the Texas Rangers this weekend, there was plenty of discussion on whether or not the Tribe should be interested in former Indian and current Ranger CF Kenny Lofton.  With the injuries to David Dellucci and Shin-Soo Choo, and the lack of production from Trot Nixon, the ballclub needs some more offense from the outfield.  Would Lofton provide it?  Or would another option be more desirable?

 

First of all, if the Indians traded for the man who patrolled the middle of the outfield at Jacobs Field a decade ago, Eric Wedge is not going to move Grady Sizemore down in the order and hit Lofton leadoff.  More than likely, the former Arizona basketball standout would bat second, eighth, or ninth in the lineup.  The Indians need more of a middle of the order stick than another guy who can get on base.  Among the players manning the corner outfield spots for the Tribe, Franklin Gutierrez has the most homers with five.  Nixon and Ben Francisco both have three, and the latter has forty big league at bats.

 

At this stage of his career, Lofton is a platoon player.  Against right handers, he is hitting .325 with a 876 OPS, against southpaws, he is a .200 hitter with an OPS under 600.  He also cannot play RF because of his below average arm, which would force Dellucci to that spot when he returns, and he’s not going to win any Gold Gloves either.  That’s assuming Nixon would be the guy who would ultimately be replaced. 

 

I think a healthy Choo is a better option than Lofton, and you wouldn’t have to trade a prospect to get him.  Choo is a better defensive outfielder, and can play right better than Nixon.  He had an 846 OPS after coming up to the Tribe in late July last season, showing patience and some pop at the plate.  Plus, he will be better with experience.  According to reports, Choo will be resuming baseball activities in five to seven days after suffering an elbow injury.  He would be able to hit sixth or seventh in the order, providing support for the middle of the lineup.

 

With all of the hoopla surrounding the Tigers after the All Star break, they did sweep one of the ESPN darling franchises, the Red Sox, after all, you would think the race in the Central Division was over.  But, here is the Tribe sitting just one game off the pace set by Detroit.  Really, when you think about it, the only hitter having a career year for the Tribe is Victor Martinez.  The rest of the lineup is performing at their usual standards or below.  They need other starting pitchers to pick up the pace, though.

 

Cliff Lee continued his struggles on Saturday, allowing five runs in the first.  Jake Westbrook tries to get his act together tonight in the series opener against Boston.  Until others get going, the pressure on C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona to win is enormous, they can’t afford to lose.  Still, this team is just one game behind the Tigers not only for the division lead, but for the best record in the American League.  However, a tough home stand this week looms with the Red Sox and Twins coming in.

 

Here’s hoping the Indians continue to play well against the better teams, and the Jacobs Field magic keeps going.  And remember, the trading deadline is eight days away.

 

MW

 

 

A new problem has been creeping up on the Cleveland Indians.  The pitching problem that started in the bullpen is spreading to the starting rotation.  Since July 4th, the Tribe’s only reliable starter has been Fausto Carmona, who has thrown two solid games in that span.  The rest of the rotation, including C.C. Sabathia have been shaky. 

 

The two hurlers who need to get straightened out, and quickly are Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook.  Lee’s last two starts have been ruined by the big inning.  Against Toronto, he allowed four runs in the second, and against the White Sox, it was a nine run sixth that did him in.  He has been bothered by an inability to get ahead in the count.  In both cases, the lefty was out of the game by the end of the sixth inning.  For a ballclub that requires quality innings by its starters, these types of performances don’t wash.

 

It has to be concerning to the front office that they will be paying Jake Westbrook over $10 million per year for the next three years based on his performance in 2007.  The right hander is now 1-5 on the season.  I realize he started slow last year as well before turning it around to finish 15-10.  Westbrook’s last three outings are not those of a team’s #3 starter.  First was his usual pasting by the Tigers, followed up by a game where he kept the Tribe in it against Kansas City, although he walked five in six innings.  That was followed by a disappointing game against Chicago, where he allowed four runs in six innings. 

 

Even Sabathia has struggled, although he does lead the majors in wins after last night’s 7-5 victory at Texas.  The lefty is now 13-4 for the season.  C.C. has allowed 17 runs in his last 17 frames, and has started to give up home runs in key situations and also is giving runs back after the offense puts up a big inning.  Hopefully, the heavy use given to Sabathia in the early going this season isn’t affecting his game.  The southpaw is on his way to a career high in innings pitched.

 

Paul Byrd pitched an outstanding game against the Blue Jays in the last game prior to the All Star break, although he didn’t get the win.  However, the veteran righty lost it quick Tuesday night against the White Sox.  After pitching four scoreless innings and having a 2-0 lead, Byrd gave up four runs in the fifth and sixth.  That was the only game the Tribe salvaged in the series, tying the game on a two run homer by Ryan Garko, and then winning on Garko’s hit in the 11th.

 

It would be nice for the ballclub to have an 8-1 victory every once in a while, but right now the starters are having problems holding up their end of the deal.  A blow out win saves the bullpen, as Eric Wedge can use guys like Tom Mastny, Jensen Lewis, and Jason Stanford in the late innings instead of having to use Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Borowski.  In the last three weeks, the latter group have had to pitch in every game the Tribe has won.  That kind of usage could take its toll as the team heads down the stretch.  It’s up to the rotation to pick it up and give the Indians quality outings.

 

KM

 

 

After the Cavaliers apparently tried to get into the NBA draft at the end of June, and although the team has only been slightly involved in the free agent rumors, the wine and gold continue to be in the news.  It looks as though GM Danny Ferry rekindled talks to deal for Sacramento guard Mike Bibby, with the Cavs reportedly giving up forward Drew Gooden and guard Damon Jones.  A third team was needed to make this happen, but supposedly San Antonio was that team, and it backed out, making a trade with Houston instead.

 

What’s next?  One of the free agents Ferry was interested in was Steve Blake, but the former Maryland star signed with the Trailblazers last week.  This gives Portland depth at the point.  They currently have Blake, Sergio Rodriguez, and last year’s starter, Jarret Jack.  I liked Jack in his college career at Georgia Tech, and it would be a good move by the Cavs to deal for him.  He has size (6’3"), can penetrate, and can defend.  He’s also only in his third year in the NBA, so he’s still young.  He also led the Yellow Jackets to the Final Four while in college. 

 

Reports have the Cavs giving up Sasha Pavlovic and Jones in a transaction to bring Jack to Cleveland.  Although Pavlovic impressed many this season, he still has ups and downs as a player.  He disappears for long periods of times in games, and even though he makes athletic moves to get to the basket, he has had problems finishing.   He is far from a finished product at just 23 years old, but is he really a starter on a great team?  If Ferry and Mike Brown have doubts, perhaps this is the deal they should consider.

 

Besides, the Cavs have other options at the shooting guard spot.  Daniel Gibson’s best spot is there, although at his size and with Brown’s emphasis on defense, he probably not a starter there.  The first shot at getting Pavlovic’s starting spot would probably go last year’s first round pick, Shannon Brown.  Brown played well in the NBA Summer League the past two weeks, showing the same style of play he flashed in college at Michigan State.   

 

What is obvious is that it is very likely last year was Jones last season wearing the wine and gold.  Pretty much every trade rumor involving the Cavs includes Jones, who wasn’t happy with his lack of playing time last winter.  Jones can still shoot, but his one dimensional game makes him a poor fit in the coach’s system.  The team is also shopping Gooden, mostly because of his inconsistency and inability to defend the pick and roll to Brown’s satisfaction.  A deal involving Gooden would make resigning Anderson Varajao a must.

 

What is promising is that the Cavs’ front office is not sitting on their laurels.  They recognize this team is far from perfect, and they understand upgrades must be made to get back to The Finals and win their first title.  An offensive coach and system will hopefully be part of the tinkering as well.

 

JK