We at Cleveland Sports Perspective like to think we are very patient baseball fans.  Last year, when things were failing early, we believed the Tribe was a good team and some of the young guys would continue to improve.  We bought into Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge’s theory of taking it one game at a time.  However, after last night’s game, the Indians need a good swift kick in the ass.

 

Why did Wedge let Scott Sauerbeck start the eighth with a two run lead?  If it had been the ninth, he would have let right hander Bob Wickman pitch to Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez, so why doesn’t Rafael Betancourt get the same benefit of the doubt.  Betancourt is Cleveland second best reliever.  Sauerbeck has struggled getting tough lefties out all year, so it was no real surprise when Chavez took him out of the yard.   

 

Another troubling event was an error by Aaron Boone which put the winning run on base.  Boone has been a good defender, but has now made nine miscues on the season.  Andy Marte has had a few good games in a row, might he be visiting Cleveland soon. 

 

The point is, the season has gone through almost 60 games, and this team just can’t get it going.  The patient route doesn’t seem to be working.  Maybe it’s time for a shake up.  Eric Wedge isn’t going anywhere, nor should he be after winning 93 games a year ago.  But, something needs to be done to make the players feel a little discomfort.  Maybe trading a guy like Ronnie Belliard or Boone, maybe releasing a ineffective reliever like Sauerbeck or Guillermo Mota. 

 

Wishin’ and hopin’ is a Dusty Springfield song, not a management style.

 

KM

 

After a big series win against the White Sox, it was hoped the Cleveland Indians had a little momentum going into the weekend set versus the Angels.  However, in baseball it is said that momentum is today’s starting pitcher, and the Tribe had Jason Johnson going on Friday.  Enough said.  Final score:  LA 10, Cleveland 3. 

 

Of course, the Tribe did score a boatload of runs on Saturday, and Cliff Lee showed signs of turning the corner in a 14-2 Cleveland win.  Lee showed me a lot when he stopped the Angel rally at two runs in the sixth.  Lately, that type of situation became a four or five run frame with the lefty.  So, the Indians were in a position to win the series with their ace going on Sunday night, right?

 

Wrong.  C.C. Sabathia had his worst outing of the season, giving up seven runs in five innings as the Angels turned the tables with a 14-2 victory of their own.  Thus, the Tribe loses another series.

 

Despite Eric Wedge’s mantra of winning series, the Wahoos are actually very poor in this department so far in 2006.  The Indians are 7-8-4 in series this year.  Included in this total are two series losses to Kansas City, a loss to Baltimore, and a loss to Seattle at home.  Therefore, the one word to describe the Indians this year is inconsistent.  And that’s not a compliment.

 

Turning our attention back to Mr. Johnson, you have to love that he doesn’t think his pitching is a problem.  He was quoted as saying the media keeps bringing it up.  I would have to say he is correct.  After all, why does The Plain Dealer have to keep publishing the team statistics that show Johnson’s bloated ERA and awful hits to innings pitched ratio.  The media shouldn’t point out that of the four runs the Angels scored in the first two frames, three reached base by walks.  Maybe they magically appeared on base.

 

Also, the Tribe is really hamstrung by Guillermo Mota.  Since, the reliever is throwing in the mid 90’s, management really can’t make up a phantom injury to get him a respite in the minors.  So, we will be forced to watch him spread out the souvenirs in mop up situations.  Is it me, or does he remind you of Jose Jimenez two years ago. 

 

Anyway, cross your fingers this week.  Which Jake Westbrook will we see on Tuesday against the A’s?  How many runs will Johnson allow on Thursday?  I hear fans calling and complaining about Paul Byrd, but I have no idea as to why.  Byrd is the most consistent pitcher next to Sabathia.  After a rough start, he gives the manager six to seven innings on a regular basis.  I know he technically replaced Kevin Millwood in the rotation, but that’s not his fault. 

 

Those same fans usually talk about Westbrook’s reliability.  Hello???

 

JK

 

What a difference a few days make!  After the 11-0 shellacking at the hands of the White Sox on Monday, the buzzard were circling the Jake.  Kenny Roda started his "Wedge Watch", which is ridiculous because the skipper isn’t going anywhere.  Everyone was talking about the dismal state of the Cleveland Indians, two games under .500 and 10-1/2 games out of first place.

 

Three days and three wins later, the Tribe looks like they may be heading in the right direction.  The Wahoos are now a game over .500 and trimmed two games off the Tiger lead in the AL Central Division.  The reason for the wins?  Decent starting pitching.  C.C. Sabathia threw six good innings on Tuesday, Jake Westbrook went seven shutout frames on Wednesday, and even Paul Byrd bobbed and weaved his way through six last night.  Byrd wasn’t great, but he kept his team in the game and the bats did the rest. 

 

A couple of hitters in slumps also came alive.  Ronnie Belliard has been struggling as of late, but hit a huge 3-run homer to put the Tribe in front to stay, 10-8.  Ben Broussard went through a hitless streak, but has banged homers the past two nights.  Now, if only Jhonny Peralta could get it going.  If he can’t get it turned around soon, Wedge may have no choice but to move him out of the three hole in the lineup.

 

One guy who has taken a lot of crap since the beginning of the season deserves some respect:  Jason Michaels.  Since the beginning of May, the leftfielder has hit .324 and slugged .490 in 102 at bats.  Only Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner have knocked in more runs (17) than Michaels in this span.  It appears he is adjusting to the AL, and doing it very well.

 

With Jason Johnson and Cliff Lee starting against the Angels this weekend, it is important to take the series.  Johnson needs to show some consistency, and Lee needs to show he can turn it around.  I will repeat, when the Indians get good starting pitching, they are tough to beat.  That’s the biggest area of concern as we head toward the interleague play with series against the A’s, White Sox, and the Yankees.

 

KM 

 

For all of the talk about how bad Jason Johnson has been recently, the struggles of another Tribe starter has gone under the radar.  Jake Westbrook has been very bad as of late as well, and he takes the hill tonight against the White Sox.  Somebody has to be moved soon because Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers are on the horizon, so it would behoove Westbrook to pitch well tonight.

 

Save for a six hit shutout against the Royals, the right hander has allowed 22 runs in his last 28 innings of work, a nifty 7.07 ERA.  Even with that game versus KC, his ERA is over 5.50 for the season.  He appears to have reverted to the same problem he had early in his career:  nibbling.  He gets ahead in the count and then nibbles allowing the hitter to get back in the count. 

 

His woes are part of the reason for the Tribe’s struggles, not the manager.  C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd have held up their end of the bargain, but the other three starters (Westbrook, Lee, and Johnson) have been bad in four of their last five or six starts.  That’s 12 bad starts in a 18 game span.  These guys are not giving the team a chance to win, that’s the chief problem.

 

Yes, the ballclub has appeared lackadaisical.  Yes, the baserunning and defense have been problems.  However, the starting pitching has been the main problem.  For the most part, when the starters pitch well, the Indians win.  I know that’s simplistic, but sometimes the answer is simple. 

 

I also think Wedge has blown up at the team behind closed doors.  The fact he has been a little critical in the media is probably the proof.  Normally, he says nothing bad in public. 

 

Speaking of Sowers, the lefty has taken over the top spot on the Baseball America Hot Prospect list.  In fact, three Indian farmhands are currently in the Top 10.  The others are Akron 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is the only minor leaguer hitting over .400, and last year’s top draft pick, Trevor Crowe at Kinston.  Supposedly, Crowe will be converted to 2B this winter. 

 

MW

 

The Indians looked terrible the first two games of their weekend series against Detroit.  Friday night, Cleveland climbed back in the game in the 6th, trailing just 3-2 thanks to Jhonny Peralta’s double.  However, Jake Westbrook continued his maddening habit of walking guys after his team scores.  In fact, Westbrook walked three in the inning and Jason Davis let them all score to put the game out of reach.  Davis has now let all 10 inherited runners score this season, an unbelievable stat.

 

Saturday night, Paul Byrd pitched well, allowing only a two run homer by Magglio Ordonez after a Ben Broussard error in the first that prolonged the inning.  But, Justin Verlander dominated Tribe hitters allowing just a Grady Sizemore homer in seven frames.  Of course, awful situational hitting helped Verlander.  Following a leadoff double in the sixth by Aaron Boone, he did not advance thanks to Sizemore, Blake, and Peralta. 

 

So, it was up to Jason Johnson to stop the sweep.  Yes, the same Johnson who allowed 72 hits in 48 innings, and had an ERA over 8.00 in his last five starts.  Amazingly, he throws six shutout innings and Cleveland avoids the sweep with a 9-0 triumph.  Who’d a thunk it?

 

The team even got a contribution from Tim Laker, who hit a two run double and picked off a base runner at first. Yes, baseball is a strange game.  Especially if you are following the 2006 Tribe

 

KM

 

The Cleveland Indians have an important stretch of games coming up against the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox.  Already 9-1/2 games behind the Tigers in the standings, the Tribe cannot afford to fall much further behind at this point in the season.  So, although these games are not must win, they most certainly are must not lose.

 

What I mean is this:  It’s okay for the Wahoos to go 4-3 or 3-4 in this set of games.  They cannot go 2-5 or 1-6 without making it incredibly difficult for themselves to get back in the race for the playoffs.  I doubt whether Detroit, or any team for that matter, can play .700 baseball this season.

 

It’s also a big weekend for Tribe right hander Jason Johnson.  Johnson, who has resembled a pinata as of late, will start Sunday’s game at Comerica.  If he gets bombed again, he could be looking at being designated for assignment.  Lefty Jeremy Sowers is pitching lights out at Buffalo, with an ERA of under 1.00, and he could take over Johnson’s spot in the rotation.  He certainly couldn’t do any worse.

 

Now that Scott Sauerbeck retired the last two lefties he faced in pressure situations (talk about a small sample area), his problems are now longer the biggest concern in the bullpen.  That honor goes to Guillermo Mota, who has forgotten how to throw strikes.  Mota has now walked as many hitters as he has fanned, not a good ratio for anyone, let alone a guy pitching in the late innings.  He’s throwing in the mid nineties, but goes to 3-2 on seemingly every hitter. 

 

Another thing needed this weekend is a good outing from Jake Westbrook.  Westbrook has been maddingly inconsistent this year, although his last start was a shutout of the Royals.  He has struggled against Detroit over the last two years, and needs a good effort tonight to set a tone for the series.  Especially since Cleveland will see Justin Verlander on Saturday, and Johnson is pitching on Sunday.

 

Is anyone else concerned about Cliff Lee?  Lee can’t seem to get past five or six innings without running out of gas.  Tuesday, he finally got the lead heading into the bottom of the sixth and gave up a leadoff double and a single to put runners on first and third.  In his previous start vs. KC, he had given up two runs in six frames, and started getting tattooed in the seventh.  The rotation needs him to pitch like one of the better young lefties in the AL. 

 

Enjoy the holiday weekend, and hope the Tribe gives us some thing to enjoy as well.

 

JK

 

The Cleveland Indians sit at 22-22 and in third place in the AL Central standings, meaning they are still 118 games remaining in the season.  The real reason the Tribe sits 8 games back is their performance against the Royals.  They are currently 4-5 versus KC.  If they had won seven of nine instead of four, they would be 25-19 good enough for one of the best records in the league.  But, if my aunt had…

 

Still, some moves made in the last week signal some signs of panic from management.  Obviously, the Tigers great start has worried Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro, causing some strange things to occur.  Such as–

 

Demoting Kelly Shoppach.  The reason the brass gave for sending Shoppach out was they didn’t want to see his skills erode.  There is a simple solution for that.  Play him more!  The workload given to Victor Martinez is crazy, there is no need for him to play 140 games behind the dish.  Let Martinez DH once a week with Travis Hafner either at 1B, or getting a day off.  Martinez looked like a tired player last week, and it’s only May.  Plus having Tim Laker on the roster does nothing for the ballclub.  He’s a journeyman at best.

 

Changing the rotation.  Wedge altered the rotation to start Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia against the Twins, by passing Jake Westbrook.  This means Sabathia will not start against the Tigers this weekend, and probably ensures Westbrook will not be sharp vs. the Motor City Kitties on Friday.  It’s a little early to start manuvering the rotation.  If you are going to adjust the starters, you might want to do it with the teams ahead of you in mind, not Minnesota. 

 

Flip flop on Johnson.  After Jason Johnson’s latest lathering on Saturday night, Wedge said no changes would be made.  The next day, Wedge announced Johnson would be skipped since the squad had two days off this week.  Yesterday, Mark Shapiro said they are not calling up Jeremy Sowers, who is 6-1, 1.07 ERA at AAA Buffalo.  There has to be a decision made soon on Johnson, who’s most disturbing stat is giving up 72 hits in 48 innings.  It’s apparent why the righty is 40 games under .500 for his career.  Tell Larry Dolan he has to eat Johnson’s contract, and bring up Sowers or put Fausto Carmona back in the rotation.  They couldn’t do any worse.

 

Wedge favors veterans, which is okay as long as the veterans produce.  He and Shapiro went longer with Aaron Boone than anyone else last year, and it paid off.  But, Boone had a better track record than Johnson.  It’s obvious the skipper didn’t have confidence playing Shoppach, either, but Tim Laker cannot help your ballclub win games. 

 

I hope it’s not panic, but it looks as if fear is spreading in the front office.

 

KM

 

The Cavaliers’ season ended yesterday at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, the surprise being that it happened in Game 7, not Game 4 or Game 5.  The wine and gold pushed the defending conference champions to the brink of elimination before losing the last two games.  The timetable for the success of the Cavs has been moved up a year.  Fans can now expect this team to challenge for the Conference finals next year.

 

Cleveland learned a lot from their first trip to the postseason.  They bought into Coach Mike Brown’s defensive system, and discovered that is the method to winning in the playoffs.  Their teachers just might wind up being the NBA champs when it is all said and done. 

 

Why should we be optimistic?  For one, LeBron James is going to get better.  Forget how great he is now, and he may be the best player in the league, but he is only 21 years old.  His jump shot will continue to improve, and he will get stronger as well, which will help on the defensive end.  Larry Hughes will be healthy in 2006-07.  Fans don’t realize how good Hughes is since he missed much of the season.  He excels at the mid-range jumper, and is unselfish and a good defender.  I know he is injury prone, but my guess is he will play at least 70 games next season.

 

Mike Brown will develop a better offensive system.  His pick and roll offense is too simplistic and there will be more movement from the other players on the floor.  We might even see plays to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas some short looks in the paint rather than dumping into post and hoping he can make a shot. 

 

I realize many Cavs fans are concerned about salary cap space, but in the NBA where there’s a will, there’s a way.  Danny Ferry will find some takers for some bad contracts and will get some useful players in return.  There are always teams looking to take on some contracts that are soon to expire.  The wild card is former #1 pick Luke Jackson.  In college, Jackson was a athletic player who could run the floor, had hops, and could shoot.  Maybe he can stay healthy and do those things for Cleveland, or he or Sasha Pavlovic could be a trading chip in the off season. 

 

However, that is Ferry’s second most important job this summer.  His main task is to get James signed to a long term deal when he becomes eligible.  If that happens, our title drought will be coming to an end sometime in the near future.  The King will deliver soon. 

 

MW

 

Hey, Rasheed!  I guess we’ll see you Friday night after all.  Wallace’s record on "guarant-sheeds" dropped to 3-1 after the Cavaliers squared the best of seven series with the Pistons at 2, with a 74-72 victory last night at the "Q".  The wine and gold did something I didn’t think they were capable of, that is match up with the physical and mental intensity Detroit has.  They held serve, and now it’s a best of three series.

 

The two wins in Cleveland show how the team has grown throughout the season.  The beat the Wizards in a series dictated by offense, outscoring Washington in games where the winner had to score 100 points.  Now, they have shifted gears to the defensive end, beating Detroit in games that are decidedly slower in tempo.  Many thought LeBron and the boys could not win this type of game, but here we are with a split of the first four games.

 

The Cavs are still a decided underdog in this series, and I agree with that evaluation.  The Pistons have the experience and the talent.  They may be the best team in the NBA this season.  Two of the remaining three games are in Detroit, where the Pistons are 42-4 so far this season.  How can the Cavs win at The Palace?

 

The one thing different about this team than past Cavs teams in the playoffs, is that this time Cleveland has THE MAN.  They have the best player on the floor.  If James has one of those games where he scores 40+ points, who knows.  That’s probably the only chance the wine and gold have to win in Detroit. 

 

We also should give Mike Brown some kudos for making the series competitive.  His offense is still simplistic, but he has everyone buying into the system.  That’s the biggest compliment you can give an NBA head coach.  He has handled the Z situation beautifully.  He still starts the big man, thus taking care of his ego, but has gone with more of a quicker line up featuring Anderson Varajao in the middle.  That’s something some members of the media (RODA) don’t understand.

 

The Cavaliers keep making progress, taking positive steps, getting better as a team.  Cleveland has taken it to at least six games.  A successful season for a team’s first year in the playoffs.

 

JK

 

 

There is an old saying in sports that a team is never as good as it looks when it is winning, and never as bad as it looks when they are losing.  The 2006 Cleveland Indians are not as bad as they played this week, and the good news is this:  They still have 124 games remaining to make up for it.

 

Still, they need to get their collective acts together.  They get hitting and no pitching and lose.  They get good pitching and can’t score and lose.  Perhaps this is the start to getting the pitching in line.  They got pretty good starts against the Tigers, but still were swept.  Cliff Lee was pitching very well Friday night, but as soon as the Tribe tied it up, he gave up three and put the Indians behind 5-2.  This is a growing area of concern for the staff, the inability to shut down the opposition after Cleveland puts runs on the board. 

 

This team needs to get hot.  A good eight wins in ten games would do the trick.  It would also be nice if the Wahoos followed up this weekend’s pitching with a good performance against the Royals and Pirates.  Jason Johnson’s outing was acceptable yesterday, but Jake Westbrook needs to get it going.  He has pretty much been awful since his first two starts of the season.  He could be sent to the ‘pen if he doesn’t get it going, because he can be effective for two or three inning stints.

 

The Indians called up Fausto Carmona to pitch in relief and designated Danny Graves for assignment. Although Carmona might be sent down shortly.   Saying Graves was ineffective is an understatement.  Apparently, Rafael Betancourt will be activated tomorrow, giving Wedge another option in the seventh and eighth innings.  That would move Jason Davis, another shaky proposition earlier in the game.  I have to believe that Scott Sauerbeck is still hanging by a thread as well. 

 

The lineup is still producing almost six runs per game, but Aaron Boone has been a disappointment again so far.  His defense seems to have eroded, as he booted a ball hit right at him on Saturday night.  The ABJ’s Terry Pluto advocates bringing up Andy Marte now.  I can’t say I disagree with him.  Pluto theorizes that Marte’s slow start in Buffalo is a result of being disappointed at being there.

 

There are seven games remaining on this current home stand.  The Indians need to win five to start turning the season around.  There is a long way to go, but the Tribe’s year is teetering.  It’s start to start playing good baseball.  Right now!

 

KM