Here Are Tribe’s Needs For The Stretch Run

The Major League Baseball, referred to by most people as a marathon, not a sprint, has reached the closing kick stage, as the Cleveland Indians have just 15 games remaining.

In fact, when the first place Minnesota Twins come to town Friday night for a big three game series, it will be the beginning of the final home stand of 2019.

Nine more at Progressive Field, and a six game, two city trip to Chicago and Washington, and see if Terry Francona’s squad gets a berth in the post-season tournament.

The Tribe has struggled against both the White Sox and good pitching all season long, so that last week will be a gauntlet to be sure. One thing to hope for is the Nationals might have their playoff spot (they currently hold the top spot in the NL by 2-1/2 games) solidified by the last weekend, putting them in rest/set up their pitching mode for the wild card game.

It would also help if Cleveland can avoid Lucas Giolito for the White Sox series.

As it has been all season, the key for the Indians will be generating enough offense to support the pitching they have had, ranking 2nd in the AL in ERA, just behind Tampa Bay.

We have railed on Jason Kipnis all season long, but no one can doubt the Indians need a strong finish from him, particularly with Jose Ramirez’ injury. The problem is the second baseman has had a 564 OPS vs. teams over .500 compared to 824 against good teams.

Nine of the final 15 games are against the former. They need Kipnis to get hot and stay hot in the final three weeks.

The other player who the Tribe needs to get going is Yasiel Puig. Puig was slugging .475 for Cincinnati (yes, we know about Great American Ballpark) and had an OPS of 777 with the Reds.

He only hit 9 of his 22 National League homers in Cincy.

His OPS for the Indians isn’t far off of that at 759, but instead of driving the ball, he’s been more of an on base guy, at .355 vs. .302 in southern Ohio.

The Indians could use Puig getting hot with the long ball in these last three weeks to help them push runs across the plate.

Puig has 16 RBI in 136 at bats with Cleveland. By contrast, Franmil Reyes, who started slow, has 28 ribbies in 131 at bats. If Puig could start matching Reyes’ production, that would help the lineup immensely.

The other concern is how much gas the bullpen has left.

Brad Hand needs to find the arm slot on his slider, and the sooner, the better. Hitters aren’t swinging at the back foot breaking ball he throws right now, probably because they know it will be a ball.

Hopefully, a few days off will help his tired arm.

Carlos Carrasco was supposed to help and still could, but he’s allowed three HR’s in his five relief appearances since returning to the mound.

The most reliable guys Francona has right now are the two oldest relievers, Tyler Clippard and Oliver Perez.

Clippard, 34, has a 2.25 ERA in the second half, striking out 36 hitters in 32 innings since the All Star Game.

Perez, who just turned 38 recently, has pitched to a 2.57 ERA in 16 innings post All Star break.

The ‘pen needs someone else to be reliable, perhaps Nick Wittgren, a couple of good outings recently, or Nick Goody to get back to where he was in July through mid August.

Or have Carrasco avoid the long ball.

Those are the keys as baseball heads into the stretch run. The Indians are still in the thick of the race, but right now are on the outside looking in.

With a tougher schedule in the last two and a half weeks, Francona needs a few guys to step it up.

September Call Ups (To Date) Shouldn’t Help Much (Outside of Cookie)

Major league rules permit teams to expand their rosters on September 1st, enabling them to carry 40 players if they so choose.

The Cleveland Indians followed those rules on Sunday, activating Carlos Carrasco, a move much anticipated because of Carrasco’s battle with leukemia. It was great to see Cookie on the mound against Tampa and Chicago this week.

The rest of the moves were, quite simply, meh.

You figured Eric Haase would get called up because adding an extra catcher enables Terry Francona to pinch hit or pinch run for whoever starts that night, and he doesn’t have to be on pins and needles because he doesn’t have an alternative.

It is doubtful Haase will get any action with a game in doubt as long as the Tribe remains in the playoff race.

The other call ups were veterans, players who will probably make little impact on a team that right now seems to be gasping for air.

Dan Otero was activated from the 60 day injured list, but he’s a back of the bullpen option at this point, with an ERA of 5.47 and having allowed 37 hits (5 of them home runs) and striking out just 11 in 24-2/3 innings.

James Hoyt may be able to help, although he has a career 4.28 ERA in the major leagues.

The club also called up Ryan Flaherty, who is a lifetime .217 hitter over seven major league seasons. His claim to fame is he’s had success against Cleveland, because if you remove his performance vs. the Tribe over the years, his career average is .210.

If Francona has to give him any playing time, that’s a big problem.

Jake Bauers was brought back too, and probably would have been even if Tyler Naquin didn’t injure his knee last weekend.

While it would be nice if Carrasco could get his legs and become a guy Francona can turn to late in ballgames, it is doubtful any of the other players called up can or will make an impact on the roster.

We have heard about the power arms the Tribe has in Columbus, guys like strikeout machine James Karinchak (42 punchouts, 13 walks in 17-1/3 innings at AAA), Cameron Hill (36 K’s in 24-1/3 frames) and lefty Kyle Nelson (16 strikeouts in 12 innings), but none of these guys can help a recently beleaguered bullpen?

Karinchak not being here is very curious. He was whiffed 66 batters in 27-1/3 innings at AA and AAA this season. That’s an eye popping number.

Yes, he has walked 15 batters, but nine of those came in four appearances, all occurring before August 15th. He’s walked just one in his last six outings.

Why not see if his stuff plays at the big league level? We mean no one else is putting up those kind of numbers in the minor leagues.

In our mind, wouldn’t he be more help during the stretch run than a guy like Otero?

And the Tribe could use another southpaw in relief.

We understand none of the players were going to jump in and be better than the regular players, but on the other hand, they aren’t giving any chances to young players either.

Right now, Carrasco is the lone hope for an impact to the big league club. Francona admitted he might have jumped the gun putting Cookie in a pressure situation so soon. We would have eased him in a little more, with the goal of having him be the set up man around the middle of the month.

Yesterday, Francona said more players may get the call from Columbus before the Clippers’ playoff series is over.

Perhaps a reliever or two, and a bat with some potential? We can hope.

Tribe Leaking Oil, Particularly Hitting and Bullpen

Even when the Cleveland Indians were 11-1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins, we did not give up hope.

We looked at the schedule in June and July and thought there was a very good chance the Tribe would right itself and be able to win some games. In early June, we advised fans to forget about Minnesota and focus on winning, win enough games to get a Wild Card spot.

The Indians did that, and right now have a half game lead over Oakland and Tampa Bay for the top Wild Card spot.

However, right now the last month of the season doesn’t have us feeling quite as confident.

One reason is injuries. Cleveland suffered a huge blow when Jose Ramirez, who was one of the sport’s hottest hitters went down with a broken hamate bone, and is likely lost for the season.

Then Tyler Naquin, hitting well in a platoon role in left, tore his ACL in Tampa Friday night, and he is gone for the remainder of the campaign.

As a whole, the offense was sputtering a bit in August, averaging 4.8 runs per game compared to 5.9 in July, and even down a tad from 4.9 in June, and losing Ramirez doesn’t help that.

Roberto Perez needs some time off, but his glove and handling of pitchers is so valuable, particularly with the young starting pitchers, that you want him in there. But his offense, such a key in the June/July resurgence, has disappeared. He’s hit just .139 (503 OPS) in August.

Yasiel Puig, who started off hot after joining the Tribe, is in a 5 for 45 skid (.111), knocking in just two runs in that timeframe. He hasn’t homered since August 16th in New York.

Jason Kipnis, another big key in the hot streak for the team, is also in a funk, going 8 for his last 48 (.167), although four of those hits have been home runs.

So, the lineup, which seemed lengthened with the acquisitions of Puig and Franmil Reyes, no longer is relentless.

Right now, after Carlos Santana in the #3 hole, the only hitter presenting much of a threat is Reyes, who has started to drive the ball, and is striking out a little bit less.

There is no question fatigue is a factor, particularly in Perez’ case, but if the Indians want to make the post-season, that trio, and Greg Allen too, as he replaced Naquin, have to pick up the slack offensively.

The bullpen has also been struggling lately, not being able to hold teams close twice in the last week (last Sunday vs. KC, last night vs. Tampa). We thought the loss of inning eater Trevor Bauer might cause a ripple effect, and perhaps it has.

However, the bullpen doesn’t have anyone beside Brad Hand that has “ungodly” stuff, and perhaps being a overused a bit causes the pinpoint control to be off a bit, and giving up hits is the result.

Maybe, and we stress maybe, Carlos Carrasco can help in this area.

The front office opted to bring up veterans in the initial call up today, bringing up terrible offensive utility man Ryan Flaherty and James Hoyt, who allowed more hits than innings pitched at AAA this season, along with Carrasco, and journeyman Dan Otero, and catcher Eric Haase.

If the Indians want to get to the playoffs, though, the offense simply has to pick it up. The way the game is played in 2019, having great pitching is not enough.

Royals’ Potential Sale Should Be A Red Flag For Tribe Fans.

Even though they are in the middle of a post-season race, the Cleveland Indians were involved in off the field news yesterday, both good and bad.

The good was the announcement that Carlos Carrasco would be activated on Sunday when the rosters will be expanded, barring any problem with his rehab assignment today in Columbus.

Carrasco will pitch out of the bullpen during September, and he could be a big weapon in relief, potentially as a set up man for Brad Hand.

The other news should be concerning and it isn’t getting a lot of play from the local media.

John Sherman, who joined the Indians as a minority owner in 2016, appears to be close to buying the Kansas City Royals.

Sherman is from KC, and reportedly has been a Royals’ season ticket holder for many years.

If you are someone who is skeptical about the Dolan family ownership of the Indians, you are probably alarmed by this news.

It is not a coincidence that the spike in the Indians’ payroll in 2017 and 2018 came after Sherman bought a piece of the franchise. It has been reported by MLB.com that the minority owner was responsible for that spike.

Rumors that Sherman was no longer part of the organization surfaced in the spring when the payroll was cut from the 2018 level, but in retrospect, the reduction is salaries came from the news that Sherman was in negotiations to buy the Royals.

That should, in itself, be a huge warning signal about the future salary expenditures for the Cleveland Indians.

After trimming $15-$20 million off the payroll a year ago, could there be a similar reduction this winter? After all, the Dolans will have to buy Sherman out assuming he buys the Royals, and we are guessing that’s a substantial amount of cash.

Also, whether they win the AL Central Division or not, the Indians will be one of the top five or six teams in the league after the season, and could be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the post-season.

We have seen the effect on attendance after the payroll trim last season, can you imagine what will happen if let’s say management doesn’t bring back Corey Kluber and heaven forbid, decides to trade Francisco Lindor because the want to pay less in salaries than they did in 2019?

Before you say we are over-reacting, if the reason for the high payrolls in ’17 and ’18 were because of Sherman, then can’t you infer another cut is coming? Certainly, there will not be an increase in the players’ salaries.

Will the Dolans look for another investor to take Sherman’s place, or will Sherman sell his shares in the Indians to another person who is willing to spend?

Remember, the mega trade at the deadline which moved Trevor Bauer for what appears to be a huge haul, actually saved the Tribe money in 2019. It wasn’t a financial move to “go for it”.

So, keep an eye on these Kansas City negotiations. A close eye. Because the near future of the Cleveland Indians franchise and the Dolan ownership should be under close scrutiny.

Or maybe this is the first step in a full sale of the franchise. Either way, it should be concerning for Tribe fans.

Tribe Has To Stay With Hand

First of all, Brad Hand has saved the last two games, and now has 31 on the year.

He’s blown five saves this season, and four of them have come since the All Star break. And when you are in a pennant race, everything is magnified, and when you lose games you had the lead in going into the ninth inning, it’s a huge deal.

However, Terry Francona is right when he says the Indians cannot run away from Brad Hand if they want to get to the post-season and go deep into October. They need Hand to be the guy he was in April and May.

Since Hand went to San Diego in 2016, he has been one of the game’s best closers, striking out more than 100 hitters in each of the last three seasons, and he’s fanned 77 in 53 innings this season.

But the real reason the Francona and the Tribe can’t go away from the lefty is they really don’t have any options.

While the Indians statistically have the best bullpen in the sport, they are doing it without the power arms one usually associates with a closer.

Think about it, who would Francona use as an alternative to Hand?

Nick Wittgren has been the guy the skipper has gone to when Hand wasn’t available because of high usage, but he’s allowed four home runs in the last two months of the season (he’s allowed seven all year), and closers have to stay away from the long ball (Hand has allowed 5 HR).

Plus, even though Wittgren has struck out a hitter per inning this season, he’s not considered a strikeout pitcher.

Nick Goody has been outstanding since coming up in May (1.93 ERA, 20 hits allowed in 32-1/3 innings), but he relies more on his breaking ball. Still, he might be the guy Francona goes to today if the Indians have a lead late.

Tyler Clippard is a guy Francona has been trusting more and more, he pitched the 8th inning last night, and he has a 2.52 ERA, allowing just 31 hits in 50 innings, whiffing 47, but he’s another guy who knows how to pitch. He’s closed before, but the last time was 2015.

The ageless Oliver Perez continues to amaze both fans and hitters with his array of deliveries and arm angles, but he and Adam Cimber are more situational pitchers at this point in time in their careers.

Hunter Wood and Phil Maton are the newest members of the bullpen, and are too new for Francona to bring into the game in the 9th inning, although Wood has started to be used in some high leverage situations.

We are also sure some fans will say what about James Karinchak, who in 24-1/3 innings at AA and AAA has struck out 58 hitters, but do you really want to put an unproven rookie in the high pressure spot of saving games right away?

If he comes up, Francona will use him in low leverage situations at first before trying him with the game on the line.

As for the comeback of Carlos Carrasco, which would be great for him and a great story, our guess is at least at the beginning, Tito will use him as a set up guy, in the 7th or 8th inning.

By the time he’s back, Hand may have solved his issues.

Our point is that it’s easy to say remove Hand as the closer, but it’s another to say who should take his place. There isn’t really an alternative on the current roster.

Tribe Slump Needs To End Quick

When you are in a pennant race, and the Cleveland Indians are in one, if you have a slump, it cannot last very long.

That’s why the Indians need to stem the tide right away. They’ve now lost seven of their last nine games, and where they led the AL Central Division by a half game after a win over the Red Sox on August 13th, they are now three and a half games behind the Twins.

After that win, they had a two and a half game edge on Tampa Bay and a four and a half game bulge on Oakland, who would have been the first team out of the playoffs.

Today, they are on the outside looking in, a half game behind the Rays and A’s. That’s what happens when you have a bad week in a race for a playoff spot. What was once a comfortable lead, is now down to nail biting levels.

Now, Tampa Bay and Oakland are capable of having bad weeks too, but that’s their problem. The Indians have to pull them out of this themselves.

There are several issues at play here.

First, the offense was supposed to be bolstered with the acquisitions of Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes at the trade deadline, but the runs scored has dropped from 5.91 runs per game in July to 4.8 in August, and the latter figure includes the 19 run outburst in the first game at Yankee Stadium, otherwise they are scoring just 4.1 runs per game.

Roberto Perez has slumped at the plate, but his defense and handling of the staff is so valuable, he has to be in the lineup.

No doubt the Tribe misses Jordan Luplow vs. lefties, and the offense has become home run or bust recently. To us, it seems the patience at the plate has been lost, especially with runners in scoring position.

And quite frankly, to this point, Reyes hasn’t helped, hitting .154 with 26 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances.

The pitching has held up pretty well, even after the trade of Trevor Bauer. Cleveland allowed 4.27 runs in June, when they started playing well, 3.13 runs in July, and 3.81 runs in August, despite playing the high powered offenses of the Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees.

The team looks a little tired too. Coming from 11.5 games out to hold the lead in the division (at least for a day), took a toll, and with Terry Francona wanting an eight man bullpen, it doesn’t allow a rest for the non-platoon players, like Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana.

We feel the weariness is part of the reason for the sloppy play defensively over the past week.

Yes, the Indians have a home stand against the Royals this weekend and then go to the Detroit for another troika of games, but Tampa Bay follows that, and then a home set with the White Sox, who have been tough on the Indians.

It’s was inevitable that the Tribe cooled off after being so hot in June and July. If they would have played .500 ball over a 20 game stretch, that would have been fine, but if you are going to lose seven of nine, you have to respond with a winning streak.

That’s the new challenge for the 2019 edition of the Cleveland Indians.

It’s A Pennant Race For Tribe, But Relax

It’s late August, and the Cleveland Indians are in a pennant race.

Actually, they are in two races. Most importantly, the AL Central Division is up for grabs, with the Minnesota Twins having a 2-1/2 game lead over the Tribe with 37 games left to play.

The two teams have six more games with each other, with an equal split between Cleveland and Minneapolis.

The Indians also are involved in a race for the wild card berths. They hold the top spot right now (meaning they would host the game) and lead Oakland by 2-1/2 games and Boston by eight in those standings.

We understand scoreboard watching is fun and it is interesting to see how Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Boston are doing on a daily basis, but we would caution it is too early to be overly concerned.

Why? Because there is a long way to go. And despite what some people think, none of the other teams are going to go 37-0 from here on out. All five teams, including the Indians are going to lose games.

The old adage is true. These teams want to just keep winning series. They can’t afford to panic losing games. Heck, before Sunday’s win against the Yankees, the Indians had just lost four of five.

Yeah, they went from a half game up to 2-1/2 down, but they are well within striking distance.

A good week for the Indians and a bad week for the Twins would put Terry Francona’s squad right back into first place.

Of course, this is all based on the Indians continuing to pile up victories, and after this week’s series with the Mets, 10 of the next 13 games for the Tribe are against the Royals, Tigers, and White Sox.

Likely, the final standings will come down to can the Twins dominate the Royals and Tigers like the Indians did, and can the Tribe improve their performance against the White Sox.

Cleveland has won 12 of 13 games vs. Detroit and won 10 of the last 13 against Kansas City. To date, the Twins are 6-3 vs. Detroit and 9-3 against the Royals.

However, the Indians have struggled vs. Chicago so far, losing seven of 12, where as Minnesota is 7-3 in contests with the Pale Hose.

For the Tribe, it could come down to how many times they see Lucas Giolito, and how they fare against him. He has dominated Cleveland in his two starts in 2019, while the Twins knocked him around when they faced him in late July.

Regardless, they have to improve their performance against Chicago. To be fair, they haven’t played the Sox since the offense started putting up more runs.

It’s been awhile since there has been an honest to goodness pennant race in Cleveland, so obsessing about the standings on a day by day basis isn’t healthy.

Until the two teams meet at Target Field on September 6th-8th, look at where the Tribe is on a weekly basis, that is as long as the Indians are winning. A losing streak is cause for concern for sure, but if the Indians keep winning series, they will be fine.

And it could be one of those years where winning 95 games doesn’t win the division. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

How Tribe Can Keep Lindor And Still Win

We have maintained for awhile now that the Cleveland Indians should most definitely get a long term contract done with Francisco Lindor, and the money shouldn’t be an object.

We understand it will take a major financial commitment to keep the All Star shortstop, with the Tribe having to pay him over $30 million per year.

One of the arguments we hear against this is teams can’t devote a large percentage of their payroll to one player and remain competitive, particularly if they are not a large market franchise.

We feel there are exceptions to every “rule”, and Lindor should be that exception.

Besides, it can done if your front office is smart, and you continue to develop your farm system.

Two contracts are always brought up in this regard.

The first is Joey Votto’s 10-year, $225 million deal with the Reds, signed in 2013. Votto was entering his 29-year-old season that year, and has given Cincinnati five very good to excellent years to this point, although at 35, he is showing signs of age this year.

Cincinnati hasn’t been over .500 since ’13, but that is hardly Votto’s fault.

You could make a very good and valid point, that the problem was the organization having a $50 million commitment to 32-year-old Brandon Phillips, and giving $56 million to Homer Bailey, who was injured and terrible over the next five seasons.

Those are mistakes you cannot mistake if you want to win.

Their farm system has ranked between 11th and 14th (MinorLeagueBall.com ranking) since the contract was signed, and the only young position player making an impact was catcher Devon Mesoraco. All the other regulars were 26-32.

Their top prospect was Billy Hamilton, who flamed out, but by 2016, they added Eugenio Suarez (from the Tigers in a trade) and Tucker Barnhart. And they didn’t add a solid pitching prospect until they added Luis Castillo in a deal with the Marlins in 2017.

Another example pointed out is look at the Angels with Mike Trout, who has unfortunately made the post-season once in his eight years with Los Angeles.

Of course, the Angels have the Albert Pujols albatross contract, but they’ve made some questionable big money signings too.

They paid Ricky Nolasco $12 million for the two seasons, and in 2018, gave Zack Cozart, who had one good season in his career, a three year, $38 million deal.

If you are going to pay a superstar big money, you can’t pay mediocre players substantial bucks, or it does hamstring your franchise.

The Angels’ farm system is on the rise, thanks to Jo Adell, but they ranked between 28th and 30th from 2015 to 2017, before moving up to 20th last season.

As for the Indians, the farm system has ranked 21st in 2015, then 13th in ’16, 10th in ’17, and 15th last season. By most accounts, following the deadline deal which brought Logan Allen, along with the development of players in the low minors, Cleveland has a top ten system.

This is important because it keeps bringing low cost talent on to the big league roster. And if those players can make a solid contribution, like Aaron Civale and Oscar Mercado, it allows you to keep a high priced player like Lindor.

As for not getting involved with bad contracts, Jason Kipnis’ deal is over after this season (Cleveland will not pick up the option), and Corey Kluber’s and Carlos Santana’s end after 2021.

The only “star” player who will be eligible for arbitration by then is Mike Clevinger.

This gives the Indians plenty of payroll flexibility providing they don’t go out and overspend on a young player or potential free agent. History says they will not do that, they have proven to be very smart is this regard.

But you can’t ignore player development and this includes trading solid prospects for borderline players in a pennant race.

The blueprint is there to keep Lindor and still be a competitive franchise while paying him big money. It’s not impossible, you just have to be very prudent.

Today’s Baseball From An “Old Guy” Perspective

We were discussing the Indians’ recent winning streak with a group of friends the other night, and the talk turned to the state of baseball in general and how different the game is now than when we were growing up.

Now, before you go further, without giving away our ages, we remember when the Tribe wore the vested uniforms with the red shirts underneath, and the strength of the team was the starting rotation of Sam McDowell, Sonny Siebert, and Luis Tiant.

True confession, we aren’t “get off my lawn” guys either. In fact, several of us knew about OPS and sabermetrics for over 30 years, and respect that view of the game.

The chat started with RBIs, which has been reduced in value as a statistic in today’s game along with batting average, and the lack of “RBI men” in today’s game.

We didn’t know who even led the league in ribbies right now, because no one talks about it. It’s all about OPS and slugging percentage, etc.

(The current leader is Pittsburgh’s Josh Bell with 98, followed by Freddie Freeman and Eduardo Escobar with 96. Rafael Devers, who tortured the Tribe this week, leads the AL with 94).

We know people think now that runs batted in is a product of getting more opportunities to do so, but we watched Manny Ramirez drive in 165, the most by anyone in the big leagues since 1938.

Yes, yes, Ramirez batted behind Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, and Roberto Alomar, who got on base a ton.

But Ramirez put the ball in play a lot of times to knock in runs with ground balls, fly balls, and base hits. He did hit for a .333 average that season.

We recently read that five worst home run to RBI ratios all time are held by active players. That comes from the notion now that strikeouts are fine, and putting the ball in play with a runner on third with less than two out is passe.

We still consider guys who hit for a high batting average very good hitters. Heck, we had one with the Indians for the past few years, and Michael Brantley ranks 5th in MLB in that stat at .328. But, those guys get overlooked because they don’t walk enough.

A similar case can be made for the Mets’ Jeff McNeil, who didn’t get to the bigs until he was 26 despite a .311 batting average in the minors, because he didn’t walk or drive the ball.

We commented that the Red Sox lineup is relentless because they have put together a lineup where everyone, save for CF Jackie Bradley Jr., hits .280 or better.

By contrast, the Tribe’s lineup has improved, but Terry Francona can only put three such players in his batting order: Frankie Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Tyler Naquin.

The Indians have put a premium on contact in the past few drafts, looking for players who are hitters first, and figuring they can teach driving the ball, much like Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

The problem in our eyes is the number of hitters who swing for the fences that probably shouldn’t be. A player like Rougned Odor with Texas comes to mind.

Odor has belted 69 homers since the beginning of the 2017 season, but has hit .204 in ’17 and currently this season. Wouldn’t he be a better player for the Rangers hitting less home runs and getting on base more often? He has a lifetime .292 on base percentage.

The game has changed for sure, but we aren’t sure it’s for the better. Striking out used to be embarrassing. Maybe it should be again.

Revivals And Rookies Key Tribe Hot Streak

No matter when you think it started, there is no question the Cleveland Indians have been blistering hot for over two months to climb back into the American League Central Division race.

We like to point to May 28th, when the Tribe was trailing Boston in the ninth inning 5-2, heading to their 8th loss in nine games, when they rallied for five runs and won 7-5. Cleveland is 43-20 since.

Others point to the first game after the White Sox series, where they lost three of four. Looking at a homestand where they were playing the Twins, Yankees, and Reds, they took two of three vs. first place Minnesota. They are 41-17 in that span.

It doesn’t matter what date you start, there is no question the revival can be traced to the renaissance of some veteran players and the emergence of some rookies.

Oscar Mercado made his major league debut on May 14th after a strong spring training and great start in AAA. He hit his first home run on May 26th, and became an everyday player when the team went to Boston, which was the 27th.

The rook is currently in a 2 for 18 slide, which happens to rookies, but overall has hit .277 (768 OPS) and has fit nicely into the #2 hole in the lineup between Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana.

This is a gigantic upgrade from the 619 OPS they were getting from Leonys Martin.

Zach Plesac made his major league debut that turn around game in Boston, and has proved to be a reliable starter since, going 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA.

He’s allowed more than three runs just three times in 13 starts, and one of those resulted in a win vs. Houston. He pitched at least five innings in 11 of those appearances, and one of those was because of a rain delay situation.

While Mercado helped the offense, the hitting still needed help and a couple of veterans got it going.

Jason Kipnis, who on June 6th was hitting .206 with a 565 OPS, starting hitting like he did in 2016. Since June 1st, he’s hit .281 with 9 home runs and 43 RBI.

That helped lengthen the lineup.

It also was helped when a player who has finished in the top three in the MVP voting the past two seasons, emerged from a slump that dated back to mid August of 2018.

On June 12th, Jose Ramirez was batting .198 with a 586 OPS. Since then, Ramirez has played like one of the best hitters in the game, batting .319 with 12 HR and 43 RBI.

His revival has made a huge difference and with the deal that brought Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes to Cleveland at the deadline, the Indians should have an offense which measures up to the other contenders in the American League.

Another rookie, Aaron Civale, has given Terry Francona and his staff two solid starts and will be counted on to do the same until Corey Kluber, who should return to the rotation by the end of the month, is ready.

And let’s not overlook the contributions of Nick Goody (1.30 ERA), the OF platoon of Tyler Naquin and Jordan Luplow, and Greg Allen (.293).

A team needs the contributions of many to be this hot for this long. The Indians have had that and will continue to need it over the last month and a half of this season.

Overcoming an 11.5 game lead to tie for the division lead is one thing. But you have to finish the job and they are still 45 games remaining.

If the rookies can keep performing and Kipnis and Ramirez can stay hot, the AL Central title can be achieved.