Whoever Is Managing The Tribe: Stop The Bunting Madness!

You might think the Cleveland Indians lead the American League in sacrifice bunts, but you would be wrong. They are actually fourth. The Royals, Angels, and surprisingly the White Sox all have more sacrifices than the Tribe’s 18 for the season.

On the other hand, the top four teams in AL in runs scored have all moved runners over via the bunt less than ten times each. Chicago is fifth in runs scored, but the Twins are sixth, and they have sacrificed seven times.

Good offensive teams don’t bunt often. Now, that could be a “chicken or the egg” argument, but it is frustrating to many fans that the Indians try to sacrifice as much as they do.

The only way to measure a baseball game is the number of outs. It famously has no clock. So, it seems very strange to give up an out when most times, it really doesn’t enhance your ability to score.

The latest example came up Saturday in a 2-2 game in the seventh inning after Oscar Mercado led off with an infield hit, and Andres Gimenez, who was trying to bunt, walked to put runners on first and second with no one out and the top of the order coming up.

Myles Straw, hitting .277 right now, and with a .336 OBP was asked to lay one down and popped up to the pitcher, making the first out, and not moving the runners.

First, Straw makes good contact and has tremendous speed, so his chances of being doubled up on a ground ball are pretty slim. Why ask one of your better hitters to deliberately make an out?

When we first started following baseball, early in games, if a leadoff hitter got on base in the first inning, the #2 hole hitter would bunt him over for the three hole hitter, traditionally the best hitter on the team. And in those days, that guy was a .300 hitter, meaning he had a reasonable chance to get a hit.

We understand the game isn’t played like that anymore. But several times this season, the Indians have sacrificed when the next hitter is batting in the low .200’s. Why give up an out for that situation?

We also get that you don’t want to bunt someone over when it opens first base and the opposing team will likely walk the next hitter. Really, for the Indians, that means not taking the bat out of Jose Ramirez’ hands, so Amed Rosario should never be bunting.

And giving up an out early in a game, particularly when the other team’s pitcher is average or below average is just dumb. Last week, the Indians were trying to bunt in the first three innings of a game started by Texas’ Jordan Lyles, who came into the game with an ERA over 5.00.

There is an old baseball adage that says when you play for one run, sometimes you get just that, one run. And there is a time for doing that, usually in the late innings of a tie game, where one run gives you a victory.

Otherwise, let players swing the bat. They might just NOT make an out.

Does Straw Solve The Leadoff Puzzle?

At the trade deadline, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff made on trade that didn’t involve getting a prospect when they moved reliever Phil Maton and a minor league catcher to Houston for centerfielder Myles Straw.

So far, so good for Straw, who has played 21 games for Cleveland, batting .318 with a .389 on base percentage. For the entire season, the right-handed hitter has a .273 average and gets on base at a .349 clip.

That figure is slightly better than his career mark of .342, over 217 games.

If Straw can continue to get on base at this clip, could he solve the leadoff problem the Indians have had since Grady Sizemore was injured?

Since Terry Francona arrived in 2013, it seems like the Tribe has been searching for a leadoff hitter. That season, Michael Bourn was the primary lead off man, doing the job in 124 games. Bourn had the look of a guy who should fit in the top spot, and in the previous seasons to ’13, he did have close to a .350 OBP.

Bourn got on base just 31.6% of the time, a figure that ranked 5th among the everyday players. He led off 104 times the next season (2014) with a .314 OBP, which was 4th best on the team.

Remember, those squads included on base machine Carlos Santana, but Francona favored having the switch-hitter with more pop in his bat (47 HR in these two seasons) lower in the lineup.

In 2015, Jason Kipnis was the primary guy at the top of the order, taking over the role in late April and was the leadoff man for 121 games. It was the smart move as he was second on the team in OBP, behind only Michael Brantley, who was the primary #3 hole batter. He also contributed 59 extra base hits, including 43 doubles.

When Cleveland won the American League pennant in 2016, Francona used kind of a platoon situation at the top of the order. Against lefties, Rajai Davis played center and when he played, he hit first. When a right-hander started, Tyler Naquin played CF, and Santana was the leadoff man in 85 games.

Santana had his usual excellent on base percentage, ranking second on the team at .366. Davis didn’t really get on base that much, even against southpaws, but it was old school thinking putting a speed guy at the top of the order.

Francisco Lindor moved into the leadoff spot in August of 2017 (in total, he led off 63 games), but he ranked 5th in OBP, behind Santana, Brantley, Jose Ramirez, and Edwin Encarnacion. Francona liked the pop, but really the Indians took off after Lindor started hitting first, going 42-9 after the move, including the 22 game winning streak.

Lindor stayed at the spot until early last year until even though his on base percentage didn’t really fit the spot, his best year was .352 in ’18, and dropping into the .330 range from then on. We always felt Lindor should hit lower in the order, and advocated for Santana to be there.

Francona tried to use Cesar Hernandez there to start last season, but switched back to Lindor late in the season in an effort to get him going offensively.

He used Ben Gamel and Jordan Luplow early this season before going back to Hernandez, but the second baseman’s ability to get on base waned, dropping to .307 before they got Straw from Houston.

Mike Hargrove used to say if you have a leadoff man and a clean up hitter, you have the basis for a solid lineup. With Franmil Reyes in the #4 hole, perhaps Straw gives the Indians a traditional leadoff hitter. Someone who is perfect for the role, and not a better fit somewhere else.

It’s early to be sure, but the early returns are promising for Myles Straw. He could fill the leadoff role perfectly in 2022.

Who Among The Young Tribe Is Stepping Up?

With the Cleveland Indians basically treading water right now, hovering right around the .500 mark for the season, the balance of the schedule has become important for other reasons. Mostly, it is a chance for a bunch of unproven players to make their mark and get a leg up on a roster spot in 2022.

Who is taking advantage of the opportunity? We wouldn’t completely rule out anyone is has struggled, but certainly there are players seizing the moment.

Bradley Zimmer is one of them. The 28-year-old former first round draft pick has certainly done his part to say don’t forget about me. He’s hit .284 with 5 HR and an 847 OPS since the All Star break. He’s still striking out a lot (30 times in his last 87 at bats), but is making an impact at the plate and the glove, mostly playing RF since Myles Straw was acquired.

Speaking of Straw, he’s made a good impression since his arrival in town, batting .289 with a .365 on base percentage in a Tribe uniform. Frankly, we would like to see him (and his teammates who have speed) start running more often. And his defense has been excellent in CF.

We kind of think of Ernie Clement as a utility man type, able to play all the infield spots, and play them well. He’s made a number of outstanding plays at third already this season. At the plate, he’s been okay perhaps some people have expected, hitting .250, including a couple of home runs. He’s earning the trust of the coaching staff and getting more playing time.

When Daniel Johnson was sent back to AAA a couple of weeks ago, we felt it was strange because he was actually starting the swing the bat much better. Since the break, he’s gone 10 for 32 with three dingers, meaning before the 2 for 4 Tuesday, he was 8 for 28 before he was sent down. He needs to be more selective, walking only once, but it appears he’s starting to get comfortable in The Show.

As for the players who have not yet taken the bull by the horns, Oscar Mercado continues to struggle, batting just .191 (550 OPS). The outfielder is walking more (11 times vs. 13 K’s in 89 at bats), but he’s not getting hits. His defense has been very good, but he needs to start raising his on base percentage, which sits at .280.

Owen Miller’s minor league numbers are impressive (.300 lifetime batting average and over 800 OPS), and we still believe he will hit at the major league level, but he continues to struggle, hitting .190 (578 OPS) in the second half. He is being more patient at the plate, and perhaps that is a portend he is feeling more at ease in the majors.

Bobby Bradley burst into the big leagues this season with a bang, but the slumps associated with someone who strikes out as much as he has have cropped up. Currently out with the knee injury, the slugger has gone 7 for 46 since the break, striking out 26 times vs. five walks. Power or no, you can’t earn regular playing time with that kind of production.

Andres Gimenez joined the team just a couple of weeks ago, but hasn’t shown much of a difference in his production, going just 4 for 24 since his recall. He has walked six times vs. one strikeout, so that is a good sign for him.

The opportunity to stake a claim to be a Guardian is right there for these players. Can they close the season doing enough that the front office wants to see more?

Seeing Bieber, Civale On Mound In Games Is Important

We see the weekly reports. Aaron Civale threw off the mound, Shane Bieber threw pitches with a weighted ball. The top two pitchers in the Cleveland rotation continue to make slow, but steady progress overcoming their injuries.

The question to be asked though, is should the Indians’ front office just shutdown the two hurlers and let them start getting ready for spring training?

We think it is important that both get out on a big league mound and make at least a couple of starts before the regular season ends.

Obviously, it doesn’t make a difference in terms of the team’s record. The Tribe is currently under the .500 mark and is over 10 games out in the AL Central Division standings and currently sit nine games out in the wild card race.

And really, if you are under the break even mark, sentences involving the words “playoffs” and “chances” should not be allowed.

That said, why shouldn’t the front office simply let their two aces recover and start getting ready and being healthy for the 2022 season?

First, look in the dugout of most Indians’ games these days. There are Bieber and Civale watching, sitting with the other starters, as is kind of a tradition among the Cleveland starters. They watch bullpen sessions as a group, and share a comradery. And Bieber is most definitely the leader of the group, in his position as reigning Cy Young Award winner and staff ace.

Perhaps the two young veterans want to show the younger guys, like Triston McKenzie and Eli Morgan, that the season lasts 162 games, there are no shortcuts. You start in February and you play it out until September, and if you are lucky enough, throughout October.

That’s the responsibility of leadership.

Then there is the confidence that the two hurlers have recovered from their problems and can go into the off-season feeling good that in Civale’s case, his finger is good, and in Bieber’s case, his shoulder is strong enough to do their normal off-season workouts.

And to us, it isn’t just enough to make just one start before the campaign ends. Let both rebuild their arm strength enough so they can each make three or four turns through the rotation.

Now, we aren’t saying to be stupid, and allow either to throw 120 pitches during a contest that doesn’t have an impact as far as post-season possibilities go. We would be very careful with the pair’s workload. But getting both Bieber and Civale out on the mound would be good for both the organization and the two players.

And just one start isn’t enough either. Both need to know going into the winter that they can make their regular turn without concern. Again, we understand it is not like going through the meat of the schedule, but it would show both the finger and shoulder issues are no longer a hinderance.

Besides, what’s the upside of shutting both down for the season? It’s not like football or basketball where is it is extremely helpful to get a higher draft pick? Baseball’s amateur draft doesn’t carry the same weight in that regard.

And although the organization is taking a good look at a lot of young players, it isn’t like Cleveland is “tanking”.

It doesn’t mean much in terms of the standings and quite frankly, whether or not the Indians finish second or third in the AL Central is kind of inconsequential. But knowing Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale have healed and can be counted on for 2022 is important.

That’s why it would be good to see them out on the mound in September, at least for a couple of starts.

Tribe Agrees To Lease, On To Other Worries

Last week, the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) announced they have extended their lease for 15 additional years, through the 2038 season, with options to extend in five year increments beyond that time.

We were concerned about the extension because of all of the other news surrounding the baseball team over the past few seasons, namely the slashing (note, we didn’t use the word cutting) of the club’s payroll for players, and the departure of minority owner John Sherman, who purchased the Kansas City Royals.

We also found the lack of marketing by the team puzzling over the past few years. It was greeted by many fans as a sign the team would not be staying in Cleveland past the end of the current lease in 2023.

The fact ownership didn’t understand this is par for the course, as they are extremely tone deaf to what the fans want.

As part of the deal, the county and state governments are contributing to renovations and the modernization of Progressive Field, which is now 27 years old, which is hard to believe. And hopefully, one of the renovations is changing the eyesore in the right field upper deck.

Funny how the name change was announced and the government ponied up some money, right?

Seemingly each time the Cleveland payroll is mentioned, a corresponding comment is made by the team, and the supporters of the ownership, about the attendance, which has dropped since 2017’s 2.05 million figure to 1.74 million the last time fans were allowed in the ballpark at full capacity for a full season.

Keep in mind, that 2019 is a higher figure than in any year between 2012-16. So, depending on your perspective, more people are coming to games over the past ten years.

Perhaps one problem the team has is in conjunction with having the second lowest payroll in the sport this season, according to ticketiq.com they have the seventh highest average ticket price. We weren’t a business major in college, but we think it is safe to say if people aren’t buying your product, one reason could be that your price is too high.

Surely, they should realize getting 28,000 people at $40.00 per ticket is better than getting 20,000 paying $50.00 to get in, no?

We have said this many times over the past few years, but there is plenty of interest in northeast Ohio’s major league baseball team, the television ratings show that. However, fans don’t seem to want to go to Progressive Field.

If it were our team, we would be doing research to find out why.

Could be ticket prices or it could be the dynamic seating concept, or it could be things like closing the concession stands after the first game of a twi-night doubleheader, closing souvenir stands right after the game concludes, or having problems getting people inside the park?

How many times do you see a Sunday afternoon crowd trying to get in through the gates while the game in starting? Do they think these people also arrive late at movies so they can deliberately miss the first few minutes?

The good news is the Indians/Guardians will be playing on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario through 2038. Hopefully, the World Series drought hasn’t reached 90 years by then.

Tribe Season Now Is About Getting Answers

In the middle of June, the Cleveland Indians looked like a team that could challenge the White Sox for the AL Central Division title, and be in the mix for a post-season berth.

After beating Minnesota on June 24th, the Tribe was ten games over .500 at 41-31 just two games behind Chicago. Yes, they seemed to be doing it with mirrors, but they were winning.

On the other hand, you felt it was a matter of time before the injuries to the starting pitching staff would take its toll.

Cleveland lost 11 of their next 12 games and the team fell 8 games off the pace.

Suddenly, the rest of this season becomes about not just winning baseball games, but also finding out things, getting answers of players.

We would think based on the current players in the organization, the only positions that can be etched in stone for 2022: Jose Ramirez at 3B, Franmil Reyes at DH, and probably Myles Straw in CF.

Here are questions to be asked, and our thoughts on the answers.

Can Bobby Bradley claim a regular job heading into spring training 2022? To us, the key to that is can Bradley develop enough plate discipline. He’s more patient for sure, but it hasn’t translated into drawing walks. His strikeouts are down a bit (40.8% to 35.6%) and walks are up (8.2% to 10.3%) from his brief appearance in 2019.

You can live with the strikeouts if he can draw more walks, but can he do that.

Our guess is the Tribe will be looking for someone else to play the spot, perhaps Josh Naylor?, in 2022.

Can Owen Miller figure in the mix? His minor league pedigree (.305 batting average, 818 OPS) say he should be able to, but he’s hitting .139 in 72 at bats thus far. Since getting called back up, he been slightly better (5 for 21, 3 walks), but has to start putting together consistent at bats.

We’d give him a long look because of those minor league numbers. The Indians could use a solid bat, and need to see if Miller can be one.

What’s the future of Amed Rosario? Rosario has one of the higher batting averages on the team, and he has great speed, but he doesn’t walk (just 23 in 405 plate appearances) and really doesn’t provide any pop. His 697 OPS is below league average and his defense at short has been very shaky.

With Andres Gimenez back up, it will be interesting to see how Rosario is used. The Tribe has to feel Gimenez is the better glove, so where does that leave Rosario? Especially when they have to see what Miller can do with consistent at bats.

We get that isn’t a popular opinion, but we don’t see Rosario in the long term future for the Tribe.

What about the outfield? Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff didn’t get Straw to sit, he’s going to get everyday playing time in CF. So, can someone out of Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, Harold Ramirez, and even Daniel Johnson seize a spot for next year?

Remember, Zimmer is the oldest of that quartet at 29, Johnson the youngest at 25. Like it or not, that could be a determining factor. We are sure that management would love it if one of them got hot at the plate and take a job. Right now, only Ramirez is even average with a bat in his hand.

The front office has to find out the answers to these questions because otherwise they will likely be stuck with the same logjam when they take the field in Goodyear next February.

The dynamic of the team and the coaching staff will still be to win as maybe games as they can, but with an eye on development of these players, some of whom aren’t as young as you think. As Antonetti says, it’s like threading the eye of a needle.

Starting Pitching Hasn’t Been The Issue For Tribe

The Cleveland Indians lost the top three members of their starting rotation, so many people might think their 6-9 record after the All Star Game is due to the loss of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, and Zach Plesac, who has since returned to the rotation.

It’s really not, though. Since the break, Tribe starters have allowed three runs or less nine times, and limited the opponents to four runs in 12 of the 15 contests.

So, the starters are doing their job in terms of keeping the Indians in the game each night.

Cal Quantrill has been the staff leader since the break, making four starts, allowing one run in each of them, totaling 23 innings. He is making a big claim to keep a spot in the rotation when everyone is healthy.

Plesac has built up his workload after coming back from his thumb fracture, and has made three starts, including the longest outing by a starter, 6-2/3 frames against Tampa on July 23rd. He’s pitched 17-2/3 innings in three starts, allowing eight runs.

Both Quantrill and Plesac are giving the team some length, which is easing the burden on an increasingly weary bullpen.

Eli Morgan has made three starts, and although he hasn’t been dominant, he kept Cleveland in games, allowing three runs or less in each and giving the manager at least five innings.

The down side for the rotation has been JC Mejia and Triston McKenzie. The latter had a great outing vs. the Rays (6 IP, 2 ER, 6 K’s), but in his other two outings, he allowed five and six runs in four inning stints. In his last start, Saturday night vs. the White Sox, the control issues that have plagued him all year raised up again, walking three in four frames.

In his previous three starts, McKenzie issued just one free pass.

Mejia continues to show he shouldn’t be starting big league games at this time. He’s made three post all star starts, allowing 13 runs in just under 15 innings. We don’t understand why, even if this experimental point in the season, management keeps running him out there.

It can’t be helping the kid’s confidence.

The problem continues to be the hitting. Outside of Saturday’s 12 run explosion in Chicago, the Tribe hitters have mustered more than four runs just three times. Dating back to June 19th, a span of 35 games, the Indians have scored five or more tallies just nine times, and three of those came in losses.

Keep in mind, the American League average for runs scored per game is 4.56, so five runs is just slightly above the norm. We aren’t asking for much.

It is amazing that even without the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner and the guy who was leading the AL in wins when he was injured, the starting pitchers have held up their end of the bargain.

The Indians might be the only team in the majors who could lose three starting pitchers for a lengthy period of time and still not have that area be the weakness of the team.

Keep in mind, the front office added two more starters at the AA level at the trade deadline as well.

It’s pretty clear what needs to be done over the winter. We also might find some solutions with the young players who will get ample playing time the rest of this season.

There is no question this team has struggled over the last six weeks, but since the break, starting pitching hasn’t been the issue.

An Intriguing Week For The Tribe, To Be Sure.

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline at the end of July, Tribe fans had to know it would be an eventful week, and it lived up to the billing.

Yes, team president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff made some deals, but the big news was the announcement that Terry Francona was leaving the team for health reasons, and would not be back this season.

Francona’s health has now caused him to miss parts of the last two seasons, and we hope that he gets the medical attention he needs and will be back in the dugout for Opening Day 2022. And if he chooses to retire, his next stop will be Cooperstown.

Many Indians’ fans have decried the trades as throwing in the towel on the season or as ownership cutting more payroll.

Let’s face it, the Tribe has an uphill battle to make the post-season, but that doesn’t mean they won’t keep battling for interim skipper DeMarlo Hale, and although Cesar Hernandez and Eddie Rosario were among the highest paid players on the team, it’s not exactly like they were having all-star caliber seasons.

Hernandez did have a career high in home runs, but his on base percentage was down almost 50 points from a year ago and almost 40 points from his career mark. And his defense noticeably dipped as well. So, the team will get a look at youngsters Owen Miller and/or Andres Gimenez, although when the latter comes up it should be to play shortstop.

Would we be shocked if either provided more offensively than Hernandez? We would answer only slightly.

As for Rosario, everyone was excited by his signing because of the way he hit against Cleveland as a member of the Minnesota Twins. That Eddie Rosario didn’t show up this season, certainly in terms of power. His slugging percentage is almost 100 points less than his days in the Twin Cities.

He was second on the team in RBIs when he was injured, so he did contribute there.

Still, the team’s production at both positions was below league average, and in the case of Rosario, he was unlikely to be back in 2022.

Both of those moves were predictable, but the other two deals weren’t to us. We figured a reliever might be moved, but most thought it would be Bryan Shaw. However, it was underutilized (at least to us) Phil Maton that went to Houston for a very intriguing piece in CF Myles Straw.

Straw was the Astros primary centerfielder, hitting .262 with a 665 OPS. He’s got speed, currently 4th in the American League in steals. Oddly, Straw didn’t like hitting in Minute Maid Park, compiling a .297 batting average and 739 OPS on the road. Hopefully, that’s the guy the Indians will see.

What does Straw means for the future of Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and even Daniel Johnson in a Cleveland uniform? We would certainly like to see more of Johnson, who after starting the season 0 for 9, actually has gone 9 for 35. Not great, but an Indians who gets a hit in every four at bats isn’t exactly common.

Trading Jordan Luplow thins out the crowded (not production wise) outfield, and that was the biggest surprise. Luplow had tremendous number vs. southpaws and we would have liked to seen him get a full time chance because his minor league numbers showed he could hit righties.

The pitcher Cleveland received from Tampa for Luplow, Peyton Battenfield, has 95 strikeouts in 67-1/3 innings this season in the minors, so it could be the Tribe really wanted the arm. This year showed they needed some pitching depth in the high levels of the minor leagues.

Are the Indians a better team than they were on Wednesday? It remains to be seen, but they didn’t exactly break up an offensive juggernaut. Maybe Straw provides better hitting than what Tribe centerfielders have contributed so far. Maybe Owen Miller starts to show the stroke he had in the minors.

While not truly giving up on the season (see, Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals), the front office is looking toward 2022. And based on the last month, which saw a nine game losing streak, why not?

Next Year, Go Guardians!

Last Friday, the announcement finally came.

After the Major League Baseball season concludes, the Cleveland Indians will no longer exist, and the team will now be known as the Cleveland Guardians.

We understand this is difficult to accept for a great many fans of the team, folks that thought of the name “Indians” not as a racial slur, but rather the name of their favorite baseball team. There was no malice on the part of most of those people, it was a name they grew up with, the team they cherished as they aged.

These are different times though, and the name was no longer appropriate. The moniker will still be part of the history of the franchise though, and the memories of the players who were Cleveland Indians will always be part of the supporters of the team.

The negative reaction from fans at Progressive Field, booing when the Tom Hanks narrated video was played, could be because of the change or it could also be a reaction to the ownership that made the change. There is no doubt about the disconnect that exists being the public and the Dolan ownership, and frankly, we don’t know if that can ever be repaired.

As for the new name, it’s kind of generic to us. When the new name was announced, it was noted that Guardians reflect the pride, resiliency, and loyalty of people in northeast Ohio. Does it? We don’t know, but we do know it could have been handled better.

Why not make the fans part of the process? Why not pick four or five choices and let the ticket buying public vote on the new name?

That it wasn’t tells us perhaps it was going to be Guardians all along, there was no extensive research done.

As we said, we wouldn’t have went with anything Rock ‘n’ Roll themed either, that has become the only thing our area has become identified with recently, but why not an homage to the past by going with Blues, Blue Sox, or Grays, or even Commodores, since we sit on Lake Erie.

We would have even preferred Spiders, the old National League team name from the late 1800’s, to Guardians.

It also didn’t help that the logo unveiled on Friday looks like a grade school art project. We are sure the team paid a great deal of money to some consultant from out of town to design it, but that can still be changed, and we bet it will be sooner than later.

It could be that even if the current ownership announced the coolest nickname that has ever been chosen, it would be met with negativity. That’s where the majority of this fan base is with the Dolan family. There is a huge disconnect.

Perhaps there isn’t room for a Bill Veeck anymore in today’s game, but we think fans want the owner to be invested in the team, and not just monetarily. They want them to hurt when the team loses, and celebrate when they win.

Instead, they are too corporate. We get that they have to be, but it would be alright to act like you identify with what the fans are going through.

The name change was inevitable, and people who still don’t understand why it had to change aren’t being honest with themselves. As usual though for this ownership, it could have been handled better.

So, Guardians it is. If you are a true fan, this will not make you give that up. And don’t hold the name change against the ownership either. It was a matter of time.

Tribe Slump A Result Of All Phases

On June 24th, the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 to bring their record to 41-31, and were just two games behind the White Sox in the American League Central Division.

Since that day, the Tribe has gone 7-17, including a nine game losing streak from June 30th, when they lost a doubleheader to Detroit to July 7th, when they lost a twin bill to Tampa.

And they’ve also lost 11 straight games to the Rays, spanning back to 2019.

The injuries to the starting pitching gets quite a bit of the blame for this bad streak, but in Cleveland’s last 29 games, a span that actually started earlier than the losing, the Indians have scored more than four runs just seven times.

Amazingly, they have lost three of those games.

Since the beginning of July, the Tribe has lost three games where they had the lead going into the 9th inning.

The point is this stretch has been brutal for Terry Francona’s squad, with each area of the roster contributing to the losing.

The team had to be happy when a starting pitcher gives them five quality innings, but recently, Zach Plesac has returned to give them some good outings, and Cal Quantrill has gone 2-0 with a 3.22 ERA in four starts.

Rookie Eli Morgan has been able to pitch five innings in each of his last five outings. His ERA has been 6.12 in those starts, but he has given the team a chance to win each time.

So, despite the injuries to their top three starters, the starting pitching hasn’t been awful. Triston McKenzie has been better since his most recent visit to Columbus either. Unfortunately, JC Mejia continues to show he’s not ready to pitch in the majors.

The bullpen has shown signs of wear and tear to the three late inning relievers, with Emmanuel Clase blowing two ninth inning leads and James Karinchak one, and Bryan Shaw has allowing 11 runs, nine earned in his last 17 appearances.

The offense has struggled along with their best weapon, Jose Ramirez. In his last seven games, Ramirez is just 2 for 18, with a homer. Over the last 14 days, he is hitting .160 (4 for 25). Even worse, over the last 28 days, he’s hitting .230 with four long balls. He still has an 846 OPS in that span.

His production has dropped since he was hit in the foot by a pitch against Pittsburgh, which coincidentally is when the Cleveland offense hit this cold patch over the last 29 games. He has also been battling a sore elbow.

Ramirez is by far the best position player on the team, and because of that, if he is struggling, it is very difficult for this offense to get anything going. The only consistent hitters Francona has are Jose, Franmil Reyes, and Harold Ramirez, and for some reason, the latter gets left out of the lineup far too often.

Yes, some players have pitched in from time to time, such as Bobby Bradley who has belted 11 homers, but in July, he has batted .158 with 30 strikeouts in 72 plate appearances. He has taken some walks, but the swing and miss issues are still a major issue.

The defense also breaks down a lot. Cesar Hernandez’ work with the glove has taken a dramatic dip. Amed Rosario has range issues and problems turning the double play. Fly balls hit to anyone besides Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado have become adventures.

That doesn’t help a young pitching staff either.

Among the everyday players, outside of the two Ramirez’s and Reyes, could the front office make a deal that would weaken any other position? We doubt it. Let’s say Hernandez is moved, it would give Owen Miller another shot. Amed? They could get another look at Andres Gimenez, who would at least provide better defense.

No, the Indians shouldn’t go into tank mode, but they should look to reshape the roster with an eye towards 2022. Getting Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale back should mean an improved offense put the Indians in contention next year.

But they should look to get stronger in all areas too. There is room for that in all phases of the game.