Our nation’s birthday arrived on the same date as the halfway point of the baseball season for the Cleveland Indians and the Tribe finished up the first half at 42-39, putting them on pace to win 84 games this season.
Based on the relative strength of the American League Central Division, finishing with that record could put them in the race all the way to the end of the season, because it’s doubtful the winner will be able to garner 90 wins for the campaign.
The main weaknesses of the Indians are pretty well-known, and we have touched on them several times in the past month. They need a right-handed hitter and another starting pitcher.
Fans know it, the front office knows it.
However, there are some other subtle moves the front office needs to make for the Indians to stay in contention.
The first is to have a legitimate utility infielder on the roster, meaning a guy who can play shortstop reasonably well.
Whether that means Jason Donald stays, who knows, but Manny Acta can’t continue to go through the rest of the season using Jack Hannahan, who has appeared in three major league games at the position (one this year), as his reserve for Asdrubal Cabrera.
And he needs a better defensive option at second base too. Jose Lopez made an all-star team at 2B in Seattle, but at the point in his career, he’s more suited to be a corner infielder.
The reason for a legitimate middle infield reserve is to give some rest to Cabrera and Jason Kipnis during the dog days after the all-star break, so they can be productive for a possible stretch run.
It is understandable that Acta doesn’t want to take either out of the lineup, but they can be used at the DH spot so they can hit and not be out on the field.
Keeping two of the most productive bats fresh is a must do for the skipper, and he can’t do it without having someone who can play solid defense at 2B and SS. On that basis, Donald needs to stay on the roster.
The other need is to strengthen the bullpen so that Acta doesn’t have to use the trio of Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez in every game the Tribe has a chance to win.
These three are a major key to the Indians’ success, and keeping them fresh into September and perhaps October is very important.
Perhaps one piece is already in place in Esmil Rogers. Rogers arrived in Cleveland after compiling a 8.06 ERA in Colorado, but in nine games with the Tribe, he’s allowed just two earned runs in 11-1/3 innings, striking out 15 hitters and walking just one.
More help could come from veteran left-hander Rafael Perez, assuming he can return from the disabled list. Perez could give Acta someone he is comfortable with against the tough left-handed batters which populate the American League.
Right now with Tony Sipp and Nick Hagadone struggling, the manager would rather use one of his righties in that role, and sometimes that’s not fair to those pitchers.
These smaller scale moves are just as important as getting the right-handed stick and starting pitchers because it keeps the players who constitute the strengths of this team fresh, and at top performance.
They may not be the flashy, high impact moves, but taking care of these problems definitely help the ballclub.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 