Things To Watch For Tribe In September

In many ways it feels hard to believe that the Major League Baseball season has just one month left. It seems like yesterday that Shane Bieber allowed a home run to Miguel Cabrera in a snowstorm at Comerica Park in Detroit.

But here we are, and the Indians have just 33 games remaining. And that’s literal too, because once the campaign is over, the name goes away, and when spring training starts next February, the Cleveland baseball team will be the Guardians.

Even though the front office seems to be focused more on the 2022 season and finding out what players currently on the roster will be able to help next season, the Tribe is still just five games out in the lost column for the second wild card spot and we have always felt there is a chance if you enter September five games or less out of a playoff spot.

That’s a long shot, obviously.

What else is there to look for with the season winding down towards a conclusion?

One thing to watch is the return of Aaron Civale and Shane Bieber. If all went well for Civale last night, he should return to the rotation when the team returns home on Labor Day. By the way, we know pitchers’ wins doesn’t hold the cache it used to, but even though the right-hander has missed a little more than two months, he’s still 7th in the AL in wins with 10.

Bieber could start to make rehab appearances in minor league games next week, which could have him back on the mound in a major league game by the middle of the month.

We have said before it would be important for the organization and the pitchers’ themselves to know they are healthy heading into the off-season.

And we will be left imagining a rotation of Bieber, Civale, Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie, and Zach Plesac heading into the ’22 season.

A baseball axiom is not to trust anything done in April or September, but the outgoing position battles in the outfield and at second base bears watching.

At second, we will likely see a revolving door with Andres Gimenez, Owen Miller, and Yu Chang getting opportunities.

Chang has hit well over the last month (12 for 34, 5 HR), Miller has an excellent minor league pedigree as a hitter, and Gimenez, the only left-handed hitter of the trio, hasn’t hit well since being recalled, but has shown a much better eye at the plate.

Can one of them get a leg up on the starting job heading into Goodyear?

The same goes for the ongoing competition in the outfielder, really in the corners, because it appears Myles Straw has taken command in center.

Harold Ramirez has returned and he will be added to the mix along with Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and Daniel Johnson.

Zimmer has had a great deal of success since the All Star break, hitting .272 with 6 homers (806 OPS) in that span. However, he’s also fanned 48 times in 142 plate appearances (33.8%), which is very high. He’s hit long, long home runs, true, but is that type of production sustainable.

Mercado has improved his walk rate, but has hit just .223 in the second half (625 OPS), and for the year hasn’t done well vs. RHP (.205 batting average). As a right-handed hitter, he isn’t as good as Ramirez, who has decent enough numbers against righties, although Mercado is a better defender.

As for Johnson, he’s gone 15 for 50 with four dingers in the second half of the season, even though he was sent to AAA during that stretch. It looks like the organization has decided he can’t hit lefties, because he’s pinch hit for whenever a southpaw is throwing.

Johnson has a terrible strikeout to walk ratio (23:3), but we would like to see him get some opportunities vs. lefties.

It would be interesting to see what would happen though, if the Tribe won five or six in a row and got within, say, three games out in the loss column? That would be fun to see.

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?

No One At Columbus Is Grabbing The Opportunity With Tribe

We feel it is well established by now that the Cleveland Indians are offensively challenged. They rank 11th in the American League in runs scored per game at 3.92, almost a half run below the league average of 4.37.

They are second last in on base percentage, 11th in slugging percentage, and 13th in OPS, ahead of just the Tigers and Mariners.

The pitching staff has dropped to 5th in ERA, springing a few leaks as Zach Plesac went down with an injury and whoever has pitched in the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation have not been effective.

We have pointed out the team has just two hitters over 800 in OPS, Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes, and the latter is out for perhaps two months with an oblique strain.

What maybe even worse is that Terry Francona and his staff have given 11 hitters with an OPS under 700 (the league average is 709 over 50 plate appearances.

We have complained and wondered why some of those players keep getting opportunities. Some of them haven’t performed up to league average for over two seasons.

There is a simple and yet, troubling reason why the front office hasn’t made a lot of changes. There isn’t exactly anyone at AAA Columbus who is banging down the door to get a big league shot.

Obviously, Owen Miller earned a shot by hitting .406 in 64 at bats, and yet he has struggled with the Tribe, getting just four hits in 32 at bats (.125).

Bradley Zimmer received the call last week, and after a tough start to the season, had rebounded to hit .267 with a 780 OPS. He has fanned 26 times in 75 appearances at the dish, but his defense and speed are tools needed for the big club.

Daniel Johnson was thought to be the closest to be ready at AAA to open the season, but he entered play on Monday batting just .197 and striking out 33 times in 87 plate appearances. He has walked 10 times and has a 720 OPS.

The Tribe’s #1 position prospect, Nolan Jones, has had problems in his first taste of AAA action. He’s hitting just .189 with a single home run thus far, and although he leads the Clippers with 16 walks, he too has had contact problems, whiffing a team high 39 times in 91 plate appearances.

Oscar Mercado, who had success with the Tribe in ’19, is hitting .170 with no homers and five runs batted in. His OPS is just 490.

The people’s choice from spring training, slugging first baseman Bobby Bradley, does lead the Clippers in homers with 7 and is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 17. He’s also hitting just .170 with only seven walks and still is having contact issues, fanning 30 times in 94 times at the plate.

The best hitter (besides Miller) at Columbus is 33-year-old veteran catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who is hitting .283 with six dingers and a 955 OPS. Young infielder Ernie Clement, only 25, has missed some time with injuries, but is hitting .353 with 7 doubles in 34 at bats. He was the 27th man in Sunday’s doubleheader, so is he getting close to a shot in the bigs?

Without alternatives in AAA, it is tough to move on from the players who have been with the team all season, even though they aren’t producing.

If someone could emerge in the minor leagues soon, there are opportunities awaiting them in Cleveland. Our bet is the front office is waiting for the same thing.

Tribe Seems To Need Right-Handed Bats

When you get a week or two into Spring Training, people start to speculate on what players will make the Opening Day roster. Who will be in Detroit on April 1st when the regular season starts.

Most of the debate centers around players like Bobby Bradley, Jake Bauers, Daniel Johnson, and Bradley Zimmer. However, those four players have one commonality–they are all left-handed hitters.

We know Terry Francona like to use the platoon advantage. And right now, his biggest platoon weapon against southpaws is OF Jordan Luplow, and right now he has not played because of a foot issue. If he isn’t ready for the opening of the season, then what alternatives does the skipper have?

The starting outfield may be set with Eddie Rosario in left, Oscar Mercado in center, and Josh Naylor in right. If Francona wants to sit either Rosario or Naylor against a tough lefty, what is his alternative?

Could this be where Amad Rosario finds his niche, as a platoon piece vs. left-handed pitching? Against righties, the former Met Rosario is a .257 hitter with a .378 slugging percentage (667 OPS). But against lefties, he’s a beast, with a .300 batting average, slugging .473 and an 812 OPS.

The Mets had plans to play Amad in the outfield, but to date, he has played only shortstop where he is competing with the man he came to Cleveland with, Andres Gimenez. Gimenez is the better defender, and has hit well so far, leading some to believe he is the frontrunner to be the starter there on April 1st.

Another candidate for the outfield is newcomer Harold Ramirez, who also hits right-handed. It will be interesting to see how his at bats get ramped up (or not) as the games progress.

Now, let’s look at first base. As we said before, both Bradley and Bauers swing from the left side, as does Naylor, who can also play there. It would seem that there is not room on the roster for both players (Naylor is a for sure), and it is also doubtful that Francona would want to have four left-handed hitters (E. Rosario, Naylor, Gimenez, and either Bradley or Bauers) in the batting order against a lefty.

So, can a Yu Chang make the squad as someone who can play 1B as a platoon piece? Remember, the other candidate for the utility infield spot, Mike Freeman, also hits from the left side. However, we haven’t seen Chang at first in a spring training game as of yet.

The number of left-handed bats would seem to make it very difficult for Johnson, who has had a good spring so far to make the team unless he becomes a platoon piece in centerfield with Mercado. The same holds true for Zimmer.

And if Luplow gets back out there soon and does get enough at bats to be ready by the end of camp, that reduces one spot on the roster.

It will be interesting to watch how Francona handles things defensively as the exhibition schedule continues. If you see players like Amed Rosario and Chang move around playing different (for them) positions, it shows they are candidates to come north as part of the 26 man roster.

Francona likes to keep extra guys in the bullpen, so versatility is needed among the extra position players. But if you can hit right-handed, you might have an edge to make the squad.

A Realistic Plan For Tribe

Over the weekend, the Indians payroll (or lack of it) was in the news again, as the front office worked through the media to justify the reduction of the money being paid to players.

The situation noted was Tampa’s letting pitcher Charlie Morton leave via free agency, although we would say not paying a 37-year-old starting pitcher over $10 million isn’t quite the same as what the Tribe is doing.

First, using the term “reducing” when it comes to players’ salaries in Cleveland is being gentle. When you go from $130 million in 2017 to something projected to be under $70 million in 2021 should be categorized as “gutting” the payroll.

And that figure is with Francisco Lindor on the team. If he is traded, which seems like a certainty, the likely number could be closer to $50 million.

Unfortunately, the owners of the Indians don’t want to address the situation publicly. We understand if Paul Dolan were to speak to the media, he would use the pandemic, attendance loss, blah, blah, blah, and no one would press him (nor would he give you a truthful answer).

It is curious how the virus hasn’t affected teams like the Padres, White Sox, and Nationals from appearing like they want to add talent this winter, and the Royals have been making moves as well.

We were challenged on social media, since we have a huge problem with this salary cut being done during a period where the Indians have made the playoffs in four of the last five years, and won 93 games in the season where they didn’t qualify.

We get that the Indians cannot spend with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers, but a payroll of $100 million shouldn’t be out of the question.

Based on this, signing Lindor to a multi-year deal between $25-$30 million per year would put the projected salary figure in the $80 million range and you now have the foundation of two superstars in their prime (with Jose Ramirez) and one of the best starting rotations in the game as a basis of contending.

Besides, as we’ve seen this week with Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, you can always trade a star player in the middle of a contract if you decide it’s not working out.

While we would be interested in playing younger players in ’21, we would spend money, preferably one year deals on some hitters to help the lineup transition to a younger look going forward.

We would like to plug in Daniel Johnson in CF, and see if Owen Miller and/or Yu Chang could hold down 2B, but we would provide Terry Francona with some options.

If you are contending, there is a limit to how much you can watch young players struggle. On the other hand, if the lineup is producing runs despite the struggles, a team can be more patient with young players.

FYI, we didn’t include Nolan Jones because he’s only played a half year at the AA level, and it appears he will also be making a position switch.

We would look at adding guys like a Nick Markakis, Robbie Grossman, or Tommy LaStella as low cost free agents (you might have to wait until late January or early February to see if asking prices come down). They could tie you over in a corner outfield spot or at second base if the young guys aren’t ready.

We would also add another bullpen arm. We would go into camp with James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase being the primary late inning relievers, but why not take a shot on pitchers like Sean Doolittle or a Hector Rondon if you can get them at a solid price.

Now, we understand the ownership doesn’t care what we would do. They would rather cry about money even though as a family they have a tremendous amount of money, more than we or any other fan has.

There is absolutely no reason for this type of dismantling of a contending baseball team. This is not an aging team and it is also not a squad on the decline in terms of the record on the field.

If you are a fan of the Indians, it’s a sad, sad time.

Tribe OF Has To Be Better, No?

It is difficult to imagine the Cleveland Indians’ outfield will be worse in 2021, after all it was dreadful to be honest during the 60 game 2020 season.

As a whole, the Tribe outfield ranked last in the American League in WAR, and individually by position ranked 12th in leftfield, and 14th in both right and centerfields.

The most used player out there was Tyler Naquin, who played in 40 games, hitting .218 with 4 HR and 20 RBI and a 632 OPS. Naquin is arbitration eligible and if we were running the team, we would non-tender him, making him a free agent. It doesn’t seem like it, but the left-handed hitter will turn 30 years old in 2021.

Making the second most appearances out there is Delino DeShields, who batted .252 with 7 RBI and a 628 OPS. He’s another candidate to be non-tendered, and as with Naquin, we would support that move. DeShields will be 28 next season, and has never demonstrated an ability to hit.

Oscar Mercado was a rookie sensation in 2019, but never got it going last season, winding up with a .127 batting average, 348 OPS, and a single homer. Striking out 27 times compared to five walks didn’t help either. We don’t hold a lot of hope for the right-handed hitter because of his command of the strike zone, but he’s worth a look.

Josh Naylor wound up playing in left after coming over from San Diego, and could be a regular there this season, but he could also be a candidate at first base, and might be the favorite there.

Jordan Luplow should be in the mix for 2021 at least as a platoon piece, as he hit .270 vs. LHP last season and has a 982 OPS vs. southpaws for his career. He got off to a spectacularly bad start to the season, but hit .313 with a 983 OPS from September 1st on.

In reality, if Naylor moves to first, Luplow should be the only player guaranteed a spot to be on the roster when the Indians visit Detroit on April 1st for Opening Day.

Daniel Johnson received 12 big league at bats, none after August 3rd, getting just one hit. However, after hitting .306 in 84 games at Columbus in 2019, he should have received more of a look, especially because the players being used were quite frankly, dreadful.

He should receive a full blown shot at the job in ’21, and probably should be a starter from day one.

It will also be interesting to see how much of a chance, the Tribe’s top prospect, Nolan Jones gets. Jones has been working in the outfield in the instructional league, as he is a third baseman by trade, and the Indians have Jose Ramirez.

Jones will be 23 next season and is a left-handed bat, and shows a good knowledge of the strike zone in his minor league career, drawing 96 walks in 2019 between Lynchburg and Akron.

He has yet to play in AAA, but you have to wonder how much stock the organization will put in participating in the satellite camp this past summer for the minor league prospects.

You also still have holdovers Bradley Zimmer, who still hasn’t shown anything offensively since his rookie season, and Jake Bauers, who spent the entire 2020 season in the satellite camp. We would think both of them would have to have a tremendous spring training to open the year with the big club.

You also would think Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff will be looking for outfield help in the likely trade of Francisco Lindor as well.

No matter what happens, it’s time for the organization to change course on the current make up of these three spots and move on. Over 162 games, we doubt the Indians can handle such dismal production from the outfield.

How Is Tribe Roster Shaking Out?

There have been some standouts during the Cleveland Indians’ “summer camp” since the intrasquad games began a week ago.

Rookie Daniel Johnson was “Tito’s star” in the first game and Yu Chang has put on quite the power display since arriving in town on July 3rd.

However, how much of an impact do these performances have on the 30 man roster the team will finalize before the season begins a week from Friday at Progressive Field against the Royals (Danny Duffy will start for KC).

Here is how we see the players who will for sure be on the roster as of today:

Catchers (2): Roberto Perez, Sandy Leon
Infielders (4): Carlos Santana, Cesar Hernandez, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez
Oufielders (5): Franmil Reyes, Oscar Mercado, Jordan Luplow, Tyler Naquin, Domingo Santana
Starting rotation (5): Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac
Relievers (5): Brad Hand, Nick Wittgren, James Karinchak, Oliver Perez, Adam Cimber

That means 21 of the 30 spots are pretty much locked up barring injury or illness. We would include OF Delino DeShields, but it appears he will open the season on the 10 day injured list.

That leaves nine spots open.

We know at least one spot will go to a utility infielder, perhaps two to start. The three most likely candidates are Chang, Mike Freeman, and Christian Arroyo. Freeman isn’t currently on the 40 man roster, so he would have to be added if he makes the team.

Of the trio, Freeman is the most accomplished at the plate, hitting .272 last season with the Tribe. Chang is the best option at SS defensively. To this point, those two have performed the best in the scrimmages.

That makes 23.

At least one other outfielder will be added in DeShields’ absence, and right now, we suspect Greg Allen is the front runner. Another spot could open up if Luplow’s back becomes a problem, but if he’s healthy, he’ll be in the lineup Opening Night with the southpaw Duffy on the hill.

We know Francona loves relief pitchers, and he would normally carry 13 hurlers, so with the 30 man roster to start, you have to figure he will carry 14, and perhaps 15.

Relievers like James Hoyt, Phil Maton, Hunter Wood should be the leading candidates, and Adam Plutko figures to be on the roster as a long reliever. The possible 10th bullpen spot could be lefties Scott Moss or Kyle Nelson or righty Dominic Leone.

And that brings us to 29 players.

Does Francona keep all three extra infielders, or does he go with Jake Bauers, another left-handed bat, who can also spell Carlos Santana at first base?

Or he could go with Bradley Zimmer, who would provide speed and defense at the every least in the outfield. Or perhaps even a third catcher, like minor league veteran Beau Taylor.

Even though Johnson has done well, it’s doubtful he starts the season on the active roster, and the same goes for slugging 1B/DH Bobby Bradley.

We do wonder how much weight will be put on the three games against the Pirates, which begin Saturday night at PNC Park? We know the starters will begin the game, but will likely be pulled early. The players on the bubble will get a shot against pitchers or hitters who aren’t their teammates.

Although some will criticize Francona for not going with young guys, we don’t blame him. With the 60 game schedule, you have to come out of the gate running, and you have more of an idea what you will get out of veterans.

We will find out soon how much of an impression the “summer camp stars” have had on the front office.

Tribe Still In Race, But Identify Problem Areas

After last night’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, the doomsayers were out in full force concerning the Cleveland Indians.

They dropped to 7.5 games behind the Twins. They dropped out of the second wild card spot. It’s time to start trading off assets because they should look toward 2020.

But going into the series, we felt getting one win was all that was needed. Certainly, it would have been better to win the series or sweep it for that matter, but the reality is the Tribe only lost one game in the standings, so they are still very much in it.

This series should send a clear message to the front office as to what needs to be addressed between now and the end of the year if you want to make the playoffs and once you get there, make a run.

The Twins have the second best ERA (3.92) in the American League, much better than the teams the Indians have played over the last month: Baltimore (15th-5.70), Kansas City (12th-5.03), Detroit (11th=5.00), and Texas (8th-4.80).

Cleveland scored just nine runs in the three games, so really, they were kind of fortunate to win one.

That’s because they simply don’t have enough solid bats in the lineup. Against good pitching, guys like Jake Bauers (although he had a key double today) and Jason Kipnis struggle.

Bauers was 1 for 10 in the series, Kipnis was 2 for 11 with both hits being squibbers to the left side of the infield. The only multi-hit games in the set by Indians’ players were Jose Ramirez’ two hit game on Friday and Tyler Naquin had two hits today.

Ramirez was an offensive bright spot with four hits, including a double and a home run.

And while everyone loved Bobby Bradley’s long home run on Saturday, the truth is he went 1 for 9 in the three games.

It’s nothing we haven’t said all year. The lineup needs to add some solid bats. Perhaps one can come from the farm (Daniel Johnson, Yu Chang?) and the other through a deal.

With Ramirez showing signs of good things to come and the right field being a solid platoon these days (Naquin and Jordan Luplow are doing well), the targets should be 2B, LF, and DH.

Another weakness that showed was the lack of bullpen depth.

Cleveland was the better team through six innings, but outside of Brad Hand and Adam Cimber, the rest of the relievers struggled.

Nick Goody, AJ Cole, Oliver Perez, and Tyler Clippard all allowed runs in the late innings to either give Minnesota a lead or let them extend a lead.

The Tribe needs another power arm to pitch in the 7th or 8th inning. Again, maybe some help comes from Columbus (James Karinchak, Cam Hill) and you can get another in trade.

One other thing that came from the series is maybe the Tribe discovered another ace in Shane Bieber. In kind of a must win game, Bieber was sensational today until some odd calls by replay umpires kind of did him in.

Bieber needed to keep the Twins off the scoreboard and he delivered six shutout frames, and maybe could’ve given them seven if not for the hit by pitch fiasco.

He made the All Star team, and could be the new 1-2 punch going forward with Mike Clevinger who also was very good in the series’ opener, and also has ace stuff.

So, the Tribe is still in the Central race, just 6.5 out and very much in the mix for a wild card. Keep in mind, they are also 11 games over .500.

It’s not like they are hovering around .500. Their starters can stop good offenses, the ones they will see in the post-season.

Now, it’s up to the front office to get Terry Francona what he needs. This could still be a fun late summer baseball-wise in Cleveland.

Patience Should Still Be Short For Tribe.

We know the Cleveland Indians are in a race for a post- season spot, even if the team’s front office may not realize it, or in fact, may not want them to be.

Yes, we are being slightly facetious here, but if you are trying to win as many games as you can, you don’t use extreme patience with young players.

There is no question the Tribe received a tremendous boost from OF Oscar Mercado, whose production kind of forced the Indians to move on from Leonys Martin.

The rookie has the third highest OPS on the squad right now, behind Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor, and his .837 OPS is a true 800+, meaning the magic “800” number came from having an on base percentage of at least .350 and a slugging percentage of over .450.

Mercado does, with a .360 OBP and a .477 slugging mark. He’s not doing it by slugging a bunch of home runs, so his slugging mark is like .550 and he can get on base.

Since they should be vying for a wild card spot, they may have to make some tough decisions on other young players.

This doesn’t mean writing them off for ever. We know some players don’t catch on in their first call up, but need to go back to the minors for more seasoning. It’s not a crime, nor is it a horrible thing, it’s just baseball.

Two such players for the Indians are Jake Bauers and Bobby Bradley.

Bauers has received a longer leash, playing in 77 of the Tribe’s 83 games, but quite frankly, we hasn’t produced up to expectations, hitting just .226 with a .300/.389/.689 OPS make up.

And Bauers has received most of his time playing left field, and let’s just say, he’s not reminding anyone of a gold glover at the position.

As for Bradley, the Indians hoped to catch lightning in a bottle because he was mashing homers at a crazy pace in Columbus, but since being moved up hasn’t homered and has whiffed in half of his last 18 at bats.

If the Indians were 15 games out of a wild card spot, we’d say play both on an every day basis to find out if they can hit. But they aren’t, they need very much to win games.

And they seem to have players ready to go at Columbus.

Switch-hitting OF Greg Allen was hitting at the big league level right before he was sent out when Carlos Carrasco had to be put on the IL and the Tribe needed an extra reliever for a bullpen game.

Allen was 7 for his last 21 with two triples, a home run and four RBIs before going back to AAA.

The other player who should be brought up is 23-year-old left-handed hitting Daniel Johnson, who came over from Washington in the Yan Gomes deal.

Johnson started the year in Akron, and combined at AA and AAA, has hit .272 with an 884 OPS (.358/.527/.884). At Columbus, he has fanned 27 times and walked 17 times in 161 plate appearances.

Plus, he has played a lot of centerfield in his past, so his defense will be better than Bauers if he would play LF, or he could go to RF and have Tyler Naquin DH.

Terry Francona would still need a back up first baseman to give Carlos Santana a half day off, but that’s the only downside to this.

Again, the time to have patience is when you are losing or it’s the beginning of the season. Right now, the Cleveland Indians shouldn’t have much of the virtue.

If they show an excessive amount, it might tell you what they think of this year’s team.

Halfway Through, Tribe Still In A Race.

After finishing the first third of the season right at the .500 mark, the Cleveland Indians went 17-10 in their next 27 games to sit at 44-37 at the halfway point of the season, an 88 win pace for the entire campaign.

Here is how the season has gone in groups of 27 games (1/6th of the schedule):

First 27: 15-12
Next 27: 12-15
Third 27: 17-10

After 81 games, the Indians sit just a game and a half behind Texas for a wild card spot, tied with Oakland, and are a half game ahead of Boston.

So, the Tribe is still in the midst of a playoff hunt, but the bigger question is how hard will the organization go after it.

The Indians have dropped to 4th in the American League in ERA after back-to-back shellackings at the hands of the lowly Baltimore Orioles, but have moved up to 10th in the league in runs scored despite being shutout in consecutive games by a pitching staff with the worst ERA in the league.

And playing in a major hitter’s yard.

Jason Kipnis has had a rebirth in the last couple of weeks, but is it sustainable? Jose Ramirez has a 918 OPS and a .306 batting average in the last 14 days. Is this yet another sign that the two time top three MVP finisher has turned the corner?

What we are trying to say is if they want to make a run at the playoffs, the front office still needs to improve the offense.

Right now, Cleveland’s third or fourth best hitter on most nights is Roberto Perez, who is having his best offensive season (14 home runs, 825 OPS), but how long will that keep up, especially considering Perez plays a position where the schedule takes its toll on your body.

Are young players the answer? Well, Oscar Mercado has been a revelation to date, helping lengthen the lineup with a .307 and 812 OPS, but should that mean a wholesale influx of people from Columbus.

To date, and we know it is very early, Bobby Bradley has not. After going 2 for 6 in his first two games with a couple of key RBIs, he has been the all or nothing hitter we feared, going 1 for 14 with six strikeouts.

Again, it’s an extremely small sample size, but what the Tribe needs is not more swing and miss hitters that occasionally run into one, but more guys who get on base, and hit doubles and triples with an occasional long ball.

Cleveland is 11th in slugging, and 12th in doubles, and tenth in triples and home runs.

Again, using Mercado as an example, he has nine doubles and four homers, to go with his .352 on base percentage.

And it’s why we’d like to see Mark Mathias (.358 OBP, .459 slugging) or even Daniel Johnson (.350 OBP, .518 slugging) get a shot with the big club.

We touched on some of the power arms for the bullpen in the organization earlier this week, and that is another area we would like to see improved in the second half.

We feel guys like Tyler Olson and Adam Cimber can’t be trusted to get big outs in important games and that puts a bigger load on Brad Hand and Nick Wittgren, who probably should be a 7th inning guy, not an 8th inning one.

But it comes down to the front office and a commitment from ownership to go after a post-season spot.

And to those who say the Indians can’t beat New York or Houston? They may have a slim chance of that, but they have no chance if they don’t qualify for the playoffs.