Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mariners @ Indians, 4/28/08

What a difference a day makes.

Even though the Tribe split with the Yankees, I was actually pretty happy with how that series went. The 1-0 loss could be the very definition of a "positive loss," as it add support to the theory that C.C. has worked out his issues and is back to the C.C. of old. I'll gladly take one loss if it means we've got Sabathia back in form.

The second loss was simply bad luck, but yet another good showing by a young pitcher. It seems like Laffey will be rewarded with more starts at the big league level, too.

Of course the lack of offense was discouraging, but I was willing to give the opposing pitchers the benefit of the doubt.

And then last night happened.

While I'm still apprehensive about Carmona's no found love of walking people, it was yet another wasted pitching performance.

As many have pointed out, a big part of our offensive woes is Travis Hafner. I'll take that a step further. He's actually gone from not being a threat to being an easy out. That's how bad it's gotten. And I simply can't figure it out.

He can't be seeing the ball, at least not clearly. He swings at things that are clearly out of the zone from the very start, yet let's obvious strikes go right by. It's baffling.

Even more baffling is Franklin Gutierrez, who is now 7 for 16 in this homestand. Why is he unable to hit on the road? And it's not even that hits poorly on the road and hits well at home. He hits for SQUAT on the road and hits GREAT at home.

Michaels needs to be let go. Dellucci needs to be in the line-up every day and he needs to bat second. When Choo returns next month, he needs to platoon with Gutierrez, obviously making a lot of starts on the road.

Then what do you do with guys like Peralta and Garko? They're two sides to the same coin, either hot or cold. How do you break such streakiness?

And, if you're going to put Marte in and move Blake to first to sit Garko, shouldn't you make a similar move to sit Hafner? It would seem to make sense to get Shoppach behind the plate and let Martinez DH periodically until Pronk figures out what's wrong.

It's almost May. We're going to end the first month under .500. It's probably time to start making some moves.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Indians @ Twins, 4/20/08

Okay, let's break it down as the Good, the Iffy, and the Bad:

The Good:

Every game of this series featured a great pitching performance from our rotation. This was Paul Byrd's second quality start, which would seem to support the idea that he's made the adjustment he needed to make after his first two starts. Lee and Westbrook were as great as they've been all year so far. Add to that the fact that Carmona worked out the problems that caused his one bad start, and you have four starters who are just fantastic. If C.C. ever comes around, we'd have the best rotation in baseball.

The Iffy:

Obviously, our bullpen is inconsistent. I mentioned a while back that I thought part of the problem with our bullpen was that there was no structure. When our bullpen was at its best last year, every reliever had a set role. Now it seems completely random. And I think today is a good example of the problem. Perez is a specialist/set up man. He comes in to face lefties or to set up our closer. He's not a middle reliever. And yet today that's what he was, and he clearly isn't cut out for that. You have to wonder if he's throwing differently knowing that he could be out there for three innings of work. We should be trying to get more than four outs from him. And while it would be easy to blame Wedge, he didn't have much choice. He had no idea how long the game was going to go and Perez was pitching well. And he had no idea how long the game would go becasue of...

The Bad:

Our offense is so bad. A lot of people point to various call ups from last season as the main reason we were good. You know what a big part of that was? The Tribe started well. That was a big key last year and it's clearly not one we're hitting this year. But what do we do about it? I stand by my claim that an easy move would be to let Dellucci play every day -- there's no reason to bog down our line-up with Michaels. I think liberally mixing in Carroll is a good move, too. Still, I can't see any big changes happening until we get Shin Soo Choo back from the DL.

We've got three against a tough Kansas City team, then four against the hated Yankees, and then end the month agains the Mariners. Nine games to end the month. We have to go 7-2 to end the month above .500.

That seems like a longshot.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tigers @ Indians, 4/16/08

So...

What now?

My girlfriend, who knows a decent amount about the Tribe because of me, suggested to me that C.C. is trying too hard, much, she pointed out, like he did in the post-season last year. And I'm more than willing to accept that. I'm more than willing to believe that Sabathia is putting the weight of the world on his shoulders, determined to live up to the Cy Young award, the All-Star of the team, the big pay day he's due at the end of the year. I completely believe that this weight is what's causing him to pitch so badly.

And I don't really care.

Because knowing why he's pitching like garbage doesn't change the fact that he's pitching like garbage.

So what do we do now?

We hope that whatever advice that Carl Willis gave to Paul Byrd that got him to throw strikes was also passed on to Fausto Carmona. And then we make C.C. a new contract offer in hopes that he'll take it and move on. Because at the rate he's going now, I don't know how big that pay day at the end of the year is going to be.

He's only thrown four innings so far, but it's probably time to start giving Craig Breslow more work. His walk to strikeout ratio isn't the best, but he hasn't allowed a run yet, and four innings without giving up a run is a big deal in our bullpen these days. For that matter, he needs to start getting into games in middle relief situations instead of Rafael Perez, who we need later in the game.

Again, David Dellucci proved that he should be in the line-up every day. I was more than willing to let him go earlier in the season, but after going 0 for 9 at the start of the season, he's gone 8 for 22, or .363 since then. He's also drawn six walks in 29 at bats, which would nearly put him on base every game he plays. That sounds like a #2 guy to me (and this is coming from a guy who has been preaching for Cabrera in that spot) It would be mind boggling to me to see Dellucci sit on the bench with how hot he's been, regardless of who we're facing.

We were 3 hit by some guy I've never heard of. And tomorrow we get Justin Verlander.

Good times.

Red Sox @ Indians, 4/15/08

Surprisingly enough, last night's loss didn't bother me. I mean, it did, but not any more than a normal loss would bother me. While it might not do anything to alieviate my concerns about our bullpen, I'm willing to give Jensen Lewis and Jorge Julio the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure that's more than they deserve, but that's where I'm at.

And let's look at the positives: Paul Byrd threw a good game. I had very little faith in him going into last night, but clearly he made some kind of adjustment, which is a good sign going forward.

Assuming, as I am, that our bullpen works itself out (a big assumption, I know), the main focus falls squarely on our offense.

It seems like the bats we expected to be there -- Sizemore, Hafner, Martinez, Peralta, and Garko -- will be there as the season progresses. Sure, Pronk and Sizemore still strikeout too much, but Hafner seems to be getting hits when we need them and Grady is as Grady does.

But what about the rest of the order?

Franklin Gutierrez showed why he could be so great: he can steal bases. We don't have a lot of speed on the base paths as it is, so Gutierrez getting aboard could be a great weapon for us. The problem there, of course, is that he actually has to get on base.

My dad had a good point the other day about Gutierrez: shouldn't there be a point where we send him back down and bring Ben Francisco up? I'd never considered that option before, but what's the worst that could happen? You'd give Franklin a chance to work on that strikeout problem of his and you'd give Ben Francisco (who is just starting to warm up in Buffalo) a chance at hitting on the major league level.

You also have to wonder about Casey Blake. It's not that I don't expect him to turn around, but the theory is that Andy Marte is our third baseman of the future, assuming he can step up and earn it. Why not give him that shot? What's the worst that could happen, he hits .150? Because that's what Casey is hitting.

And while I've often defended Wedge, coming out of the Oakland series David Dellucci had really begun to heat up. In fact, since FINALLY getting his first hit against the Angels, he's hitting .350. Which begs the questions: why so much inconsistent hitting, why bench a guy like that? Because he's not supposed to hit against lefties? Why not? And, again, what's the worst that came happen if you let him hit against lefties? He hits .097? Because that's what Michaels is hitting.

What I think I (and many others) forget is that each aspect of the team affects the others. I can only imagine that the bullpen is putting extra stress on itself knowing that once the Tribe scores four runs, that's it. There's no more water coming from that well, so if you give up that fourth or fifth run towards the end of the game, you've lost the game. And imagine what that does to the starters!

The reverse is also true. Imagine the outlook for the hitters if the starter gives up five runs in the first two innings. Imagine how the offense feels when we're up by one and ball is handed to the bullpen.

Tonight should be interesting. Our "ace" versus some kind no one has ever heard of. While I thought the Red Sox series was a big one, the next two nights could be even bigger.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Red Sox @ Indians, 4/14/08

This afternoon I was complaining about the bottom of our batting order. I was complaining to a guy who is a Red Sox fan.He mentioned that it's early in the season and that the batting average after 12 games doesn't mean much down the line. And he's right.

Which made me realize something about my friend, the Red Sox fan: He no longer understands.

I turned on the game late today because it was a 4:00 start and I have a day job. And I was fully prepared, as my TV flickered to light, to see the Tribe losing by a substantial number.

Not because they were playing the Red Sox.

But because they're the Indians.

And that's what we expect.

Four years is a long time, and while my friend can certainly sympathize with my plight as a Tribe fan, he can no longer empathize. He has complete confidence in his team, while my confidence level changes from day to day. Even at my most confident, there's still a part of me that doesn't think the Tribe belongs in the same sentence as teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, etc.

He no longer remembers what it's like to feel like your team is walking a tight rope, that at any given minute the entire house of cards will come crashing down. He no longer remembers what it's like feel like the entire season can depend upon a single game, a single inning, or single out.

Because it's been four years since he's been anywhere near that feeling.I don't know that he'd ever admit to any of that, but he's on the other side; he doesn't even realize it.

Me? I'll just sit on my side with the rest of the Tribe fans, anxious over every pitch, popping more antacids, and pouring myself another drink.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

A's @ Indians, 4/12/08

So when should we start to worry?

Clearly, this walk problem of Carmona's is not only real, but very serious.

There should be some concern that the league has figured out the two Rafaels.

And what to do with an offense that suggests we change the name of the team to the Cleveland LOB?

Oh, and there's the matter of our ace and our seasoned veteran and their penchant for giving up lots and lots of runs.

Cliff Lee has to be our stopper tomorrow. Can you imagine such a phrase coming last season?

So what do we do?

Well, it's probably safe to say it's too early to really DO anything. It's a long season. We have to give C.C. and Byrd a chance to work themselves out. We have to give the Rafaels a chance to become regular role players again (which can only happen if our starters actually last more than three innings). And we have to give the offense a chance to come around.

But perhaps there are some small things we can do about that last point.

First, there's this: David Dellucci is hitting .278! This is a man who started 0-9! Obviously, we need to ride his hot streak as much as we possibly can, so he's got to be our every day left fielder, regardless of pitcher. His platoon partner is hitting .111, so why not?

What about right field, then? Gutierrez is only hitting .167, but a big chunk of that is due to his horrible run on the road, whereas Michaels hasn't been hitting anywhere. So you go with the lesser of two evils.

Now for the one spot to make a drastic change: third base. Casey Blake is hitting .143. Andy Marte has made one start so far and went 1-3. Granted, there's no way of projecting his numbers, but why not give him a shot? At this point, what do we have to lose over at that corner?

Marte's last start came in a Sunday afternoon game after a Saturday night game, so it would seem to only make sense to give him another chance tomorrow. If he does well, I hope to god we go to him again, because something needs to happen.

And let's not forget: we have the Red Sox on Monday.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Indians @ Angels 4/7/08

Well, now.

I would imagine most of the people who read this blog probably got an e-mail from me last night. And I send out my deepest sympathies to those of you who stayed up to watch the game.

The great thing about baseball, though, is that you only have to suffer with that memory fresh in your head for 24 hours, then you get an entirely new game to think about.

So let's look at what we've seen from our boys so far:

The Good: Our rotation is solid, even with C.C. doing his best to mess it up. Cliff Lee looked great against Oakland and Jake Westbrook looked great against Chicago. Fausto Carmona was solid last night, although he's clearly struggling. It's a great sign that he's able to make pitches without his best stuff, but I would love to see his best stuff show up soon.

The Bad: Our bullpen, and I don't just mean Joe Borowski. I can't be the only one who's a bit worried about Betancourt. I keep thinking that perhaps people have figured him out. Let's face facts, with the way he throws, decent solid contact could send the ball out.

The Good: Ryan Garko, who has shown a lot of maturity at the plate so far this season. Jamey Carroll who was unbelievable in the field last night. Grady Sizemore, who still strikes out too much, but who's hitting well and has 4 RBI. Victor Martinez, who is obviously the offensive catalyst to this team. I don't care if he gave up five stolen bases last night, since those ultimately didn't make a difference in the game, and Victor's bat did (or should have).

The Bad: Where to begin? The word before the season started was that the Tribe needed bats in the corner outfield spots and at third, and that word has held true. After starting out like gangbusters, Franklin Gutierrez is hitting .182, getting his first hit last night since opening day. Casey Blake is hitting .143, making an excellent case for more time for Andy Marte who, as questionable as he might be, probably couldn't be any worse (and actually went 1 for 3 in his one start this season). And then there's left field. Oh, Shin Soo Choo cannot come off the DL fast enough. Michaels is hitting .056. Dellucci is hitting .000.

Yes, it's early. It's very early. But this are all trouble spots that were diagnosed going into the season, so the fact that they are so clearly on display is a little unsettling.

We need a win tonight. We need one in a bad way.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Indians @ A's, 4/4/08 and 4/5/08

Well, this has been a fun two days -- three, really, if you include the last game of the White Sox series. Evidently, we don't believe in offense anymore.

Still, it would seem reasonable to write off Paul Byrd's start last night as a fluke. The man is never that wild and the walks and hit batters really hurt him.

But C.C.'s performance is a bit disconcerting, no matter how you slice it. Sure, you can use the excuse that he's overthrowing, first in the home opener, then again pitching in front of his family and friends. The problem is that we've gotten that excuse multiple times up until this point. At some point you start to think "an ace is a guy who always deliver in the big games." And you just have to wonder about C.C's ability to do that sometimes.

Still, it's only two starts, but an ERA of 7.59 isn't pretty.

Some other thoughts after five whole games:

How long before Cabrera is in the 2 spot for every game? He's currently hitting .200, but he's currently hitting .417 when he bats second, which should be an indication of how poorly he's hitting anywhere else.

That number leads nicely into my next point: we don't have a hit from left field yet. Both Jason Michaels and David Dellucci are hitting .000. While it's only been five games, that would seem to indicate that, at the very least, Cabrera should be hitting behind Grady.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that the 40 game mark needs to be decision time for left field. Regardless of how Choo performs when he returns, we've got a guy in AAA who's ready for the show.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow; I'd really like to see Cliff Lee return to form.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

White Sox @ Indians, 4/2/08 (with a little 4/3/08)

One of my favorite things about living on the West coast (aside from the weather) is the time difference. And there's no better example of how great that is than a noon East coast start time for the Tribe, which means I get to roll out of bed and start watching baseball (okay, roll out of bed, get ready for work, drive to work, and then watch baseball while working).

What it also means, however, is that I don't have a lot of time between a night game and a day game to write about said night game. So here I am, writing about last night's win while watching today's pitchers' duel between Jake Westbrook and John Danks.

Last night's game was a great example of how Carmona has matured as a pitcher. Sure, he was fairly dominant, but it was clear that he had to fight to make his pitches. I'm sure the cold weather had a lot to do with that. And even giving up four walks, he was able to shut down the White Sox.

And while it might still be early yet, I think Asdrubal Cabrera is making a strong case to stay in that #2 spot regardless of whether the opposing starter is a lefty or a righty. He just seems more comfortable there than in the 7 spot.

How great is Kelly Shoppach? What other team could lose a guy like Martinez (even for just a few days) and not see a huge drop off? It really makes you appreciate the fact that Shapiro was so determined not to trade Shoppach.

One thing I've noticed both last night with Carmona on the mound and now today with Westbrook on the mound (and I hope I'm not jinxing him by pointing this out): Jhonny Peralta seems to have more range this year. I know that every year we hear that he's been working on his range, but he's made a few plays just this afternoon that covered a great deal of ground.

Okay, back to the game. We need some offense!