Tough Week

The common perception was that this past week was going to be the true test of whether or not this Indians team was really going to be able to compete for first in the Central Division.  And, like every other thing we've seen from this team so far this year, the answer is still unclear.  Had they gone, say, 2-5 or 1-6, I think we could put a fork in them.  Had they gone 5-2 or 6-1, we'd have real reason to be excited for the rest of this season.  After all, the Red Sox and the Rangers are two of the best teams in all of the American League; taking them on -- on the road, no less -- was going to be a big challenge.

We went 3-4 on this road trip, which really isn't that bad, considering the opponents.  On top of that, the Tribe lost those 4 games by a combined total of 5 runs.  If a hit or a pitch had gone our way in three of those games, we'd have come out of this week with a winning record.

The real bright spot in the past week was the offense.  Granted, they were playing in hitter friendly parks, but they were also facing good pitching.  While Santana had spurts of greatness and awfulness, the 1-4 we're currently throwing out there every day (Brantley, Kipnis, Cabrera, and Hafner) looks like it could be the real deal.  Fukudome has also started coming along.  Honestly, when Choo returns I would expect/hope for him to go into the #5 spot, possibly moving Santana as low as #7 and leaving Fukudome where he's at.

The obvious dark spot was the bullpen, who struggled most of the week.  I'd like to chalk that up to overuse because, let's face facts, most of those guys haven't pitched this much before.  It also might be time to think about making a few changes.  It's obvious that Acta is remiss to use either Hermann or Durbin in serious situations.  The further we get into the season and the more important each game becomes, it's clear that we can't afford to have a bullpen with ostensibly only five pitchers.

The day off tomorrow is a double edged sword.  On one hand, it would be great to get back out there and get the bad taste out of our mouths after a tough loss.  But a day off could definitely help the bullpen.

The upcoming three game series against the Tigers is obviously a big one.  The Tribe has to win the series, and even then they'll only pick up one game.  A sweep is the best possible outcome, but Verlander is pitching the third game, so that's going to be tough.  Still, taking tow out of three would be pretty fantastic, and, I think, a big lift for this team.

So we still don't know if this team is for real or not, but at least we've made it this far with at least some spark of hope.