Odds and Ends

The Tribe is 2-2 over the past 4 games, which is actually a slight improvement. They took the three game series against the Oakland A's, which was a nice change of pace. Yesterday's game was more of the same, as new Indians Chris Perez and Winston Abreu helped to give up 9 runs in 2 innings. Random thoughts from a horrible season.

• Eric Wedge and his staff got the dreaded vote of confidence from GM Mark Shapiro Sunday. The team promptly lost the next two games. I don't think Eric will be back in 2010.


• Shin Soo Choo has been on fire the past few days, and has played like an All-Star. Seems to be one of the position players the team can build around.


• Victor Martinez is in a huge slump. Hopefully he it is just one of those baseball things and not him being frustrated with the results of the club this season.


• Trading a 24 year old struggling reliever (John Meloan) for another bullpen retread (Winston Abreu) looks like a horrible trade and makes absolutely no sense at all.


• Putting Chris Perez in a bases loaded situation in only his third game when he plunked two White Sox batters in his first game as an Indian was just a bad idea. Put him in spots where he can gain confidence instead of throwing him into the fire.


• Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt are close to returning to the Indians, probably after the All-Star break. Carmona needs to find his control and help stabilize the rotation. Betancourt will help the pen, but also may be trade bait.


• Jeremy Sowers 5 and fly starting pitching dance is nearing an end. He has proved himself unable to be a consistent major league starter. It is time to try him as a long reliever in the bullpen.

The beat goes on for the beaten Tribe. A few roster moves not posted have happened, as Matt Herges was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for the amazing Winston Abreu. Also, Rafael Perez and his gas can were sent to Columbus to make room for the return of Aaron Laffey.

The Day the Indians Died

The Monday of June 15th, 2009 was an optimistic one for Tribe fans. Their team had just won 6 of 9 games and just witnessed their reigning Cy Young award winner no hit the first place St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings, pulling to a record of 29-36, the closest to .500 they had been for a long time. The Indians carried a 12-7 leading heading into the 7th inning over a solid Brewer ball club. Then, as after the bullpen had been somewhat solid for a few weeks, the group of all former 2009 Columbus Clippers gave up a collective 8 earned runs over their collective relief duty and retrospectively finished the teams' chances for a comeback season (fittingly it was Major League the movie Monday, were all fans got Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn bobbleheads). Wedge went to his bullpen five times that night, and these are the folks (in order) who came out and what they did.

Greg Aquino 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB

Luis Vizcaino 1 1/3 IP 0 H 2 ER 3 BB

Matt Herges 0 IP 1 H 2 ER 1 BB

Rafael Perez 0 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 BB

Joe Smith 1 2/3 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB

Smith did a good job, but that was after Prince Fielder hit a line shot Grand Slam and took the air out of the Indians sails. Perez caught the WBC disease in early April and has been a trainwreck ever since. Looking at the first three names, would you really think any team that hoped to contend for a division would be trotting out these losers? I thought so. Why do I bring this game up? Because it started a string of 15 winnable games for the Tribe, and ended today with a loud thud. The Indians are 2-13 over those contests and look like a pathetic, hapless ball club. Their pitching staff is just terrible, and their hitters seem to be going through the motions over their latest 5 game losing streak. For all the Eric Wedge bashers who believe he should be canned, I can't disagree with you totally, but just look at this roster. If you look to the glorious (and looking like last in a long while) AL Central Division Championship season, their rotation was as follows...

2007

Sabathia/Carmona/Westbrook/Byrd/Laffey (with Lee down in Triple A trying to re-find himself)

2009 current

Lee/Pavano/Huff/Sowers/Ohka (with Lewis and Reyes done for the year and Carmona figuring things out in the minors)

Can anyone expect a team to win with that rotation, coupled with the abomination going out in right-center field? The team does struggle early every season and that could be attributed to the coaching staff. The knock of Wedge moving guys around in the field and the lineup is a 50/50 problem. If the team had guys capable of playing everyday and performing consistantly, the manager would not be forced to do that (I will go over the Pros and Cons of Wedge later this month, probably more cons). Injuries cannot be made as an excuse in 2009 because they stunk when they were healthy. Would I fire the Manager? No, because it really doesn't matter right now, they are going nowhere. If he is brought back in 2010, most fans will be up in arms, so I imagine the Indians will be forced to move in a different direction.

Most of the blame should be put on GM Mark Shapiro for feeling like his staff would be able to compete at previous levels. Besides Lee, there were no sure things in the rotation since Fausto struggled in 2008 and the Pavano/Reyes/Lewis/Huff/Sowers/Laffey poo poo platter contained way too many hopes and iffs. The real key to baseball is Starting Pitching, and no rotation guy(besides Lee) on the Indians has an ERA under 5. If the Indians ever want to contend again, Starting Pitching has to be the focus. Bringing in has-beens like Pavano or bright flashes of success like Reyes and Lewis only mask the real inadequacies in your ballclub (no wonder why Hector Rondon was moved so quickly BACK to starting duty). They need as a front office to come up with a plan today to infuse more upper echelon pitching into Double A and above that can be effective in the next 2 seasons.

After reading Paul's article over at the DiaTribe about Cliff Lee, I am now in the camp of moving him this season. Go get some stud pitchers that may develop into something in a few years, because contending next season seems like a pipe dream, even in a winable division. If they do play better, well then that is a bonus because Lee and Martinez will likely walk the following year, so changes would have to be made. Trade Cliff now when he has his highest value. It's not like attendance is going to drop, this City gave up on the Indians back in May.

As for the White Sox series, well it was awful. The Tribe was only really in the first game, but they didn't even score a run until the ninth when they were already trailing 6-0. Sizemore still looks hurt, Martinez is in a slump, the rest of the guys looked disinterested, and the pitching continues to be piss poor. They should use the Rick Vaughn bobblehead as a "JoeBoo" to exercise the demons that are this season. It is going to be a long 3 months out at Progressive field, so let's hope to see some more of the young guys and see if they are worth a look for the future. 2011 isn't that far away, is it?

Barfield sent to Columbus to make room for Perez

As mentioned several days ago the Cleveland Indians traded utility man Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. That being said, the soon to be 24 year old Perez made his way to Cleveland and therefore was activated today. Not only will he be available for tonight's game against Chicago, he will also get to meet his fellow bullpen members (pictured to the left) for the first time. To make room for Perez the team sent Josh Barfield back down to Triple A Columbus. Although Barfield started the year with the Tribe he has been optioned three times this season. In the time he has spent with the club this year he has seen limited playing time in in that he has only appeared in 17 games and had just 20 at bats. Furthermore, this is not good news for Columbus Clippers All-Star Andy Cannizaro as Barfield will likely steal his playing time.

Hopefully Perez can stir something up in this god awful bullpen and show these guys how to actually pitch. On a side note, Aaron Laffey decided that he wants to pitch like the rest of the Indians bullpen and suck it up. He made what was thought to be his last rehab start yesterday at Double A Akron and only lasted 3 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs on five hits. He also walked six (how can you walk that many people) and hit one batter. Eric Wedge actually made a logical comment stating, "We need to see more than that before we bring him up here." Well no crap Wedgie.

The Tribe take on the Chicago White Sox tonight in a three game series at Progressive Field. They have lost their last four series. To take a quote from the Chinese grounds crew from the Movie Major League, "these guys are sh!tty"

*The photo in this article was created by The Tribe Daily

DeRosa Traded to Cardinals

Mark DeRosa was traded today to the St. Louis Cardinals today for Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa was batting .270 with 13 homers and 50 RBI for the Tribe this season, playing all over the diamond (3B, 1B, RF, LF). It is ironic that he was traded for pitching because they gave up originally 3 pitchers to get him. Mark was a solid clubhouse guy and will probably be missed in the lineup as well. Look for Asdrubal Cabrera to take his roster spot tomorrow, with Perez possibly snagging Tomo Ohka's.

Chris Perez (pictured above)is a soon to be 24 year old who has went 1-1 with 4.18 ERA with one save in 29 games. The Right hander has stuck out 30 and walked 15 in 23 plus innings of work. He looks to be a pretty solid reliever the Indians are surely missing. The PTBNL is supposedly supposed to be a top prospect that the club will be tracking for the second half of the season (a la Michael Brantley). Look for that acquisition to happen after the season). By looking at his photo, he seems like a dude who likes to have a good time, which is always a welcomed addition.

I don't imagine that there will be many more trades by the Indians in trading off veterans. They don't really have that many assets available to be moved. Carl Pavano was a possibility, but he stinks right now and is probably hurt. This move should also stabilize the lineup a bit more, as Wedge won't have DeRosa anymore to move around the field and lineup each day.

Also, Jensen Lewis was sent to Columbus as Jose Veras was added to the bullpen from Hell. Lewis never could keep the ball down in the zone, resulting in 8 homeruns allowed. He will probably be back in a month. As for the team, they look to win their first series in 4 chances tomorrow with David Huff taking on Micah Owings.

Wedge Watch

After watching the Tribe lose its sixth straight game and blunder away any hope to a surge this season, the Eric Wedge watch is officially on. Is he canned tomorrow? Does he last the season? Who will be his interim replacement? What about 2010? All of these questions are on the minds of Tribe fans today and is only the middle of June. As for the Windy City debacle, well the series was downright pathetic. I was originally planning on going this weekend, but I am sure glad I didn't because eventhough Wrigleyville is a great time, it would have taken a blacked-out bender to recover from these games. Random thoughts as always...

Luis Valbuena is looking more and more like the second baseman of the future.

There is really no way the Indians can trade Cliff Lee. He is literally the only starting pitcher the team has in the organization that could legitimately be in another MLB teams rotation. If he walks after 2010, then shake his hand and wish him luck. At least he gives you a shot to win every fifth day.

The Ben Francisco and Ryan Garko eras in Cleveland are quickly coming to an end.

Tomo Ohka is the 2nd best starter on the staff right now. That is really, really sad.

You can make the excuse that Kerry Wood is underused, but he still has to get it done. He is making 12 million dollars to pitch one inning and win your team a game. Just a joke.

What can be said about the bullpen that hasn't already been said. Nothing. Mike Gosling should not have picked the #20, it may be cursed by this guy.

Victor is in a bit of slump, which does not bode well for the club at all.

You will not see Jeremy Sowers in an Indian uniform in 2010.

If Wedge is canned, I would promote Clippers Manager Torey Lovullo into the interim role (along with his pitching coach Scott Radinsky). No coach on the current staff should even be considered, the team needs a new voice. Give the guy a shot this season with the promise that if he succeeds, he will be strongly considered for 2010 and beyond.

My 2010 Manager.... John Farrell. He is the pitching coach for a great staff in Boston and has plenty of knowledge of the Indians system.

Don't be surprised if Mark Shapiro steps aside either this season or before 2010 and becomes the teams President, allowing Chris Antonetti to take over. They may sound like clones, but I think Antonetti has his own ideas on some ways he would do things differently.

Trevor Crowe needs to be sent down immediately. I really liked what he did in spring training, but I have seen enough of him to know that he is a 4A guy and the Indians have way too many of those kind of players.

Kelly Shoppach may be on his way back to Triple A pretty soon. Being the personal catcher for Cliff Lee can only save your job for so long.

With the club currently 29-43 (most games under .500 all season), and reports that the Manager is possibly out the door, the question out there is who to blame? Let me know in the comments section below. The Wahoos are off to Pittsburgh to hopefully right this sinking ship.

PATHETIC!!

That is the only way I can describe last nights 14-12 lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, oh and if I could make the letters any bigger I would have. The five pictures you are looking at are 5 guys that had absolutely no clue there was a baseball game last night at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. OK, maybe Joe Smith should not be on here but I put him on anyway because he is part of this rat pack of a bullpen the Cleveland Indians have. I went to bed right after the game last night and I was hoping to god that CKTRIBE would have wrote an article last night because I knew I did not want to have anything to do with it. Well, I woke up and there was nothing posted. To be honest, I don't even blame him because there is no words to describe last night. Soooo, that being said, I am going to try and put my words to what I witnessed last night. I am merely going off my head as I don't remember everything exactly...I actually don't want to remember anything to tell the truth.

Carl Pavano started the night out with another so so.. not so great start. Yes they were winning when he came out, however he barely was able to finish the 5th inning without getting yanked and besides...he gave up 6 runs in 5 innings so he was crap last night. After the 5th inning the score was 8-6 Tribe and that is when it just falls apart. Greg Aquino came in and gave up one run in the 6th however the Tribe bats put up a 4 spot to make the score 12-7. Things were still looking pretty good for the Tribe...not really. Aquino came back out to pitch in the 7th and walked Ryan Braun who moved to second on a wild pitch then easily stole third. Braun finally scored on a Corey Hart sac fly and the Indians still got out of the 7th with only giving up one run making it 12-8 Tribe.

For this next paragraph I wish I could use the words (Parental Discretion Advised) however I can't so I will make it as nice a possible. The 8th inning was the worst inning of baseball I have ever watched....in my life and your life too for that matter. It took the Tribe 4 pitchers (FOUR) to get out of this inning. Oh yea, and when they finally got out of it, they were loosing 14-12. Vizcaino walked two batters then the Tribe brought in 57 year old Matt Herges and he walked one. With the bases loaded Ryan Braun hit a grounder in the hole that Luis Valbuena made a nice play on but could not make the throw to second base for the force out and the Brewers scored making it 12-9. Then Wedge brought in the worst pitcher in the major leagues. I was sitting there saying to myself please don't bring in Perez, he is terrible against left handers and he should still be down in Columbus, or even Mexico for that matter. So obviously Wedge could not here me yelling at my TV. With this in mind, I can't do anything but watch Rafael Perez give up a first pitch GRAND SLAM to Prince Fielder. How can these guys call themselves Major League Pitchers? All I could could do was laugh. What a great night to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the 1980's movie Major League and have Bob Ueker honored at the game. This was truly a "Major League" moment. On a side note the Tribe's bats were really hoping last night and it was fun to see them put some numbers on the score board. Our offense really came to play yesterday....our Bullpen...well, I don't even think they know the season has started!

"This one's for the Birds"

So far the entire 2009 season has been for the birds. Last night the Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th making this game definitely "For the Birds" If you follow the Tribe you have probably realized that Progressive Field seems to be the Noah's Ark of of Baseball Stadiums. Whether it's bugs, bees, or birds, it always seems like the players are competing for space out there with creatures of nature. Last night was a special case in which the Indians won with the assist of....non other than a Lake Erie Gull. With Mark DeRosa on second and Victor Martinez on first, Shin-Soo Choo came up to the plate after going 0 for a million in this series and lined a single into center field. Just as Coco Crisp was about to make a play on the ball one of the famous gulls that was getting an up front and personal seat to the game decided to make the play instead. You could see the ball just ricochet right off the little guy giving the ball just enough movement to make Crisp miss the ball. That being said DeRose scores easily from second and...THE INDIANS WIN, THE INDIANS WIN! (actually it really was not that dramatic as DeRosa would have scored even if Crisp would have fielded the ball cleanly)


Although the Tribe won last night which was good as they won their second series in a row there were a couple things that I kind of scratched my head on last night...I know you all care about my comments so I will share them with you. The first being that on Wednesday, when Cleveland Indians beat writer Anthony Castrovince wrote an article about the managers' lineup card. Castro reported that Eric Wedge was really coming around to liking Jhonny Peralta playing third and thought that Luis Valbuena was a good fit at shortstop, at least while Asdrubal Cabrera was out.

After watching the starting lineup take the field, where does Jhonny go, but to shortstop. I understand that Carroll had the night off but come on, put Jhonny over at third, let Valbuena play short and put DeRosa at second. Wedge just got done saying that Peralta seemed to be coming around at third and needs more time there to get comfortable. Besides it is not like DeRosa doesn't know how to play second as he played there all last year. OK, enough venting....I am sure others out there will disagree with me. I guess I just got upset when DeRosa made his 132 error last night on a play that my grandma could have made.

I can't stand Ben Francisco. In the bottom of the 3rd the score was 0-0 with one out and Luis Valbuena was on third base. B-Franc had an 3-0 count and he swings at the next pitch fouling off to the catcher. WHY!! I listed to Manning on STO and he agreed with it but I thought it was stupid. First of all, it is 3-0 and second of all you got DeRosa, Martinez and Choo coming up....and just for craps and giggles, third of all you have Zack Greinke pitching and you are probably not going to get a hit anyway. I agree if you are a good hitter and it is 3-0 count then by all means you have the green light but Francisco is not a good hitter. He either hits a home run or does nothing. Case in point ol' Benny boy swung and popped up to the catcher...NICE. If he would have walked, then it would have been first and third, and then he would have moved to second when DeRosa walked. Now when Martinez singles we score two runs instead of one. I realize that anything can happen and if he did get a hit or sacrifice Valbuena in then it would have been a great call. Furthermore, I am not much of a stat guy, but my stats in my head were saying statistically, Ben is terrible and that was a dumb decision. They won the game, but he needs to show more patience, especially hitting in the leadoff position.


This game was for the birds, literally. More flying creatures are scheduled to invade Progressive Field this weekend, with the St. Louis Cardinals headed into town for a three game series. Let's try and make it 3 series wins in a row.

Sizemore placed on DL, Gimenez recalled from Triple A

With Grady Sizemore suffering for several weeks from an ailing left elbow the Indians have finally placed him on the 15 day disabled list. Although no structural damage was shown after an MRI the Tribe thought putting Grady in the DH spot would help with his recovery...apparently that was not the case. Sizemore has only played in three games at Centerfield since May 16th. With this in mind, it marks the first time in his career that he has been on the DL.

Things are not looking to bleek for the Tribe right now as injuries keep haunting them. Yesterday in the first inning Victor Martinez went down after fouling a ball off his left knee. He is currently day to day and his ex-rays were negative after he was sent to Cleveland's Lutheran Hospital. Furthermore relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt left Sunday's game after only three pitches. Dennis Manoloff from the Clevland Plain Dealer commented today saying, "Since Betancourt takes three times as long between pitches compared to other pitchers, does this mean it'll take him three times as long to recover back to being ready to pitch? Only time will tell. So, with all of these injuries the Tribe had to make a move today. That move was bringing the versatile Chris Gimenez (pictured left) up from Triple A Columbus. Gimenez, a 2004 19th round pick was brought into the organization to play third base, however he has seen much of his time behind the dish; and with Victor being day to day the Indians need another backup. Furthermore, Gimenez is much liked by Tribe manager Eric Wedge because of his ability to play various positions.

So far this year in Columbus he has seen time at both corners in the outfield as well as First Base and Catcher. In fact the 26 year old rising star has seen the following time in the field this year: 25 starts at catcher, 11 in the outfield and 3 at first base. Offensively Gimenez started the year off slow batting only .151 in the month of April, however he has quickly started to come around as he is batting .294 in his last 10 games. As of yesterday he was hitting .235 with 15 RBI's, 6 HR's. His OBP is .323 and OPS is .749.

40 Game Mark

"Every time you think the Indians have hit rock bottom, they find another level." These were the words uttered by Indians play-by-play voice Tom Hamilton after the Tribe blew another game, 6-5. Here comes the rants...

• 14-26. Worst record in the American League.
• Worst bullpen in the history of baseball.
• Team looks completely defeated.
• Off Season acquisitions (Wood/DeRosa) severely under performing.
• Closer really showed his intestinal fortitude tonight, blowing an easily winnable game when the team really needed a victory in the worst way.
• Star Centerfielder batting .212.
• DH hurt all the time, broken down, and signed through 2012.
• Best 2 players (Lee/Martinez) free agents after 2010 season.
• Manager refuses to throw best pitcher 9 innings when he is at 101 pitches because "That is what you are supposed to do."
• Manager is truly managing like a laptop computer.
• Manager needs to pick a lineup and stick with it.
• Manager probably needs to be replaced.
• To win just 88 games, the team would need to go 74-48.
• Finds a new way to lose each and every way possible.
• No one in this town cares about the team anymore, becoming a joke.
• Who really believes they can turn this around with the mind numbing loss they have absorbed? Position players never feel safe With a lead.

As Paul Cousineau wrote earlier today , I hate this team.

Sweeping a "Fire" Under the Bus

You just knew going into the 9th of today's game that the Tribe would get runners on base and flirt with victory. Then you realized they have teased us fans all year with a season-changing comeback or a last at bat win. As Choo flew out to end the game, I wondered to myself how long can a team find new ways to lose? Apparently many, as the Indians were swept away by the Tigers, scoring a total of 3 runs in 3 games. Random angry thoughts from a frustrated fan...

• Moves I would make to the roster today... Cut Kobayashi and Dellucci (why is he still playing, we all know that he sucks). Bring in Vizcaino (which will probably happen soon) and call up Jordan Brown/Michael Aubrey and make them your left handed bat off of the bench. Dellucci is a train wreck and there is no room for a team that is 10 games under .500 to even have a roster spot for a 35 year old washed up can't bunt can't field can't hit outfielder.


• Lineup changes I would make... Just move Peralta to third and get it over with. He is eventually going to play there next year and the defense is infinitely better with Cabrera playing short (see Friday's game). Let Valbuena play everyday as he has a flair about him and will get better as he plays more (Friday's game not withstanding). Move DeRosa to the outfield and hope he gets his bat going.


• LaPorta should be playing everyday and it inexcusable that he did not play in one game against Detroit. He is accruing service time and not gaining any experience riding the pine. That is a huge blunder by Wedge.


• Have Shoppach only play twice a week. His swing and plate discipline is a joke right now. Let him catch Lee and occasionally someone else. It's all or nothing with him. Give the other at bats to Garko, he at least usually gets on base.


• New lineup... Sizemore-Cabrera-Martinez-Choo-Garko-DeRosa-Peralta-LaPorta-Valbuena


• Still looks pretty crappy, but at least it shows some promise at the end. Francisco and Shoppach are strike out machines.


• I am done hearing Grady is not a vocal leader. He needs to man up, kick a cooler, yell at some team mates and help will this team to victory. Sizemore is not a young kid anymore.


• Wedge may not be the reason the bullpen blows or the team goes into hitting funks, but a club tends to take on the personality of it's manager. Here are Victor's quotes from after the game today...

"It's not Wedge's fault," he said. "I take all the blame, we take all the blame."
In case you missed it, Martinez does not think it's Wedge's fault, which means he does not think Wedge should be jettisoned.
"He's not the one playing," Martinez said. "I don't see any reason why he should pay for this."
Asked what is missing from the 2009 edition, Martinez said: "Energy and, you know, the fire, the fire to play this game."
As to why that would be, Martinez said: "Sometimes we get down on ourselves. We're really trying to do too much at one time. You can't get five hits in one at-bat. You can't get three homers in one at-bat. You have to take it pitch by pitch, at-bat by at-bat."

• Isn't it the role of a manager to help promote passion and intensity to help bring a team together? If the manager is relaxed and calm when the results are abysmal, the players may follow suit. It is nice to see Victor defending his skipper, but his comments kind of throw him under the bus. That "Fire" isn't going to come from a player's only meeting. That "Fire" isn't going to come when you can't get a sac bunt down in the 7th inning or when you miss a cut off. That "Fire" isn't going to show up when have got on base once to leadoff a game all season. The only way to catch the "Fire" is to play good, fundamental baseball, create scoring opportunities, pitch with confidence, and have fun for once. Do we really need to bring back this guy or do this after every win to loosen the team up?


• Whether it's bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez (who knows what he does anyways), or the Wedge-clone, hitting coach Derek Shelton, the demeanor, approach, and results of the players these men are supposed to have an impact on are well below acceptable. One or both should be canned just to let these guys here some sort of new voice.

I have a few theories concerning why the lineup looks so out of whack and have narrowed it down to these two main spokes in the bicycle in the Tour De Tribe.

Travis Hafner going on the DL was really no shock to anyone, but I didn't think the team would miss him as much as they have. The team is 3-8 since the last game he played in and are devoid of a true cleanup hitter. Who knows if Pronk will ever stay healthy for an extended time, but the mere presence of his bat in the lineup lengthened its productivity. Choo is not a cleanup guy at all and may hinder his maturation. Here is what the cleanup hole has produced in those 11 games...

Choo: (8-35, 2 extra base hits) .229 batting average .341 on base percentage .415 slugging percentage .756 OPS 0 Homeruns and 5 RBI.

DeRosa: (1-8, 0 extra base hits) .125 batting average .125 on base percentage .125 slugging percentage .250 OPS O Homeruns and 0 RBI. Combine the two and here is the production out of the cleanup spot over the past 11 games...

4 hole: .209 batting average .306 on base percentage .367 slugging percentage .673 OPS.

With all the blame going to the bullpen, the cleanup spots' production has been well below average and a glaring hole to fill. Another guy is equally to blame for the teams' struggles.

Grady Sizemore might be hurt. I went to the game April 26th when he collided pretty hard with Trevor Crowe. Grady got up pretty slowly and took a few moments to regroup himself. He obviously looks fine in the outfield and on the basepaths, but maybe he hurt a shoulder-wrist-elbow during the play and hasn't told anyone or the team is hiding the ailment. We all know how the Indians love to hide injuries as we learned straight from the skipper (See Tribe Town Hall Meeting Part 2 for Wedge's answer)in January. Grady is also a gamer and would be the last to make any excuses. Here is some quick numbers for Grady.

Up until April 26th season stats... .269 batting average .367 on base percentage, .564 slugging percentage, .931 OPS.

After April 26th season stats... .227 batting average .313 on base percentage, .424 slugging percentage, .737 OPS.

Over his past 12 games... (April 27-May 10) .167 batting average ..237 on base percentage, .288 slugging percentage, .525 OPS. Team Record (including game he had off) 4-9.

These stats are significantly terrible, even for a struggling Grady. Is he hurt or just in a slump? I know he almost took Verlander yard in the 9th Friday, but his swing is looking longer and his plate discipline has gone completely array. Time will tell. Sizemore and Hafner are two of the most important parts of this lineup (including Martinez). As they go, so does the team.

The best thing about a team playing bad is that tomorrow is another day and yet another potential way to right the ship. The White Sox come to town and hopefully the whole Tribe will decide to show up for once.

Perez sent packing, Herges recalled, Laffey to the Pen

After the implosion of monumental proportions happened Tuesday, heads were bound to roll. Rafael Perez has been epically bad, posting a 15.19 ERA in 13 games. This is probably what is best for Raffy, because he sure wasn't able to figure out his issues at the big league level. Paul Cousineau over at the DiaTribe thinks Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky may just be the man to straighten out the lean lefty. Now added to the Bullpen of Propane is 39 year old Matt Herges (pictured left) and his 5.40 ERA and 4 saves accumulated down in Triple A. He has 537 career major league appearances, so maybe he can help calm down his new relief mates (don't hold your breath).

Also, Aaron Laffey is being transitioned into the bullpen making way for the return of Jeremy Sowers. Sowers pitched well like he always does in Triple A, stuckout 22 batters in 24 innings while posting a 2.25 ERA. It remains to be seen if he can figure it out at the major league level. He needs to demonstrate a wide enough gap between his fastball and change-up (including arm angle) to get guys out. It is very interesting that Wedge chose to move Laffey into the pen. Apparently young Aaron is best suited for his new role because he gets a lot of ground ball outs and can get warmed up very past. Apparently Laffey had no idea about the move until today but was willing to do what was best for the team. Wedge and company have screwed with him a bunch this season so it will be interesting to see how he reacts as he has pitched very well this season. The Tribe needs somebody to get outs after the 6th inning, so we shall see. I don't see it being a permanent move for the young lefty, but more of a move out of necessity.

Heartaches, Headaches, and Head Scratchers

At least the Indians finally hit a triple! The Tribe's record now stands at a disappointing 8-14 after dropping 2 of three to the Boston Red Sox when they had a legitimate shot at winning all three. The team collectively went 2-32 with runners in scoring position, which is down right embarrassing. Every aspect of this team needs to be dissected and critiqued heavily. Here are some rants without any raves.

• Peralta is lost, needs to be sat down for a few games to figure some things out.
• Why a team carrying 14 pitchers trots out a reliever who is prone to the gopher ball (Lewis) for his third consecutive inning is a mystery. Why not throw the guy (Rundles) who gets lefties out against the lefty (Van Every)?
• The Indians blew a golden opportunity for a win when the Red Sox decided to sit Youklis, Drew and Lugo on the bench in favor of Bailey, Van Every, and Green. I don't care that Van Every hit the winning homerun, they are all jobbers.
• Shapiro better find 7 pitchers to throw out of the bullpen that he believes in because a major league team can not have a bench of 2 or 3 guys when the starting 9 is incredibly slow and not versatile.
• Lee and Carmona pitched great and have nothing to show for it.
• Reyes' fastball topping out at 85 MPH was not a good sign.
• Putting a closer in a tie ball game when he had pitched the night before makes no sense to me. I can understand if Wood hadn't thrown in awhile but it works like 50% of the time. I understood Wood throwing Tuesday as there really wasn't anyone left.
• Moves I would make tomorrow. Cut Kobayashi, Demote Graffanino, and Rundles, and call up LaPorta, Valbuena, and Barfield. Make Shoppach your backup catcher again, sit Peralta down a few days, and stick LaPorta at DH with an occasional spot start in left. What is worth more, LaPorta losing a year of arbitration or your team losing an entire season? Barfield, Crowe, Shoppach, and Peralta make up your bench for the time being. Send Barfield down when Carroll comes back. I don't even want to get started on Dellucci.
• If and when Pavano and Reyes keep sucking, ship the worse one out and call up Rondon from Akron. Would bring excitement and a guy who throws heat.
• I need not watch Friday's game or my blood pressure will become a health problem.
• I have a horrible feeling that the same old moves will happen tomorrow (Dellucci up).
• When is the point in the season when the team decides the core of this team just is not working together as a cohesive unit?
• What will be the club's excuse for their bad start this year? Hafner on the DL? The WBC? The Swine Flu?
• Should I feel optimistic that they are still only 3.5 games back?
  

The Tribe is thankfully off Thursday, but moves the train wreck on up to Detroit where Carl Pavano (0-3 9.50 ERA) takes on Armando Gallaraga (3-0 1.85 ERA). Who you got? Are you still in the Tribe?

Trevor Crowe makes the Ballclub! Dellucci to DL

As speculated yesterday, Cleveland Indians rookie outfielder Trevor Crowe will break camp with the big league club. David Dellucci's nagging injuries (thumb, calf) and his one dimensional game (hitting left handed) made the move an easy one for the Tribe. Crowe had a great spring, batting .289 with six stolen bases. His all out hustle and speed will be an added component to the team. Don't expect him to waste away on the bench, because I have a feeling that the skipper will definitely find at bats for him a few times a week to keep Francisco and Choo (maybe even Hafner) fresh. We may fortunately have seen the last of ole' Double D, since he will be out a minimum of two weeks with a Triple A rehabilitation surely to follow. If Crowe rips it up at the major league level and Dellucci is wallowing in mediocrity it Columbus, the Tribe will probably cut bait a la Aaron Fultz last season and eat his robust $4 million dollar contract. 35 year old outfielders who can't field, run, or throw and can barely hit are not much of a hot commodity within baseball in these economic times. David seemed to be a good clubhouse guy, but an albatross out in the field. This move reminds me a bit of when Grady Sizemore was going to be sent down in 2005 in favor of Juan Gonzalez. While Crowe will probably never be Grady, more youth and position flexibility is never a bad thing to have off of your bench. Here is what Wedge had to say about Sizemore back then...

After coming close to not making the team in Spring Training, he stepped into the starting lineup after Juan Gonzalez's injury and made it impossible for manager Eric Wedge to pull him out of the lineup.
"He plays the game hard," Wedge said of Sizemore. "He's plays the game the right way." indians.com

The skipper had high praise for Trevor also...

Crowe played well enough to make the ballclub,'' Wedge said. ''He has every tool that you want to see in a young player

ohio.com

We will have to wait and see how it plays out. Crowe is in the in the lineup for tonights' game against San Diego (televised locally on STO), so it will be interesting to see how he responds to his good fortunes. These roster issues usually seem to work themselves out overtime (Michaels, Borowski, Julio circa 2008) so this move seems to be a positive one. All I know is that I am not upset at the idea of seeing Trevor Crowe get some major league at bats instead of a broken down aging veteran.

Answering the Fans

I was lucky enough to attend an Indians season ticket holders' Town Hall event held at Westlake High School Tuesday where Assistant GM Chris Antoneti and Manager Eric Wedge, among others (Bob Dibiasio, Dennis Lehman) answered some questions from the common folk. The usual softball questions were asked as I expected, since we all were pretty much just fans excited to talk to the leaders of our favorite club. The panel was extremely cordial and answered even the stupid questions about signing big name free agents. I was able to record about 15 minutes of it, (I am the guy who asked about the teams' philosophy on injuries and if the Tribe would resign Manny) and took a few mental notes as well. This first video is about Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook.

Here is a synopsis of what I heard

When Wedge was asked about Andy Marte, he basically said they haven't been able to tap into his full potential in Cleveland and that it might have to happen somewhere else. Said for some guys sometimes their ability to stay consistant just clicks on one day(used the example of Casey Blake after 8 years in the minors and Jamie Moyer, saying he remembers facing him in the minors). I would say Marte is pretty much done as an Indian.

Wedge said they wouldn't have guessed Cliff Lee would accomplish the season he had after his first spring training start (joked that he asked Carl Willis what the two had been working on all winter). After his amazing April continued into May and June, Wedge knew Lee's season would be special. Told Cliff after CC was traded, he was the man, his ace. Also mentioned Kelly Shoppach while speaking about Lee prominantly, so don't be surprised to see a Lee/Shoppach battery most of the time.

Antonetti spoke about how the Indians decided to bring in Carl Pavano. Said he was in the best shape he had been in 4 years. Pavano also bluntly talked about that he pretty much sucked in New York and was ready for a big comeback. Apparently the team was impressed with his desire to bounce back and Pavano seemed to be the most physically recovered reclamation project out there. Stressed it was a low risk/high reward signing.

Wedge spoke about how Josh Barfield needs to develop some more "flexibility" in his game to make the club, saying that he may need to learn the outfield to become more versatile. Also talked about Ryan Garko learning some left field (yikes!) for when Victor Martinez plays first. Doesn't have any illusions that Garko will be the next Willie Mays out there, but just being serviceable would add to club overall. Also said DeRosa would play some right field for Choo against tougher lefties and that Jamey Carroll may patrol the outfield as well. The skipper seems to really want to be able to juggle his players around to find the right fit any given day. Stressed it was a 162 game season and needs to be treated as such. (never overact to any situation).

Antoneti mentioned 3 players to watch in AA Akron, Carlos Santana, Beau Mills, and Hector Rondon as well as hyping up the AAA Columbus outfield of Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, and Trevor Crowe (compared him to Coco Crisp).

Wedge spoke a bit about the usual question that comes up at these type of events, Cleveland's market size and players coming and going. He said that the 10 game losing streak was more of a product of the players' uncertainty about the CC trade talks and felt the team didn't really give their best effort. Said a lot of players got exposure last year to the big league team that they normally would not have, and will help come 2009. Mentioned that the two biggest team leaders left (Sabathia, Blake) but more talent will come on through (mentioned Matt LaPorta, David Huff). Antonetti talked about even though the season was a disappointment, they were able to replenish the farm system more than expected through their various deals.

When I asked about the teams feeling concerning disclosing injuries, Wedge and Antonetti both basically said that the team would lose a competitive advantage if they told the media every little bump and bruise. (The video is below).

It was a fun experience for my wife Lynsey and I to go out and hear about our beloved Tribe (It was also the first time we left our 1 month old son at Grandma's house). The event gave the fans an up close feeling of where the front office hopes and feels the team will be in 2009. We will be off to the winter caravan tour in Sandusky with Ryan Garko and David Huff Monday so I will have some stuff up here about that as well. Here is the last clip which is really just financial talk and kind of boring. For all you Derek Jeter fans there is some drooling over him in here as well. Enjoy!

Tribe Wins Series, Dodge Beanballs

The Indians finally won a 3 game series, beating the Minnesota Twins yesterday 12-2. It was their first since mid-May. Two outstanding pitching performances led to victories, along with an offensive explosion Thursday. Manager Eric Wedge showed some vigor as he exchanged multiple profanities with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire after Andy Marte was hit with a pitch, apparently in retaliation of Alexi Casilla being plunked the inning earlier, which was in retaliation of Jamey Carroll being plunked even earler. The next series with Minnesota will be more interesting than usual. With the rash of injuries plaguing the team, maybe they can come together and win a few. The White Sox were swept by the Tigers, so it shows you that this season is long from over. If I were to tell you names like Haad, Tyner, Elarton, Velandia, Mujica, Snyder, Aubrey, and Bauer would all be on this team before July, you would have probably laughed or punched me in the face. Although the batting order looks downright bleak at the moment, stranger things have happened. You figure some of the hitters are due. If the bullpen can straighten themselves out (they are due too), the Tribe could be .500 before the All-Star break! Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Here were some of the Highlights:

CC Sabathia: 9 IP, 5 Hits, 0 earned runs, 5 K's. Who said we should trade CC? Continues to prove why he is on of the top pitchers in baseball. Need his consistency more than ever now with Westbrook and Carmona on the shelf

Grady Sizemore: 5-14, 2 HR's, 4 RBI. He is now the greatest threat in the Indians lineup. Can the team afford to keep in the leadoff spot? Time will tell.

Jamey Carroll: 8-9, 2 RBI. Continues to slap base hits around the yard, raised his batting average like 50 points in 2 days.

Areas of Concern:

Paul Byrd: 3 IP, 6 Hits, 5 earned runs, 0 k's. He got absolutely shelled. I sat behind home plate for his last start and the ball Jason Kubel hit for homerun was the loudest crack I have ever heard. It was like a firework going off. Paulie has been pitching good one game, bad the next for a lot of 2008.

Joe Borowski: 1 IP, 2 earned runs. He should really only pitch in save situations, this tends to happen often when Wedge brings him out when the team is losing.

Victor Martinez: Apparently Victor had a bum elbow to go along with his bum hamstring. Why the Indians insist to keep these things quiet is beyond me. If he is hurt, put him on the DL. He may have overcompensated for his early hamstring injury and put too much pressure on his elbows/arms when swinging. I understand he is a "gamer" but we have a capable backup (Shoppach). 80% of Victor as we apparently were watching for most of 2008 is not as good as 100% healthy Victor. Hopefully he will heal and be back sometime in August.

Interleague play starts up again as the San Diego Padres come to town for a three game series. Jody Gerut makes his triumphant return to the NorthCoast, so buy your tickets today!

Texas-Sized Split

Just when you think the Indians potentially may string together a few wins... they don't. While hitting in The Ballpark in Arlington is similar to hitting at Softball World, at least the offense got going a bit. I will give the rotation a pass for the past 4 games as it must be extremely difficult to pitch there, but the bullpen is an utter mess. 11 pitchers have been used in relief and a total of zero of them have been consistent. General Manager Mark Shapiro laments the fact that bullpens are volatile, and he has never been more correct. If the Tribe's relievers were even average, this team would be over .500 and probably tied for first place.

This team is now at a crossroads. There are 102 games left in the season, so I would say the next 20 games will tell the tale of how management proceeds the rest of the season. If they tank, I say deal CC Sabathia when you have a chance to get value for him. Now I realize that they probably won't deal CC since Carmona and Westbrook are on the DL, but might as well try and build for 2009 while maybe pulling together something for the rest of 2008. If the Tribe can string any type of winning streak together over 4 games, they are immediately back in the race. I personally don't feel to encouraged right now, and here is why:

• Victor is obviously hurt and not the same player. Just end his misery and place him on the DL.


• No meat in the middle of the order. Garko had a great series, but he is not a clean-up hitter. The Indians have no legitimate middle of the order hitters.


• Jhonny Peralta's inconsistency at the plate has been excruciating to watch. He flails away at the high fastball, waves at curveballs in the dirt, and has actually less range in the field than he did last year. I wrote back in early April that Jhonny was destined for a breakout year, boy was I wrong.


• Injuries to Carmona, Westbrook and the myth Adam Miller has quickly dwindled the teams pitching depth. One more injury to the starting staff and guys like Jeff Harris and Matt Ginter are in discussions about starting. EESSHH.


• Travis Hafner is also on the DL and hopefully he is searching for his stroke because it is gone. Along with Sizemore and Martinez, he is vital to the success to this team. Without him performing at least average, the Tribe has struggled mightily.


• Guys like Blake/Dellucci/Carroll/Choo/Gutierrez/Cabrera have to over perform to make this team a contender, and they have not. This team lacks punch, and besides a few great single game feats of strengths, these guys have all collectively been well below mediocre.


• The Bullpen as I stated before is awful. Nothing deflates a team more than the blown save, and this squad, (especially Betancourt) has blown a bunch. Names such as Bauer, Mujica, Elarton, and Slocum do not strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters, (all of which are actually sitting out in the pen). The Wahoos will not go anywhere this season without a decent bullpen, and that is looking less likely game by game.

The team did hit the past four days sans a 15 batter stretch Thursday. No lead is safe in that park, so with the Rangers pitching looking pretty terrible, I assume they will not be a contender in the AL West.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Ryan Garko: 11-20, 6 runs, 7 RBI's. The singles machine sure got some confidence back over the past 4 days. If he can consistently bat around .300 it will help this team immensely.

Ben Francisco: 9-20 HR, 5 RBI. One of the few consistent hitters on this team. Had some pretty bad at bats Thursday, but everyone is entitled to bad days. Will play everyday in this lineup as long as he continues to hit.

Casey Blake: 6-18, 2 HR 8 RBI's (7 in one game). Casey had a great Tuesday, would love to see him in a super sub roll instead of an everyday player.

David Dellucci: 6-10, 2 HR, 7 RBI's. Double D raked in his former ballpark, which was nice.

Areas of Concern:

Victor Martinez: 4-15, 5 RBI's. Drove in some runs, looks uncomfortable at the plate. I would stick him on the DL, looks like Victor will continue to "grind."

CC Sabathia: 6 IP, 4 earned runs, 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 K's. CC pitched ok but seemed to lose his composure after infield hits and defensive misplays (Choo). Needs to work through these situations and lose his cool.

Rafael Betancourt: (Thursday Game): 2/3 IP 2 hits. 2 walks, 3 earned runs. Has been up and down (mostly down) all year. Apparently he almost went on the DL a few days ago, might be there soon. Mr. Conquest was a main key to this team last year, and his terrible pitching this year is killing them.

Tribe Decision Makers (Shapiro, Wedge, Willis) I understand that the team was in a bind Wednesday with Westbrook going on the DL, but how could they have not known of this potential issue beforehand? Having to start a reliever in a major league game is inexcusable. They basically threw away the game and chalked it up as a loss. The way the Indians have played in 2008, can they really afford to do this? Call up a guy in Akron or Kinston, someone who can pitch more than 2 innings. If it means you may lose an arbitration year or a crappy guy like Elarton, Mujica or Slocum off of the 40 man roster, than so be it. This is not 2007, every game counts now after the proverbial hole they have dug for themselves being 6 games below .500.

I am not ready to kick dirt on the 2008 Wahoos, but am really close. They can't gather any momentum and seem to just float on by series by series. Since sweeping Oakland on May 15th, the team has went 5-14. That just is not going to cut it, even in a division as bad as the AL Central this season. Expectations were huge going into this season, as many pundits (including myself) predicted a World Series appearance. I knew I shouldn't have done it, since the last time I predicted such success was 2006, when the team fell apart. I predicted a 3rd place finish in 2007 which was smart since I wanted to avoid my self-inflicted jinx. This blog and my prediction may have jinxed the 2008 Indians, but who believes in such things? Every time the Tribe has people expecting big things, they fall on their face. I am now predicting the 2009 Cleveland Indians will finish in last place with the worst record in baseball.

Royal Rubbish

The Cleveland Indians have lost their fifth series in a row Sunday by losing to the hapless Kansas City Royals Sunday 6-1. Paul Byrd pitched terrible, the team continues not to hit, and the Tribe is barely even watchable. Apparently Manager Eric Wedge believes this team is close to coming out of it, but I have no idea how that is possible. The middle of the lineup looks pathetic, and the team collectively looks like they are going through the motions. Will they make a trade? Probably not until July, and unfortunately that will probably to dump CC. I predicted a successful May for the Indians, and I was way off. Oh well, better to be an optimist.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 3 Homeruns, drove in 4 of the 8 runners who scored over the weekend. He single-handedly won the game Friday with his 2 homeruns and amazing catch to end the game. Only player on the team that strikes any fear within the lineup.

Areas of Concern:

Starting Pitching: Was less than stellar over the weekend. If they struggle at all, more losses will occur due to the utter crappiness of the hitting.

Hitting: What can possibly be said that hasn't been rehashed? They suck.

Victor Martinez: Wedge said yesterday that Martinez is still nursing a sore hamstring for TWO MONTHS! Great job by the Indians brass covering up these injuries, we could never figure it out. The guy has 0 homeruns and bats cleanup. Stick him on the DL so we don't have to watch him struggle anymore.

Cleveland travels to Arlington today to take on the Texas Rangers for 4 games. Aaron Laffey takes on Vincente Padilla. The beat goes on.

"It is What it Is"

Manager Eric Wedge is the king of cliches. Grinding, battling, taking one day at a time, tomorrow is another day, and we're close, are all phrases used by the skipper. Well Wedge decided against using any of these today as he pretty much layed into Rafael Betancourt after he blew yet another game for the Tribe today. Betancourt was abused by his fastball staying up in the zone and his inability to pitch inside.

This is out of the ordinary for Wedge, as he usually spits out hyperbole. Maybe the manager shouldn't have pulled out Rafael Perez when he put two runners on in an obvious sacrifice situation? The first runner got on due to a Mandy Marte error, and the second runner got a bloop broken bat hit. With no outs and the White Sox trailing by two, you would figure Ozzie Guillen would have Orlando Cabrera bunt (he did). Then with one out and runners on second and third, lefty A J Pierzynski was due up. Why not keep the lefty on lefty matchup prevail and force the Sox to make a move? Well Betancourt proceeded to give up back to back doubles and the game was over right there.

Why bring this up? Wedge is not the reason this team can't hit or pitch out of the bullpen. He is becoming frustrated and feeling a bit helpless. That is not a good sign for Tribe fans when the usually stoic Wedge is fuming publicly. I unfortunately do not have the answer to the Indians problems, but as stated earlier I believe a deal for a polished hitter would at least shake things up.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Aaron Laffey: 6 IP, 7 hits, 1 earned run. Pitched out of trouble a few times, continues to show grittiness and calmness on the mound. Should not even be considered in any trades as he looks to be a staple in the rotation for years to come, especially with the injury to Adam Miller (my friend Ryan says he told us so).

Jhonny Peralta: 4-13, 2 Homeruns. At least he drove in a runner than himself today. Still sucks at shortstop, but hit the ball hard Wednesday. Hopefully his flailing away at third strike curveballs in the dirt are over.

Tuesday's Game: They won a game, which was a nice change of pace.

Areas of Concern:

Grady Sizemore: 2-13. Regressed a bit from a solid weekend. If this team can ever find a leadoff hitter, he needs to be batting 3rd to alleviate the pressures of getting on base.

Rafael Betancourt: Blew the game Wednesday, giving up back to back doubles. His control has been off and on. Need him to staighten himself out before the season is lost.

Ben Francisco: 2-13. Seems to have caught "the sickness" from the rest of the lineup. It is a sad state of affairs when a guy who was not good enough to start the season on the 25 man roster is now our 3 hitter. He may be pressing. Also his rightfield defense has been shaky at best.

An 11 game homestretch begins Friday in Kansas City as Cliff Lee takes on Gil Meche. There are still 109 games left, so I guess anything can happen.

Not So Indian Summer

I will not be doing a recap of the Rangers series because who really wants to discuss anything about this lifeless team anyways. The Indians are a bad baseball team right now in need of some help. Minor league moves like promoting Shin Soo Choo or Josh Barfield will not do the trick. Some sort of impact bat is needed for the immediate future to help ignite the smoldering offense. With Travis Hafner sucking and now apparently having some sort of shoulder injury, the middle of the order has no power threat whatsoever. You may say, "Jhonny Peralta has 10 homers!" He also has driven in only 7 runners besides himself. The stat line of 10 HR, 17 RBI looks video game-esque.

The Tribe still has a pretty deep minor league system, especially when it comes to pitching. I would hope GM Mark Shapiro would stop sitting on his hands and make the impact trade for major league talent that he has yet to make in his seven years as general manager. They can ill afford to be afraid of dealing a potential top prospect anymore, this team is on the cusp of disaster.

I really do feel for Eric Wedge. People can blame him for lineup issues or relief pitching matchups, but really what can he do at this point? With the extreme lack of clutch hitting, it taxes the bullpen and starters. The pitchers can't give up any runs or the game is over. He could pull a Jim Leyland and swear up a storm, but that would go against everything Wedge's character as manager.

Mark Shapiro and company must let the fans know what their focus is for the rest of 2008 and beyond. GM speak is getting old quickly, so if he feels that this year may be a bust, then it his duty to cut bait (trade CC, Byrd, Blake) and focus on the future.

That's all we got, two goddamn hits?

The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians today 3-1, sweeping the three game series. The Tribe collected 2 hits, that's write, 2 freakin hits, one of which was a bunt single. I could give some sort of analysis, but it would be repetitive. The starters are good, the hitting is pathetic. There were zero highlights, just wasted starts by CC Sabathia and Aaron Laffey. The Wahoos scored 13 runs on the road trip in 6 games, a new high in futility. Seven players ont the team have as many or more strikeouts than hits. The areas of concern are the whole lineup and bench, as they collectively show no plate discipline, fire or toughness. It is almost like they have given up on themselves. You can blame Wedge or hitting coach Derek Shelton, but what good would that do? These are grown men who made the ALCS last year. If the season is a marathon as the Indians management keep insisting, then our team has been hit on a side street by a Greyhound bus. Shapiro has to make multiple moves, whether it involves trades or demotions. Manager Eric Wedge keeps insisting that this team will eventually come out of it, but he says it everyday and I am not so sure he even believes it anymore. His team has went from a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL Central to trailing 4 1/2 games behind the White Sox. The Texas Rangers come to town this weekend, as Kason Gabbard battles Fausto Carmona. Let's hope for a miracle, because anymore of this and I am heading for the 480 bridge.