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Many people thought the Indians were capable of making a run at the wide-open AL Central this season, myself included. I didn't say that they would win the division, but I did think they would win at least 85-88 games and be right in the thick of things until the end. However, we all know that will not be the case as they are camping out in the AL Central basement with a record that only the Washington Nationals envy.
The feeling I have with this team right now is helplessness, a feeling I probably share with most of Northeast Ohio. How exactly did this happen? After spending so much effort in the offseason strengthening the bullpen by signing Kerry Wood and trading for Joe Smith to add to Rafael Betancourt, Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez, and Masa Kobayashi, only three of those six remain on the big league club right now. Only one, Wood, has been there from wire to wire thus far. In case you wanted to induce vomiting, here are a few highlights of the bullpen performances this season.
Jensen Lewis 5.03 ERA in 39 1/3 innings with 4 blown saves
Kerry Wood 5.28 ERA in 30 2/3 innings with 4 blown saves
Rafael Perez 8.88 ERA in 25 1/3 innings with 1 blown save
Masa Kobayashi 8.38 ERA in 9 2/3 innings
Combine that with some of the 26 pitchers who have graced the bullpen with their presence including Luis Vizcaino, Greg Aquino, Matt Herges, Winston Abreu, Jose Veras, Chris Perez, my god I could go on all day! It all adds up to a 5.00+ ERA for the bullpen and one giant migraine for Eric Wedge every time he strolls to the mound.
It's not all the bullpen's fault, though. The starting rotation has been in just as much disarray. They've used a number of guys and only two have been consistently there, Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano. Lee can't get any run support with a 4-9 record which cost him an All-Star game appearance for the defending AL Cy Young with an ERA of only 3.47, and Pavano has been the Tribe's version of Two-Face. Sometimes, Pavano looks all world (like his last outing), and sometimes he looks like he belongs in Mahoning Valley (like his first outing this season). Right now, the three placholders are Tomo Ohka, David Huff, and Aaron Laffey. I do like Laffey, especially since he took Jeremy Sowers' spot, and I think Huff needs some more seasoning but the elements for success are there. However, Ohka, Sowers, and anyone else who has been in there for the most part has been incredibly detrimental to the team. The bullpen was struggling to begin with, but when you have guys starting and only giving you 4 innings, your middle relief is going to get lit up like a Christmas tree. Fausto Carmona deserves a lot of blame here. He's so far removed form the 19-game winner he was in 2007 that it almost seems like a dream.
The hitting gets a little less bashing from me, but it gets its own portion of criticism as well. Just the fact that Cliff Lee is only 4-9 should be a red flag that the Tribe offense has given him next to nothing in some of his best performances this season. Jhonny Peralta sums it all up for the team this season, underachieving and a who-cares attitude. Peralta has been vocal about his dislike of switching from shortstop to third base. Jhonny boy should just be thankful that Wedge manages to write his name on the lineup card every day. Peralta has been in brown-out mode all summer long with just six homers, and he had only one for what seemed like months. This is from a guy they were expecting to hit at least 20, if not more. The positon players are the only place where the Indians have actually had some pleasant surprises. Travis Hafner has battled his shoulder issue, but he has been fairly effective (.289 average and 9 homes in 41 games) when he's in there. Victor Martinez, despite his prolonged current slump, has embodied what this team should be all about despite the disappointing performance from those around him. Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, and Mark DeRosa (before he was traded) all are having solid seasons as well. The point is the Tribe is hitting enough (especially now) to be out of the basement. But, because of the pitching staff as a whole, that is not the case.
You've already heard my opinion on Eric Wedge. If I had it my way, Wedge would either be a Wal-Mart greeter, gas station attendant, or Olive Garden waiter by now. However, it looks like he'll have to wait until the end of the season to get his pink slip. As for firing Shapiro, I think he gets one more year, but someone has to answer for the lack of talent in our minor league system sooner or later. If you want to blame Dolan, you can. He's not willing to spend the money to get the Indians into the top half of the payrolls. One of two things needs to happen: either baseball implements a salary cap or the Tribe gets an owner with deeper pockets. Until one of those happens, we will be doomed to ride this roller coaster of competing for a few short years and spending several years retooling.
As for trading Martinez and Lee, I think that would be nothing short of a public relations NIGHTMARE! Can you say "nuclear winter" at Progressive Field the rest of this year and next? The Indians are better off hoping that things will turn around next season. Guys like Carmona, Perez, Lewis, Peralta, etc. are bound to turn things around. With the current economic situation, that's all they can really do.
Either that or go belly up.
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