With the “Ohio Cup” looming (whatever), manager Eric Wedge took some time from his day to talk to the Cleveland media prior to Friday’s Indians-Reds kickoff to their three-game set at Progressive Field. Wedge talks about the MASH unit that is the Indians, with updates on Fausto Carmona among the other injured players. He also talks about Jamey Carroll and the season he has had. Click below to hear Wedge’s comments.
With Omar Vizquel coming back to town for the first time, many forgot that the Indians still had a game to play on Tuesday vs the San Francisco Giants. Click below to hear manager Eric Wedge’s thoughts on Omar, as well as his thoughts on the season as it stands, the buying and selling, and the team back at home getting set for six vs the National League.
Eric Wedge said Sunday that the lack of power for Indians catcher Victor Martinez can be traced to a hamstring injury suffered back on opening day March 31st. Martinez, who has a career average 25 homers per year in his MLB career, has no homers in 168 at-bats heading into tonights game at Texas. Right now Martinez is mired in a 10-for-57 slump that has dropped his average to .292. 39 of 49 hits in 2008 are singles.
Off day for the Indians today, and as we get further and further along with this season, there appears to be one thing that is coming to the forefront. If you have time, listen to the postgame from Eric Wedge below this post. This is not the first time this season that Eric has sounded off about some players that have not followed direction on the team. Yesterday’s tirade was directed squarely at pitcher Rafael Betancourt, who for some reason has decided he’s done when it comes to throwing inside.
It was that yesterday that cost the Indians a shot to take two out of three from the White Sox. Betancourt threw outside and away, and it was a pair of doubles in the 7th that allowed Chicago to score three runs that gave them the win. After the game was about as interesting a locker room as I have seen in sometime. Wedge speaking out announcing to the media in no uncertain terms that he’s tired of Rafael not listening to him and the coaching staff.
While Wedge usually does not throw players under the bus like that, this was done to send a message to Betancourt - start throwing inside more - or else! Betancourt in front of the assembled media didn’t deny that he’s been told to throw more inside, and didn’t really have an answer when asked why he wasn’t doing it. Bizarre to say the least.
So now you have to start asking yourself, are the players tuning Wedge and the coaching staff out? And if so - why? This is a team that has always been team that has been very willing to listen and learn, and if your not in that mold (can you say Milton Bradley and Brandon Phillips?) then you usually find yourself out the door. Is Betancourt one of those players? Stay tuned.
Off a 6-1 homestand, manager Eric Wedge speaks to the media following the latest Indians 4-2 win at Progressive Field over the A’s. Wedge talks about the homestand, the scoreless streak, the hitting coming around, the closer role, and the upcoming trip to Cincy. Click below to hear the Indians manager talk about this latest win and other topics.
In one of his more peeved off moods, Indians skipper Eric Wedge spoke to the media Monday night following game two of the double header with the Jays. The manger talks about the frustration at the plate, the wasted effort from Cliff Lee, and does not even give much credit to the team for the Asdrubal Cabrera triple play. Worth listening. Click below to hear the manager.
Eric Wedge called it the worst approach at the plate he had seen all season. That’s how bad it was Monday night in game two of the doubleheader between the Indians and Blue Jays. Toronto, a team that is about as offensively challenged as any in the league right now, put some hits together and combined with a shot off Rafael Betancourt’s elbow, they beat the Indians 3-0 at Progressive Field. What made Wedge so mad was the Indians offense, which clearly took a step back into the same lame struggling bermuda triangle it was about 10 days ago when they could do nothing to get runners on, or runners across the plate.
The team wasted another super outing by Cliff Lee, who did what it seems he’s done all season - throw nine innings of shutout ball, walking two, striking out five, and giving up seven hits. Lee now has an ERA of 0.67, and he has not allowed a run since a three-run homer to the Mariners on April 30th. He has allowed four earned runs in 53.2 innings pitched, and has given up three runs in 39 innings. It was all for not.
Also for not was the Tribe’s first unassisted triple play since Game 5 of the 1920 World Series. The play came from Asdrubal Cabrera, who in the fifth inning pulled off the play after Kevin Mench and Marco Scutaro began the inning with singles, Lyle Overbay lined out to Cabrera near second base. Cabrera alertly tagged Scutaro, who was running toward second base, before stepping on the bag before Mench was able to return to complete the triple play. Not even that could put a silver lining on a night that saw the team manage just three hits.
Toronto scored their three runs in the 10th, when Betancourt took over for Lee, and after a single, a ball was hit up the middle that Betancourt tried to backhand, but it smacked off his elbow for a single to third. A sac, an intentional walk later, Shannon Stewart hit a sac fly to center to make it 1-0. Then a ball was hit up the middle by Aaron Hill to bring home two more runs to make it 3-0.
The loss drops the Indians back to 19-19 on the season. They will kick off a three-game set vs the Oakland A’s on Tuesday night, as Paul Byrd (1-3, 4.28) takes on Justin Duchscherer (3-1, 2.45) at 7:05pm.
Matt has covered Major League Baseball and the "other two" Pro teams in Cleveland since 1994. He has been on the beat of the Indians in full-time mode since 1996, working for various raido and print networks around the country.
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