Indians Confidential

The Indians bullpen has been underachieving all season, and today the team made it’s first major move to rebuild and look ahead for the 2009 season. The moves comes as follows: the team has recalled relievers Brian Slocum and Jensen Lewis, and designated relief pitchers Joe Borowski and Rick Bauer for assignment.

The biggest move in the bunch is finally calling it quits with Joe-Bo. This season has basically been a nightmare for Borowski, as he went 1-3 w/a 7.56 ERA in 18 games (6SV, 10OPP, 16.2IP, 24H, 14/RER) with the Indians this season. His real undoing came early in the season in blowing a save to the Red Sox when he allowed former Indian Manny Ramirez to blast a homer to lose a game it appeared the Indians had in hand.

It is uncertain who the closer will be from here, but right now that’s the last of the Indians problems. I guess they will throw Rafael Betancourt in there again, if and when the Indians ever have another save situation. They could also use Masa Kobayashi, but he’s struggled a lot as of late just in the bullpen role he has now.

Bauer posted an ERA of 13.50 in 4 relief appearances (8.0IP, 10H, 9R/ER). Lewis has split the 2008 campaign between AAA Buffalo and Cleveland. At Buffalo he has gone 1-2 with 1 save and a 3.60 ERA in 11 relief appearances (20.0IP, 16H, 8ER, 8BB, 18K) and has not allowed a run on 2 hits in his last 4 outings (6.0IP, 5K). Triple A hitters have hit .219 (16-73) off him with right-handed hitters batting .189 (7-37). Over the first two months of the season with Cleveland he posted a mark of 0-2 w/a 3.82 ERA in 21 games (30.2IP, 32H, 13ER). He will again wear #50.

Slocum has spent the majority of the season at AAA Buffalo and has flourished since being converted to a relief role three weeks ago. At Buffalo he has gone 3-5 w/a save and a 4.62 ERA in 18 games/11 starts (62.1IP, 59H, 32ER, 33BB, 55K). As a reliever, he has 1 save and a 0.69 ERA in 7 outings (13.0IP, 8H, 1R/ER, 3BB, 10K), limiting Triple A hitters to a .182 (8-44) average out of the ‘pen. Overall left-handed hitters have batted .206 (27-131) off him on the season at Buffalo. This will be his second stint at the big league level in 2008 as he did not appear in a game during his first stint with the club from June 4-6.

Make no mistake, this will be the first of many roster moves as the team begins to officially declare 2008 over and start looking ahead to 09.

It seems to be that every other year the Indians bullpen is very good.  The problem with that is that means this year is one of those “off” years for the pen, and that fact reared its ugly head again on Saturday as the bullpen allowed six runs in the teams latest setback 8-4 to the Tigers.  Aaron Laffey had done a solid job getting the Indians to a 3-2 lead in the 7th, going 6.2, allowing only a two-run homer to Carlos Guillen.  It was after he left that the wheels simply came off.

Starting with the 8th, Masa Kobayashi allowed two runs in just 0.1, giving up a homer to Marcus Thames, to tie the game at 3, then allowing a double to Mags Ordonez.  Enter Rafael Betancourt, who threw a meatball to Miguel Cabrera who singled to deep left to score Ordonez.  Betancourt, who has continued to take major steps back this season, then allowed another single, a sac to put runners on second and third, and then after an intentional walk to load the bases he struck out Ryan Raburn to give them two outs.

As has happend all year long though, the pen was unable to get that all important third out, and Betancourt again threw one over the plate, this time to Edgar Renteria, who didn’t let him get away with it, putting it out for a grand slam to make it 8-3.  The line on Betancourt, 1 inning, four runs, three hits, one walk and one strikeout.  Last season Rafael was 5-1, three saves, and an ERA of 1.47.  After 27 appearences in 2008, he is 1-3, 4 saves, and has an ERA of 7.27.

While Laffey was the bright spot, the offense did what it could to try and give him a win.  They put up three runs, one on a Franklin Gutierrez fielder’s choice in the 2nd, and then a Kelly Shoppach double to make it 2-0.  Guillen’s homer made it 2-2, but the Indians responded with a Ryan Garko sac fly in the 6th after an error by Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers opened the door.  It looked as if it would be enough until Masa and Betancourt gave it away.

The loss puts the Indians at 28-34 on the season.  They will throw Jeremy Sowers (0-0, 5.23) vs the surprising Armando Galarraga, who is 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA.  He beat the Indians back on April 16th in Cleveland going 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on one hit.

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.

 

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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.

Dr. Cliff Lee was back in his office Wednesday night, otherwise known as the pitchers mound, once again performing surgery as he continued to look more like the best pitcher in the Majors than a pitcher who actually struggled in Triple A last season. In last nights 3-0 shutout of the Yankees, Lee was at it again, with seven shutout innings, six hits allowed, seven strikeouts and zero walks. The win puts him at 6-0 on the season, the best start for an Indians pitcher in 20 years (Greg Swindell 1988).

Lee dropped his ERA to 0.81, and what he continues to do start in and start out is get ahead of hitters, and once again vs the Yankees that was the case. He also has been dead on with location, allowing just two walks this season and four earned runs in 44.2 innings pitched. No one could have possibly expected Lee to get off to this type of start, but so far in this rather inconsistent season, he has been the brightest of bright spots for the Tribe.

The team was also on offense finally able to get to Yankees starter Chein-Ming Wang, who shut them out last Sunday at Progressive Field 1-0. The scored a run in the first after Grady Sizemore walked, went to second on a single, third on a fielder’s choice, and home on a sac fly by Victor Martinez. That run held up till the fourth, when Casey Blake singled in Jhonny Peralta with two outs to make it 2-0.

With Lee setting down the Yankees with what looked like ease, two runs were more than enough, but the team did add another in the fifth, when with one out David Dellucci hit a shot up the middle that brought in Andy Marte, who had actually got a hit, to make it 3-0. Lee did allow two singles in the 5th, and runners to reach second and third in the 6th, but was able to get out of both jams.

The bullpen for the second straight night did its job, as Rafael Perez pitched a scoreless 8th allowing one hit with two outs, and Rafael Betancourt earned his 4th save with his second straight 1-2-3 ninth. The win puts the Indians at 16-17, and it is their first season series win over the Yankees since 1992. They have not swept the Yanks in Yankee Stadium since 1989, but can do so today with Paul Byrd taking on Mike Mussina at 1:05pm.

Patience paid off for the Indians Tuesday night in the Bronx, as the Tribe drew two monster walks in the 8th inning, opening up the door for pinch-hitter David Dellucci to belt a three-run homer as the Indians top the Yankees 5-3.  Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta both walked off of Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlin, setting up Dellucci for his 4th homer of the season, a shot to deep right that was just the emotional lift that the Wahoo’s needed.

The bullpen, a big concern as of late, did a nice job in the final four innings, allowing NY just two hits.  Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis and Rafael Betancourt shut the door, not giving New York a shot to increase their lead or get back in the game once the Indians took control after Dellucci’s blast.  Perez gets the win to improve to 1-1 on the season, Betancourt earned his 3rd save of the year.

The Indians were outhit 8-6, but they got the big hits when they needed them.  Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Peralta homered to deep center off of Andy Pettitte to give the Indians a 2-1 lead.  It was Peralta’s 6th homer of the season.  The Yankees came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning off of Indians starter Fausto Carmona, as Jason Giambi doubled in a run, and Robinson Cano singled in Giambi to make it 3-2.

Neither team was able to get another run across till the Indians were able to get to Chamberlin with the walks and then Dellucci’s homer to win the game.  The win puts the Indians at 15-17 on the season.  Wednesday Cliff Lee brings his 5-0 mark to the mound as he takes on 6-0 Chein-Ming Wang, who shut out the Indians last Sunday 1-0 at Progressive Field.  First pitch Wednesday night is 7:05pm.

Let’s forget about the lack of offense for a moment.  We have plenty of time to get to that.  Let’s just say that for one night, Rafael Betancourt picked a bad time to throw a fastball away that just wasn’t away enough.  And with that, three runs later after the Mariners Adrian Beltre took that fastball out of the park, the Indians are now in the midst of a three-game losing streak after their latest 7-2 home setback at Progressive Field.

The offense is just a whole other animal right now.  No one on this club is coming up with any sort of big hit at anytime, and while Eric Wedge is preaching that it’s up to each individual player to get it right, the team is just suffering badly at the plate, wasting night after night of solid starts by pitchers who have to be getting frustrated.

Look at the averages, and it’s not hard to figure out why the team is not winning games on a consistent level right now.  Looking down the one through nine lineup after the game, five of the players were batting under .250, with Asdrubal Cabrera, Casey Blake and Andy Marte batting .215, .208 and .077.  Bottom line is if these players keep up their current pace, changes will have to be made.

Back to the night, the Indians had a shot early to get to Mariners starter Carlos Silva, but they let him off the hook as they were able to push across one run, but a Jhonny Peralta double play killed any early momentum.  A Cabrera error in the 3rd opened the door for Seattle as a Jose Vidro double tied the game with two outs.

Seattle went up 2-1 in the 5th when another Vidro double pushed a run across to give the M’s the lead.  The Indians bats were as quiet as field mice, and it was not until the 8th that they finally were able to get the tying run across.  It came after Grady Sizemore, who was 2-for-4 in his first game back in the lineup after missing two games, walked, went to third on a David Dellucci single, then scored on a Travis Hafner ground out.

That inning again though, the team failed to take advantage of Dellucci being at second with one out, as Victor Martinez popped out, and Peralta struck out, allowing the inning to end 2-2.  It was then in the 9th when the flood gates opened, and the M’s scored five times to put the game away.

Wednesday Cliff Lee will look to start 5-0, as he will take on Jarrod Washburn 1-3 at 7:05.  The Indians are now 12-15, just 6-9 at home, and are 3 back of the White Sox in the Central.