Note to Indians: Give it up
No one wants to say it, but I will.
Despite what Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge have been saying, and in spite of what I'm sure are very fine intentions, it's time to face some facts.
* The Indians have lost 11 of 14 games. Since starting the season 6-1, the team is 25-37.
* Cleveland has lost four straight, against teams under .500.
* Swept by Kansas City in May. I just can't get it out of my head. Maybe because Kansas City has had more than a fourth of its 19 victories against the Indians.
* Here's the big one: The Indians pitching staff, among the best in the sport a year ago, has a 4.98 earned run average. The bullpen has been failing more often than I did on high school math tests. Only one of the Indians relievers (closer Bob Wickman) has an ERA under four. Want more? Three of the Indians' active relievers (Guillermo Mota, Jeremy Guthrie, Fernando Cabrera) have ERAs over six. Suddenly Danny Graves (5.79 when demoted) does not look so bad.
My message to the Indians is to make a decision that in reality has been made for them: Give up the season. The Indians are 15 games behind first-place Detroit and 13 games behind the second-place White Sox.
There's no point wondering what unloading veterans (Eduardo Perez, Wickman, Ronnie Belliard, Ben Broussard) might say to the fan base. The reality is the Indians have no reason to believe, with the pitching staff the way it is, a second half surge is even possible.
Meanwhile, the Indians are in need of some help at the minor league level. Since giving Brandon Phillips away to Cincinnati (where he has turned into Joe Morgan), the Indians have a lack of promising middle infielders.
If the Indians lose 90 games this year, it will be better to have it be with a stronger farm system and a more promising future.
And sadly for Indians fans, the future is not now.
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posted by Zach @ 9:15 AM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
The Indians might unload Jason Johnson for a bag of chips. That's about all I can see them doing.
We know the Indians are notorious for waffling on decisions. It cost them Bob Howry this winter. Knowing how slow they are to take action, I doubt we'll see any major additions/subtractions before the trade deadline.
They can't add a significant player, as Bud Shaw wants them to do. That would cost money and prospects.
I am convinced that the Dolans aren't cheap per se. They're just terrified of making the wrong decision. So even with some money leftover from the offseason, I can't see them adding a piece worth mentioning. Too much of a risk.
They can't start a fire sale, because what message would that send to the fans and players? They're already having trouble drawing 25,000 a night. What would scrapping the season do to the gate receipts?
So, much like the last trade deadline, I expect the Indians to do absolutely nothing, just bite the bullet and ride this train where it's going. Right off a cliff.
Ah, the joys of small-market baseball.
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