Indians skidding
The worst thing a team can do at the trading deadline is make a move just to make a move.
But because the Indians did not get bullpen help, they faced a problem in the 10th inning of Wednesday's game against the Rangers. Having used Rafael Perez, Rafael Betancourt and Joe Borowski, manager Eric Wedge was forced to go to Jensen Lewis, a rookie.
Keep in mind that despite the Indians' recent struggles, they would have tied the Tigers for first place with a win tonight. That made the game important. And yet, Wedge has so little confidence in his bullpen, he went with Lewis.
The result was the answer to the question of why experience is important. Lewis botched back-to-back bunt plays, and the Indians lost.
And Mike Rouse finished the game at second base.
Just had to add that.
Labels: MLB
posted by Zach @ 9:16 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
You really have to wonder, how can a team with a good amount of offensive firepower look so bad for so long?
Pretty much since the start of July, the Indians offense has been spotty at best. So far in August, the offense has been utterly punchless.
Players seem to be headed to the plate knowing they're going to make outs. Barfield, Hafner and Peralta (and even Sizemore) are taking ridiculous cuts at chin-high fastballs and 58-foot curveballs. Even Martinez has cooled way off.
One has to ask why. They have the talent to play far better than this. But for the past month-plus, Indians hitters have looked unfocused and even disinterested at the plate. Even as the team is engaged in a tight playoff race.
This happens every year. It happened in the first half and tail end of '04 and '05. It happened for most of last year. The Indians offense goes through long stretches of brain-dead baseball, and it costs them.
I don't get it. Is it Wedge? He's a common denominator. But as coy as he is with the media, it's hard to tell in what way he affects this team. He's really good at putting up walls, and that's by design. His ability to convincingly give the company line is a main reason I expect Wedge to have one of the longest managerial tenures in Indians history, regardless of his win-loss record.
I'm getting a really uneasy feeling about the way this season is going. I'm not getting a playoff vibe from this team anymore. In the past, we could blame in on the season-to-season ups and downs of the bullpen, offense, etc.
But after watching the same shenanigans every year, teasing and faltering, I think it's an inherent set of flaws in how this organization is constructed. Most glaringly, there is no one to stir the pot when things grow stagnant.
Wedge and Shapiro are just too dang alike and too dang focused on not rocking the boat. When things go wrong, nobody acts. Everyone just sits around and thinks. It's classic paralysis-by-analysis.
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