Eating Crow
Everyone who reads this blog knows my feelings on Indians third baseman Casey Blake.

At various times, I have referred to Blake as overrated, overappreciated, a manager's favorite and a bad defensive player.

But mostly, my argument about Blake was his inability to come through in the clutch. Throughout his career, Blake's runners in scoring position average has often been among the worst in the league.

Last week, I was writing about how Blake's lack of power in the second half was reducing him to below average. Going into Friday's game with Kansas City, Blake had not homered in more than a month and had just one since the All Star break.

But Blake's performance over the last week has left me with no leg to stand on. He has hit game-ending homers twice in the last week, helping the Indians inch closer to their first division title since 2001.

So, Blake came through in the clutch, at the most important part of the season. So for the rest of the regular season, I'm done bashing him. He's done his part.

Should the Indians reach the playoffs, it's another story.

Indians continue to slide
You know, if you had told me, a few weeks ago, that an Indians lineup with Casey Blake batting third would produce two runs in 18 innings, I'd have said:

"Well, yeah."

I know Blake's not to blame for the Indians offensive woes. But the idea that Eric Wedge even thinks of Blake as a No. 3 hitter just sends chills down my spine.

It's as if Wedge thinks he will turn Casey into a solid run producer by sheer will power. Personally, I'd put Kenny Lofton in the leadoff spot, put Blake second, and Grady Sizemore third.

Then you have Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner in a row.

Oh, and why is Trot Nixon still in the starting lineup?

Wedge signs extension through 2010
Shouldn't the Indians have waited to see if they would choke away the last seven games of the season, like in '05?
All this means is I'll have Casey Blake to kick around for the next four years.

Casey Blake homers; Indians beat Tigers
OK guys, you can pile on if you want.

Going easy on Blake
Some may have noticed a lack of anti-Casey Blake posts lately. There are a pair of reasons for this.
1. The Cavs are in the NBA Finals, so I'm not in the mood to complain these days.
2. Blake has been pretty decent lately.
He's hitting .281 with eight homers. His RBI total (29) isn't great, but he's being utilized in the No. 2 spot, which isn't exactly made for run production.
His defense at third has been pretty decent. He will not be a gold glover, but to expect that would be too much.
Still, I am not changing my prediction for a full season, which is that Blake will finish with a .250-.260 average and 20 homers.
Blake is a streak hitter, and he's riding the high tide right now.
But before anyone from the Indians talks about how we should build a statue of the man, let's look at three major statistics.
1. He's hitting .140 with runners in scoring position.
2. He's batting .071 with runners in scoring position and two out.
3. He's 1-8 with the bases loaded.
Why are his overall numbers good?
With none on and one or two out, he's hitting .371. With the bases empty, he goes .324.
So I will lay off on him, but won't celebrate him just yet.

Casey Blake wins AL Player of the week
I need to lie down.

Hey, it's Cleveland
What? You were expecting the Cavaliers to put away the Nets with fire and energy? The series is not over (even if the Cavs played like it was last night) and fans have been through too much with this franchise to just expect everything to go easily.

Casey Blake Watch
Still hitting .146 with runners in scoring position, but that's not really his fault right now. He has played well the last 10 days, so I'll lay off. If he keeps it up, I won't complain. Much.

My Casey Blake Argument
Why am I so hard on Casey Blake? At least one reader has been asking quite a bit lately. I emailed Joel, who has been my friend for five years now. I laid out my case, and even though he didn't agree, he suggested I post the email here.
But this is pretty much why I don't like Casey Blake (as a player).

Joel-
I have no idea if your recent comments on the blog are about Blake or something else. Assuming it is about Blake, I have a number of reasons for being hard on him, and I will continue to do so.
I can't help but say that getting ripped for knocking Blake is funny, from someone who once referred, in print, to Warren Sapp as a "bastard."
It's nothing personal against Blake. I don't know him and have never met him. My comments on the blog are skills related, but are also the result of having this average player shoved down my throat by the Indians brass because he's a nice guy. Every fan has players they don't like.
So here is why, point by point.
* In 2007 he is 2-32 with runners in scoring position.Calling him an automatic out in the situation I referred to yesterday is not "absurd." If you hit .063 in that situation, you are damn close to an automatic out. He also has 10 strikeouts in that situation.
*In 2007, runners in scoring position with 2 outs, 1-17 with six strikeouts (.053).
* In 2007, 0-4 with the bases loaded.
OK, 2006, the season all Blake supporters point to.
* Yes, he started hot, but was slumping when he finally did get hurt. He was close to leading the league in hitting in June, then finished at .282. He's, at best, a streak hitter. My thought was the Indians should trade him after last year, because he did have a decent season. Instead, the Indians continued to treat him like a core player, moving other people to make sure the 33 year-old plays.
* And for those who say Blake is just off to a bad start, consider 2005. He finished with a .241 batting average and 23 homers.
Looking inside those numbers, you see that Blake
* hit .191 with runners on base.
* Hit .171 with runners in scoring position
* Hit .085 (5-59) with runners in scoring position and two out.

OK, now why am I harder on him than Roberto Hernandez or Josh Barfield?
When Blake is struggling, the Indians announcers don't speak the obvious, and for the most part, the beat writers don't either. Sheldon Ocker commented if the Indians were to trade for Alex Rodriguez, it would give the Indians a chance to move Blake back to first or to the outfield. My thought was that Blake could be a servicable bench player. But even the media can't see a lineup without Blake.
Blake has started with the Indians since 2003, the first year Eric Wedge was manager. Both graduated from Wichita State. Blake had never seen serious playing time before, but was plugged in at third base and got 152 starts.
He hit .257 and had 17 homers.
But again, he hit .233 with runners in scoring position and .154 with runners in scoring position and two out.
He hit more homers in 2004 (28) and drove in 88 runs. He also hit .271. But he's an average player being presented as a core player. He was signed to a $4 million contract. Yet when he struggled, after the 2005 season, he wondered if his critics had ever picked up a glove at this level.
Well, no Casey, but we also don't make $4 million.
In 2006, the Indians started their own network with their own programming. They produced a documentary. Who was it on? Hafner? Sizemore? C.C. Sabathia?
No. It was on Casey Blake.
He gets promoted more than anyone else on the team. Yes, he's a good team player. But he's not one of the best players.
My prediction is Blake will stay with the Indians as long as Eric Wedge does.
As for Barfield? He's 23 and a gold glove-caliber player. He's in a new league and he's improving. He was a top prospect for the Padres, and I'm confident he'll come around.
As for Hernandez? He's 43. I would be afraid to get his blood pressure up. My mom always taught me it wasn't nice to rip on the elderly.
Marte? He's 23 with a big upside. Even though he has struggled and is on the DL, he's on pace for 90 RBIs.
I am tough on Blake, perhaps more than is needed. But I have ripped on other players before. Not to this level. But then again, I'm lucky if 30 people visit my site. My site is often my vent-spot. When you work all night and get home, you're not always in the best of moods.
So, whatever. I doubt this will change your mind any.
But you won't change mine either.
Hope all is well.
Zach

Did I just see that?
Did the Orioles really intentionally walk Casey Blake to pitch to Travis Hafner with the bases loaded today?
Yeah, Pronk struck out. But that led to Victor Martinez's walk and Trot "Ty Cobb" Nixon's two run single.
I don't usually give advice to Indians' opponents, but I have to here.
You will never find a more sure out with runners on than Casey Blake. Just pitch to him, even if it's a 3-0 count.

The Casey Blake Web
You know, when the sports editor of a another newspaper calls you at work to tell you Casey Blake hit a homer, you know your blog has reached new heights.

Casey Blake Watch
The Indians third baseman (who has been OK defensively) is hitting .040 with runners in scoring position. He's projected to finish the season with 13 homers and 47 RBIs. Of course, that's assuming he:
A) Plays 161 games and gets 597 at-bats, and
B) Doesn't improve on his .202 batting average.
Hey, I expect Casey to hit between .250 and .260, and hit 20 homers. But that's only because he will get enough playing time to reach those numbers. I don't expect him to hit well with runner in scoring position, since he never has (a .260 batting average with RISP is not all that great; I don't care what Matt Underwood says. That's what Blake hit a year ago).
Here's the problem: With Andy Marte hurt and Mike Rouse the Indians only other option (a smoking 2 for 20 at the plate this year), Blake has to play. I would have liked to have seen the Indians bring back Hector Luna, because at least he has some pop.
I can see some of you rolling your eyes now:
"But Zach, the Indians are red hot. You single out Blake, and you always focus on the bad stuff when things are going well."
My answer: So what? The Indians have always been streaky under Eric Wedge. The thing that worries me during this stretch is the Indians haven't played all that well during it. That might come as a comfort to the Indians brass, and I suppose I can see their point.
But I think if Cleveland doesn't make some tweaks (move runners, take advantage of opportunities), they could be in trouble. In this division, one bad stretch can put a team in third.

Casey Blake Watch
Casey had a solid offensive day today, with a pair of hits. Both came with no one on, but the first ended up leading to a three run shot by Victor Martinez.
I can't comment on his defense, since I followed the game on game-cast. But it seems with Andy Marte going on the disabled list, we will see Blake at third.
Now, for the big news:
In one at-bat, Marte's replacement, outfielder Shin Soo Choo, got as many RBIs as Blake had collected in 58.
Blake might actually succeed in the two hole. He will get pitches to hit with Travis Hafner behind him. The conspiracy-theorist in me think Eric Wedge is putting him there because that's the only way he can succeed.

Casey Blake Watch
Two strikouts in the Indians come from behind win. But he did have a two-out double which set up Jhonny Peralta's 2-run homer Sunday. He also made some fine defensive plays -- a nice shoe-string catch while in right field, and then, after moving to third base, he made some nice picks and put outs.
If I'm going to do this, I have to be fair. Blake had a good game today.

Casey Blake Watch
Thursday against the Yankees:
Five at-bats, no hits, two strikeouts, seven left on base.

In fairness, I thought his grounder hits to Alex Rodriguez in the ninth should have been ruled a hit instead of an error. If it had been ruled a hit, Blake would have had his first hit with runners in scoring position, and an RBI.

I like how Eric Wedge rests Andy Marte and Josh Barfield when they are struggling, but sticks with Blake, as if he will somehow magically change as a player at 33.
In response to Erik's comment below:
Tom Hamilton relayed this little bit from Eric Wedge during today's game:"Casey Blake is the perfect teammate. He just goes out and plays hard no matter where you put him."

Well, Eric Wedge, I'll play hard and play wherever you put me too. It doesn't mean I should be in the big leagues. Playing hard is one thing (and I will never doubt Blake's effort). Playing well is another.

Casey Blake Watch
Coming into Tuesday's game against the Yankees, Indians player Casey Blake is 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
Eric Wedge's solution:
Blake is batting fifth tonight.

Update
Blake has four at-bats, strikes out twice, hits into a double play and pops up in a 9-2 loss.

Casey Blake Watch
My brother emailed me to give me this statistic: Casey Blake left nine runners on base. Blake batted fifth in today's Indians game. The last time manager Eric Wedge kept Blake that high in the lineup (as I remember it) was 2005, when he hit poorly and kept moving down in the lineup, until he was in the eighth or ninth spot.
I expect the same thing to happen this season. But no how he plays, he will not be benched. And Ryan Garko will sit.