Another Springtime In Hell With The Cleveland Indians

Nearly two years ago, following the Cleveland Indians' defeat at the hands of the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS, I took some solace in the loss to the idea that this team would be back to take another shot at a championship berth in 2008. My co-worker Jeff didn't share that optimism, and he reminded me of just how difficult it is in the game of baseball for any team to simply repeat a postseason appearance, never mind a championship. A few months later, the events of the 2008 season proved him correct, and as time goes by, I start to wonder if what we saw at the end of 2007 was a mirage and the true reality of this team lies is the surrounding years.

Jeff was more upbeat on his outlook for this year, as the run-up to the beginning of the 2009 season felt altogether different than the last few, from an extended period of spring training in the team's new facility in Goodyear, Arizona to the adjustments that had been made to address the weaknesses that had plagued the team over the previous campaign. Free-agents had been signed to shore up the perceived issues in pitching and defense, and new talent from the farm system was evaluated to build the best possible team for the new year. By Opening Day, the only true Cleveland shortcoming that could be immediately seen was the starting pitching rotation (now significantly weakened with the trade of C.C. Sabathia and the offseason Tommy John surgery to the elbow of Jake Westbrook). Once again, we are learning anew that the funny thing about baseball is just how completely wrong you always are when it comes to figuring out just how things are going to play out over a season.

So it was that I entered the 2009 season with the usual eternal optimism that afflicts us baseball fans: everyone starting off the marathon once again, anything being possible, expect the unexpected, etc. Boy, did we get it: at one month into the 2009 season, following their worst opening stretch in nearly a century, the Cleveland Indians sit dead last in the American League Central Division with a record of 8-14.

If there is one thing keeping the die-hards from standing in the middle of the Hope Memorial Bridge and staring down soulfully at the murky depths of the Cuyahoga River, it's the fact that despite the ridiculous level of hapless suck the team is exhibiting right now, the Tribe remains only a handful of games out of first place in the American League Central: across-the-board mediocrity seems to be endemic as of right now. One cannot assume this situation will last forever, of course, and I'd personally feel far better about things if the Indians can manage to finish the month of May at .500 or better ... a place this team has not been since, oh, last spring. Since there is no guarantee that stupid interleague play will be any kinder to this squad than last year's abysmal pounding, I'd like to have a little bit of cushion going before we run headlong into the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinatti Reds, thankyouverymuch.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: the Indians' offense, such as it is, remains helpless against off speed pitches and strikes out at a rate that leads the American League. Aside from the split series against the hated New York Yankees at their shiny new billionaire's bandbox, the Indians have scuffled at the plate, often struggling to produce even a single run with bases loaded and less than 2 out.

Not all is lost in this department: Victor Martinez has been batting nearly .400 and is certainly making up for time lost to injury in 2008, while Asdrubal Cabrera has found his swing again and is spraying singles and doubles all over the outfield. Travis Hafner, despite recently being added once again to the Disabled List, showed tantalizing glimpses of his past Pronk-like glory for a couple of weeks. On the whole, Cleveland batters have been patient and exacting at the plate, wearing down starting pitching early and drawing nearly 100 walks, which leads the league. That said, perhaps the batters have been a little too patient: the Indians' batting average with runners in scoring position has been abysmal, and coupled with the previously mentioned strikeout rate, has left the team hard pressed to come up with runs in the clutch, let alone at any other time, unless they happen to be blasted out of the yard.

After a disastrous start, Cleveland's starting pitching has at least gathered itself into a semblance of its usual form. The victories are mixed: on one hand, staff ace Cliff Lee has started to draw a bead on the form that led him to 22 victories in 2008, while the arguably more-talented Fausto Carmona remains maddeningly inconsistent and well short of his 19-game- winning 2007 form. Elsewhere, Anthony Reyes has managed to pull off a shaky kind of Paul Byrd-like highwire act, while sinkerballer Aaron Laffey and off-season signing Carl Pavano (of all people) have been the most consistently dependable starters to date.

Perhaps the biggest issue currently facing the Indians is the terrifying performance of their bullpen, particularly the once-trustworthy duo of lefty Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis, who became our default closer in the second half of 2008. Even more so than the first half of last year's campaign, the bullpen has been a model of consistency in the category of "fail" since Opening Day. Perhaps the most glaring statistic I can put on the table: the bullpen has given up nearly 30 runs in the 8th innings so far this season (which is a hell of lot considering we have not yet played 30 games yet). The back end of the equation has also been a bit wobbly, with $20 million dollar closer Kerry Wood looking at times more like Bob Wickman than the ironclad game insurance Tribe fans had been expecting, though the jury remains out on that particular acquisition for the time being.

Lastly, shoddy defense, primarily at the corner outfield positions and the left side of the diamond has been a nagging issue, creating an extra strain on an already dangerously-thin pitching situation. While this in itself is generally not as damaging to our team as the pitching has been, the amount of extra outs being doled to opposing teams is a troubling issue, especially since more often than not, the Tribe's opposition finds ways to exploit these opportunities.

So, what and where are the fixes? Calling up new help from our restocked farm system has certainly been on the minds of many the last couple of weeks (certainly following the immediate splash made by reliever Tony Sipp), though it appears that no league-ready pitching exists in Columbus or Akron that has not already been looked at during spring training. I'm not even sure that calling up AAA-mashers like Matt LaPorta can do much for an offense that seems to have the talent, but is missing some vital spark somewhere that remains frustratingly intangible and inaccessible.

Once you eliminate the above, you have to focus on the idea of a managing change, and while every team has a group of fans who are always calling for heads to roll, their screaming sounds more and more like a viable option the more games this team loses. I am not now (and have never been) a member of that eternal "FIRE ERIC WEDGE" crowd ... but after seven years and one postseason run to show for it, I have to admit that my patience is at last beginning to run out.