Author: John Blake (Page 42 of 68)

Going into Wednesday’s game, the Indians actually had an opportunity to win a series, something they had not done the previous five. With the Cubs’ 9-2 rain-shortened pounding of the Tribe in the rubber match, you can now make that six consecutive series the Indians have failed to win. Due to rain, the umpires called for the tarp in the top of the eighth and the game was later made official. C.C Sabathia was charged for nine runs in only 2 1/3 innings, although some rather bizarre misplays by the Tribe infield did not help.

Indians fans witnessed one of the ugliest innings of the season in the top of the third. With runners on first and third, Ben Broussard fielded a ground ball and threw it to Victor Martinez, thinking the runner was going to try to score from third. After that loaded the bases, Ronnie Belliard followed it up with another boneheaded play. Belliard snagged a grounder moving to his left and got caught in-between whether to throw to first or second. The second baseman managed to throw the ball to nobody and a run scored.

“Inexcusable,” Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.

Chicago scored eight in the inning and knocked C.C out of the game. Cubs second baseman Neifi Perez went 3 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs in the game and Aramis Ramirez had two hits and two RBIs to lead them to victory. The Tribe could only score two off starter Carlos Zambrano, who got his sixth win of the season.

C.C clearly was frustrated following the game.

“What’s inexcusable? For me not to make pitches. For me to be giving up,” Sabathia said, protecting his teammates. “That’s something as a pro I should never do. I would like to apologize to everybody. I lost focus.”

“We all know we stink right now,” he said.

Sabathia has had some rough outings his last four starts. He once boasted a sub-2 ERA and now it has ballooned to over four. Although who are we kidding, did anyone really think these Indians could win two in a row? Poor defense has been an issue all season long and the Tribe continued the trend Wednesday night. The mental lapses displayed by Broussard and Belliard in the third exhibited what could be seen in little league baseball games. What happened to this team?

Cliff Lee continued his solid June by getting his third win in his last four starts as the Tribe beat the Cubs 4-2 Tuesday night. The Indians got to future Hall of Famer Gred Maddux early by scoring three in the first inning. Hollandsworth, Martinez, and Belliard all had RBI base hits in the inning. Grady Sizemore also played a big role in the victory, going 2 for 4 with a home run and a stolen base. Lee pitched deep into the ballgame, giving up only one earned run in 7 2/3 innings. Bob Wickman rebounded from his disasterous game in Milwaukee to notch his 10th save of the season.

Cliff seems to have found his rhythm. He gave the Tribe just what they needed Tuesday. A couple postgame quotes may have hinted that the club has finally gotten the picture and realizes the need to get on a roll soon.

“This is cliché central,” manager Eric Wedge said, “but actions do speak louder than words. Enough’s enough. There’s nothing more we can say. It’s about coming out and taking care of business.”

“We’re getting to a point where it’s almost urgent [to get on a roll],” said Cliff Lee.

It’s nice that the team is finally starting to understand the severity of the situation they put themselves in but where was this sense of urgency earlier in the season?

The Indians’ season is in turmoil but Tribe fans can take a small amount of solace in the move Shapiro made Tuesday. Struggling right-hander Jason Johnson was designated for assignment and lefty prospect Jeremy Sowers was brought up from Triple-A Buffalo to fill the fifth starter spot in the Indians’ rotation. Johnson, 3-8 with a 5.96 ERA this season, was signed in the off-season for one year and $3.5 million with a club option for 2007. Shapiro said Tuesday that there are a few teams interested in Johnson and that the club should be able to trade him, which must be done within 10 days. Sowers, 8-1 with a 1.27 ERA in Buffalo, was the Tribe’s first-round pick in 2004 and most likely will start Sunday when the Indians host the Cincinnati Reds.

It’s about time. Johnson has frustrated Indians fans all season with his poor pitching performances. And yes, you read it correctly, Shapiro said being able to trade Johnson is a possibility. The question is, who in their right mind would still want this guy? But hey, if we can get something for him it will be a bonus. We’ll be extremely lucky if Sowers can repeat his performance in Buffalo at the big league level but he sure can’t be much worse than Johnson.

The organization made another minor move by optioning Jeremy Guthrie back to Buffalo and bringing up right-hander Edward Mujica. Mujica, 22, has split time between Akron and Buffalo this season and has not allowed a run in over 38 innings.

Update:

The Indians have found a taker for Jason Johnson. The club has traded him and cash to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later or cash. With Davis Wells and Matt Clement on the DL, Johnson will most likely fill the #4 or #5 starter void for the Red Sox.

The weather turned dark and gloomy and the treacherous downpour over Jacobs Field in the sixth inning effectively drowned the Indians’ season. Monday night’s 12-8 loss to the Chicago Cubs stretched the Tribe’s losing streak to four. After falling behind 3-0, the Indians tied it up after home runs by Eduardo Perez and Travis Hafner. Cubs catcher Henry Blanco responded right back with a three-run home run in the fourth off Jason Johnson. The Indians’ starter left after giving up three earned runs through five innings but the Cubs proceeded to pound the bullpen. They added six runs in three innings off Fernando Cabrera and Jeremy Guthrie. The Indians were able to cut the lead slightly by scoring four in the ninth but the damage was already done. For the Cubs, the victory snapped a six-game losing streak.

“We’ve done a very poor job,” manager Eric Wedge said of the Indians’ ninth consecutive loss to open a series. “We recognize how bad things are right now, but good ballclubs find a way to overcome and win.”

And the Indians aren’t a very good ballclub right now by any means. Only so much blame can be placed on Wedge for the struggles this season because he can only work with what he’s got. But I do blame him for not getting on these guys earlier. It’s too late to go off on a post-game tirade now because the Tribe are too far behind in the standings to make a playoff push. From the moment he took the job four years ago, it’s been said that Wedge is an in-your-face type of manager. He has been far too patient and laid back with the team this season. The Indians need a kick in the rear but Wedge should have done that about a month ago.

Case and point, look at what Jim Leyland and Ozzie Guillen have done this season. Leyland went off publicly on his team after a loss to the Indians early in the year and they proceeded to get on a roll following that incident and now earn the best record in baseball. And as much as I dislike the guy, Ozzie Guillen never takes any crap from his team and isn’t afraid to criticize them when they are playing poorly. The Indians are going to see some big crowds in the next week due to interleague play but when American League play resumes, it’s going to be a barren sight at Jacobs Field.