Category: Cleveland Indians (Page 19 of 96)

He’s only had four chances, but Tribe reliever Tom Mastny is already getting a hang of this closer’s thing. Perhaps Fausto Carmona should seek out some of Mastny’s video, maybe he could learn a thing or two. Then again, with the way the Tribe’s newest closer has been performing, Carmona ‘s window of opportunity is closing fast.

Mastny, in four save opportunities, has allowed no runs, two hits, and has fanned five. Overall, Mastny has given up just one run and has struck out 12 in 10 1/3 innings this season for the Indians, which is good for a 0.87 ERA. He has been able to jump right into the closer’s role and do what some other Tribe relievers couldn’t. Is he the closer of the future? Who knows. But he is putting together is good case for himself and at least deserves a good look. Carmona has failed in that capacity and nobody else is really stepping up so why not ride what you have in Mastny and see where it takes you.

The fifth inning has been very kind to the Indians as of late. After scoring six in the inning in Saturday’s game to beat the Tigers, the Tribe put up three in the fifth Monday night to take care of the Blue Jays 6-4 on a soggy and damp night at the Jake. Starter Paul Byrd didn’t have his greatest outing, allowing three earned runs and 10 hits in five innings, but managed to get his 10th win of the season. The Tribe’s leadoff man led the offensive charge. Grady Sizemore homered, doubled twice, and scored half of the runs. Ryan Garko also shined on the night with two doubles and two RBIs. Wedge had plenty of praise for the Tribe’s center fielder, and deservedly so.

“If he’s not the best all-around player, he’s one of the top players,” Wedge said. “And when you look at the effect he has on his teammates because of the way he plays and the consistency with which he plays, I’ll take him over anybody.”

After Byrd left, Cabrera, Betancourt, and Mastny put the game to bed, pitching four innings of scoreless relief. Masty earned his fourth consecutive save to give the Tribe their fifth win in their last six games.

The Tribe’s chance at a rare sweep came to a quick halt Sunday as they lost to the Detroit Tigers 7-1. Starter Cliff Lee fell victim to three Tiger home runs as he allowed five runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. On the flip side, veteran Kenny Rogers wanted no part of a sweep. He was extremely sharp, allowing only a run and four hits in his seven innings of work. The Indians showed some life in the first inning but were dormant from then on. Three consecutive singles in the bottom of the first enabled the Tribe to plate their only run. The Tigers opened it up even more with Pudge Rodriguez’s two-run bomb off Edward Mujica in the eighth.

Rogers had the Tribe completely fooled this time around. He was definitely on his game and all you can do is tip your cap to ole vet.

“Facing a guy like him, you’ve got to give up a lot to try to get something,” Wedge said. “The first time through the lineup, I don’t think we swung at one first pitch against him. We tried to make him work. But he was just very efficient. When he’s on like that, you know it’s going to be a tough day.”

That’s right. With Saturday’s 8-5 win over the Tigers, the Indians actually have a shot at a sweep. They enjoyed a fun fifth, scoring six in the inning and beating Tiger rookie sensation Justin Verlander. Jake Westbrook went seven innings and got his 11th win of the season. The Indians got two in the third thanks to RBIs by Jason Michaels and Travis Hafner before exploding three innings later. Ryan Garko and Joe Inglett delivered the key runs in the sixth. Garko doubled, scoring two, and Inglett tripled, allowing two more to cross home plate. Before the Tigers knew it, they were down 8-5 by the end of the inning.

The bullpen did what it’s supposed to do once again. Jason Davis pitched a scoreless eighth and Tom Mastny entered the ninth and saved his third game in three chances. Tribe relievers are currently holding a streak of 10 1/3 innings pitched without giving up a run, allowing only three hits during that span.

Cabrera and Betancourt are two guys that need to start turning it around, especially if they want a spot on this team next season. They’ve shown they have the ablility to pitch at this level and get hitters out but, for some reason, they have drastically underperformed this year. As good as Cabrera was last season, perhaps he is having a difficult time adjusting to pitching a full major league season. But, considering he’s been touted as our future closer and is out of options, Cabrera needs to show something in the last month. Betancourt is a guy with a good track record. He has had a sub-3 ERA in two of his last three seasons and the fact that he’s struggled this season is a mystery.

Bullpen in general is an iffy thing. They can be good one year and bad the next. The Indians obviously need to find some help this off-season in that area. However, if Cabrera and Betancourt can somehow bounce back in the remainder of the season and prove themselves once again, that’ll be two less relievers the Indians have to worry about replacing in the off-season.