I've been MIA from this blog for months. While I have no idea how regularly I'll update it going forward, I know it will be far more often than I have been. My lack of posting coincided with a lack of wins on the Tribe's part--obviously not a coincidence. (Now before you call me a fair weather fan, know that I still watched most games, and still broke things around my house at the vast majority of their outcomes, but simply didn't dwell in my misery by writing about them...).

2009 is over. No more Cliff Lee. No more Victor Martinez. No more Ryan Garko, Rafael Betancourt, Michael Aubrey (take my eyes, but not Aubrey). Does that mean no more wins...?

I am anxious to look back to my earlier posts, read my 2009 forecasts and edit them so that it looks like I was right all along laugh at how I got nothing right. Then I will concentrate my efforts towards a) recapping this year and what went wrong, and b) beginning the discussion of what can be expected next year and the years to come.

For the sake of having enlightening things to write about even when the Indians are not doing well, I am going to start writing about anything baseball-related that's on my mind. Meaning I'll probably be talking about the Phillies-Dodgers / Yanks-Angels series  and the WS as the next couple weeks unfold.

Also anxious to see who's tabbed as the next Tribe skipper, which will be announced following the World Series. I hope John Farrell considers the job.

From the basement of the American League Central, the outlook is bleak for the Indians. How bleak? Consider this: Cliff Lee (2.96 ERA and all) picked up just his third win of the year yesterday in an outing that marked his tenth consecutive quality start. Fausto Carmona, our supposed number two starter, has an ERA of 7.42. He's largely to blame for a team that leads the majors in walks (231) and is second to last in ERA--behind only the Nationals--at 5.38. Things have gotten to the point where, if the list of maimed Indians decided to disassociate themselves from the club and form an expansion team they would probably be better than the team the Tribe currently fields. The list, which already included Hafner, Westbrook, Reyes, Lewis, Laffey, Smith, and Betancourt, expanded this past week with the addition of Sizemore and Cabrera. And yet, at 10 games below .500, the Indians are only seven games behind the first place Tigers.

Mark Shapiro has thus far refrained from becoming a seller (in a market overflowing with buyers)--presumably because he believes the team still has a chance to rebound: "People may think we're crazy, but we still like the core of our team." But this proclamation hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning; I've already heard the names of Mark DeRosa, Jamey Carroll, Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano, Jhonny Peralta, and Victor Martinez brought up in a variety of unfledged trade scenarios. While I don't propose trading away Lee or V-Mart, I do believe the Indians should try to piece together a couple trades. Transactions don't have to, and shouldn't indicate a resignation. The Indians are in desperate need of a reallocation of talent--both at the lower levels of their system and on their big league club.

There is a logjam of talented corner infielders that needs to be addressed. Jhonny Peralta, barring any unforeseeable trade or circumstance, looks to be the Indians' third baseman going forward. Uncertainty surrounding his ability to make the sudden transition prompted the Tribe to acquire DeRosa in the offseason, but injuries (and a simple attempt to create a spark by mixing things up) have influenced Wedge to play Peralta at the hot corner with increasing regularity. Meanwhile, the other corner has been occupied by Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko, and DeRosa. Seeing as how Martinez will inevitably tuck away his catcher's mitt for good in the near future, and seeing (furthermore) how his bat is irreplaceable in the lineup, something's gotta give with other corner infield alternatives. There simply isn't room for all of them. DeRosa doesn't factor into the equation at all, as he will be gone by the end of the year--probably sooner. But Garko does, and he's not alone.

Many fans have conditioned themselves to overlook his name by this point, but the once-promising (and perhaps once-again promising) prospect that the Tribe received in the Coco Crisp deal is, in fact, still around. Andy Marte had plenty of opportunities to prove he deserved a spot on the 25-man roster, but he struggled and didn't seem capable of making the necessary adjustments in the Show. However, since clearing waivers at the year's outset, he's 43-131 (.328) with five home runs and 26 RBIs for the Clippers. Despite the fact that the "Marte Experiment" seemed to drag on for a quarter of a century in itself, the kid is still only 25 years old. On the same team is Jordan Brown (.327 / 7 / 26), Michael Aubrey (.322 / 5 / 24), and the highly regarded, though currently underperforming Wes Hodges (.275 / 1 / 15). As you head further down the ladder, you bump into Beau Mills, Matt McBride, and first-rounder Lonnie Chisenhall. Not to mention that some view Matt LaPorta as a future corner infielder.

Without rattling off another list, suffice it to say that the team is similarly cluttered in outfield alternatives. In some ways I feel that Sizemore's DL stint is a golden opportunity to get an extended look at Crowe and perhaps LaPorta. But then again, if they go on a tear, what do you do when Sizemore gets back? Wedge has already resorted to rotating one of the corner outfield spots to create playing opportunities for Garko and DeRosa--usually at Francisco's expense.

Yet for all that, there is actually a shortage of middle infield talent and quality pitching depth. Don't get me wrong, the Indians have quite a few hurlers--so many, in fact, that taking on pitching without first unloading pitching hardly sounds like a winning solution. The issue is that Scott Lewis (L), Zach Jackson (L), Jeremy Sowers (L), David Huff (L), and ultimately Chuck Lofgren (L) are all cut from the same left-handed, soft-tossing, spot-targeting, end-of-the-rotation mold.  I'll leave Aaron Laffey off that list, though some would argue he belongs there, as well. Their styles--from the way they pace the game to their pitching arsenal and its effectiveness--are  so similar that it's hardly a wonder none of them have been able to find consistent success at the big league level. In a given series, opponents probably aren't challenged enough to alter their approach from one pitcher to the next.

Who knows how this season will play out? I don't think this team has what it takes to win consistently, but stranger things have happened. As Fausto's nightmarish season unfolds, especially in light of the question marks surrounding the durability and overall potential of Westbrook and Reyes moving forward, the Indians have little option but to turn their sights towards acquiring a starter or two that can slide comfortably into the rotation. Easier said than done, I know. It seems pretty obvious to me that trading Lee would be devastating to any chance the team has of contending next year.

Today, the Indians hung on for a 2-1 victory over the Rays that gave them their first sweep of the year. It was also their first time winning four consecutive games (yesterday's third in a row was similarly uncharted territory), and their first time winning a game while scoring less than four runs. They should get some kind of trophy for reaching all these plateaus before June. Now that I think about it, maybe not. Every other team probably did it before May. It's a step in the right direction for sure, but I'm not yet ready to say that Clevelanders should be getting excited. (If the Cavs can win back to back games against the Magic I might say that...)

Last week's 6-5 loss to the Royals--the game where Wood surrendered four runs in the ninth to take the loss--left a bad taste in my mouth that has lingered, and even when I've had a few extra minutes on my hands I've been hesitant to invest my time writing about the Tribe. Hopefully last week marked the season's nadir and we can move forward.

Right as Victor Martinez is coming back down to earth we are starting to get contributions from the rest of the team. Even though Martinez is mired in a 3-27 slump, he is still the difference-maker in the lineup. For instance, on Monday he was just 1-6, but his hit was a game-winning, two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Despite going 1-4 today, he picked up two RBIs--one on a groundout and one on an RBI single.  

Wedge has been more consistent with his lineup of late, which I'm sure has helped. Ryan Garko smacked three home runs this series, and has earned himself more playing time. Shoppach had a few extra-base hits. I'd also like to pay tribute to Ben Francisco, who has redefined what it means to "own" a pitcher. Francisco is now 8-9 with five home runs and a double against Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine. Francisco only has 23 career home runs to-date, 18 of which have come off right-handed pitchers. Sonnanstine is a righty, as is Aquilino Lopez, who has served up three more of these 18.  That means that if you remove Sonnanstine and Lopez from B-Fran's career, he has 10 home runs in 482 at bats against righties.

Contributions from up and down the lineup are key, but so is the fact that the bullpen is finally proving they can hold down the fort. Jensen Lewis has had mixed results lately, but overall it's been pretty solid. Through 13.1 innings (eight appearances) Matt Herges has given up just two earned runs, though it should be noted that both runs came via a home run that allowed inherited runners to score. Greg Aquino hasn't allowed any runs in four appearances so far, and Rafael Betancourt has gone six appearances without allowing one.  Joe Smith (injury) and Rafael Perez (ineffectiveness) are both close to rejoining the club.

After being set back another couple days with a sore back, Travis Hafner went 1-3 with a double and an RBI in his rehab game with Columbus today. He's now hitting .440 in the minors. It will be great to get him back in the lineup, but it's hard to wish for any kind of lineup change right at the moment when it appears everyone is finally settling in.

The biggest concern for the Indians right now is their starting rotation. Lee and Pavano have both found their niche, but Carmona didn't make it out of the second inning in his last start. With Reyes and Laffey both on the DL, Cleveland will have to rely upon the likes of Zach Jackson, Jeremy Sowers, Tomo Ohka, and David Huff for the time being. Jake Westbrook will begin an extended rehab assignment in a week or so, and I can't help but feel like there's a lot, maybe too much, riding on his ability to come back soon and be effective.

-- On Sunday when I first glanced at the lineup and saw Cabrera in the leadoff spot I thought that Wedge had moved Sizemore down into the heart of the order. He didn't; he was just giving Grady some rest. But today that is indeed the case. Sizemore's been slotted into the number two spot behind Cabrera. Let's see how this works out for us.

-- The Indians' pitching staff has induced 142 double plays already this year--more than any other team in baseball. The next highest total is Houston's 117. Hopefully this doesn't suggest that Tribe hurlers, owners of a collective 5.67 ERA, have been getting lucky.

-- Cleveland is 1-8 in games in which they allow an unearned run. Which means their winning percentage is hardly affected by unearned runs...

-- 28-33% seems like a pretty small deviation, but every big league team fits into this range somewhere in terms of the percentage of strikes they put into play. When you see thousands of pitches, each percentage point comes to mean a great deal. I bring it up because the Indians are dead last in their ability to put strikes into play. It's something I would have guessed, as it relates back to their tendency to foul off good pitches to hit.

-- Cliff Lee starts tonight against Brian Bannister. He has received almost no run support this year. The Tribe averages 2.9 runs in games he starts. But when he's still in the game, they march to the tune of .9 runs per nine innings.

Disputers of the legitimacy of the 2008 AL Cy Young Award (you know who you are) are quick to point out that Halladay is 8-1 while Lee is 2-5. They are also quick to ignore that Halladay is averaging eight runs of support in each of his starts. Dontrelle Willis would be 8-1 with that kind of help. Not that facing Roy is a halladay by any means, but you get the point.

-- The Tribe's transaction page is beginning to rival the Bible in length.

--  We send Tony Sipp to the minors and how does he respond? 1.2 innings, no walks, five strikeouts. Figures

The good news is that even after an 0-3 day at the plate Victor Martinez is hitting .401. The bad news is literally everything else. Of all Indians clubs I've followed over the years, this one is the hardest to root for. Even when they're playing well they find ways to lose. Or rather, ways to lose find them.

After winning back to back games, I thought the Tribe would be able to build on their momentum (yeah, I know, pathetic to refer to two games as "momentum")  and put together another series win. Again I was mistaken. With a 7-0 lead, it appeared Friday's game was in the bag. After all, the Rays as a franchise had never surmounted a seven run deficit. EVER. In games in which their opponent at one point had a seven run lead, the Rays franchise was 0-224. But thanks to one of the worst bullpens in baseball history, they are now 1-224, as B.J. Upton welcomed Luis Vizcaino to the Indians by hitting a walk-off bomb for an 8-7 win.

Of course, what Indians game would be complete without a game-altering blown call that goes against Cleveland? This time it was by home plate umpire Greg Gibson, who effectively ended a Tribe rally in the third by calling Mark DeRosa out at home. DeRosa, admittedly, should have stopped at third on Jamey Carroll's single to center. Upton made a great throw, but DeRosa's leg clearly crossed the plate before Navarro applied the tag. Apparently Wedge thought so too, as he was ejected for arguing on the play.

Another beautiful blown call came today, when Ryan Garko appeared to give the Tribe some late life in a close 7-5 game. In the eighth he rocketed a ball to deep left that appeared gone off the bat. It was inches from going over, and a ball that certainly bounced off the top of the wall and into Carl Crawford's glove was called an out--as the umpires thought the mitt prevented it from ever touching the wall.

Is it even possible this many terrible calls can go against one team? I'm not even exaggerating when I say, for all of our shortcomings, this club might be .500 if it wasn't for this bad luck.

What else is there to say? I like what I'm seeing so far from Carroll, who was one of the most consistent players on the team last year. Hated what I saw today from Huff. I'm waiting for the Indians to inspire me to write lengthier, more enthusiastic posts, but to no avail. If we don't pick things up soon, my posts will start getting shorter and shorter and increasingly infrequent. And it's not being a fair weather fan (I'll still be watching), but at this point I'm pretty much recycling the few ways there are to describe ********.

By the way, I don't know if it was Wedge, Victor, or Wood that decided to go after Upton in the 8th today (my money's on Vic), but it's pretty clear it was intentional and I actually support the decision. It was apparently in response to Upton stealing two bases late in a 9-0 game on Thursday. Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to be aggressive on the bases even when you're being blown out. But I am saying that I do believe in baseball etiquette and if I was going to do that, I'd expect retaliation. Especially if I hit a game-winning home run the next night. It's radical under any circumstances to support a pitcher intentionally throwing at a player--especially if the pitcher owns an upper 90's fastball--but the move is indicative of Victor assuming the role of team leader. And leadership is something this team desperately needs right now. Is the decision rooted in frustration? Of course. But it also speaks of his unwillingness to let his team be walked on, which is not something that can be said for every player on the team. Just a few weeks ago I voiced my frustration with Trevor Crowe for his complacency in light of the fan interference that resulted in a Posada pinch-hit home run in the Bronx. Sometimes you have to make a statement and send the message that you won't stand for bad calls or perceived "disrespectful" play, even if that style of play is not unanimously frowned upon. This is the kind of thing that unites teams, or perhaps forges team chemistry. In light of the way things went down in the eighth, I'm actually a bit frustrated that DeRosa didn't have much of a reaction to being hit by Percival in the ninth.

Now a much undeserved off-day, with which I plan to...Right. I don't get an off-day. God knows why not. I didn't lose three of four.

I haven't listened to enough Rays baseball to distinguish between the voice of Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane, but one of them used the above statement to point out just how impressive the 2-3-4 hitters in the Indians lineup were tonight.

How good were Asdrubal Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Shin-Soo Choo in the 11-7 victory? Try 12-15 with four doubles, a triple, and a home run. They had nine RBIs collectively and scored eight times. Each of them had four hits. It's safe to say they are responsible for the Tribe's first back-to-back victories since April 15-16. But can we turn our momentum into a season-high three games? I have to double check but I think three games would set a MLB record for consecutive wins. Oh wait, nevermind.

A couple interesting things to note about the game tonight. Victor Martinez is now batting an even .400 on the season. It's worth pointing out that the only time he got out was a well-hit, slicing line drive to left field. He is seeing the ball so well right now; it's probably worth it to just walk him every time he comes up and take your chances with the number four. My completely biased stance is that he's in the top three hitters in the game. You see one bad at bat from this guy every four or five games.

Jeremy Sowers was optioned to make room for Luis Vizcaino. I second this decision, but Aaron Laffey's appearance in tonight's game pretty much excludes him from jumping back into the rotation on Sunday. This begs the question, who will be making this start? My money is on David Huff.

Carmona had good stuff tonight but was chased in the sixth. His performance epitomized the starting pitching for the Indians this year. Pavano, Carmona, and Reyes are all so close to getting their acts together; it's always a bad inning or a couple bad pitches that spoil their outings. Fausto's age-old trouble is the walks. I'd be interested in looking up the percentage of his free passes that wind up crossing the plate.

Ryan Garko has been waiting for someone to call him out on his single-hitting ways. I did, and he responded. Roughly 13 hours after I point out this upsetting trend, he lines a two-run, fourth inning shot off Mark Buehrle to lead the Indians to a 4-0 victory over the Sox. The important thing about yesterday's game was Cliff Lee's outing. His record may not show it, but he's picked up exactly where he left off last year.

In non-Indians news, Ryan Zimmerman's hit streak ended at 30 games yesterday. What an amazing run. It's especially difficult for a hitter to put together a steak like that in that Washington lineup, because opposing pitchers have the option of dealing with vastly inferior hitters by simply pitching around you. Even in his 0-3 game he walked twice. Of note is the fact that Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game streak was ended by the Indians. Al Smith and Jim Bagby, with the help of fine defensive plays by Ken Keltner and Lou Boudreau, snapped the skid. Were it not for the Tribe, the record may now stand at 73--after it was stopped Joltin' Joe immediately threw together a 16-game streak.

Travis Hafner's rehab assignment starts tomorrow. I'll certainly have my eye on that.

Go see Star Trek if you haven't already.

Picture Reference:

http://www.cosmofineart.com/HG_JoltinJoe.jpg

After a lengthy stint on the bench, budding fan favorite Matt LaPorta was in the lineup tonight against lefty Clayton Richard. LaPorta mirrored his last start, which came last Thursday in Boston, by going 1-3 with a walk and a run. But in a season that is getting ridiculous, the Indians lost again tonight, 7-4.

Couch managers everywhere have been clamoring for playing time on LaPorta's behalf the past couple days--namely because in his stead, David Dellucci has collected just two hits in the past eight games (after going 6-9 in his first two games back). Wedge has maintained that he's played Dellucci in response to the players-only meeting the team held after Saturday night's loss to the Tigers. He wanted the "regulars" to have a chance to come out and turn things around. I have to admit I was frustrated by this as well (until I heard this rationalization), as LaPorta batted .328 with all five of his home runs this year against righties. Wedge and Shapiro have both insinuated that he will be seeing much more playing time in the coming days. Nevertheless it's surprising to me how this disappointing start has taken a once-complacent fanbase and rallied them against the 2007 Manager of the Year. I question Wedge all the time. (What fan doesn't question the manager when things don't go right?) But the Tribe's shortcomings this year really aren't his fault. Shapiro addressed the media before the game tonight and said he feels like all the pieces are in place, but you have to wonder if he'll feel that way if things don't turn themselves around...

Jamey Carroll is back with the Indians--much to the chagrin of Josh Barfield. The Indians could save a lot of money if they just negotiated with whatever airline for unlimited open-ended roundtrip tickets for this guy. In three trips to the plate he had three hits this time around, but Wedge wants a left-handed and a right-handed second base alternative on the bench. Carroll is a tough out. It's good to have him back, but I doubt he'll be able to steer this wayward ship in the right direction.

In last night's (rare) 9-4 win, Pavano pitched a solid game and picked up his third win. He gave up 10 hits and four earned in 6.1 innings, but things really only slipped away in the seventh. He was absolutely pounding the strike zone--67 of his 87 pitches were for strikes. Laffey and Betancourt teamed up for 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. As a pitcher, when you're facing a lineup with holes--like the White Sox--it's so crucial to keep the real threats in check. The Indians were able to do that last night when they effectively subdued Carlos Quentin. How effective were they? Pavano and Laffey got him to record four outs on a combined six pitches. And he struck out once. Do the math.

Fortunately, Tribe pitchers got a break tonight as Quentin was out of the lineup with a sore left heel (he'll be out again tomorrow). Unfortunately, Tribe pitchers weren't quite as effective in keeping Jim Thome in line. Granted it's much harder for a soft-tossing lefty with control issues like Jeremy Sowers to do, but still...I have no idea how Thome is only hitting .249 against the Indians in his career, because it seems like every time we pitch to him he hits a home run. Two more bombs tonight for the 42^nd multi-home run game of his career--what more can I say? I might say that it's a shame DeRosa is completely and utterly useless; he either embarrasses himself by striking out on low and away pitches or he grounds out to third. Nah, I won't say that.

 With this second outing of his, it's looking like plugging Sowers into the rotation in order to move Laffey to the 'pen was like cutting off our nose to spite our face. I can't wait for Lewis to get back.

In a surprising move, the Indians have moved up-and-coming pitcher Hector Rondon to the bullpen. For Double-A Akron this year, Rondon is 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA. I'm a little bit confused by this. The 'pen has obviously been a disaster this year. But the Indians have already placed Steven Wright, Frank Herrmann, and Zach Putnam--not to mention Laffey--in the 'pen. They just signed Vizcaino. Isn't it overkill to make this transition with a prospect like Rondon, whose ceiling is so high? I understand that the Indians want to win, and they want to win this year, but shouldn't they prove that they're capable of contending before making a move so bold? We're 10 games below .500 and it's May 12.

Speaking of bold moves, it sounds like Sizemore will be lowered in the lineup in the coming days. I, for one, can't wait to see what kind of impact that has. Though he's obviously been slumping terribly himself, he should ultimately bring some power to the middle of a lineup that severely needs it. The Tribe's last bomb came last Wednesday when Victor hit a solo jack against Boston's Javier Lopez. When, for instance, did Ryan Garko become a singles hitter? Maybe when our power stroke starts to come around we'll start winning.

Picture References:

http://bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0048/3722/shaopiro_feature.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/hector%20rondon/tlastoria/minor%20leaguers/rondon.jpg

 

 

If there's one conclusion that can be drawn from the first 32 games of the 2009 season, it's that increased frustration on my part in no way correlates to wins. I can put my foot through as many walls as I can afford to repair, but when when the next day rolls around the Tribe will sink to lower depths still yet. They will be victimized by more impressive Web Gems, swing at worse pitches, surrender sharper line drives. It's just the way it goes. I thought it would take until mid June for the Indians to have 21 losses, but behold! The Sam Holbrook's and Curtis Granderson's of the world are complotting so that the Indians win no more than 40 games this year. Somebody in Cleveland must have done something this past off-season to piss off God.

My computer froze in the middle of Saturday's game, and I think Wedge's face as he pondered our bullpen alternatives captured our season rather effectively:

But despite the Tribe's unparalleled suckage--despite the fact that Cliff Lee, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Victor Martinez are the only players that have made any meaningful contribution to the team thus far--they are just seven games out of first. I say just because, though surmounting this early-season deficit is no small task, it could be and should be much worse. With an epic turnaround, it is possible. Hey, here's an idea: let's start off this White Sox series with a win! Pavano's looked good of late, and maybe our offense will be *on tonight. Sizemore, Peralta, Shoppach, and DeRosa need to stop striking out and show up to play baseball one of these days. Of equal importance is Wedge choosing to play LaPorta over Dellucci. 

* on, in the case of the Indians, means scoring either one or two runs.

Another talented Mays--Willie--turned 78 years old a couple days ago. I'd like to use this post to pay tribute to his baseball accomplishments. He's one of the best players to ever play the game, despite the resentment I harbor towards him for the Indians-dooming "Catch" in the '54 WS. It's also as good a time as any to acknowledge the ongoing, heated debate over who the better Mays truly is. I don't play baseball (and therefore my chances of playing in the majors one day is probably only like 50-50), but I don't think my own accomplishments go unnoticed.

In Willie's illustrious career, he smacked 660 bombs. I've never smacked any bombs (or anybody, for that matter) but I've eaten roughly 660 bowls of Honey Smacks. These feats don't sound comparable until you see the size of the bowl I'm talking about. Huge bowls that hold like, an entire box of Smacks. It took dedication and commitment, but I did it. Willie was a 24-time All Star. I've watched every single action-packed episode of 24. Willie batted .302 during his career (3,283-10,881). In my MVP Baseball 2005 for X-Box career, I'm also 3,283-10,881. The only difference is: I'm still playing. Some have argued that Willie's 12 Gold Gloves are what give him the edge but I think that's ridiculous. We shouldn't be judged on the value of our gloves. I thought as a society we were past that. I don't know. It's too close for me to call.

What else is going on in baseball? My 11 game winning streak in MLB.com's SURVIVOR contest ended last night because the Dodgers had an Indians-like game. I used to be a huge Barry Zito fan, but for years every time I turned around he had given up 6+ runs. Then of course, when a potential trip to the 2010 All-Star Game depends upon him blowing it, he's lights out. I'll tell you what, the Dodgers lineup definitely misses Manny. They seem a bit one-dimensional without him--a lot of guys that can make solid contact and perhaps run a bit, but not much power.

This Indians team is killing me. They don't even deserve to be mentioned in this post.

The danger of waiting two games before updating is that if the second game is brutal, I lose my desire to write. That's basically what happened today, so this post is going to be short. Inspired writing goes hand in hand with inspiring baseball. It's science. I will, however, use a giant picture to make my post seem longer. For the first few weeks of the season I've been trying to convince myself that our bullpen struggles would be made irrelevant when the bats start coming around; unfortunately, that's not the case. We are very close to letting this season slip away for good. We've got to turn things around--immediately.

Even the worst of Major League-quality pitchers have to have some success now and then--even if luck is responsible--don't they? Maybe not. If the Indians are up by five, this 'pen gives up six. Invariably. And how about when we don't already have the lead? They give up six for good measure. Who can we trust in this 'pen? Perez (and his 15.19 ERA) needs to be sent down to work on his mechanics. It looks like AAA would do Jensen some good, as well. Betancourt had a couple solid innings the other night, maybe he's starting to come around. It's revealing that, even after surrendering two mammoth home runs today, Tony Sipp leads the entire team in ERA at 3.60. Not only is that not even that good, but he only has five innings to his credit. Wedge is more frustrated than I've ever seen him--the answer to the bullpen is about to come from the starting pitching depth. We'll be seeing Jeremy Sowers any day, and when Scott Lewis comes back (depending on how Laffey does in his next start), he'll almost certainly be slotted right into the 'pen as well.

On the positive side of things--the side that is vastly smaller--Fausto and Reyes turned in O.K. outings. Jhonny Peralta went 3-5 today. Heading into the game he was in a 4-50 slump, so hopefully good times are ahead. Or maybe we're just in for a 1-45 encore. Matt LaPorta crushed a two-run home run last night to tie things up--there's a nice way to start off your career. It's pretty clear he has some rookie jitters to overcome, though. Victor's still on fire. After today's 3-5 showing, his on base percentage is a ridiculous .460.

Before yesterday's game, I was thinking about how often we string together a couple meaningless hits when we're down in the last inning before being put away for good. (Anthony Castrovince writes on his blog that last year we were 1-66 when losing after the eighth.) Consider this: prior to last night's game we'd yet to mount a come-from-behind victory this year. Nevertheless we were hitting .355 (22-62) with a .420 on base percentage when down in our last at bat. Granted, of those hits only three were for extra bases, but we were due. And yet the only person that is truly responsible for last night's win is Asdrubal Cabrera. I've always been amazed by his ability to take the same approach into every single at bat. He is completely unfazed by situational pressures. Two outs, two strikes with the tying runner in scoring position and he stays back and ropes a line drive to right. It's a beautiful thing. I'm thinking about directing a sequel to that Tom Hanks-Rosie O'Donnell baseball classic; mine will be titled "A League That We Own" and will star Brandon. Do I smell an Oscar?

And now, mired in yet more disappointment and unable to catch a break, off we go to Boston. The first step to turning things around is to matching our season-high winning streak of two games. Something we've done once.

Picture References:

http://teacherweb.craven.k12.nc.us/TPE/specials/images/7A6FFA731C634321AE6594D79F5B9D2F.jpg

http://letsgotribe.mlblogs.com/photos/uncategorized/825f1fad73c44513ba416382ebade5da_1.jpg