Tribe Blues
It seemed like so long ago when CC Sabathia took the mound in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at (then named) Jacobs Field against the Boston Red Sox.
The Cleveland Indians carried a 3-1 series lead, looking to clinch their first World Series appearance since 1997. Boston was on the ropes, on the run and the Indians had three chances to reel them in.
They did not.
Losing Game 5, and then routed in Game 6 and 7 at Fenway Park was a liver shot to the Tribe. Coming so close, and now having to try to work even harder to get back to that same point again.
Not only did the Indians fall, they fell faster and harder then they ever could have imagined.
From injuries to their lineup and rotation and to inconsistent play from the rest of the team, it has been an “off year” in the truest sense. The Indians this year have found themselves going from American League Central Division Champions last season, to last place in less than one calendar year.
While Grady Sizemore has development into one of baseballs best all around players, outside of Grady, no offensive help is to be found. Travis Hafner’s continuous (and mysterious – dare I suggest PED’s?) decline coincided with an injury to catcher Victor Martinez that has him out indefinitely. Add in Johnny Peralta not providing much and you have a lineup that has gone from one of the leagues most balanced in 2007 to many uncertainties in 2008.
Pitching wise, after struggling mightily in his first five starts, Sabathia rebounded to pitch back to his CY Young standard. The rest of the staff though found either injuries or poor performance.
Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt found their way to the disabled list. Closer Joe Borowski found his velocity decreased from last year. These falters have wasted an incredible comeback season effort from Cliff Lee (11-2 and AL starter for the All Star Game).
Cleveland fell into the trap that all bad teams get into during a year. When pitching well, the offense would show impotency. On the few days when the offense would hit, it would be negated by either a bad start or failure by the bullpen.
They would further and further down in the standings. Officially, they reached critical mass after being swept by the White Sox in Chicago. Cleveland, just one win from the World Series just 10 months ago, was now 12.5 games out of first place with no hope in sight.
Seeing now that the postseason was a pipedream, GM Mark Shapiro decided to open up his phone line to any team looking to acquire their ace pitcher. The Milwaukee Brewers were on the other line inquiring on the price.
After a few days, both teams liked the deal and decided to agree to the trade. Sabathia would become a member of the Brewers and the Indians would get several Major League ready prospects. The white flag had been raised. Cleveland had officially surrendered.
It just goes to show you how quickly success comes and goes in baseball. Unless you are a great organization, it does not happen often. Other times, you have to capitalize on the chance that you have when it is presented. For the Indians, non-winners of a world championship since 1948, it is going to take a while to get back to that night when they were one win away from a World Series appearance.
They never fully recovered from that night just over 10 years when they were three defensive outs away from winning the whole thing. After last year's heartbreak and this year's struggles, it is just another chapter that can be written in the Indians history book.
White Sox find their way back
A season and a half ago, the Chicago White Sox had baseball’s best record at the All Star Break. Everything was clicking and it appeared the team from the South Side was going to attempt to make a successful attempt at defending their world championship.
However, it would be their pitching, a strength in their 2005 title run, that broke down in the remaining three months of the season. The offense, though scoring more runs, was not as consistent as the previous season. All of this culminated in a disappointing finish and the Sox missing the playoffs.
Everything officially broke down the next season. A combination of bad pitching, horrific hitting and “cover your eyes” defense led to a near last place finish in the AL Central. From a world championship to the world of the cellar in just two seasons, left for irrelevance as the Cubs once again wrestled control of the baseball scene away from their neighbors to the south.
Instead, here we are at the mid-way point and they have rebounded to find the same success that aided them just three years earlier. Each night, they throw out a starting pitcher who gives them a chance to win and they are delivering. Young Gavin Floyd (acquired in a deal for former 2005 hero Freddy Garcia) and John Danks have helped stabilize a rotation still anchored by veterans Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez.
Their biggest surprise of the season has come from Carlos “Hard Hittin” Quentin. Originally part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Quentin was squeezed out due to the talent logjam that existed and made expendable. General Manager Kenny Williams decided to take a chance after reviewing the medical reports. Quentin always had the talent, but just needed to get enough at bats to display his potential. 22 homeruns and 70 RBI’s later, it appears to have been the right move.
Best of all has been their bullpen. Statistically number one in the league in earned run average. Lefty Matt Thornton and righty Octavio Dotel hold down sixth and seventh innings to get the ball to setup man Scott Linebrink. After struggling last year, Linebrink has rebounded to post one of his better seasons. Closer Bobby Jenks has effortless in his performance, amassing a 1.95 ERA and 18 saves.
While their offense has not been among baseball’s elite, it has been effective. Utilizing their home field to their advantage, they are among the team leaders in homeruns and home winning percentage (32-13). Although the Minnesota Twins are right in pursuit (only 1.5 games back), it is very difficult to see them keeping pace with Chicago over the course of the summer.
Strong starting pitching, a deep bullpen, along with the resources to make a trade to attain more offense makes the Sox favored to get back to the playoffs again. While certainly not an expert choice to return to the World Series, the ability to put out a competent starter on a mound in each game will give them a chance.
Interesting Tidbits from the first half of the season
Commemorative
Perhaps it is a coincidence, but of the teams with the five best records in baseball, only one of them (Los Angeles Angels) has a winning road record.
Take a look:
LA Angels
26-20 home – 31-18 road
Chicago Cubs
37-12 home – 20-26 road
Boston Red Sox
36-11 home – 21-29 road
Tampa Bay Rays
36-14 home – 19-25 road
There is no explainable reason for this. If these are the best teams, why are they having problems winning on the road?
Very unusual.
Scoring is down all over baseball. It appears that the crackdown on performance enhancing drugs and amphetamines has been working. The pitching has not necessarily improved to make that much of a difference.
If you do not think the greenies had an effect on many of these players and (older) teams in general, you are kidding yourself.
The Detroit Tigers have shown that having the best offense in baseball on paper does not equate to victories in the standings.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are one game under .500 and in first place in the National League West. If they win the division only end up at 81-81, can an asterisk be put on their season? Awards are not given for who the tallest midget is.
Yet, they are still a dangerous team in a five game series.
Josh Hamilton has been baseball’s best story. Drugs and alcohol nearly took the man’s life several years ago. Now, he has an outside chance to win baseball’s Triple Crown.
He has come so far. You just hope that he is able to keep his life in order because there a bundle of talent waiting to take over the league.
Edinson Volquez and Tim Lincecum are the future of National League pitching for the next ten
years barring injury.
Mike Pelfrey may not be very far behind.
How are the St. Louis Cardinals even remotely competitive with a rotation featuring three former relief pitchers who have converted to starters? Incredible.
Rich Harden was not traded to the Cubs from the Oakland A’s because the players Oakland received were great. GM Billy Beane knows that Harden is a ticking time bomb and has an inevitable trip to
the disabled list coming.
You don’t think so? Ask yourself how many pitchers that Beane has traded have gone on to do better elsewhere than in Oakland? Is that a coincidence? Add to that report that Harden’s velocity has been slowly dropping in recent starts before he was traded and it’s easy to conclude that Beane is selling high.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of baseball biggest teases. Always looking on the surface as if they should dominate their division each year. Yet, at the end of the season, amassing no more than 89 wins.
Jonathan Papelbon got exactly what he deserved at the All Star Game. Did he really think he was going to be able to diss Mariano Rivera and Yankees fans over the course of two days and not receive a payback?
If you thought any Boston Red Sox players (and managers) were going to get applause in Yankee Stadium, even for an exhibition such as this, you are kidding yourself.
I have never heard a player booed so vociferously at a midsummer classic in my life when he came into the game and gave off a leadoff single.
The “Ma-ri-ano” chant was great.
“Over-rated” was even better.
Giving up that run (though aided by bad defense) on a sacrifice fly was the ultimate indignity. Even Billy Wagner blowing the lead in the bottom half of the inning could not top this.
It was a fun and fitting way to conclude the first half of the baseball season.
It seemed like so long ago when CC Sabathia took the mound in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at (then named) Jacobs Field against the Boston Red Sox.
The Cleveland Indians carried a 3-1 series lead, looking to clinch their first World Series appearance since 1997. Boston was on the ropes, on the run and the Indians had three chances to reel them in.
They did not.
Losing Game 5, and then routed in Game 6 and 7 at Fenway Park was a liver shot to the Tribe. Coming so close, and now having to try to work even harder to get back to that same point again.
Not only did the Indians fall, they fell faster and harder then they ever could have imagined.
From injuries to their lineup and rotation and to inconsistent play from the rest of the team, it has been an “off year” in the truest sense. The Indians this year have found themselves going from American League Central Division Champions last season, to last place in less than one calendar year.
While Grady Sizemore has development into one of baseballs best all around players, outside of Grady, no offensive help is to be found. Travis Hafner’s continuous (and mysterious – dare I suggest PED’s?) decline coincided with an injury to catcher Victor Martinez that has him out indefinitely. Add in Johnny Peralta not providing much and you have a lineup that has gone from one of the leagues most balanced in 2007 to many uncertainties in 2008.
Pitching wise, after struggling mightily in his first five starts, Sabathia rebounded to pitch back to his CY Young standard. The rest of the staff though found either injuries or poor performance.
Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt found their way to the disabled list. Closer Joe Borowski found his velocity decreased from last year. These falters have wasted an incredible comeback season effort from Cliff Lee (11-2 and AL starter for the All Star Game).
Cleveland fell into the trap that all bad teams get into during a year. When pitching well, the offense would show impotency. On the few days when the offense would hit, it would be negated by either a bad start or failure by the bullpen.
They would further and further down in the standings. Officially, they reached critical mass after being swept by the White Sox in Chicago. Cleveland, just one win from the World Series just 10 months ago, was now 12.5 games out of first place with no hope in sight.
Seeing now that the postseason was a pipedream, GM Mark Shapiro decided to open up his phone line to any team looking to acquire their ace pitcher. The Milwaukee Brewers were on the other line inquiring on the price.
After a few days, both teams liked the deal and decided to agree to the trade. Sabathia would become a member of the Brewers and the Indians would get several Major League ready prospects. The white flag had been raised. Cleveland had officially surrendered.
It just goes to show you how quickly success comes and goes in baseball. Unless you are a great organization, it does not happen often. Other times, you have to capitalize on the chance that you have when it is presented. For the Indians, non-winners of a world championship since 1948, it is going to take a while to get back to that night when they were one win away from a World Series appearance.
They never fully recovered from that night just over 10 years when they were three defensive outs away from winning the whole thing. After last year's heartbreak and this year's struggles, it is just another chapter that can be written in the Indians history book.
White Sox find their way back
A season and a half ago, the Chicago White Sox had baseball’s best record at the All Star Break. Everything was clicking and it appeared the team from the South Side was going to attempt to make a successful attempt at defending their world championship.
However, it would be their pitching, a strength in their 2005 title run, that broke down in the remaining three months of the season. The offense, though scoring more runs, was not as consistent as the previous season. All of this culminated in a disappointing finish and the Sox missing the playoffs.
Everything officially broke down the next season. A combination of bad pitching, horrific hitting and “cover your eyes” defense led to a near last place finish in the AL Central. From a world championship to the world of the cellar in just two seasons, left for irrelevance as the Cubs once again wrestled control of the baseball scene away from their neighbors to the south.
Instead, here we are at the mid-way point and they have rebounded to find the same success that aided them just three years earlier. Each night, they throw out a starting pitcher who gives them a chance to win and they are delivering. Young Gavin Floyd (acquired in a deal for former 2005 hero Freddy Garcia) and John Danks have helped stabilize a rotation still anchored by veterans Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez.
Their biggest surprise of the season has come from Carlos “Hard Hittin” Quentin. Originally part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Quentin was squeezed out due to the talent logjam that existed and made expendable. General Manager Kenny Williams decided to take a chance after reviewing the medical reports. Quentin always had the talent, but just needed to get enough at bats to display his potential. 22 homeruns and 70 RBI’s later, it appears to have been the right move.
Best of all has been their bullpen. Statistically number one in the league in earned run average. Lefty Matt Thornton and righty Octavio Dotel hold down sixth and seventh innings to get the ball to setup man Scott Linebrink. After struggling last year, Linebrink has rebounded to post one of his better seasons. Closer Bobby Jenks has effortless in his performance, amassing a 1.95 ERA and 18 saves.
While their offense has not been among baseball’s elite, it has been effective. Utilizing their home field to their advantage, they are among the team leaders in homeruns and home winning percentage (32-13). Although the Minnesota Twins are right in pursuit (only 1.5 games back), it is very difficult to see them keeping pace with Chicago over the course of the summer.
Strong starting pitching, a deep bullpen, along with the resources to make a trade to attain more offense makes the Sox favored to get back to the playoffs again. While certainly not an expert choice to return to the World Series, the ability to put out a competent starter on a mound in each game will give them a chance.
Interesting Tidbits from the first half of the season
Commemorative
Perhaps it is a coincidence, but of the teams with the five best records in baseball, only one of them (Los Angeles Angels) has a winning road record.
Take a look:
LA Angels
26-20 home – 31-18 road
Chicago Cubs
37-12 home – 20-26 road
Boston Red Sox
36-11 home – 21-29 road
Tampa Bay Rays
36-14 home – 19-25 road
There is no explainable reason for this. If these are the best teams, why are they having problems winning on the road?
Very unusual.
Scoring is down all over baseball. It appears that the crackdown on performance enhancing drugs and amphetamines has been working. The pitching has not necessarily improved to make that much of a difference.
If you do not think the greenies had an effect on many of these players and (older) teams in general, you are kidding yourself.
The Detroit Tigers have shown that having the best offense in baseball on paper does not equate to victories in the standings.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are one game under .500 and in first place in the National League West. If they win the division only end up at 81-81, can an asterisk be put on their season? Awards are not given for who the tallest midget is.
Yet, they are still a dangerous team in a five game series.
Josh Hamilton has been baseball’s best story. Drugs and alcohol nearly took the man’s life several years ago. Now, he has an outside chance to win baseball’s Triple Crown.
He has come so far. You just hope that he is able to keep his life in order because there a bundle of talent waiting to take over the league.
Edinson Volquez and Tim Lincecum are the future of National League pitching for the next ten
years barring injury.Mike Pelfrey may not be very far behind.
How are the St. Louis Cardinals even remotely competitive with a rotation featuring three former relief pitchers who have converted to starters? Incredible.
Rich Harden was not traded to the Cubs from the Oakland A’s because the players Oakland received were great. GM Billy Beane knows that Harden is a ticking time bomb and has an inevitable trip to
the disabled list coming.You don’t think so? Ask yourself how many pitchers that Beane has traded have gone on to do better elsewhere than in Oakland? Is that a coincidence? Add to that report that Harden’s velocity has been slowly dropping in recent starts before he was traded and it’s easy to conclude that Beane is selling high.
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of baseball biggest teases. Always looking on the surface as if they should dominate their division each year. Yet, at the end of the season, amassing no more than 89 wins.
Jonathan Papelbon got exactly what he deserved at the All Star Game. Did he really think he was going to be able to diss Mariano Rivera and Yankees fans over the course of two days and not receive a payback?
If you thought any Boston Red Sox players (and managers) were going to get applause in Yankee Stadium, even for an exhibition such as this, you are kidding yourself.
I have never heard a player booed so vociferously at a midsummer classic in my life when he came into the game and gave off a leadoff single.
The “Ma-ri-ano” chant was great.
“Over-rated” was even better.
Giving up that run (though aided by bad defense) on a sacrifice fly was the ultimate indignity. Even Billy Wagner blowing the lead in the bottom half of the inning could not top this.
It was a fun and fitting way to conclude the first half of the baseball season.
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