6-0 already, and it's only the 3rd. 3 homers given up so far.

If only we had a RH bat then Tomlin would have pitched better.

rusty2 wrote:If only we had a RH bat then Tomlin would have pitched better.

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/201 ... =fullstory

Anyone else surprised to learn that we're actually better than the league average in allowing homers? It feels like we've been getting hammered all month in that department.

24 out of 72 games this year, the Indians have scored 2 or fewer runs. I'd have to say the problem is both hitting and pitching.

WoW! Thanks for posting those numbers and that article JR. I knew things were not that great, but it's worse, much worse than I imagined.

Whoever tinkered with Santana's approach to hitting should be fired.

When's Roberto Hernandez due back in Cleveland?

I still think that Guerrero or even Ramirez would be an upgrade.

Does Manny Acta deserve any credit at all for keeping us in the race under such miserable circumstances?

Who does management consider to be "the" answers to our hitting and pitching woes before the trading deadline?

We made a lot of acquisitions over the winter months. I thought they were supposed to be reinforcements against any potential hazards along the road to September/October?!?!?!

Question! Where are they?

The way it appears, we've been running on fumes for most of the season. How long will that prevail?

I think we just reached a crossroad.

Which direction are we headed in?

I'm on record as believing the Indians' offseason was totally bizarre. Trading for Jimenez signaled they wanted to make a run in the next two years. But then they did nothing over the winter to augment a sub-.500 team except acquire a #5 starter who is almost 40, and all that did was make up for the injury to Carrasco. I don't see the overall strategy. Our current state reminds me of the first Indians teams I followed in the mid-70s, which usually finished right around .500 but didn't seem to have any plan other than living from hand to mouth.

These next two games are kind of big. We can't really afford to lose any Masterson and Jimenez starts in our current state. Lose these next two, and there may not be any putting on the brakes.

Charlie T. wrote:
These next two games are kind of big. We can't really afford to lose any Masterson and Jimenez starts in our current state. Lose these next two, and there may not be any putting on the brakes.

I had a teacher in high school that would get after guy students who were slacking to less than their abilities with this admonition:

"Mr ______________, you are sliding down the razor blade of life depending upon your left testicle as a brake."

J.R. wrote:6-0 already, and it's only the 3rd. 3 homers given up so far.

I hate it when Cleveland teams look bad on the rare National Telecasts.

Does Manny Acta deserve any credit at all for keeping us in the race under such miserable circumstances?

Not really.

I don't see the Indians often enough these days to comment on Acta's job performance, but I find little case for believing the team is underperforming its talent level. Before the season started, I figured they were a 75-80 win team assuming average luck.

I do think the performance of our pitching staff calls into question the organization's typical "promote the next guy in line" philosophy. I don't know that they ever really looked beyond Radinsky, and it's starting to look like they maybe should have cast a wider net.

Guess what, Tribe trails 3-0 entering the bottom of the 3rd. The great Phil Hughes joins the list of standout starters who tame the Tribe sluggers.

Carlos Santana seems to be getting worse instead of better. He should be entering his prime years and should be one of the better hitters in baseball. From the article that was posted by JR, we are not a very good offensive ballclub. But we should be. I think its time to hire a new batting coach. Someone has got to get Santana back on track as well as players not named Choo, Cabrera, and Kipnis.