The Observer, April 28, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 26
Ramirez torments Tribe again on terrible Tuesday
click to enlarge
Tuesday evening was a terrible night for Cleveland fans. The Cavs lost the second game of their first round playoff series with Washington, losing their home court advantage. Next door, the Indians could not hold a lead against the Boston Red Sox as their bullpen struggled once again in an 8-6 loss. The loss continued the rollercoaster trend that has defined the team during the first month of the season.
Rollercoaster Aprils are nothing new for the Tribe. This year, the offense has been more than adequate, with the team hitting better than .300 through most of the month. However, the starting pitching has been erratic, and injuries have decimated a bullpen that had already been weakened by the off-season departure of Bob Howry.
Prior to the game, the players and manager Eric Wedge discussed some of the issues regarding the team. He is still confident in the team's ability and believes that the team's recent struggles are due more to a lack of execution than lack of effort.
"It's not anything specific," he said. "Head to toe, we're a better team than last year. We're just a tad off. We're still working toward that comfort zone. It's not because of lack of effort."
There are also some players new to the Indians this year who are still getting used to playing with the team. One of them is left fielder Jason Michaels, who was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia in the off-season. Michaels is adjusting to playing in the American League and facing some of the better pitchers in the league for the first time.
"I haven't faced a lot of the pitchers yet," he said. "Every team in this league has good arms, so it takes some getting used to."
Thus far, Michaels has shown the ability to hit to the opposite field, which has allowed him to get some key hits when falling behind in the count with men on base.
"You have to try to use the whole field," he said. "Not every pitch is going to be thrown inside. You can't try to pull everything."
One player not new to the team, but who has bounced back and forth between Cleveland and the minor leagues, is Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie was recently promoted to the majors this month after the onslaught of injuries to the bullpen. He appeared in last Saturday night's game against Kansas City, earning the praise of Wedge, who said Guthrie "did an outstanding job of keeping us in the game."
Learning that this reporter and his colleague were college students, Guthrie also shared his memories from his career at Stanford, during which he was one of the finest collegiate pitchers in the country. Any Case athlete can acknowledge how hard it is to balance athletics and studying at a school with rigorous academics. Guthrie was forced to do the same.
"There was not a lot of time for play," he said. "We had classes in the morning, and then we were on the field by 1:30. Then we had to do homework at night. The biggest thing I learned was to take advantage of my time."
While Michaels and Guthrie are looking to carve their own niche on the team, Travis Hafner has already done so. In fact, the slugger's nickname, Pronk, was recently used as the namesake for a new candy bar introduced by Malley's Chocolates.
"I've had a lot of fun with it," he said of the Pronk Bar. "It's a very good tasting bar."
Candy bars aside, the ensuing game was no laughing matter. Indians starter Jake Westbrook labored through five innings but left with a 4-2 lead. The teams battled to a 5-5 tie going into the eighth inning.
In the top of the eighth inning, Boston had a runner at second with two outs and David Ortiz at the plate. Wedge and the Indians had to decide whether to pitch to Ortiz, one of the most dangerous hitters in the league, with first base open, or intentionally walk him to face former Indian Manny Ramirez, a future hall of famer.
I jokingly told my partner, Ryan Quinn, that Wedge should walk both Ortiz and Ramirez. Too bad I was only joking. Ortiz walked intentionally, and Ramirez then followed with a three-run homer. Earlier in the game, Ramirez lined two hard but harmless singles to right field. Watching him hit during the game was like watching a cat playing with a mouse before going in for the final kill.
Leaving the game, there were a few thoughts running through my head. One, why was Jake Westbrook only able to throw 98 pitches while his counterpart Schilling, who is almost 11 years older, was able to throw 133? Two, I was not surprised by what Ramirez did. Of all the famous Indians who went onto greener pastures (pun intended), he has tormented his former team the most.
Finally, I'm trying not to overreact to the Indians struggles. They had a worse start last year and rebounded to have a fine season. However, with the bullpen expected to remain in a state of flux for the next few weeks, it could take a while before things drastically improve.
