Saturday, April 17, 2004

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Placed RHRP Jose Jimenez on the 15-day Disabled List (intercostal muscle)

Placed RHRP Bob Wickman on the 60-day Disabled List (elbow)

Purchased the Contract of RHRP David Lee from Buffalo (AAA)

Sorry about the delay in posting, but I've been really busy as of late.

Judging on the past two games against the Tigers, this team is talented but inconsistent. Which is pretty normal for a team as young as the Indians. Yes, the lineup probably had a bit to do with the 6-1 loss, but it was more a lack of hitting with RISP than anything that cost the Indians the game. Jason Davis pitched "OK", but fell behind to a lot of hitters, and that usually spells disaster no matter who's on the mound. Left-handed pitching, which the AL Central has a lot of, is arsenic to this lineup. Check these career splits versus LHP out:

Ben Broussard .184/.246/.296
Jody Gerut .200/.271/.303
Travis Hafner .202/.284/.356

Those are probably the three best hitters on the team, and when you have to play Lou Merloni at first rather than Broussard or Hafner, it's a problem. The solution? Shapiro's #1 job this offseason is to get 2-3 good right-handed hitters to plug into this lineup. Until then, I guess you just bide your time until you can start playing teams without all left-handed starters

But first things first. Last night's game was a validation of sorts to those who've supported the rebuild. We aren't going to see the whole lineup click like that every night this season, but it does show you what this team is capable of. Victor Martinez had a great game, and Jody Gerut had a career game, coming very close to hitting for the cycle. CC Sabathia finally got his well-deserved first win. It was 70 degrees at game time.

Oh well. You have to live with the ups and downs of such a young team, and moreover you have to be patient; for three clunkers you see, you'll see a game like the one on Friday night. The good thing is that of all the teams in the Central, the Indians have the most money to spend next year, and the most room for improvement. Until then, we bide our time...

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