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Do IT this week: Layering
Borowski is released with Bauer. Slocum, Lewis added to bullpen
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Jul 05, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS: Unfortunately for the Indians, next year has arrived early.
Without announcing that making the playoffs is a goal beyond reason, General Manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge have begun the process of seeing who should stay, who should go and who should play where in 2009.
''We're not making any monumental declarations,'' Shapiro said by phone from Cleveland. ''We will have a duality of approach for the rest of the season. We want to compete and win games, but secondarily, we need to begin to address where we are as a club to ensure that we get something out of the season in terms of evaluation and development.''
That started with four moves on Friday, including the shocking designation for assignment of closer Joe Borowski, who sealed his fate on Tuesday in Chicago when he failed to hold a 2-1 lead in the 10th inning, suffering a 3-2 loss to the White Sox.
In addition, Rick Bauer was designated. To take the place of the two relievers, Jensen Lewis and Brian Slocum were recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.
Shapiro called the decision to jettison Borowski ''performance-dictated.'' A look at the numbers makes that clear. Borowski was 1-3 with a 7.56 ERA with six saves and four blown saves.
''Joe is a phenomenal teammate,'' Shapiro said. ''He was a huge part of what we did last year. After his injury (strained triceps in the spring), I'm not sure he ever got back to where he needed to be.''
Wedge and pitching coach Carl Willis summoned Borowski to Wedge's hotel room Thursday to give him the news.
''Like I told Joe, he is the toughest reliever I've ever seen, either as a player or a manager,'' Wedge said.
Even though Borowski does not have outstanding stuff, he led the American League with 45 saves in 2007, using pinpoint command and a refusal to give in to hitters as his chief weapons.
''I'm disappointed,'' Borowski said from Cleveland. ''You never want anything like this to happen. You want to finish what you started. Unfortunately, we as a team didn't perform to expectations and changes had to be made. I was a part of that.''
There is a serious question whether Borowski, at 37, has much career left.
''Hopefully, something will come up,'' he said. ''Do I think I'm done? No. I think I have a little bit left.''
The scarcity of save opportunities probably created problems for Borowski, a pitcher who relies on command of the strike zone.
''I don't want this to sound like an excuse, but it's tough to stay sharp when you're not out there consistently,'' he said. ''But you have to find a way to get it done, even though it's like playing tug-of-war with yourself.''
If the Tribe didn't generate enough late-inning leads to keep Borowski at his best, that was just part of the game.
''It was as fair as it gets,'' he said. ''I have no hard feelings. I have no regrets. Nobody said it was easy, and nobody said baseball is fair. It just didn't work out the way I wanted it. I take full responsibility for not pitching up to par.''
The Tribe still owes Borowski about $1.9 million of his $4 million salary.
Now that Borowski is gone, who will be the closer?
''At the beginning, we'll give Masa (Kobayashi) the bulk of it,'' Wedge said. ''But we'll pick spots for other people, too.''
Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez will remain as primary setup men, but Lewis might get a shot at pitching in the eighth inning, as well.
Lewis was sent back to Buffalo a month ago to regain his mysteriously lost velocity and make other adjustments. In 11 Triple-A appearances, he was 1-2 with one save and a 3.60 ERA. His batting average against was .219 overall and .189 versus right-handers. He did not give up a run in his last four outings.
Earlier in the season, Lewis was 0-2 with a 3.82 ERA in 21 games with the Tribe.
Slocum was primarily a starter until three weeks ago. In seven outings as a reliever, he had one save and an 0.69 ERA in 13 innings. In making the transition to the bullpen, Slocum said, ''You don't have a lot of time to think, which is good.''
Slocum said he has not changed his approach, but preparing to throw one or two innings is different from expecting to throw six or seven.
''Obviously, in the bullpen you can just let it (fastball) go,'' he said. ''Plus, you have a mental attitude to be more aggressive coming out of the bullpen.''
Bauer made only four appearances, posting a 13.50 ERA in eight innings.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
MINNEAPOLIS: Unfortunately for the Indians, next year has arrived early.
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