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But Tribe's absent offense fails to knock manager off game
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, May 03, 2008
CLEVELAND: It didn't take much insight to figure out that manager Eric Wedge was disappointed with his team Thursday night, even though the Indians eked out a 3-2, 11-inning decision over the Seattle Mariners.
''I was happy that we won last night, but I was upset about certain areas,'' Wedge said Friday.
The obvious ''area'' was the offense, which constantly passed up scoring opportunities, a pattern that has plagued the club almost from the first game of the season.
Teams can put managers through an emotional roller coaster. It's part of the job, and Wedge knows it. When players, inadvertently or even purposely, push their manager's buttons, he must find a way to deal with his feelings.
That might mean sticking around the ballpark for long hours,
either kicking a desk, discussing problems with his coaches and maybe the general manager, or turning off the lights and staring at the darkness from his office chair.
''You have to pull yourself back and assess things, maybe talk to the coaches,'' Wedge said.
At times, Wedge stays in the clubhouse long after the game is over; at other times, he goes home much sooner.
''Last night, I got the hell out of here,'' he said.
When things aren't going smoothly, Wedge makes sure to leave his anger at Progressive Field and have some idea how he will initiate corrective measures the next day.
''That's what I did last night,'' he said. ''I sorted it out, so when my head hit the pillow I would have some clarity when I woke up. I'm a big believer in separating (from one game to the next). I have my moments, but I try to keep those private.''
At times, Wedge's method is to include others. But there are occasions when he wants to be alone in his office.
''More often than not, I'm with the coaches,'' Wedge said. ''But sometimes I just want time to myself.''
Too much rain
Friday night's game with the Kansas City Royals was rained out before it got under way. No makeup date has been announced, but fans with tickets to the postponed game should hang onto them.
Because of Monday's off day, Wedge could have skipped Aaron Laffey's turn, which would have meant that Fausto Carmona would start Sunday and miss the series against the Yankees, whom the Tribe plays Tuesday through Thursday in New York.
Instead, Wedge opted to push C.C. Sabathia from Friday to today, and Laffey from today to Sunday. That means both Carmona and Sabathia will start against the Yankees.
Luke Hochevar, Friday night's scheduled starter, will pitch today for the Royals. Gil Meche will start Sunday.
Power outage
Victor Martinez has been the Indians' most consistent hitter by far, but he has fallen short of his usual run-production numbers.
In the first month of the season, Martinez batted .366 but with no home runs and 10 RBI in 82 at-bats. One year ago, Martinez batted .295 in April with two homers and 17 RBI in 61 at-bats.
Wedge doesn't think the hamstring strain that has limited Martinez's ability to run hard has anything to do with the lack of home runs, but . . . ''I think it definitely affected the number of doubles (five) he has had,'' Wedge said.
The entire's lineup's home-run numbers are down and Wedge can't say why.
''I don't know,'' the manager said. ''It's the same guys, but we're not getting the same results. I still think the power will come, though.''
Last year, the Tribe had 26 homers in 22 April games. This season, the total was 21 in 28 games.
Milestone time
Travis Hafner is tied with Andy Thornton for the franchise lead in RBI (459) by a designated hitter. Hafner is three RBI shy of 500 for his career.
Moving up
Akron Aeros first baseman Michael Aubrey has been called up to Buffalo to take the place of Jordan Brown, who has been put on the minor-league(seven-day) disabled list with tendinitis in his knee. The injury is not believed to be serious.
Aubrey was batting .277 with two homers and 16 RBI in 101 at-bats. This will be his first trip to Triple-A.
Farm facts
Jeremy Sowers (1-2, 2.73 ERA) gave up one run, five hits and four walks in seven innings, as Buffalo defeated Charlotte 5-2. Andy Gonzalez hit his fourth homer of the season, a two-run shot. . . . Nicholas Weglarz homered and singled twice, driving in one run, but Kinston lost 8-7 to Lynchburg. Alex Castillo also homered, and Adam Davis and Beau Mills had two hits each. . . . Ryan Miller gave up one run and five hits in five innings, but Lake County lost 3-1 in 10 innings to Greensboro. Miller has posted a 1.00 ERA in five starts.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: It didn't take much insight to figure out that manager Eric Wedge was disappointed with his team Thursday night, even though the Indians eked out a 3-2, 11-inning decision over the Seattle Mariners.
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