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Initial hitting results are mixed, and he still strikes out too much
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Jul 25, 2008
It's far too early to make judgments about any prospective improvements in Asdrubal Cabrera's offense, but he seems to have made strides at Buffalo, where he was sent five weeks ago to brush up on his approach.
He played in five of the six games on the Indians' trip to Seattle and Anaheim and had four hits in 19 at-bats with seven strikeouts. That is only a .211 batting average and far too many strikeouts, and manager Eric Wedge felt Cabrera's results have been mixed.
''What you are seeing with Asdrubal, and it's a start, is that he has a couple of good at-bats and a couple that aren't so good,'' the manager said. ''What he needs to do is have a consistent approach from at-bat to at-bat.''
If not for outstanding catches on Wednes
day by two Angels' outfielders, Gary Matthews Jr. and Garret Anderson, Cabrera's batting average would look a lot better today. He was robbed of two hits on balls that were struck with authority.
Had he gotten a break on those, he would have batted .316 on the trip.
Trade pending?
The New York Mets appear to have their hearts set on acquiring Casey Blake before the trading deadline, but it's questionable whether they have a quality player (or players) they can afford to deal.
The Mets' farm system is not stuffed with prospects, as was that of the Milwaukee Brewers, who obtained C.C. Sabathia. Without knowing who will play third base next year, Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro cannot afford to swap Blake unless he is presented with an offer he can't refuse.
Incidentally, the Mets want Blake as an outfielder rather than as a third baseman.
Dubious achievement
When Jeff Mathis went deep in the fifth inning Wednesday, he put the Tribe's record book into uncharted territory.
The home run was the 10th grand slam given up by Indians pitchers this season, more than any year since the club began keeping such records in 1951.
''The grand slams are just a product of the way we're pitching this year, particularly the bullpen,'' Wedge said. ''What concerns me more than the home runs are the three runners who got on base ahead of the slam.
''It comes down to making quality pitches. We've been putting ourselves in a bad position, and there's no excuse for that.''
Tom Mastny gave up Mathis' homer immediately after walking the first batter he faced to force in a run.
What about Mastny?
Mastny hadn't pitched in 10 days before being summoned to rescue starter Aaron Laffey. Instead, Mastny was charged with four runs, three hits and two walks, retiring only three batters.
''When you come into that situation, you have to be aggressive and throw the ball over the plate,'' Wedge said. ''He hadn't been out there for a while, but that's the role he's in right now.''
In other words, to warrant more work in late-game situations, Mastny is going to have to earn the manager's trust.
Other stuff
The Indians have not won a series from the Angels since 2005. . . . The Tribe has homered in the past 10 games and 18 of the past 19. . . . Jhonny Peralta is batting .413 in the past 12 games.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
It's far too early to make judgments about any prospective improvements in Asdrubal Cabrera's offense, but he seems to have made strides at Buffalo, where he was sent five weeks ago to brush up on his approach.
Get the full article here.
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