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Do IT this week: Layering
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 06:57 a.m. EDT, Apr 06, 2009
ARLINGTON, TEXAS:| Jensen Lewis can tell his grandchildren that he was the best 52-day closer in the history of baseball.
Whether that is statistically precise going back 125 years to the earliest days of the major leagues isn't known, but one thing is accurate: a pitcher who saves them all has reached perfection, and that's what Lewis did in 2008.
The Indians officially anointed Lewis as the man to save ninth-inning leads on Aug. 8. From that date until the end of the season, Sept. 28, he did not blow a save, succeeding in all 13 chances. He did let a lead slip away earlier in the season, when he was not the closer of record.
In the 52 days Lewis had the job, he pitched 131/3 innings in save situations, allowing only two runs, 10 hits and four walks for a 1.35 ERA.
It is interesting, and possibly instructive, to note that in eight nonsave appearances over this span, Lewis compiled a 5.40 ERA in 81/3 innings, indicating that like some closers, he struggled when he wasn't charged with holding a lead in the late innings.
In one respect, it doesn't matter whether Lewis succeeded or failed in his brief tenure as closer. Going into this afternoon's season opener against the Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington, he no longer is in that role.
Shouldn't General Manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge have been more grateful for a job well done and entrusted the plum assignment to Lewis this season? Even Lewis doesn't seem insulted nor slighted by the winter turn of events that saw Shapiro sign Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20.5 million contract as the club's closer.
''They told me at the end of the year the direction they wanted to go,'' Lewis said. ''I appreciate what they did. I told them I just wanted the ball and to do whatever was best for the team.''
It's not that the Tribe's deep thinkers didn't believe in Lewis. But they preferred to employ a closer with more on-the-job training than 52 days.
''We gave him a heads-up that we were going to do that,'' Wedge said. ''We didn't know then who it would be, but Jensen was a pro about it. But you look at what he did last year — he had so many different kinds of saves — and we know he can do it.''
Shapiro probably felt like a little kid who for the first time in his life gets a new bicycle for his birthday rather than a hand-me-down. In Wood, the Tribe finally has a power pitcher to save games instead of a reliever who must rely on precise location (Bob Wickman, Joe Borowski) to retire batters.
Lewis is not a power pitcher, but he's not quite a finesse guy, either. His fastball ranges from 89 to 92 miles per hour, and Shapiro noted this spring that Lewis had improved the ''swing-and-miss'' capabilities of his fastball.
''It doesn't really matter how hard you throw it, if you don't hit your spots,'' Lewis said. ''But stuffwise, I'm back to being me.''
There was concern the first half of last season because Lewis lost velocity on his fastball. Wedge concluded that a sharp increase in his 2007 workload was responsible for the drop-off in speed.
''Jensen had to pitch seven weeks longer, counting the playoffs,'' the manager said.
Including his time in the minors, Lewis worked 881/3 innings in 2007, the year he made his major-league debut. Few big league relievers log that many innings.
''I think I just needed some time off,'' Lewis said. ''That's probably pretty normal for a pitcher in his first full year. I didn't go to the bullpen until 2007, so this is just my third full year as a reliever. After awhile, you learn when you need a day off, and when you need to get after it.
''I didn't pick up a ball until January. It almost seemed like I pitched two years straight, so it was paramount that I rest.''
The few months his velocity abandoned him might have been beneficial.
''It helped me learn how to pitch,'' Lewis said. ''Last year was a blessing in disguise in allowing me to overcome adversity.''
Lewis' passion is not limited to baseball. Just mention the Cavaliers, and especially Mo Williams, and Lewis' face brightens. During training camp, public relations chief Bart Swain arranged for Williams to send Lewis one of his jerseys. Lewis wore it to the Suns-Cavs game in Phoenix in March.
''It's awesome to see Mo play,'' Lewis said. ''He doesn't take plays off; he always plays hard, and he gets everyone's respect, even LeBron's.''
Lewis seems to be following the same game plan.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians
ARLINGTON, TEXAS:| Jensen Lewis can tell his grandchildren that he was the best 52-day closer in the history of baseball.
Whether that is statistically precise going back 125 years to the earliest days of the major leagues isn't known, but one thing is accurate: a pitcher who saves them all has reached perfection, and that's what Lewis did in 2008.
The Indians officially anointed Lewis as the man to save ninth-inning leads on Aug. 8. From that date until the end of the season, Sept. 28, he did not blow a save, succeeding in all 13 chances. He did let a lead slip away earlier in the season, when he was not the closer of record.
In the 52 days Lewis had the job, he pitched 131/3 innings in save situations, allowing only two runs, 10 hits and four walks for a 1.35 ERA.
It is interesting, and possibly instructive, to note that in eight nonsave appearances over this span, Lewis compiled a 5.40 ERA in 81/3 innings, indicating that like some closers, he struggled when he wasn't charged with holding a lead in the late innings.
In one respect, it doesn't matter whether Lewis succeeded or failed in his brief tenure as closer. Going into this afternoon's season opener against the Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington, he no longer is in that role.
Shouldn't General Manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge have been more grateful for a job well done and entrusted the plum assignment to Lewis this season? Even Lewis doesn't seem insulted nor slighted by the winter turn of events that saw Shapiro sign Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20.5 million contract as the club's closer.
''They told me at the end of the year the direction they wanted to go,'' Lewis said. ''I appreciate what they did. I told them I just wanted the ball and to do whatever was best for the team.''
It's not that the Tribe's deep thinkers didn't believe in Lewis. But they preferred to employ a closer with more on-the-job training than 52 days.
''We gave him a heads-up that we were going to do that,'' Wedge said. ''We didn't know then who it would be, but Jensen was a pro about it. But you look at what he did last year — he had so many different kinds of saves — and we know he can do it.''
Shapiro probably felt like a little kid who for the first time in his life gets a new bicycle for his birthday rather than a hand-me-down. In Wood, the Tribe finally has a power pitcher to save games instead of a reliever who must rely on precise location (Bob Wickman, Joe Borowski) to retire batters.
Lewis is not a power pitcher, but he's not quite a finesse guy, either. His fastball ranges from 89 to 92 miles per hour, and Shapiro noted this spring that Lewis had improved the ''swing-and-miss'' capabilities of his fastball.
''It doesn't really matter how hard you throw it, if you don't hit your spots,'' Lewis said. ''But stuffwise, I'm back to being me.''
There was concern the first half of last season because Lewis lost velocity on his fastball. Wedge concluded that a sharp increase in his 2007 workload was responsible for the drop-off in speed.
''Jensen had to pitch seven weeks longer, counting the playoffs,'' the manager said.
Including his time in the minors, Lewis worked 881/3 innings in 2007, the year he made his major-league debut. Few big league relievers log that many innings.
''I think I just needed some time off,'' Lewis said. ''That's probably pretty normal for a pitcher in his first full year. I didn't go to the bullpen until 2007, so this is just my third full year as a reliever. After awhile, you learn when you need a day off, and when you need to get after it.
''I didn't pick up a ball until January. It almost seemed like I pitched two years straight, so it was paramount that I rest.''
The few months his velocity abandoned him might have been beneficial.
''It helped me learn how to pitch,'' Lewis said. ''Last year was a blessing in disguise in allowing me to overcome adversity.''
Lewis' passion is not limited to baseball. Just mention the Cavaliers, and especially Mo Williams, and Lewis' face brightens. During training camp, public relations chief Bart Swain arranged for Williams to send Lewis one of his jerseys. Lewis wore it to the Suns-Cavs game in Phoenix in March.
''It's awesome to see Mo play,'' Lewis said. ''He doesn't take plays off; he always plays hard, and he gets everyone's respect, even LeBron's.''
Lewis seems to be following the same game plan.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians
Comments
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Akron, Oh
Posted 07:57 AM, 04/06/2009
A great Cincinnati kid who grew up a Tribe fan in Reds territory. His grandparents live in Wadsworth. I met them at a golf course and enjoyed our conversation immensely. Jensen Lewis is a throw back type player in a baseball world cluttered with greedy primadonnas.
Canton, OH
Posted 12:13 PM, 04/06/2009
I like Jensen. . .
