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Wedge is unhappy about performances at plate Saturday
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 07:00 a.m. EDT, Apr 26, 2009
CLEVELAND: The batting slump has lasted only four games, but the Indians have lost three of them, most recently to the Twins, who breezed to a 7-1 win Saturday night at Progressive Field.
In other circumstances, manager Eric Wedge might be inclined to allow his hitters to ease back into a rhythm at the plate. Not now, not when the club is saddled with a 6-12 record.
''I think where we are, off to a poor start, we have to address everything,'' Wedge said. ''I don't want to dig too big a hole for ourselves.''
For the first time this season, Wedge's voice rose in anger in talking to the media.
''What bothers me more than anything is that we're not making good outs,'' he said. ''With the exception of a couple of guys, we've had a very poor approach at the plate. There's no excuse — a lack of discipline, lack of confidence — they better figure it out pretty quick. I'm not going to sit around and watch this. They're not kids anymore.''
Thanks to Minnesota skipper Ron Gardenhire, who decided to push starter Kevin Slowey into the ninth inning in an effort to get him a shutout, the Tribe attack looked better in the box score than it did on the field.
Slowey (3-0, 4.44 ERA) began the last inning by loading the bases on three singles, forcing Gardenhire to go to his bullpen for Luis Ayala, who struck out Ben Francisco. Kelly Shoppach followed with a single to score one run before Tony Graffanino bounced into a double play to end the game.
Through eight innings, Slowey was the master of all he surveyed, particularly when surveying the batsmen waiting patiently at the plate to make outs. Until the ninth, the Tribe managed only five widely spaced hits, including doubles by Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo.
Over this span, only one runner reached third, and nothing came close to resembling a rally. Choo's double started the seventh inning, yet Francisco, Shoppach and Graffanino, who followed him, couldn't even advance him to third.
''He's a good young pitcher,'' Wedge said of Slowey. ''I don't take anything away from him. I just expect more from our guys.''
A reasonable thing to say, considering that Slowey's ERA coming into the game was 5.89.
To quantify the slump, in the past four games, Cleveland has scored seven runs and is batting .223 with one home run. To put it another way, the Tribe has scored in four of the past 36 innings.
There are other numbers right there in black and white. How does one dispute the conclusion that Carl Pavano (0-3, 9.50 ERA) pitched poorly when he gave up five runs, 11 hits and one walk in only five innings?
Here's how. The Twins scored twice in the fourth inning, thanks to four consecutive ground ball hits. Even Michael Cuddyer's double was a hard bouncer just inside the third base line.
''The name of the game for me is inducing contact,'' Pavano said. ''But I gave up five runs in five innings, and that doesn't sit well with me.
''I could sit here and tell you that balls found holes, but I lost the game. I have to go out and make better pitches and get in more pitcher's counts.''
With the exception of Jason Kubel's two solo homers — one off Pavano, the other off Masa Kobayashi — plus Joe Crede's homer (again via Kobayashi), Minnesota batters were usually better off hitting the ball on the grass through the infield than mashing the ball with authority.
Kubel tried that in the first and flied to the track in center. In the third, he was robbed of a hit when Grady Sizemore made a sprawling catch in center. And Choo stole a double from Alexi Casilla in the fourth, when he made a running catch of a line drive to right.
It was in the sixth that the Rafael Perez reclamation project began. Perez relieved Pavano with the bases loaded and nobody out. After Span's sacrifice fly, Perez retired the next two batters on a strikeout and a bouncer to second.
He also came out for the seventh, but when he allowed a leadoff double to Kubel, Wedge summoned Joe Smith from the bullpen. Smith got out of the inning without giving up another run.
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.
CLEVELAND: The batting slump has lasted only four games, but the Indians have lost three of them, most recently to the Twins, who breezed to a 7-1 win Saturday night at Progressive Field.
In other circumstances, manager Eric Wedge might be inclined to allow his hitters to ease back into a rhythm at the plate. Not now, not when the club is saddled with a 6-12 record.
''I think where we are, off to a poor start, we have to address everything,'' Wedge said. ''I don't want to dig too big a hole for ourselves.''
For the first time this season, Wedge's voice rose in anger in talking to the media.
''What bothers me more than anything is that we're not making good outs,'' he said. ''With the exception of a couple of guys, we've had a very poor approach at the plate. There's no excuse — a lack of discipline, lack of confidence — they better figure it out pretty quick. I'm not going to sit around and watch this. They're not kids anymore.''
Thanks to Minnesota skipper Ron Gardenhire, who decided to push starter Kevin Slowey into the ninth inning in an effort to get him a shutout, the Tribe attack looked better in the box score than it did on the field.
Slowey (3-0, 4.44 ERA) began the last inning by loading the bases on three singles, forcing Gardenhire to go to his bullpen for Luis Ayala, who struck out Ben Francisco. Kelly Shoppach followed with a single to score one run before Tony Graffanino bounced into a double play to end the game.
Through eight innings, Slowey was the master of all he surveyed, particularly when surveying the batsmen waiting patiently at the plate to make outs. Until the ninth, the Tribe managed only five widely spaced hits, including doubles by Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo.
Over this span, only one runner reached third, and nothing came close to resembling a rally. Choo's double started the seventh inning, yet Francisco, Shoppach and Graffanino, who followed him, couldn't even advance him to third.
''He's a good young pitcher,'' Wedge said of Slowey. ''I don't take anything away from him. I just expect more from our guys.''
A reasonable thing to say, considering that Slowey's ERA coming into the game was 5.89.
To quantify the slump, in the past four games, Cleveland has scored seven runs and is batting .223 with one home run. To put it another way, the Tribe has scored in four of the past 36 innings.
There are other numbers right there in black and white. How does one dispute the conclusion that Carl Pavano (0-3, 9.50 ERA) pitched poorly when he gave up five runs, 11 hits and one walk in only five innings?
Here's how. The Twins scored twice in the fourth inning, thanks to four consecutive ground ball hits. Even Michael Cuddyer's double was a hard bouncer just inside the third base line.
''The name of the game for me is inducing contact,'' Pavano said. ''But I gave up five runs in five innings, and that doesn't sit well with me.
''I could sit here and tell you that balls found holes, but I lost the game. I have to go out and make better pitches and get in more pitcher's counts.''
With the exception of Jason Kubel's two solo homers — one off Pavano, the other off Masa Kobayashi — plus Joe Crede's homer (again via Kobayashi), Minnesota batters were usually better off hitting the ball on the grass through the infield than mashing the ball with authority.
Kubel tried that in the first and flied to the track in center. In the third, he was robbed of a hit when Grady Sizemore made a sprawling catch in center. And Choo stole a double from Alexi Casilla in the fourth, when he made a running catch of a line drive to right.
It was in the sixth that the Rafael Perez reclamation project began. Perez relieved Pavano with the bases loaded and nobody out. After Span's sacrifice fly, Perez retired the next two batters on a strikeout and a bouncer to second.
He also came out for the seventh, but when he allowed a leadoff double to Kubel, Wedge summoned Joe Smith from the bullpen. Smith got out of the inning without giving up another run.
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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Alliance, Oh
Posted 08:17 AM, 04/26/2009
Thank God for the Cavaliers!
Stow, OH
Posted 09:03 AM, 04/26/2009
You will be amazed how long it takes this team to climb above .500.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:52 AM, 04/26/2009
''I think where we are, off to a poor start, we have to address everything,'' Wedge said. ''I don't want to dig too big a hole for ourselves.''
is this article just a copy from the previous 7 years Wedge has been managing??
Of course they will climb above .500. It's easy to do that when they are 10 games back, out of contention, and no pressure. That is just about the time that Jhonny Peralta will start hitting too!
Posted 10:32 AM, 04/26/2009
I think that, focus on playing fundamental baseball, instead of the poor start, it may be able to finish the season close to .500. Depending upon just how good the Royals turn out to be, that may not be enough to keep them out of last place in the AL Central. Finishing higher than fourth would seem to be out of the question.
Posted 11:07 AM, 04/26/2009
This looks like a sub-.500 club. Mediocre starting pitching, poor bullpen. They can hit, but they are already adopting the "heads-down", "get it over with" attitude of a loser.
Akron, Oh
Posted 11:20 AM, 04/26/2009
Anyone seen enough of Tony Imastiffo yet?
