Chris Perez rejoined the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday in Detroit, opened his mouth in front of a microphone and let loose.
Of course, what he had to say is nothing new to Tribe fans, especially the ones who have been following the team longer than Perez has been in town.
There are obviously lots of ugly numbers when you look at the Cleveland Indians, who entered Monday night’s series-opener against Oakland in fourth place, 16.5 games out of first in the American League Central Division.
For example, the Tribe has won back-to-back games just twice in their past 44 outings, and they haven’t won three in a row since July 3-5.
Here’s another one for you, Tribe fans.
Derek Lowe, currently in the New York Yankees’ bullpen, made his last appearance in a Tribe uniform on July 31 against Kansas City.
Lowe won his eighth and last game as a member of the Indians on July 4, a 12-3 win by the Tribe against the Angels (part of that long-forgotten three-game winning streak).
Despite all that, Lowe currently has the third-most wins by an Indians pitcher this season, trailing Justin Masterson (10) and Ubaldo Jimenez (9).
It’s been that kind of season.
(Photo by Getty Images)
Can things get any worse for the Cleveland Indians in this train wreck of a 2012 Major League Baseball season?
Wait, don’t answer that, because every time it seems the team has finally hit the abyss, they find a way to sink a little bit lower.
Since Cleveland’s sports teams don’t win on a regular basis, they need to sell fans on the notion that a better day is coming.
But for the Indians, that better day just keeps getting farther and farther away.
To find out just how far, head over to The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo by MCT)
First it was Jeanmar Gomez, who was exiled to AAA Columbus after posting a 4-7 record with a 5.18 ERA.
But things didn’t get any better.
Then it was Josh Tomlin, moved to the bullpen along with his 5-8 record and 5.82 ERA.
And things got worse.
Next up was Derek Lowe, designated for assignment for an having an 8-10 record and 5.52 ERA.
And things got even worse.
The Cleveland Indians designated 38-year-old Johnny Damon for assignment on Friday, one day after doing the same with 39-year-old Derek Lowe.
Maybe the two of them can talk about it while enjoying the early bird at phase three of the Del Boca Vista condos.
The Tribe signed Damon in mid-April and he hit .222 in 64 games with the team while playing an entertaining (but not always in a good way) left field.
“We had to make a tough decision,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Johnny is just first class. He made an impact on a lot of people here, despite not performing the way he was expecting and how we were expecting. I can only imagine how much impact he could’ve made here if he would’ve performed better.”
The Cleveland Indians finally realized what fans have known since June 1 – Derek Lowe is no longer a major league pitcher.
The team designated the 39-year-old Lowe for assignment following his latest poor outing, Tuesday night’s effort in Kansas City where Lowe gave up seven runs and eight hits in 2.1 innings of work. That continued a streak that has seen Lowe go 2-9 with an 8.28 ERA in his last 13 starts.
“It’s frustrating,” Lowe said after his start against the Royals. “You have a standard of what I’ve pitched like and this, this is not what you’re used to doing. But, it’s reality.”
The Cleveland Indians made a deal before today’s non-waiver trade deadline – just not the kind of deal many fans were hoping for.
The Tribe sent Double-A pitcher Steven Wright to the Red Sox in exchange for Triple-A first baseman Lars Anderson, who was stuck in the minors behind starting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
“I’m really pretty happy about it to be honest,” Anderson told The Providence Journal. “It’s a strange concept that one day I’m with one team and the next I’m with another, but I’m really looking forward to a fresh start. I think it’s going to energize me. I always thought that’d be a cool place to play with a good organization.”
Much like a businessman on a long weekend in Las Vegas, the Cleveland Indians have enjoyed themselves while facing the Detroit Tigers this season.
It’s the morning after that hasn’t been so much fun.
The Tribe is 7-2 this year against the $119 million-payroll Tigers, but have had to deal with a major hangover after each series.
How the Tribe can look so good against a team that was penciled in to the playoffs before the season started and then stumble and bumble around for the next week?
We answer that question and more at The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo by The Plain Dealer)
Another day, another disappointing outing from a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians.
Friday night it was Derek Lowe’s turn, as the veteran gave up nine earned runs, five walks and two home runs in just three innings of work in the Tribe’s 10-2 loss to Baltimore.
Lowe’s outing is just the latest in a series of starts that make him look like the pitcher who went 4-10 with a 6.20 ERA after the All-Star break last season with Atlanta.
Another day, another disappointing outing for Cleveland Indians starter Ubaldo Jimenez.
At least that is the feeling among many Tribe fans after watching Jimenez give up five runs, seven hits and five walks in just 5.2 innings of work in Thursday’s loss to Tampa Bay.
But the reality is, this is the new normal for Jimenez, and the sooner Tribe fans accept it the better off they will be.
For every five-game stretch, like the one in June where he posted a 2.78 ERA in 32.1 innings of work (covering five starts), we are going to get a July stretch, where Jimenez has worked just 16 innings in four starts, posting a 7.31 ERA for the month. Before Thursday’s game against the Rays, Jimenez faced Toronto, lasting just 2.1 innings and giving up eight earned runs.
“I thought Ubaldo battled well for us,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He gave us five innings for us to do something, to score runs, and we couldn’t do it. And in that (sixth) inning, it’s too bad, because he couldn’t come out of there with a very good outing.”
That’s a bit of an understatement.
Red Right 88 