Series Review - Tribe @ Baltimore 7/14-17

So I think this series can be summed up in that it started out quite well and then just crapped out at the end. Offensively, I was pretty disappointed with the last two games, even with the out pouring in the 9th on Saturday. Pitching wise? There was just nothing to write home about at all this weekend. Since that's the bigger area of concern to me, I guess I'll start there.

Consider this, against a team that had lost seven in a row coming into the series, Indians starters could only muster one quality start. One. And you know who that was? Nope, not Justin Masterson if that's who you were thinking. It was Carlos Carrasco in the loss on Saturday night. I, admittedly, did not watch the first game of this series because I went to a midnight showing of Harry Potter  (which was awesome in IMAX 3D, by the way. Totally worth the price of admission) and was in line during game time, but the fact that we only had one quality start is always going to be a problem with me, I don't care how many runs we score. That being said, Masterson did only give up 4 runs, and I don't think he'll give reason for concern as we continue into the second half of the season.

A lot of credit has to go to Tomlin for his start on Saturday, as he was getting knocked around a whole lot but battled well enough to go his usual 5 innings. I tweeted this, but something that always bothers me is when the team goes out and gets a lead and then the pitcher gives it right back. That's just not doing your job. Still, the offense came through for Tommy and my personal favorite pitcher on the Indians staff got his 11th win of the season.

Carrasco also had to work to get his 7 innings, and he did it without unraveling. I think this is one of the most important things to come out of this series, especially after how hard Carrasco was shelled in his previous couple of starts. I really think we should've won Saturday night, but the Bullpen Mafia just didn't come through. If they had, I just don't think Carrasco would've gotten the loss. Maybe this is obvious, but I don't think he deserved it.

Still, if we're actually going to win this division, Carrasco, Tomlin and Masterson have got to be able to give us quality starts in probably 75-80% of their starts the rest of the way. (That percentage is just my own made up thing based off of nothing but my opinion. Don't try to look it up anywhere).

I don't want to spend a lot of time on Jeanmar Gomez, simply because he just wasn't as effective as he needed to be. 5 runs in 5.1 innings? Mitch Talbot could've done that. The Indians need Gomez to be ready. I mean, this guy was about to start the AAA All-Star game after going 9-3 with a 2.40 ERA in the first half for the Clippers. I'm pretty sure this is his 3rd stint with the big league club -- it's time for him to take a rotation spot and keep it and not be a AAAA player. Unfortunately, giving up 5 runs just ain't gonna cut it.

I'm sure a lot of people are going to rip the bullpen for their mistakes this weekend, but I think it's important to remember that they never gave up a lead -- they just made the deficit worse. We've still got the best 'pen in the league, people, don't panic about that.

What we should panic about is our outfield situation. Krady Grady Sizemore went down with another right knee contusion, the same knee he 'contused' (if that's a word) earlier in the season. He was starting to get hot in this series too, so that's definitely not great. That means we're now without 2/3 of our starting 3 outfielders. There's just no way we can contend with a platoon of Buck and Kearns in RF, Carrera in CF and Brantley in LF.

That's no knock on the Porsche Carrera or Brantley, but the Buck/Kearns situation really needs to end. I think Buck would be a fine fourth outfielder, but Kearns is officially washed up. I know he hit that home run against the Yankees, and that was a nice little moment, but what else has he done this year? I believe the crickets are telling me the answer. We need some pop out of at least one of the three outfield spots, and without Grady, we just don't have any. With Grady we didn't have that much, since he's been hitting .230, but that's another story.

I'm going to say this here for the first time, and will probably repeat it a bunch over the next couple weeks -- If we are going to contend in this division, we have to make a trade for a RH outfield bat. I would've said that before Grady went down, but it's especially true now.

In other offensive news, it was nice to see how we just didn't quit in Saturday's ballgame, even though we had been completely shut down by spinach Alfredo Simon most of the game. Here's a fun fact, Simon is currently the subject of a murder investigation in the Dominican Republic and had to go back there for a court date after his start. I guess he wanted to make a lasting impression in case he has to go to jail. I just couldn't believe that when Matt and Rick were talking about it on STO. Yikes.

Anyway, that whole being shut down by Orioles pitchers thing was a bit ridiculous, but I always love when our hitters just refuse to quit. You've got to enjoy seeing A-Cab, Hafner and Santana all work walks to knock out the O's closer and then O-Cab delivering a bases clearing double. If the Indians do, in fact, end up making the playoffs, it's going to be because of veterans on this team like O-Cab, Hafner and -- I'll even venture to say -- A-Cab. Asdrubal was on this team in '07 when we went to the ALCS, he knows what kind of fight that takes as was Hafner. With O-Cab, the guy just gets on playoff teams wherever he goes. That 'never say die' attitude is going to be key down the stretch.

Now that is a lot to take in, so let all of that marinate as we get a twin billing tomorrow in the Twin Cities with a Twins ball club that has won 7 of their last 10 ballgames. Huff and Carmona will take the hill for the Tribe in the games tomorrow. Both starts are important for both pitchers, as I firmly believe the Tribe brass would love to move Huff in a deal and Fausto really just needs to get his you-know-what together. But it's an important series in general, as the Indians have got to start beating their divisional opponents if they're going to end up taking the Central crown.

Until next time, Go Tribe!
~MAS