While We’re Waiting… Jesse Owens Day, Sizemore’s Knee and Firing Mike Brown
May 25, 2010Zydrunas Ilgauskas Weighs in on Mike Brown and the Future of the Cavs
May 25, 2010How many more bad starts do the Indians brass need to see out of Justin Masterson before they know what we all already do? I’m only going to say this once because I’ve belabored the point for the last three weeks – Masterson is not a starting pitcher; he belongs in the bullpen.
Last night’s game was over before the Indians offense could even step to the plate because the Tribe starting pitcher cannot get left-handed batters out. Smartly, Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen loaded up the lineup with lefties and took advantage. Lefties Juan Pierre and AJ Pierzynski led off with back to back singles. After an RBI groundout by Alex Rios (righty) gave the Sox a 1-0 lead, Paul Konerko (righty). With two outs, Masterson had a shot to get out of it.
Except the next hitter, Mark Kotsay, was a lefty. He doubled to the gap in left center, scoring two more. Andruw Jones walked, and Mark Teahen (another lefty), doubled Kotsay and Jones home. They should have just called the game right then and there.
Here are some Masterson stats for you:
- He has lost 11 straight decisions and hasn’t won a game since last August.
- Left-handed batters are hitting .410 (39-95) against him this season.
- Of his 95 pitches in just four innings of work, he threw three wild pitches.
Rick Manning, one of the best and most realistic color men in the game, said on STO last night “he just has no idea where the ball is going.” That was about an inning after he said Masterson was “not a starting pitcher right now.”
The only thing positive I can say about the kid right now is he is a stand-up guy. Its a credit to his character that after every single one of his failed starts this year, he stands at his locker, ready to face the music.
“The streak doesn’t really bother me,” said Masterson. “It’s just not pitching as well as we’d like to that preys on the mind. I felt good. I felt like it might be the day [to turn things around]. It turned out not to be the day. It’s a frustrating thing.”
“At times it’s been tough luck,” said Masterson. “At times it’s been good hitters. At other times, it’s me not pitching as well as I’d like.”
As for how long he planned on leaving a guy who is 0-5 with a 6.13 ERA in his rotation, Manny Acta was non-committal. “We’ll see,”Acta said. “When we make that decision, we’ll inform you. It’s not going to be a knee-jerk reaction before we talk it out and talk to the player. As of now, he’s still a starter for us. We’re committed to it. If we make a change, we’ll let you know the next day.”
To me, there is no doubt this was his last start. With an off-day Thursday, the Indians can stretch out Aaron Laffey, who went three innings of one run relief following Masterson, and slot him wherever they want. With really nothing in the pipeline ready to go in Columbus, this is the best move for the team. Not to mention, Masterson can become a matchup right-hander, who can work as a bridge to Chris Perez (1.76 ERA )and Tony Sipp (1.40 ERA), who have been lights out of late.
Even though the score was 7-2, the Wahoos certainly had their chances at the plate. In the bottom of the third Lou Marson singled and Jason Donald doubled, putting two on with nobody out. Neither of them scored. “Our situational hitting was not good in that inning,” Acta said, master of the obvious.
They cut the Sox lead to 5-2 on a Matt LaPorta RBI grounder and a Marson single in the fourth, but that is all they could muster. Did you know that Marson doubled his season RBI out last night? He now has two. On the night, the Indians stranded ten men and went 1-12 with runners in scoring position.
“Things haven’t gone the way we’d necessarily like,” Masterson said. “All we can do is continue to work hard and mentally focus.”
Way to stay positive Justin! As the days go by and the injuries have mounted, this team is looking more and more like they are destined to lose 100 games. Up next is Mitch Talbot (5-3, 3.88 ERA) who faces Sox righty Jake Peavy (3-3, 5.74 ERA).
Looking ahead, WFNY will be represented tonight in the Indians new Social Deck, which caters to the social media – i.e. blogs, twitter, Facebook, etc. Should be a beautiful night for a ballgame.
photo via Lisa Dejong/PD
6 Comments
we didnt trade victor for a releiver. thats why
Unfortunately, it looks like they did…
As soon as they started rocking him, my first thought was when would they actually move him to the pen. If Manning is calling him out on it, it has to be real soon.
All one has to do i–hold up:
ALL ONE HAS TO DO IS HOPE AND WISH HARD ENOUGH AND IT WILL BE!!
Nevermind the fact that the kid had “bullpen” written all over him from the start. If we must play by the rules of MLB and only be a contender for 2-3 years before shipping our talent to one of 5-6 teams with money, then we can’t screw the pooch on trades like this one. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for this team, but chances are it’s just an on-coming train.
[…] his teammate Justin Masterson has lost his last 11 decisions, rookie right-hander Mitch Talbot has notched his sixth win of the season after the Indians’ […]
🙂