While We’re Waiting… ‘Pen Blows Another One, Former Brown FB Arrested, and the NBA Lottery
May 20, 2009Eastern Conference Finals Preview
May 20, 2009Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it does.
In a word, last night’s loss was disgraceful. Here’s another – horrific. What about terrible? I can’t even describe how sickening the 6-5 Indians choke job was in Kansas City last night. If the season was on life support, their supposed untouchable closer Kerry Wood pulled the plug. That’s right Tribe fans, on the evening of May 19th, the season became officially over.
The evening started with such promise. Newly minted leadoff man Asdrubal Cabrera smacked a double. “K’dy” Sizemore (now hitting .215 after another 0-4 night), batting second, hit a sac fly than moved AC to third, and Victor Martinez drove him in. In the fourth, with Ben Francisco running hard all the way from first, scored of a Matt Laporta bloop single. A two-out, three-run jack from Kelly Shoppach in the sixth, put the Tribe comfortably ahead 5-1.
Meanwhile, one of the only guys worth watching these days, Cliff Lee, continued to put up zeroes. He retired the last eight men he faced and entered the ninth with a pitch count of 102. The problem was with the score 5-2, it was actually a save situation for Wood. Manager Eric Wedge didn’t hesitate to pull his ace. What’s funny is if the score were 5-1 instead of 5-2, Cliff comes out for the ninth.
But he didn’t.
Wood, the biggest free agent fish to sign with the Tribe in years, decided that tonight was the night he would catch the bullpen version of the swine flu. After retiring Jose Guillen on a weak grounder to second, Mike Jacobs and Mark Teahen hit back to back jacks on room service fastballs. In the blink of an eye, it was 5-4. It could have ended there, but of course it didn’t. This is, after all, the 2009 bad news bullpen.
Wood, who’s command rivaled that of Masa Kobayashi, walked the .226 hitting Miguel Olivo. Up next was the .239 hitting David Dejesus who promptly tripled home pinch runner Mitch Maier and the score was tied at five. Naturally, the next batter, Willie Bloomquist hit a deep fly ball to right that easily scored Dejesus to finish the ultimate gag job by the Wahoos.
“I’ve got to go out and get three outs,” Wood said, in master of the obvious mode. “I got two outs and gave up four runs. It’s not lack of work. If I haven’t pitched in two weeks, I’ve still got to go out and get three guys out.” More from the Tribe closer, who to his credit, stood at his locker and faced every question after single-handedly costing his team the game; “I didn’t have a second pitch today and scuffling to find an off-speed pitch. It’s tough for Lee to come out and pitch that way again and for us not to pick him up again. Obviously, we need to win every game we get a chance to win and I didn’t help that today.”
If I am Cliff Lee this morning, I demand to be traded. Not a chance in the world do I want to negotiate a long term deal with this club. I would pitch out my contract for the next year and a half and hit the open market. What does he need this garbage for? Last year he went 22-3 and the team only won 81 games. This year, all the guy does is put his team in position to win and gets rewarded with diddly squat.
However, he once again took the high road with the media. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way we planned, but anytime we’ve got Woody in the game with a three-run lead I like our chances,” Lee said. “Tonight it didn’t go the way it was planned, but 99 percent of the time, it’s game over right there. You’ve got to give credit to those guys for not giving up and continuing to fight. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Mark DeRosa, pack your bags now, you will for sure be dealt at the trade deadline. Rafael Betancourt, you too. Actually, any veteran player on this team probably isn’t safe from a fire sale. After all, this team won’t draw after the Yankees leave town on June 1st.
Make my words, they will be lucky to get 1.6 million fans inside Progressive Field this summer. Other than the season ticket holders like me, who is going to pay to watch this horror show? Meanwhile the Dolan family will be losing money thanks to a stretched to the gills $80 million payroll based on projected attendance of 2.2 million fans.
With each passing day, 2007 now looks like the aberration. And there is nothing Mark Shapiro, nor Eric Wedge, can do to stop the hemorrhaging.
39 Comments
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Our bullpen makes me a saaaaaad panda…
I know something that can be done to give attendance a little spike…
FIRE ERIC WEDGE!!
I honestly don’t have words left. I am not even angry. I am too sad to be angry. I miss Casey Blake. David Dellucci is still here. Grady Sizemore is listless. I don’t feel comfortable with a single bullpen pitcher. Fausto is never going to be more than a #3 to #4. Shoppach is a great backup and nothing more.
I just want to cry. Someone hold me.
Yes, TD. I said I miss Casey Blake. The Dodgers overpaid for him, but tell me he wouldn’t be better than DeRosa right now.
Hey Shapiro –
♪♪♪♪ “Wake me up… when September ends…”
Fire Wedge! Yeah!! That’ll turn it around!! Yeah!!! Same rap from you guys. Stale.
TD needs a cookie.
Firing Wedge won’t turn it around necessarily, but not firing Wedge won’t turn it around either. Argue with that kingdiesel!
Craig – just stop it now…Fake is on a three year deal. DeRosa is on a one year deal. Both guys are chumps.
I actually dont blame Wedge here. He did what ANY manager would do in that scenario. His closer shouldnt be giving up runs.
If you trade for DeRosa, are you attempting to acquire his services, or the fact that he could be a Type A FA at year’s end and you’ll get a draft pick if you let him go?
I swear that I was saying it when Wood entered: why put him in?? I get that it’s a save situation and you’re paying him big bucks to get saves, *but* Cliff was pitching so well and did not have an inordinately high pitch count. Just let Cliff finish the game off. If he runs into trouble, then put Wood in. This would be especially sound reasoning given the fact that it’s extremely rare that we ever get a starter to go that deep into the game. Rest the entire bullpen because you know they’ll be needed sooner rather than later.
I don’t care that “Fire Wedge” is “stale.” In fact, what that means is that it’s been around for *too* long. So, the firing is *overdue*. Thus, it makes perfect sense for us to continue to repeat it like a religious mantra: FIRE WEDGE FIRE WEDGE OM SHANTI SHANTI FIRE WEDGE
Wedge is going to get fired, I get that. But, after every loss it is not always his fault. I’m just sick of the “Fire Wedge” chant every single time. How about– “Hey. Wedge should have kept Cliff in. He should be fired. Let’s go get Bob Brenley or Tony Pena or Rick Manning.” Someone tell me who else you want other than Wedge? Just yelling “Fire the manager or Coach” is stale.
Go Royals! what a win! I only wish all you Indians fans could have seen it live and in person like me. By the way, what a dirty (stupid) collision by Valbuena; he is so lucky that Olivo didn’t knock his head off. The umps had to wait for 2 or 3 minutes because Valbuena apparently got so scared he had to change his pants. All Wood had to do in the ninth in the 3/2 count to Jacobs was to throw a 97 mph shoulder-high fastball and the game would have pretty much been over. There was no way that Jacobs was not going to swing in that situation. Indians fans, I do feel your pain though, I missed out on a save in my fantasy league because of that Blown Save…
In 127 ABs Casey Blake has 36 hits, 7 doubles, 9 homers and 26 RBI. He is batting 283 with a 354 OBP and has 13 walks and 33 strikeouts.
Go ahead and call him Fake if that makes you feel better. I admitted that the Dodgers paid him too much money but he puts most of the current Indians lineup to SHAME!
Casey Blake was never meant to be the answer, but he was one of the few veteran players that Wedge had allegiance to that actually tried really hard and ultimately made the team better. Dellucci, Trot Nixon, Jason Michaels and the rest of the scrubs that have been through here can not say the same.
I’m not necessarily calling for Wedge to be fired (at this point you have to think a different voice in the clubhouse might be needed), but I think firing him might help attendance, especially if the team has a post-firing spark.
Agree with KingDiesel. He’s making almost all the right moves; he can’t start managing on the basis that nobody out there can do their jobs, that’s ridiculous.
Actually, it’s not clear at all that Wedge is going to get fired. All we hear from Shapiro is how much he adores how passionate Wedge is about the team. The firing should have already happened, and with each passing day without a firing, the more it seems it won’t happen and consequently, the more the need for it to happen needs to be articulated.
But if you want alternative to Wedge, the ones you mentioned are all pretty good. In listening to him talk during the games, I do sense that Manning has some good notions about how to straighten this team out. It helps that he’s emotionally invested in the team, having played for them and broadcasted for them. Say what you want about Wedge’s “passion,” yelling at umps once in a while isn’t the same thing as having and demonstrating the passion to get the job done right. I really don’t see that kind of passion in him. I saw it in Hargrove, I think I’d see it in Manning if he were out there, but I do not see it in Wedge.
I think Hammy summed it up last night in the post-game. Something along the lines of:
“Every time this team hits rock bottom, they drop to another level.”
I think it’s amazing that guys like Lee, Martinez, and Cabrera can go out there and do their jobs so well.
Side note: Don’t know if anyone pointed this out, but I just saw this on the PD: Rondon is a starter again!
Um, Royals fan? Really? I suppose I’d be looking for any chance I could get to taunt after the 2 decades of craptastic baseball you’ve seen. Call me in September if your team is still playing meaningful baseball.
So was Olivo dirty for blocking the plate too? I guess Pete Rose was a dirty player too. Albert Bell hitting the second baseman in the basepath is dirty. Trying to knock over the catcher who is blocking the plate is a play that is as old as baseball itself.
Craig, please…the guy was a journeyman who this organization treated like babe ruth. I never deny he tried hard and was a good guy, but his range was declining and he still was the most unclutch player in big spots that I can ever remember (take away two HR’s in September of 07).
Let them have it Rick. We’ll get it back when Matt Cassel turns into Derek Anderson 2.0 and tanks this year.
Why would I take those away? They were some of the only clutch opportunities he had in his career with this team. And he was a journeyman. One who made the failures of those around him much better. When Jason Michaels stunk? Thanks Casey Blake. When Trot Nixon was terrible? Thanks Casey Blake. Andy Marte? Thanks Casey Blake.
Need some help in LF, RF, 3B, 1B? Thanks Casey Blake. Don’t hate the player for filling in admirably as players all failed around him. Blame Wedge and Shapiro for putting the Tribe in a position where they relied on him too much. Blake should be in Jamey Carroll’s spot with this club. They couldn’t find adequate players and Blake played well enough to get traded.
So why again do you dislike this guy? He took advantage of others dropping the ball. Who, exactly, did Blake steal time from? Marte handed Blake the 3B job, unfortunately.
you are right, the organization is at fault for treating Casey like babe ruth rather than for what he was. But they batted him 3rd, 4th, and 5th at times when he shouldnt have been hitting any higher than 8th. Everything you say is true, but the fact is that he was treated like a centerpiece and couldnt be less clutch. Remember his RISP and two out numbers in 06 and 07?
You say you want him back, but were you willing to give this guy three years? The Dodgers got ROOKED.
Craig… Casey Blake wet himself in so many key spots for this club. You are right, as a utility man he was excellent and as a leader he was stupendous. But, look at his post season numbers and don’t tell me “you miss him”. Water always finds its level. Say “I miss Bob Howry” or “I miss CC Sabathia”.
Guys, guys, STOP!!! Is this what the season has done to you …squaring off about Casey Freakin” Blake?? Can’t you see, that’s just what the Dolans want … the fans turning on each other instead of them? Snap out of it! Now, who has a torch? Let’s gather up and march toward The Jake.
That is where we agree TD. I would have loved to keep Blake on as a part time player over his last few years at a much more modest salary levels. That could have easily happened if the Indians successfully lined up the right young guys who could have come in and produce on an everyday basis. Because they gave him too much playing time and because he took advantage of that and because the Indians didn’t have young guys come in and produce, Casey Blake got a windfall contract in LA, the Indians have less depth, and they STILL don’t have the right young guys here to be front line starters.
What happened to Mark DeRosa? That was the one player I would have bet on this year and like Sizemore he is failing miserably.
TD and I arguing about Casey Blake is an ongoing theme. It reminds me of the great long-running debates that my friends and I had in college.
I find it really fun to be honest. 🙂
DeRosa will be dealt soon. Someone will want a veteran like him.
By the way, that Royals fan knows nothing about baseball. Valbuena did what he was supposed to do. KC has 8,000 season ticket holders. Thats it. Nice fans.
nothing gets my goat more than Craig going to the Casey Blake card!!! Love it!!! Seriously though, DeRosa has been a major dissapointment, but nobody has been a bigger let down this year than K’dy Sizemore. .215? Is he kidding?
I was just thinking about how much more fun it was being young and naive – going to games in the early 80s with my old man at “the stadium” and there being 3,000 people at a place that sat 70,000, but just enjoying getting to go see a major league game – man growing up sucks – really just gives me that much more respect for my dad for taking me to those games when I can only imagine what he was thinking while there
There’s not much left to say-it’s something new every night. Also, Eddie Mujica has a 3.26 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 17/5 K/BB for the Padres. Granted he pitches in a cavernous park out there, but heck I’d take him back over Vizcaino.
[…] took long. After last night’s debacle in Kansas City, the first sign of surrender has been posted on GM Mark Shapiro’s office door. According to […]
….So, how many years till this team plays .500 ball again? 5 years?
2 days back. Jake Peavy goes to the 9th 3-1 ahead of the Reds.
SD has a lights out closer with Heath Bell (who’s 9for9). They could’ve yanked Peavy to give Bell his 10th Save, but no. They let Peavy finish his game.
So why can’t Eric Wedge do the same. Let Lee complete the game.
And with 2 HRs, wedge SHOULD have yanked Wood. Why didn’t he?
The team doesn’t suck. The Management sucks
Woods wasn’t yanked because they didn’t have anyone warmed up in the pen. He had a 3-2 count and threw a bad pitch. I think Underwood even said, “Not a big deal, it’s still a 5-3 ballgame” Then 1 pitch later its 5-4. Not much time to get someone warmed up. Now maybe they yank him after he walks the #9 guy. Bottom line, Cliff should have pitched the 9th.