June 19, 2013

What will we see next from mercurial Tribe rotation?

May 25, 2013 by 2 Comments

Justin Masterson against BostonEntering the 2013 season, the consensus weakness of the Cleveland Indians roster was its starting rotation. While Chris Antonetti had gone out and significantly boosted the offense — throwing out four-year deals and making small moves for new bench guys — the starters remained mostly intact.

And coming off the 2012 season, intact probably wasn’t the best thing to do. Last year, the Tribe rotation ranked 13th in the AL with a 5.25 ERA. It was one of the main reasons for the team’s abysmal collapse from its similar 26-18 start all the way to a 68-94 final record.

Thus far, we’ve seen flashes of greatness from a moderately improved Indians staff. Some internal changes, such as the impact of new pitching coach Mickey Callaway, might be making a difference. But it’s also been a Jekyll and Hyde situation, often changing impressions of the team’s prospects any given day based on the starter’s performance. [Read more...]

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Booooo-baldo – It is time to cut the cord

April 17, 2013 by 68 Comments

Ubaldo JimenezThe Indians series with the Boston Red Sox certainly didn’t lack for storylines. First and foremost, you had the Boston Marathon bombings, which took place just after the Red Sox Patriots day game with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox came to Cleveland with heavy hearts to face their old manager Terry Francona. Tito did put it out there right away – this series isn’t about him. But he has to want this one just a little bit more than the others. Then there is Ubaldo….

All spring long, the Indians brass would tell you how well Ubaldo Jimenez was throwing. Few believed it. Then in his first start of the season Jimenez bobbed and weaved his way through six innings for a win. He got the ball from Francona on Opening Day in Cleveland and reverted back into the Ubaldo we all know and…well I won’t say love. He couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning, giving up seven earned runs in front of 40,000 plus at Progressive Field. With the back to back rainouts last week, the Indians smartly moved Ubaldo back in the rotation, giving him a couple of extra days to work out the kinks with pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Again, we were told by the Indians that Jimenez had a “great side session” and would be ready for his next start. [Read more...]

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On the 2013 Indians starting rotation and narratives

February 23, 2013 by 4 Comments

Ubaldo JimenezLast year, in spring training, I remember the WFNY crew was banging our heads against a wall trying to come up with Indians content. There ain’t no shortage of narratives and storylines this year. And that’s fun for everyone. Positives!

But today, I hope to tackle one specific topic from Jon’s “optimism” article earlier this week: the starting rotation. It’s a topic that divides a lot of fans’ and analysts’ opinions regarding the potential of the 2013 Indians. And while I know there could be millions of other arguments, I wanted to do a three-step piece today.

First, I’ll share an debate as to how exactly the Indians were “historically” bad in 2012. Then, I’ll share some intriguing narratives behind three of the starters. And finally, overall about narratives and the upcoming season.

This won’t necessarily be all stats-y, again, but that’s how it will start off for now. I’d love to hear your thoughts and expectations in the comments as well. [Read more...]

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