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“It’s too soon to stress out about this team.”
“They’ll turn it around, it’s only April.”
“That’s why they play 162 games.”
You’ll often hear these and other various optimism-laced comments whenever a baseball team gets off to a slow start when opening a new year. Currently, these kinds of things are being said about the Cleveland Indians, who are indeed tripping over themselves in these early weeks of the season. A 4-8 start wasn’t exactly what many thought would happen for a team selected by many to be a surprise contender this year. There’s still a ton of time left, sure, but there are a lot of words you could use to describe this club right now, and “inspiring” isn’t exactly one of them.
Can you be eliminated from playoff contention in April? Of course not. That said, the problems this Indians team is enduring to start what appeared to be a hopeful season are becoming deeply concerning. Additionally, it’s not just that Cleveland is losing more than they’re winning, it’s just exactly how they’re doing so that has fans leaning towards the panic button.
If you want a perfect microcosm of how this season has gone so far for the Indians, look no further than last night’s spectacular collapse against the Chicago White Sox. This one featured all the greatest hits of the 2015 season: minimal offense, a wasted gem of a performance from the starting pitcher and a bullpen causing more damage than anyone can stomach.
Trevor Bauer – who has been absolutely outstanding this year – put forth another dominant display on the mound, keeping the Sox scoreless through seven innings. Naturally, the Tribe offense could barely return the favor for him, generating just three runs. However, the team still had a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth. But, thanks to “closer” Cody Allen allowing six hits and four runs without recording more than an out, the Indians had yet another game posted in the loss column.
Yes, Cleveland only has 12 games under its belt this season. Still, there are significant problems spanning across the entire team, all of which should cause some anxiety within the fan-base.
For one, nobody can hit, especially if runners are in scoring position. As mentioned, last night’s game is a prime example of what’s wrong with Cleveland, and this includes their struggles with bringing runners home. The Indians were 0-3 with runners in scoring position, leaving six on base for the night. As a team, Cleveland is batting a paltry .200 in this situation.
Of course, it doesn’t just stop there. Overall, the team’s batting average is .218, which doesn’t exactly give reason for positivity. They’ve only generated 38 runs on the year, better than just three other teams.
When trying to find specific players worthy of some blame, you don’t have to look far. Tasked with consistently getting on base, leadoff man Michael Bourn is only batting .200, with 13 strikeouts to his name already. Lucky for him, Brandon Moss – seen in the offseason as Cleveland’s long-awaited “big bat” – has been even more unwatchable. His .156 average and 15 strikeouts are hardly what the Indians thought they’d be getting when they traded for him over the winter.
Because the offense looks as though their bats are the size of toothpicks, the Tribe’s various leads through the season are often slim. Therefore, the team typically needs to rely on the bullpen to try and preserve wins. Of course, this now appears to be an impossible feat.
Like Chris Perez and Joe Borowski before him, Allen’s time as a reliable Cleveland closer appears to have vanished. Though Indians fans once felt confident in his abilities to finish the job, his in-game appearances now force said supporters to grab the Pepto. His WHIP is an appallingly bad 3.75, almost as bad as set-up man Bryan Shaw’s 2.75. These are the guys the team depends on to get them to the finish line, yet a combined average of over five runners per appearance are getting on when they hit the mound.
Making things worse is the impressive starts from both the Detroit Tigers (11-2) and Kansas City Royals (10-3), who are both running away as the top two teams in the division. Lucky for Cleveland, they play both of these clubs after they finish up in Chicago, so there’s a solid chance they end up ten or more games back by next week. Good times.
I know, I know, it’s still too early to start digging the grave for the 2015 Indians season. At the same time, this team was expected by many to make a lot of noise this year. Unfortunately, the only noise they’re making is a resounding thud as they fall farther and farther into last in the division.
Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Beat Writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter or “Like” him on Facebook
