Sometimes one run is all you need. It’s amazing what wonderful things can happen when you have strong pitching, and the Indians had it last night. Carrasco pitched seven shut-out innings, then Sipp and Pestano came in and did their thing, and Chris Perez came in for the 9th and saved it. That’s what your starting pitching and your bullpen is supposed to do.

Sadly, the offense is still stuck in first gear. Acta made big changes to the lineup before the game, batting Michael Brantley third and Asdrubal Cabrera fourth. In the clutch, A. Cabrera is still the Indian I want at the bat. Sizemore has traditionally been a fine lead-off hitter, but I think I still like Brantley there better. Santana is the guy bothering me now. He’s been so sporadic this season that I no longer trust him to deliver. I appreciate that Acta has kept him in the front of the lineup, trying to let him work it out, but enough is enough. Drop him down in the lineup and shift Hanahan up a few spots. I’m also hoping Cord Phelps learns to play with the big boys sooner rather than later. He’s only had 14 at bats in the majors (with one hit), but he has a nice swing. This series would be a nice time for him to come into his own.

I’m worried about the Detroit series. I was going to say “a little” worried, but the truth is, I’m a lot worried. I want the magic of April and May to return. We saw a hint of that  last night, with Asdrubal getting the RBI hit when we needed it, and Carrasco working his juju on the Yankees lineup. Acta is wise to make changes to the lineup–I hope he’s not done tweaking. For now, I will savor last night’s victory, take my kid to the zoo, and will try not to think about tonight’s game until 7:05 ET.

 

3 Comments

  • Tribefan14 says:

    I think the tribe needs to get back to small ball. Early on we were doing the little things like moving the runner along or bunting him over to third with no outs instead of always trying to swing for the fences. I think all players should learn the value and skill of bunting despite their power or batting ability

  • JTT says:

    You’re worried about Santana and want to drop him down in the lineup and your solution is to move up Hanahan???? Give me a break. It’s time for Hanahan to get out of the lineup completely, not move up in it. Not to mention Santana is the only only player in the lineup not named Asdrubal that knows how to take a pitch.

  • Jasmine says:

    Major thanks for the article post. Will read on…