It’s a little early to say I told you so, but back in February I detailed why Zach McAllister was a breakout candidate this season. And through four starts this season, McAllister has more than lived up to these expectations.

Monday night’s performance against the Royals was McAllister’s third straight victory and his third consecutive quality start, as he’s allowed just three earned runs in 19 2/3 innings during the streak.

Brantley also continued his hot start to the season with another home run, his fourth of the year. With Brantley’s continued success this year, sooner or later Francona has to considering moving him up in the lineup. We’re only three weeks into the season, but there’s only so much of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn flailing away at the top of the lineup we can take (although Swisher was 2-4 tonight).

I’m not sure how to quantify this, but it just feels like Brantley puts together quality at-bats more often than anyone on the team, even when they ultimately result in an out. I would fully support swapping Swisher and Brantley, even if it’s just a short term plan until Swisher gets back on track.

Other thoughts and notes…

  • Jason Giambi made his season debut, going 0-4. It was a tough start, but it’s nice to see him back out there.
  • Lonnie Chisenhall continues to stay red hot with two more hits, and Francona needs to find ways to keep him in the lineup. Santana’s versatility could be key here, allowing Chisenhall to play third base and DH, while Santana rotates between third, catcher, first and DH.
  • With the win, the Tribe improves to 4-6 against the AL Central. They have yet to win a series against a division opponent, but they’re off to a nice start against the Royals.
  • How good is Alex Gordon in left field? Of all the opponents we see on a regular basis, there’s no doubt in my mind he’s the best all-around defender. He made two nice plays to stop the Tribe from adding to the lead in the 8th inning.


10 Comments

  • bob says:

    No play by play on the squirrel?

  • The Doctor says:

    Swisher gets a reprieve from my ire tonight, but watching bourn repeatedly wave at 3 pitches and then sit back down is just plain ugly. I don’t know why francona thinks the top of a major league lineup is a good place for a guy in a deep funk to work out his problems. Either banish him to the 9 spot or make up an injury and return him to AAA. Swapping hot hitting Morgan for this dreck has been painful for a team scuffling to score.

  • Gvl Steve says:

    I agree with everything except continuing to use Santana as a super utility player. Until he starts hitting, he’s worthless at any position. With Chisenhall playing well and Gomes entrenched as the catcher, I would put Santana at DH, move him down in the order, and leave him there to work out his very long swing. We need his bat.

    Brantley 2nd instead of 5th would mean fewer RBI opportunities, especially with no leadoff man to speak of. Bad idea. Brantley is our best RBI guy. How about 4th?

    Remember when McAllister would melt down when somebody made an error, and he led the league in unearned runs? Glad that didn’t happen.

    • Ryan McCrystal says:

      Santana’s doing just fine. The average isn’t there, but it’s only due to small sample size and a crazy low .178 BABIP. He still has a .329 on-base percentage which is awesome considering his low average, and he has more walks than strikeouts. There’s no reason to move him in the lineup because his approach is perfectly fine.

  • Jon cindia says:

    Why not put Santana lead off he gets on base a lot yeah he swings for power but right now he isn’t doing much. Then put Lonnie second for the moment. Then have Brantley 3rd and kipinis 4th. David Murphy 5th Gomes 6th swish 7th Bourne 8th and cabby 9th

    • Ryan McCrystal says:

      I think Steph brought up the idea of Santana leading off the other day.. I would have no problem with it. It might seem like an overreaction to move Bourn from the leadoff spot, but he was awful for the entire second half last year… However, I really like the idea of Santana batting second. He has a reasonably high contact rate and a high OBP. It would be similar to what the Reds are doing with Votto.

    • Ghost of Joel Skinner says:

      Bourn shouldn’t be in the lineup.

  • Ghost of Joel Skinner says:

    I’ve said it a thousand times and will say it again…

    …The Michael Bourn contract was just awful.

  • Dan says:

    I like Giambi a lot in the clubhouse, but just make him a full time coach. It’s ridiculous to have him be our 25th guy so he can pinch hit once a week when we could have Morgan to use as a pinch runner and defensive sub everyday if needed.

    • Ghost of Joel Skinner says:

      In fairness to Jason, Giambi and Michael Bourn have the same effectiveness as a hitter…

      …none.