Tribe Talk: Indians Finally Firing Wedge, Or Just Shooting Blanks?

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Coop: This episode by Wedge is exactly why I despise him. Going after the backup catcher? Are you serious?

I looked up Shop’s career statistics. The guy has never hit above .261.

In 2008, he struck out 133 times in 352 at-bats (38%). This year (through Monday), he’s struck out 49 times in 132 at-bats (37%).

My point is, we’re not exactly talking about Mike Piazza or Johnny Bench here, folks. And he’s still on pace to have close to the same HRs and RBIs as last year.

Has Shoppach stunk it up this year at the plate? Definitely. He's pressing, just like everyone else. But for Wedge to call him out is bush league.

The fact that he’s hitting poorly this year is about 99th on the list of 100 reasons why the Indians are terrible this year.

3. At a time when the Indians are desperate for any shred of good news about pitching they can get, they have instead been dealt another staggering blow: Jake Westbrook has had a setback in his rehabilitation yet again and his return date has been pushed from late June/early July to late July/early August.

Do you see this as an indication that Westbrook will never make it back to being the pitcher he once was, or is it merely a delay in Westbrook's return and just another stroke of bad luck for the Indians?

Nino Colla: Jake Westbrook had hit no snags in his comeback trail up until this one. I call it his luck running out.

I can't think of a Tommy John surgery that didn't take at least a year plus to come back from, so really the set-back is disappointing, but it should have been expected.

Honestly, at one point last season and in the off-season, I wasn't even expecting Westbrook to be back this year at all.

But Jake is a fighter and he's going to do his best to get back as quickly as possible. I don't see this as anything much. It's his first set-back, and I was quite shocked he didn't really have one until now.

It sucks that it happened so close to his return, but if it happened a few months ago, you would have just looked over it.

Samantha Bunten: Ultimately I think Westbrook will be OK.  The setback isn't the kind that indicates anything serious, at least at this point.

The greater problem is that the Indians have been hanging a great deal of their hopes on the "Much Anticipated Return of Jake Westbrook.", which has reached nearly mythic proportions.

If anyone truly believes that Westbrook is going to rescue this team, I  would  have to wonder if they have ever actually seen the guy pitch. Westbrook is a number three starter on a good day. Most days he's a number four or five guy who is now also coming back from major surgery.

In other words, he’s a solid back-end starter, not the franchise’s potential savior. With no disrespect to Westbrook, if the club is hanging our last hopes on the likes of him, then Tribe fans have every reason to start Waiting Til Next Year right now.

Dave Wiley: I still think Westbrook has a chance of coming back. I don't see any reason to rush a guy back to a team that can't hold a 7-0 lead.

I say rent him a condo in Disney World and tell him not to hurt his arm hoisting brewski's while he's there and we'll see him next year.

The Coop: I like Jake Westbrook, and for his sake, I hope he makes it back and finishes his career in an Indians uniform. That would truly make me happy.

But again, what are we talking about here? The guy has a career record right around .500 and an ERA over 4.00. He’s possibly a No. 3 guy in the rotation for the Indians right now, but no more than a No. 4 guy for teams that are contending.

To me, Jake is a very average pitcher whose prospects of ever being average again just took another hit. It would be great if he could come back, but I’m not counting on it.

He’s a 32 year-old guy who has had major arm surgery. The odds are certainly against him. The Indians had better start developing their young arms, and quick.

4. David Huff was a much-ballyhooed prospect for some time before he was called up to the majors, one who many predicted to be The Next Big Thing for the Indians as early as this year. After getting the call, Huff is 2-2 with a 7.09 ERA.

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