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

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.

What do you think the future holds for Huff? Are his poor stats simply a reflection of being called up before he was truly ready to help a desperate ball club, or is he simply not turning out to be the pitcher many predicted he would be?

Nino Colla: I think it's just him being a rookie. It's early for him. I went to the best game he pitched against St. Louis and I was really impressed.

He is Cliff Lee-like to a T. Once he figures himself out at the big league level and adjusts, he's going to be good.

He has great command of his pitches and, while I think the "The Next Big Thing" tag is a little much, he's going to be a solid MLB pitcher.

Samantha Bunten: Like every other pitcher called up to bail out a failing big league club, Huff got a bit of a raw deal. He was probably called up before he was ready. Some players rise to this challenge. Others, like Huff, do not. But that doesn't mean he isn't capable of being a solid starter down the road.

Ironically, at this point it would be hard to explain sending Huff back down to AAA, since as much as he has struggled on the mound, he has actually fared better than most of the Indians' other options.

Still, the Indians aren't doing Huff any favors by keeping him in the majors when he isn’t ready, and in the long run this won't be doing the team any favors either.

Dave Wiley: David Huff's stats remind me of the statistics of a much-maligned Detroit Tigers squad a couple years ago.

When things are bad, they are bad for everyone. Last year, the Indians caught fire after the All-Star break, ending up at .500 for the year. I don’t see that same thing happening this year.

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