Tribe Talk: Eagerly Awaiting Fausto Carmona's Return, Or Dreading It?

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Tribe fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the Indians each week throughout the season.

This week we fret over whether Fausto Carmona truly got himself straightened out during his banishment to Arizona, discuss the role the Indians’ top prospects will play in the remainder of the 2009 season, and wonder if the Indians could successfully adopt a small ball approach. 

I would like to thank this week's participants Nino Colla, Dave Wiley, and The Coop for their contributions.

This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and pitch in your thoughts on the questions we're addressing this week.

Go Tribe!

1. After being banished to the Arizona desert to get his head straight, Fausto Carmona is finally back in Columbus and making a few minor league starts before rejoining the Tribe following the All-Star break.

Do you think Carmona has had enough time to work out the issues he had that earned him the demotion from the Tribe earlier this season? Is there a chance that Carmona has recovered his control and can improve the Tribe's struggling rotation in the second half of the season?

Nino Colla: I think he has. He seems to have straightened his head out at least. Whether he's going to automatically revert to what he was in 2007 in one start is another story. He might have a few more growing pains, but I think he's at least back to being a reliable major league pitcher. From what I've read, Carmona has gotten his control back for the most part.

I have some concerns about one scout saying that Carmona isn't attacking hitters like he used to. The biggest key for Fausto is to throw that splitting/slurve pitch that runs in on hitter’s hands, and throw it a lot. That's how he gets the majority of his ground balls and strikeouts. That pitch is so devastating because he can throw it for a strike but hitters can't do a damn thing about it.

I think he'll be better in the second half though and that will be a welcome sight for this rotation. His latest start in Columbus makes me think he should have one more go-round, but the important thing is that he got his head straight courtesy of the fine folks down in Arizona.

Samantha Bunten: From what I have heard, Carmona seems to have regained his control and is doing a much better job commanding his pitches. I think the real test will come with his first bad outing after he returns to the Indians’ rotation, when Carmona will have to demonstrate that he can bounce back after a bad start and not completely lose his ability to command his pitches all over again at the first sign of a stumbling block.

Carmona, like every other pitcher in baseball, is going to have bad outings. The trick for Fausto will be learning to leave those bad starts in the past and not allowing himself to be rattled by them going forward. He doesn’t need to return to his 2007 form overnight.  He just needs to show that the guy who had that monster season still exists in some form.

In a way, Carmona has been given the perfect opportunity for redemption. The season is a lost cause, so the pressure to win at all costs will be lessened tremendously, allowing Carmona to concentrate on making good quality starts for the rest of 2009, thus paving the way for a return to form in 2010.

Dave Wiley: Tough question. Carmona has spent enough time in the desert to get his head straight. The real question is, IS his head straight? Having enough time for a straight head and actually having a straight head are two different things.

A one armed midget that has his right arm but used to be a lefty would improve the Tribes' rotation at this point. Slider in a tutu would improve the Tribes' rotation at this point. Put Carmona back in the lineup.

Fausto Carmona, come on down! You are the next contestant on "Help the Indians Struggling Rotation".

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