The return of Jensen Lewis has been less than impressive. Since his recall on July 4, Lewis has pitched 10.1 innings. He has given up eight runs, 15 hits, and five walks, giving him an ERA of 6.97 since his return. It is certainly tough to pitch when allowing two base runners per inning pitched.
The Indians passed 1.5 million in attendance for the season this week. Enough to place them 21st in the major leagues with an average of 27,292 (63 percent capacity) nightly at “The Jake”…oops, I mean Progressive Field. Man, I’ve got to stop that.
What to Look For
Continued improvement by the young Asdrubal Cabrera. Jamey Carroll will likely not get much playing time, due to his recent slump and hamstring injury, giving Cabrera the chance to play nearly every day at second base.
Plus, why play Carroll at this point over the kid? Since Cabrera’s promotion, he has hit .282 with a homer and three RBI, raising his batting average above .200 for the first time since May 13.
Increased playing time for Franklin Gutierrez. With Blake now gone, opening up first base full-time to Garko, and assuming the Indians smarten up and sit Dellucci; Gutierrez is primed to receive his share of at-bats for the foreseeable future.
It may not be every day, but five to six days a week should be sufficient. Mostly around favorable pitching matchups and not in the second spot in the lineup, please. It is time to see what “Frank the Tank” is made of.
Can Fausto Carmona build upon his positive outing against the Tigers on Thursday? He will face a struggling Rays lineup next Tuesday. Tampa Bay is hitting just .236 in the month of July, the worst in the league. Their team OPS for July is merely .682, next to last in the league. Carmona has one career start versus Tampa. He won that start, going six innings, giving up one run on four hits.
Possible re-demotion or designation for assignment of Juan Rincon. To quote Baseball Prospectus before the season, “It’d be more encouraging if he was hurt; now, he just looks like a pitcher on his way out of the league.” I know it won’t happen, but I can dream can’t I?
He was worth a flyer as the season was over, but washed-up relievers are a dime a dozen. Rincon is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in seven appearances spanning 8.2 innings with the Tribe. His ERA in Minnesota wasn’t much better: 6.11 in 28 innings.
Unfortunately for the Tribe, they will run into a couple of contending teams on the road over the next week. First, the Indians will face the Twins, whom they are just 4-8 against this season (including 1-5 at the Metrodome).
Then it is off to Tampa, where the Rays have a major-league best 40 wins at home. They will undoubtedly be looking for revenge after the Indians swept four games from them entering the break. This could be a very tough week for the Indians.
Down on the Farm
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