Cleveland Indians: Batting Coach Jon Nunnally Is Gone, but Problems Remain

The first major change for the Cleveland Indians this season came on Saturday when the team replaced hitting coach Jon Nunnally with Bruce Fields. The move came after a month-long tailspin that cut the Indians' lead in the AL Central Division from seven games to one. The Indians offense has stalled, having been shut out six times since May 27, while batting .156 with runners in scoring position since June 2.

Although Nunnally was respected by most people in the organization, manager Manny Acta didn't have many other options left except to fire him. Acta has frequently shuffled the batting order while trying to spark the offense but has found no success in doing so.

Expectations were low for the Indians at the start of the season, but even still, the lineup as a whole has underperformed in 2011. Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera have had good seasons at the plate, but the three players who were supposed to carry the offense, Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana, haven't played up to expectations.

Perhaps the change will be a wake-up call for those three, whose poor hitting is a huge reason why Nunnally is gone. But the Indians still have a host of problems to correct that weren't Nunnally's fault.

The excellent starting pitching that carried the team earlier in the season has faltered during the past month. Although Carlos Carrasco has remained strong during the slump, Fausto Carmona has gone 1-5 and surrendered 32 earned runs during his last six starts. Mitch Talbot has struggled since returning from the disabled list, and Josh Tomlin has a 7.23 ERA during June. Justin Masterson's 3.16 ERA is the best of any starter on the team, but he hasn't won a game since April 26.

Injuries have also made things difficult for the Indians. Designated hitter Travis Hafner was having his best season since 2006 until he was placed on the DL in May. The team went 10-18 in his absence. Rookie pitcher Alex White had a 3.60 ERA in three starts before landing on the DL. It will be at least another month before he can return. First baseman Matt LaPorta is the latest Indian to be placed on the disabled list after spraining his right ankle against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. He's expected to miss two to three weeks.

Issues with the starting pitching and injuries won't disappear anytime soon. But the team did get some help back in the lineup during the weekend.

Hafner returned to the active roster on Friday, and the team responded with a three-game sweep of the Pirates, scoring five runs in each game. But after the current home stand concludes against the Colorado Rockies, the Indians will go on a nine-game road trip against the National League, meaning he probably won't play much during that span. Beyond pinch-hitting duties, the team will miss his bat.

Fields, who has been with the organization as a hitting coordinator for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers since 2007, was not with the Indians during their weekend series against the Pirates. He'll be with the team on Monday, and so will the other problems that continue to threaten the team's promising season.