Eric Wedge has had a couple good runs with the team (2005 and 2007), but consistently underperformed his Pythagorean record, and has turned in several years of terrible starts (2006, 2008, 2009) in years in which the team was expected to contend.  Increasingly, Wedge had put incomprehensible lineups out on the field (Ryan Garko in the outfield, anyone?) and has played marginal veterans (Jamey Carroll) or favorite players (Gimenez, Trevor Crowe) over high-potential newbies like Andy Marte.

It is time for a new voice in Cleveland.  Much speculation is that John Farrell is the front runner for the job.  He has previous experience in the organization as director of the minor league program, has spent the last few years in the winning Boston organization as a successful pitching coach, played for the Indians and even lives in Cleveland in the offseason.  It will be interesting to see whether the Indians bring in an old hand to guide what will very likely be a team full of young and inexperienced players, or whether they take a chance on another minor league manager like Wedge.

The dismissal of Wedge will add drama to the situation building with who plays first and third next year.  It seems pretty clear that Peralta was not a favorite of Wedge, who publically called him out several times over the years.  Marte, too, somehow made it into Wedge’s doghouse and never managed to get out long enough to determine whether with regular playing time he could adjust to major league pitching.  Marte can play first or third, but has yet to establish his bat and would be ill-suited to a backup role, as he apparently needs regular playing time to get sharp and stay sharp.  LaPorta can play first base and left field; however, the performance of Brantley in his September callup has a large number of folks penciling him in at left field next year.  Who’s the odd-man out?  Can we get anything of value for Peralta or Marte in the offseason?  Stay tuned.

Press conference today at 1:30 p.m.

The Indians come into an off day today on the heels of a split or a four-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, having won both of those games on Andy Marte home runs.  Yes, I said it – Andy Marte hit two game winning home runs in the last series.

Cleveland’s favorite whipping boy, Andy Marte, is playing well now that he’s playing every day.  He has now played the last 11 straight games. In those 11 games, Marte is hitting .375/.386/.675  with 3 home runs and 12 RBI. Yeah, I know it’s a small sample size, but isn’t this the Andy Marte we were promised? And his reward for coming back was, initially, playing 12 of 18 games and regularly sitting on the bench behind Chris Gimenez. You can’t get into a groove playing 2 of 3 and regularly sitting behind Chris Gimenez. In those 12 games, Marte went.175/.283/.200 with 0 home runs.  The difference?

“The more I’ve been playing, I feel a lot more comfortable now,” Marte said. “It’s good when you know you’re going to play the next day, no matter what happens. It makes me confident.”

Who might have guessed that there would be a correlation between performance and the knowledge that one will be in the lineup even if one makes mistakes?  Who would have suspected that there might be some positive correlation between regular playing time and performance?  Even Eric Wedge has noticed that Andy Marte can play baseball:

“He wants it,” manager Eric Wedge said. “He’s been grinding it out for a while.”

So, because Andy Marte is now putting up results, Eric Wedge has decided that he can give him the ultimate Eric Wedge compliment – he’s a grinder. Is Andy getting results now because he’s grinding (implying that Andy was not grinding in his previous stays in Cleveland [whatever the hell “grinding” is), or is it that now that Andy is getting results it can only be because he’s grinding, since that’s the only way it is possible to get results? I suspect that if Eric Wedge were to really answer that question it would tell us a great deal about whether he should be allowed to continue as Indians manager.

Maybe being sent down to Columbus really made Marte focus. He demolished AAA pitching. Maybe Andy Marte has become a changed player since he was here before. Maybe he’s seeing the ball better? I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that what has changed is that he knows that if he goes 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts, he’s still going to play tomorrow. The unfortunate thing is that if Andy had received this same assurance beginning in 2006, when he was slaving away in Buffalo and Aaron Boone was stinking up third base, who knows where Andy Marte might be right now. Or in 2007, after he was sent down on rehab and replaced by Casey Blake and exiled to Buffalo yet again. Or in 2008, when he spent the first half of the season starting about a game a week and was regularly lifted for a pinch hitter and asked to bunt with runners in scoring position. Is it any wonder than Marte might have had some confidence issues?

Andy – stay thirsty, my friend. We at PronkNeedsYou! have always believed in you.

Remember when we thought that Carl Pavano was the biggest question mark on the staff?  Those were good times.  Good times.

That was before the meltdown of Fausto Carmona, the rookie inconsistency of David Huff, the TJ surgery of Anthony Reyes, the injury to Scott Lewis in his first game, the bullpen stint of Aaron Laffey which landed him on the DL, the general inability of Jeremy Sowers to fool major league hitters once they’d seen his stuff twice, and the trade of Clifton Phifer Lee, all of which combined to make Carl Pavano the post-trading deadline ace of the staff.

Yeah.  Carl Pavano.  Ace.  And now the Carl Pavano, Ace era has come to an end.

And now, as the lost season continues, with the serious incentives in Pavano’s contract kicking in, he’s now a mid-rotation cagey veteran mound presence for the Minnesota Twins.  Oh, we’ll get some organization fodder for him, to make it look like Minnesota traded for him, but the Twinkies claimed him on waivers and we can’t afford to pay him.

Pavano will likely be signing a multiyear contract in the offseason that will be too rich for the Tribe, so, see ya Carl.  Thanks for showing some large stretches of competence in this hellhole of a season, and being a cagey veteran presence for the kiddie club.

Next Indian changing area codes?  Probably Jamey Carroll (aka, “Sweet Baboo” or “Ninja Assassin”)

Key -
Traded
Now in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
Disabled List
Released
Acquired in trade
Called up from Columbus

Of the active 25-man roster (including two on DL) on Opening Day, 6 players have been traded, 2 have been put on the disabled list (both on the 60-day, and both in the initial five-man starting pitching rotation), 3 are now toiling in Columbus due to ineffectiveness or lack of team need for their services, and two have been released.

Of the current 25-man roster + 3 DL players, 3 players have been acquired in in-season trades, and 9 players have come up from Columbus.  Of the 28 players, 12 (42.8%) have joined the team since the season started.

But wait, there’s more.  Here is a list of players who have passed through the players entrance at Carnegie and Ontario and who have subsequently cleaned out their lockers for relocation:

• Vinnie Chulk (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Rich Rundles (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Matt LaPorta (OF/1B) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus for no reason I can figure
• Tony Graffanino (IF) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus because Jamey Carroll is better
• Matt Herges (RP) – started in Columbus, now not with the team due to ineffectiveness
• Luis Vizcaino (RP) – FA acquisition, now not with the team due to ineffectiveness
• Greg Aquino (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Mike Gosling (RP) – FA acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo
• Jose Veras (RP) – trade acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo
• Winston Abreu (RP) trade acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo

After looking at this list, I don’t think it requires a jump to conclusions mat to guess that the problem with this team this year has been pitching, both starting and relief pitching.

Let’s start with what’s gone wrong for the starting staff.  Two of the members of the original starting rotation are on the 60-day DL, with Reyes having undergone Tommy John surger.  Jake Westbrook’s return has hit snags.  Three current starters were on the Columbus roster to start the season (Laffey, Sowers, and Huff).  Not surprisingly, Sowers and Huff have both been ineffective.  Sowers generally gets pummeled the third time through the lineup and has not yet figured out how to make adjustments – he may be better suited as a long guy out of the bullpen.  Huff, not surprisingly for a rookie, is inconsistent.   It is likely that Justin Masterson will be in the rotation as soon as he’s stretched out sufficiently.  Carmona was increasingly ineffective as a starter and was sent to Arizona for a complete rebuild and an extended tour of the minor leagues for a few weeks.

And then there’s the Bullpen From Hell.  For the first couple months, pretty much everyone that Wedge brought in was getting lit up like a Molotov cocktail.  Kerry Wood, who was brought in to settle this bunch down and be a shut-down closer, has been anything but.  Due to the ineffectiveness of the starters and middle relievers, Wood’s opportunities to pitch were few and far between, and when he came in, Wood blew several games in demoralizing fashion, most likely due to underuse.   The usually reliable Rafael Perez has been horrible.  Jensen Lewis looks like he’s lost speed on his fastball – again.  Masa Kobayashi – gascan.  Betancourt – bouts of ineffectiveness followed by stint on the DL, followed by effectiveness.  Zachson – the less said the better.  Joe Smith, ROOGY – ineffectiveness followed by DL stint, followed by return to bullpen.  He’s been rather meh.  So, with all the injuries and ineffectiveness, the Indians kept throwing journeyman relief pitchers on the wall like so much spaghetti to see if any would stick.  Vincredible Chulk – seeya.  Greg Aquino – thanks but no thanks.  Matt Herges – not what you once were.  Veras, Abreu, Gosling, Vizcaino – roster filler.

So, by the end of June, the fire sale began in earnest.  On June 28, Mark DeRosa was sent as a rent-a-bat to St. Louis for two major league ready power arms (Chris Perez and, later as a PTBNL, Jess Todd).  Next to go – Rafael Betancourt on July 23 to Colorado for A-league pitcher Connor Graham.   July 27 saw Ryan Garko going back to California to the Giants for A league power arm Scott Barnes.  July 29 – Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco shipped out to Philadelphia for 4 of their top 10 prospects, including A league power arm (sensing a trend?) Jason Knapp, AAA pitcher Carlos Carrasco, SS Jason Donald and C Lou Marson.  July 31 – so long Victor Martinez, you’re going to the FEDBU-Lite for three pitchers – Justin Masterson (now on the active roster) and A league power arms Nick Hagadone and Brian Price.

So what do I think of the trades?  It seems to me that Shapiro is learning from his failure to find arms for the bullpen by accumulating as many of them as possible and hoping that some of them pan out.   This team was not likely to be competitive next year as constructed even with Lee and Martinez, and it is better to cash out now, save the money, and see if the kids can play.  Attendance, given the suckitude of the team and the state of the economy, would not likely meet the payroll with Lee and Martinez on the team – without all the salaries the Indians have dumped, there’s a possibility Shapiro might be able to find a way to add something to the team in the offseason.

For all you Dolan is cheap people, I want you to remember that this is the same Larry Dolan who signed Pronk to a large contract, who added DeRosa and Wood to the team in the impression that they would help make the team contenders.  The Indians have underperformed their $80 million payroll primarily because of the unforeseen collapse of the bullpen.  The Indians started the year with some question marks in the starting rotation but lots of depth in Columbus (Huff, Sowers, Laffey) that was presumed to be major league ready.    It was difficult to foresee that the pitching would collapse to such an extreme and drag the rest of the team down with it.

That’s all I’ve got.  Welcome to Day Care, Cleveland Indians style (from here on out, it’s all about watching the kids).  Oh, and welcome back Andy Marte, after tearing up the IL.  I just hope Wedge actually plays you enough this time.  I’m not holding my breath, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

I’ve been thinking that I’d wait until things turned themselves around, and then one week become two, and two weeks became three and here we sit having finished April with the worst record in the division and 3.5 games out of first place pending tonight’s games.

So, buoyed by the happy vibes of Eddi Reader’s latest, which I just downloaded from emusic, I’m going to suck it up and discuss the season so far.

The predominant image I think I’ve taken away from the first 22 games is that so far the season has been like a giant game of whack-a-mole.  Just when something starts to go right, up pops another problem.   It seems like it’s something different every night.  If the starting pitching does well, the bullpen collapses.  Or the defense boots an easy play.  Or the other team gets seeing-eye grounders dribbling through every infield hole while we smoke the ball and the other team makes a ridiculous catch.  Or the Indians get shut down by the likes of Brian Bannister.  And it seems like we’ve had more than our fair share of crappy home plate umpires intent on screwing us at every turn (C. B. Bucknor and Phil Cuzzi, I’m looking at you.)

The good news is that it’s not too late for this team to get back into the race, since they’re only 3.5 games back.  The Indians have not had much luck on the baseball field so far, but they are lucky that another team in the division has not raced off to a hot start and buried them.

I thought that the Indians would just need one big win and then maybe everything would fall together for them and they’d rattle off a few in a row and claw their way back into this thing.  The 22-4 clubbing of the FEDBU seemed like  it would be that win, but then they gave the next game away and then promptly went home and lost 5 of 9 at home.  I though that the game that Boston handed them Tuesday night might be that game, but then last night they pissed away a chance to blow the game wide open and the Indians returned the favor by giving Boston last night’s game.

This team needs some Elvis.  Right now, it’s got none.  Victor is clubbing the ball, and still the team’s got No Elvis.  The Beaded One is playing like an All-Star, and yet this team has got No Elvis.  Pronk even showed up for awhile in place of his evil twin Travis Hafner, and still this team has got No Elvis.  And now Hafner is on the DL with soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder.  Yikes.  Cliff Lee is pitching like a Cy Young winner in his last few starts and he’s 1-3 because the team’s got No Elvis.  This team is playing like baseball is no fun, and they’re just waiting for the next bad thing to happen.  They’re getting pwned by stiffs like Brian Bannister.  They got no Elvis.  Sizemore and Peralta both look like they’ve got no Elvis, though it looks like DeRosa’s Elvis is coming around.

So, how can they get some Elvis?  It looks like Tony Sipp’s got some Elvis.  Matt LaPorta – he looks like he’s got some Elvis, but I don’t think we’ll see him until he’s served his apprenticeship in Columbus.  Dellucci is tearing up AAA in his rehab – maybe he’s got some Elvis left.  Help us, Obi-Wan Dellucci, you’re our only hope.  Damn, this is sad.

This team has not yet learned The First Rule of Holes – when you’re in one, stop digging.  May has to be better.  Doesn’t it?  Doesn’t it?  Please, baseball gods, say yes.  You guys owe us big time for what you’ve done to us this crappy month.  And the last 60+ years, for that matter.

Cliff Lee was struck in the left arm by a batted ball in the second inning and struggled the rest of his stint, giving up 7 runs in 5 innings and generally leaving the ball up.  He was not helped by the alleged strike zone of home plate umpire Jerry Crawford, which appeared much more generous for Millwood than for Indians’ pitchers.

In the good news, Masa Kobayashi came in and didn’t suck.  Travis Hafner got a hit and scored the Tribe’s only run, demonstrating some speed, going from first to third on a single to right and then scoring on a wild pitch.  That’s it for the good news.

Jamey Carroll broke a bone in his hand when he was hit by a pitch in the last exhibition game, so he’s on the DL to start the season and Tony Graffanino becomes the uber-utility infielder to start the season.

Step away from the ledges, crimestoppers, it’s just one game.  Remember how excited we all felt after the Indians came back to beat the White Sox in the first game last year?  And then we were pretty much out of it by mid-June?  It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

However, spring training is coming to an end, the season starts on Monday, and it’s time for some news and observations.

• After winning the last open spot in the Indians rotation, Scott Lewis went out in his next two ST tuneups and got hammered like a drunk on a bender.  He claims he’s having trouble gripping the ball in the drydesert air, and certainly that would explain why a finesse pitcher is leaving so many meatballs up over the plate.  However, he wasn’t leaving those meatballs over the plate before he won the starting job.  Lewis needs to find it again or his stay will be short and we’ll be seeing Laffey up in Cleveland sooner rather than later.
• We don’t have Eddie Moo to kick around any more.  He’s been traded to the Padres for a PTBNL or cash.
• Based on his ST results, Masa Kobayashi could be the next off the island – he has a spring ERA of 12.27.  Kobayashi wore out very quickly and is in the last year of his contract.  He would have to agree to be sent down to the minors, and, really, at his age, what would be the point?  If he continues to struggle during the first part of the season, the Indians have enough live arms at AAA that it would be pointless to keep him around.
• A big surprise of ST has been the performance of Vince Chulk.  Chulk has bounced around between the majors and AAA for a couple teams and was signed to provide bullpen depth.  All he’s done in ST has been to pitch 15.2 innings with an ERA of 1.72.  Although he’s already been sent to Columbus, he will likely be the first one up if (when?) the Kobayashi experiment fails.
• Josh Barfield has won the 25th spot on the roster, despite pretty much sucking at the plate (.258/.303/.306).  He appears to have adjusted to his chance to be a true utility player, getting reps at third base and the outfield.  Congratulations, Josh.  You are the new dominoes go-to-guy and pinch-runner extraordinaire.
• Trevor Crowe has also won a spot with the big club out of ST as the fourth outfielder,  while the Indians figure out what to do with David Dellucci, who has been placed on the DL with calf tightness.  Wedge says that they didn’t award the spot to Crowe for him to sit on the bench.  You’ll have to forgive me if Wedge’s past tendancies to go with veterans over rookies makes me more than a little skeptical about how much time Crowe will see over the first couple weeks.  Crowe does provide speed off the bench, and appears to be capable of playing at all three outfield positions.
• Nobody will mistake Ryan Garko for a gold glove outfielder, but he appears to at least not be an overwhelming defensive liability.    It is worth noting that Wedge has all but announced that Shoppach and Martinez are in a job share at catcher and that Victor will be playing first base the majority of the time he’s not catching.  Pronk will be doing the majority of the DHing, leaving few at bats for Garko.  His ability to play the outfield makes him a viable late-inning bat off the bench.
• Jhonny Peralta has been clubbing the ball this spring (.400/.429/.633).
• The wind appears to be blowing out everywhere in Arizona.  There have been some wild games with football scores this spring.
• After many weeks of concern, it appears that Pronk is finally putting something together.  He’s homered twice in the last week and raised his line to .260/.333/.460.   The Indians seem to not be concerned and say the timing will come back as he sees more live pitching.
• Speaking of Pronk, Jay Levin of Let’s Go Tribe has posted a great Q & A he did with Indians Assistant GM Chris Antonetti regarding the Indians’ due diligence (medical and otherwise) on the Pronk contract extension.   It’s definitely a must-read.
• The very last spot in the bullpen was won by Zachson.  Given how many questions there are about three/fifths of the rotation (i.e., everyone but Lee and Carmona), it is likely the Indians felt they needed someone who could give them some length in the pen in case (when?) Pavano, Reyes and/or Lewis implodes early in a game.   In fact, if Lewis implodes enough to be sent down, Jackson may well be given the fifth starter spot and Chulk brough up to the pen.

According to reports, it is likely that Wes Hodges will get the majority of time at third base, while Marte will spend time at third base, first base and DH.  This will likely create a logjam at first base/designated hitter with Marte, Jordan Brown and Michael Aubrey all likely to be fighting for time there.  Hodges tore up the Arizona Fall League with his bat (.349/.368./ 587), but is questionable with his glove, so the early indications are that he needs reps at third base.  Marte’s defense is unquestionably major league already – the question is whether he can regain the power that made him a top prospect.

The fact that he is now on a minor league contract may actually end up making Marte more tradeable – clearly no other team was willling to take him on without options, but they might be willing to stash him at their AAA affiliate as an emergency back up in case of injuries.  Or, the Indians might hold on to Marte in case Hodges is unable to put his defense together.  The only career path for Hodges is at third base – his bat is good, but there are too many better prospects at first base (Mills/LaPorta) and in the outfield (LaPorta, Weglarz, Brantley) for him to be viable with a position switch.  At least they know Marte can come in and provide solid defense.

I still suspect that Shapiro will be working the phones trying to unload Marte before Spring Training ends.  So, Andy Marte is still not free – he’s just not chained to the big league bench and his days of catching the ceremonial first pitch are behind him for the moment.

Mojo Watch:

Andy Marte:

No Elvis for Andy right now – he’s going to have to earn it all back.

Mark DeRosa:

Major Elvis for “The Pulse”, who cranked the Tribe’s first official Goodyear home run yesterday in a 10-7 loss to the Giants in the Cactus League opener.

The Indians initiate the new park in Goodyear, Arizona today at 3 p.m. Cleveland time against the San Francisco Giants. The game will be televised on STO, MLB-TV, and the MLB Network. For those of you stuck in an office, it’s time to fork over the money for that MLB Gameday Audio subscription. I handed over my $14.95 yesterday.