Canucks’ flickering playoff hopes need help during their five-day break
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As fans lining the chain-linked fence next to Cleveland’s main practice field jockeyed for better position to snatch an autograph or selfie with the team’s newest star, Edwin Encarnacion showed no emotion.
With his glove balanced on his head, Encarnacion signed baseballs, bats, cards and whatever else was thrust in front of him. He didn’t seem to be enjoying himself and appeared disinterested, distant.
That’s when one fan pleaded for a little more.
“Hey,” he told Encarnacion. “You know you can smile. You’re with Cleveland now.”
On cue, Encarnacion beamed a smile that brightened an otherwise grey day in the desert.
There’s a lot of toothy grins on display these days with the Indians, whose signing of Encarnacion to a three-year, $60 million contract — the richest in team history — as a free agent this winter gives the AL champions a middle-of-the-order slugger unlike any they’ve had since Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez anchored some of those potent Cleveland teams in the 1990s.
After eight seasons in Toronto, Encarnacion has a new home — and an unexpected one.
When free agency opened, the small-market Indians were perceived as the longest of longshots to sign Encarnacion, who hit 42 homers and led the league with 127 RBIs in 2016. There were as many as four other teams better financially positioned to sign the 34-year-old, who seemed destined to resume his career in Boston or Texas or anywhere but Cleveland.
But he chose the Indians because of their potential to be playing again deep into October.
“I made the decision to come here, because here I have the opportunity to win the World Series,” said Encarnacion, whose 193 homers over the past five seasons are the second most in the majors. “This team, they look great and I think they have great, young talented players here. We have a lot of opportunity to be in the World Series again and win it.”
Encarnacion’s arrival cements the Indians as the team to beat.
He fits perfectly into a stacked lineup that will include young stars Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis and could have back Michael Brantley after the former All- Star outfielder played in just 11 games last season.
One thing is certain: Manager Terry Francona knows who will be batting cleanup.
“You put a bat in the middle that you’re not penciling in, you’re putting it in ink,” Francona said.
But while the three-time AllStar has established himself as one of baseball’s most feared hitters, Encarnacion doesn’t flaunt his status or celebrity. He’s happy being one of the guys.
Before signing him, the Indians wanted to assure they were bringing in a player who would enhance their culture — not threaten it. It’s early, but Encarnacion has shown none of the trappings of stardom. He goes about his business quietly, and whether he’s lifting weights or watching video to break down his swing, there’s a sense of purpose to everything he does. Nothing flashy, just driven. “I’m not sure shy is the right word,” general manager Mike Chernoff said in describing Encarnacion. “I think reserved. He definitely has a presence. That has been clear since the minute he got here. But I think he’s much more of a quiet, lead-by-example type of guy. We did a lot of work on him in the off-season with our scouts and reaching out to contacts. And everybody said on all fronts that he is a leader, but he doesn’t do it in that kind of loud, vocal way.”
Encarnacion made an early impression on his new teammates following the club’s first full-squad workout by going all out in the team’s “Warrior Run” or “Beep Drill,” an unforgiving, go-until-you-drop conditioning test the club uses to assess player’s fitness.
Although he probably could have talked his way out of participating, Encarnacion ran until he couldn’t run anymore.
“He has presence just walking in the building, there’s no doubt about it,” said pitcher Mike Clevinger. “But watching him do the beep test, he wasn’t the front runner, but he was trying and stuff like that, especially to us younger guys, that was outrageous to see. I didn’t expect that. No disrespect to him, but I didn’t think he was even going to do the beep test, but he was out there busting his butt and it was cool to see that.”
VANCOUVER — All the Vancouver Canucks can do this week is wait and hope.
The club began its NHLmandated five-day break Monday after a hectic stretch that saw Vancouver conclude a six-game road trip, get 24 hours off and then play back-to-back nights at home.
Sitting four points adrift of the Calgary Flames for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, and with most of the other teams around them in the playoff chase also in action, the Canucks will be have a keen eye on the out-of-town scoreboard.
“We’ve put ourselves in a spot where we need other teams to lose,” said Vancouver captain Henrik Sedin.
The Canucks ground out a 2-1 overtime victory Saturday against Calgary, but dropped a 3-2 decision to Philadelphia on Sunday where they found themselves down 3-0 early in the second period.
With 58 points through 60 games, Vancouver will probably need somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30 points from its final 22 contests to have any chance of making the post-season.
For a team that, apart from one six-game win streak, has only won four in a row once this season — and that included a shootout triumph and two overtime victories to open the schedule — it seems like a tall order.
“You look at the last road trip where we come away from that being 2-4 and it feels like we should have a couple more points,” Sedin said Sunday night. “Great teams, they put six, seven, eight wins together. We’ve had a tough time doing that, but saying that we’re still in the race.
“We’re getting a few days off then we’re back at it. Two, three wins and we’re right there. That’s the way we’ve got to look at it.”
Part of the reason for Vancouver’s inability to string together victories has been its putrid 28th-ranked power play and almost-as-bad 24thranked penalty kill.
The Canucks had just two shots in four power plays against the Flyers and also gave up two goals while shorthanded. All told, the team is 0 for 12 with the man advantage over its last four games and has surrendered four power-play goals against in its last three outings.
“We haven’t quit yet,” said goalie Ryan Miller. “We just have to keep building good games.”
Vancouver will return to practice on Friday at 4 p.m. local time before hosting a Saturday night tilt against San Jose, winners of nine straight regular-season games at Rogers Arena dating back to January 2012.
Clubs coming off their bye weeks have preformed poorly — a combined 3-12-4 in the first game back — but Miller said the pause comes at a good time.
“We have some guys that can benefit,” he said. “You have to have time to recover at some point. We have some guys that are banged up.”
After the weekend meeting with the Sharks, the Canucks host Detroit on Feb. 28 in their last game before the NHL trade deadline on March 1.
With a couple of veterans who could garner interest, namely Miller and wingers Jannik Hansen and Alexandre Burrows, management doesn’t have much time to decide if it will be a buyer or a seller.
Miller and Burrows are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer, while Hansen still has one year left on his deal. All three players have varying degrees of no-trade clauses written into their contracts.
But at least for now, the Canucks will sit back and see where they find themselves in the standings when the players reconvene Friday afternoon.
“We’ve got to relax, let the body recuperate,” said defenceman Ben Hutton. “You can’t do anything about it. All you can do is watch the highlights or check the scoreboard.
“At the end of the day we’ve just got to come back and do our part and get points.”