The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Miller could return in two weeks
Andrew Miller has been working toward returning to the Indians’ bullpen and could be back in the beginning of August. Plus, Jeff Schudel weighs in on LeBron James.
Andrew Miller, the lefthanded reliever the Indians need desperately in the bullpen, has circled Aug. 1 as an approximate return date from a long stint on the disabled list.
Miller hasn’t pitched since throwing twothirds of an inning on May 17 against the Houston Astros. He has been on the DL the past two months with inflammation of his right knee — the same injury that landed him on the DL twice in 2017.
The Indians don’t have to rush Miller back because they have a comfortable lead in the worst division in the major leagues. Still, he is eager to continue his comeback, which will include rehab appearances with the Double-A Akron Rubber Ducks.
Miller was scheduled to throw a simulated game against some Indians teammates on July 14. The next step is pitching in “at least a handful of minor league games,” Miller said on July 12.
“Missing as much time as I have, I don’t think we really have a choice (about throwing in minor league games),” he said. “It’s a necessary evil, I guess. The reality is I’m excited to go pitch.
“(Completing the rehab) is not going to be overnight, but it’s a plan that makes sense and I’m glad we’re sticking to it.”
Miller said no return date is set in stone, but he said “somewhere around” Aug. 1 is a reasonable time to expect him back in the Indians’ bullpen.
The Indians’ bullpen has the highest ERA in the major leagues at 5.39. By contrast the bullpen of the Yankees, the team the Indians are finishing a fourgame series with on July 15, has the best ERA in baseball at 2.68.
Just a year ago, the Indians’ bullpen was the best with an ERA of 2.89. Their won-lost record was 21-22.
The bullpen’s collapse goes far beyond Miller’s absence. Tyler Olson appeared in 30 games last season and had a 0.00 in 20 innings of work. This year he has allowed 15 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings. He has given up four home runs.
Dan Otero pitched 60 innings in 52 games last season and posted a 2.85 ERA. He gave up six home runs all year. He has been in 35 games this year, pitching 34 2/3 innings, and has already yielded eight home runs.
The Indians led 21 of the 32 games they’ve lost going into July 14. The bullpen is 5-16 this season,
Manager Terry Francona is forced to stick with his starting pitchers longer than he might if he could have more trust in his bullpen. The danger is that could result in the starters having tired arms in September if things don’t change.
Camp countdown
The Browns open training camp on July 26 in Berea and for the first time in years there is reason to believe the worst days are behind them.
The one position unresolved through all the spring practices is left tackle. Shon Coleman will be the first on the depth chart at left tackle heading into camp with Joel Bitonio at left guard, JC Tretter at center, Kevin Zeitler at right guard and Chris Hubbard at right tackle.
Pro Football Focus says the Browns’ offensive line is 14th best in the NFL with this explanation:
“The Browns have slowly built one of the best interiors in the NFL. But after the departure of Joe Thomas, they have some glaring question marks at tackle. Shon Coleman was the weak link on the line at right tackle a season ago, allowing 64 total pressures on the season. He’ll now be asked to flip to the left side — no easy task. If that doesn’t work out, left guard Joel Bitonio or second-round pick Austin Corbett could be asked to fill that role. On the right side, the Browns signed former Steelers backup Chris Hubbard to fill the void. He’s played all of 1,238 snaps in his fiveyear career, but filling in for injuries over the past two seasons he’s yielded all of 39 pressures in 673 pass-blocking snaps (about a season’s worth).”
PFF ranked the Browns line 14th at the end of 2017.
Weighing in on LeBron
I was on vacation when LeBron James, to no one’s surprise, wasted no time by agreeing on the first day of free agency (July 1) to a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Most fans accepted his decision with the rationale, “Well, LeBron brought us a championship. He earned the right to go wherever he wanted. Thanks for the memories, LeBron!”
True enough, but no one seems to be holding James accountable for the assurance he gave fans when he returned to the Cavaliers in 2014 after four seasons with the Miami Heat. James was 29 at the time. Fans immediately started fretting he would leave again.
“They shouldn’t be nervous at all,” James said at the time. “I plan on finishing my career back home. And, you know, that (signing with the Heat) was a business decision.”
Rumors of James signing with the Lakers started about five minutes after the Cavaliers lost the 2017 NBA Finals to the Warriors. Naturally, James’ future was a main focus of media day at the start of the Cavaliers’ 201718 training camp. James recommitted to retiring a Cavalier.
“It hasn’t changed,” said James, “and that’s why I sit up here today still in this uniform, still ready to lead this franchise to a championship, put us in a position where we can be successful.”
James will be 38 when his contract with the Lakers expires. He is in such phenomenal shape that it would be no surprise if he is still playing at age 39, so he could conceivably sign with the Cavaliers in 2022, play at least one more season in the refurbished Quicken Loans Arena, and fulfill his promise.
What wouldn’t be cool would be if James did one of those ceremonial sign with the Cavaliers for one day and then retire deals so he could say he retired as a Cavalier.
The Lakers will play only once at The Q each of the next four seasons unless they and the Cavaliers meet in the NBA Finals. The contrast to the reception James gets compared to the booing he received when he visited as member of the Miami Heat will be worthy of a group psychologist’s study.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple Bottle cap
There are more varieties of blueberries than states in the United States. ... The plastic things on the ends of shoelaces are aglets. ... The amount of concrete used to build the Hoover Dam is enough to build a highway from New York to California. ... Mosquitoes have 47 teeth. ... In New Zealand, the government must approve baby names chosen by their parents. ... The Valley of Square Trees in Panama is the only place on earth where trees have rectangular trunks.