The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Tribe needs bullpen help to complete the mission
Upgrading relief pitching could be expensive, but window of opportunity is open this season
The Indians, 52-43, resume their 2018 season on July 20 in Arlington, Texas, from the comfort of a frontporch rocking chair, or, to be exact, with a 7 1/2-game lead in the weak American League Central Division.
But just how good are the Indians with 67 games remaining in the regular season? It is a question that really won’t be answered until the playoffs in October, assuming they continue playing well enough to win their third straight division title.
Geography is the Tribe’s best friend. The Indians would be third in the AL East — 14 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox and 10 games behind the secondplace Yankees. They would also be third in the West — 10 games behind the first-place Astros and five games behind the secondplace Mariners.
“I don’t think you’re ever happy with your record,” Indians manager Terry Francona said before the start of the All-Star break. “You always want to be better.
“We seem to play better in the second half. There are no guarantees, but I feel we will. We’ve had some bumps in the road, but we’ve endured. We’re set up right now where every game we play, we’ve earned the right they mean so much. That’s a good thing.”
The Indians’ biggest weakness is obvious, but not easy to fix. Their bullpen ERA of 5.29 is the second-worst in baseball. Only the Royals (the Indians are 7-2 vs. Kansas City) are worse at 5.45. The Indians had the best bullpen in 2017 with a 2.89 ERA,
“There are some areas we’d like to be better in — the bullpen being one of them,” Indians closer Cody Allen admitted. “I know we’ll be huge going forward. I think we have the guys capable of doing it. It’s just a matter of getting on a roll and carrying over the rest of the season.”
Getting bullpen help is expensive, but the Indians might never have an opportunity like this for
years. Allen, star reliever Andrew Miller and left fielder Michael Brantley will all be free agents next winter.
The Indians don’t want to raid the farm system to rent a player for the last three months, yet being frugal now might cost them the chance to end a 70-year drought without a World Series championship.
The Indians want to acquire a player who will be under club control for two or three more years.
Mychal Givens of the Orioles is on the Indians’ radar, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Givens is under contract through 2021.
“Cleveland is prioritizing controllable relievers comfortable with appearances of 4+ outs, and that describes Givens,” Morosi tweeted.
Padres closer Brad
Hand, who is also under club control through 2021, has also drawn interest from the Indians, according to MLBtraderumors. com. The Indians would have to give up more prospects to get Hand than they would to get Morosi.
The Indians also have been linked to Adam Conley, Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider of the Florida Marlins.
Miller is getting closer to returning from the disabled list (right knee injury), but he could still be two weeks away. But even if he is, that’s OK, because that rocking chair lead in the Central allows the Indians to wait on Miller.
The core of the Indians’ batting order has enjoyed remarkable health — always a key to winning a championship in any sport. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Jose Ramirez have each
played 94 games. Left fielder Brantley has played 84 games and DH/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion played 86 games. Second baseman Jason Kipnis has played in 87 games and first baseman Yonder Alonso has played in 85 games.
The Indians have to go 50-17 to match their 2017 record of 102-60. They were 47-40 at the AllStar break last year and, buoyed by a 22-game winning streak, rolled to a 5520 record in the second half of the season.
Winning 100 games isn’t important. What is important for the Indians is being at their best in October and early November. This playoff window won’t stay open long.