Sputtering Indians arrive at crossroads
CLEVELAND — Hours before the first pitch of Sunday’s series finale against the Yankees, two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber sprinted across the sun-soaked outfield inside an empty Progressive Field.
Except for getting the occasional glance from ushers and vendors preparing for the crowd, Kluber was alone.
When he finished a down-and-back between neon yellow cones, Kluber checked a stopwatch to make sure he was hitting his marks. In a day or two, his broken right arm will be re-evaluated to see if he can pitch for Cleveland again this season.
For now, his status remains uncertain.
Same as the Indians.
Approaching the halfway point of a season starting to snake sideways, it is hard to get a handle on the three-time defending AL Central champions, who will host next month’s All-Star Game.
Slowed by a too-often-limp offense, injuries to Kluber as well as starters Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco, and the curious case of All-Star third baseman José Ramirez, the Indians are at a crossroads.
They were 10½ games behind the surprising Minnesota Twins entering Monday. As the July 31 trading deadline nears, the Indians are facing some major decisions that could alter the franchise’s path for years.
At 33-32 heading into a two-game series today with Cincinnati, the Indians have been maddeningly inconsistent since opening day. They’ve won series from American League powers Boston, Houston, New York and Minnesota but struggled against the White Sox (5-7) and Royals (0-3).
“Kind of like the Midwest weather,” second baseman Jason Kipnis said with a laugh. “80 and sunny one day, 50 and raining the next.”
The injuries to Kluber and Clevinger (strained back muscle) along with Carrasco’s recent diagnosis with a blood condition has weakened the club’s greatest strength, its starting pitching, and put more strain on a struggling offense.
Cleveland’s .227 batting average is the American League’s second-lowest, and only Detroit and Toronto have scored fewer runs.
And then there’s Ramirez, who has been in a mystifying slump since late last season. No one seems to know why.
After seeming to come out of nowhere to become one of baseball’s best all-around players, Ramirez — who finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2017 and 2018 — has fallen from grace as quickly as he arrived. He’s batting under. 200 in his last 100 games, and his stellar defense has slipped as well.
Many of his at-bats have become painful to watch with the switch-hitting 26-year-old either swinging at bad pitches or flailing at fastballs he used to rip into the gap or over the fence. His mechanics are a mess.
“Every time I think he’s going to turn a corner, he doesn’t,” Manager Terry Francona said. “I have so much belief in him that he will. It’s just been hard for him. It’s been a prolonged period and I know it’s got to be wearing on him. But I feel so strongly that he will figure it out.”
What the Indians have to figure out in the weeks ahead is what to make of this season.
The Twins are showing no signs of slowing down, so Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff must decide whether to make a run at a wild-card berth or begin plans for seasons ahead.
“It would be our fault if they’re sellers,” Kipnis said. “We need to make it so they’re buyers.”