Indians at crossroads in uncertain season
Hours before CLEVELAND — the first pitch of Sunday’s series finale against the Yankees, two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber sprinted across the sunsoaked 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 downand-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-oftenlimp offense, injuries to Kluber as well as starters Mike Clevinger and Carlos Car- rasco and the curious case of All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez, the Indians are at a crossroads.
They’re 10½ games behind the surprising Minnesota Twins. As the July 31 trading deadline nears, the Indians are facing some major decisions that could alter the franchise’s path for years -- or further alienate a fan base wondering why owner Paul Dolan slashed payroll and gutted the team’s power with some surprising decisions last offseason.
At 33-32 heading into a two-game series starting Tuesday with Cincinnati, the Indians have been maddeningly inconsistent since opening day. They’ve won series from AL 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. Be thatas it may, if that’s the way we’re going to be, the more good games we put together, the more confidence we’ll build and hopefully we’ll keep running with it.”
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, it’s starting pitching, and put more strain on offense with more holes than a country club putting green.
Cleveland’s .227 batting average is the American League’s second-lowest and only Detroit and Toronto have scored fewer runs. Like the spring weather,the offense has warmed up of late, but the lack of a big bat in the middle of the lineup makes the Indians’ best hitters -- Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana -- that much easier for pitch around.
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 allaround players, Ramirez, who finished third in the AL 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 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.”