The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Trades paying off for Indians
Fans hoping for fireworks at the July 31 trade deadline must have been disappointed when all Indians president Chris Antonetti could come up with Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers.
Well, how do you like the trade now? The Tribe also got minor league pitcher Kyle Dowdy in the deal for Double-A shortstop Willi Castro.
The game against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 5 at Progressive Field was Martin’s fourth with the Indians. It is a small sample size, to be sure, but so far Martin (pronounced marTEEN) has been exactly what the Indians need — a reliable glove in center field and a bat opposing pitchers must respect.
Martin had four hits in his first eight at-bats in his first three games with the Indians — two for home runs. His homer in the bottom of the sixth inning Aug. 4 broke up a scoreless game and sparked the Indians’ 3-0 shutout of the Angels.
Manager Terry Francona’s biggest challenge was figuring out where to insert Martin in the batting order. Francona wasn’t about to mess with Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley hitting 1-2 and it made no sense to insert Martin into the meat of the order where Jose Ramirez (he hit his 33rd home run Aug. 5) , Edwin Encarnacion (24 homers) and Yonder Alonso (18) are capable of clearing the bases any time they step to the plate.
So Francona has Martin hitting ninth.
“You try to put yourself in other people’s shoes,” Francona said on Aug. 5. “He’s hitting first on another team. Now we’re asking him to hit ninth and sit against some lefthanders.
“He certainly seems like he’s willing to handle that. I don’t think he is a ninth hitter, but for right now, that’s where he’s hitting. To be able to turn the lineup over to Frankie and Brant, to have a guy that’s basically another leadoff hitter, is going to make our team a lot better.”
Martin says he is fine with his role with the Indians (61-49). He is also thrilled to suddenly be on a potential playoff team and appreciates the way Indians fans have welcomed him. But before he got too far along talking about his new job, he went out of his way to thank the Tigers (47-64) for giving him the opportunity to play regularly; he played 78 games with Detroit.
Martin missed time with the Tigers in May and again in July with a left hamstring injury. He is healthy now. The Indians need him to stay that way with outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall (calf), Tyler Naquin (hip) and Bradley Zimmer (shoulder) all out of action.
“It doesn’t matter where you hit, man,” Martin said in the Indians’ clubhouse after the Aug. 4 game. “You hit ninth in the first inning, but as long as the ballgame keeps going, you can be a leadoff guy two or three times.
“I just keep doing my game, try to get on base and create rallies. I try to get on base because the best hitters on the team are right behind me, so that’s very important. As much as I can, I get on base.”
Martin was 0-for-3 on Aug. 5. The Indians got all the runs they needed on a three-run home run by Jose Ramirez in the bottom of the first inning. A double by Jason Kipnis in the sixth inning drove in Brandon Guyer to give the Indians a 4-2 edge.
Brad Hand gave up a run in the top of the ninth but nailed down his third save with the Indians after being acquired in a trade with the Padres on July 19 in a deal that cost the Indians catching prospect Francisco Mejia.
Adam Cimber, also acquired in the Mejia trade, pitched one-third of a scoreless inning on Aug. 5.
Martin, Hand and Cimber will be key players for the Indians in October when the importance of every at-bat and every pitch is magnified.