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2020 Series 3 | Indians @ Twins | July 30-31 & August 1-2
- Thread starter Otsego Mar
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mrWalrus
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I'd sign Grady Sizemore and Albert Belle on fliers right now.
LL3
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I would buy on that
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Going to be a lot of K's this series. The Reds and Indians pitchers rank 1 and 2 in K's per 9 innings at 12.43 and 11.56, respectively.
Indians catchers are now 3-for-31. I have 17-for-121 for the outfielders. Also, 9 RBI's in 10 games for the entire outfield combined, including games where they DH'd so we basically had four outfielders in the lineup.
So this historically bad (at least I'm assuming these are all some kind of team records) hitting lineup is going into a four-game series against the staff that misses bats better than any team in baseball. Get ready for a lot more frustration.
We got one break in that Joey Votto is out with Covid. He's got an .856 OPS so far. They're big hitters at this point are Nick Castellanos (1.343 OPS) and Mike Moustakas (1.109). At least our staff is very familiar with both those guys.
Indians catchers are now 3-for-31. I have 17-for-121 for the outfielders. Also, 9 RBI's in 10 games for the entire outfield combined, including games where they DH'd so we basically had four outfielders in the lineup.
So this historically bad (at least I'm assuming these are all some kind of team records) hitting lineup is going into a four-game series against the staff that misses bats better than any team in baseball. Get ready for a lot more frustration.
We got one break in that Joey Votto is out with Covid. He's got an .856 OPS so far. They're big hitters at this point are Nick Castellanos (1.343 OPS) and Mike Moustakas (1.109). At least our staff is very familiar with both those guys.
This was a good team last year when healthy. It was a good team when camp started. It was a good team a week ago.
None of that has changed.
Lindor, Carlos, and Reyes didn't suddenly change their names to Mendoza.
The offense is in a horrible slump. The at bats as a group are ugly at best. Obviously, they are frustrated.
I have one concern, which may or may not be valid. In the first ten games of the season Frankie has already been given two days off in the field. I don't care how badly he is struggling at the plate, you don't give one of the best players in the game days off, unless there is a physical problem...especially when doing so makes a slumping lineup even weaker, along with making the defense weaker.
Thats not a knock on Freeman, but Freeman isn't close to Lindor in the field, and he certainly isn't the offensive force of any number of guys who could DH in his place.
None of that has changed.
Lindor, Carlos, and Reyes didn't suddenly change their names to Mendoza.
The offense is in a horrible slump. The at bats as a group are ugly at best. Obviously, they are frustrated.
I have one concern, which may or may not be valid. In the first ten games of the season Frankie has already been given two days off in the field. I don't care how badly he is struggling at the plate, you don't give one of the best players in the game days off, unless there is a physical problem...especially when doing so makes a slumping lineup even weaker, along with making the defense weaker.
Thats not a knock on Freeman, but Freeman isn't close to Lindor in the field, and he certainly isn't the offensive force of any number of guys who could DH in his place.
LL3
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Let me knock Freeman for you! OK, not so much Freeman himself as he is a good useful role player, but having him start twice at short, and then be placed in the 5 hole is typically not going to help us. I love Terry, but this one is hard to take...twice.
TFIR
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The Cleveland Indians’ offense is a pit of misery at the moment
By Zack Meisel 43m ago 7
CINCINNATI — When Francisco Lindor skied a lazy fly ball to left field Sunday afternoon, he tossed aside his bat as if it were a crumpled wad of paper. When Mike Freeman sent a harmless fly to left, he slammed his bat on the ground and shouted an expletive.
The frustration is mounting for Cleveland’s slumping hitters. Inspecting the batter’s box outline didn’t help. A late switch to a Twins bullpen day didn’t aid the Indians’ cause. Lindor suggested that a pitcher could lob the rosin bag toward the plate and, well:
“I’d probably pop it up,” he said.
The Indians departed Minneapolis on Sunday saddled with a three-game losing streak. They spent the last four days in the same visiting clubhouse where they hosted a (rotisserie) chicken sacrifice in 2016, with “The Lion King” soundtrack blaring and players donning togas, all in an effort to free Yan Gomes from a wicked funk at the plate.
Perhaps they need some team-wide ritual to alter the lineup’s aura. KFC offers family bucket meals.
The Indians have piled up a whopping total of four runs in their last five games. In seven of their 10 games, they have scored two runs or fewer.
Sunday: Two total hits, both in a span of three batters in the fourth inning … retired in order in six of the nine innings
Saturday: Two total hits, both of which were fielded by the second baseman … retired in order in five of the nine innings
Friday: Five total hits, none in the same inning
They haven’t had consecutive hits in 33 innings, dating back to Thursday night, when José Ramírez singled and Lindor homered. As a team, they have posted a — you must be at least 18 years of age to view this obscene content — .193/.285/.278 slash line. That’s essentially a lineup full of Michael Martínezes (career .194/.243/.261 clip).
They have hit six home runs as a team, as many as the Phillies, who haven’t played a game in a week. It’s one more than the Marlins and Brewers have hit, and those teams have been stranded in their hotel rooms. Of the teams that have actually been on the field, only the Diamondbacks have clubbed fewer homers.
The Indians outfield, a nightly grab-bag trio, has produced a .122/.238/.167 slash line and has created runs at just 81 percent of the league-average level.
Oscar Mercado has reached base twice in 25 trips to the plate. Jordan Luplow is hitless in 12 at-bats. The catching triumvirate of Roberto Pérez, Sandy León and Beau Taylor has collected three hits in 31 at-bats. Franmil Reyes, who possessed the Midas touch in the spring, has tallied six forgettable hits, none of them the sort of exosphere-reaching long balls he’s accustomed to swatting.
One way to illustrate Reyes’ struggles: He has one barrel in 22 batted balls this season. In simple terms, a barrel is a well-struck ball that, based on exit velocity and launch angle, should lead to a hit, often the extra-base variety. Reyes’ barrel percentage last season, 14.8 percent, ranked in the top 6 percent of the league. So far this season, his percentage sits at 4.5 percent. The Indians, as a team, rank 28th in the majors in barrel percentage.
Lindor, Ramírez and César Hernández have accounted for 53 percent of the team’s hits (31 of 59). And Lindor is only batting .225 — which ranks fourth on the team.
Granted, we’re talking tiny sample sizes, but that comes with the territory during a 60-game season.
“It’s a sprint, not a marathon like it’s supposed to be,” said Sandy Alomar Jr., who filled in for manager Terry Francona on Sunday. Francona flew back to Cleveland for a Monday morning exam and treatment for ongoing gastrointestinal issues that have troubled him since spring training in Arizona. Alomar is expected to manage the club in Cincinnati the next two days.
Lindor: “I’m 100 percent sure (the batter’s box) was off.” (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
The dormant offense has wasted some sterling pitching. The Indians lead the league with a 2.35 ERA as a team. They have issued the fewest walks and racked up the most strikeouts. The rotation has received the bulk of the credit, but the bullpen, outside of Brad Hand, has allowed only one earned run in 22 2/3 innings.
“The main thing is hopefully our pitching staff can continue pitching their game,” Alomar said, “because you can get in a situation that the pitching staff starts putting pressure on themselves because we aren’t scoring runs. But the guys are continuing to do their job. Our offense is in a funk right now. We have to have more quality at-bats.”
So, what’s the issue? What can hitting coaches Ty Van Burkleo and Victor Rodriguez point to in an effort to reverse the hitters’ fortunes? What are opposing pitchers doing to emerge triumphant in every encounter?
“Just throwing the baseball,” Lindor said. “They throw the baseball and we’re out.”
Well, that’s one simple way to view it.
The offensive slumber started on Wednesday, when Lucas Giolito followed the same script he authored last season to stymie the Cleveland lineup. In 85 pitches, he tossed 41 fastballs and 40 change-ups, a fairly basic, two-pitch approach that the Indians never solved. The change-up caused 10 whiffs on 19 swings, plus five foul balls and four weakly hit balls in play.
It’s not as though the Indians faced a parade of hard throwers in Minnesota. On Friday, Randy Dobnak’s hard stuff topped out at 92 mph. He offered Tribe hitters a steady diet of sinkers, curveballs and change-ups. Tyler Clippard threw 20 pitches, none of which reached 90 mph. Tyler Duffey threw 10 sliders in 14 pitches. Sergio Romo tossed 12 sliders in 19 pitches, and he topped out at 85.2 mph.
Of his 83 pitches on Saturday, Kenta Maeda threw 33 sliders, 24 change-ups and only 17 fastballs. Clippard served as the Twins’ opener on Sunday, and he didn’t throw a pitch harder than 88.0 mph. Devin Smeltzer relied on a fastball/change-up combination and topped out at 88.8 mph. Matt Wisler threw 17 sliders in 22 pitches. Romo shut the door with a 15-pitch ninth that included 10 sliders and five change-ups, none of which eclipsed 80 mph.
The Indians rank last in the American League in slugging percentage and OPS and next to last in batting average. They are averaging 2.6 runs per game, which ranks last in the majors.
“If we don’t make adjustments as big-league hitters, we’re not going to go anywhere,” Lindor said. “I’m one of those guys and it’s taken me longer to make adjustments and I’m very accountable for it. … It just so happens we got caught in that stretch where seven hitters or eight hitters are struggling and you have one hitter that’s not, where usually you have three or four hitters who are really good and the other ones are struggling. Right now, we’re at that stage where seven of us are not doing what we’re supposed to do.”
By Zack Meisel 43m ago 7
CINCINNATI — When Francisco Lindor skied a lazy fly ball to left field Sunday afternoon, he tossed aside his bat as if it were a crumpled wad of paper. When Mike Freeman sent a harmless fly to left, he slammed his bat on the ground and shouted an expletive.
The frustration is mounting for Cleveland’s slumping hitters. Inspecting the batter’s box outline didn’t help. A late switch to a Twins bullpen day didn’t aid the Indians’ cause. Lindor suggested that a pitcher could lob the rosin bag toward the plate and, well:
“I’d probably pop it up,” he said.
The Indians departed Minneapolis on Sunday saddled with a three-game losing streak. They spent the last four days in the same visiting clubhouse where they hosted a (rotisserie) chicken sacrifice in 2016, with “The Lion King” soundtrack blaring and players donning togas, all in an effort to free Yan Gomes from a wicked funk at the plate.
Perhaps they need some team-wide ritual to alter the lineup’s aura. KFC offers family bucket meals.
The Indians have piled up a whopping total of four runs in their last five games. In seven of their 10 games, they have scored two runs or fewer.
Sunday: Two total hits, both in a span of three batters in the fourth inning … retired in order in six of the nine innings
Saturday: Two total hits, both of which were fielded by the second baseman … retired in order in five of the nine innings
Friday: Five total hits, none in the same inning
They haven’t had consecutive hits in 33 innings, dating back to Thursday night, when José Ramírez singled and Lindor homered. As a team, they have posted a — you must be at least 18 years of age to view this obscene content — .193/.285/.278 slash line. That’s essentially a lineup full of Michael Martínezes (career .194/.243/.261 clip).
They have hit six home runs as a team, as many as the Phillies, who haven’t played a game in a week. It’s one more than the Marlins and Brewers have hit, and those teams have been stranded in their hotel rooms. Of the teams that have actually been on the field, only the Diamondbacks have clubbed fewer homers.
The Indians outfield, a nightly grab-bag trio, has produced a .122/.238/.167 slash line and has created runs at just 81 percent of the league-average level.
Oscar Mercado has reached base twice in 25 trips to the plate. Jordan Luplow is hitless in 12 at-bats. The catching triumvirate of Roberto Pérez, Sandy León and Beau Taylor has collected three hits in 31 at-bats. Franmil Reyes, who possessed the Midas touch in the spring, has tallied six forgettable hits, none of them the sort of exosphere-reaching long balls he’s accustomed to swatting.
One way to illustrate Reyes’ struggles: He has one barrel in 22 batted balls this season. In simple terms, a barrel is a well-struck ball that, based on exit velocity and launch angle, should lead to a hit, often the extra-base variety. Reyes’ barrel percentage last season, 14.8 percent, ranked in the top 6 percent of the league. So far this season, his percentage sits at 4.5 percent. The Indians, as a team, rank 28th in the majors in barrel percentage.
Lindor, Ramírez and César Hernández have accounted for 53 percent of the team’s hits (31 of 59). And Lindor is only batting .225 — which ranks fourth on the team.
Granted, we’re talking tiny sample sizes, but that comes with the territory during a 60-game season.
“It’s a sprint, not a marathon like it’s supposed to be,” said Sandy Alomar Jr., who filled in for manager Terry Francona on Sunday. Francona flew back to Cleveland for a Monday morning exam and treatment for ongoing gastrointestinal issues that have troubled him since spring training in Arizona. Alomar is expected to manage the club in Cincinnati the next two days.
Lindor: “I’m 100 percent sure (the batter’s box) was off.” (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)
The dormant offense has wasted some sterling pitching. The Indians lead the league with a 2.35 ERA as a team. They have issued the fewest walks and racked up the most strikeouts. The rotation has received the bulk of the credit, but the bullpen, outside of Brad Hand, has allowed only one earned run in 22 2/3 innings.
“The main thing is hopefully our pitching staff can continue pitching their game,” Alomar said, “because you can get in a situation that the pitching staff starts putting pressure on themselves because we aren’t scoring runs. But the guys are continuing to do their job. Our offense is in a funk right now. We have to have more quality at-bats.”
So, what’s the issue? What can hitting coaches Ty Van Burkleo and Victor Rodriguez point to in an effort to reverse the hitters’ fortunes? What are opposing pitchers doing to emerge triumphant in every encounter?
“Just throwing the baseball,” Lindor said. “They throw the baseball and we’re out.”
Well, that’s one simple way to view it.
The offensive slumber started on Wednesday, when Lucas Giolito followed the same script he authored last season to stymie the Cleveland lineup. In 85 pitches, he tossed 41 fastballs and 40 change-ups, a fairly basic, two-pitch approach that the Indians never solved. The change-up caused 10 whiffs on 19 swings, plus five foul balls and four weakly hit balls in play.
It’s not as though the Indians faced a parade of hard throwers in Minnesota. On Friday, Randy Dobnak’s hard stuff topped out at 92 mph. He offered Tribe hitters a steady diet of sinkers, curveballs and change-ups. Tyler Clippard threw 20 pitches, none of which reached 90 mph. Tyler Duffey threw 10 sliders in 14 pitches. Sergio Romo tossed 12 sliders in 19 pitches, and he topped out at 85.2 mph.
Of his 83 pitches on Saturday, Kenta Maeda threw 33 sliders, 24 change-ups and only 17 fastballs. Clippard served as the Twins’ opener on Sunday, and he didn’t throw a pitch harder than 88.0 mph. Devin Smeltzer relied on a fastball/change-up combination and topped out at 88.8 mph. Matt Wisler threw 17 sliders in 22 pitches. Romo shut the door with a 15-pitch ninth that included 10 sliders and five change-ups, none of which eclipsed 80 mph.
The Indians rank last in the American League in slugging percentage and OPS and next to last in batting average. They are averaging 2.6 runs per game, which ranks last in the majors.
“If we don’t make adjustments as big-league hitters, we’re not going to go anywhere,” Lindor said. “I’m one of those guys and it’s taken me longer to make adjustments and I’m very accountable for it. … It just so happens we got caught in that stretch where seven hitters or eight hitters are struggling and you have one hitter that’s not, where usually you have three or four hitters who are really good and the other ones are struggling. Right now, we’re at that stage where seven of us are not doing what we’re supposed to do.”
Reds had 9 consecutive K's in game 1 yday v the Tigers - their hitters, not their pitchers
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You can't blame Freeman for Garver's home run, Kepler's two doubles, Polanco's bloop hit to left or Cruz's RBI single. These three runs were all the Twins needed to win.
Lindor hit extremely well last year when he DH'd. Yesterday he drove in the only run on a line drive into the corner. Having Freeman play shortstop once a week is not a problem. Our outfielders hitting like pitchers, or worse, is the biggest problem right now, along with catcher being a black hole offensively.
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The Indians total helplessness against anything off-speed is astounding. They know they're getting a slider or change-up almost every pitch and still can't hit it.
At this point they should just ignore all fastballs and time their swings to the soft stuff. At least their timing will be right 80% of the time.
LL3
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Yeah, I was wrong to blame Freeman for the Garver HR and Kepler doubles, etc. ...except I did not do that. Freeman playing SS twice in 10 days is not ideal, but my big gripe is seeing him in the 5 hole both times.
In no game this season, including Hands meltdown, has the overall pitching been the reason for a loss.
The mean number of runs scored per team per game has been 4.7. The staff has allowed 4 runs only twice.
If the offense was producing even an average amount of runs...and it is an above average offense...our record would be something like 7-3, or 8-2.
There is no answer. The talent is there. For the most part they have all done it before, and most of them have done it fairly well. Just keep running them out there, and sooner or later they will start to score runs.
Of course, in this shortened season, sooner is better, but even if they don't, there is nothing that can be done about it. In the end, the top five in the order have to begin producing. They aren't gonna be replaced. The rest are merely supporting cast.
The mean number of runs scored per team per game has been 4.7. The staff has allowed 4 runs only twice.
If the offense was producing even an average amount of runs...and it is an above average offense...our record would be something like 7-3, or 8-2.
There is no answer. The talent is there. For the most part they have all done it before, and most of them have done it fairly well. Just keep running them out there, and sooner or later they will start to score runs.
Of course, in this shortened season, sooner is better, but even if they don't, there is nothing that can be done about it. In the end, the top five in the order have to begin producing. They aren't gonna be replaced. The rest are merely supporting cast.
not sure the talent is there at all - we are an average offense last season (actually a hair below average) - scoring 4.75R/game v league average of 4.83 -- even with that we got career years from perez,, santana, luplow, freeman, etc.
luplow and freeman are lifetime .220 hitters - mercado was hot out of the box when he came up last season - the league adjusted and he is a .230 hitter since july 1 -- in reyes 50 games with cleveland his power #s were signifcantly lower than in san diego - if he cant hit the ball out of the park he needs to choose a different career path
not sure at all the hitting talent is there - carlos will hit and frankie will hit - but that is not gonna be enough
luplow and freeman are lifetime .220 hitters - mercado was hot out of the box when he came up last season - the league adjusted and he is a .230 hitter since july 1 -- in reyes 50 games with cleveland his power #s were signifcantly lower than in san diego - if he cant hit the ball out of the park he needs to choose a different career path
not sure at all the hitting talent is there - carlos will hit and frankie will hit - but that is not gonna be enough