Noticed from afar that the Indians are 11-21. That would not seem to be good.
Let's do the math. The Indians have lost nearly twice as many as they've won, and if they want to win 90 games they'll have to finish the season 79-51. That's 28 games over .500, and a .607 pace. It can be done, I guess. But last season, one team — the Los Angeles Dodgers — finished with a won-lost percentage better than .607. Silver lining: Many thought 86 games might win the division, so that means the Indians only need to go 75-55. Hoo hoo.
So far the Indians have tried a lot of moves to make things work. None have worked. This weekend the players backed manager Eric Wedge. All that's left, really, is the vote of confidence.
To scapegoat Wedge for this fiasco is probably not fair. Clearly, it's not all his fault.
But … at some point in every struggling team's existence the manager takes the fall, be it deserved or not. At some point the losses might become too much, and some kind of move might be necessary just to change the chemistry and the approach.
Nobody knows when that point will come — and personally I'd be shocked if Wedge were fired given how close he and GM Mark Shapior are — but the questions become: At what point does everything add up to a manager being fired? And if Wedge is fired, who replaces him?
Two years ago Wedge was the AL Manager of the Year. He's not gotten stupid in two years, but his team is not playing well either. And it comes on the heels of 2008, when another bad start relegated the Indians to "playing for pride" most of the second half. Poor Aprils have become a trend, and the inconsistency of the bullpen from year to year is maddening.
That being said, Wedge didn't solely pick the starting rotation, didn't solely pick the bullpen, didn't solely pick the every-day players either. Two years ago the Indians looked to be a team on the rise, with plenty of young , talented hitters. Now they look slow, plodding, and are playing as if they were all overrated.
Grady Sizemore is the least of the Indians problems, but he's hitting .227. He's struck out 36 times, which ranks him third in the American League. Third. Silver lining: Jhonny Peralta has struck out fewer times. He's fourth in the AL with 34. I know Sizemore has talent and he gets on base a lot, but he seems emblematic of things to me: How in the world can a guy touted by so many to be so good (remember that SI cover) be hitting .227 with 36 strikeouts?
Let's be honest … at some point these players have to live up to expectations, or it's time to really and truly start over with the roster. And it's appearing that the re-start is rising on the horizon.
Whether that re-start includes Wedge depends on how the Indians front office views the troubles, whether they feel a change in approach might change the chemistry and change the results. A new manager isn't going to add speed or make players what they're not, but a new approach can be a spark. A managerial could happen, but I'd be surprised if it does happen.
Firing a manager is not a pleasant topic, but it's also part of baseball. If Mike Hargrove could get fired by the Indians, anyone can. It's just hard to fathom this team being 11-21 after starting the season with what seemed like legitimately high hopes.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
shapiro definitely has his hands in this year's mess but wedge is to blame to for the collapse of 2005, being exposed as a weak manager in the 2007 alcs and last year's sale of sabathia (the real punishment for slow starts–being forced to sell your best players).
counting c.c.'s split season last year, wedge has had 4 cy young caliber performances in 2 years. in 07 they had a good bullpen. but wedge manages to bungle the games with his stubbornness. indians hitters continue to be undisciplined at the plate, runs are wasted by leading off sizemore and wedge's misguided loyalty to subpar players (delucci, peralta) kills games.
shapiro is too attached to wedge. if he won't get this long overdue firing done then he deserves to get the ax too.
John Hart did not succeed with the Rangers. With that being said, if I was the guy who owned the Indians, I'd seriously consider talking with the Rangers to see if Hart can be released from his "senior advisor" contract. Which is really nothing more than Tom Hicks' version of a non-compete agreement, Hart doesn't do anything. Hicks just defaulted on a loan yesterday, so no doubt he'd like to shed some payroll.
How many years does Shapiro have left on his contract?
this team is PATHETIC—Wedge is not the problem…TALENT is—but what on earth possesssed him to DH JJJHHHOOONNNYYYY the other day??—I'm suddenly not concerned about losing Grady when his contract expires—have lost total interest in watching these bums—Cavs carry us to end of June, then Buckeyes and Browns right around the corner
I don't know why everyone's so worried–trade Lee and Carmona then draft another average first baseman to move to left field and they'll be right back on track this winter.
"but what on earth possesssed him to DH JJJHHHOOONNNYYYY the other day??"
you must be new to the "what on earth possessed eric wedge" club. eric wedge IS the problem.
come on terje—where's the talent–name me one regular you'd take over every other starter in the american league–Garko? JJHHOONNYY? Derosa? Francisco(ha ha)? Choo? maybe Victor—how bout that dynamite starting pitching??—and that bullpen
two cy youngs in a row. two other cy young candidates the same two years. that is very impressive. you'd think a team could win with that.
so the offense is struggling. wedge won't drop sizemore (look at sizemore's 2007 vs 2008 stats, esp. the rbi and hr totals), sticks with peralta and delucci. that is on the manager. better to lose with kids than lose with vets.
constants under wedge:
poor starts to the season
poor situational hitting
by the book bullpen management (which blows up on him all the time)
has no feel for how long to go with the starters
poor baserunning
poor fielding (especially at ss!)
this doesn't just extend to this season. the writing was on the wall last year. wedge has to go. he is stubborn like a mule and just about as smart as one too. shapiro has given him players. wedge blew those chances and now shapiro's moves aren't so hot. shapiro's main problem is loyalty to wedge. either he fires wedge or they should both go.