Things have not gone well for Cleveland this season. They can't pitch. They can't field. And very few of them can hit. This is a team that's regularly running Mark Grudzielanek and Shelley Duncan out there. Matt LaPorta, who was scheduled to be the next big thing in left field, finds himself playing a little left, a little first, but mostly sitting on the bench. They traded Kelly Shoppach to Tampa last winter, which wasn't a terribly bad move, but Lou Marson hasn't exactly blossomed and their backup catcher is former Twinie Mike Redmond. Tempest in a teacup, Grady Sizemore is done for the season after knee surgery; Asdrubal Cabrera has a broken arm and probably won't be back until mid-July; and Andy Marte, though no great shakes himself, is out for a couple of more weeks after an ingrown hair on his abdomen became infected.
Russell Branyan and Austin Kearns were alright off season pickups; Kearns strikes out too much and doesn't have much power and while Branyan isn't showing the power he had for the Mariners last year, he's still second on the club with seven home runs. Shin-Soo Choo meanwhile, leads the team with eight home runs and may very well be Cleveland's contribution to this year's All-Star team--which might get him out of the South Korean military draft.
Three years ago, Fausto Carmona, who goes tonight for Cleveland, had a spectacular year. But then he injured his hip and followed it up with two miserable seasons. And while not the pitcher he was in 2007, he's been relatively effective this season. He throws a low-nineties sinking fastball, a slider, and a mid-eighties change up. In the past, control was an issue for him but after a rough start to the season, he's gotten the walks down. He does give up a lot of hits but not many fly balls.
Lefty David Huff takes the ball on Tuesday. Huff started twenty-three games for Cleveland last season and won eleven of them; this season, in ten starts, he's won two. He throws a low-nineties fast ball, a slider, a curve ball, and a change up. His gives up a lot of hits and a large number of home runs.
I have a ridiculous soft spot for Justin Masterson. I can't help it; he and his wife are quite possibly the two cutest people on the planet. That said, he has not pitched well for Cleveland. There was talk a week or so ago (before he got his win against Chicago) of sending him to the bullpen, in a vote of non-confidence though, manager Manny Acta said he was keeping his rotation spot because "He is still the only guy in the rotation who can strike batters out." He does have good strike out numbers. He's wild, though; way too many walks, hit batsmen, and wild pitches. He had better stuff as a reliever and you can minimize the effect of the nasty lefty/righty split that he's always had (except for in Game 5 of the ALCS when he got Haverhill to ground into a double play) better out of the bullpen. Lefties are hitting him at a .370 clip this season but he doesn't give up many home runs at all.
Mitch Talbot is scheduled to pitch the last game of the series. Talbot was the reciprocal part of the Kelly Shoppach deal. He pitched in relief against Boston for three innings on September 15, 2008; he allowed four runs (plus two that belonged to Kazmir) on five hits with two home runs (one by Ellsbury and one by Youkilis). He throws a low-nineties fast ball, a slider, a cutter, and a high-seventies change up. He doesn't strike out many batters but neither does he walk many. He's especially tough on lefties but righties hit him relatively well.
And their bullpen? It's best to not speak of it.
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