Keys to the game (5/31)

Keys to the game-

1.) Capitalize on their frustrations. The Oakland Athletics are averaging 9.12 strike outs a game, which ranks them 27 out of 30 in Major League baseball. They swing and miss… a lot. Over the past two games they have struck out 29 times! Both Carrasco and Bauer were able to capitalize by expanding the strike zone. Mike Clevinger takes the mound for the Tribe tonight. He has earned his way right into a starting rotation spot by putting up solid numbers and consistently making strong starts. He is currently 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA with 25 K’s in 22 1/3 innings pitched. Knowing that the Athletics are undisciplined at the plate, he has the opportunity to capitalize on their offensive frustration, much like Carrasco and Bauer did. He has never started against the A’s, but did make one relief appearance last season against them that did not go so well (3 runs on 4 hits in 1 inning). But Clevinger is not the same pitcher as he was then. If he comes out and works the corners, he will have success.

2.) Keep making adjustments. Last night as we faced Sonny Gray first time through the line up, I will admit, I was nervous. Gray looked good, and it seemed like he may dominate our offense a good portion of the game. But our boys made adjustments, then came out and did damage the second time through the line up. That is a huge step forward from where we were last week (swinging at anything and everything, consistently over-swinging, staying perpetually frustrated). Tonight we face left-hander Sean Manaea, who is 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA in 41 1/3 innings pitched. Overall, he is pretty much your average, run of the mill pitcher- nothing really to write home to mama about. But he is coming off of a great start against New York however, where he gave up 0 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings of work while striking out 8 and only walking 1. He does know how to strike batters out. So we need to continue to make adjustments and figure out how to do damage.

3.) Whatever your role is, do it well. Danny Salazar will be available to work from the bullpen tonight for the first time this season. While nobody will come right out and say it is a demotion, his struggles as a starter warrant a change that will hopefully allow him to work out whatever issues are plaguing him (hey... it worked for Carrasco!). His job now is to put in the time, fix the mechanics, and get back to the All Star caliber pitching we know he is capable of. Right now, his role is that of a relief pitcher. We need him to embrace that role, and do what he can to help win ballgames.

Keys to the game (5/30)

Keys to the game-

1.) Run it out! The Oakland Athletics rank dead last when it comes to committing errors. In the 50 games that they have played, they have committed 51 errors. Just to give you an idea of how bad Oakland’s defense is… the team that ranks 29^th (second to last) in the Majors is the Tampa Bay Rays- in the 54 games they have played, they have committed 38 errors. Knowing this, our offense needs to make sure that they do not give up on any play. Even if it is seems like a routine “easy out”, don’t give up on the play. Run out every ball hit. Put pressure on their defense to make not only perfect plays, but routine ones as well.

2.) Know what they are looking for, and avoid it. Trevor Bauer enters tonight’s game with a 4-4 record, and a 6.30 ERA. In 50 innings pitched he has struck out 59, and walked 18. While he has struggled most of the season thus far, he has pitched substantially better in his last 3 starts (going 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA). He has been limiting runs and avoiding nuclear innings, which is exactly what we need him to continue to do tonight. The Athletics are an all or nothing offense. They hit a lot of home runs (ranked 3^rd in the league), but they also strike out a lot (ranked 4^th in the league). Bauer can use this against them by working the corners of the plate, using his high fastball to change the eye level, and make them expand their strike zone.

3.) Rise to the occasion. After watching the Indians offense put up crooked numbers the past two games in a row, the hope is that they can come out tonight and continue to do more of the same. They will have to figure out Oakland’s Sonny Gray, which may be a challenge. Gray missed the first portion of the season recovering from a strained right shoulder, but he has put up strong numbers since returning (2-1 with a 3.34 ERA). He is coming off of a great start against the Marlins where he pitched 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits while fanning 11. It is safe to say that his shoulder is no longer giving him any issues. It is important that our offense continues to manufacture runs and carry out the fundamentals of small ball. Don’t slide back into the pattern of over-swinging out of desperation. Focus on making good contact with the ball and finding gaps.

Keys to the game (5/28)

Keys to the game:

1.) Someone needs to step up and lead. When you look at our team, we have a lot of fantastic players. We have a lot of fun personalities. I actually feel like we have a ton of team chemistry. But we are lacking that one consistent leader that both holds accountable and hypes up the team. Last year we were fortunate to have two such leaders (Napoli and Davis). With those two no longer here, that void needs to be filled. The team has been struggling terribly at home this season, going 8 for 13 while playing at Progressive Field. Yesterday was especially frustrating because the stadium was packed. People showed up to cheer for the home team, but there was not much to cheer about. We need someone to step up, take the reigns and lead.

2.) We need a stopper. We are on the verge of being swept by the Kansas City Royals for the first time since 2003. I don't know about you, but that is something I do not want to see. Josh Tomlin takes the mound for Cleveland today with a 2-6 record and a 6.70 ERA. He faced KC once already this season back on May 6th, and pitched well- going 7 strong innings giving up just 1 run on 3 hits. We need him to come out today and shut their offense down. He is also going to need to make sure that he maintains his ability to make adjustments as the game goes on.

3.) Stop leaving runners stranded. We had plenty of opportunity to do damage in yesterday's game, but were once again unable to capitalize. We face Danny Duffy, who is 4-3 with a 2.92 ERA. He seems to be getting better as the season progresses, so our boys will have to be smart at the plate, and have productive at bats. If push comes to shove, work his pitch count up and get into their pen. I know you’re frustrated. I understand that this is not where we were all hoping to find ourselves at this point in the season. But tossing in the towel now would be foolish. So keep pressing forward and work on turning the season around

Keys to the game (5/27)

Keys to the game:

1.) Stop over-swinging, especially when there are runners in scoring position. Yes, hitting home runs is fun. Yes, fans go nuts for them. But if all you ever do is try to hit the ball to Timbuktu, you are going to swing at a lot of balls in the dirt or out of the zone. Tomorrow we are facing Jason Vargas, the Kansas City left-hander who has put together a nice start to the season. He is 5-3 with a 2.30 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched. We have to start approaching our at bats differently. Smarter. Disciplined. We can no longer expand the strike zone and miss opportunities. Be confident in not only your ability to advance the runner, but also in the ability in the guy coming up behind you to do the same.

2.) Avoid mistake pitches. It is not like Danny Salazar has not had electric stuff this season. He has struck out 69 batters in 47 innings of work... so yeah, he has had some good stuff. But the rest of his stats, they are downright bad. He is 3-4 with a 5.55 ERA. The problem that he has had is with his command. He makes mistake pitches, and the other team is ready for them. Kansas City is an all or nothing team. They live and die by way of the long ball (as we saw in last nights game). He has got to focus more on maintaining his command, and less on securing his velocity. Keep the ball down and out of the zone.

3.) Make the plays. The Indians defense currently ranks 8th in the Majors with 24 errors committed in 45 games played. The Major League average is 29 errors in 47 games played. So all in all, our defense is pretty much average. For some teams, average would be just fine. But our defense is so much better then average. I know it, you know it, and every opponent we face knows it. So we have to make sure that we are making the defensive plays that need to be made. We don't want to give a team like KC any extra chances, because gosh darn it if they don't capitalize every time that we do. Let's clean it up and avoid giving out freebies.

Keys to the game (5/26)

Keys to the game-

1.) Strong start. Mike Clevinger makes his fourth start of the season, with a 2-1 record and a 1.56 ERA (wow) in 17 1/3 innings pitched. He has looked solid since getting the call to fill in for Cory Kluber, especially in his last start. He went 7 full innings, giving up no runs on 2 hits against the Houston Astros. One thing is for sure, when Corey Kluber comes off the DL… I highly doubt Clevinger will be the one sent back down to Triple A. He put in the time and effort in adjusting his mechanics, and it has paid off. Tonight he faces a struggling Kansas City Royals team. But as always, he is going to need to be careful when pitching to Hosmer (who leads the team in batting average- .295), Moustakas (who is tied with Perez for a team leading 11 homers a piece), and Perez (who leads the team in RBI’s- 28). These are not new names or faces, but familiar foes that we all know can do damage. So come out tonight and build on the success you have found thus far!

2.) Offense, offense, offense!!! Even though the Kansas City Royals enter into tonight in 5^th place in the AL Central with a 19-27 record, this is not a team we want to underestimate. Ian Kennedy takes the mound tonight for Kansas after struggling in his first start since coming off the DL last Sunday against the Twins (going just 2 innings, giving up 5 runs on 3 hits while walking 3). He has also historically struggled when facing off against the Tribe, going 2-4 with a 5.19 ERA in 8 starts. All of that means absolutely nothing however, if our offense does not show up and put runs on the board. Hopefully our boys spent the off day recharging and are able to come out tonight with energy and excitement.

3.) So your not perfect. Cody Allen, whom I refer to as my favorite drama queen, got into trouble that he couldn’t get out of on Wednesday night. Was it tough… of course.  Could I blame it on the 2-hour rain delay? Maybe. Could I blame it on the late night? Maybe. Could I blame it on the less then stellar (but still a great effort) fielding in left field? Maybe. Could I blame it on the speed of Hamilton? Maybe. But in all reality, all of those things just mean that Cody Allen is human. He blew his first save since last August after 22 consecutive saves. Think about that for a second. Last August! So he needs to pick himself up, brush himself off and get back out there and start a new streak.