Manny Acta perserveres despite a losing record and an ever-changing roster.
View full sizeWith apologies to the skipper in "Bull Durham," managing the Indians may be the toughest job in baseball ... as Manny Acta has learned. And by most accounts, he's done it pretty well.Now pitching for the Cleveland Indians . . . Charlieeeeeeeee Brooooowwwwwn.
Hey, it could happen. Went back and checked against the Opening Day roster, which was, you know, like work, and discovered that 11 of the 25 men on the roster that day aren't with the team right now. Some of 'em, like Grady Sizemore, are hurt. Some of 'em, like Jake Westbrook, were dealt. And some of 'em, like . . . well, you know . . . just stank.
You gotta feel for manager Manny Acta, in a lot of ways. Math isn't Starting Blocks' strongest suit (the shoes have to come off if we count above 10), but by our reckoning, that's 44 percent of his team gone. Don't know too many businesses that could do well in the face of a 44 percent turnover rate.
In that light, it's not so surprising that the Tribe has lost 61 games, but it dang sure is amazing that the Indians have won 44 games.
And it's also amazing that Acta continues to be upbeat. Here's how the Newark Star-Ledger put it:
Acta was brought here to shape that core. He intends to supervise a franchise's return to relevance. And although the Indians are 43-61, Acta says he has a better chance to actually see it through.
"This is the happiest I've ever been in my baseball career," said Acta, who a little more than a year ago was fired by the hapless Nationals. "This is a real good situation. It's a little bit more advanced than the one I had in the past because the amount of pieces already in place here and the rich farm system we have here."
True that. And the best part for Acta is that he hasn't had to rely on scouting reports. With all the injuries, then the recent trades of Jake Westbrook, Austin Kearns, Jhonny Peralta and Kerry Wood, he's been able to see that farm system for himself.
In person.
Bad timing
John Lackey takes the hill tonight for Boston when the Tribe returns to Fenway Park, and unfortunately for the Indians, he seems to have found his groove.
Tony Lee from nesn.com, had this to say about the starters – Lackey for the Red Sox and Fausto Carmona for the Indians -- who open the four-game series in Boston:
Lackey has settled in as the second half has begun, just as he said he would. In three starts since the All-Star break he is 1-0 with a 1.61 ERA.
In his return to Anaheim six days ago, Lackey allowed two runs in 71/3 innings to reach double figures in wins for the eighth straight season. He is 6-6 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 career starts vs. Cleveland.
Carmona has been excellent much of the season but is coming off a disastrous start against the New York Yankees on Wednesday. In just 2 innings of an 8-0 loss, he gave up seven runs on 10 hits.
The 26-year-old is 1-3 with a 5.16 mark vs. the Sox.
Oh, well. At least we can watch Victor Martinez play again.
Branyan bonus
Rob Neyer writes a blog for espn.com called "Sweet Spot." In today's installment, the guy hits out awaaaaaaaaay back, talking about the benefits of the Russell Branyan trade to Seattle.
So our GM made a trade: He sent the (underperforming) slugger to another team and got three prospects back, one of whom was a Triple-A first baseman he could drop right into the starting lineup. The youngster rewarded his faith with a .286/.351/.490 line that's even better than that of the player he traded. Plus he's young and cost-controlled and actually gives a Rolling O about improving his defense. And we haven't even mentioned the other two "free" prospects.
This is essentially the trade the Cleveland Indians pulled off when they sent Russell Branyan to Seattle.
While I can't tell you much about Placeholder Jones or Warm Body Smith, the two (ostensible) prospects they actually got in return, I can tell you that since being returned to the majors, Cleveland's own Matt LaPorta has been the real live middle-of-the-order bat that he was supposed to turn into eventually. And although there are obviously other factors involved (LaPorta worked on his swing in Columbus, normal development), the fact is that LaPorta looks a lot more comfortable at first base than he ever did in left field, and getting to play every day seems to help as well.
Neyer continues with a fairly accurate analysis, and even better, looks into the deals of the past few days. It's a nice piece, very intelligent. And we know that because Starting Blocks agrees with just about everything he said.
From The Plain DealerBeat writer Paul Hoynes has seen two Indians victories in recent days, both by rookies. Josh Tomlin started it out, then Sunday it was Jeanmar Gomez on the mound for a 5-4 Tribe win over the Jays in Toronto.
The best thing about Sunday's win was that Gomez didn't have to catch a flight back to Columbus. He flew with the team to Boston and, depending on what roster manipulation takes place to get a starter for Tuesday, he should get a chance for a healthy dose of big-league life.Gomez (2-0, l.50 ERA) allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. Like Tomlin, he was on an 85-pitch limit. He'd thrown 80 through five when manager Manny Acta pulled the rip cord.
The Indians won the series, 2-1. They won the season series, 6-4.
"We played a good series," said Acta. "The kid made the most of his 80 pitches. Our bullpen was huge. Raffie Perez and Joe Smith got us through the eighth, and Chris Perez closed the deal."
In his Indians Insider column, Hoynesie noted that Acta has a special expectation in light of all the trades and turnover on the Tribe: Asdrubal Cabrera has to take more of a leadership role.
"Asdrubal brings a lot to the table," said Acta. "He's a very nice team player. He'll bunt on his own when he's trying to get things started for us."He's the right guy to start leading these kids. He's been in the big leagues for almost four years now. He's been in the playoffs with the Indians. I'm expecting him to take on a bigger role and we've talked to him about it."
It's a good point and one worth considering. But you know what sticks with Starting Blocks? How much turnover has there been when a player as young as Cabrera is considered one of the veteran voices in the clubhouse?