UPDATED: As they stumble to their sixth straight loss, this time 10-3 to the Reds in Cincinnati, the Indians are beginning to look a lot like the 1991 team which lost 105 games.
View full sizeThe Indians' Jhonny Peralta looks up at the scoreboard in the eighth inning against the Reds in Cincinnati on Friday as the Tribe heads toward its sixth straight loss. Peralta hit a home run in the game. Updated at 11:19 p.m.
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Those who witnessed the 1991 season probably never thought they'd see anything like it again. The Indians, who have been playing baseball in the American League since 1901, set a franchise record with 105 losses that year.
Nineteen years later another date with destiny is taking shape. The Indians, following another National League beating, this time by a score of 10-3 by Cincinnati on Friday night at Great American Ballpark, are 26-46 and on pace to lose 104 games.
They have lost six straight and nine of their past 10. Teams go through bad stretches during the long season, but this seems to be more than a cold snap. There is nothing on the horizon, with the exception of the return of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, that says the Indians are going to get much better.
Manager Manny Acta has told his players to forget the wins and losses. He wants them to concentrate on getting better. It's one thing to say it; it's another thing to actually do it.
Baseball in the big leagues is about winning and losing. The Indians are 8-15 in June and 4-12 in interleague play. They used to squeeze out a win per series, but even that meager output seems beyond their reach right now. They haven't had consecutive wins since they won four straight from June 9 through June 12.
Pitcher Aaron Laffey made his first start of the season Friday and it did not go well. Acta said before the game that Laffey wasn't on a pitch count. "The Reds will let me know when it's time to take him out," he said.
They certainly did.
Drew Stubbs hit a two-run homer off Laffey in the second inning and the Reds added three more runs in the third on Scott Rolen's bases-loaded walk and sacrifice flies by Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce.
"Aaron didn't have very good command of his pitches, especially in the first three innings," Acta said. "When you don't have overpowering stuff, you can't get away with that. He needs to throw more strikes. That's been a problem for a lot our guys this year."
View full sizeTrevor Crowe heads back to the dugout after striking out against Logan Ondrusek in the eighth inning.Laffey (0-2, 6.37) allowed five runs on five hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out five. Laffey's two losses this season have come against the Reds.
Now for the bad news. Rookie catcher Carlos Santana, one of the few reasons left to watch the Indians, left the game in the top of the fifth with a bruised left thumb. Santana hit a two-run home run in the fifth to momentarily put the Indians in the game at 5-2.
It was Santana's third homer in 13 games since getting called up from Class AAA Columbus.
"He got jammed in his first at-bat," Acta said. "It was pretty swollen so we decided to get him out of there."
Acta said Santana was shaking his hand after the homer.
"X-rays were negative," Acta said. "It was his catching hand and we didn't want to take any chances."
Acta felt Santana would be in the lineup for Saturday's game. Santana said he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play.
Joe Smith, born in Cincinnati, started the fifth in place of Laffey with the score 5-2 thanks to Santana. The sidearming right-hander took a wrecking ball to that as he gave up four runs in the inning.
Scott Rolen greeted Smith with his 16th homer. The next four Reds reached on hits. Stubbs singled home Gomes and Bruce to give him four RBI in two at-bats. He stole second and scored on Ramon Hernandez's infield hit as second baseman Anderson Hernandez made a wild throw to first.
It was the Indians' second error of the game to boost their AL-leading total to 55. Russell Branyan made the first error.
Branyan, who has had a tough time at first base recently, has made five errors in 51 games. Acta said he's not in danger of losing his job.
"We're not in position to make a change because he's struggling defensively," Acta said. "He's one of our threats in the middle of the lineup. We have to continue to work with him to get better."
Jhonny Peralta homered with one out in the sixth to cut the Reds' lead to 9-3. It was Peralta's fifth homer.
Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07) went seven innings for the victory. He's 4-2 lifetime against the Indians.
Jayson Nix, claimed on waivers by the Indians on Thursday, pinch hit and flied out in the ninth. His brother, Laynce Nix, pinch-hit for the Reds in the seventh and reached on an infield single.
The Reds are 3-1 against the Indians this season and 15-7 over the past three years.
To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158
