The Tribe's First Half: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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When someone comes bearing good and bad news, he or she always asks which you’d like to hear first. I’ve always considered it wise to ask for the bad news to come first so you have the good news to cheer you up. For that reason, I present you with my list of the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Indians’ first half—but in reverse order.

THE UGLY

Hitting with runners in scoring position.

Last year was full of fireworks. The Indians dugout seemed to be full of a “never say die” sort of attitude. It was the year of the walk-off, of a certain kind of magic back to Progressive Field that had been missing since the late 90’s. The excitement was heightened by the “What if?” commercials and videos touted by the Indians front office. Well I have a question: what if the Indians hit with runners in scoring position?

The Indians have gotten their fair share of opportunities this year; they just haven’t capitalized on them. Undoubtedly, they would have a much better chance at making the playoffs if they could do some damage with runners on second and third. On multiple occasions, the Indians have found themselves with the bases loaded and no outs, yet they have failed to push even one runner across the plate. That’s a concerning trend that is perpetuated by the weak bottom half of the lineup. I have little faith when anybody other than Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera or Michael Brantley comes up to the plate.

No aces.

The Indians don’t have an ace. They have pitchers that have pitched like aces in the past, but they don’t have one doing it this season. Each member of the starting rotation goes through cycles, pitching like an ace every few weeks or so, but none of them do every time they step on the mound. That’s something that needs to be addressed before the trade deadline.

Having at least one consistent pitcher would put the Tribe in a significantly better position than the one they’re in now. Think back to last season when Justin Masterson pitched his heart out every game. He didn’t always get the win because the offense wasn’t backing him up, but you knew you could count on him to give the Indians every chance to win. He hasn’t consistently pitched that way this season. We see it on occasion, but not often enough.

Even if the current rotation can carry the Tribe to the end of the season and leave them in contention, the team would never last long in the playoffs. The playoffs are all about pitching, and right now the Indians staff hasn’t pitched well enough to put themselves in a good position if they could make it to that point.

THE BAD

The inconsistency.

Manny Acta and his players have been saying for weeks that the team is not playing their best. If that’s so, then when can we expect to see them in top form? We’re halfway through the season. It’s nice that they can contend even when they’re not playing their best baseball, but they could end up falling out of contention before they do. You never know what to expect when one of the pitchers takes the mound or when a player steps up to bat. Sometimes they put you in awe with an outstanding performance, but other times you just shake your head as they disappoint.

Everything about this season has been inconsistent. This team flashes it’s brilliance from time to time, but just as often it seems they can’t get going. It goes to show that Acta and his players are sincere in saying that they are not playing their best baseball, but it’s imperative that they start to early in the second half, before it’s too late.

Poor trades and roster moves.

There’s still time to address weaknesses on the roster, hopefully sooner rather than later. So far, there has been little to bolster the roster and that started as early as this past offseason. Casey Kotchman has been impressive on the field at first base, but at the plate he’s had little success. However, that’s a signing that I will be willing to excuse, as Kotchman has had upside.

On the other hand, players like Aaron Cunningham and Johnny Damon have left a lot to be desired. Damon has been showing a little more lately, but his fielding is dismal. Meanwhile, Cunningham is almost always an automatic out in my mind. During the offseason, the Indians were unable to lock up any impact players. The silver lining is that the Chris Antonetti still has time to pull the trigger on a beneficial move before the trade deadline comes to a close.

THE GOOD:

Young studs.

When Jason Kipnis comes up to the plate, I have confidence that something good is going to happen. It’s rare for the Indians to bring up a prospect and see him immediately contribute at the level that Kipnis has. He’s an exciting player to watch and one that can have an impact on this club for years to come.

Lonnie Chisenhall’s injury was a blow to the Indians’ chances this year. He was finally showing us what we wanted to see last year. He was improving at the plate, and this injury will be a setback in his development. Even so, we’ve seen what he can do, and it’s just the beginning. The injury might be detrimental to his career, but that is something we will have to wait and see. We can just hope that it was just the beginning of where Chisenhall’s talents begin.

Vinnie Pestano showed us what he’s made of last season, and this year, he’s doing it again. Pestano has emerged as the team’s top setup man, but it’s only a matter of time before he will be the closer in Cleveland. He has a powerful fastball and a high ceiling for strikeouts. He is one of the most exciting arms out of the bullpen and a player the Indians will be able to build around.

The future is bright with these players and regardless of how this season plays out, there are exciting things happening on the field.

It’s far from over.

This year doesn’t feel like last year. I felt good last season, even when the Indians weren’t in first place. Deep down I knew they couldn’t keep up and that to expect the team to make the playoffs was a little lofty. But despite that, something just felt right. They were always a win or two away from something big and it all seemed possible, even if unlikely.

Maybe last season hardened me and deteriorated the last hopeful bone in my body. I just don’t feel the same this year. The Indians are still in contention, and I won’t forget that. Even when things aren’t going well, they’re up there in the AL Central standings, never more than a few games from first place. A few wins and they can be right back in the thick of things. This year lacks something that last year had, but in this division, first place is always up for grabs. That’s the good of this season through the halfway point—the Indians are still in it and it’s far from over.

We’re only halfway through the season and there’s plenty of baseball left to be played. The good news about the “bad” and “ugly” on my list is that they are problems that can be addressed heading into the second half of the season. There’s no reason to write off Cleveland yet, and maybe that’s the best “good” of them all. It’s July and the Indians are still in this as much as anyone and that’s really all we could ask for at this point in the season.

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The Tribe’s First Half: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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