Weekly Wroundtable: No Gomes, No Playoffs for Cleveland Indians?
History Is On the Tribe’s Side
Apr 13, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) looks into the dugout during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Katrina Putnam: While Gomes’s injury is a huge blow to the team, it won’t hurt the Indians enough to affect their playoff chances. Last season, the Cardinals lost All-Star Yadier Molina, who is arguably the best catcher in baseball, for about seven weeks with a thumb injury. Despite his absence, St. Louis stayed in the hunt and easily made the playoffs in a fairly similar division. It will be no easy task, but Perez will keep the Tribe’s pitchers on track until Gomes returns, and as long as the Indians don’t suffer any more injuries, they should still have a good chance to play October baseball.
Andrew Schmid: The loss of Gomes will not end the Tribe’s playoff aspirations. Losing a person who could very possibly be their best batter is definitely not good, but they are only losing him for a month or two. Sure, it’s not ideal, but the Tribe lost Justin Masterson a few years back down the stretch and they still made the postseason. The only reason this injury could keep the Indians from reaching October would be if they lost many more players and ended up like last year’s Texas Rangers.
Next: Tribe Hitters Need to Make Up For Gomes's Absence