Cleveland Sports Forum

So the team's strength on the mound is not too solid between the ears. How does management appropriately discipline the piayers without hurting the team? How does the team discipline itself? Clevinger was the one who was quoted as most sincerely concerned about the respecting each other.
There's too much pressure on these young men who just want to play baseball. Still unsure that the season won't just collapse well before it's done

For many reasons this sure looks like a season to file and forget.

Will the startling hitting records by our catchers and outfielders be recognized as all time worsts despite the short season?

I am really amazed at the all around ineptitude of all the outfielders. Had been reasonable optimism about Mercado and Luplow picking up where they left off. Very brief optimism that Zimmer's first few games might signal that he had actually turned a corner. Of course Naquin only has had 4 at bats, so he doesn't get any blame, yet. D Santana is an apparent major waste of signing money, but that's not exactly a shock.

Jake Bauers must be looking pretty awful in Eastlake or he'd be shipped over to Cleveland to get an audition.

And it's pretty funny that with 10 outfielders on the 40 man roster, they're giving Mike Freeman starts in LF, with of course the same lack of results.

Looking for someone who can hit?

Erik Gonzalez is 14-40 hitting .350 for the Pirates; of course he's another IF
Yandy Diaz is hitting 285 for the Rays, but we remember what happened when he tried to play the outfield
Clint Frazier is on the Yankees' taxi squad or at their "alternate site". I'd accept him back.
Kevin Plawecki is hitting .450. only 17 at bats but more hits than all our catchers. And he got an inning on the mound again yesterday

But this one really hurts:

Up and over Anthony Santander climbed, ahead of Mike Trout, Eddie Rosario, Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz -- four of the American League’s top run producers bested. When Santander walked off the field after the Orioles’ 11-4 win over the Phillies on Thursday, he sat only behind Aaron Judge on the league’s RBI leaderboard, having driven in a run in seven straight games and having led the O’s to their first five-game win streak in three years.

Who? The Orioles are getting that question a lot these days, as they’ve spent the first third of this 60-game sprint of a season defying expectations and winning at a pace equal to that of a contender. They may still be rebuilding, in a long-term sense. But there is no denying the way players like Santander continue to assert themselves, not only as big league regulars, but as difference-makers.

"He is taking such good at-bats,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I feel like he hits three balls on the nose a night."

The latest example came Thursday, when the switch-hitting Santander’s bases-clearing double in the top of the fifth chased Phillies starter Jake Arrieta and proved the deciding blow as Baltimore swept Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park. The O’s didn’t sweep a single series in 2019. They’ve got two this year already, in six official tries, as well as one of the AL’s top offenses by a variety of metrics. It’s a unit Santander has been pacing from the No. 2 hole since Opening Day.

Santander's been your guy for quite some time now.
Nice to see him doing well.

Plesac and Clevinger optioned to minors.

Well, at least they were cleared to be around people again. 2 negative tests.

I am sure they will now be able to throw again to get ready for their next starts.

I'm lost on how much the players are being paid for this 60 game schedule. Are players assigned to Eastlake paid full amounts?

Sounds like Plesac and Clevinger just got fined, big time.

seagull - in general, players are being paid pro-rated salaries over a 60 game timeline. As always, someone with a guaranteed contract like Clevinger will still get same pay in "the minors". Plesac probably will have to revert to minor league pay.

On another note...

Major league STARTING PITCHERS have a long history of being off the beaten track. Think back - a long laundry list of starting pitchers who were absolutely insane. Randy Johnson leads that list with maybe David Wells right behind..

If they produce then the teams live with it.

Also remember that right here Trevor Bauer pitched in Cleveland a very, very long time after being traded here - partly for his rebellious behavior. He ended up being traded 1.5 years before he became a free agent (for a stud package). Not a coincidence. And as crazy as he was at the end, the Reds still stepped up big time.

So as long as guys like Clevinger and Plesac are bargains, and they are, they will stay with this team (unless offered an insane package...unlikely). And Tito will handle it just like he handled Bauer year after year after year.

We can only hope that some day we get a Franmil Reyes + in return for Clevinger when his time comes.

The problem these two created is how the rest of the team will treat them. Silent treatment? Cough on them? They endangered their coworkers' health, lied to them, and then Plesac tried to post some rude excuse. Must be difficult in the clubhouse and dugout and hotel and planes and buses anyway dealing with all the "bubble issues". These two punctured the bubble.

Again, I would feel more worried about that if they were "regular guys" and not starting pitchers. Shoot many of them want to be left alone anyways!

And of course Bauer went on like he did for years on end. So not worried as long as they do their jobs.

It may come with an asterisk but Bieber sure will have a chance for the Cy Young. Lance Lynn and Dylan Bundy are up there with him in ERA, WHIP and avg against. His 54 strikeouts are half again as many as anyone else in the AL.

The trash in the outfield with a typical 1-10 day at the plate.

The 8th inning was a riot. Bases loaded without a hit and no outs. A fly out maybe? Even a doubleplay could score a run. But with Leon and Mercado at the plate the chances were infinitesimal.

Reyes walked.
Naquin grounded into fielder's choice to pitcher, Reyes to second, Reyes safe at third on throwing error by pitcher B. Garcia.
Zimmer walked, Naquin to second.
León fouled out to catcher.
Mercado struck out swinging.
Hernández lined out to center.

If they’re going to limit us to just playing central division why not back a little more and just play the Tigers?

Hard to believe a Major League team could beat another Major League team 20 straight games.

Maybe the Tigers aren't a Major league team.