Cleveland Sports Forum

Cleveland Indians: Can we start talking pennant race because of Terry Francona? — Terry Pluto
Updated 8:55 AM; Today 5:00 AM

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer



For the longest time, I have been writing the Indians were a long shot to win the Central Division. And I also wrote they had long odds of winning one of the two American League Wild Card playoff spots.

My guess is I had a lot of company on June 3, when the Indians had a 29-30 record and were 11 1/2 games behind the Twins in the Central Division. The Tribe was actually tied with the Chicago White Sox for second place.



The Twins were 40-18 on that date. Since then, they are 15-14.

The Tribe is 19-8.

As July 4th passed, the Indians have moved to 48-38 heading into Saturday. They have two games left before the All-Star break.

They still trail the Twins by 6 1/2 games heading into Saturday, but history tells us something about the Tribe under Terry Francona.

This is their time of year.

Consider the following:

1. Counting their current record, the Indians have a .535 winning percentage before the All-Star break since 2013, Francona’s first year in Cleveland.

2. After the All-Star break, the Indians have a .600 winning percentage.

3. Only in 2016 did the Indians have a better record before the All-Star Game (52-36) than after (42-31).



So now I have to reconsider the Indians.

1. Unless they have a complete collapse the rest of this month, it makes no sense to trade Brad Hand. The All-Star closer is critical to catching the Twins or securing a playoff spot. The elite bullpen gives the Tribe a chance to catch the Twins.

2. As I’ve written before, Hand is on a team-friendly deal through 2020 with a team option for 2021. He’s 29 years old. The 3-time All-Star is 23-of-24 converting saves and he leads a Tribe bullpen that has the second lowest ERA in the American League.


3. I’d only trade Trevor Bauer if he’d bring a young future star who could help the team right now – such as Yankees outfielder and former Indian Clint Frazier.

4. In the off-season, the Indians looked at several trade offers for Corey Kluber and Bauer. They decided to keep their starters. Francona said in spring training, “I never thought we’d trade a starter” in the off-season. That may carry over through the July 31 trading deadline.

5. The pitching is getting stronger. Mike Clevinger is finally healthy. Shane Bieber (7-3, 3.74 ERA) is developing into an elite starter and was named to the All-Star team on Friday. Rookie Zach Plesac (3-3, 4.00 ERA) has had two consecutive rough starts, but he’s talented.

6. Carlos Carrasco (blood disorder) and Kluber (broken arm) could be back on the mound this year, but it’s still too early to know. It’s not wise to count on them, given the severity of their physical problems. Danny Salazar (sore shoulder) is taking some steps toward coming back in rehab appearances, but he’s had so many setbacks that I have major doubts about him staying healthy even for a few months.

7. In the last 15 games, Jason Kipnis (.315, .918 OPS) and Jose Ramirez (.281, .885 OPS) have come to life. If the two veterans can finish strong, the Indians are a real threat to catch the Twins.


8. The Indians are 3-3 vs. the Twins this season with 13 games left. That series continues with three games at Progressive Field July 12-15, right after the All-Star break. Yes, the Indians have big regular-season games – unlike the last three seasons when they dominated the Central Division.

Jake Bauers is batting .274 over his last 30 games – after hitting .214 in his first 50. Photo by Joshua Gunter / cleveland.com
cleveland.com

Jake Bauers is batting .274 over his last 30 games – after hitting .214 in his first 50. Photo by Joshua Gunter / cleveland.com

WHY THE SECOND-HALF RISE?

1. The Indians prefer to open seasons with some of their best prospects in the minors. Some fans will say it’s to stop the arbitration clock (service time) from starting. But the Tribe has seen several young players have their confidence chewed up by what Francona calls “April in Cleveland.”

2. Yandy Diaz (now with Tampa Bay) was one of the most natural and poised young hitters to be with the Tribe in the last decade. But he opened the 2017 season with Cleveland. He batted .203 with only one extra base hit in 71 plate appearances before being sent back to the minors. The cold weather and first taste of big league pressure is a problem for many young hitters.

3. The Indians have tried to study team chemistry analytically and haven’t come up with any definite conclusions. This just know Francona has a way of building it over the course of the season. The numbers prove that.


4. Francona always insists “every year is different, every team has to find its own identity.” The 2019 team had the biggest roster turnover in his seven seasons. Then add in the major injuries to starting pitchers. It’s remarkable what they have achieved to this point.

5. The front office is smart. It tends to make small trades that pay off big in the Tribe scheme of team building. They brought in castoffs such as Tyler Clippard, Oliver Perez, A.J. Cole, Nick Goody, Nick Wittgren and Tyler Olson to bolster the bullpen. All of those guys were either acquired on waiver deals or signed to minor league contracts.

6. Patience does pay off. The Indians traded Erik Gonzalez for Jordan Luplow, a career .302 Class AAA hitter for the Pirates. Luplow struggled in spring training. He opened the season with nine strikeouts in his first 18 at bats. He was sent briefly back to the minors, returned and has been productive: .255 (.832 OPS) with 9 home runs and 32 RBI. He is a .313 hitter (1.121 OPS) vs. lefties.

7. Jake Bauers was close to being sent to the minors, but the Indians decided to stay with the 23-year-old outfielder. In his first 50 games, he batted .215 with 4 HR. In his last 30 games, it’s .274 with 6 HR.


8. The Indians believe the best way to do it is for a player to open the season in the minors, play well and then come to Cleveland when feeling confident. They took at approach with Oscar Mercado, who has been lightning to the offense.

9. Pitchers Plesac, Jefry Rodriguez, Adam Plutko and Aaron Civale have come up from the minors to help the rotation at various points in the year. The farm system helps the strong performance after the All-Star break.

10. One more reason for the annual second-half rise: The front office has made mid-season trades to help, including Andrew Miller (2016) and Jay Bruce (2017).

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Thanks rusty!

Indians' Santana savoring his storybook All-Star season

Jul 9, 2019 , By TOM WITHERS
CLEVELAND (AP) Looking Cleveland summer chic, Carlos Santana strutted into the convention center's massive ballroom fashionably late.

The first baseman's delayed entrance came long after Mike Trout, Francisco Lindor, J.D. Martinez and all the other American League players went to their assigned media interview platforms.

Wearing stylish, dark sunglasses indoors, the Indians slugger had the relaxed appearance of a seasoned, multi-time All-Star.

Don't be fooled.

He's one of 36 All-Star rookies in this year's event.

Santana's selection as a starter is the latest chapter in his storybook homecoming to Cleveland, where he played eight seasons before signing as a free agent in 2017 with Philadelphia. But a trade in December returned him to the Indians, who can't imagine where they'd be this season without him.

"He has carried us since Day One," said Lindor, the Indians' flashy, four-time All-Star shortstop. "We are playing the game the right way and he's a big part of our success."

The 33-year-old Santana is one of the more experienced players at this year's event, which is giving fans a look at some of the game's next wave of young stars. There are 19 players that are 25 or younger, and this collection of kids has range with sluggers, slingers and speedsters.

On the AL roster, there's White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, whose name conjures images of an Italian soccer player but whose fastball has overwhelmed hitters all season. Or menacing Seattle slugger Daniel Vogelbach, who steps into the batter's box intent on inflicting harm on the ball.

The NL also has its share of newbies, including New York's Jeff McNeil, who perfected his swing playing Wiffle ball with his brother and now leads the majors with a .349 average. And don't forget Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr., the 21-year-old dynamo with a Rookie of The Year trophy on a mantle that could one day include an MVP - or two.

There are more, and it's possible one of the members of this year's first-timers' club makes a signature play to help his team win. And while Santana and the other All-Star trainees are doing all they can not to show any nerves, players who have walked in their cleats know better.

When he made his first All-Star trip in 2007, Houston's Justin Verlander was nothing like the intimidating, Cy Young winner he is today.

Back then, he was scared.

"In San Francisco, I stepped into the locker room with the guys I grew up with watching: Jeter, Big Papi, A-Rod, Ichiro, all these guys, and I kind of sat in my corner and took it all in," said Verlander, who will start for the AL in Tuesday night's game. "Felt like I didn't belong."

Santana doesn't share that sentiment.

He earned his All-Star trip, and the cleanup spot in manager Alex Cora's starting lineup, by being Cleveland's most consistent player in the season's first half. Santana's batting .297 with 19 homers, 52 RBIs and he's played better defensively than anyone could have imagined for a former catcher, who was moved to third and then over to first.

For Indians manager Terry Francona, watching Santana's season unfold has been beyond satisfying.

"I need a good adjective: immensely," Francona said. "We were sitting in the dugout yesterday and before the game and I think he was in a thoughtful mood, and he goes, `I love it here' and it kind of hit me. I said, `We love having you here.' And then I told him, `I want a favor. I want to get a picture with you tomorrow at the ballpark.' We got one when we were on that tour of Japan and sentimentally it meant a lot.

"He has grown so much and it's not just with me, it's with everybody. But we are pretty close and I trust him a lot, and he's earned that. He's grown up right in front of our eyes, and when that happens, it feels good."

Santana's charmed season has extended off the field. He recently became a U.S. citizen, and even the moment he learned he was an All-Star seemed stolen from a Hollywood script.

The Indians were flying to Baltimore when TVs on their plane suddenly went blank just as the AL starters were about to be announced.

When catcher Roberto Perez finally got an internet connection, he passed along the news to Santana, who began crying while his teammates cheered.

"I was so happy for him," Lindor said. "He has worked so hard year after year - signing somewhere else, getting traded here and making his first All-Star Game here in Cleveland - his home. This is his home and it's special."

Santana intends to savor every second of his first All-Star experience, which began Monday night in the Home Run Derby.

With the hometown crowd cheering every swing, he connected for 13 homers in the first round. He was edged by New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who had to rally in the final seconds to get 14 with Cleveland fans rooting hard against him.

Earlier, Santana handled wave upon wave of questions, answering in his native Spanish and English, which he has worked hard to improve. When pressed about what went wrong in Philadelphia, Santana turned on a negative inquiry almost as quickly as he jumps on a hanging slider.

"I had hard season and I learned a lot," he said. "This year, I'm feeling more comfortable and I'm happy to come back to my sweet home. I've tried to enjoy every game, every moment."

When his interview ended, Santana pulled down the large hanging panel that showed he was an All-Star for a souvenir.

Only then did he look like a rookie.

---

They always had my back, and I appreciate that so much’: Michael Brantley is ready for a Cleveland ovation

Zack Meisel Jul 8, 2019 9
CLEVELAND — Terry Francona was chatting with Michael Brantley’s mother, Nina, on Monday morning, a typical tale of a manager gushing about one of his favorite players.

“You wind him up and send him out there and let him play,” Francona said, prompting a laugh from Nina.

Brantley, though, no longer plays in Cleveland. He spent the first 10 seasons of his big-league career with the Indians, for whom he blossomed into one of the league’s most reliable hitters, his short, smooth stroke producing line drive after line drive. His slash line sits at .324/.383/.511.

The organization opted not to extend Brantley a qualifying offer following the 2018 season, and he wound up in Houston, a sequence of events Indians general manager Mike Chernoff equated to “a gut punch.” But when Francona considers his club’s representatives at the All-Star festivities this week, he still groups Brantley with Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, Brad Hand and Shane Bieber.

“To me,” Francona said, “he’s an Indian.”

The two shared a dugout for six years. On Tuesday night, Brantley will be introduced with the rest of the American League All-Stars in a familiar setting.

“He’s one of the most genuinely respectful players that I’ve ever been around,” Francona said, “and I’ve been so fortunate to be around a lot of good ones. He’s what you’re looking for.”

The Athletic caught up with Brantley on Monday afternoon to discuss his state of mind during his return to Progressive Field.

Have you thought about what the moment will be like when you’re introduced?

No. I haven’t thought about that at all. I just don’t know what to expect. I know how excited I am to come back and play in front of these fans and hopefully they’re excited just like I am.

Kenny Lofton said one of the highlights of his career was when he received a rousing ovation at the ’97 All-Star Game in Cleveland after he was traded to Atlanta a few months earlier. Do you feel like you have a good grasp of how Indians fans feel about you?

I do, because they supported me throughout my entire career here. I’m very appreciative for how much support they gave me, through the good, through the bad, through the injuries, through the positive times. They always had my back, and I appreciate that so much.

Knowing this was in Cleveland, was there any extra incentive to want to be an All-Star?

Not for me, personally. I don’t play for the All-Star Game. This is a bonus for how hard you work throughout the first half and in the offseason. But you can’t be here without your teammates. Your teammates are the ones who help get you here as well. I’m here with a great group of guys and I’m just thankful to be here.

When you saw Shane Bieber last year for a couple months, did you think he could be an All-Star a year later, a month after he turned 24?

I was impressed when he came up last year, how well he commanded the ball. The more experience that he’d get with the command that he has, it equals an All-Star. He goes out there and competes every fifth day and he gives the ball club a chance to win every time he goes out. He’s a great pitcher.

Do you keep an eye on what the Indians are doing on a daily basis?

I do, I do. I’m not just going to change and turn my back to an organization that did so much for me, and how many relationships I have still with the Cleveland players. I check in on them. I still talk to a lot of guys throughout the year and make sure everybody’s doing all right.

Do you check the standings? The box scores?

I’m not a standings guy. I don’t even look at our own standings, to be honest with you, with the Astros.

I think you’re in first place.

Yeah. At the end of the year, we’ll figure that part out. In September, I’ll look. But I look at the box scores and check in on guys and see how they’re feeling and make sure everybody’s playing and everybody’s healthy.

How much are you looking forward to catching up with the Cleveland guys while you’re here?

Oh, very much so. Being in the same locker room as them. Have our own private conversations, sit down and have some lunch together. Just enjoy being with each other again. I created relationships that are going to last a lifetime. It’s just that I’m with a different organization.

Santana stole your locker, you know.

I heard that. There are a lot of hits in that locker, that’s all I know. He’s having a great year. We talked this offseason when he got traded about how excited he was to come back. I’m so happy for him and his family and I’m happy to be with him here. I hope he puts on a great show for the Home Run Derby.

(Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

Indians’ Shane Bieber completes magical journey from college walk-on to All-Star MVP
By Jason Lloyd 5h ago 11
CLEVELAND — The most nervous moment for the family was sometime around Christmas break in 2014. That’s when college baseball teams typically trim their walk-ons, and if there was a chance Shane Bieber wasn’t going to make UC Santa Barbara’s roster, that was when it would find out.

It was easy back then to dismiss Bieber as a college prospect. He didn’t have any Division I offers in part because he was rail thin, his fastball sat between 85 and 88 mph and he threw a lollypop curve. But he demonstrated pinpoint control that eventually carried him all the way to the majors and to becoming the All-Star Game MVP.

“The day he stepped foot on campus, you could blindfold him, spin him around three times and he’d still throw a strike,” UCSB coach Andrew Checketts said.

Five years later, Bieber was standing on the infield of Progressive Field spinning between a pair of Chevy Silverado trucks following the American League’s 4-3 victory. He is one of the unlikeliest All-Star MVPs in history, particularly since he didn’t make his big-league debut until 13 months ago and he wasn’t even on the All-Star Game roster last week. He was a late addition after the Rays’ Charlie Morton couldn’t participate because he started on Sunday.

This is what Bieber has done his whole life: Take an opportunity and outperform the expectations.

He entered the season as the fifth starter on a team with four aces. Then Mike Clevinger injured his shoulder, Corey Kluber fractured his arm and Carlos Carrasco was diagnosed with leukemia. Trevor Bauer has battled control and inconsistencies most of the season, leaving Bieber as the Indians’ most consistent starter.

He has the best ERA among Tribe starters and his eight wins are tied with Bauer for most on the team. He entered the break ranked in the top 10 in MLB in strikeouts — a remarkable feat given his lack of velocity not so long ago.

The whole formula for how baseball chooses its MVP remains murky. What remains clear is how rare it is for a pitcher to win the award. Only two others have done it in the last 30 years — Mariano Rivera and Pedro Martinez. Back that up to Roger Clemens’ All-Star MVP selection in 1986 and each of the last three pitchers to win it has given an acceptance speech in Cooperstown.

Pitchers typically aren’t in these games long enough to make a significant impact. On a night when no one really stood out as the obvious choice, Bieber’s dazzling fifth inning was enough. He struck out Wilson Contreras, Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuña Jr. as the hometown crowd chanted his name and roared in delight. He became the 11th pitcher in All-Star Game history to strike out the side without allowing a walk or a hit.

His dad was in attendance and chanting, too. Well, at least he tried.

“It’s hard to chant when you’re crying,” Chris Bieber said. “I’m generally not an emotional person, but it’s hard not to (cry). It was absolutely surreal.”

Chris Bieber recently retired from law enforcement. His wife, Kristine, will soon retire, too. While they remain in California now, retirement will allow them to spend more time in Cleveland, a city they have come to adore for the way it has embraced their youngest son.

Not only did Bieber get his Christmas wish by making UCSB’s team his freshman year, he debuted as their No. 3 starter. He was soon placed on scholarship, and when the school made its first appearance in the College World Series two years later, Bieber was the staff ace.

Checketts turned Bieber’s curve into a slider in college and he progressively grew stronger. He added a few ticks to his fastball every year, and by his junior year, he could throw in the 90s. The breaking ball he throws now is so good, Checketts was texting another assistant coach during the game Tuesday impressed with how it has developed over the last two years.

When Bieber struck out Contreras, the family was still gasping for air. By the time Marte ran the count full and Bieber finished him off with a slider to end the inning, the family was delirious.

“It was just kind of blank from there,” Chris said.

Bieber is just the third hometown star to win the MVP award; the first was Sandy Alomar, who hit a magical walk-off home run on the same field in 1997. That was the last time Cleveland hosted the All-Star Game and it was the perfect ending to an incredible week. It was also an incredible season for Alomar that culminated in a World Series appearance for the Indians.

Twenty-two years later, the Indians will again try to use a perfect All-Star week as host city to make another deep postseason run.

Alomar has become one of the most beloved figures in team history. Whether Bieber can reach that level remains to be seen, but dismiss him at your own peril. The last calendar year has proven as much.

“Since I’ve known him, he’s made a jump every year,” Checketts said. “He just keeps getting better.”

Congrats to Bieber for his performance last night but MVP? Sounds like a gift to Cleveland for hosting the game.

MVP awards for a single game are a joke especially when you pitch 1/9 of the game.

Hope he got some bucks out of the deal.

Excuse me, but the all star game has been played since 1933. Even earlier if you want to count benefit games, such as the Addie Joss benefit game. And Shane Bieber was the first pitcher in it's history to strike out the side.

Who else would you give it to? Brantley for an RBI double? Gallo for a solo homer? Or the guy who did something that no player has done in 86 years?

Give me a break.

Oh, crap, I got some bad info last night. I read he was the 1st. I posted that was crazy cause I thought it hard to believe. I know why now. My apologies!

You are excused. Just this once.

The game was on FOX. No source of misinformation there

Might have been a questionable MVP but the Least Valuable Player was easy...Hands down.

Makes sense to me that really no one could claim an obvious MVP.

In that case, probably an 8 way tie, you go with the home team guy.

seagull wrote:The game was on FOX. No source of misinformation there

I have several sports apps on my phone and iPad, but 3 of them were sending me notifications at the end of the game last night. MLB, ESPN, and Bleacher Report.

One of them sent me a notification immediately after the game saying Bieber was given MVP and was first to strike out the side in an all star game. I went back to see which one it was but after you click on a notification to read the article the notification goes away, so can't say for sure which it was. But I would assume it was Bleacher Report.

Might have been the first "Indian" pitcher in 86 years. Or maybe the first "host stadium" pitcher