Cleveland “rocks” AL to 10-2 start - No, that isn’t a misprint…The franchise that went into a 35 year “tank” after Frank Lane trade one Rocky Colavito is the dominant player in KOD9. Manager Bill Keller said, “We overachieve…this is one heck of a club”. More relevant are the comments the opposition is making. Justin Ryan of the Blue Jays said, “Being in Cleveland’s division, I guess my best shot at the post season is via the Wild Card.” Pretty hefty praise for a season that is a game or 2 shy of the 1/3 mark.
The “Tribe” is getting great pitching and dominant hitting. Cal McLish is leading all starters with a 3-0 record and a miniscule 1.33 ERA. In fact he’s what the industry terms “a day off for the pen”, since he’s completed each of his starts. You can’t win with just one dominant starter. You need to have a number 2 guy who is almost like a #1 guy. Gary “Ding Dong” Bell has done just that. Bell is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA. He’s also tied for second in the league with 18 k’s.
When the starters tire future HOF’er Hoyt Wilhelm is waiting with his rubber arm and lethal knuckle ball to close things out.
Rocky Colavito has worn out AL pitching to the tune of a .458 BA, 5 HR’s and 9 RBI’s. He’s a legit triple crown threat if he could start knocking in more runs. His big problem is teammate Larry Doby, who has 14 RBI’s and a impressive .395 BA of his own. The 34 year old Doby returned to Cleveland after a 2 year hiatus in the South Side of Chicago. Doby looks to be recharged, as do veterans Minnie Minoso (.326) and Vic Power (.333 / 2 HR).
Cleveland has a 4 game lead over the 6-6 New York Yankees, while the rest of the AL East sits below .500 at 5-7.
Will age, injuries and fatigue catch up with the Tribe or will they go wire to wire ? Only time will tell. Manager Keller will have his hands full juggling his every day lineup for this team that only has two starters who threw over 200 innings and 1 batter (Minoso) with more than 500 AB’s.
No comments:
Post a Comment