A Momentum Shifter
There’s this double-standard for baseball.
If your team loses, the thought process is something along the lines of “Darn, but hey, it’s only one game.” However, if the team wins in some sort of dramatic fashion no way in hell is that just “one win.” Despite the same old +1 in the win column, those types of victories mean more.
I guess you could blame it on that feeling called…momentum.
On Monday night, the Indians salvaged a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers on an amazing Michael Brantley walk off home run. Brantley, now batting .292 with 9 home runs and 33 RBI’s, has been the one player that’s consistently played really well throughout the whole entire season.
In addition, Michael Brantley’s swing reminds me a lot of now retired slugger Ken Griffey Jr.’s. Both so cool, calm and collected in the batters box. Each never trying to do too much with the ball. That’s why he’s seeing such great results this year, and Griffey had such an amazing career.
The desperate hope is that Monday’s win propels the Indians into back onto the winning track. After a four game skid, including an ugly series against the Oakland A’s where the Tribe was outscore 30-6, the Indians did get off the schnide with the dramatic win against Detroit as Brantley’s home run soared through the night sky.
But we aren’t stupid.
One dramatic win only means something if it’s a catalyst to many more victories in the near future. Say the Tribe drops five of the next seven, the magic off the bat of Brantley is forgotten.
It’s now or never for the Tribe. As we hit the home stretch of May, the Tigers are still 9.5 game ahead. Realistically speaking, the Indians are only 3.5 games out of the wild card leading Anaheim Angels, but eight teams are ahead. Point being, the wild card is still a viable option. Although, I absolutely hate that one game playoff deal…but we’ll take it if we have to.
The players that we desperately need to turn it around are the ones that are taking home a pretty fat pay check every so often. Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn haven’t even come anywhere close to where they should be playing since joining the Tribe before last season. Swisher, batting at a lonely .204. Bourn, a guy that should hit for average, is only at .248 himself.
I don’t even want to talk about 3B Carlos Santana. He needs to be sent down to AAA.
Additionally, this is beating a dead horse, but the Indians have to play better defense. Despite having zero errors in Monday’s win, there were a few defensive blunders that became costly. PERFECT defense is needed in order for victory to occur. That’s been known since the beginnings of baseball over 100 years ago.
Bring everything together, based off of the excitement from for the walk-off winner, and you’ve got a winning baseball team. No one is saying that there’s a lack of talent on time team. No way. Clearly, it’s just that most are underperforming these first 45 games.
Detroit sucks, and I hate the Tigers with all my guts. I’m tired of them coming to Cleveland and walking over us. Let’s beat ’em here, let’s beat ’em there. This season is far from over, but changes have to be made now.
Momentum is funny, but it’s on our side now. We’re the offensive, we’re the attackers. WE. ARE. THE. TRIBE!
-Zach Shafron
