What We Have Learned Already

Baseball season is underway and this year should be one full of excitement as we have all been waiting in anticipation. The Cleveland Indians already have one series down, three games, in the record books. Three games may not seem like much, but it was enough time for me to recognize certain favorable attributes as well as some not so favorable.

In the first place, did anyone watch Justin Masterson pitch on opening day? The pitcher painted a masterpiece of a game, throwing seven shutout innings, while only facing trouble during one inning. Masterson appeared in mid season form and worked his way out of the jam. The 29 year old fought to keep us in the game while we tried to find an offensive groove.

Not to mention, the righty struggles versus the Oakland franchise, owning a 7.67 earned run average along with a 1-4 record from 2011-2013. Here is what I took away from that game: the man is a workhorse, fighting, proving his worth to this team. For this reason I say pay the man, but I know it is not that easy.

Of course Justin Masterson is playing for a contract, but is he worth the money that he is demanding? The numbers say yeah. In three opening day starts, the 29 year old has only surrendered eight hits in 21 innings while registering 19 strikeouts, 24 groundouts, and a 0.86 earned run average. Masterson is the real deal and deserves to get paid like it.

In similar fashion, Cleveland should have paid Scott Kazmir for obvious reasons. Most apparently, the Indians need a lefty in a rotation dominated by right handed pitching. Not to mention that Kazmir torched us, fanning five batters without surrendering a walk. The lefty allowed only three hits in just over seven shutout innings. This is one guy who I enjoyed seeing wear an Indians uniform.

In light of Kazmir’s departure, Cleveland is depending on the growth of Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister. So far, not so good. Between the two pitchers, they allowed eight runs on 14 hits. Command issues appeared to be the problem and they didn’t help their cause by walking seven batters combined. No one can win a game when locating the strike zone is impossible leading to a rapidly increasing pitch count.

Correspondingly, McAllister threw 36 pitches in the first inning alone while Kluber only managed to throw 27. If things don’t get turned around fast, this season could spiral out of control, but I’m not worried. Both men have proven themselves to be better pitchers than they have been.

At the same time, when your team is scoring runs, it helps build your confidence on the mound. This was not the case for our Cleveland Indians as they couldn’t get the motors going early. Thanks to Justin Masterson for shutting out Oakland because batters were 1-11 with runners in scoring position before driving in two runs in the ninth inning. During their second meeting, Cleveland was shut out for eight frames before Santana knocked in a run with two outs. Their final contest on this trip was a different story.

The Indians didn’t appear on the scoreboard until the fourth inning, but at least they began earlier. Unfortunately, going into the ninth, Cleveland was down by a single run. That would soon change. Michael “Dr. Smooth” Brantley came up clutch, registering a two RBI single, followed by an insurance run from David Murphy.

Out of nine runs scored this season, six of them occurred during our last at bat. This just proves like they did last year, they will fight until the end. This is a great attribute to obtain, but we still need to get on the board earlier.

Speaking of late game heroics, they wouldn’t mean squat if your closer can’t seal the deal. John Axford was a big question mark, but I believe that question has been answered. The new Indian has already achieved two saves in just as many chances. Axford looks confident out there, striking out three batters in two innings. Despite walking two on opening day, I didn’t get that nervous feeling like Chris Perez always made me feel.

All things considered, the Cleveland Indians should produce an entertaining season. There are some starting pitching concerns, but I think those kind of issues will work themselves out. Offensively, some kinks need to be mended as well as starting the engine earlier. In reality, it’s only the beginning of a long season full of highs and lows and it may be too early to tell.

– Max Gold

Image Credited to: www.cbssports.com