Today, under the category of 'I Know it's Early, But...'
The Twins are at the head of the AL Central, bolstered by some smart, cheap roster moves, and Nelson Cruz. And yet the team that usually ends up leading the AL Central, the Cleveland Indians, are currently in fourth. None of their starters currently have a win, Corey Kluber has 2 losses, and even wins that come down to the strength of a starting pitcher, like Mike Clevinger's 12-strikeout game on Monday, still have to come down to the strength of the bullpen and bench.
And you can tell that something's missing. The heart of the lineup is now Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Jake Bauers and Hanley Ramirez. And only Slamtana seems to be doing well. Jose Ramirez is having the same first-week drought that he had last year, and hopefully he picks it back up. A lot of the team is being covered by inexperienced people, or people that are too old. And the two big heroes of the playoff teams, Michael Brantley and Francisco Lindor, are either in Houston or injured. So it's been very hard for this early incarnation of the 2019 team to get wins, even from easy teams like the White Sox.
The good news is there's still a lot of time for this team to improve, and figure out its voice. The problem is that there's no real leadership figure with Lindor out of the lineup and Ramirez slumping, so if those two can get back to business, the team may be better off. It also might help throwing Shane Bieber back into the rotation, and see if they can take the pressure off the main starters.
I'm not saying this Indians team is dead yet. At least they're struggling early rather than in September.
Coming Tomorrow- A late-offseason acquisition, this bench standout has been one of few highlights for a rebuilding team.
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