 OK, it's not back to Comedy Central. Not yet. But the big, bad AL Central, at least so far, is baseball's weakest division rather than its strongest. The Twins are in first place after trading Johan Santana and losing free agents Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva. Lest anyone get too excited, the plucky Twinkies are a mere 16-14.The supposed contenders are all below .500. After losing three straight in Minnesota, Tigers manager Jim Leyland plans a "pretty drastic" overhaul for his lineup Monday as his team begins a seven-game homestand against the Red Sox and Yankees. The Tigers offense occasionally sputters, but how much better is it going to get?The Tigers have averaged 6.25 runs per game since their 2-10 start, and their overall average of 4.94 is the best in the American League. Pitching remains a greater issue. The Tigers are next to last in the AL in ERA, and reliever Denny Bautista went on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis just as it appeared the bullpen was getting stronger with the addition of Francisco Cruceta. The Indians' dirty little secret is that they've been nearly as bad as the Tigers. They've dropped five of their past seven games, scoring only six runs in the five losses, which includes two shutouts.Designated hitter Travis Hafner has hit the ball hard since manager Eric Wedge dropped him to sixth in the batting order, but his batting/on-base/slugging line is .209/.305/.345. Third baseman Casey Blake and second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera are even worse, and shortstop Jhonny Peralta also is a disappointment. Catcher Victor Martinez is batting .347, but has yet to hit a home run in 95 at-bats. The Indians are better than this, but would benefit from the addition of at least one more bat. They explored trades for Scott Rolen, Miguel Cabrera and, to a lesser degree, Brian Roberts last off-season. Roberts would be a dynamic addition, given the struggles of Cabrera. The return of outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from Tommy John surgery also could provide a lift. But a Choo/Franklin Gutierrez platoon in right field still might not be enough. The White Sox are another team that could use Roberts in the leadoff spot, though they led the AL in runs per game before their current five-game losing streak, in which they have scored a total of nine runs. The track records of designated hitter Jim Thome, first baseman Paul Konerko and shortstop Orlando Cabrera offer reason to believe that the Sox will improve. But center fielder Nick Swisher also is slumping, and manager Ozzie Guillen benched second baseman Juan Uribe the past two games in favor of Pablo Ozuna.The good news is, the White Sox rank third in the AL in ERA, while the Indians are fourth and the Twins fifth. But the Sox, like the Tigers, are an older club, and are susceptible to injuries and declines in performance. Both teams also lack roster flexibility, as they're locked into most of their position players. For the supposed AL Central contenders, it's too early for alarm, but not too early for concern. Lefties: The Yankees' KryptoniteWithout the injured Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees' predominantly left-handed lineup is even more vulnerable than usual against left-handed pitching. MLB roundupMust-read:- Tolegian: MLB power rankings
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Added: May 5, 2008 |
