Hello Tribe fans everywhere!
Well, tonight's another big night for Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia, who's pitched more like Fred Lasher than Sandy Koufax in his first three starts of 2008. I'm with Cleveland Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto, who said on his live chat today that he believes Sabathia is experiencing some type of mechanical problem with his delivery.
The big southpaw, who's in the final year of his contract with Cleveland, couldn't have picked a worse time to pitch so poorly. If he continues at this pace, he'll blow millions of dollars in the free agent market. In truth, Sabathia has not pitched well since the start of the post-season games last October.
His control is off, he makes too many pitches, and hitters are crushing the balls he gets up in the strike zone. As Pluto pointed out, Sabathia has been nearing the 100-pitch mark by the fourth inning of every start.
What can the Indians do? Well, it's a given they're checking old footage of Sabathia when he was mowing down American League batters in 2007 -- except in October, as mentioned. They might also be comparing his current pitching form to the six-week-long stretch he endured in 2005 when he pitched horribly.
The hope is that C.C. can pinpoint the problem, as he did in '05, make the needed adjustments and return to his reliable self. The irony is the Indians decided to keep Sabathia this season, instead of trading him to a contender, so they might stand a decent chance of advancing to the World Series. Now he's the worst pitcher on the staff.
Let's hope the Tribe's deep thinkers can spot the flaw in his delivery, and pave the way for the return of the old Sabathia. We miss him.
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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: The Indians 1976 Man of the Year was hard-hitting outfielder Rico Carty. Maybe they should refer to him as their "Mon of the Year."
Today's quiz: Name the Indians pitcher who won 20 or more games from 1905-08 and finished his abbreviated big-league career with 45 shutouts.
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-- Kevin Cuneo