Morning Rundown: Carlos Santana Gut Check Time

A team cannot win by simply not cashing in on their opportunities. They may be able to get a few runs here or there and if they get a good pitching performance, win the game. That is kind of how the Indians are going right now. They don't look bad, the offense doesn't look horrific, the pitching is here and there. Their biggest issue is coming up with the big hit that gives them the win. Sometimes it isn't needed, but if the team is going to win consistently, it's something that better start happening.

July 17th, 2012

Cleveland Indians - 2

Tampa Bay Rays - 4

W: Matt Moore (6-6) L: Josh Tomlin (5-6) S: Fernando Rodney (27)

[BOXSCORE]

Carlos Carlos Carlos.

I saw one half inning of this game on television, so naturally that is what I'm going to spend 300-400 words on, the last half inning of this game.

I'm reaching that point right now where I just do not know what else I can say other than to sit here and wonder. There are no words. Carlos Santana was 0-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch on this night. He got hit in the ninth, so he was on with no one out and runners coming up.

And then he gets doubled off on what really should have been a simple liner back to the pitcher that was caught, not a liner that was caught by the pitcher and thrown to first for the second out. 

To me this shows some laziness. It shows him not having his head in the game. It shows that right now, he's just really worthy of playing everyday. He's throwing his helmet out there and just taking whatever the results are. 

Am I right? I don't know, I can't say for sure, but that's how I feel. He's gotten to the point where he's hitting sixth. SIXTH! Behind Jose Lopez! I mean really? Michael Brantley is hitting cleanup because Santana isn't doing squat. Santana should be hitting cleanup and doing just that, cleaning up. The way the hitters ahead of him are doing their job, this should be a career year. Not a .221 average all I can muster is five home runs and 30 RBI in 74 games type of a year.

So here's the deal. I don't know what happened in the first eight and a half innings. There are instances where  I will get to that I can point out that hurt. If he goes 2-2 with that walk and does not get doubled off, whatever, they probably don't win. But it is to the principle of the matter now. Santana is not getting it done and to me, it looks as if it's because he isn't trying as hard as he can or that he's dealing with some other sort of issue in which has his mind not on the game.

Again, I hate to have to suggest it about someone who I know nothing of and has no sort of rumors attached to, but it's perplexing right now as to what Santana is doing at the plate. It's a big jumbled mess and overall, it is thing that is costing the Indians the most.

This is not a major story line to this particular game though. It didn't cost the Indians anything but a potential rally. They still lost 4-2 and squandered more opportunities beyond Santana getting doubled off.

"We just, unfortunately, couldn't do much offensively," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We just couldn't get that hit to get us over the hump."

The Indians got a sac fly from Jose Lopez with the bases loaded. Great a run, but the lack of hit there prevented anything else from happening because Santana struck out and Duncan flew out to end the inning. It's hard to blame Lopez after he knocked in a run because no one else did, but in the fifth he got another based loaded opportunity with two outs and couldn't come through with the hit.

It just shows you how bad the Indians are now with runners in scoring position. Not just lately, but the entire season it has been woeful. They're hitting .195 as a team with the bases loaded. How do you do that? You are in the position to come through because you are the one in the advantage. To me, that type of statistic is unacceptable and it goes back again to a guy like Santana, striking out in that situation with a few guys on and nobody out. 

Duncan comes up an inning later with a runner on and nobody out and grounds into a double play in a one run game. Moore walked five hitters in his short amount of time in the game. But he only gave up three hits. That is a situation in which you cannot let the other team off the hook. Those are situations that have killed the Indians in the past in which their pitcher has walked hitters and the team has come through with the hits.

It is time for the offense to put it on themselves and start coming through with the big hit. Getting runners on base and in position is not a problem. Again this just continues the nasty trend that has been present the past few weeks. The team is getting on, the team is getting their hits. But they are not getting the hits that help them score their runs and it has to change.

Josh Tomlin is going to take some blame for putting his team in a hole. But I don't think you can outright blame him for the loss.

"It's tough putting the guys in a hole like that," Tomlin said. "It's tough to battle back from that. I've got to do a better job of limiting the damage right there."

Tomlin did put his team in a hole and give up four runs in five plus innings. It isn't the greatest start in the world, but not one that didn't give his team a chance. You have to credit him for coming back and just getting out of that first and not allowing much more damage.