Cleveland Indians First Half Recap Part One - The Bullpen

If there is one word that can be used to describe the Indians’ bullpen this year..... I guess it would be “wobbly.” I could use terrible, inconsistent, woeful etc..... but I’ll use wobbly because at times they have shown signs of brilliance. Take for example the last week or so, relievers Chris Perez and Tony Sipp have turned themselves around and had some stellar innings over the past ten days. But those two pitchers in particular have also had some horrific outings as well. As with the rest of the Indians’ roster, the bullpen has been in a constant state of flux, and we’ll take a look now at what has worked, what has not worked, and what to expect in the second half.

So, what has worked for the pen in 2010? (hey that rhymes!) Well, they seem to always be able to come back after a poor outing (or a string of poor outings) and pull something magical out of their hat at least once or twice a week. Unfortunately for the Tribe, they play six games a week, which means the rest of those games are often full of bad outings and blown leads. Old stand-by Rafael Perez has been up and down all season in terms of his control and command. Perez was once one of the most feared relievers in all of baseball, but since the 2008 season he has struggled to find his command and has spent time in the minors trying to correct his issues. Perez even started this winter during games in the Dominican, and many wondered if the Tribe would try to convert him to a starting pitcher. While this hasn’t been completely ruled out, Perez’s duties right now are in the bullpen as a set-up man for closer Kerry Wood. It will be interesting to see if he continues his recent string of good outings in the second half, or if he will fall victim to the troubles of the past two seasons.

Speaking of closer Kerry Wood, the Indians have had to deal with a lot of problems from their highest paid player this season. Wood has battled injuries which required a stint on the disabled list, and when he came back he was anything but in control. Only recently has Wood began to show signs of his old self, but for a team that is desperately trying to find a buyer for the veteran closer draining $10 million from their payroll this season, it is probably too late to find any takers. Whether or not Wood will carry his good outings into the second half remains to be seen, but it seems that the Tribe is stuck with him for the rest of the season, and his big fat contract.

During Wood’s absence we got a chance to see the potential closer-in-training Chris Perez step into the hot seat, and promptly get burned to a crisp by the pressure of closing out close games. Perez’s first stint as a power-closer was a disaster, and raised a lot of eyebrows amongst the Cleveland faithful who hoped that he would be able to step into the role when the club eventually traded Wood at the all-star break. Now removed from the debacle of an experiment Perez has become something of a man on fire of late. He currently has the lowest ERA of all Cleveland relievers with a 2.70 ERA in 33 1/3 innings of work. At 25 years old, he still has a lot of time to improve and don’t think for one minute the Tribe has given up on the idea of him eventually becoming their closer. Should a team decide to bite at Wood, Perez could very well be back in that role before the end of the season.

The rest of the pen has been so-so, not great but not terrible either. Tony Sipp has really turned himself around as of late, giving up just one run on Saturday during his appearance in the game against Tampa Bay. That was his first run in his last ten appearances, a far cry from the 18 earned runs he gave up in his previous 21 2/3 innings of the season. Sipp is highly regarded as one of the pieces of the puzzle that will take the Tribe to high places over the next couple of years, and the fans really seem to want to get behind the youngster. If he can take his recent momentum into the second half, the seventh inning is going to be a lot tougher for the Tribe’s opponents.

> Fans can find a great selection of Cleveland Indians apparel & hats online through MLB Center and Pro Baseball Fans!

Hector Ambriz, Frank Herrmann and Joe Smith round out the current bullpen. All three have been recent additions to the pen after spending some time in the minor leagues this season. Herrmann was called up after the Tribe decided to designate veteran Jamey Wright for assignment in early June and has done an admirable job so far. His ERA (4.50) is a bit high given his 10 innings of work, but he also has 7 strike outs and just 2 walks. This is his first stint in the bigs and he seems to be adjusting just fine considering. Expect to see him get more comfortable in the second half and he could become an important piece of this bullpen as the season draws to a close. Ambriz hasn’t faired quite as well in his first season with a big league club. Since his debut in late-April, Ambriz has managed a 7.53 ERA in 14 1/3 innings and has been shelled for 23 hits. Whether or not he is destined to stay in the bullpen for long remains to be seen, but the Tribe seems high on the youngster and they just may give him a shot to right the ship in the second half of the season. Joe Smith has also come on strong as of late and the young sidearmer hopes to continue his recent success in the second half as well.

If the Indians move forward with their current bullpen for the rest of the second half, I truly believe that they will continue to improve into the feared force they were expected to be coming out of spring training. Sipp, Herrmann and Chris Perez look to be on track to have monster second halves, and Rafael Perez seems to be poised to turn his past two seasons into a faded memory as well. Aaron Laffey could end up in the mix of things as David Huff and Carlos Carrasco could both be on their way to Cleveland to take spots in the Tribe’s rotation sometime in the month of August. Of course, a trade of closer Kerry Wood or starters Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook could certainly shake up the bullpen as well. One thing is certain, the second half should be a lot more entertaining to watch in a good way than the first half of the season was!

Next time we’ll close out our week-long look at the first half of the season as we examine the Tribe’s surprising starting rotation.

By Robert Gonzalez
Cleveland Indians Correspondent

> View all of the MLB baseball news articles from MLB Center.