Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Chris Perez, right, is congratulated by pitcher Justin Masterson after their 6-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in a baseball game in Detroit, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
CLEVELAND — Only six Indians relievers — only two in the last 30 years — have ever been selected to the American League All-Star team.
That could change this season because the Indians have five legitimate candidates. However the candidacy of four of them is hampered by the fact that non-closers are very rarely selected to the All-Star team.
The only Indians reliever who was a non-closer to be selected to the AL All-Star team was Ray Narleski in 1956. Saves weren’t an official statistic that year, but Don Mossi, not Narleski, was considered the Tribe’s “closer” that year.
This year Chris Perez would seemingly have a very good chance of getting selected to the AL team. At the start of play Wednesday Perez was tied for third in the league with 17 saves. He only has one blown save, with a 2.63 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .206 batting average.
Asked about Perez’s strength as a candidate for the AL team, Tribe manager Manny Acta said, “Can you name a closer who has pitched any better? I know he maybe doesn’t have a big name, but look at his numbers.”
The numbers of four other Indians relievers are even better than Perez’s.
Entering Wednesday’s game Rafael Perez was 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA, and an opponents batting average of .218. Vinnie Pestano was 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA and a .148 opponents batting average. Tony Sipp was 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA and .151 opponents batting average, and Joe Smith was 2-1 with a 1.13 ERA with an opponents batting average of .250.
Acta said he feels non-closers should get more consideration for the All-Star team.
“I do, because most of the pitchers in the All-Star game only pitch one inning anyway,” he said.Continued...
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The bullpen has been the one constant, the biggest strength of this Indians season, which Acta said is not a surprise to him.
“It started in the second half of last season, and I think what helped it is all of these guys know their roles,” he said. “And the other thing is they are so unselfish. One night I might bring in Tony before Raffy and the next night I might bring in Raffy before Tony, but they don’t care. They don’t wonder about it or question why.”
With Carlos Santana replacing injured Matt LaPorta at first base, Lou Marson is getting increased playing time at catcher, and it seems to be helping his hitting. Marson actually went into Wednesday’s game with a higher batting average (.235) than Santana (.234).
That’s a major improvement for Marson, who hit just .195 last year.
“He’s a guy we feel has a chance to be an everyday catcher at the major league level,” said Acta. “We don’t necessarily see him as a backup.”
A backup, however, is what Marson will be with the Indians, once LaPorta comes off the disabled list, where he’s been since June 18, due to a sprained right ankle.
The Indians’ next nine games will all be interleague games in National League parks, which means the designated hitter won’t be used, which means Tribe pitchers will have to hit for themselves.
Don’t expect much.Continued...
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The Indians’ five starting pitchers — Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin, and Mitch Talbot — have a combined career batting average of .040 (1-for-25).
Carrasco and Tomlin have never had a plate appearance in the major leagues. Talbot is 0-for-5, Masterson 1-for-9 and Carmona 0-for-11.
Asked who is the best bunter of the group, Acta said, “Probably Tomlin. He’s the guy who seems to be the best at everything. He’s a good athlete.”
• The top two picks from the June Draft signed by the Indians so far are Merced (Calif.) Junior College pitcher Jake Sisco, a third round pick, and James Madison University catcher Jake Lowery, selected in the fourth round. Sisco received a signing bonus of $325,000. Lowery’s signing bonus was $220,000.
• With runners in scoring position Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting .410, which ranks second in the league, behind Baltimore’s Matt Wieters (.460).
• The Indians are off today, they begin a three-game series in San Francisco Friday night
• The team announced Wednesday that its July 4 game against the Yankees is a sellout.
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