Lessons Not Learned (STILL)

Last July, before one Ubaldo Jimenez even made a single pitch in a Cleveland Indians uniform, I said that his trade from the Colorado Rockies would go down amongst the worst in Indians history.

Well, since Jimenez switched over to the American League (the one with competent hitters), he is a remarkable 9-8 with an ERA of WELL over 5 and a clutchness of virtually zero. Pegged by the front office as an ace for the long term, Jimenez has performed at a level barely worthy of being a fifth starter.

And while I could go on and on about how the writing was all over the wall and that someone has to be fired over this trade, that would be a waste of time at this point because the Indians have a team that is (somehow) still in first place and has a real shot to make the postseason for the first time since 2007.

So the question must turn to what must be done now. Now that it is clear Jimenez cannot help this team, the Indians have to cut their losses. Chalk it up to a collassal mistake and move on. Because beyond the runs and hits and losses, Jimenez is taxing the bullpen virtually every time he takes the mound. This impacts more than just the game in question and this is why the front office needs to make a move to save the season.

No, not a move to go get someone who is clearly beyond a fluke period of success. Simply a move to get someone from Columbus who can pitch into the sixth or seventh inning. Not dominance, just solid pitching.

Right now, the Indians are an embarrassment. Not the type of embarrassment you got back in 2009-2010, but the type of embarrassment you saw in the first quarter of Major League. The type of embarrassment that makes you wonder how this is still considered a major league franchise.

Jose Lopez in the cleanup spot? Juan Diaz called up to the majors after batting .232 at AA Akron?

No amount of injury issues can excuse the lineup put out there this weekend in Chicago.

But somehow this lineup has been plenty productive. Seven runs on Saturday should have been more than enough. The production on Sunday was even better, save for poor situational hitting (a problem all year).

So it does come down to the pitching.

Derek Lowe was probably due for an outing like Saturday so for now that gets a pass.

But Ubaldo is a problem. Sure, he somehow has a winning record. But in 10 starts he has failed to go more than 5 innings in 4 of them.

The interesting part is that all 4 of those starts are on the road. In fact, Jimenez has gone at least 6 innings in all 5 starts this season at Progressive Field.

Entering Sunday (another awful road start), Jimenez was 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA at home and 2-2 with a 7.65 on the road.

With this inconsistency, there has been talk of moving Jimenez into long relief. Given the impact Jimenez has had on the bullpen, something needs to be done and maybe this is the answer.

But take a look at those home/road splits and think about this: Why not leave Zach Macallister on the active roster as a 6th starter/long reliever and have Jimenez skip starts on the road. Macallister has been solid so far this season and the Indians are in need of a dependable long reliever (see Jairo Asencio on Friday and Sunday).

More importantly, the skipped starts (during which Jimenez can take Macallister's spot in the bullpen) would give Jimenez more time to work out his mechanics without having to have him pitch on the road where he is clearly not comfortable right now (no minor league options so stop saying that is an option).

However the Indians coaching staff and front office choose to handle the situation, it must be handled. I get the notion of trying to hold off on any move that would amount to a confession that last year's move was a mistake. But this year could be THE year. And to have it derailed by a few stubborn front office personnel would only exasperate the already growing dissent among the un-educated (in baseball terms) and easily distracted (by even more frustrating professional football) Cleveland fan base.

It is time to stop building for the future and start the process of solidifying a winning ballclub now. There are only so many opportunities to be missed before the opportunities stop coming around.