Indians Defense is Offensive

How 9 guys play defense can make or break a team's season in baseball. In some cases, poor team defense is the reason 25 guys are booking tee times instead of playing baseball in October.

Don't believe me? Just ask Eric Wedge. Or better yet, ask CC Sabathia. And if your head is still attached, you'll know why the Indians are not a factor in the AL Central this year: Poor defense.

It was evident from the start that CC Sabathia didn't have his "A" game tonight. The Cubs weren't fooled by what CC was throwing tonight, and they hit him rather hard. It's in games like that where the defense is expected to step up their effort and make some plays. Tonight, the Indians failed to complete that task.

With nobody out, and runners on 1st and 3rd, a ball was slowly hit down the 1st baseline. Ben Broussard fielded the ball cleanly and fired a perfect strike to homeplate, in plenty of time to beat the baserunner. There was plenty of time, because nobody was running home. End result: Bases loaded, nobody out.

The next batter hits a slow line drive towards second base. The type of ball that a shackled Stephen Hawking could catch in the air is allowed to drop, and 2B Ron Belliard fields it on a hop and throws the ball to...no one. End result: Run scores, bases still loaded with nobody out.

Two sure outs (possibly 3) squandered, both scored as a "Fielder's Choice", as in they chose not to think.

You can almost forgive physical errors. A shortstop goes to his right, fields the ball with his backhand and launches a rocket into the stands for a 1-base error. Yeah, he messed up, but you applaud the effort. In the case of Broussard and Belliard, who are regarded as decent fielders (in fact, Belliard is one of the Top 10 2B over the last 3 years in +/- according to "The Fielding Bible"), tonight's miscues were of the mental variety.

And those are the unmistakable sign of a team that is just coasting along. Mental errors, even at the game's highest level, are indicative a far greater problem.

On this, you might not want to ask Eric Wedge's opinion.