Jeremy's Bright Future Imminent

This article was recently published by Knight Ridder newspapers all across the country.

A Pitcher Named Jeremy Could be the Answer for Indians

by Terry Pluto
Knight Ridder Newspapers

If the Cleveland Indians are truly serious about contending, Jeremy Sowers will replace Jason Johnson in the starting rotation.

If not Sowers, then they should bring up Jeremy Guthrie, who has been tremendous at Class-AAA Buffalo, where he's 3-0 with an 0.64 ERA and has not allowed a run in his last two starts.

Two pitchers named Jeremy . . .

Either would be a better option than Johnson, who is scheduled to start Sunday in Detroit.

The Indians are nine games behind the Tigers as they open a three-game series in Detroit tonight. They are eight games in back of the World Series champion Chicago White Sox. They are in baseball's toughest division.

They can't keep starting a guy whose ERA is 12.42 the last four times out. Jason Johnson is 32 years old. He was 16-26 with a 4.80 ERA for the Tigers the last two years.

He's 2-4 with a 6.52 ERA this season. Since the year 2000, he's 44-78.

The Indians like to examine statistical trends.

Think about this: Before this season, Johnson was a much better pitcher in his career before the All-Star break (33-44, 4.43) than after (19-42, 5.48).

There is no rational reason to stick with the veteran right-hander unless the Indians were out of options, but they have two exciting alternatives at Buffalo.

Most fans are aware of Sowers, who is 6-1 with an 0.94 ERA. He's on a streak of 22 scoreless innings. In 67 innings this season, he's allowed only one home run!

He a finesse lefty. He doesn't strike out a lot of hitters (37 in 67 innings), nor does he walk many (18). He wins games, gets batters out. He's started only 37 pro games, but he's 20-5 for his minor-league career.

Compare that with Johnson, whose minor-league record was 35-48. His overall big-league mark is 54-90. He has a good arm, a 92 mph fastball and an impressive sinker. But the parts are far better than the finished product.

The Indians say they love Sowers, but wouldn't mind giving him a little more time to work on holding base runners and some other subtleties of pitching.

OK, bring up Guthrie.

He has been terrific at Buffalo. In fact, the Indians have rated his last two starts even better than those of Sowers. On the season, Guthrie's 0.64 ERA is backed by 29 innings of 19 hits, no homers allowed and 21 strikeouts.

He showed promise with the Tribe in the bullpen last month, where he had a 4.63 ERA in 11 innings. His fastball was in the high 90s.

A creative idea would be to put Sowers in the rotation for Johnson, Guthrie in the bullpen for Guillermo Mota.

Unlike the 23-year-old Sowers, who has been a pro for less than two years, Guthrie is 27. He's in his fourth pro season. The four-year deal he signed with the Tribe out of Stanford is about to expire. He won't be a free agent, but the Indians must decide how he fits.

Let's find out now, and do it knowing he'll help more than Mota.

There was a reason the Indians first backed off from Mota during the trade talks with Boston in the Coco Crisp/Andy Marte deal. There were concerns about Mota's arm, even though he did pitch in 67 innings of relief in 2005.

Mota's fastball remains in the mid-90s. He is supposed to have an excellent change-up, but has used it sparingly. On the season, he is 0-3 with a 5.89 ERA. Digging deeper, you discover he's given up five home runs in only 18 innings. In May, his ERA is 8.20 with three homers in 7 innings.

Shall we be kind and say that he's trending in the wrong direction, to use the jargon of today's baseball executives?

The Indians have won seven of their last nine games. The pitching staff is shaping up. C.C. Sabathia has been dominating. Veteran Paul Byrd is a notorious slow starter (career 5.01 ERA in May), but is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA and only three walks in his last four starts.

The time to make a move is now, both in the standings and with the pitching staff.