Deep Left Field | A Cleveland Indians Blog

Ryan Garko Off to Fast Start

Long story short, the Indians are struggling mightily offensively.  Seemingly lost in the fray is the performance of first baseman Ryan Garko.  In his second full season in the bigs, Garko is responding with a very strong start, with a few particularly encouraging signs.  Last season, Garko only registered 34 walks to contrast his 94 strikeouts.  And yet, his on-base percentage (OBP) was still .359, a number well above average.  To start the 2008 campaign, Garko has already registered 12 walks to go along with only 7 strikeouts.  In addition to his .297 average, he is maintaining his OBP at .423, a number that puts him in some superior company, at least for now.

He is tied for the team lead in doubles (4), and is first in total bases (29), on-base percentage (.423), slugging percentage (.459) and walks (12).  He is also second in home runs (2) and RBIs (11).  Granted, it is still early in the season and Garko has only had 64 at-bats in 19 games, but it is encouraging to see at least one player put in a consistent effort every single day.  Like I said before, the statistic that stands out the most is the increase in walks.  Garko did not draw many in 2007, and the Indians could use baserunners in the worst way right now.  More importantly, it shows that Garko is maturing at the plate, becoming more selective, and is far more willing to take pitches.

• The Indians begin a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.  C.C. Sabathia, the current bane of every Cleveland fan’s existence, will take the hill on Tuesday night against Gil Meche (1-2, 6.08 ERA).  The Tribe then closes out April and opens May with a 1o-game homestand featuring the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Royals.  This is a tough stretch (believe it or not, the Royals are not pushovers) that is going to force this team to wake up and get its act together.
• Fausto Carmona has given up 18 walks and only struck out 10 batters in 23 innings of work.  Sabathia is 0-3, has a 13.50 ERA, and has struck out as many batters as he has walked (14).  But the most baffling thing of all is this: Cliff Lee is 3-0 with a league-leading 0.40 ERA, and that’s not even mentioning his 20 strikeouts and two walks.