Deep Left Field | A Cleveland Indians Blog

Think Ichiro Had to Punch Himself in the Face?

Probably not, considering he would never find himself actually excited to be in Cleveland.  If you remember, Ichiro Suzuki was quoted last season as saying “If I ever saw myself saying I’m excited going to Cleveland, I’d punch myself in the face, because I’m lying.”  While he was probably referring simply to the terrible weather conditions of Cleveland that led to a snowed-out series in April, it should still be enough to ruffle the feathers of Cleveland fans.  The city seems to be in this perpetual mental state where we accept insults as if we deserve them; if Progressive Field wasn’t so dreadfully empty on Tuesday night, there could have been a few boos percolating to the point of maybe, just maybe, being heard.

This offense, however, does make me want to punch myself in the face.  Despite Grady Sizemore’s solid game (2-4, 2 runs, 2 doubles), the Indians could muster little else offensively.  At this point, the struggles of Travis Hafner are beginning to be too much to bear, and it is an equal shame that beyond Victor Martinez, the next highest batting average in the lineup belongs to David Dellucci.  The only way this thing could ever get better is through a major shake-up, and that starts with taking Hafner out of the third spot in the batting order.  Put less pressure on him by dropping him in the order and if that doesn’t work, then something more drastic can take place.

This thought has prevailed for a few years now, but my vote for the new number-three hitter would still be Sizemore.  There is little power or patience in this lineup, and Sizemore is arguably the Indians’ best hitter.  With things going the way they are, his services are almost being wasted at the top of the lineup.  Dropping him down will give him better opportunities with Martinez batting cleanup.  It’s something to consider, because as the calendar turns to May, the space for mistakes and offensive futility begins to become very, very tight.