CLEVELAND – Travis Hafner’s two-run rocket over the 400-foot sign in center field Friday night did more than beat former Tribe manager Eric Wedge and the Seattle Mariners.
It brought back memories of the magical 1990s. It further energized a fan base slowly but surely re-embracing its Tribe. It added buzz to the downtown streets Saturday afternoon as the Indians returned to Progressive Field about 15 hours after Hafner’s heroics.
It couldn’t beat back Mother Nature.
Five outs into Saturday’s matinee with the Mariners, the skies opened. (Maybe the dense fog encompassing the city’s skyscrapers and hiding them from view was a sign.) In a matter of seconds, the rain was coming straight down – and hard. The umpires stopped the game, and the grounds crew rolled out the tarp.
The rain eventually stopped – not for long, it’s Northeast Ohio – but not until the damage had been done. A big pond/small lake replaced deep center field. The warning track was primarily puddles.
The game was called after two hours, disappointing the optimistic souls who stayed and were given cartoons, an Abbott and Costello routine and the Phillies-Braves game on the giant scoreboard.
The weather also deprived the Indians of building on the momentum generated by Hafner.
“We would much rather play,” manager Manny Acta said after the postponement, his office television showing the Doppler radar still dominated by a rainbow of colors that had nothing to do with the sun.
The rainout temporarily stopped the Indians’ streak of five straight last-at-bat victories at home. But it wasn’t enough to dampen spirits of the Indians and their followers.
Six weeks of the season is enough to know the Indians aren’t an April apparition. I’m not convinced the Indians will keep the best record in the American League, or even remain in first place in the Central Division. But I think they’ve shown enough, and have built enough confidence, to contend for the duration.
Really, that’s all fans can ask from a team not expected to sniff first place. And it should be enough to keep people interested and coming to the ballpark.
This team has earned that. It’s played smart, solid, exciting baseball.
And it was never better than Friday night. On the brink of just the second three-game losing streak of the season, Hafner changed the conversation and the perspective with the two-run shot for a 5-4 win.
He thrilled fans, gave them reason to brave the weather and stemmed the fears that are so Northeast Ohio. Two losses in a row are a blip. Three in a row, including two with your best two starters on the mound – Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona – get the doubts really humming inside the region’s fragile psyche.
But there’s no need to worry for now. Not after Hafner’s big swing.
“It’s fun. I’m not going to deny it,” Acta said of the 24-13 start.
Acta would argue with the notion that Cleveland’s spot in first place is a complete surprise. He sees the roots in the 93 losses of 2010, and the 35-39 record in the second half.
“What’s satisfying is being able to see the work you’re putting in and the time you have spent teaching and preaching to these kids come to fruition,” he said. “You see results.
“People think that everything started this year. It didn’t. It started last year, and it’s a process.”
The bats have cooled since a seven-game winning streak to end April and begin May, but that’s understandable against the collection of quality arms they’ve faced. The recent absence of Grady Sizemore and the continued slump of Shin-Soo Choo have also contributed to a scoring average of 3.5 runs over the last 10 games.
But if the Indians are going to hang around and make this a summer and fall to remember – we’ll need something if the NFL lockout drags on, depriving us of beloved Browns training camp – the starting pitching will be the biggest factor. The starters are 15-6 with a 3.03 ERA and an AL-best 26 quality starts over the last 35 games.
The rotation is why the Indians have been in just about every game. It’s the reason they’ve been able to rally in the final innings at home, where they posted a club-record 14-game winning streak.
Most impressive is that it’s been able to withstand the loss of Carlos Carrasco and Mitch Talbot to injuries. Carrasco is back and Talbot is on his way, but might not be necessary if former first-round pick Alex White keeps going strong. He’s 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts and pitched a perfect first Saturday before the rain washed out all stats.
With a consistent Carmona, a masterful Masterson and an efficient Josh Tomlin, solid will cut it from the other two starters. Throw in a deep and dependable bullpen and clutch hitting, and a bunch of 4-3 wins seems very doable.
Sprinkle in a little ninth-inning magic, and anything’s possible.
After all, there’s plenty of room on the cement-block wall outside the Indians clubhouse. That’s where they’ve started a gallery of photos depicting their head-pounding, gut-punching celebrations after walk-off victories.
Hafner’s arrival at home plate Friday night was the latest addition to the collection. So far, it’s the greatest, but there are a lot of ninth innings yet to come.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
