[legend]

I wish I was a multi-millionaire, so I could fly to Cleveland the day they fire Eric Wedge. Once more he brought in some nobody named Carmona to try to close out Boston, and after the kid gets two outs, Wedge leaves him in after he plunks two of the worst hitters in the lineup and walks Youkalis. Needless to say, the next strike he threw, Loretta smacked off of the wall. In his last three appearances, Carmona has given up four runs to Seattle, three on Monday to lose the Red Sox game, and two last night, although if they made him get the third out the game would still be going on.

[Lefty Noob]

Who would you have close for the Tribe? Ideally, it should still be Wickman, but since he's in Atlanta and Carmona isn't working out, then who do you try next? Perhaps a AAA callup?

[legend]

All I can tell you is who should not be closing, at least at this point.

[legend]

Wedge brought in this guy one more time to set a Major League record- 4 losses in one week. He gave up a two run homer to Ivan Rodriguez in the ninth. He probably isn't your closer of the future Eric.

[chsbletz]

It is crystal clear by now that Fausto Carmona is not a closer. The Indians have a problem going into 2007. Ideally, Carmona should be the no. 5 starter. Unfortunately, Paul Byrd will still be with the team. He has a very high-priced contract that virtually necessitates that he be part of the rotation. He's only about a .500 pitcher, and he frequently gets embarrassed when his collection of junk pitches aren't fooling the opponent's hitters. Nonetheless, the economics of the situation dictate how the team must use him, at least at the start of the season. This reality puts Carmona in a kind of limbo. He will probably be used as a kind of "utility pitcher." In other words, he will relieve for the most part (not as the closer) and start occasionally.