What's up with Fausto?

I've decided to try to make at least a quick post every day or two, rather than let the blog accumulate tumbleweeds for a couple of weeks. Today's topic is Fausto Carmona, who once finished in the top five in the Cy Young voting but has been just flat-out terrible this year.

Yesterday, Fausto appeared to have righted himself at least temporarily. He gave up a run on three hits in the first inning, then faced the minimum in the second and third innings, and got the first two hitters of the fourth. What happened to him then, I have no idea. By the time Manny Acta went out to get Fausto, he had allowed seven straight baserunners, and the Rockies had scored six runs, capped by Jason Giambi's three-run homer.

It was the fourth time Fausto has allowed at least seven runs in a start this year. Can you guess how many major league pitchers have done that four times in 2011? If you guessed one, you're right. Fausto is it.

Fausto now stands at 4-9, with his ERA at a positively hideous 6.17. He hasn't allowed fewer than four runs in any of his last eight starts, during which stretch his ERA is 8.87. I suspect there's something wrong with Fausto, and it's not a problem with his arm. I'm guessing he's lost his confidence. He'd better get it back if he wants to stay in the rotation. For all their recent struggles, the Indians are still contenders, and they can't afford to keep sending someone out there who can't do any better than that.

LeBron is still gone

• Obviously, the number-one sports story on everyone's mind in Cleveland is still LeBron James, even though it's been four days now since he made his ridiculous little announcement in a national TV special. And who am I kidding? It's still going to be the top Cleveland sports story for a little while yet. I don't want to wallow in this situation, but I can't deny the wound is still raw. My wife asked me last night if I hate LeBron James. I try not to be the kind of person who hates people in general, and especially not athletes, but I can't deny there's a little bit of hatred there. I've had fantasies about him accidentally getting one of his legs torn off, for example. That certainly doesn't come from a place of love and forgiveness. I'm not proud of those feelings, but like most Clevelanders, I feel betrayed.

• With that in mind, I understand why Dan Gilbert felt the need to spout off about LeBron after his announcement last week. If you're reading this blog, I'm sure you've read at least part of that letter, so I won't go into the details of it right now. But Gilbert was angry and frustrated, and let the world know about it. Not only did LeBron not tell Gilbert he was leaving before he told a national TV audience, he reportedly refused to return any of his voice mails or text messages at any point after the Cavaliers' playoff run ended. No wonder he was so fired up. Still ... as a team owner, he should have shown some restraint. As loyal Of Fair Hooker reader Jeff Brown pointed out in a reply to my last post, that kind of thing has the potential to scare off any other free agents that might have considered coming here.

• I didn't think the Cavaliers would do anything to help LeBron make more money, which would have involved a sign-and-trade deal. I'm happy to see I was wrong. Certainly not because LeBron will make more money, but because at least we got something out of this debacle. They got two first-round and two second-round draft picks. Given that the Heat will likely go deep into the playoffs, those picks will be low in those rounds, so we're obviously not going to get another LeBron out of any of them, but we should be able to get some decent talent out of that. The Cavs made the best of a bad situation.

• That's enough of that, at least for today. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, I'll post a list of companies that have LeBron as a spokesman, so we can all boycott them.

• The Indians go into the All-Star break with a dreadful 34-54 record, which is hardly surprising given the fact that they traded away most of their top veterans last year, and most of the rest of their top veterans have gotten hurt in the first half of the season. This team does have a lot of young talent stockpiled, but they're at least a couple of years away from contending. Thank goodness we're in the mediocre AL Central.

• The Tribe's lone All-Star is Fausto Carmona, and I'd say it's fairly doubtful that he'll get into the game. Fausto has had a fine first half (8-7, 3.64), but I think it's obvious that if it weren't for the rule that every team has to be represented, coupled with the fact that Shin-Soo Choo got hurt, he wouldn't be on the AL team. Still, he should be proud of what he's accomplished in coming back from some terrible, injury-filled years in 2008 and 2009.

Another tough loss

Some quick thoughts on the Indians' 4-2 loss to the Rangers in yesterday's home opener:

• First, the positive: Fausto Carmona was pretty good. He went eight innings, giving up just two runs. I'm still concerned about his strikeout-to-walk ratio — he had four of each yesterday — but he kept the ball in the yard. With the exception of the fifth inning, when the Rangers got both their runs, he got the big outs when he needed to.

• Now, the negative: The bullpen was bad. Chris Perez was bloody awful, for the second day in a row. Joaquin Arias opened the ninth with a double, then Perez had a chance to retire him at third on Taylor Teagarden's bunt, but made a bad throw. He obviously was totally flustered at that point, walking No. 9 hitter Elvis Andrus on four pitches. And Manny Acta had seen enough from Perez.

• Tony Sipp came in and got former teammate Ryan Garko on a popup to second, then Jamie Wright followed by getting Michael Young on a tailor-made double-play ball to end the threat. If only Wright had done as well in the 10th. He gave up Nelson Cruz's fifth home run of the young season, scoring Josh Hamilton, who had singled, and the Tribe bats couldn't get it done in the bottom of the 10th.

• The Indians came close to winning this game. If Travis Hafner were just a little bit faster — not Kenny Lofton fast, but even Sandy Alomar fast — he'd have scored from second on Matt LaPorta's single. Instead, he got thrown out at the plate. And in the bottom of the ninth, LaPorta and Luis Valbuena both made loud outs. If the wind hadn't been blowing in from right field, Valbuena's would have been a walk-off home run. But that's baseball. As it's been said many times, it's a game of inches.

Fausto starts turnaround?

Fausto Carmona was bad last year, at age 25. He was bad the year before, at age 24. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball the year before that, at age 23. So what kind of year will Fausto have at 26?

Well, he started to answer that question in last night's 5-3 win over the White Sox, which evened the Tribe's record at 1-1. Carmona went six innings and gave up three runs on just one hit — Paul Konerko's second home run of the year. The hit total is encouraging, until you consider that Fausto also walked six guys in those six innings, while striking out just one. I wish I could be more optimistic, but if he keeps that up, he is going to get hammered. That the White Sox only got one hit off him was an extreme fluke. Credit the defense behind him, but if he only gets one batter out without needing the defense's help, they're not going to be able to keep bailing him out. Sorry, but despite the end result, this was not a good outing for Fausto.

The Tribe offense will be fine, however. They banged out 10 hits, led by two each from Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo and Matt LaPorta, and drew six walks. That's 16 baserunners, and we all know you have to get on base in order to score. It's a wonder they only got five runs out of that.

Tribe rotation nearly set

I missed this the other day (sorry, loyal fans), but Indians manager Manny Acta on Monday gave the #4 spot in the starting rotation to Mitch Talbot.

WHO?

Talbot, 26, came over in December as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade. His major league career to date consists of 9 2/3 innings in three appearances (one start) with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. He did not make the most of his opportunity, to say the least. In those 9 2/3 innings, Talbot gave up 12 runs, all earned, so his career ERA is currently 11.17. More troubling, he walked 11 men while striking out just five, and gave up three home runs. You can't win in the majors that way. But that's a small sample size, and it was two years ago, when he was just 24.

His minor-league numbers have been much better. In five seasons, he has amassed a career record in the minors of 48-40, with a 3.85 ERA. He had some injury issues last year, but went 4-4, 4.47, at AAA Durham last year. This spring, he's gone 1-1, 3.71, in 17 Cactus League innings. ESPN's Rob Neyer believes he will be a solid, if unspectacular, major league pitcher. Neyer projects that he'll put up an ERA somewhere between 4.50 and 5.00. I hope he's right. A lot of clubs' #4 starters will do worse.

Talbot joins Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook and Justin Masterson in the rotation, and there are big question marks with all of those guys. We all remember how Carmona had a Cy Young-caliber 2007, but has fizzled since then. But he's had a phenomenal spring (20 innings, 3-0, 0.45), and all observers say he's doing what he wants to out there, so there's reason for optimism. Westbrook has been an All-Star before, but hasn't pitched since early 2008, when he got shut down to have Tommy John surgery. Lots of pitchers have come back from TJS to be great, though, so we'll see. Masterson just turned 25 and has only made 25 major league starts, and though he has pitched reasonably well in the majors, he has had a tough spring — though he has struck out 22 hitters in just 16 innings, which is encouraging.

The last rotation spot is between David Huff, Carlos Carrasco and Aaron Laffey. Former future star Jeremy Sowers appears to be out of the running. Those are all guys who've got some major-league success. I'm going to guess it'll be Laffey, but that's just a guess.

Commendable Carmona, Masterful Masterson

On Wedge Firing Day, Fausto Carmona and Justin Masterson turned in some fine performances on the mound in yesterday's doubleheader against the White Sox. Masterson's was one of the finest outings by an Indians pitcher this year, even though he lost.

Fausto, making what was no doubt his last appearance in a disappointing season, opened up with a seven-inning, one-run, five-strikeout performance that gives us some hope he can turn it around next year. The guy who won 19 games in 2007 must be in there somewhere. Maybe he'll show up in 2010. He ends 2009 with a 5-12 record and a 6.32 ERA. Not really anywhere to go but up.

Masterson went the full nine in the nightcap, striking out 12 White Sox, walking two, and surrendering four hits. Unfortunately, two of those hits were in the same inning, the sixth, in which Paul Konerko singled home DeWayne Wise, who had doubled. Still, Masterson became the first Indians pitcher to strike out as many as 12 hitters in a game since CC Sabathia fanned 13 two years ago. Masterson's 4-10 record this season is a bit misleading; his 4.52 ERA is a little high, but he sure showed us something last night. He's been very inconsistent since we got him in the Victor Martinez trade, but he's also just finishing his first full season in the bigs. I look forward to seeing him toe the rubber for us in '10 and beyond.

Laffey wins laugher

We all know the Indians are done for this season, and we all know they've gotten rid of a lot of the players who were on the opening-day roster. But darn it, this team is still fun to watch sometimes.

Aaron Laffey went eight innings — the longest outing of his major-league career — and gave up just one unearned run on six hits, striking out five. Laffey first came up in 2007, so it's easy to forget he's only 24. He's got a bright future, provided he stays healthy.

The offense scored eight runs without leaving the park, with an 11-hit attack led by the top third of the order, Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. Sizemore and Cabrera had three hits each, Choo added two, and each member of the trio had a double.

And Trevor Crowe, hitting ninth, also had two hits, which is nice to see. When Crowe was sent to Columbus on June 24, he was hitting .169. Since being recalled on July 31, he's hitting .381 in five games, bringing his season average up to .221. Crowe is 25, so his peak years are still to come.

The Indians and Twins play their rubber match today at noon, with Fausto Carmona facing Nick Blackburn. I have to work for a living, so I won't get to see it, but I'd sure like to see Fausto turn in a solid outing.

Addendum

Just in case anyone's wondering and hasn't found the answer on their own, yes, this is the first time in major-league history the same team has traded away the defending Cy Young award winner two years in a row. In fact, it's only the fourth time the reigning Cy has been traded away the next season. They are:

• Frank Viola, traded from the Twins to the Mets in 1989
• David Cone, traded from the Royals to the Blue Jays in spring training 1995, then traded again to the Yankees in midseason that year
• CC Sabathia, traded from the Indians to the Brewers in 2008
• Cliff Lee, traded from the Indians to the Phillies in 2009.

Remarkable.

In another bit of Lee-trade-related news, two players who have failed miserably at the big-league level this year will have another chance as a result of Lee and Francisco vacating the roster. Let's hope Fausto Carmona and Trevor Crowe can do a little bit better this time. They could hardly do much worse.

I hate to say it, but ...

It's time to pull the plug on Fausto Carmona. I don't mean that he should be put to death, of course, but he has no business being in a major-league starting rotation right now. He should either be sent down to Columbus or go to the bullpen, or possibly both at the same time, as I understand they have a bullpen in Columbus as well.

After yesterday's debacle against the Twins (seven runs in two innings), Fausto is now 2-6 with a hideous 7.42 ERA. He has walked 41 hitters and struck out just 36 in 60 2/3 innings this year, and given up nine home runs. In his last three starts, he's gone a total of 7 1/3 innings and given up 19 runs, 16 earned. That's an ERA of 19.64. He's not fooling anybody. It's time to give someone else a chance.

It's hard to believe this is the same man who went 19-8 and finished fourth in the A.L. Cy Young voting just two years ago. Maybe there's something wrong with him that we don't know about, or maybe he just doesn't have his head straight right now. Regardless, he's got to go.

P.S. Just to avoid any confusion, I'm just joking about putting him in the bullpen in Columbus. If he goes there, he should start.

Whither Fausto?

In his first start since signing a contract extension, Fausto Carmona couldn't control where the ball was going. Fausto walked eight hitters -- EIGHT HITTERS! -- in 3 1/3 innings against the Oakland Athletics. How many times has he walked eight hitters, you ask? Well, one. Yesterday.

What does this mean? Now that Fausto is going to make all that silly money, is he going to stop caring whether he pitches well or not? I don't think so. Even discounting the competitive nature he must have had in order to get to this point, he's got not one, not two, but three club option years built into the contract. If the Indians don't exercise any of those options, the deal is worth $15 million. If they exercise all three of them, it's worth $43 million. So yeah, Fausto's got some incentive to pitch well over the next four years.

That said, last night's outing was troubling. Fausto walked a grand total of 61 guys last year, in 32 starts. He walked one-fifth as many Saturday night. You don't have to be a sabermetrician to know that's a recipe for disaster. But let's not overblow the significance of one outing. Fausto is now 1-1 with a fine 2.20 ERA. His other two starts were fantastic. He's going to be fine. I hope I can say the same for C.C.

The Indians are now 4-7, having lost three straight. They and the Tigers were everybody's picks for the AL Central, and they are now in fourth and fifth place, respectively. I still think they're the two best teams in the division, but if they both continue to falter, it will open the door for the Royals and/or White Sox. I don't think the Twins have the talent to challenge, but they're ahead of us right now, so who knows.

Breaking Fausto news

ESPN's Buster Olney has just reported that the Indians have signed Fausto Carmona to a multiyear contract extension. The deal is guaranteed through 2011, with club options for 2012, 2013 and 2014. Terms have not been disclosed, but this seems like it can only go wrong if Fausto gets hurt. I mean, 2011 is only three years from now, and this guy looks like a perennial Cy Young candidate.

Good work, Mark Shapiro. You're the man.