Baseball : Optimism Persists Even Though Indians Are Off to Slow Start

Amid an absence of hits, the hopes linger.

“In two months, we’ll be in first place,” Cleveland Indians shortstop Julio Franco said.

Added catcher Rick Dempsey: “I made my prediction. By the All-Star game, we’ll be five (games) out. Then we’ll make our move.”

This was the year the jokes were to stop, the year the laughingstocks became cover boys. This was the year the Indians were widely picked to win the American League East title.

Those who chose them did so presumably with the understanding that a potent offense would have to carry a suspect pitching staff.

The hitters seem to be collapsing under that burden.

The Indians led the league in batting and runs scored last year. Now they rank 13th in batting and 12th in runs.

They had not hit a home run in their last 10 games through Friday.

And over a 23-game span, the heart of the lineup was barely beating:

--Cory Snyder, struggling with the sophomore jinx, was 16 for 84, had only 5 runs batted in during May and had not homered since April 21.

--Brook Jacoby was 18 for 73 and had only 6 RBIs in his last 101 at-bats.

--Joe Carter, who had 200 hits, 29 home runs and a league-leading 121 RBIs last year, was 19 for 91, a span during which he had 1 homer and 7 RBIs.

Then there was Tony Bernazard, who returned from an ankle injury April 22 and went 9 for 74.

The pitching, meanwhile, has been as bad as anticipated.

The Indians rank 14th in a 14-team league with an earned-run average of 5.32.

The rotation, with 48-year-old Phil Niekro and 42-year-old Steve Carlton attempting to delay Social Security, has produced 5 complete games and 4 shutouts, but the bullpen has blown 13 of 18 save opportunities, has twice lost four-run leads in the ninth inning and on eight occasions has lost a lead in the seventh inning or later.

Ernie Camacho, the erratic stopper of previous years, is now a middle man. Left-hander Scott Bailes, the steadiest, perhaps, of Manager Pat Corrales’ starters, has moved to the stopper role. In his first relief assignment Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, Bailes got his first save. It tied him for the club lead.

The struggle also continues for the New York Mets, who ended a 1-6 trip to Atlanta, Cincinnati and Houston having lost two games as the direct result of mental errors while making five of the physical variety.

Said Manager Davey Johnson, who has already had three team meetings this year: “I don’t know if everyone got big raises or are basking in the glory (of last year’s World Series victory). I don’t know what it is, but we’re not playing good ball.”

Said second baseman Tim Teufel after the three-game sweep by the Braves: “Now you know what it was like to play for Minnesota.”

One thing about the Mets: Arrogance dies hard.

Said Johnson, in the wake of the Atlanta sweep: “I think everybody is embarrassed a lot by having a mediocre club sweep us.”

Responded Brave Manager Chuck Tanner: “We’re just trying to be a little mediocre ballclub and stay on the field with those big guys.”

The Diamond Vision scoreboard at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium has been a big hit.

At least, it has helped produce some big hits.

That’s the theory anyway.

Since the large board went up in center field at the start of the 1985 season, re-routing the wind currents, there have been more homers hit in Memorial Stadium than in any other major league park, including the homer domes of Minnesota and Seattle.

Through Friday, the standings over that period were: Baltimore 434, Tiger Stadium 429, Metrodome 427, Kingdome 414, Wrigley Field 395, Anaheim Stadium 385.

Was it the favorable Baltimore currents or the awakening of Eddie Murray that contributed to a home run binge in which the Orioles began a three-game weekend series at Anaheim Stadium having hit 24 homers in their last seven games for a major league leading total of 52, projecting to 248?

Murray had hit six homers in the seven games and was on a pace projecting to 44 homers and 123 RBIs, a turnaround from late April when he had only two homers and a .174 batting average through 24 games. He was blistered for his lackadaisical attitude and approach in a private meeting with General Manager Hank Peters, who may have figured that for $2.46 million a year, he was entitled to a little aggressiveness.

Does it pour when it rains?

The Milwaukee Brewers can attest to it.

In the wake of an 0-7 home stand that extended their losing streak to eight games going into a weekend series at Kansas City, the Brewers played a Thursday night exhibition game at Denver that was delayed 1 1/2 hours by rain. They did not reach Kansas City until 3:30 a.m.

Maybe the cover of darkness was a blessing.

New Manager Tom Trebelhorn, who was being nominated for sainthood when the Brewers opened the season 13-0, is now receiving hate mail. An example:

“The worst thing that ever happened is naming you manager. The second was going 13-0, because it gave all you guys swelled heads.”

Trebelhorn has a swelled head for another reason. In addition to concern over his team’s slump, he has been battling an allergy. What is he taking?

“Antihistamines and antidepressants,” he said.

Some areas of Brewer concern through Thursday:

--The designated hitters, primarily Cecil Cooper, were 2 for 35.

--Juan Nieves, since his April 15 no-hitter, was winless in four starts.

--The Brewers were 2-9 without leadoff man Paul Molitor, the league’s leading hitter who is expected to be on the disabled list for another week because of a pulled hamstring.

Cincinnati Manager Pete Rose, who has taken batting practice only once since the start of spring training, was eligible to play again for the Reds Friday, but he will probably put it off until the roster limit is lifted Sept. 1.

Rose, alluding to his .219 average of last year, said: “I don’t want to play if I have to defend myself every day. If it was like it was last year, I don’t want to come back. Baseball should be fun. It’s not fun if every day people are asking you, ‘How come you’re playing, Pete?’ ”

Chicago Cubs Manager Gene Michael, who watches Andre Dawson ice his tender knees before and after every game, said:

“I told him, ‘Andre, if you need a day off, you’ve got to tell me, because I sure can’t tell by the way you’re playing.’ ”

Dawson had appeared in every game this season, contributing 8 doubles, 12 homers and 34 RBIs.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ current 11-game home stand should determine the fate of Manager John Felske. The Phillies averaged 24,786 in attendance last year, when the Mets ended the race by June. Now they are averaging only 21,623, a sure sign of dissatisfaction and disinterest.

Some numbers:

--They still have some proving to do, but the Seattle Mariners had come from behind in 12 of their first 19 wins, the sign of a confident and resilient team.

--Baltimore left-handers Mike Flanagan and Scott McGregor, a combined 273-201 for their careers, are a combined 2-10 this year. The Orioles and Boston Red Sox are reportedly weighing a Flanagan-for-Steve Crawford deal.

--USC product Mark McGwire, in his last 21 starts with the Oakland A’s, had 22 RBIs and 10 home runs.

--The Chicago White Sox had lost seven of their last nine through Friday, were batting .221, had a 5-12 record at home and were playing so erratically that Manager Jim Fregosi said: “I’ve seen a little bit of everything this season and it’s only May.”

--The Toronto Blue Jays’ Jim Clancy, who will face the Angels with a 5-2 record Monday night, has won four in a row and has a 1.74 ERA for the 31 innings.