If you wanted to pass the time by making a list of silly things Major League Baseball does, you’d have to think long and hard to come up with something sillier than scheduling a 10-game homestand for the Indians in early April.
Who would guess the weather might here might be intolerable here at this time of year? Anybody with common sense, that’s who. Yet baseball decided it would be a good idea to have the Indians play at Progressive Field every day from April 6-15. It matches a 10-game homestand lasting from July 6-15 as the longest of the season.
The temperature when Indians’ starter Mike Clevinger threw the first pitch April 8 was 32 degrees — the coldest ever to start a game at Progressive Field (or Jacobs Field).
Playing in such cold weather is miserable for players and it is miserable for fans. The Indians’ attendance suffers. Paid attendance April 8 was 14,240.
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Of course baseball can’t send the Indians and teams from other cold-weather cities on the road for a month to start the season, but why not start with a six-game homestand and pile up more home games when the weather heats up?
“It’s cold for us, but I feel most sorry for the fans,” Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “They have to wear eight coats to try to stay warm.”
The home team has the right to postpone a game because of bad weather until the game begins. After the first pitch, the decision is up to the umpires.
Often a team has an off-day on its first home series of the season in case the weather is bad. But the schedule maker didn’t even provide that cushion for the Indians this year. The consequence of postponing a game could be playing a doubleheader later in the season and causing turmoil in the pitching rotation.
“That’s why we played yesterday,” Indians manager Terry Francona said . I know there’s teams that are.. I mean Minnesota played. I know it was worse than here. Stacking up games isn’t good. Sometimes it just happens. The whole east coast seems like it’s freezing. But you make a good point. You need to play. As long as you’re not putting guys at risk, you’ve got to try and play the games.”
The forecast calls for a high of 53 degrees on April 11 and a high of 64 the next day. But those games against the Tigers start at 6:10, so the best of the weather will be past.
Bats cold, too
The Indians’ .159 batting average through nine games is the lowest in Major League Baseball. They are tied for 24th in runs scored with 27. Twelve of those were scored in two games — a 6-5 victory in Seattle with Carlos Carrasco on the mound and a 6-0 win in Anaheim with Mike Clevinger pitching.
Michael Brantley stroked a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning of the home opener on April 6. A 27-inning scoring drought followed.
“When it’s cold, every single at-bat is like an event,” Francona said. “They’ve got their bat handle in front of the fire, they’re trying to warm up their hands and it’s just really hard to get any carry-over momentum going.”
Jose Ramirez, one of the Indians best hitters the last two seasons, is off to a horrible start with two hits in 33 at-bats. His check-swing ground out down the third-base line, however, drove in Bradley Zimmer in the bottom of the eighth inning on April 8 to tie the Royals, 1-1.
“I think he’s a little bit irritated because he’s so good. But I also think he’ll be just fine,” Francona said. “He’s a really good hitter. Team-wide, we’re not where we want to be. That will change. Like I said, we’ve got to be strong enough mentally to look up there for a while, see what you’re hitting, and realize that you’re a really good hitter.”
Despite the slow start, at 4-5 the Indians are a game behind first place Minnesota in the A.L. Central Division.
Chisenhall shelved
Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall was placed on the 10-day disabled list April 8 because of a calf injury. But he could be out from four to six weeks, Francona said. Chisenhall leads the Indians with a .235 batting average.
Tyler Naquin was elevated from Columbus about 24 hours after he was sent down to make a roster spot for Michael Brantley. Naquin was with the Clippers in Indianapolis on April 7 when he got the call-up. He arrived in Cleveland around 1 a.m. April 8 and was in the starting lineup 12 hours later. He was 1-for-2 before being lifted for pinch-hitter Rajai Davis when Francona wanted to get a right-handed batter to the plate.
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“He’s going to get a chance to play,” Francona said. He’s played here before and he’s actually helped us win before. So it’s a nice opportunity for him. And hopefully he can help us win a few games.”
Chisenhall was limited to 81 games last season because of a calf injury.
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