32-year old righty reliever Kerry Wood has looked like his old fireballing self the last couple of months for the Cleveland Indians. Since August, Wood has pitched in 18 games out of the pen for the Indians and he is 1-0 with 6 saves, a 2.50 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. When you’re the closer for a bad baseball team (like the Tribe) it’s hard to get consistent work and I think that’s part of the reason that Wood’s numbers don’t look that good this year. Wood has pitched in 57 games (0 starts) for the Indians this season and he is 3-3 with 20 saves, a 4.33 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He has 62 whiffs in 54 innings this season showing that the stuff is still there to succeed. The Indians might try to trade Wood in the off-season but I think they should keep him.

The Cleveland Indians have fired manager Eric Wedge and his entire coaching staff effective at the end of the season. The Indians had a very disappointing year in 2009 as they are currently 64-92 on the season, 19.5 games behind the Tigers. They are also only 1 game ahead of the Royals for last place in the division. Wedge managed seven years for the Indians in which he compiled a 560-568 record (49.6%). He was the Manager of the Year in the American League in 2007 when the Indians lost 4 games to 3 to the Red Sox in the A.L.C.S. The problem with the Indians goes way beyond the manager. The Indians dropped the ball here as both Jeff Datz and Joel Skinner who are both on the outgoing coaching staff would likely make good managers. But the Tribe appears to want a fresh start despite the fact that Mark Shapiro (GM) will still be calling the shots. Good Luck to the next guy.

The Indians have shut down righty reliever Joe Smith with a sprained left knee. Smith pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Indians this year and he was 0-0 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Indians hope that Smith will be able to help them later in ball games next season.

The Indians might have Carlos Santana behind the plate next season if he can beat out Lou Marson in spring training. The 23-year old switch hitter came into the season as the Tribe’s #1 rated prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 130 games in AA-ball this season and he was 124 for 428 (.290 avg, .943 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 23 homers an 97 RBIs. He also has a good eye at the plate as he walked 90 times last year while only whiffing 83 times. The Indians need help on offense and Santana could be just what the doctor ordered for them.

The Indians really have swung the bats well when 25-year old lefty pitcher David Huff has been on the mound this year. Huff has started 22 games for the Indians this season and he is 10-8 with a 5.98 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. He has allowed 154 hits (16 homers) in only 120 1/3 innings for the Tribe this season as he doesn’t miss many bats. Huff better finish the season strong if he wants to be penciled into the starting rotation for 2010.