29-year old righty starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez pitched good in his first start for the Tribe this year, but he has been horrible in his last two.  He has pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Indians so far this year and he is 0-2 with a 11.25 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP.  He has given up 12 hits (3 homers) and he has walked 10 batters in his first 12 innings this year while whiffing 11 batters.  Jimenez has now pitched in 45 games (all starts) in his first three years with the Indians and he is 13-23 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.  Jimenez has given up 270 hits (35 homers) and he has walked 132 batters while whiffing 216 batters in his first 254 innings with the Tribe…..and those are ugly numbers.  He is so wild that has he also hit 10 batters and has thrown 18 wild pitches in his time with the Indians.  The Indians can’t wait forever for Jimenez to turn things around.  If he doesn’t start pitching better in the near future, I can see the Indians making him the mop up man in the bullpen, sending him to the minors or just flat out biting the bullet and releasing him.

32-year old righty starting pitcher Brett Myers got a nice 1-year, $7 million dollar deal over the winter to be the Indians’ #3 starter in 2013.  Myers had six seasons in which he won at least 10 games in his first 12 years in the majors and he has been a decent pitcher in any role he has had so far in his career, so the Indians had high hopes for him.  But, Myers has been destroyed so far this year as opposing hitters have been literally running up to the plate to bat.  He has pitched in 2 games (1 start) for the Indians so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 12.19 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP.  Myers has given up 18 hits (7 homers) in his first 10 1/3 innings so far this year…..which is awful!  The Indians can’t afford to stick with Myers in the rotation too much longer, unless he starts getting some guys out.

The starting rotation is the key to the success of the Cleveland Indians and the early returns look good for the most part.  28-year old Justin Masterson and 29-year old Ubaldo Jimenez both looked sharp for the Tribe the first time around against a good hitting Blue Jays’ team.  Masterson is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP and Jimenez is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP so far this year.  32-year old righty Brett Myers pitched B.P. for the Indians last night against the Blue Jays.  He is 0-1 with a 12.60 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP.  He gave up a stunning 4 homers in his five innings last night.  I think Myers will be o.k. as he just ran into a buzzsaw last night.  Overall, I’m encouraged by the Indians starting pitching so far this year.  I hope that continues this weekend against the Rays in Tampa.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Justin Masterson looked really good for the Indians in 2011.  He pitched in 34 games (33 starts) for the Indians in 2011 and he was 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.  The Indians thought that Masterson turned the corner and would be the ace of the starting rotation in 2012, but things have not turned out that way.  Masterson has pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Indians so far this year and he is 11-15 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.  Rumors are going around that the Indians will be receptive to dealing Masterson over the winter.

The Indians have shut down 28-year old righty starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez due to a sprained right ankle.  They have done Indians’ fans a favor as Jimenez has been brutal to watch.  He pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Indians this year and he was 9-17 with a 5.55 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP.  Jimenez gave up 190 hits (25 homers), walked 95 batters and he threw 16 wild pitches this year while whiffing 143 batters in 176 2/3 innings pitched…which is pathetic.  Jimenez has now pitched in 42 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Tribe and he is a brutal 13-21 with a 5.43 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.  Jimenez has now pitched in 180 games (179 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 69-66 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.  I’m begging the Indians’ front office not to pick up Jimenez’ option for the 2013 season.