The hits keep coming for the Cleveland Indians, and not the good kind: After losing pitcher Jake Westbrook for the season just a few days ago, now Cleveland has put All-Star catcher Victor Martinez and new starting second baseman Josh Barfield on the 15-day disabled list.
Martinez left Wednesday night's game against the Twins after grounding out in the first inning; during that at-bat his problem elbow flared up. The elbow has clearly affected Martinez all season, as he is batting just .278 with no homers and 21 RBIs. There's a chance he could need surgery, which would keep him out much longer; in fact, the Indians have given no timetable for his return.
Martinez hit .301 with a team-leading 25 homers and 114 RBIs a year ago as the Indians won the AL Central. His 198 at-bats without a homer this year is the longest drought of his career, and he is hitting only .216 (25-for-116) since April 30. He has also battled a sore hamstring all season.Barfield left Tuesday's game after an at-bat in which he sprained the finger while checking his swing. He was 0-for-6 in his first two games with the Tribe.
Kelly Shoppach will handle the starting catching duties in Martinez's absence. Shoppach has played in 31 games this year, hitting .225 with three home runs and seven RBIs in 80 at-bats. He has never hit more
than seven home runs in a season, and his 161 at-bats in 2007 were the most he received in one year.
Jamey Carroll will take over the starting second base duties from Barfield; previous starter Asdrubal Cabrera will stay in the minors. Carroll is hitting only .233 with 8 RBIs in 103 games.
Martinez and Barfield join Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner as Indians starters on the DL.
So what does this mean for bettors at WagerWeb.com? I'd certainly steer clear of the Indians, although you certainly expect more than a few unders on the run line for a while.
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