Paul Hoynes notes the internal discussion over whether to bring back Andy Marte:
Decision-makers above managers are paid to be more clinical. Production, regardless of circumstance, cannot be ignored.
Marte seems healthy, so the question boils down to his production, and most importantly, his defense. The Indians had gone into the season with the assumption that Andy wouldn't be a big contributor on offense, and were fine with that as long as he played a good third base. That didn't happen, and with Casey Blake playing surprisingly well in his place, there seems a bit of indecision in giving Marte back his starting job. Ryan Garko and Blake were two of the lineup's most productive hitters on the road trip, and have picked up somewhat for a struggling Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner.
Even if the Indians do bring Marte back, there still should be playing time for everyone, though not every day. Blake could cycle between third, first, and the outfield, although there's the worry that shifting constantly between positions could hurt his hitting. But baseball has a way of sorting these logjams out, as the short-lived demotion of Fausto Carmona taught us.
Jim Ingraham is the voice of reason on Joe Borowski:
I mean, come on. In a little over a month he has 12 saves, which is halfway to the Indians' team total for the entire 2006 SEASON. Throw out a couple of Vesuvian outings and that 9.00 ERA is shaved in half.
Again, the Indians should have been expecting Wickman Lite. Borowski seems to be bad at everything except the mental side of closing; if anything, his stuff is worse than Wickman's. Anyone can get 30+ saves with a good team, and the Indians signed Anyone. Should they be looking for an upgrade? Absolutely; they thought they signed a fallback in Keith Foulke, but Foulke retired before throwing a Spring Training pitch. They'll probably have to trade for an upgrade in July, but until then, Borowski's their best option.
Stephanie Storm interviews Tim Laker, who's the new manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.
And finally, fan favorite Gomer Hodge has died. He was 63.