Gametime: 4:05 PM (No TV)
Victor should be back in the lineup today.
This headline on indians.com was amusing:
Getting Marte at-bats a challengeWith Blake at third and first jammed, opportunity is limited
I can think of one way to overcome this challenge...
Getting Marte sufficient at-bats to gauge his progress at the bigleague level will be a challenge for manager Eric Wedge this season.With Casey Blake entrenched at third, Marte has been and will be doinga lot of sitting."He'll pick up Casey from time to time at third base," Wedge said ofMarte's outlook. "When we give Casey a day off, we'll play Andy overthere."
Fantastic. So now we see what would have happened if Brandon Phillips had he made the team in 2006. Here's an idea: start Andy Marte at third base at least once a week for the next two months. If you're concerned about his defense, play him behind Cliff Lee or Paul Byrd. Understand that this arrangement may not be the best thing for Casey Blake, but it is the best thing for the Cleveland Indians.
(Update: Neither Martinez nor Marte are in today's lineup)