| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Cliff Lee | .413 | Joe Borowski | -.791 |
| Casey Blake | .406 | Jhonny Peralta | -.128 |
| Rafael Betancourt | .106 | Grady Sizemore | -.121 |
The end was coming, but it still sucks.
As I mentioned earlier in the week, the schedule was set up for the Indians to make a lot of ground. If they had taken 6 out of 8 against divisional opponents, then split the four-game series against Tampa going into the All-Star Break, they would still have had a lot to make up, but coming back would nevertheless be plausible. Especially with Fausto Carmona due back in the rotation, and Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner now being a few weeks away from returning to the lineup.
But that stretch also meant that one bad series would end the season. Which has happened. Now it's time for Mark Shapiro to take stock of the organization, identify the most pressing needs, and field about ten thousand calls for CC Sabathia. (Other goals: get somebody to overpay for Casey Blake and Paul Byrd, and foist David Dellucci on somebody.)
The game itself was a nice microcosm of this year's team. Cliff Lee again pitched magnificently, but couldn't stick around long enough for the offense to score its second run of the game. And when the Indians did take the lead, Joe Borowski blew the lead and the game. One good thing about the end of competitiveness is that the Indians don't have to pretend to need Borowski closing or even pitching in games.