My nightly rant about the Tribe

Some are taking solace in the fact that the Tribe has scored 13 runs in the last two games.

In fact they've scored 31 in the past six games, four of which they lost.

Yes the hitting seems to slowly be pulling out of its season-long futility, though there's still lots of convincing to do on that one.

Take today for instance. The game is on the line. The Tribe is down a run with one out and runners on second and third. Bottom of the ninth. Hitters No.3 and No. 4 due up. Two infield popups later (technically one was caught in short, short left) - ballgame over.

These are games the Tribe won against the White Sox last year, and against the Tigers, and against pretty much everyone else. They're the games the White Sox are winning this year, at least lately and against the Tribe.

Last year's infallible one, Raffie Betancourt, has been anything but that this year, coming in in the seventh and promptly blowing yet another lead. There's no way to sugarcoat it, Betancourt has been awful this year. He, and the rest of the bullpen, are another key reason the Tribe's not winning the games they used to win.

Things just don't seem to be in sync this year. Not all the cylinders are hitting on the same night. Or at least it is rare when the do.

While we're busy pointing fingers, it is necessary to point out that the winning three-run rally by the Sox in the seventh started on a booted ground ball by Andy Marte (who booted another one an inning later but didn't get charged with an error).

Marte doubled off the wall last night and laid down a nice bunt. He singled today, and stole the first base of his career. But he just looks so damned shaky in the field and at the plate.

I don't fault the idea of playing the youngster, and in fact applaud it, but I just don't think he's got the stomach to make it in the bigs. At the very least it seems he will never regain the confidence he needs to let his talent shine through here in Cleveland. If Marte plays more regularly it should become clear he was a mistake and the Tribe should cut their losses on him.

And while we are on the topic of front-office mistakes, for the second time in this young season the Tribe has tried to hide an injury to a key player and hope he can play through it. Instead, the players in question have underperformed miserably and the team has paid the price.

After a miserable early season outing it became obvious the Tribe could no longer hide the physical problems closer Joe Borowski was having. They started way back in spring training, but instead of shutting him down in mid-March, they had to do it during the season - after he blew a few ballgames that counted.

And now we find the situation is similar with Travis Hafner.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports the cortisone shot Hafner got was the second of the season and that the Tribe was - and still is - trying to squeeze performance out of damaged goods.

Pronk revealed that this is the second time this season he's received such an injection. He received the other before the Indians opened a three-game series in Minnesota on April 18. Hafner missed the first game of that series.

The shoulder has given Pronk problems since the middle of March. Hafner said he had an MRI exam that revealed no structural damage.- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com

The Tribe is hoping the cortisone shot will allow Hafner to rejoin the lineup Friday, but what is to be gained by trying to force performance out of the ailing and struggling Hafner?

He and the team would be better served to if Hafner were to take some DL time to rest, and maybe get some rehab ABs in the minors, where he might be able to get himself on track.