Amidst the rumors and excitement about whether or not LeBron James is coming back to Cleveland, baseball fans from that city saw some disappointment from Progressive Field.
The Cleveland Indians (43-45) lost to the New York Yankees (45-43) on Monday with a of score 5-3.
According to the Major League Baseball website, the Indians got scores in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings, but it was too little too late. Although pitcher Shane Greene tried to bring the Indians back, Justin Masterson’s early pitching cost the Indians the possible comeback win. The Yankees scored three in the second and two in the third.
Masterson was in charge of pitching for the Indians, but the problem was that his fastballs were not fast enough and he was not doing well. He was pulled out of the game earlier in the third inning because he gave up the first runs.
Last year around this time, he was pitching 96-97 mph, according to MLB.com, but this season, he is only doing 88-91 mph, which has Cleveland concerned.
What could be causing it?
According to the MLB website, Masterson might possibly have an injury in his right knee, but regardless of his injury, the Indians losing the first of a four-game series against the Yankees is something that needs to be looked at to determine what went right and what did not.
If Masterson’s injury is part of the problem, then it might be time for him to go to the disabled list and be healed, instead of putting Greene in a bad position like he did this game.
If he was put on the injured list, then the Indians could use Greene or even look at a different alternative, such as Zach McAllister as well as Danny Salazar. Both were in the opening day rotation but have not had a lot of exposure since then. If the Indians go with either one, or rotate them in, then the Indians could get more wins.
If Masterson is injured, then he needs to get looked at, especially if they want him to stay and return either at the end of the season or the beginning of next season.
Only time will tell what is going on with Masterson, and hopefully it will be before the season’s end.
