Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
There are two types of Major League Baseball teams that have an easy time resting their better starting pitchers. One is a team that has a huge lead over the rest of the division and the other is a team that is so far behind that it doesn’t matter if they lose. The Cleveland Indians are not in either category which is why the move recently made by manager Terry Francona was so gutsy. Though it might not really seem like it, resting starting pitcher Scott Kazmir was a gutsy move for sure.
Kazmir isn’t exactly the Indians worst pitcher so sitting him in the middle of a struggle to reach the wildcard race isn’t necessarily a by-the-book kind of move. That is what they did however and the early indications are that Kazmir already feels a lot better. Also the move could have a positive effect on the rest of the rotation if all works out well. This is the kind of thing that Francona can do to have a good response from players headed towards the playoffs.
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While there is no guarantee that Kazmir will go out and throw seven shutouts in a row to end the season, he at least feels better headed into his next scheduled start. It was a good move because it shows the players that their manager cares for their well-being. That in turn I believe makes the players have a desire to play as hard as they can for their manager. It seems to be a good way for a team to be run. The Indians should hope that it is a good way to go on about a ten game winning streak because they have as of now fallen behind the Kansas City Royals into third place.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
