Cleveland Indians: Time to worry about Brad Hand after blowing White Sox finale

It’s time to worry about about Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand.

Watching Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand is as comfortable as watching Bob Wickman or Joe Borowski pitch.

Tribe fans will remember the names. Both pitchers had seasons in which they racked up a lot of saves, but getting there, was a roller coaster ride that made some of us want an EKG test.

Current closer Brad Hand has joined the company of Borowski and Wickman, there’s no denying it. The fact that Tribe Town has to even entertain that thought is a bad thing, because Hand was once considered one of the elite closers of baseball…at least he was when the Indians acquired him for top prospect Francisco Mejia in the summer of 2017.

Hand was great up until last season’s All-Star game. That’s when things starting trending downward for the reliever. After that memorable night on the north shore, Hand was still striking batters out at a rate of 13.1 per nine innings, compared to 13.3 in the first half, but that’s the only good news.

The noticeable difference was that he was getting rocked more often, as opposing players were batting .310 against him with an .895 OPS. That’s a dramatic change from the first half, when opposing batters were hitting .200 with a .569 OPS.

That stat kind of sums up Hand in the early portion of 2020. He struck out the side in Game 1 of Tuesday’s double header against the White Sox, but he surrendered a double to kick off the ninth in the series finale, which set the tone for the defeat. A walk and a hit batsmen later, and Hand had cast the dye that would doom his Indians.

OK, it’s early, but Hand’s thrown 2.1 innings. He’s thrown 58 pitchers in that span, meaning he’s laboring awfully hard.

The wrap right now is that Hand’s velocity is still way down from what it used to be. He’s  consistently throwing around 89-90, with a a couple of 91s mixed in. When he was one of the top relievers in the game, he was throwing 93-94, while topping out at 95.

Last September, the Indians made headlines went they sent Hand back to Cleveland to have an MRI on what was being called a tired arm. What’s going on now is unclear, but in this shortened 60-game sprint, the Indians don’t have time for Hand to figure things out.

Unfortunately, there are no other options for the Indians, as the alternative is James Karinchak. He looks like the closer in waiting, but not until next year. Cam Hill is also emerging as a back-end guy, and he even earned his first save in the double header.

Terry Francona doesn’t easily go away from veterans though, and he hammered home that fact in his defense of Hand after the game.

However, if the bullpen isn’t going to be what sinks the season, Hand needs to perform. His next three or four outings will be extremely important to watch, as we’ll have a better idea of what we’re going to get from the veteran.