The Indians on Sunday completed an 0-9 nine-game road trip. Their season has fallen apart, and they're "exploring the trade market" for veterans Derek Lowe and Johnny Damon, who were both designated for assignment last week, tweeted MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.
Here's more about the Indians, as they look ahead to 2013:
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Back stiffness kept Travis Hafner out of the lineup on Monday night, Bastian also tweeted, but Hafner's hoping to return on Tuesday.
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General manager Chris Antonetti said manager Manny Acta is "part of the solution, not the issues," according to another Bastian tweet. Antonetti expects Acta to return in 2013.
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Right-handed pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, will make one more minor-league start for Triple-A Columbus on Friday. In his first start with Columbus, Hernandez gave up five earned runs in five innings on nine hits. He struck out two and walked two.
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According to a Bastian piece at MLB.com, Cleveland's pitching has been its downfall: the starting rotation went 0-7 on the nine-game road trip, with a shocking 11.69 ERA. Said Antonetti:
"We're concerned, yeah. I think the inconsistency of our starting pitching has been a challenge for us for most of the year. Until we can right our starting pitching, it's going to be difficult for us to sustain any momentum or success."
