It's Getting Hot in Here

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

The thermostat outside my house said 100 degrees today, and technically it isn’t summer just yet. Whether it’s the temperature or the poor play from their teams, a few managers are beginning to get a bit hot under the collar.

Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians: At 28-35, the Indians are seriously underperforming. A team that many picked to win the AL Central and quite a few experts selected to go far in the playoffs, nothing has clicked for the Indians. While C.C. Sabathia has been back to Cy Young form after starting the season 1-5 with a 7.51 ERA, and Cliff Lee is 9-1 with a 2.45 ERA, Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner are on the DL, and even before getting injured they were not performing well. In addition, Victor Martinez hasn’t hit a homerun in 2008 and is on pace for only 65 RBI.

Clint Hurdle, Colorado Rockies: After making a historic run at the end of the 2007 season that was halted by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, the Rockies have struggled mightily in 2008. The Rockies have the worst record in the National League at 24-39. Troy Tulowitzki was hitting .152 when he tore a tendon in his left quad. Matt Holliday has also spent some time on the DL. Add to those injuries that fact that the pitching staff is the worst in the National League and it is easy to figure out why the team is struggling. They have time to turn it around, and last year’s run should give Hurdle some faith, but he can’t be feeling good about where the team is at currently.

Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers: Another AL Central team that many picked to win the division, league and even World Series. The Tigers are 26-36, 10 ½ games behind the division leading Chicago White Sox. The pitching has been atrocious, boasting a 4.73 ERA. And while the offense has been middle of the pack, after the additions of Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria, this offense was expected to be dominant. Nothing has gone right and Jim Leyland may be considering retirement if things don’t change.

Joe Girardi, New York Yankees: Does it really matter what the Yankees’ record is? Does it matter which Steinbrenner is running the show? If there is a manager in the dugout, and a Steinbrenner in the front office, that manager is feeling the heat. At 32-32, Girardi is definitely feeling that heat.

Willie Randolph, New York Mets: A few weeks ago, the Mets’ front office held a “closed doors” meeting with Randolph. After the meeting the Mets looked like they had turned things around…and then they went to San Diego. The Mets were swept in a four game series this past weekend by a San Diego Padres team that was 24-37 before their matchup with the Mets. Now the Mets are 30-32 and Willie has to be feeling the heat. Expect it to continue unless they turn it around in the near future.

John McLaren, Seattle Mariners: With the worst record in the big leagues at 22-41, McLaren has to be pulling his hair out in between innings. In only his second season as the manager in Seattle, this was supposed to be a special year for the Mariners. They signed Erik Bedard to a big contract and seemed to have the pieces in place to make a run at the Angels in the AL West. It is not looking good. If the team doesn’t figure it out, McLaren may be the first manager to get the boot in 2008.