Tribe hopes Carmona returns to form in ’09

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The weight of the Cleveland Indians’ success in 2009 doesn’t rest entirely on the right arm of Fausto Carmona.

However, if the pitcher has a repeat of last season — when he was injured for two months and didn’t pitch well even when healthy — don’t look for the Indians to be a threat in the American League Central.

“He’s as important as any one player can be,” general manager Mark Shapiro said of the 25-year-old right-hander.

Carmona, throwing in the mid-90s with a devastating sinker, burst onto the scene in 2007 with a 19-8 record and a 3.06 ERA in 32 starts, the second lowest in the AL.

In the first round of the ALCS playoffs, he subdued the New York Yankees while fighting off a bombardment of tiny bugs off Lake Erie that stuck to his face.

While it would have been a lot to ask of a young pitcher to duplicate that performance, no could have anticipated the complete reversal Carmona’s 2008 season became. His final numbers — an 8-7 record with a 5.44 ERA — only tell part of the story.

There were signals early that Carmona’s fortunes would be much different. He walked a career-high eight batters in 31‚Ñ3 innings in his second start. His sinker, which had hitters flailing the previous season, dove out of the strike zone too quickly.

A strained left hip landed Carmona on the disabled list in late May. He tried to come back from the injury in June, but the hip continued to bother him and he didn’t return to the rotation until late July. He was 3-5 with a 7.61 ERA in his last nine starts.

The turnaround in Carmona’s numbers was startling. He struck out 137 and walked 61 in 215 innings in 2007. Last season he struck out 58 and walked 70 in 1202‚Ñ3 innings.

So what happened? It might be part of the maturation process of a young player trying to master a difficult game.

“If it was that easy, everybody would just have a good season year after year,” manager Eric Wedge said.

While the regular season is still over a month away, Carmona appears to have regained his confidence.

“You can see the difference in him,” catcher Victor Martinez said. “He was hurt last year. He’s healthy now.”

Carmona says he has put 2008 behind him.

“The 2007 Fausto is the real Fausto,” he said after throwing two scoreless innings in his first spring training outing. “I’ve got no pain. Just like now, I’m 100 percent.”

Carmona’s sinker was the talk of the league in 2007. The Indians believe they detected flaws in his delivery last season that caused problems with the pitch.

“You can’t believe what it’s like to catch it,” Martinez said. “You just put your glove in a spot and he hits it. When he throws it like that, it’s almost unhittable.”

The Indians’ best advice is for Carmona to stay relax and throw.

“He has so much ability, if he stays under control, the rest will take care of itself,” Wedge said.