Betancourt hopes he’ll bounce back for Indians

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Rafael Betancourt glances around the Cleveland Indians’ spring training clubhouse and likes what he sees.

Teammates are looking him in the eye, smiling, and not turning away.

“For the first three months last season, I couldn’t look at anybody the way I was pitching,” Betancourt said. “I felt terrible for my teammates and for my family. I don’t want to feel like that again.”

After five straight solid seasons in the Cleveland bullpen, including one of the best by a setup reliever in Indians history in 2007, Betancourt was shocked.

“I felt so happy in 2007, not because of my season, but because my team was in the playoffs,” Betancourt said. “My numbers were because of my team. People say I held leads. If my team didn’t score runs, I had no lead to protect. If our starters didn’t pitch well, maybe I don’t even get used because we are behind.”

Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said late during the 2007 season that Betancourt was among the most valuable players in the game. “What he’s doing is amazing,” Leyland said. “Imagine where Cleveland may be without him.”

Betancourt went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA, only nine walks and 80 strikeouts in 791‚Ñ3 innings in 2007.

The Indians discovered what it was like without those numbers a year ago. Betancourt’s inconsistency, along with the rapid demise of closer Joe Borowski was a big reason for the Indians’ disappointing season.

Borowski went from AL saves leader in 2007 to the disabled list last April and being released in July.

“When Joe got hurt, I wanted to step up, but didn’t,” Betancourt said. “I let my team down.”

By the end of June, Betancourt was 2-5 with a 6.14 ERA and Cleveland was last in the AL Central.

Manager Eric Wedge says the way Betancourt pitched in the second half was a key to Cleveland’s strong finish that put the Indians third with an 81-81 record.

“I think a lot of what happened to Raffy was a carryover from his workload the previous year,” Wedge said. “He was a little tired, but to his credit made some adjustments and finished strong.”

Until last year, Betancourt was always able to command both sides of the plate with a lively fastball. He had been getting ahead in the count ever since he was converted from shortstop while in the Boston Red Sox farm system a decade ago.

“Strike one is important, but for some reason last year some of my pitches tailed over the plate and got hit,” Betancourt said. “Maybe I was tired, dropped my arm just a little, and that caused it to happen.

“Right now, I’m throwing like I used to throw.”