Indians’s slide continues vs. A’s
Associated Press
cleveland
Indians manager Manny Acta has been in professional baseball since 1986. He thought he had seen it all.
Thursday’s 12-7 loss to Oakland extended the Indians’ latest losing streak to five in a row and was their 14th defeat in 15 games. Cleveland also is 5-23 in August — putting it one loss away from the franchise record of 24 in a month (set in July 1914) — and a major-league worst 5-27 since July 27.
Acta, in his third season with the Indians after managing the Washington Nationals from 2007-2009, is at a loss to explain why his team has fallen so quickly.
“I’ve never been through a month like this anywhere,” he said. “Not in Washington, the minor leagues or winter ball, either as a coach or a manager.”
Acta has tried everything to turn his team around. Prior to Wednesday’s game, he divided his players into two teams for a spirited batting practice contest in which the losers had to pick up several dozen baseballs that were hit into the outfield. Acta also benched catcher Carlos Santana for not running out a ground ball during the game.
“We’re making it clear to everyone that they need to take care of their own business,” he said. “One person isn’t going to get us out of this situation. Everyone needs to go out and do their job to the best of their ability.”
The Indians have now matched the least successful 32-game stretch in the majors this season. Houston went 5-27 between July 20 and Aug. 23, firing manager Brad Mills on Aug. 18.
Questions about Acta’s job security have increased with every loss, even though Indians owner Paul Dolan said last week that he had no immediate plans to dismiss him. Dolan made that statement at the start of Cleveland’s ongoing 1-6 homestand.
“It’s not the manager’s fault,” Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera said. “We’re playing bad right now.”