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Cleveland's catalyst Lofton's return to form sparks the Indians
Updated: Monday September 24, 2001 2:25 AM
Sports Illustrated's Stephen Cannella checks in with his baseball thoughts every week throughout the season on CNNSI.com. On Tuesday night Kenny Lofton led off the bottom of the first for the Indians with a home run off Royals starter Chad Durbin. Cleveland went on to clobber Kansas City, 11-2, in both teams' return to the field after the six-day layoff that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks, and afterward Cleveland's Travis Fryman described the way Lofton kick-started the team's offense as "very poetic." Lofton's blast, coming as it did minutes after a wrenching pregame ceremony honoring the victims of the tragedies, was an emotional adrenaline shot for a team returning to the relatively mundane task of sewing up a division title. (Lofton homered again in the third inning, and went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in an 11-3 win the following day.) It also underscored the key role the center fielder plays in the Indians' lineup. As he goes so goes the Indians' run-production, and Lofton is returning to form as one of the game's most dangerous leadoff hitters. It's a development that has to frighten Cleveland's potential playoff opponents. "Kenny makes our offense go," says manager Charlie Manuel. "He's our table-setter. He makes Roberto Alomar and Jim Thome and Juan Gonzalez that much better." Lofton struggled for most of the season, hitting .237 with a .299 on-base percentage and just 44 runs scored in his first 81 games. Since August 1, however, he has been on fire -- a .336 batting average, .404 on-base percentage, 43 runs and seven homers. He's also 6 for 6 in stolen base attempts and has nearly as many extra-base hits (17) as he did in the season's first four months (19). Little wonder that Cleveland's ascent in the AL Central -- their half-game lead over Minnesota on July 31 has swelled to seven as of Thursday -- has coincided with Lofton's reawakening. "The top of their lineup is working again and Cleveland is starting to look dangerous," says one AL advance scout. He thinks anyone who underestimates the Indians in the postseason is making a mistake, even though Cleveland figures to finish with a worse record than the Mariners, A's and Yankees. "The Indians are turning it up right now. Their record won't mean much when the playoffs start," the scout said. Lofton's turnaround is in part a result of his continued recovery from the gruesome injury he suffered during the 1999 Division Series, when he dislocated his left shoulder and tore his rotator cuff diving into first base. Dr. James Andrews, who operated on Lofton, said last year he wasn't sure he could fix the severe rotator cuff tear, much less get Lofton into good playing shape again. Lofton somehow got ready to take the field by April of last season, but didn't feel completely comfortable and fell into bad habits at the plate while trying to ease the load on his shoulder. He spent much of the early part of this season searching for a comfort zone at the plate. "Kenny has his feet spread a little more," says hitting coach Clarence Jones. "He dropped his hands. He raised his hands. Now he's found a happy medium. He was struggling most of the year trying to find something that works." Manuel also cites Lofton's renewed aggressiveness at the plate and on the bases over the past six weeks as a key factor in Cleveland's resurgence. Lofton, 34, will be a free agent after the season and it's widely assumed that the Indians, who are intent on cutting payroll this winter, won't re-sign him. His hot streak started a few days after Cleveland acquired a possible replacement, center fielder Milton Bradley, from the Expos. Lofton's re-energized play could force the Indians to re-think their offseason strategy. At the very least, his turnaround is driving up the price the outfielder will command on the open market. It's also putting the Indians, who are almost an afterthought among the likely AL playoff teams, in position for a run in October. "It doesn't matter who we play," says Jones. "If Kenny hits, he gets everything going for us." Sports Illustrated's Stephen Cannella checks in with his baseball thoughts every week throughout the season on CNNSI.com.
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