CLEVELAND: Yan Gomes’ offensive shortcomings the last two seasons have been well documented.
But so has his work with the Indians pitching staff, which the team has frequently cited as a valuable asset.
Gomes’ work behind the plate — throwing out base stealers and blocking pitches in the dirt — are added variables into the equation. In Thursday night’s 4-3 win over the Houston Astros, both were on display and showed why the club hasn’t been as reactive to his offensive struggles.
Gomes threw out two would-be base stealers, including Nori Aoki in the top of the ninth inning to prevent the tying run from getting into scoring position. Gomes is now 7-of-13 throwing out base runners entering Friday.
With Roberto Perez backing up Gomes, the Indians for several years have felt comfortable with that aspect of the cat-and-mouse game of base stealing. It’s one of the reasons they rarely attempt a pitchout, which further aids pitchers.
Gomes has been unable to capture his offensive prowess from his 2014 Silver Slugger season, and it would be a boon for the Indians if he did. But for the past two seasons, just as they have with Perez, the Indians have emphasized his defensive work comes first.
“I think the good part is, even when he wasn’t getting hits — and I’ll say this about Roberto, too — they do such a good job shutting down the running game by the way they throw that it’s a huge part of the game,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Having those two guys throw the way they do is so important. And I think Gomer understands that, that most position players, if you’re an outfielder and you’re not hitting, you kind of have to wait until you come back up to hit. The catchers have so much impact on the game.”
The Astros put the tying run on third in the ninth with consecutive singles. With Cody Allen on the mound, Gomes’ reliability on blocking pitches in the dirt allowed him to throw his curveball below the zone.
As Gomes struggles offensively, those things have afforded the Indians some patience and Gomes some leeway.
“You see that a lot of times during a game where a pitcher [for any team] won’t feel comfortable throwing that pitch because there’s a decent chance it’s going to scoot away,” Francona said. “I think our pitchers know that [Gomes and Perez] get down and get squared and keep it in front of them really good so it doesn’t take away one of their best pitches that they need to get a huge out.”
Gomes has begun to show signs of life in the batter’s box. Entering Friday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, he had seven hits in his last 20 at-bats and drew two walks on Thursday. The key could be better pitch selection.
“I think when a walk is a byproduct of swinging at good pitches and laying off bad ones as opposed to maybe the pitcher lost the zone, yeah, I think that’s a really good sign,” Francona said. “With Gomer, he’s never going to be a high walk guy. But if he’s swinging at good pitches, he’s going to do more damage, going to have more extra-base hits, it all kind of works hand-in-hand.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.