A Very Bad Season -- By The Numbers

The Indians have lost nine in a row and appear headed to one of the worst finishes in team history. With a 61-89 record and 12 games to play, barring a remarkable finish, the Tribe will compile its worst overall record since going 57-105 in 1991. Not even the "rebuilding" club of manager Eric Wedge's first year as manager in 2003 was as bad. That team went 68-94. Individual stats show the reason.

Grady Sizemore, done for the season, leads the team with 18 homers. Shin-Soo Choo is next on the ballclub with 16.

The last time the Indians didn't have at least one player hit 20 home runs was in the strike season of 1981, when Bo Diaz led the way with a paltry seven. Before that, the low mark was Graig Nettles' 17 in 1972, when the club played only 156 games, also do to a short players strike.

The last time Cleveland didn't have anybody hit 20 homers in a full season was 1968, when pitching ruled the roost, all hitters struggled, and Tony Horton led the Tribe with only 14 homers.

Choo currently leads the club with 79 RBI and Jhonny Peralta has 78. If either one ends up leading the club, they will still have one of the lowest totals in recent memory.

Jody Gerut led the 2003 team with only 75 RBI, Mike Hargrove had a team-high 49 in the strike year of 1981, and Rico Carty's 80 RBI led the Indians in 1977.

Choo also leads the team with 19 stolen bases. The only times since 1989 that Cleveland has not had at least one player steal 20 came in 2002 when Omar Vizquel had a team-high 18 and the next season when Milton Bradley led the way with 17 steals.

Choo tops the club with 80 runs, exactly the total that Casey Blake had to lead the 2003 team. That was the lowest team-leading total since Carlos Baerga scored 80 times for the woeful 1991 team.

Asdrubal Cabrera, at .305 and Choo at .303 have a chance to hit .300. That's better than a year ago, when Peralta's .276 mark led the club. Cleveland has had at least one batter hit .300 or better in 23 of the last 30 seasons.

But the club's .265 average overall, while better than last season's .262 finish, would rank fourth-worst since the 1991 team hit only a collective .254.

Cleveland has scored 722 runs in 150 games, an average of 4.813 per game. Projected at that rate for 12 more games, the Indians would finish with 780 runs. Only the 2002 and 2003 teams were worse than that since the Tribe tallied 674 runs in 1992.

On the mound, Cleveland's collective 5.04 ERA is the second-worst in club history. The 1987 team, which went 61-101, had a 5.28 ERA.

Rookie David Huff leads the team with 10 wins, the lowest total since Jose Mesa (10-12) led Cleveland in 1993.

It has been nearly two months since Cliff Lee was traded away, but his 107 strikeouts will end up leading the club, since the second-place man Carl Pavano, with 88, also has been dealt away.

That will be the lowest total since Rick Wise fanned 106 in 1978. And THAT was the lowest mark since Mel Harder had only 74 strikeouts in 1942.

Lee also is going to lead the team in innings (152) and ERA 3.14. That innings total will be the lowest team-leading total in history. The previous low was 159 innings by Bert Blyleven in 1981.

Somehow, Tribe fans pretty much knew all of this was probable. All they had to do was look at the overall record and the place in the standings.