Despite Indian Deal, Giants Require Help

Jose Mesa was acquitted on rape and assault charges last year, but Cleveland Indian fans couldn’t forget he was guilty of giving up a crucial hit in Game 7 of the World Series with the Florida Marlins. He was booed at Jacobs Field, pitched poorly there and lost his closer role to Mike Jackson.

Ultimately, the Indians found a taker in the San Francisco Giants, where the local miracle worker, Dusty Baker, will employ Mesa in a set-up role and ask Joe Carter, also acquired Thursday night in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles, to play one of the toughest right fields in baseball at 38, when he isn’t replacing J.T. Snow at first base against left-handed pitchers.

The Indians deal from strength and have never been satisfied simply being on top. A possible playoff foe of the New York Yankees, the Indians have George Steinbrenner extremely concerned that they will beat him to Randy Johnson, if the Seattle Mariners decide to deal Johnson before Friday’s non-waiver deadline.

The Giant moves didn’t compare to last July’s acquisition of Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin, but they may not be through. They had lost 11 of 13 games since the all-star break, and General Manager Brian Sabean said of the uninspiring play, “We were going to fade off into the sunset, and we were not going to let that happen.” The acquisition of Mesa, Carter, Shawon Dunston and Al Morman didn’t address a series rotation problem, however.

As of Friday, Shawn Estes was on the disabled list, Kirk Reuter was 0-3 since the all-star break, Darwin had lost five straight decisions and Orel Hershiser was 2-5 with a 7.09 earned-run average for his last eight starts.

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Damion Easley’s 59-game errorless streak ended Monday, but the former Angel second baseman, an all-star selection with the Detroit Tigers this year and now one of the AL’s premier run producers among middle infielders, went into the weekend with a 19-game hitting streak, the first Tiger to have two streaks of 18 games or more in the same season since Alan Trammell in 1987.

“I’m trying to think: How did the Angels give up on this guy?” Yankee catcher Joe Girardi said of Easley during this week’s series in Yankee Stadium. “He’s got great hands. He can run, he hits, he doesn’t miss heaters [fastballs], he makes adjustments.”

The Angels traded Easley for Greg Gohr. How did they give up on him, indeed?

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It was the worst day of a bad year. Tiger leadoff hitter Brian Hunter went hitless in 13 at-bats during Monday’s doubleheader with the Yankees, the first game lasting 17 innings. The worst doubleheader drought in history didn’t end there. Hunter, who recently went 0 for 25, was 0 for 22 in the four-game series. The AL stolen-base champion of last year has a sub-.300 on-base percentage, one of the five worst among everyday AL players.

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Pedro Martinez won the National League’s Cy Young Award last year and might be headed for the AL award this year, but he told the Boston Globe he has been confused and shocked to be booed at times at Fenway Park, appalled to be cursed, and frightened by fans pounding on his car window, seeking autographs. Red Sox teammate Bret Saberhagen, who grew up in Reseda, said it is useful to remember where Martinez has played.

“He played in L.A., where people leave in the seventh inning,” Saberhagen said. “They’re not worried about baseball. It’s just something else to do. If the team wins, great. If not, no big deal.

“And he played in Montreal, where not many people come to the games. This is his first time with really hard-core fans, who live and die baseball. I’m used to it. He’s not.”