What Happened to Thome’s Bat?

First baseman Jim Thome was a bulwark of the Cleveland Indian offense, hitting 40 homers and driving in 102 runs. He was the first Indian to hit 40 homers and draw 100 walks in the same season, and the 40 homers were the second-most by a Cleveland left-hander, exceeded only by Hal Trosky’s 42 in 1936.

Thome, however, has disappeared in the postseason. He is four for 25 with no homers and only one RBI. He is one for 10 in the league championship series against the Baltimore Orioles, and he yielded to a right-handed pinch-hitter in the eighth inning of Monday night’s 4-2 loss in Game 5. Thome had popped up with runners at first and second in the first inning and popped up with runners at second and third in the third inning.

It’s a slump that actually extends to early September. Thome has not hit a homer since Sept. 14. He did not have a homer or an RBI in his last 15 regular-season games. Some close to the club believe he was trying so hard to break Trosky’s home run record for left-handers that his mechanics broke down.

“Jim’s trying too hard, he’s pressing, he’s trying to do too much,� Cleveland batting coach Charlie Manuel said Tuesday. “All he needs to do is have a big game. It’s been a while since he’s hit the ball like he can, but at the same time I’m not worried about him because he could come out tomorrow and have a big game. It’s just a matter of time.�

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Eric Davis is a constant reminder to the Orioles of what’s possible. His pinch-homer in the ninth inning Monday night provided valuable insurance before the Indians narrowed a 4-0 deficit to 4-2. Do things like the home run help keep him going as he undergoes chemotherapy in the aftermath of his cancer surgery?

“Just putting my uniform on keeps me going,� he said. “Being able to get out there keeps me going. That’s the best therapy.�

The home run?

“It’s the icing,� said Davis, who is scheduled Friday for his sixth and last chemotherapy in the second of three such cycles.

He will then have a two-week break before the third cycle, meaning he would be free of treatments during the World Series, if the Orioles advance. The Series starts Saturday, the day after his last treatment.