Sloppy In Seattle: Tribe Lose Series

Apologies for not writing a Twins series report last week, but my All Star break was more lengthy than the MLB players was. I watched most of the Masterson game, the sole victory in that series, but I honestly didn't pay enough attention to the rest of the series enough to write a credible re-cap.

Alas, I am here now for the Seattle series that wrapped up yesterday, with an impressive 10-1 win for the Indians. Unfortunately the Indians lost the first two games, both by narrow margins. Despite a solid effort by Ubaldo Jimenez and the bullpen, the Tribe dropped the first game on Monday 2-1, the offense failing to get that important hit to nudge them into the lead. Zach McAllister made his long awaited return from the DL to start Tuesday's game but signs of rust were obvious, as he battled through 5 innings, surrendering 8 hits and 4 runs, 3 of them earned. Still, the Indians were in the game but again couldn't get those vital runs to turn things around, eventually losing 4-3, the second straight loss by a single-run deficit. Thankfully Cleveland turned it around for the final game on Wednesday, gifting Scott Kazmir plenty of run support to go along with his stellar 8 innings, coming out on top 10-1.

Let's take a look at some of the talking points in this series:

Errors, Errors, Errors

The Indians have committed 9 errors since the All Star break. That's 9 errors over the course of 6 games, 5 of those mistakes occurring in Seattle. That is embarrassing by major league standards and the Cleveland defense need to seriously sort this out before it becomes a situation. I know it's a small sample size but if they don't tighten up out there, this could become something to really worry about. Let's get this straight though: people make mistakes, even highly paid professional baseball players. No one is perfect and errors are part of the game. But 9 in 6 games? 4 by Lonnie Chisenhall alone? It's unacceptable and the players know that. But judging by some of the venomous posts I've seen on Twitter over the last few days, the Tribe faithful only have so much patience for sub-par play.

But the criticism can go too far sometimes. After Asdrubal Cabrera threw away a potential double-play in the second inning on Wednesday, the ball flying past Jason Kipnis stationed on second base, the Mariner's Jason Bay managed to round third base and score Seattle's only run of the game. The reaction from some of the fans on Twitter was amazing. You'd have thought Asdrubal had removed his Cleveland cap and took a dump in it judging by some of the intense hatred spewed his way. But no one cared to comment on the outstanding play he made earlier that inning, nor the routine play he fielded perfectly directly after his error. Nope, it was all "trade Cabrera now" and "bench that fool". He was ridiculed again later in the game for a lack of hustle as well.

I think it's time we need to start giving some of our players a bit of a break. Yes sometimes they warrant criticism and I understand fans wanting to vent their frustrations, we've all been there and done it, but the levels of abuse can reach ridiculous heights at times, often when its not at all necessary (Twitter can be the absolute worst place for this). Cabrera had a fantastic game by all accounts, going 2-for-4 at the plate, a double and a mammoth solo home run, for 3 RBI and a walk as well. Aside from his error, he made every play in the field perfectly, showing us he's still one of the premier shortstops in the American League. The Indians are having a pretty good season guys. So we need to support these players, not condemn them instantly. That's what being a fan is all about right?

All Quiet At The Trade Deadline

Since my post about potential targets the Tribe could explore before the trade deadline, there's been a bit of movement around the league, so I thought I'd update the situation where the Indians are involved. More specifically, what's happened to my trade targets since I last discussed them.

Matt Garza, possibly the player I would have like to have seen the most come to Cleveland (even if would end up being for just a couple of months), has been shipped to the Rangers recently, for a good crop of prospects the Cubs will be delighted with. Despite Garza having been a realistic option for the Indians to trade for, I don't really think we stood much of a chance at getting him in the end. He was easily the top pitcher available for trade this month and it was much more likely a contender like Texas would persuade Garza and the Cubs to join them rather than us. So it proved.

The same can be said for Ricky Nolasco, who was traded to the Dodgers shortly after my original post. I predicted as much and never really expected us to get Nolasco. I originally mentioned him on my list of targets but he was the lowest guy on my list, I only really had him on there because I preferred him to Yovani Gallardo from Milwaukee. Dear Indians front office, please pay attention to history and avoid trading for declining National League pitchers with inflated ERAs and decreasing velocity: i.e. do not trade for Gallardo, we don't need another Ubaldo situation.

However hope still remains in the form of Bud Norris. He's still pitching well in Houston, with a bevy of suitors sending scouts to each of his starts over the last month or so. If we couldn't get Garza, Norris was the next player I would have liked the Indians to acquire, plus he would have been under club control a lot longer than Garza. In fact over the last week or so I have actually been siding more towards Norris over Garza, pretty much because Norris would remain in Cleveland longer. So the opportunity to trade for Norris is still a possibility for the Tribe but as the days go by I get the feeling it won't be happening. It's been very quiet over the last few weeks where Cleveland is concerned in the trade deadline rush. Not many rumours of substance at all that mention the Indians. The race for Norris is heating up, but the only names I see mentioned with any consistency are the Orioles and Giants, and maybe the Red Sox occasionally. The word on the street is that Houston are looking for some premier prospects in return for their "ace" pitcher, which I expect most clubs are reluctant to part with. Norris is good, he's a very solid pitcher, but on most clubs he's a number 2/3 guy at best. So Houston's high asking price seems to be the main obstacle preventing Norris's departure for new pastures. As much as I'd like it, I don't expect Cleveland to be one of them.

The question now is, will the Indians make any move/s at all? There's just under a week left and so far it doesn't appear that they will. It looks like the club are satisfied with the current state of the starting rotation and any moves regarding the lineup only seem to involve the Indians as sellers rather than buyers (the Cabrera to St Louis trade is the only possibility even mentioned as far as lineup changes go). If the Tribe make any trades before August 1st I expect it'll be something minor, a move to bolster the bullpen probably, the glaring weakness this season that could benefit from immediate help. Watch this space...

Player Of The Series

There's really only one man who whole-heartedly deserves this award for the series and that's Scott Kazmir, who seems to be progressing nicely and couldn't have gotten off to a better start to the second half. Kazmir had his best outing of 2013 on Wednesday: he pitched 8 superb innings, a season high, giving up just 1 hit and no earned runs (Seattle's sole run they did score was off that Cabrera error I mentioned earlier). He walked 2 and struck out 7 Mariners in 103 pitches. It was a virtuoso performance from the left-handed veteran, a display to get really excited about. Kazmir wins the award for this series with ease, but an honourable mention most go to Yan Gomes, who has become Kazmir's personal catcher of late, who had a very successful trip to Seattle as well.

Cleveland can enjoy the day off at home today before welcoming the Texas Rangers to Progressive Field for a three game series beginning tomorrow. Corey Kluber (7-5, 3.69 ERA) will face off against Martin Perez (3-3, 3.40 ERA) on Friday evening to get things started but the game to watch will be Saturday's match-up of All Star pitchers Justin Masterson (11-7, 3.60 ERA) and Yu Darvish (9-4, 2.86 ERA). I start my holiday on Monday so I'll try and fit in a series re-cap before I go but if not I won't be back until we're midway through the crucial series against the Tigers in early August. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

First Half Season Review: Pitchers

Yesterday I rounded off my review of the Indians' position players for the first half, you can find that here (or just scroll down you bums). Today the focus is on our pitchers, who've had a mixed season but overall I'd say they've been alright. Especially when you consider that many predicted the rotation to be a complete train-wreck this year. Without further ado:

Rotation

Justin Masterson A-

First time All Star Justin has rediscovered some of the magic he had in 2011 and has been the undisputed leader on the Tribe rotation. The biggest surprise has been his ability to get strikeouts, with 137 K's in 135.1 innings, good enough for 6th overall in the entire league, 4th in the AL. Not bad for a groundball pitcher huh? He's run into a bit of trouble lately, especially with his control (54 walks, 4th highest in the league), but he continues to pitch well every 5 days and has become the most reliable pitcher on the staff. Hopefully he can remain this good in the second half, maybe even get close to 20 wins. That would be fantastic.

Room for Improvement: Limit the walks.

Corey Kluber B+

A revelation this year and continuing to get better as the season progresses. Kluber has cemented himself as a solid number 2 behind Masterson since Zach McAllister got hurt in June. He has flourished with the added responsibility. Brilliant so far.

Room for Improvement: Keep doing what you're doing,

Zach McAllister B+

Zach started the year wonderfully before a finger injury at the beginning of June halted his progress. Showed enough of his supreme talent in his 11 starts though and can hopefully return to that level of effectiveness when he comes off the DL later this month. His introduction back into the rotation could be like a new signing and could just be what the rotation needs for the playoff-push in the second half.

Room for Improvement: Get healthy and pitch exactly the same as you did before.

Ubaldo Jimenez C-

Just when everyone had given up on him, Ubaldo somehow managed to sort himself out. We have finally begun to see flashes of the player we thought we were acquiring in the 2011 trade. It's not been all roses though. Jimenez's pitch counts are astronomical, hitters are nearly always pushing him to 3-2, and as a result he barely makes it past the 5th inning anymore. Some of that is luck and some of it is down to the defense, but Ubaldo has to find a way to pitch deeper into games if he is to have a future in Cleveland after 2013. At the moment, most people don't imagine him as part of the 2014 rotation. He has to prove them wrong in the second half.

Room for Improvement: Get at least 6 innings in the majority of your starts. Must pitch longer.

Scott Kazmir B-

We should all be celebrating the fact Kazmir even made it out of Spring Training, let alone to the half way point of the season. He's not the star he was in Tampa Bay anymore but we realise that, so expectations were low to begin with. Still, Scott has been a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, eating innings and has become one of the feel-good stories of 2013. A pleasant surprise all in all.

Room for Improvement: Keep contributing like you have. Limit the hits.

Trevor Bauer D

In the handful of spot-starts Bauer made in the first half, he's shown he's still not quite MLB-ready. Not yet anyway. Trevor is still struggling with his control, walking 16 batters in just 17 major league innings. The problem is, he's hardly setting AAA alight either. His numbers in Columbus aren't exactly mouth-watering, a 4.06 ERA in 14 starts, 76 hits and 9 HRs in 77.2 innings. I think Bauer could benefit from spending the majority of the second half in Columbus, and only join the big club in September. The elite talent is still obvious, he has possibly the best stuff on the roster, but a bit more seasoning at the AAA level is necessary to harness that potential.

Room for Improvement: Work on that control, have to limit those walks. Be patient, your chance will come.

Carlos Carrasco F

Carrasco's 6 starts with the big club can be considered a train-wreck by all accounts. He only pitched 1 quality start, against the Royals on June 17th, when he pitched 7.1 innings of 1 run ball and deserved a victory his team-mates couldn't provide. Aside from that single game he's been hideous. 47 hits and 29 earned runs in just 28.2 innings leaves him with a sky-high 9.10 ERA at the All Star break. The centre-piece of the 2009 Cliff Lee trade has failed to rebound successfully from the Tommy John surgery that kept him sidelined in 2012. It's not all doom and gloom for Carrasco though; he's been lighting up Columbus, with 60 strikeouts in 54.2 innings, with an impressive 3.29 ERA. He just hasn't put it all together at the major league level yet. There's still time, but he has to prove it to the big club, and the fans, sooner rather than later.

Room for Improvement: Transfer dominance from AAA level to major leagues. Avoid controversy.

Bullpen

Chris Perez D+

What a roller-coaster of a season so far for Perez, but he's actually been very good since his return from the disabled list. With expectations at an all time low, Perez seems to be pitching better than ever before, with 4 relatively incident-free saves within a period of 5 days in the run-in to the All Star break. He now needs to carry this consistency into the second half and become the closer he was in 2011 and 2012.

Room for Improvement: Keep your mouth shut and pitch. Stay healthy.

Vinnie Pestano D

Oh Vinnie, what happened man? Pestano has not been the same pitcher we've been accustomed to seeing so far in 2013. He's been struggling, the life in his fastball just doesn't seem right, and it's led to questions about his health and/or mental approach. Whatever the problem is, Vinnie needs to take these few days of rest to re-focus and fix himself. If its a physical problem, hopefully the club can give him the time he needs to recuperate. Pestano at 100% takes our bullpen to another level.

Room for Improvement: Fix what's ailing you and return to the Pestano we all know and love.

Joe Smith C

Normally one of our best bullpen guys but even Smith has struggled at times this year, especially lately (could be to due to being over-worked). Like Pestano, Joe needs to re-energise himself during the break and prepare himself for the second half. We're gonna need him at full health for the run-in.

Room for Improvement: Embrace the responsibility of carrying the load when the rest of the bullpen is failing.

Cody Allen B+

Arguably the lone bright spot in this year's bullpen, Cody Allen has established himself as a very good relief pitcher, maybe even a future closer (his strikeout rate of 11.80 K/9 is astounding). I've been extremely impressed with his composure and ability to handle the high-pressure situations that Francona throws him into. Excellent so far.

Room for Improvement: Keep it up.

Matt Albers C

Albers has been better than I thought he would be during the first half but like so many others he needs to cut down his walks if he wants to be an effective reliever in this bullpen. To his credit he has given up the least amount of home runs (2) amongst the bullpen staff with 10+ appearances.

Room for Improvement: Work on your control.

Bryan Shaw C

Shaw gets a bad rap from some fans but he's largely been effective in his 39 appearances thus far. Nothing spectacular but he's got the job done. I'd prefer if Francona left him out of some of the more volatile situations though. Shaw should strictly be used in emergencies during tight games, as I'd prefer to see Allen or Smith.

Room for Improvement: Limit the walks and hits.

Rich Hill D-

After starting the season so well, Hill has been a disaster ever since, with a lot of fans expecting the news of his release weeks ago. Rich is still capable of getting outs and there's been signs of him turning things around lately, but the fan's confidence in him is still pretty low. I'm a big fan of that sweeping curve ball though, the way it leaves hitters completely frozen at the plate. Hill needs to pitch better in the second half, like he did to end the first, or he won't last the year in Cleveland.

Room for Improvement: Cannot afford to keep walking the first batter you face or your days are numbered.

Nick Hagadone D

The once-promising left hander has had his fair share of troubles like the rest of the bullpen and needs to make the most of his next opportunity with the big club when his name is called again. Like Hill he needs to work on his control and limit the walks, or the Tribe will look elsewhere for left handed relief.

Room for Improvement: Cut down those walks and be prepared next time you make it to the bigs.

Not applicable for grading: Brett Myers, Scott Barnes, Matt Langwell, Joe Martinez, Danny Salazar, David Huff, Preston Guilmet, CC Lee

Myers was one of the off-season signings acquired to help shore up the rotation but injury has ruled him out of having any effect on the Indians in the first half. Danny Salazar is the highlight of this bunch, his impressive debut last week causing a quite a stir.

So there you have it, my review of each player as the first half has come to an end. The second half will reveal whether the Indians pitching staff are pretenders, like the previous 2 years, or contenders; can the Tribe actually make a real push for a playoff spot? Our hopes will lie largely with the rotation and the bullpen, and their collective performances will determine just how far these 2013 Indians will go.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the All Star Game tonight.

First Half Season Review: Position Players

The Indians enter the All Star break with a 51-44 record, good enough for 2nd place in the AL Central, just 1.5 games behind Detroit. It's been quite a journey so far and we've seen a good deal of ups and downs along the way. Here is my season review for the position players up to this point, based on my expectations of what we expected out of Spring Training, as well as my feelings about how they can go forward into the second half of 2013. Enjoy:

Catchers

Carlos Santana B+

Despite a slump here and there, Santana has been one of the Tribe's more consistent hitters so far and a constant threat in the middle of the lineup. He's only just behind Kipnis in terms of OBP (.382), amazing for a catcher. He narrowly missed out on being an All Star this year and arguably deserved it more than the Royals' Salvador Perez. Santana has become one of the best catchers in the American League, albeit with some concerns about his defensive abilities behind the plate. Still, he's had a very good first half all in all.

Room for Improvement: Work on preventing so many passed balls. Keep getting on base.

Yan Gomes C+

A revelation behind the plate and effective with the bat as well, Gomes made a considerable impact on the fans in the first half. I'd like to see Francona try and fit him into the lineup more often in the second half, slide Santana to first base and let Gomes catch. He's probably a better catcher than Sanrana defensively, so it will be interesting to see how much playing time Gomes sees from here on. Hopefully a lot.

Room for Improvement: Keep doing what you're doing.

Lou Marson N/A

Limited to just 3 games before getting hurt and is now on the 60 day DL for a shoulder issue that's kept him away from the club since April. Surely considered the 3rd choice catcher now since Gomes has done so well in his absence.

Room for Improvement: Get healthy, fight for your spot when the opportunity arises.

Infielders

Nick Swisher C

The face of the franchise has struggled to play like the star he was expected to be. That might be unfair on Swisher, he's never been a true star player at any stage in his career, but the Indians paid him a lot of money to perform like one in Cleveland. Had a terrible June when he played through injury but has started to turn things around a bit lately. His positive attitude and enthusiasm in the clubhouse has undeniably had an impact on the team though. He's a big reason why this team has been so fun to watch.

Room for Improvement: Get that batting average up. Play like a guy who deserves to be hitting 4th/5th.

Mark Reynolds C-

Reynolds got off to a blistering start, crushing every ball in sight in April, before declining rapidly in May and he hasn't been able to turn things around since. The grade I've given him might seem a bit harsh for a guy who has hit 15 home runs (still leads the team) but he's been such a liability at the plate since April that its easy to forget how good he was earlier in the season. Maybe now we're seeing why Arizona and Baltimore were happy to let him leave, despite his impressive home run totals. When he's slumping, he's a black hole in the lineup. Reynolds need to take the All Star break as an opportunity to re-focus and re-energise.

Room for Improvement: Improve on the woeful .218 batting average. Bring the power back.

Jason Giambi C

The veteran has had his critics all year but he's been better than I thought he would be up to this point. The .200 batting average is painful to look at but considering he's effectively a 42 year-old cheerleader on this team, he's not doing too badly. And I mean no disrespect with that cheerleader remark (just being a wise-ass) because the job he's been doing as a leader in the clubhouse has obviously had a positive effect on the team so far. Francona loves him and he's met my expectations so far in his limited opportunities.

Room for Improvement: Make the most of your time left in The Show. Get to 10 HR's by end of year.

Jason Kipnis A

Quickly becoming the heart and soul of this team and now an All Star, deservedly so too. Hard to find many faults in his game, especially since he got hot with the bat in June, winning the AL Player of the Month award for his efforts. Got off to a slow start in April but he was playing hurt in his defense. Has more than made up for it since though, and now leads the team in batting average (.301), RBI (57), stolen bases (21), hits (96), runs (53) and OBP (.383). Nearly every offensive category actually. I've even seen him mentioned in some AL MVP conversations (way down the ladder in 8th/9th but still, just to be part of the conversation is incredible). An amazing first half for the JK Kid.

Room for Improvement: Cut down the strikeouts. Stay consistent with the bat in second half.

Mike Aviles B

The invaluable utility man would likely be starting every day for a lot of other teams, such is his quality. He's been a great addition to the team and his versatility off the bench has been put to use by Francona in a variety of ways. We've seen him at SS, 2B, 3B, even LF once or twice, and he's been solid at every position. His production dipped slightly when he was thrust into the role of starter, when Cabrera went on the DL, but overall he's been a reliable and effective option off the bench in the first half. I'm a big fan of Aviles.

Room for Improvement: Try and get those power numbers up, otherwise just continue as before.

Asdrubal Cabrera B-

Injury has hindered his season a bit but he's still one of the best shortstops in the AL and remains a wizard with the glove, pulling off some spectacular plays in the field and making it look routine. Seems to be finding his groove a bit lately, hopefully an encouraging sign heading into the second half. He's still our premier trade chip, with the Cardinals and Yankees very keen, but I'd be sad to see him go this month. I'd prefer the Indians to keep hold of him for as long as possible, at least until the end of the year, but his days are likely numbered since Lindor is progressing so well. Time will tell just how much longer Cabrera will remain in Cleveland...

Room for improvement: Get the .255 batting average up. Stop chasing so many pitches outside the zone.

Lonnie Chisenhall C

After an impressive Spring Training, Lonnie struggled to start the campaign and was soon sent to Columbus to fix his swing and reset himself. His stint at AAA did wonders for him and he's been remarkably solid since his return. Looks a lot more comfortable now at the major league level than he did previously. See my KC re-cap yesterday for more on Chiz's encouraging performances.

Room for Improvement: Be more disciplined at the plate and the .243 batting average will grow in time.

Outfielders

Michael Brantley A-

Brantley is quietly having a great 2013, some might even say a breakout year for the outfielder. He's starting to look like the talent we hoped we'd get in the CC Sabathia trade of 2009. Brantley has successfully hit in nearly every spot in the lineup and has become an invaluable part of the offense, especially adept at scoring runners in clutch situations (48 total RBI, second on the team behind Kipnis). He's been equally good in the field as well, a crucial part of the outfield trio that has helped make us much better defensively. Brantley is one to watch in the second half, so long as he keeps up this level of performance.

Room for Improvement: Not a lot since his power is progressing nicely of late. Keep up the first half pace.

Michael Bourn B

A finger injury on April 14th kept him out for nearly a month and prevented him from finding his groove early on but he's been everything we expected since his return. Fantastic defensively and near-unstoppable running down the first base line, he's proving his worth since we poached him late in the off-season.

Room for Improvement: I expect to see more stolen bases. Produce more RBI's in the second half.

Drew Stubbs C+

A terrific outfielder and natural defender, and practically impossible to catch in a double-play, Stubbs' speed is deadly both defensively and offensively. But the guy strikes out too much, even for a number 9 guy (he's second on the team behind Reynolds, with 93 strikeouts in 287 at-bats). It's hard to knock his effort and he comes across as a very likeable guy, but he has to be more disciplined at the plate. Too often he's an easy out.

Room for Improvement: Cut down the strikeouts. Other than that, keep doing what you're doing.

Ryan Raburn C+

Versatile like Aviles, Raburn has seen the majority of time in right field and has been an important figure in the Indians' first half success. His power threat has been a big bonus off the bench, with an impressive 10 home runs before the All Star break. Raburn even earned the AL Player of the Week award for April 29th -May 5th. Hopefully Raburn can maintain this pace in the second half and Francona can find a way to maximise his bat when he's at his best.

Room for Improvement: Get hot with the bat again like you did in late April/ early May.

Ezequiel Carrera N/A

Began 2013 with the club but was among the unlucky few cut before the end of Spring Training. He managed to get picked up by the Phillies though, before they eventually released him and the Tribe re-acquired him once again in early May. Has only played in 2 games so far, both in May, and hasn't featured for the Indians since. Carrera could still prove to be useful though; the Indians could put his impressive speed to good use late during a playoff-push or he could become a useful trade chip if the club decide to make any moves in the near future.

Room for Improvement: Make yourself useful, via performance on the field or as a potential player to trade.

Not applicable for grading: Omir Santos, Cord Phelps, John McDonald

McDonald and Phelps had more at-bats than Carrera and Marson combined in the first half but their influence on the team was negligible at best. McDonald has been traded and Phelps doesn't really figure into the Indians future, not yet anyway. Santos is strictly a depth player in case of injury.

Overall, despite their ups and downs, the offense has been impressive as a unit and the biggest reason for the Tribe's success in the first half. The good news is there is still room for improvement. Provided Cabrera doesn't get traded, he has the ability to produce more. Reynolds can hopefully break out of his slump and Swisher can revert back his career-norm in terms of offense. There's a lot more to look forward to from this offense. They aren't finished yet.

Thanks for reading. Pitchers review coming shortly.

Tribe Enter Break In Royal Fashion

What a fantastic way to cap off the first half of the season, sweeping the Royals in three games as the All Star Game draws near this Tuesday. The Indians have been in fine form of late and had everything working for them in this series, shutting out KC 3-0 on Friday, beating them 5-3 on Saturday, before sweeping them with a fine 6-4 victory today, Sunday. This afternoon's win leaves the Indians with a 51-44 record, remarkable given how streaky the team have been at times, and the club are just 1.5 games behind the Tigers in the race for AL Central. As Wayne Campbell so nicely put it: Game on!

Kluber Continues To Impress

Corey Kluber is having a hell of a season for the Indians in 2013. His first half numbers don't initially dazzle the eye, and that's partly due to him feeling his way into the season, but for a guy who wasn't even supposed to be part of this club's rotation this year,he ain't doing too badly if I say so myself. At the break he has a 3.88 ERA, with 94 strikeouts in 95 innings and just 22 walks. Kluber appears to be getting better every time he takes the mound and his latest outing ranks amongst his best so far.

Kluber kicked off the series against Kansas City on Friday with a dominating pitching performance. He lasted 7 2/3 innings, surrendering only 3 hits and 3 walks, to go along with 8 strikeouts, whilst all the while keeping the Royals off the scoreboard. He was damn near untouchable, like he has been so often since the start of June. With Zach McAllister missing from the rotation due to injury, Kluber has picked up the torch and has cemented himself as the number 2 starter in McAllister's absence. If he can continue to pitch like this in the second half of the season, and McAllister can return to full health and be effective like he was before he got hurt, our rotation will immediately look a lot better. In fact, it would be so much better that I'm almost willing to admit that the Indians wouldn't need to trade for a new starter before July's deadline ends. A rotation led by Masterson, McAllister and Kluber inspires a lot of confidence in me, and if all three guys can continue to pitch into September like they have done so far, well I reckon the team can only prosper.

Player Of The Series

There are a number of worthy candidates for the award this series, Kluber amongst them for the reasons I have just mentioned. But my pick for this series goes to our young third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, for his efforts at the plate and in the field over the last couple of days. Lonnie smashed the first grand slam of his MLB career on Saturday, his 4 RBI bomb fuelling the Tribe to the 5-3 win. His grand slam ultimately proved to be the difference, supporting Scott Kazmir's sterling effort on the mound (6 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts for his 5th win of the season). Not only was Lonnie impressive at the plate against KC, he was also confident and impressive with the glove, making all the routine plays at third, showing none of the nerves he displayed earlier on in the year. Chiz made a superb catch during today's game, catching a towering pop-up over the camera-man's railing by the third base dugout, pulling it off with ease. It's just so refreshing to see him playing with this level of confidence, looking like he finally belongs on a major league field. He's really starting to progress nicely now and just needs to maintain this level throughout the second half of the season. Keep it up Lonnie and congrats.

So now we can all look forward to seeing Masterson and Kipnis in New York on Tuesday at the All Star Game. I hope both guys manage to get into the game for a bit, and I'll be making the effort to stay up late here in the UK to watch the game. Keep your eyes peeled here to the blog over the next couple of days, I'll have a first half season review coming up shortly. Until then...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Too Much For Toronto

Are we beginning to turn things around against the AL East? Possibly, or maybe we're just pretty good against the Blue Jays, the cellar-dwellers of that monstrous division (hey, they're still pretty good). Either way, the Indians faithful can celebrate another series victory today, closing the gap on the Tigers a little bit more. Detroit fell to the White Sox this afternoon so the distance has been narrowed down to just 2.5 games.

The Tribe kicked the series off on Tuesday with a 3-0 win, thanks to a solid effort from Ubaldo Jimenez, who managed to keep the Jays scoreless through his 6 innings of work. He wasn't flawless and ran into trouble more than a few times, but he remained calm and escaped danger to earn his 7th win of the season. I managed to watch the entire game and kept fearing the worst, that Toronto would finally make us pay for Ubaldo's awful location, but the big hit never came for the Jays and the Indians emerged victorious. Ubaldo only walked 2 Jays during his outing, but he really struggled to get ahead in the count and constantly went deep into at-bats. He has to be more efficient and effective with his pitches in the future because when he pitches like this, he'll never make it past 6 innings. We're often lucky to get 5 from him. But I'm not going to be too negative, he worked hard and earned the Tribe the win and that's all you can ask for at the end of the day.

Cleveland dropped game two of the series 5-4 to even things up. Justin Masterson was decent through 6 2/3 innings but had location trouble again, walking 5 batters. He did enough to keep the Tribe in the game though but it all came crashing down in the top of the 9th inning, the Jays striking for 3 runs off Rich Hill and Joe Smith to put the game beyond the Indians. The home side did try to rally back into the game, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, but it wasn't to be.

The Indians quickly put Wednesday's loss behind them and wrapped up the series in style today, winning 4-2 to take the series win. On a beautiful summer's day in Cleveland, rookie right-hander Danny Salazar made his first major league start for the Indians and pitched an absolute beauty, carrying a no-hitter into the 6th inning. He out-duelled Jays ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A Dickey for the first big league win of his young career. It was quite a debut for the 23 year-old and he'll be the happiest man in town tonight. Salazar lasted 6 innings (he was on a pitch count) and gave up just 2 hits for 1 run, with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. It's unlikely Salazar will stay with the big club though, today was just supposed to be a spot-start, but his superb performance might earn him an extended stay past the All Star break.

Player Of The Series

Is there any question? I have to go with the rookie from the Dominican Republic. To step up the way he did was amazing, to pitch with such confidence on your big league debut. Danny Salazar fully deserves the award for this series. He may have elevated himself above Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco in the Tribe rotation pecking order as well. He showed no nerves on the mound and left the game to an enthusiastic ovation from the home fans. Well done Mr Salazar. I'm looking forward to his next start already.

The Tribe welcome the Royals to Progressive Field tomorrow for the final series before the All Star break. Friday's game will see Corey Kluber (6-5, 4.23 ERA) take the mound against KC's Bruce Chen (3-0, 2.41 ERA). The Indians can hopefully take this winning momentum into the series against the Royals tomorrow and close the gap on the Tigers even more before we send Kipnis and Masterson off to NYC for the Midsummer Classic.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Slip Behind, Lose Ground To Tigers

The Indians could only manage one win against our division rivals Detroit in this recent four-game series, losing yet more ground in the race for the AL Central. Cleveland have now lost five of their last six games and trail the Tigers by 3.5 games. Not an insurmountable lead of course, but this was still an important series the Indians needed to at least split to show they belong in the race, that they stand a legitimate chance at competing with Detroit. Obviously there is still some work to be done if we're to go head-to-head with the Tigers, who are one of the best teams in baseball (and I hate saying that).

We Live And Die On Pitching

Whether it be our starters or our bullpen, the Indians can only go as far as their pitchers take them. And lately they haven't taken them very far.

Let's begin with the bullpen, who have been our Achilles' heel all season long. A unit that were so strong, often dominate, in 2012 have fallen apart so quickly in 2013. Nothing highlighted this quite like Sunday's game. After another fantastic Corey Kluber outing (6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 10 strikeouts), the Indians carried a 6-1 lead into the 7th inning. You'd figure a healthy 5 run lead would be enough, even for our bullpen? You would be wrong of course, nothing about this bullpen's lack of ability to get outs should surprise any of us anymore. Joe Smith came in, one of our best guys on his day, but he's been shaky lately and was again on Sunday, letting Kluber's runner score as well as one of his own. The lead was cut to 6-3 as Vinnie Pestano entered the game to start the 8th inning. Pestano proceeded to give up 4 hits and a walk, capping it off with a Torii Hunter 3-run homer to tie the game 6-6. Poor Vinnie hasn't looked right all year and you have to start questioning is it a mental thing, or is something physically wrong? Whatever the problem, Pestano needs to be kept out of tight situations until he's been fixed because he was terrible on Sunday and nearly cost the Tribe the game. Thank goodness for Michael Brantley, who saved our bullpen's ass with his heroics (more on this later) to win the game 9-6 for the Indians, their solo victory of the series.

But what about our starters? They've been better than a lot of us predicted but they aren't making life any easier for the bullpen this season. If every starter not named Justin Masterson could last a bit longer in games, we'd surely be performing much better and the bullpen probably wouldn't be suffering quite so much. Even Masterson had a stinker this series, having his shortest outing so far in 2013 as the Tigers got to him quickly Friday night in the 7-0 loss. But I feel we need to see a bit more from our starters on a regular basis. I'm not pointing fingers at Kluber, he's been great and has pitched past the 6th inning in a lot of his starts lately. However guys like Ubaldo and Kazmir, who honestly have done alright this year, they need to last a little longer if our bullpen is going to stand any chance. Kazmir pitched well again last night but couldn't make it through 6 innings, leaving it up to our tired bullpen to carry the Tribe to the finish (credit to them as well, they pitched pretty well last night, despite losing 4-2) Then we get into the Carrasco and Bauer situations and that's a completely different mystery, we never know how long those guys will last into games (not very long more often than not). So given what has transpired recently, the rotation could use some serious help and I'd like to see the front office make a move this month to remedy this. Go out and get one of those starting pitchers, because this group needs more stability if we're going to remain competitive in the second half of the season.

Congrats To The All Stars

It's not all doom and gloom here at England Tribe, as I thought I'd quickly mention Justin Masterson and Jason Kipnis were both announced as All Stars on Saturday. It's fantastic news and great to see both players recognised for their strong starts to the season. Both guys are first time All Stars as well, so they must be ridiculously excited for the trip to New York next week. I'm really glad Kipnis made it onto the team, it was going to be pretty close whether he made the cut or not. Masterson has easily been the best pitcher on the team in 2013 and he deserves his spot amongst the AL pitchers. I just hope both players manage to find themselves involved in the game and not get left on the bench. I'm looking forward to watching both guys represent the Tribe and I expect I'll be making a special effort to stay up that night to watch the game (it won't start until after midnight here in the UK).

Player Of The Series

Despite a pretty miserable series, there's only one winner for me and that's Michael Brantley. He carried the Indians on his back this series and put in an amazing performance on Sunday. Batting in the number 5 slot, Brantley smashed 2 home runs as well as a double for a total of 5 RBI. It was his second home run of the day that proved to be the difference. Brantley destroyed the ball for a 2-run bomb that put the Tribe back in the lead after the bullpen had allowed the Tigers to tie the game in the previous half-inning. Honourable mentions to Kluber and Lonnie Chisenhall, whose bat has come alive of late as he's hit a bit of form since his return from AAA. But Brantley's memorable Sunday earns him the award for this series, congrats Mike.

The Indians welcome Toronto to Cleveland today, to begin a three-game series. It'll be the Jays' big winter acquisition Josh Johnson (1-3, 4.89 ERA) up against Ubaldo Jimenez (6-4, 4.67 ERA). We need to start this series off better than we did against Detroit so I'd like to see Ubaldo last longer than the 5th inning tonight. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

Sloppy Tribe Drop Series In KC

Yesterday's 10-7 loss in Kansas City was agonising. As we all know, baseball can be a cruel mistress; it doesn't get any worse than being on the receiving end of a blown save, followed by a walk-off winner. But the Indians got pretty close to that feeling yesterday, surrendering a 5-0 lead and then a 7-5 lead to lose the game 10-7. At the time it felt worse than a blown save. It was frustrating, embarrassing, and worst of all, inevitable. You could see it coming a mile away. Why you ask? Because our bullpen is terrible and delivered a perfect example of that yesterday.

The loss was Cleveland's second in a row, resulting in the first series loss for the Tribe since we got swept by the Tigers just under a month ago. The series started well for the Indians, winning on Tuesday 6-5, but they couldn't come through in another close game on Wednesday, losing 6-5 instead. Then disaster struck on Thursday.

It started off pretty well. The Indians had a 3-0 lead after 2 innings, thanks to a Michael Brantley RBI single in the 1st and a 2 run homer from Drew Stubbs in the 2nd. The Tribe did a good job of working the count on Royals ace James Shields, who only lasted 5 1/3 innings. But Ubaldo Jimenez, despite keeping the Royals off the board for 5 innings, had control problems all afternoon and was struggling to keep his pitch count down. It was pretty clear by the 5th inning that Ubaldo wasn't going to last much longer. So it was no surprise that Ubaldo walked the first two batters he faced to begin the 6th inning.

By now the Indians were up 5-0 with a healthy lead to protect, thanks to Stubbs coming good again, plating 2 more runners to give him 4 RBI on the day. But Kansas City had got two runners on base with no outs and it was clear to everybody that Ubaldo was done. Clear to everyone but manager Terry Francona, who decided to leave Jimenez in a while longer. Big mistake. After Ubaldo induced a grounder to first base, Mark Reynolds and Ubaldo fudged the play and our pitcher ended up dropping the ball. All the runners safe, bases loaded, no outs. Surely Francona would come in now and get Ubaldo? Nope.

What happened next was so obvious, you had to laugh. Ubaldo got behind in the count again and on 3-1, grooved a pitch to Lorenzo Cain, who proceeded to send the ball over the centre field fence for a grand slam. We went from 5-0 to 5-4 just like that. Francona finally came to yank the crestfallen Ubaldo out of there, but the damage was done. I blame both men equally. Ubaldo has to do better, he cannot afford to keep walking so many guys and not have it come back to haunt him (like it did). And Francona should know better. What the hell was he doing leaving Jimenez in that long? Ubaldo should have been gone after he walked the first Royal, definitely after he walked the second.

However, we still had the lead. Naturally it didn't last for long. Cody Allen came in to relieve Ubaldo and proceeded to give up a home run to Royals backup catcher George Kottaras (who?). Tie ballgame. It was the second home run in as many days that Allen had given up, and it looked pretty clear he was being overworked. That's what happens when you have a crappy bullpen, your best guys have to work harder to pick up the slack for your awful guys.

The Tribe came back though and regained the lead instantly in the top of the 7th. Jason Kipnis and Brantley managed to get on base to start the inning before Carlos Santana ripped a huge double over KC centre-fielder Jarrod Dyson's head to score both guys. 7-5 Tribe and we were back in business. We just needed the bullpen to get through a couple of innings unscathed.

It didn't happen obviously. A combination of awful pitching from Joe Smith, Bryan Shaw, Rich Hill and Matt Albers let the Royals score 5 more runs, giving KC the win and overall series victory. It was a bullpen meltdown of the highest order. I've never seen such ineptitude from a collective group before. Each new pitcher looked as clueless as the one before, nobody could get the Royals out. Rich Hill came in, walked a batter on 4 straight pitches, then Francona came out and pulled him from the game. Honestly, what the hell was the point in bringing him in the first place?

It was a pretty miserable 4th of July for Indians fans, a real gut-punch of a loss. Thankfully the Tribe return home now and don't go back on the road until the 19th July, after the All Star break. They need to put this loss behind them quickly and focus on the massive task ahead; the Tigers come to town today to begin a four-game series. It's obviously a very important series and we have to earn a split at the very least. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

Potential Trades For The Tribe At Deadline

Apologies for interrupting your regularly scheduled programme (my series re-caps) but I thought I'd weigh in on some potential moves the Indians could make this month before the trade deadline. With the way things stand at the moment, the Indians are certain to be buyers this month instead of sellers like we've been used to in years past. So let's see who the Tribe might be looking at this month, or rather, who I'd like them to be looking at:

It Could Happen Trades

Matt Garza

Of all the players known to be on the market, Garza is one of the most achievable as far as the Indians are concerned. Competition will be fierce for the right-hander, with a number of teams looking to solidify their rotation ahead of the second half of the season, but the Indians should certainly be interested in the 29 year-old. Cleveland wouldn't have to give up too much to the Cubs either, since Garza is a free agent after this season. Maybe one of our young outfielders would suffice, since Chicago is pretty set with Starlin Castro at shortstop, so shifting one of our prized infielders can be avoided.

Garza is 3-1 in 8 starts this year with a 3.83 ERA, after missing the first seven weeks of the season. He's been getting better as the season has progressed, really getting into his groove lately. He's 2-1 in his last 3 starts with a 0.82 ERA, surrendering only 2 runs over 22 innings. Yes, those results are against mediocre teams like the Mets, Astros and Brewers but still, pretty decent numbers nonetheless, and he lasted at least 7 innings in each of those games.

I'd really like Garza to join the Tribe, even if it is for just 3 months. I've been an admirer of him since his days in Tampa Bay. As good as our rotation has been this year (compared to what we thought it was going to be) we could sure use more help in the second half, as surely injuries will take their toll during the dog days of August and September. A rotation of Masterson, Garza, Kluber, Jimenez, and Kazmir/McAllister (depending on health) is a tasty proposition. As long as the Indians don't give up too much for Garza and we get a fair deal, I'm 100% behind the club trying to acquire him from the Cubs.

Bud Norris

Houston's 28 year-old right-hander is also known to be available this month and the Tribe front office are surely monitoring the situation. So are a lot of other major league clubs though, with teams like the Orioles, Jays and Giants all in search for pitching help and Norris tops most of their wanted lists (although at the time of writing, I believe Baltimore have just made a move for Chicago's Scott Feldman, which would likely remove them from the Norris market).

Norris is 5-7 so far this year, with an impressive 3.35 ERA on a terrible Astros team. He was superb in the month of June, compiling a 2.77 ERA over 39 innings. The best thing about trading for Norris aside from his pitching ability?  He'd join the Indians with plenty of time left under club control, unable to become a free agent until 2016. Norris is enjoying his finest year in Houston to date and hopefully that's a sign of things to come, that Bud will only get better. If he does end up in Cleveland, I sincerely hope that will be the case; that we get a quality pitcher for the rest of 2013, and a reliable arm for a few years in the future. I'm all for us trading for Norris, but its difficult to predict what it will take to pry him away from Houston. There's no way we give up anybody like Francisco Lindor or Trevor Bauer, but maybe someone like Dorssys Paulino or Ronny Rodriguez would be enough. I'm probably way off the mark here and the Tribe would be giving up too much, so I'm really not sure. Let's just say I'd be happy with Norris in Cleveland and leave it at that.

Ricky Nolasco

Despite our need for another starting pitcher, I don't think we're really in the race for the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco, but until he's traded it's still a possibility. With everything I've read so far it looks as if a club with deeper pockets than us will make the move for Nolasco, with the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and even the Red Sox rumoured to be in the hunt for the right-hander.

The 30 year-old is having a good season in Miami, currently sitting with a 4-8 record and a 3.93 ERA. He would certainly bolster our rotation but I don't expect us to be the team he joins before the deadline. It's long been established that the Marlins have had Nolasco in the shop window and I reckon Los Angeles or San Francisco will become his new home in the coming weeks.

In Your Dreams Trades

Giancarlo Stanton

The Marlins may have the worst owner in baseball in Jeffrey Loria, but even he wouldn't ship away his star player, the face of the franchise? Would he?

Well the rumour-mill is abuzz that the Marlins just might do it, that they might actually trade away 6'6 outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. The 23 year-old MVP-calibre slugger would fetch a huge haul of top prospects from every club in the league. Who wouldn't want Stanton gracing their outfield?

Well Indians fans can keep dreaming because there's a 99% chance that this trade will never happen, not in 2013 anyway. Despite Loria's reputation, it's highly unlikely the Marlins will trade away Stanton this season. You have to believe the rumours are exactly what they are; just rumours, created out of thin air. I'm pretty sure that Cleveland is one of the many clubs on Stanton's no-trade list anyway, so this move is even more likely to remain a dream. But I can dream right? Stanton would look awfully good in Indians red, white and blue, gunning down would-be runners from right field.

Cliff Lee

Ahh, Clifton Phifer Lee, what memories we had. His 2008 Cy Young season was my first proper year following the Tribe, day in, day out. So I was instantly a big Lee fan and was so sad to see him traded away in 2009. But word on the street is that the Indians are trying to make a run at bringing him back to the place where he had so much success.

It won't happen folks. Sorry to burst your bubble but Lee won't be pitching in Cleveland for the home team any time soon. For starters, the Phillies have categorically said he isn't available for trade. They're having another poor year by their standards but won't succumb to the pressures of the trade deadline madness. Their whole roster could do with a shake-up but it doesn't look like happening any time soon (they want to hold on to Chase Utley too). Secondly, we can't afford him anyway. And third, we'd have to give up a lot to reel in a superstar like Lee. To begin with, you can say goodbye to Lindor. The Phillies would certainly demand the best possible prospects for Lee, and I'm not comfortable giving away Lindor this decade, not with Cabrera approaching free agency in the next couple of years. A trade for Lee would certainly deplete the farm system and I'm not sure that's a good idea for the Indians right now.

As much as I'd love to have Lee come back, the price the Tribe would have to pay would be large indeed, too large for my liking. Kyle over at Wahoos On First has written a thorough article examining potential trades the club could try to lure Lee back, it's definitely worth checking out.

Please Poke My Eyes Out Trades

Jonathan Papelbon

I know the Indians have had their fair share of bullpen problems this season, especially when it comes to closing, but the Tribe should not waste their time looking to trade for a new closer. I've seen Papelbon's name floated around and I just have to say:

No.

No no no no.

Not only am I not a fan of the 32 year-old right-hander - I think he's overrated and overpaid - but we don't need him. I know our closer situation has been bad but it's nothing compared to the Tigers, who are actively shopping around for a new closer. Detroit has no one else for the 9th inning (until they just trust Benoit). We at least have a variety of in-house options for the 9th so there should be no way in hell we make a move for a closer, especially one like Papelbon. If the Indians are looking for bullpen help, they can forget all about closers and aim to pick up a left-handed reliever. End of conversation.

I look forward to seeing what the Indians do over the new few weeks, and hope whatever moves they do decide to make prove to be successful for the Tribe in 2013.

Thanks for reading.

Unstoppable Tribe Sweep White Sox

The Indians made a bit of history last night, defeating the White Sox 4-0 to achieve a four-game series sweep in Chicago for the first time since 1948. Why is this important? Every Tribe fan knows why but I'll elaborate nonetheless: 1948 was the last time the Cleveland Indians won the World Series, led by Tribe heroes like Bob Feller and Bob Lemon. A good omen? We hope so.

The Indians could not have picked a better time to get hot, as our AL Central foes in Detroit have slipped somewhat of late. Their loss to the Rays last night coupled with the Indians fourth win in Chicago means your 2013 Tribe have vaulted back into first place (we're tied, but hey it's still first). I did not think we would get back on top this quickly after the dreadful start the Indians made to the month of June, but there you go, that's baseball and credit to the team for putting together this wonderful run lately.

Here's a quick re-cap of the series in Chi-Town:

Offensive Explosion Powers Tribe

The Indians kicked off the series with a double-header on Friday which became the longest 18 inning double-header in major league history. And it was oh so sweet for the Indians, who won both games thanks to our powerful offense putting the White Sox pitching staff to the torch.

Cleveland took the first win by a score of 19-10, with every Indians batter getting at least one RBI except for Asdrubal Cabrera (who still collected 3 hits and 3 runs). It looked like the Tribe were in for a long night after Trevor Bauer, making a spot-start from Columbus, got absolutely annihilated in just 2/3 of an inning, giving up 6 hits, 2 of which were home runs, for 5 earned runs before he was pulled. It was the worst possible way to start a double-header, where the preservation of your bullpen is key. Luckily it didn't bother the Indians in the slightest, as guys like Ryan Raburn (4 RBI), Drew Stubbs (3 RBI) and the King of June Jason Kipnis (2 RBI) fuelled the offense and carried the Indians to a dominating victory.

After that marathon opener, the Tribe had another game to win and they delivered in dramatic style. Carlos Carrasco took the mound for us and managed to save the bullpen a bit better than Bauer did. Carrasco wasn't very good but ground his way through 5 and 2/3 innings, surrendering 10 hits for 6 runs. He wasn't doing too bad, until a 4-run 6th inning proved to be his undoing. Chicago tacked on 2 more runs in the 8th inning off reliever Matt Langwell, leaving the Indians trailing 8-5 and with a considerable hole to climb out of in the 9th. It didn't faze the Indians one bit as they roared back to tie the game on a Kipnis sac-fly before Nick Swisher redeemed himself for his recent batting woes with a monster solo home run to right field off White Sox closer Addison Reed. That made it 9-8 to the Tribe and they never looked back, Vinnie Pestano getting his 6th save of the season.

Swisher was enjoying his return to Chicago, where he spent a pretty miserable season in 2008, and wasn't finished with his Friday night heroics. Swish was torturing White Sox fans again Saturday night, getting the game winning hit in the 8th inning to bring home Cabrera to put the Tribe on top 4-3. Chris Perez made his return to the closer's role and pitched a clean 9th inning (do not adjust your screen, it is true) for his 7th save of the season, cementing the Tribe's series win.

The cherry on top of this delightful series was delivered by Justin Masterson on a sunny Sunday afternoon. In a battle of the team's aces, Masterson out-duelled Chicago's Chris Sale in a 4-0 complete game shutout to seal the series sweep. Sale was very good as usual, giving up 3 runs over 8 innings with 10 strikeouts, but Masterson was in a different class altogether. Facing just 3 batters over the minimum, our tall right-hander cruised through 9 innings, giving up 6 hits and a single walk, to go along with 8 strikeouts on his way to his 10th win of the season. It's the third time in Masterson's career he's reached double digit wins with the Indians and he's just 2 away from equalling his career best 12 wins (in 2011). He still has half a season to achieve that and just 3 more wins to break his career high. If he continues to pitch like this in the second half of the campaign, we could be looking at Masterson becoming a 20 game winner. It'll be a very difficult task for Justin but he's half way there already and as long as he stays healthy, there's always the possibility. With Masterson's fantastic outing yesterday, he surely has cemented his spot on this year's All Star team and he fully deserves it. It was the perfect way to end what was a wildly successful series for the Indians, putting us right back in contention in the AL Central.

Player Of The Series

This is a difficult one since there were so many outstanding contributors over the last four games. But my gut feeling has to give it to Nick Swisher. After my last post about his recent struggles in the Orioles re-cap, Swisher answered his critics in style in Chicago. Despite being rested for yesterday's game, Swisher collected 4 hits in the series, including a double and his game winning solo home run on Friday, for 4 total RBI, as well as scoring 4 runs and earning 4 walks. A very successful series altogether, with two memorable game-deciding hits produced from his bat. As impressed as I am with his performance, I'm almost more impressed with his mental fortitude to get out there and keep plugging away. It would be easy for a player to let his recent woes at the plate get him down but Swisher shook that off during this series and got a measure of redemption against the White Sox. Honourable mentions must go to Jason Kipnis, who is still on fire at the plate and had a terrific series, and Justin Masterson of course, whose complete game shutout was his third of the season, currently leading the league. But the way Swisher responded to adversity earns him the award for this series. Those game winning hits helped too. Congrats Nick.

The Indians ended June victorious and begin July with an off-day before travelling to Kansas City for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday. Corey Kluber (6-5, 4.16 ERA) will take the mound for us, looking to rebound from his disappointing start in Baltimore, and will face the Royals' Luis Mendoza (2-4, 4.16 ERA). I'm starting to enjoy this winning thing, let's just hope we can keep it up and ride this great form into the All Star break. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.