Baseball Cards: New Acquisitions

This year I decided to start collecting baseball cards. Not seriously, not like those dudes on Youtube who break box after box. Just casual collecting, of certain players, or getting a set of Indians players. I particularly look for autograph and relic cards of players I like, whether they play for Cleveland or not.

Over the past couple of years I've managed to get the odd Topps team set of Indians cards from a UK seller on eBay, but apart from him it is pretty difficult to get cards here in Britain. The postage from America is now pretty high and I'm lucky to get cards sent here for under $10. So I never really bothered with it, plus I spend too much money on useless crap as it is.

But after finding some cheap Justin Masterson cards earlier this year from sellers in the States, including a few that were autographed, I decided to scour eBay for deals and it's become a bit of a habit. So I currently have a Justin Masterson PC I'm working on (which I'll show off in a future post) but I still keep my eye out for any other cards that look good and more importantly, that I can get for a decent price (aka, a bargain).

So here are some new cards I've received in the post over the past couple of weeks:

Let's start with this Jason Kipnis card from Topps 2013 Series 2. It's a signed Chasing History insert that I bought for under $5 and is the first autographed card by Kipnis I have gotten so far. It's not signed on-card which is a shame, but an autographed sticker is better than no autograph at all. The young second baseman is one of my favourite guys on the club, how can you not love the guy, and I'll be looking to acquire more of his signed cards in the future.

Up next is this gorgeous on-card autographed Trevor Bauer from Topps 2013 Gypsy Queen. It set me back $6 which I thought was a pretty good price. I know, it kinda sucks that he's still in his Arizona gear despite this being a 2013 card but I don't really mind. It's quite nice to have an Indians player not in his Cleveland uniform. I just love that autograph too, it's absolutely perfect. This card had some trouble being dispatched so the seller was kind enough to throw in a couple of Bauer's rookie cards from the Topps 2012 base series as well. I hope Bauer can finish the season strongly in Columbus and I expect he'll get called back to Cleveland in a few days as part of the September call-ups. Fingers crossed he can impress.

This mini Asdrubal Cabrera jersey relic from Topps Allen & Ginter 2013 arrived just today. I couldn't wait for it to show up as its been a card I've had my eye on for a while. I love how the mini card is framed, it's a beautiful effect that really makes it stand out. The Allen & Ginter series produce some stunning cards and these 2013 editions are no different. This Cabrera card is the first jersey relic I've ever received and I just love the idea that I own a piece of game-used uniform he wore. I'll be buying a lot more from the Allen & Ginter series in the near-future, it's a set I absolutely adore. This card cost me just $2 as well. Now that's my kind of bargain.

I received another card along with my Cabrera relic today and it was this Adam Wainwright mini jersey relic, again from Topps 2013 Allen & Ginter. It cost me $3, which is a great price for an NL Cy Young contender (ok, so Clayton Kershaw should have it in the bag, but you never know). The Cardinals ace is having another great year, so I wasn't going to turn down the chance to grab one of his cards at such a great price. I know, he's not an Indian, but he's a pitcher I like and a pretty damn good one at that. So I jumped at the chance to add one of his cards to my collection and it's a beauty.

I hope you enjoyed this post, a slight detour from the normal run-of-the-mill stuff you get here at England Tribe. I've got some more cards lined up to buy in the near-future, especially some Allen & Ginter autographs, so watch this space for more.

Thanks for reading.

Braves Too Hot For Tribe, Indians Swept

Well this roadtrip didn't get off to a very good start did it? The Indians were swept in three games by the Atlanta Braves, and although the scores were always close, they never really looked like winning any of them.

Now lets get one thing straight: There's no shame in being swept by arguably the best team in baseball. The Braves currently sit with the best record in the major leagues, flying high at 81-52. They have one of the best pitching staffs in the National League, maybe even the best (the Cardinals and Dodgers may have something to say about that). And it's not like every game in this series was a blowout. Our pitching staff put in a superb shift as a collective, never allowing Atlanta to score more than 3 run per game.

Yet its still been a disappointing series. We've slipped to 4 games back in the wild card race. Let's take a look at some talking points from Atlanta:

Offense, Offense, Wherefore Art Thou Offense?

The Indians didn't lose this series through our pitching. The Tribe starters all pitched very well and our bullpen were fantastic. No sir, this series was lost by our offense.

It was a bemusing series for the Tribe hitters. They repeatedly got men on base, constantly putting the Braves under pressure. It felt like every inning we managed to get the first two guys on base but then proceeded to undo all that hard work by wasting away our scoring opportunities. One step forward, two steps back. Cleveland actually had more hits over the entire series than Atlanta did (22-21). But they never got the key hits, and they struggled to bring runners home over the entire series. The Indians mustered just 3 runs over 3 games, being shutout completely in the first game.

The frustrating thing is if the Tribe were just a little bit better hitting with runners in scoring position, the outcome of this series would have been very different and undoubtedly in the Indians' favour. I know, we can play that 'What If' game all year long but that's how close this series was, even if it never actually felt that close most of the time.

The People Versus Asdrubal Cabrera

Poor Asdrubal. He is not having a very enjoyable 2013. And the worst part of it all is he seems to have lost the support of the fans. The Twitter masses erupt with rage and venom every time Cabrera strikes out or makes a mistake in the field. It was pretty horrible to read the stuff people were writing about him when he made that awful base-running blunder in the 8th inning of Wednesday's 3-2 loss.

The Indians were in the midst of a game-changing rally, having just tied the game at 2-2 thanks to a Mike Aviles sac-fly. With Michael Brantley at the plate, the Tribe had Asdrubal at first base and a runner at third too, and looked poised to take a late lead. Brantley swung and missed at a pitch that Cabrera assumed was fouled off, so he jogged slowly back to first base to retake his position. But the problem was the ball never hit Brantley's bat, thus Cabrera became caught in a run-down and was tagged between the bases for the final out of the inning. It was a crushing blow that the Tribe never recovered from, and yet another scoring opportunity squandered in a series full of them.

It was a mental mistake any player could make but in a season that isn't going Asdrubal's way, it just had to be him. "It was my fault. That's it," Cabrera admitted after the game. The 27 year-old shortstop is hitting .241 with a .295 OBP, with 9 home runs and 43 RBI. He only has 27 walks all season to go along with 97 strikeouts, and has a measly 0.5 WAR to top it all off. 2013 has not been Cabrera's year to say the least.

It's looking increasingly likely that Cabrera won't be with this Indians team in 2014. With Francisco Lindor waiting in the wings as our shortstop of the future, Cabrera probably won't be manning the position in Cleveland next year. Should Cabrera be traded this winter (and the Cardinals have been interested for a long time now) then the Indians have Mike Aviles to fill in on an everyday basis until Lindor is MLB-ready. And based on each player's performances this year, the offensive production wouldn't be that different should Aviles take over in Cabrera's absence.

It's sad to see Cabrera struggling so mightily this season. For a long time he's been one of my favourite players but I can't really defend his performances this year. Ryan over at Lets Go Tribe has written a nostalgic piece about Cabrera's break-through with the team in 2007. It's a good article and worth checking out. But I have to agree with Ryan; Cabrera's tenure in Cleveland looks like it's coming to an end.

Player Of The Series

It's always tough to find a silver lining when the Tribe get swept but there were a couple of good performances in Atlanta over the last few days. Honourable mentions go to Mike Aviles for his heroics on Wednesday, and Lonnie Chisenhall coming off the bench last night to smash his 8th HR on the year. But there's only one man deserving of the award today and it's Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez surprised us all by lasting 7 innings, scattering 7 hits for 3 earned runs, all from a single home run by Brian McCann. But he struck out an astounding 10 batters and walked exactly zero. Yes, that's right, NO WALKS FOR UBALDO. Outstanding. He's actually struck out 20 guys in his last 2 outings as well. Congrats Ubaldo, keep this up sir.

That'll do it for today. The Indians travel to Detroit now for a three game series and will be looking to rebound from their trip to Atlanta. The Tigers have struggled a bit of late, being man-handled at times by Oakland recently, and Miguel Cabrera is carrying a few knocks and could be a doubt for the series. The Tribe need to make the most of Detroit's misfortune and get back on track.

Thanks for reading.

Indians Just Heavenly Against Angels

The Tribe come home from their West coast road-trip with a well earned series sweep against the Angels, and a sense of renewed optimism as well. The highlight of the series was undoubtedly Drew Stubbs' 14th inning 2-run homer on Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning (just after 8am here in the UK!) to cement the series win. It was another memorable moment for the Tribe and a just reward for all the fans who had stuck with the team Tuesday night. The Indians have now surpassed their win total from last year and we still have over a month of baseball left to play.

Let's take a look at some talking points from the last few days:

Guys Stepping Up When It Matters

This series certainly helped restore some faith and optimism in this Tribe team. And that was largely thanks to a few key guys who we expected to perform this year but haven't really delivered yet, stepping up in the big moments.

Lonnie Chisenhall, our young third baseman, played an exceptional series. He's had his fair share of troubles this season, at the plate and with the glove, but he was brilliant in Anaheim. Chiz's 2 run homer on Monday fuelled the Indians offense in their 5-2 victory, getting the series off to a hot start. He made some impressive plays at third base as well, snagging a sharp Josh Hamilton grounder in Wednesday's game to get Rich Hill out of the inning unscathed. I'm a big fan of Lonnie, he comes across as such a likeable guy, so I'm extra eager for him to have success with the Tribe.

Nick Swisher has also been on form of late, and it looks as if he's starting to turn the corner a bit. It's safe to say many fans and critics have labelled Swisher's debut season in Cleveland as disappointing. He hasn't produced at the level most of us expected. However he had a fine series in Anaheim, hitting 2 home runs in the series to take his season tally to a respectable 15. They're not amazing numbers by any means but it does now at least appear that Swisher has gotten some heat into his bat finally. Long may it continue.

But the most important man for the Indians during the series was probably Drew Stubbs. The right fielder was the hero of the series thanks to his extra-innings heroics on Tuesday night. His 14th inning 2-run homer nudged the Indians ahead and ended up earning the series win, an invaluable victory in our late season push for the post-season. It was past 3 am for the Indians fans watching in Cleveland and the East, and just after midnight for those very vocal supporters left in the stadium in Anaheim. I actually woke up just before 8 am here in England to start getting ready for work. I did my usual routine of turning on MLB TV and I saw to my disbelief the Indians were still playing. Luckily for me I had awoken just in time to see Chisenhall reach base with a line drive single into centre field, and then Stubbs smashed that 2-run shot off LA's poor Joe Blanton. It was a euphoric moment and I was jumping around the room like a lunatic, possibly the most active and energetic I've ever been at 8 am. A great moment and I'm happy for Drew that he could contribute with his bat. We all know he's a quality defensive player but too often he fails to impress at the plate, so it was great to see him come through in a clutch situation, and in style too.

Dice-K Released

So last week I entertained the idea of Daisuke Matsuzaka being promoted from AAA to fill out a spot in the rotation, should the opportunity arise. He's been very solid in Columbus over the last couple of months and I thought he could possibly contribute something to the Indians pitching staff, bring a veteran presence if you will.

Well that concept was put to bed pretty quickly, with the news on Tuesday that Matsuzaka has been released by the Indians. Apparently he spoke to the front office, who made it quite clear to him that his chances of making the big league club were limited between now and the end of the season, and so he requested his immediate release and the club granted his wish. Daisuke's goal now will be to sign on with a different team and hope his efforts in Columbus since the All Star break were enough to sway a team to take him on. I wish him luck in his search to find work elsewhere and just hope he doesn't sign on with a team that could directly harm us in our push for the post-season. Mike Axisa at CBS has written an interesting article pondering where Dice-K could end up.

I was really excited when I first heard the news he had signed with us in the winter, since I was an admirer of his during his hey-day in Boston in 2007 and 2008. So I was looking forward to his first start in an Indians uniform. But it just wasn't to be obviously, and thankfully the Indians should have sufficient cover for starting pitching even with Matsuzaka leaving. Josh Tomlin has been progressing nicely in his rehab outings and is set to make his first start for Columbus on Thursday, almost a year to the day since his Tommy John surgery. With that in mind, I'm sure Chris Antonetti felt pretty comfortable allowing Dice-K to go.

Player Of The Series

It's got to be Drew Stubbs for the reasons I've previously stated. Honourable mentions must go to Nick Swisher, Lonnie Chisenhall, Zach McAllister and my boy Justin Masterson, for picking up his 14th win of the year.

The Indians return home now for a quick three game series against the Twins before jetting off on another road trip (a difficult one too, facing Atlanta and Detroit). The Indians have today to rest before Ubaldo Jimenez (9-7, 4.00 ERA) faces off against Minnesota's Samuel Deduno (7-7, 3.82 ERA) on Friday. Let's hope we can keep the momentum going and build on this hot streak.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Woes Continue In Oakland

The Indians wrapped up their series in Oakland yesterday in disappointing fashion, unable to win the rubber game and thus losing the series overall. Scott Kazmir, he of the "dead arm", was unable to make the most of his extended rest and was on the hook for the loss, giving up 10 hits for 5 runs in 5 innings in the Tribe's 7-3 loss to the A's. Cleveland haven't had the best run of late; they're 7-10 in August but somehow still find themselves in the wild card race, 4.5 games back of Tampa Bay. Hope remains.

Let's take a look at some talking points from the series:

Ubaldo Still A Mystery 

If you were told Ubaldo Jimenez would flirt with a no-hitter in 2013, you'd probably laugh in that person's face. But believe it or not he did, shutting out the A's for 5 innings on Saturday night during the Indians' 7-1 victory. It was quite a remarkable outing for Jimenez and, like the majority of his starts, wasn't everything it seemed at first glance. Yes, Ubaldo did keep Oakland from getting a hit through 5 innings, but he also walked 5 guys, so he hardly kept the A's off the bases. It came back to bite Ubaldo in the end, as his pitch count escalated (like usual) and he was pulled after just 5 and 2/3 innings.

But there was a lot to love about Ubaldo's recent outing. The right-hander struck out 8 batters, his highest strikeout total in a game since June 29th. He also got the invaluable run support that has been sorely lacking for our pitchers at times this month. Before Ubaldo even took the mound he had been gifted a 2-0 lead; that's got to be comforting from a mental aspect and I expect it helped Jimenez settle in a bit better.

With Saturday's win in the books, Ubaldo's season stats look like this: He's sitting on a respectable 4.00 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 128.1 innings, good enough for a 8.63 K/9 ratio. He has a 9-7 win/loss record, matching the 9 victories he earned last season, so he stands a good chance to beat that and achieve double-digit wins as an Indian for the first time (he had 10 wins in 2011 but 6 of them were in Colorado).

So all in all, it hasn't been the dreadful season from Jimenez many of us expected. He hasn't been great for sure, and he's only been good a handful of times, but he's been a massive improvement from 2012 Ubaldo. With just under a month and a half left of the season, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jimenez can produce more outings like those of the Saturday night variety. Now if only he could make it through 6 full innings...

Player Of The Series

There were some good contributions throughout this series: Justin Masterson pitched a solid game on Friday night, lasting 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 runs and keeping the Tribe in the game. Unfortunately the Indians couldn't support the big man and he ended up with the loss but it was a decent performance from Masterson nonetheless. Nick Swisher has been pretty good at the plate lately and his form continued in his old stomping ground in Oakland: Swish had 5 hits in the series for 3 RBI, including a home run on Saturday, his 13th of the year. But the Player of the Series for me was Jason Kipnis, who continued to pace the offense like he has all season. Kipnis had 4 hits, 3 RBI, and stole his 22nd base of the year in the series. He now sits with a .294 average, a .374 OBP, 15 home runs and 72 RBI for the season, pretty much leading every offensive category on the team. Well done Mr Kipnis, keep it up.

So the Indians remain out west for a bit longer, travelling to Anaheim today to take on the Angels in a three game series. Rookie pitcher Danny Salazar (1-1, 4.08 ERA) will toe the mound for us, facing off against Jered Weaver (7-6, 3.49 ERA). Salazar made an impressive start to his career in the majors but faltered a bit in his last start against the Twins. He'll be looking to rebound in style against the Angels tonight, and can hopefully put the Indians back on track.

*EDIT* Salazar has been scratched from tonight's start, and Zach McAllister is set to pitch instead. Something to do with the Indians keeping an eye on his innings limit.

Thanks for reading.

Indians Win In Minnesota The Hard Way

I was beginning to get really worried there for a second. Heck, I still am worried about this team and their chances at making the playoffs. With the way they're playing right now, despite grinding out a much needed series win against the Twins, I don't think we'll be watching October baseball in Cleveland in 2013.

But let's try to lose the pessimism and focus on the fact that the Indians battled throughout this series and emerged victorious. It didn't look like they would most of the time but they did and that's all that really matters.The Indians haven't had the best August (6-8 so far) but we're still just 3 games behind in the wild card with everything still to play for. Let's take a little look at some of the key points from this series in Minnesota.

Old Man Giambi Still Got It

Jason Giambi, our 42 year-old designated hitter, has had his fair share of detractors and critics this season. Many fans see him as a glorified cheerleader on this Indians team, at best an assistant coach to Francona in the locker room. But Giambi to his credit steps up to the plate every time he is called upon. He's not even close to the juggernaut he was at his peak and we knew that when the Indians signed him in the off-season. Hell, he's 42 years old, the guy should be coaching or sat in a commentary booth. 

However, since Mark Reynolds' release the DH position has lost a viable option, thus increasing Giambi's chances of being in the lineup and starting games more often. And if he can keep producing big hits like he did on Wednesday afternoon then his spot on the team will be more than validated. Down by 3 runs in the 8th inning, Giambi stepped up with two runners on base and proceeded to smash his 8th home run of the season off Twins reliever Casey Fien to tie the game. It was a huge moment for the Indians, and without Giambi's homer the odds of the Tribe coming through victorious were slim that late in the contest. 

He's not going to bat .300 and he won't produce for us every time, but I'm glad Giambi can still provide a meaningful contribution to this Indians team on the field and not just through his leadership in the clubhouse.

A Japanese Alternative To Carrasco?

Carlos Carrasco has had a bad year in the big leagues. That much is obvious, and it's been well documented. I was hopeful he had begun to turn things around after his impressive 5 inning relief appearance against the Angels last week. But with Carrasco it always seems to be one step forward, two steps back. Francona was swayed enough by that Angels performance to hand Carlos the start for Wednesday's rubber game but the 26 year old right-hander couldn't capitalise on the opportunity and had a disappointing game yet again. Carrasco was pulled after 4 and a 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits for 4 runs with 4 strikeouts (he didn't walk anybody, a positive sign, but his pitches weren't missing many bats, the Twins hitting practically everything). His season statistics make for ugly reading: a 7.82 ERA, an 0-4 record, 58 hits surrendered in 38 innings, and opponents hitting .356 off him. 

Now if I was the manager, I think I'd safely say that Carrasco's future as a starting pitcher for the 2013 Indians should be over. I'm not saying his days as a starter are over for good; nothing is stopping him from coming back in 2014 and proving he has what it takes. But I think now that every game from here until the end of September is considered "must win", putting Carrasco out there as part of the rotation is a bad idea and doesn't give the Indians a great chance of winning ball games. I still think he could provide some effectiveness out of the bullpen this year, and maybe his major league future belongs as a reliever, but his time as an Indians starter needs to come to an end this season.

So who would replace him then? Who takes Carrasco's spot? 

The answer is more obvious than you might have thought. Remember a Japanese veteran pitcher named Daisuke Matsuzaka? Oh yeah, that guy. Only one of the most famous and successful Japanese pitchers in modern times, who caused a media storm when he signed for Boston in 2007. Well he's not at the level he once was and poor Dice-K didn't make the big club out of Spring Training, but after overcoming some injury troubles, Matsuzaka has quietly been having an impressive year in Columbus. Especially when you look at his numbers recently. In his last 8 starts, he pitched at least 7 innings in 7 of those 8 games. Since the All Star Break he has a 4-2 record with a 2.36 ERA and has been throwing some real gems these past few weeks. 

Matsuzaka's dominating run of late at the AAA level earns him a shot in my opinion. With Kluber out of action until mid-late September, I'm sure an opportunity will arise where the Tribe will need an emergency starter at some point over the next few weeks. Especially if another injury were to occur. What do the Indians have to lose by putting Matsuzaka out there? He's obviously in form and he's surely a better alternative than Carrasco right now. I would very much like to see what the 32 year old right-hander has to offer and judging by what he's exhibited in Columbus, it's pretty good.

Player Of The Series

A tough choice this week. Nobody on the team really stood out head and shoulders above everybody else during this series. Jason Kipnis was at his usual best, an offensive spark-plug. Giambi's important contribution I've already discussed, but he didn't do much else during the rest of the series. Michael Brantley had another fantastic day with the bat on Wednesday and right now looks like the best guy to put in the 4th spot, ahead of the struggling Asdrubal Cabrera. But the guy who wins the award this series for me is Zach McAllister, who pitched a solid game on Tuesday and was largely responsible for getting the Tribe back into this series. McAllister has been a bit rusty since returning from the DL but appeared to have his stuff working better this time around. Zach pitched 6 solid innings, giving up 4 hits for 2 runs, only 1 of them earned though. He walked just 1 batter and struck out an impressive 7 Twins. A very good day at the office for McAllister and we'll need more performances like this from him between now and the end of the season. Keep it up Zach and congrats.

The Indians remain on the road but travel a little farther away from home, way out west to Oakland for a three game series with the A's. It's going to be a tough trip as Oakland are having another fantastic season but we've fared well against them so far this year and the Tribe will be hoping that success continues, starting tomorrow when Justin Masterson (13-8, 3.59 ERA) faces off against Oakland's A.J. Griffin (10-8, 3.88 ERA). 

Thanks for reading.

Losing Streak Over, But Series Lost To LA

Okay then. After the dreadful Detroit series last week I really wanted the Tribe to come out all guns blazing against Anaheim. It didn't really work out like that unfortunately. In fact, it got so bad that at one stage the Indians' losing streak had grown to 6 games. Finally the team saved some dignity and won yesterday's final game of the series, rallying from behind to beat the Angels 6-5. It's been a pretty miserable week for the Tribe, and with the Browns back in town and having a successful first pre-season game, the Indians are going to have to turn on the form to keep the fans flocking to the park (not that they really were before, but that's a whole other conversation). The team are going to need all the help they can get in the push for October baseball.

I don't have too much time this morning, plus I don't have a great deal to say either as I got the chance to watch exactly zero minutes of Tribe baseball over the weekend. The MLB.com highlights just do not do the game justice at all, so I'm not going to go into a big re-cap today based on the highlights I saw. Instead, here are some quick-fire points I'd like to make about the series:

• Nick Swisher. The guy had a pretty consistent series overall and his 2 run homer really got us back into yesterday's game. Hopefully he can start to produce like this a lot more often as we go forward.
• The errors. Guys, come on, sort it out! Still the defensive errors are costing the Indians dearly. Did you all see that abysmal throw attempt to 1st base by Ubaldo on Saturday? He never stood a chance.
• Speaking of Ubaldo, he actually had the best outing by our starting pitchers over the series. Kazmir got shelled in Friday's start for 5 runs in just the 1st inning, creating a hole the Indians could not dig out of. Masterson had a really off day yesterday, surrendering 4 runs in the first 2 innings and letting Angels get on base at will. Thankfully the team did rally back that time. But Ubaldo's solid if unspectacular 6 and a 1/3 innings of work on Saturday turned out to be the best performance out of all three starters, despite Jimenez losing that game. He kept the Tribe in the game and that's all you can ask from him.
• Credit must go to Carlos Carrasco. Recalled from Columbus for this series against Anaheim, he was called into action earlier than I'm sure he thought he would be. After Kazmir was pulled after 3 innings on Friday, Matt Albers managed to pitch an inning in relief before turning the ball over to Carrasco. The 26 year-old right-hander pitched 5 shutout innings to keep Tribe hopes alive but the offense never got the key hit to pull close to the Angels. It was a very positive outing for Carrasco, who has had a very poor year every time he's pitched in Cleveland (he's often been fantastic down in Columbus though). Carrasco can have my Player Of The Series award for his troubles too. 
• As another reward for Carrasco's efforts on Friday, Francona announced he will be the starter on Wednesday against the Twins. It gives Scott Kazmir a well needed rest, who apparently is suffering from fatigue, a dead arm kinda thing. Fair enough, Kaz hasn't thrown this many innings in a season in years so it's better to be safe and not wear him down.

That'll be it for today. Cleveland travel to Minnesota now for a three game series against the Twins. The Tribe have to use yesterday's win as a springboard to break out of this slump they've been in. It's got so bad lately that I'm no longer paying much attention to what the Tigers are doing. No, I'm more worried about the bloody Royals, who sit just a 0.5 game behind us now. Kansas City have been on a tear lately and the Indians must start winning again before we end up stuck in third in the division, let alone how many games behind in the wild card. 

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Can't Top Tigers, Swept In Four

This was not how I hoped this series was going to turn out when I returned from my trip to Germany on Tuesday. Whilst I was away the Indians swept the Rangers, the White Sox, and took two of three from the Marlins. But yet again the Tribe came unstuck against our division foes, being swept over four brutal games.

I think we all need to recognise now that winning the AL Central is out of reach for this Indians squad in 2013. It's still mathematically possible of course but I don't see Detroit losing many games between now and the end of the season. Our best hope for the post-season will be through the wild card and the Indians now need to put this moral-sapping series behind them and concentrate on winning as many games as possible before the end of September. Thankfully we only play Detroit one more time towards the end of this month and our relatively easy schedule in September will make or break our playoff hopes.

I'm not going to do an in-depth series re-cap today, it'd be far too depressing. Instead I'm going to weigh in on a few talking points concerning the Tribe over the last few days.

Farewell Mr Reynolds

Our struggling slugger Mark Reynolds was finally put out of his misery and was designated for assignment by the Indians yesterday. And so his career in Cleveland comes to an end. Reynolds has told the front office he is unwilling to accept a demotion to AAA Columbus so he will surely be released over the course of the next few days. It'll be interesting to see if any other teams decide to take a flyer on Reynolds, or maybe the Indians can trade him for somebody useful to help us down the stretch (it's unlikely though).

It's a sad ending to what looked like a bright story early on in the season. Reynolds got off to a fantastic start in Cleveland, batting .301 in April with 8 home runs and 22 RBI. He was a key part of the offense and helped win a lot of games for the Indians over the first couple of months. But then the hits dried up and the strikeouts kept increasing. We all knew Reynolds had that side to his game; he has struck out at a ridiculously high level at every club he's been to. But that was ok as long as he was still hitting a few home runs. Right? Well that quickly became the problem, as his production at the plate has been non-existent since May. Francona had obviously lost all faith in Reynolds over the past few weeks and looked reluctant to insert him into the lineup on a daily basis. It has been pretty agonising to watch Reynolds recently, as he has looked largely over-matched nearly every day, becoming an automatic out for most opposing pitchers.

I'm somewhat sad to see Reynolds leave and it's a shame things couldn't work out the way we wanted. Having said that, I'm kind of relieved we don't have to endure watching him struggle at the plate any longer.There were a few fans calling for him to have his contract extended after his bright start to the campaign but I bet they're glad the front office didn't follow their advice now. Good luck in your future endeavours Mark. I'm sure he'll land onto another club in the near future. Some team out there will be willing to take a punt and see if his power can return (I expect the desperate Yankees may be monitoring the situation).

Raburn Earns An Extended Stay

Ryan Raburn has had a very impressive season off the bench for the Indians in 2013 and the club have rewarded his efforts with a 2 year extension that could see Ryan in Cleveland until the end of 2016. I have to say I'm pretty pleased the club have decided to keep Raburn on the team and I think he deserves it. His production has been a pleasant surprise this year, considering he was originally just a minor-league invite in the Spring. He's currently batting .274 with 13 home runs (3rd on the team) and 38 RBI, with 14 doubles as well. Not bad for a bench guy. Raburn's versatility in the field has also been of great benefit to the Tribe, slotting in with ease at both corner outfield spots as well as his natural position at second base. With Reynolds now leaving the team I can see Raburn playing a lot of DH between now and the end of September. I'm sure Francona will look to get him into the lineup as often as possible.

And what about Raburn as a pitcher? A couple of days ago you would have laughed in my face at the idea but after last night's emergency relief appearance the idea doesn't seem quite so ridiculous. And hey, the bullpen needs the help right? (I am of course joking). The Tribe's pen were exhausted again during the blowout 10-3 loss and Francona turned to Raburn to pitch the 9th inning. Ryan said no problem and proceeded to pitch a shutout inning as well as recording his first career strikeout. I don't imagine it was how Raburn intended to celebrate his contract extension, but he did add yet another layer to his versatility. The guy can do everything apparently. Congratulations to Mr Raburn.

Player Of The Series

This four-game set with Detroit has been a disaster of epic proportions but there were a couple of bright spots amongst the disappointment. Despite the Tribe losing all four games, there was some decent pitching involved. Two men stood head and shoulders above the rest: Corey Kluber, who went 7 and a 1/3 innings on Monday, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 6 whilst keeping Detroit scoreless. And Danny Salazar, who lasted 7 and 2/3 innings on Wednesday, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs, walking 1 and striking out an astounding 10 Tigers, often on fastballs that reached close to 100 mph. Both pitchers put in superb shifts: Kluber kept Detroit off the board in his outing, and the rookie Salazar, in just his second start, struck out the powerful Tigers with ease, although he did get hit for 2 HRs. It's tough to choose this week's Player Of The Series so I'm going to give it to both men, the first time I've done such a thing at England Tribe. Kluber has since been diagnosed with a finger injury that will keep him out for 4-6 weeks, a devastating blow to the right-hander who had turned his season into a very successful one. The impressive rookie Salazar will take his spot in the rotation and can hopefully continue to dominate unsuspecting opposition lineups.

The Tribe welcome MVP candidate Mike Trout and the Angels to Progressive Field today for a three-game series that the Indians must win. Our boys really need to rebound and do it quickly if they're to keep pace in the wild card chase. Despite Anaheim having a sub-par season and standing no chance of making the playoffs, they should not be underestimated, not with the talent they have on their roster. The Indians look to Scott Kazmir (7-4, 3.89 ERA) tonight to turn things back around and he'll faceoff against Angels ace Jered Weaver (6-5, 2.90 ERA). The Tribe need to bounce back in style and they need to start doing that tonight.

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