A Special Announcement

So it's been a while since my last post. Early October in fact, the day after the Indians were eliminated from the post-season. Things have changed since then, and I'm not just talking about the state of the MLB landscape, with the league going transaction-crazy with guys moving all over the place (Robinson Cano to Seattle, Jacoby Ellsbury to the Bronx etc).

Things have changed for me too. I have recently been added as a contributing writer over at Lets Go Tribe, the superb Indians blog on the SB Nation network. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm eager to get started straight away.

As a result, the new gig at LGT is probably going to affect my output here at England Tribe somewhat. Time is precious enough as it is and I imagine it will be rather difficult to produce articles for both Lets Go Tribe and England Tribe, and at the same time maintaining the same level of quality I strive towards.

So it is with a heavy heart that I announce that England Tribe will be temporarily suspended until further notice. I am not ending the blog at all, by no means is England Tribe done and dusted. But I am warning my readers and any newcomers to the blog that posts over the next few months and the 2014 season will be limited to say the least. If I get into a writing-groove and feel I have extra ideas and articles to share away from Lets Go Tribe then I will endeavour to post them here to keep the blog refreshed. But I expect they will be pretty inconsistent and no where near as regular as the 2013 posts were.

I just want to say thank you to each and every person who read my blog since its humble beginnings back in March of this year. It was incredibly fun to follow the Indians' remarkable 2013 campaign through this blog. If you want to read more of my stuff you now know where to find me. I'll be writing feature articles and the odd news post over at Lets Go Tribe, working alongside their talented stable of writers.

Thanks again guys, and go Tribe.

Ash

Indians Lose 4-0 To Rays, Exit Post-Season

A packed to the rafters Progressive Field witnessed it's first post-season game since 2007 last night. Everything was set for a historic and memorable evening. But it just wasn't to be. The Indians fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in the Wild Card game and so the home team find their season over, eliminated from the Playoffs, as the Rays proceed to the ALDS to face Boston.

I'm not going to give you an in-depth recap of the game pitch-by-pitch. You already know how it ended so there's no need to rehash the disappointing events too much. It wouldn't make for the most exciting read anyway. But I am going to look at some talking points from the game, things I found interesting. Here we go:

Tribe Can't Capitalize On Opportunities

After a couple of innings this game looked as if we were set for a good old fashioned pitcher's duel. Danny Salazar and Alex Cobb were lights out to begin the game but after Delmon Young took Salazar's first pitch of the 3rd inning over the left field wall for a 1-0 Rays lead, the hits started to mount up on both sides. By the 4th inning, after a smashed liner down the third base line by Desmond Jennings put the Rays ahead 3-0, the Indians started to crawl back into the game.

It began with a crushed double by Carlos Santana, then Michael Brantley beat out an infield hit, followed by a Ryan Raburn walk to load the bases. Down 3-0, this was the key moment in the game to get back into the contest. The Indians were perfectly primed to score, with only 1 out in the inning. Asdrubal Cabrera, who struggled all season with runners in scoring position, had the chance to redeem himself for his sub-par 2013. Instead Cabrera swung weakly and grounded into an inning-ending double play, killing the rally and the momentum at the same time. The home crowd, previously so raucous for the first few innings, were silenced. I think this was the biggest turning point in the game. The fans inside Progressive Field were vocal all night but were never quite the same after that 4th inning. I think that effected the team to a degree, as you could feel the Rays had gotten away with a lucky escape. Cobb was on the ropes and could have been chased from the game if Cabrera had gotten a hit. It never happened.

The Tribe had another opportunity to get on the scoreboard the very next inning. To open the 5th, Yan Gomes smashed a double to start things off. Lonnie Chisenhall, selected to start over Mike Aviles at third base due to his success at hitting right-handers, lined a single to put runners at first and third. Michael Bourn struck out in his at-bat then Nick Swisher was lucky not to get caught in a double play after his weak grounder. Gomes was left standing at third and Chisenhall had moved up to second when Kipnis strode to the plate with 2 outs. Unfortunately Kipnis, perhaps trying a bit too hard on the big stage of the post-season, chopped the ball in front of the mound to Cobb to end the inning. Again the Indians couldn't capitalise against a reeling Cobb, stranding runners once more and allowing the pitcher to settle in and recalibrate. It was incredibly frustrating to see the home side squander these chances, especially against a pitcher like Cobb who looked very good all night and wasn't likely to give up many more scoring opportunities. So it proved.

The Indians had further chances to score as the game progressed but I felt like they never fully recovered from those wasted 4th and 5th innings. The Rays seemed to grow in confidence from then on and the Tribe hitters never put together another rally like those two in the 4th and 5th.

Moments Of Interest

• Terry Francona made the bold decision to start Chisenhall over Aviles and it paid off handsomely. Aviles slumped somewhat in September and, although Chiz didn't set the world on fire himself, he was better suited to hit right-handers than Aviles. It worked a charm as Lonnie went 3-4 on the night, and saved a run in the 8th inning when he made an amazing diving grab on a Evan Longoria line-drive which had the left field corner written all over it. Chiz did have an error in the 9th inning after a sharp Delmon Young groundball hopped off his glove, but overall I was thoroughly impressed by his poise and confidence in the first post-season game of his career.
• Danny Salazar deserves a round of applause. The rookie took the mound for the Tribe's biggest game since 2007 and didn't show an ounce of nerves early on. The first 2 innings were incredible as Salazar was simply untouchable. If the national baseball audience didn't know about him before, they do now. He looked like a 10 year veteran out there as he racked up some early strikeouts, not a guy who started the year at AA Akron. Francona pulled the young fire-baller in the 5th after Salazar walked Jose Molina to start the inning. I felt Salazar could probably have gone a bit longer but Francona probably saw something we didn't, plus the confident Tribe bullpen pitched very well as a unit in September. Salazar finished with 4 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits for 3 runs, walking 2 and striking out 4. It wasn't how Salazar pictured the night ending but he showed some glimpses of his immense talent. He has a promising future ahead of him that's for sure.

• It was not a good night for our big free agent acquisitions. Michael Bourn had an awful game in the lead-off spot, going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. He was fooled by Cobb's breaking ball too often. Nick Swisher also had a miserable evening, going 0-4 as well with 2 strikeouts of his own. Swish was really trying out there, taking some huge hacks and only just missing at times, but ultimately lived up to his reputation as a guy who struggles in the post-season.
• Let's give some credit where it's due: The Indians bullpen did a brilliant job at keeping the home side in the game. Marc Rzepczynski took over in the 5th inning in relief of Salazar and did well, striking out David DeJesus before being pulled for Bryan Shaw. Shaw pitched fantastically, striking out 2 Rays, before turning the ball over to Justin Masterson in the 7th inning. Masterson pitched so well in 2 innings of relief that it made you wonder if Francona could have rolled the dice a bit and started the big right-hander instead of Salazar. Nonetheless, Masterson got the Indians to the 9th inning with the score still at 3-0, recording 2 strikeouts. Cody Allen started the 9th and was unlucky to have an unearned run charged to him, after Lonnie's error and Swisher's missed catch at first base saw Yunel Escobar score Ben Zobrist to put the Rays up 4-0. It was Joe Smith who Escobar hit off but Joe settled down after that and struck out Molina before getting DeJesus to fly out to right. Overall I was really impressed with the bullpen's efforts and they were unlucky not to have the offense pick them up.

Still A Season To Be Proud Of

So the Indians season is now over but do not despair Tribe fans. Despite the disappointing loss last night, there is still a lot of pride to be had in this 2013 season. When you lose 94 games in 2012 and then make the Playoffs with 92 wins the next year, that's something to shout about. The improvement this squad made was remarkable and there is a lot of positives to take away: the development of our starting pitchers, such a question mark before Spring Training. The amazing value and production provided by 'The Goon Squad' (Aviles, Giambi, Gomes and Raburn if you didn't know already - shame on you). That's just two examples of many and there's even more to look forward to in 2014. I can't wait to see Salazar again, as he'll be aiming to complete his first full season in the majors. Next year should see the beginning of the Francisco Lindor era in Cleveland, as we should hopefully catch our first glimpse of the shortstop prodigy at some stage in 2014. So don't wallow in sorrow for too long fellow Tribe fans. 2014 will be here before you know it. Until then, take pride in this Indians team and their superb against-the-odds season.

The game began at 1 am here in the UK last night and I didn't get to bed until 5 am. I'm shattered from it but I feel it was worth staying up for. It's not every day your team plays a high stakes Playoff game. Even though we lost I'm glad I made the extra effort to watch it.

I'll have my season review and player ratings up over the course of the next week or so. It could be rather large so it might take some time to work out. Watch this space.

Until then, thank you to everybody who has read this blog during this fabulous season. Go Tribe!

(All photos courtesy of Zimbio)

Tribe Sweep Twins, Secure AL Wild Card

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 Cleveland Indians will be playing baseball in October. Post-season baseball. Playoffs.

Just let that sink in for a bit. Savour it.

For the first time since 2007, Cleveland will host an MLB Playoff game. At the beginning of the season, all Tribe fans wanted was meaningful baseball games in September. For me personally, I just wanted us to be relevant, somewhere within the region of "relevant" and "respectable" by the end of the season. The dream was post-season baseball for me, and I didn't really think they'd actually achieve it, not after 2012, not after all the new acquisitions would naturally need time to gel. Well the Indians only went and did it, surpassing all expectations. They did indeed play meaningful baseball in September. And now they will play in October too. Pinch me.

So that's it folks, the regular season is done and dusted. The Indians finished with a 92-70 record, quite astounding considering how bleak things looked at times this year. 10 straight wins to end the year. 21-6 in the month of September. I don't care what they say about the "soft schedule," you play the team in front of you. We did and we won. That's all there is to it.

In the end it all came down to the final day, game 162. Win and they're in. The Indians obliged. Thanks to an absolutely dominant outing from Ubaldo Jimenez and some important hitting from key players like Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana, the Tribe wrapped up the top spot in the AL Wild Card with relative ease, beating the Twins 5-1 on Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of Minnesota. It was Cleveland's seventh four-game sweep of the year, the most in major league history since the 1943 Cardinals. That's just amazing.

Something else amazing: Ubaldo's 13 strikeouts, which matched his career high. It has been a magnificent few months for the Dominican right-hander and he pitched a real gem in the Sunday sunshine. After getting into a bit of trouble in the 7th inning, Jimenez was relieved by Marc Rzepczynski and then Justin Masterson to finish out the game. It was somewhat fitting to see Masterson pitch the final couple of innings after such a brilliant season by the All Star. The final out was a thing of beauty as well: Masterson induced a sharp groundball that looked as if it had eyes for right field, but fellow All Star Jason Kipnis made a gorgeous web-gem-worthy dive to his left to snag the ball. Kipnis got to his feet in light-speed to throw the ball to Masterson covering first base for the final out. Cue delirious celebrations on the field, in the homes of Cleveland fans, and little old me here in UK, going mental sat on the floor in front of my laptop.

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

Perez Problems Solved? Sort Of

With just days left of the regular season, Chris Perez was finally relieved of his closing duties on Friday 27th September. And I'm surprised it took so long to be honest. After nearly costing the Indians another game in Thursday night's narrow 6-5 win, Perez apparently went to Francona and said he didn't want to cost the team any valuable wins this late in the year. The skipper agreed and demoted Perez from the closer role, finishing out the season with a closer-by-committee, including guys like Cody Allen, Joe Smith, and new member of the bullpen Justin Masterson.

It's safe to say Perez has had a terrible 2013. In 54 games he finished with a 5-3 record, a bloated 4.33 ERA with 25 saves, and 5 blown saves. In 54 innings he gave up 56 hits, 11 home runs, and 21 walks. Simply put, it was not good enough for a closer on a team trying to compete for a place in the post-season. There was a moment a couple of months ago where it felt like Perez was back on track to be being the closer he once was. It looked as if he was improving. Then he imploded once more. It wasn't to be.

The question now is, what role will the big right-hander play in the post-season? Will he feature at all? I have to admit, I think it would be wise just to shut him down entirely now. His confidence is completely shot and his future with the Tribe is in serious doubt.

How many fans would shed a tear if Perez were traded in the off-season? I certainly wouldn't and I'm sure the majority of Indians fans feel the same way. Our patience with Perez has always been relatively thin but it has never been thinner than now. The manner of his 9th inning displays are always nail-biting, and never in a good way. Painful to watch is the correct term I believe. Personally, I think it's time both sides agree to call time and move in different directions. A fresh start could be exactly what Perez needs to get his mojo back. I for one think his days closing in Cleveland are over.

King Kazmir

Take a bow Mr Scott Edward Kazmir. The veteran left-hander put in a superb performance during Saturday afternoon's 5-1 win to edge the Indians another step closer in their bid to secure their Wild Card spot. Kazmir pitched 6 solid innings before departing, giving up 6 hits, 1 run, walking 2, and striking out an incredible 11 batters. He was making the Twins miss consistently, keeping them off balance all afternoon. I was particularly impressed with his breaking ball, a beauty of a pitch when he got it right. Kazmir finished the 2013 season with 162 strikeouts in 158 innings. That's more than Matt Cain, David Price, Zack Greinke, Hiroki Kuroda and Matt Moore. For the small price the Tribe paid for Kazmir, I think they more than got their money's worth. Especially for a dude who had been out of the majors since 2011.

In fact, after a difficult August in which he was plagued by arm fatigue, Kazmir rebounded in style during September. Over 5 starts he posted a 2.57 ERA this past month with 43 strikeouts in 28 innings, an incredible amount. Talk about a strong finish to the season. I've heard Kazmir is willing to discuss returning to Cleveland for 2014 and I have absolutely no problems with that. I think if he can remain healthy then he has the potential to build off this season and come back even stronger next year. I feel he deserves another year with the Tribe at the very least.

Sir Swisher

It's been easy to see the effect Nick Swisher has had on the Indians this year. The guy is such a character, so full of enthusiasm, you'd have to be blind not to see how beneficial his positive attitude has been to this club. From the moment he signed in December 2012 to the final out of Sunday's game, the smile on his face has rarely dropped, even as he struggled at times on the field.

It hasn't exactly been a career year for Nick in his debut season in Cleveland. I wouldn't have blamed him if his enthusiasm faltered a bit as his performance suffered. But give credit where it is due, the man did not give up.

Swisher had a fantastic month of September and was arguably the cornerstone of the Tribe's amazing playoff push these past four weeks. Let's look at some numbers: In the 26 games he played in September, Swisher batted .263, had a .353 OBP, and a .515 slugging percentage. He recorded 26 hits, 4 of them doubles, and hit 7 home runs for 17 RBI, to go along with 15 walks. Hell, he even threw in a stolen base for good measure, his only one this year.

He finished the year with 22 homers (he hasn't hit less than that since his rookie season in 2005) so considering that 7 of them came within these past 26 games, that's a pretty good hot streak right there. Swisher's 2-run bomb in the 1st inning of Sunday's game settled any early nerves for the Tribe and put them on track for the Wild Card-clinching win. It was only right that Swisher, the face of this franchise, should be the one to put a smile on the fans' faces, one big enough to match his own. Thanks Nick.

--

So where does this all leave us? Tampa Bay and Texas both won their final games to finish with matching records of 91-71. That means they face off tonight in a 163rd game to decide who will play the Indians in Wednesday's Wild Card game at Progressive Field. I will of course be staying up late for Wednesday night's game and I cannot wait for it. It'll be my first Playoff game as an Indians fan since I started supporting the team late in 2007. I pretty much missed out on all the excitement six years ago. I was still a new fan and still learning the game, and thus didn't fully appreciate how special it was. Now I know, now I appreciate it, and I really hope the Indians can keep us happy for many more days to come in October.

Now if any of you kind souls feel like sending one of those sweet Indians Playoffs t-shirts to me in England, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks for reading.

White Sox Swept As Race Nears End

There are just 4 games left of the 2013 regular season. I'm struggling to believe it, that the season is nearly over already. It's gone pretty fast for me. And the Indians have played some incredible baseball throughout. As we near the finish line, the Tribe are now so close to clinching a post-season berth through the Wild Card. 4 games left to get the job done...

With the Indians' two-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox last night, they still hold onto the second spot in the Wild Card race, 1 game behind Tampa Bay, 1 game ahead of Texas. Both the Royals and the Yankees were finally eliminated from contention last night, so it's just the three of us now, and we all know three is a crowd. As it currently stands the Indians would face off against the Rays in a one-game playoff to determine who would go on to play Boston. It's exciting times Tribe fans. 

Anyway, let's take a look at some of the talking points from this series:

Giambi Silences His Critics Once And For All

Coming into Spring Training, most Cleveland fans were unsure quite what to make of Jason Giambi and his role on the team. 42 years-old and a shell of the power hitter he used to be, his effectiveness as a player was questioned routinely, especially after he so nearly gave it all up to be manager of the Colorado Rockies just a few months before. A few among us believed the roster spot he inhabited could have been put to better use. In fact, as the season progressed, I saw calls for Giambi to be removed from the big league roster a lot. Well now, finally, the big man has proven his worth. 

After Chris Perez gave up two solo home runs in the 9th inning of Tuesday night's game to gift Chicago a late 4-3 lead, Giambi stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter with two outs, with Michael Brantley patiently stood at first base as the winning run (who promptly stole second base). As White Sox closer Addison Reed unleashed his pitch, Giambi got his bat on it perfectly, sending the ball deep into the right field stands. You could tell he knew where the ball was going as soon as it left his bat. The crowd erupted as the Indians emerged victorious 5-4, people going crazy having just witnessed another walk-off win, Cleveland's 11th walk-off this year, and Giambi's 2nd. It was a magical and symbolic moment of the Tribe's 2013 campaign. Just as you thought it couldn't get much worse (Perez's blown save), the Indians rally back and pull you back in. Giambi's mammoth walk-off 2-run shot will probably end up as one of the defining images of the 2013 regular season, such is the brilliant way it captures what this Indians team is all about.

I have to say it feels nice to see Giambi come through with such an important hit in such a crucial moment. Rightly or wrongly, there were times this season when he was criticised a lot but to Terry Francona's credit, he stuck by Giambi all year, never wavering. Speaking about Giambi's game winning homer, Nick Swisher said, "I almost started crying when he hit that ball." I'm sure a few of the diehards did too Nick, thanks to Giambi's heroics. He certainly earns the Player of the Series award this week. Fully deserved.

Ubaldo Poised For Playoffs

As the scheduled rotation currently stands, Ubaldo Jimenez is set to pitch against the Twins on Sunday 29th September, the final day of the regular season. If the Wild Card race is still alive and the Indians haven't yet sealed their post-season place, then I can't think of anyone else on the Tribe staff right now who I'd rather have out there for us.

However, should the baseball gods be kind and the Indians wrap it all up before Sunday's game, then Ubaldo will be rested in preparation for the one-game playoff on October 2nd, against Tampa Bay in all likeliness. The team and Francona are refusing to think that far ahead, and rightfully so, but it's worth discussing should events turn out this way.

If I'd said to you before the start of the season that Ubaldo Jimenez would become the best pitcher on the team and would be our first choice to start a playoff game, you would have laughed in my face. In fact, you'd probably have punched me, so ridiculous was the idea of Ubaldo being anything but a total mess.

Well folks, here we are, with October just days away Mr Jimenez has indeed established himself as the most effective pitcher on the Indians pitching staff. With all due respect to Justin Masterson, who has had a hell of a season and who I still consider our "ace" of the staff, Ubaldo has pitched far and above anyone's expectations and deserves the mantle of being our best pitcher. Especially given Masterson's recent injury, there is no doubt that right now, today, Ubaldo is number one. 

After yet another solid outing on Tuesday against the White Sox (6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks), let's take a quick look at Ubaldo's numbers. He currently sits with a 12-9 record with a 3.38 ERA after 176 innings pitched. But it gets better: In the month of September, Jimenez has a minuscule 1.04 ERA and an amazing 1.84 ERA since the All Star break. That puts him in the company of the elite pitchers in the game. Astounding.

So lets cross our fingers that the Tribe can ride this 6 game winning streak they're currently on and secure that playoff spot before Sunday's game. It would help if the bloody Rays and Rangers would lose some games too. Because I for one would really love to see Ubaldo on the mound for us on October 2nd, pitching for post-season glory. Make it happen Indians.

Thanks for reading.

Baseball Cards: More Allen & Ginter

Howdy y'all, apologies for not posting the White Sox and Royals recaps recently. Current events (GTA V) have kept the majority of my free time occupied and I just never got around to getting online to write. Since my last post, the good news has been the Indians have managed to battle their way into one of the wild card spots.Now the hope is that they can stay there. As I'm writing this they're closing in on a sweep of the lowly Astros, getting one step closer to the post-season in the process.

Regardless of what happens, I'm pleased for the team and more pleased at the fact we'll have posted our first winning season since 2007. So really, it's my first year as a Tribe fan where we've ended the year above .500 (I only started following the team properly in 2008). That's a cause for celebration in my book.

Anyway, I received some new baseball cards in the post over the past few days so I thought I'd share my new pick-ups here. They're all from the beautiful set that is 2013 Allen & Ginter. Let's begin:

Another Justin Masterson card to add to my PC I'm working on. Here we have a 2013 Allen & Ginter jersey relic that I got for just $1. A bargain and a really nice card (although I would have preferred the jersey patch to be from the home whites).

Up next is a mini jersey relic of Tribe right fielder Drew Stubbs. He hasn't had the best debut season in Cleveland and has really struggled with the bat all year but I've been impressed with his defense in right field. Despite his troubles, I couldn't resist bidding for this card. I really like it's design and Drew comes across as a pretty likeable guy, with that Texas drawl of his. For $1.49 I wasn't going to say no.

Here we have a jersey relic of former Indians ace and 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. I know, it's not  a Tribe card but come on, he used to play for us. And he's still tearing it up at the age of 35. I was a big fan of Cliff and will never forget his super-heroic 2008 season. All for just over $2 as well. Not bad.

Ok, from here on all connections to the Indians disappear I'm afraid. Why did I pick up this Carlos Gonzalez card? Well the star outfielder for the Rockies has been the heart and soul of my fantasy team this year and for the grand sum of $1 I thought why the hell not. It's a pretty nice card too, although I wish the pinstripe on the patch was slightly more centered. 

Last but not least is this delightful card of the reigning AL Cy Young winner (for just a tiny bit longer) Mr David Price. For just $2 I wasn't going to pass on getting a mini jersey relic of a Cy Young winner and it's a beautiful looking card too. Plus the patch is home-white too, so it's win-win for me. 

So there you have it, my latest additions to my fledgling card collection. As you can probably tell I really love those jersey patch cards, particularly the framed mini's. I expect I'll be looking to add some more before the year is out, maybe in the off-season when the prices drop slightly. We'll see...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Drop Series To KC But Ubaldo Shines

After the Tribe took a 4-3 win to open this series against the visiting Royals on Monday, I thought they might kick on and put a marker down, show they mean business in this race for October baseball. Instead they dropped the next two games, losing the series overall, whilst looking totally anemic in the process. I'm not going to focus on the negatives today though. No sir, I'm going to shine a little light on the one Tribe player who did us proud during this series.

A Summertime Miracle

After a disastrous 2012 season, 99% of Tribe fans and the rest of major league baseball were ready to write off Ubaldo Jimenez's hopes of being an effective pitcher again. Especially after a league-leading 17 losses and a 5.40 ERA that ranked as the 3rd worst in the entire league (he was 3rd worst in walks too, with 95 in 176.2 innings). To put it simply, Jimenez was one of, if not the worst starting pitcher in baseball last year. Coming into the 2013 season, our expectations for him couldn't have been much lower. Hell, some people expected him to be released during Spring Training.

However, 2013 has proven to be a revelation for Ubaldo, a resurrection if you will, albeit with a few bumps in the road along the way (nothing is ever easy where Ubaldo is concerned). He got off to a slow start, highlighted by an awful 1.2 inning shellacking against Boston on April 16th, when he was hammered for 7 runs in that short space of time. People were calling for his head soon afterwards. But as the year has gone on, Ubaldo has gotten better and better. It's been a bit of a slow process, as he often struggled to get past 5 innings even when he was pitching pretty well. To his credit, Ubaldo has been nothing if not resilient. Whilst some pitchers get tired and worn down once September rolls around, Jimenez has been the complete opposite, looking stronger now than he's looked at any other point in the campaign. Gone are his velocity problems that plagued him early in the season (Adam Burke coined the phrase: Ubaldogate). Watching him pitch now is actually fun for once, something rarely said since he joined the club from Colorado in a mid-season trade in 2011.

After Monday's dominant outing against the Royals (7 innings, 7 hits, 1 unearned run, 0 walks and 10 strikeouts), Jimenez's season looks like this: 154.1 innings pitched with a 3.62 ERA that was as high as 11.25 in April and 5.03 in June. His ERA has only gotten lower and lower ever since, sitting at a very respectable level now. At the time of writing he is 32nd in the league in strikeouts with 157, ahead of guys like Toronto's R.A. Dickey, KC's Ervin Santana, the Yankees' Hiroki Kuroda, Tampa Bay's David Price, and Atlanta's Kris Medlen and Julio Teheran. That ain't too shabby for Ubaldo.

Yeah, he still walks too many guys (he did this even in his glory days with the Rockies), with 75 walks so far, good enough for the 3rd highest total in the league (joint 3rd with Justin Masterson actually). But Jimenez has been much better lately and seems to have harnessed the majority of his control problems. Let's play a small sample size game for a minute: In his last 4 starts Ubaldo has only given up 5 walks in 26 innings, twice pitching games where he didn't walk anybody. Did you hear what I said? UBALDO DIDN'T WALK ANYBODY. Some people probably didn't think that was possible. Within this span, Jimenez struck out 34 batters, reaching 10 K's in 3 out of those 4 games, all to the tune of a mesmerising 1.73 ERA with batters hitting just .235 off him. To say Ubaldo has turned a corner in 2013 would be an understatement. He's like a new man out there, especially since the All Star Break: 1.94 ERA, 63 strikeouts in 55.2 innings, only 3 HR's surrendered in nearly 2 months, and a measly .220 batting average against him. If the season started in mid-July, he'd be considered one of the best pitchers in the game this year, one of the elite. Yeah, your very own Ubaldo Jimenez. Go figure.

So what was the point of this gushing piece about Ubaldo and his recent hot streak? Well, if the tall right-hander can keep this up until the end of the month, and God forbid maybe into the post-season, I think he deserves a place on this ballclub in 2014. He has a team option for $8 million next year and despite turning 30 years old in January, I think Jimenez has earned another season in the Cleveland rotation. I never thought I'd say those words just a few short months ago but now I'd be quite sad to see Ubaldo depart if the Indians front office decided against keeping him around for another year. Which is why it is of the utmost importance he remains focused for just a few more weeks and continues to pitch exactly the way he has done recently. I pray he can achieve this and prove I haven't just wasted my time singing his praises. Nonetheless, the big guy has made a fan out of me.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Miss Out On Mets Sweep

The Indians took two out of three from this series against the visiting New York Mets and should really have completed the sweep. Behind a dominant Scott Kazmir the Tribe easily won Friday's opener 8-1, then took game two convincingly, winning 9-4 on Saturday. Sunday's contest was a closely fought battle and was tied 1-1 until Chris Perez blew the game in the 9th inning, and the Mets emerged victorious 2-1 to salvage some pride.

Right, I have next to no time this morning to wrap up this series so unfortunately you guys are going to get my series recap in bullet points. Here we go:

• Scott Kazmir. So much for that arm fatigue huh? He looked amazing on Friday, practically untouchable. Kaz pitched 6 strong innings, scattering 4 hits, didn't allow a run and didn't walk a single batter. To top it all off he had 12 strikeouts. 12! Scott was dialled in and it was easily the best game he's pitched this year, and probably one of his best games ever. 
• Nick Swisher. Dude picked a good weekend to get hot. Swisher had 5 hits in the series, including 2 home runs for a total of 6 RBI. His grand slam in the 8th inning of Friday's game was a thing of beauty, he absolutely launched that ball into the stands. I'm really hoping this was a sign of things to come from Swisher in September. Lately he's been playing like the player we all hoped he would be when we signed him. Keep it up Swish, and take home the Player of the Series award whilst you're at it.
• Congratulations must go to Jason Giambi, who recorded the 2,000th hit of his major league career late in Sunday's game. He blooped one into left field to reach the milestone and it's quite an achievement. Well done big guy! I was really happy to see him get it done, in what will almost certainly be his last season as a professional. He was replaced by pinch-runner Mike Aviles, who then proceeded to ruin the occasion by getting caught trying to steal second base, a totally unnecessary and frustrating move that late in the game.
• Drew Stubbs had a pretty awful weekend and continues to be the black hole in this lineup. He had 7 strikeouts over the course of this Mets series, including 4 in Sunday's game (the ol' Golden Sombrero). There are times he looks completely hopeless at the plate, like he is already consigned to defeat. I love what Stubbs brings to right field as a defender, he covers a lot of ground out there, but he has been a huge disappointment with his bat in 2013. This Mets series was yet another example.
• Speaking of disappointments, nothing can go right for Asdrubal Cabrera right now. Don't get me wrong, it's all his fault. Apart from smashing a welcome 3-run homer during Saturday night's win, Cabrera had an awful series. He got the only RBI of the game on Sunday, but that was only because he was hit by a pitch in his calf with the bases loaded. He had so many chances to bring runners home during this series and failed nearly every time. His worst moment was during the 8th inning rally on Sunday, when with 1 out and the bases loaded, he swung twice at a pitcher with known location problems, connecting the second time to result in an inning-ending double play. It was a complete joke and a perfect moment to sum up what an awful 2013 Cabrera has had.

Anyway that'll do it for me this morning, I gotta run. The Indians face the Royals tonight to start a three game series. The resurrected Ubaldo Jimenez (10-9, 3.79 ERA) takes the mound for the hometown team and will face KC's Ervin Santana (8-8, 3.33 ERA), who I always think looks like Snoop from The Wire.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Use Chicken To Beat Orioles

My vote for 'Strangest Blog Title I've Ever Written' goes to the one above: Tribe Use Chicken To Beat Orioles. Yes, what you're reading is correct, the Indians team did in fact use a chicken in batting practice to help them overcome Baltimore in the rubber game last night. It worked and the Indians have now climbed ahead of the O's in the wild card race. And it's worth stating that no chickens were harmed in the process.

The series got off to a bad start, the Tribe dropping the first game 7-2 and losing Justin Masterson after an inning to a rib injury (more on that later). Thankfully the home-town team responded the next night behind a terrific outing by Ubaldo Jimenez, coming out on top 4-3 after a nervy 9th inning save from Chris Perez. Finally the Indians summoned the powers of the chicken and rallied to win the series last night, emerging victorious in a 6-4 ballgame. The series win keeps the Indians in the hunt for a playoff berth and hopefully the Tribe can kick on from here and take advantage of their September schedule, most games coming against sub .500 opposition.

Let's have a little look at some talking points from the Baltimore series:

Masterson's Season Could Be Over

Justin Masterson, the iron work-horse of our rotation, who leads the team in innings pitched, starts, wins, and strikeouts, had to leave Monday's game after just 1 inning due to an injury in his left rib cage. He's since been diagnosed with a strained left oblique muscle that could shelve him for the rest of the season. Normally this type of injury takes up to 4-6 weeks to heal but the Indians are optimistic Masterson can return to the team as soon as possible and hope he'll only miss one or two starts at the most.

It's a real shame to see Masterson struck down with such an injury. The big right-hander has had a fantastic season, earning a career high 14 wins so far. To be honest, he hasn't looked right for a few weeks now and this injury could explain why. If he's been playing through the pain, that could explain why his control has been out of sorts lately. The silver lining of course is that this injury has nothing to do with his precious arm, elbow or shoulder, and he should be able to make a full recovery without any hindering long-term effects. Here's hoping Justin makes it back before the end of the year and can contribute to our playoff push before September is over. Corey Kluber is scheduled to replace Masterson in the rotation, as he comes off the DL this week, and will face the Mets on Saturday.

Player Of The Series

This is difficult. There were a few contenders who stepped up over the last couple of days. Carlos Santana, who just keeps getting on base with more walks. Ryan Raburn, returning from the DL to make a splash in last night's game. earning 2 RBI. How about Ubaldo Jimenez, pitching 6 shutout innings on Tuesday on route to his 10th win of the season? All these guys are worthy of the award for this series but I can't look any further than one man. Mr Yan Gomes, who has cemented himself as a fan favourite, had 4 hits in the series for a total of 4 RBI, every single one of them absolutely crucial in earning the Indians the series win. Terry Francona just cannot keep this guy out of the lineup and Gomes' production, as well as his defensive prowess behind the plate, more than validate his selection. Congratulations to the Yanimal.

The Tribe can enjoy today off before welcoming the New York Mets to Progressive Field on Friday. I'm a little bit sad that Matt Harvey won't be making the trip but I'm also kind of glad; he won't be able to pitch against us, thus increasing our chances of taking home the series win. Friday's contest will see Scott Kazmir (7-7, 4.36 ERA) looking to rebound from his rough outings recently, as he's been battling fatigue, and he'll face off against the Mets' rookie Zach Wheeler (7-3, 3.36 ERA).

Thanks for reading.

Indians Regain Some Dignity But Lose Series

For a while there the series in Detroit looked like a total disaster. The Tribe were dominated in the first two games of the series, losing 7-2 on Friday and 10-5 on Saturday, before they managed to save face a bit by shutting out the Tigers on Sunday with an impressive 4-0 win.

Let's make one thing clear. Detroit have had Cleveland's number all season long. The Tribe have lost 15 of the 19 games they've played again the Tigers this year, an abysmal record. This weekend's series was particularly painful to watch because it quickly became clear that the Indians just didn't have anything that posed a threat to Detroit. You could read it in the players' body language as they stepped to the plate, or how Zach McAllister's shoulders slumped again as he walked yet another batter (I'm not singling Zach out here, he had a bad day is all and it was noticeable). Cleveland were lucky to avoid being swept for the second straight series in a row and have our Player of the Series (to be revealed below) to thank for getting them out of a real mess.

There was no clearer example of the Indians' total ineptitude against the Tigers in 2013 than the third inning of Friday's game. The Tigers were leading 2-1 and had the bases loaded when Victor Martinez (it still makes me sad to see him playing for bloody Detroit) hit a long fly ball to centre field. It should have been a routine out but Michael Bourn never saw the ball and lost it completely in the lights, allowing two runners to score with ease and that was essentially game over. The Indians looked totally sapped of confidence after that and never really threatened to get back in it. It was a frustrating moment in a frustrating season of futility against our AL Central foes. I'm not going to sit here and rain curses down on Bourn. He's been somewhat of a disappointment in his first season in Cleveland, I think most Tribe fans would agree. I don't think we've got the level of production many expected from him; he hasn't stolen many bases considering his past achievements and he's only really been average at best as a lead-off man this year. But players make mistakes and he knows more than anybody he messed up but it doesn't change the fact his blunder was essentially the turning point in the series.

Player Of The Series

I was going to skip this award entirely if the Indians couldn't muster a reply in the final game of the series on Sunday and thankfully they managed to reply in style. There's a couple of candidates for the award this week, including rookie pitcher Danny Salazar who continues to impress at the major league level. Salazar was efficient through 6 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and walking nobody, keeping the Tigers scoreless whilst striking out 6. All this on a strict pitch-count so it was a relief to see him last 6 innings. But the hero of the series for me was Mike Aviles, who saved the best until last. In the top of the 9th inning on Sunday, Aviles stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and proceeded to smash the first grand slam of his major league career to put the Indians up 4-0 late in the game, thus sealing the victory. "I hit a lot of grand slams in my sleep," said Aviles after the game. "It's just good to have a real one." Yes it is Mike, and congratulations on your first Player of the Series award this season.

So the Indians return home now and don't go back on the road until the 12th of September. Up next are the Baltimore Orioles and we need to perform to our best since the O's are our direct competitors in the race for the wild card spots. Monday afternoon's game will see Justin Masterson (14-9, 3.49 ERA) take the mound in search of his 15th win of the season and he'll face off against Bud Norris (3-1, 4.91 ERA with Baltimore), the pitcher I wouldn't have minded seeing the Tribe acquire before the trade deadline.

The Tribe didn't have the best of Augusts and need to play better in September. Winning the first game of the month yesterday was a good start. With a schedule that looks easier than most (on paper at least) the Indians still stand a very good chance of making the post-season. They just need to get hot and play their asses off. One more push guys.

Thanks for reading.

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.