Lindor Lifts Tribe Over Astros, Win Series

The Indians took two out of three from the Astros this week, and they did it in style. In the rubber game Thursday night, down a run and into the bottom of the seventh, Francisco Lindor stepped to the plate with Yan Gomes already stationed on first base. Lindor took Houston reliever Chris Devenski to a 2-0 count before unloading on the ball, sending it deep into center field and over the fence to push the Tribe ahead 4-3 on the night. The Astros couldn't reply and the Indians were victorious, capturing the series victory over one of the better teams in the American League.

Lindor vs Correa: Battle Of The Ages

We live in a golden age of shortstops, a time that rivals the days of Jeter, Garciaparra and A-Rod. Two of the very best in today's era hail from the shores of Puerto Rico, a historically blessed baseball nation. Lindor, from Caguas, and Correa, from Ponce, will be battling each other for the next decade for the title of best shortstop in the majors and they faced off against one another for the first time in 2017.

Over the course of this series the two of them went head-to-head. Correa had a total of 4 hits, 2 of them doubles, 2 walks, but 6 strikeouts. Lindor had just 2 hits, one of them a double, but the other was the mammoth home run that clinched the series win, collecting 2 RBI for his efforts. He also had 2 walks and struck out just the once, as opposed to Correa's half dozen.

So far this season Correa is slashing .219/.310/.329 with 2 HR and 5 RBI. Not exactly the kind of output the fans in Houston were expecting, but it's still early days. Whereas Lindor is performing much better, with a .301/.368/.614 batting line, and leads the Indians with 6 HR, and has 14 RBI, trailing only Jose Ramirez for the team lead.

Lindor is winning the battle between the duo so far and is off to a very hot start this year. His Thursday night homer traveled 456 feet, and was recorded as the longest home run of his professional career. When told after the game how far he hit it, Lindor said, "Really? I'm not supposed to be hitting the ball that far." He's such a legend already. Long live Frankie Lindor.

Here are some other quick takes from the series:

• Dallas Keuchel shrugged off 2 home runs to go the distance in the opening game Tuesday night, and pushed his record to 4-0. He looks in fine form and has made an early case for Cy Young contention. I realise how ridiculous that sentence is in April but the guy has been a force so far. Josh Tomlin battled him and wasn't too bad, but ran into a tricky fifth inning. Overall the Texan allowed 3 runs over 6 innings, scattering 8 hits and 6 strikeouts but took the loss.
• Cody Allen recorded back-to-back saves to seal the Indians' wins. On the Wednesday night Allen entered the game in the eighth in relief of Bryan Shaw, who had almost let the Astros back in the game. Allen got a crucial groundout and pitched a clean ninth to record a four-out save. He was back in action Thursday night and made things a bit more interesting, as he likes to do sometimes. Despite putting runners on the corners he worked his way out of the jam, picking up his 5th save of the year. Allen continues to do stellar work, despite making us sweat.

The Tribe now welcome another AL West opponent to Progressive Field, the 10-13 Seattle Mariners. In tonight's matchup the M's are likely to start 28 year-old Cuban lefty Ariel Miranda against Carlos Carrasco, who will be looking to continue his fine start to 2017.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Take Two In Chicago, Win Series

I haven't got a lot of time today to properly recap the Indians' series win against the Chicago White Sox. The Tribe won the series on the back of two superb starting pitching performances but couldn't record a sweep thanks to a sloppy error-strewn loss in the third and final game. Still, a series win on the road is nothing to sneeze at, and the Indians stay atop the AL Central with a 10-8 record, tied with Detroit.

As I'm short for time, here's some quick notes on the series overall:

• Corey Kluber had his best performance of the early season so far in Friday's opening game. He was in Cy Young form during the complete game shutout. Over his nine dominant innings of work, Kluber threw 110 pitches, striking out 9 and walking 2, and allowed just 3 hits. Not a single White Sox hitter got further than second base. It was the best pitching performance by a Tribe starter this season and Kluber takes the Player of the Week award for his efforts. What a champ.
• Carlos Carrasco did everything in his power to top Kluber's start the night before but came up just short. And by just short, I actually mean he was unstoppable, just for an inning less. Carrasco threw 8 innings, with 3 hits and 1 walk, and struck out 8. He's been unbelievably effective in all four of his starts so far.
• The less said about Sunday's game the better. It was a mess defensively and the errors were unfortunate to say the least. 
• Jason Kipnis made his first appearance of the 2017 campaign on Friday and boy is it nice to have him back. Hopefully his shoulder injury that delayed his start to the season has completely healed and won't hinder him in the future.

The Indians have today off before hosting the red-hot Astros at Progressive Field tomorrow night, with Josh Tomlin pitching for the home side. He'll face off against Dallas Keuchel, who apparently has rediscovered his 2015 Cy Young winning form, and currently sits with a 3-0 record and a 0.96 ERA.

Thanks for reading.

Magic In Minnesota, Twins Get Swept

The Indians got back to winning ways on the road, winning their first series since the opening week in Texas. A heavy dose of rain on Wednesday night reduced the four game set in Minnesota to just three games and Cleveland emerged victorious in each one, sweeping the Twins to take their overall record to 8-7.

Here's some talking points from the Tribe's trip to Target Field.

Back Of The Rotation Getting The Job Done

The Indians sent their three, four and five guys to the mound over the course of this series and each pitcher performed well, picking up the win in their respective game.

Danny Salazar got the series started on Monday and shut down the Twins over 6 innings of work. He allowed 7 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run, whilst striking out 7. It was his best start of this early season and Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined to earn Salazar his first win, and seal a 3-1 victory for Cleveland.

Josh Tomlin, who was awful in his first couple of starts, also put in his best performance of the season so far. Tomlin was gifted a 3-0 lead by the time he walked out to the mound but proceeded to give 2 runs right back on a Max Kepler sac-fly and a Robbie Grossman double. Just as everyone was about to panic, Tomlin settled down and only gave up one more run, another sac-fly in the fourth inning. Overall Tomlin was effective, lasting 6 innings with 7 hits surrendered for 3 earned runs with 2 strikeouts for good measure. The offense backed him and he also picked up his first win, in a 11-4 Indians blowout. It must be his new haircut.

In the third and final game Trevor Bauer took the ball for the Indians and guess what, he pitched his best game of the season too! Similar to Tomlin, Bauer had also lost his previous two starts but despite the cold and damp conditions he pitched well, lasting 6.1 innings. He gave up just 3 hits but walked 3 as well, for 2 earned runs, and he struck out 7 batters as well. Credit must go to Bauer for working his way out of a sticky fourth inning. After a slip on the mound that resulted in a balk to open the scoring, Bauer got out of a bases loaded situation and avoided the big inning that might have lost this game. Fortunately the Tribe offense picked him up later in the seventh inning and Shaw, Miller and Allen did their thing again to seal the sweep and give Bauer the win.

It's a big positive for any ballclub when your back of the rotation guys can all produce quality starts that keep your team in the game. Fortunately for Salazar, Bauer and Tomlin, the offense was there to capitalise on Minnesota's less-than-stellar pitching staff and get the win each time out. I'm still not convinced Tomlin will be in the rotation all year long, especially when Mike Clevinger is forcing the issue down in Columbus.

The Kipnis Predicament

Rumor has it that Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is ready to return from his strained right rotator cuff injury. Kipnis opened the year on the disabled list after experiencing some discomfort in his shoulder and the club rightfully took precautions. Now Kipnis is back to full health and could feature this weekend against the White Sox in his native Chicago, maybe even as early as tonight.

This creates a roster problem for Terry Francona and co. Who makes room for Kipnis' return?

The likely choice will be Yandy Diaz. The young Cuban who took spring training by storm hasn't managed to produce those sort of numbers thus far in his first taste of the big leagues but he's been surprisingly good with the glove. Diaz is slashing just .236/.295/.255 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 2 RBI and 5 walks to 14 strikeouts and has just one extra-base hit so far, a double. He's featured almost every day at third base but hasn't made the most of the plate appearances he's had.

Nevertheless, with Kipnis set to resume his duties at second base, that means Jose Ramirez will slide back over to third base. Ramirez has been red hot to start the season, slashing .345/.415/.618 with a 1.034 OPS, plus 4 home runs and 16 RBI, with 8 walks (and just 8 strikeouts.) At this stage in Diaz's development, it wouldn't be beneficial for him to ride the bench and just fill in on Ramirez's days off. The sensible option would be to demote Diaz to Columbus and keep him playing everyday.

The only other option would be to keep Diaz on the roster and continue to use him as an outfielder, a position he's very familiar with. But I can't see this happening honestly. The Indians are committed to developing Diaz at third base and after all this early season effort, what would be the point in pushing Diaz back to a corner outfield spot? Also, the Tribe are stacked with outfielders at the moment, so much so that Tyler Naquin was dropped to Columbus only recently when Lonnie Chisenhall returned from the DL. If the Indians decide to continue carrying Diaz, they'll have to drop Abraham Almonte or Austin Jackson. Jackson in particular is unlikely to be demoted as the Indians would have to risk losing him entirely through waivers, something I don't think they'll even contemplate at the moment.

I'm sure we'll see Diaz again in 2017 but for the time being, Columbus will almost certainly be his new home for the foreseeable future.

Player Of The Series

There is always a host of candidates for this award when a sweep is involved but the lucky winner this time is Cody Allen. The right-handed 28 year-old closer featured twice against the Twins, recording his 3rd overall save of 2017 in Monday's win, and he pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday as well. Allen made Indians fans sweat on Monday however, giving up 2 hits and a walk before finally ending the inning for the save. Allen loves to turn his save opportunities into a spectacle but thankfully more times than not he gets the result we all want. He is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball after all.

The Indians now travel to the south side of Chicago to take on the White Sox in a three game series, their second match-up of the season. Both teams will send their respective aces to the mound tonight, as the Tribe's Corey Kluber will faceoff against Chicago's Jose Quintana. Cleveland will be keen to continue their recent form against AL Central opposition and pad their lead at the top of the division.

Thanks for reading.

Bats Still Silent, Detroit Drops Indians

The Tigers came into Cleveland over the Easter weekend and managed to take away a series victory, beating the Tribe two games to one. The series defeat capped off a disappointing homestand for the Indians, who are still struggling to put it all together since the sweep of Texas to open the season. They now sit with a 5-7 record.

Detroit took the first game on Friday night 7-6, despite the Indians' best attempts to make it close in the final innings (a Lonnie Chisenhall grand slam will help) but ultimately their comeback came up short. The Tribe lineup burst into action on Saturday though, annihilating Tigers' ace Justin Verlander in a lopsided 13-6 win, with Jose Ramirez having an especially good day (more on that later.) Sadly the hometown team couldn't win the rubber game on Sunday, as the Indians apparently used up all their runs the day before, and lost 4-1.

Let's look at a couple of talking points from the weekend's series:

Where Did You Go, Yan Gomes?

It's common knowledge in Cleveland that the Indians' Brazilian catcher has been in quite a slump, and it's lasted for over two years now. Nine games into his 2017 season, well lets just say it appears Gomes' problems at the plate haven't gone away just yet. He's currently batting just .067/.152/.167 (AVG/OBP/SLG); that's only 2 hits in 30 attempts. Fair enough Yan, one of them was a home run, but this is still a very bad start to an important season for the 29 year-old. With his backup Roberto Perez nipping at his heels and the impressive prospect Francisco Mejia on the rise, Gomes' days in Cleveland appear to be numbered and his time with the Indians might come to a close sooner rather than later if he doesn't find a way to turn things around. Despite being signed through to 2019, how long does the club endure Gomes' offensive struggles? That magical period between 2013-14 when he was the AL Silver Slugger suddenly feels like a long time ago and the current version of Gomes the Indians trot out there everyday looks like a shadow of his former self.

I've been a big Gomes supporter in the past but the odds of him recapturing some of his former glory look slim. It's still very early in the season, make no mistake about that, so there's time to turn it around yet. Thankfully he still calls an excellent game defensively but with the bat he's an awful mess right now. For his sake more than ours, I just hope he can start stringing together some hits before things turn ugly.

Carlos Carrasco - Ace In The Making

Corey Kluber is the definitive ace of the Indians' pitching staff and the former Cy Young award winner deserves his position at the top of the rotation. However an argument could be made that Carlos Carrasco is pitching as well, if not better than Kluber so far in 2017, and the Venezuelan right-hander may be on the cusp of earning ace status pretty soon.

Carrasco has been on the verge of making the leap for a couple of years but an odd injury here and there has stalled his progress and disrupted his momentum. Despite struggling with some swelling in his elbow this spring, the injury doesn't appear to have hindered him thus far.

In his three starts Carrasco has pitched 19.1 innings and given up just 5 earned runs while striking out 19 and walking 6, to the tune of a 2.33 ERA. No other Tribe starter has pitched as many innings so far this season, not even the ol' workhorse Kluber.

On Sunday Carrasco lasted 6.2 innings, scattering 4 hits for 2 earned runs. He struck out 5 Tigers but he gave up 5 walks as well, which was uncharacteristic but thankfully didn't come back to hurt him. The damage Detroit dealt to Carrasco came on a Alex Avila two-run homer in the second inning, on a fastball Carrasco mistakenly left right over the middle of the plate. After that blip Carrasco knuckled down and didn't let Detroit tag him again. However the Indians' offense couldn't provide their starter much run support and Carrasco was unfairly given the loss, despite pitching a good game.

It has long been remarked by both fans and scouts alike that Carrasco may possess the best stuff on the Indians staff. His split-finger can make opposition hitters look downright foolish and he mixes his fastball and slider to devastating effect. In fact Carrasco's slider has been called "one of the best pitches in baseball" by Baseball Prospectus. Is 2017 the year he finally puts it all together and qualifies himself as a bonafide ace? We won't know for a little while yet but he's certainly off to a good start.

Player Of The Series

Jose Ramirez wins the award this series, and by some margin. Over the course of the three game set Ramirez had 11 at-bats against Detroit and managed to collect 7 hits. It was on Saturday in particular when he really broke out, recording a hit in all 4 of his plate appearances. The dynamic 24 year-old Dominican hit 2 home runs for 6 RBI, and recorded a walk for good measure in the Indians' blowout win. Ramirez has been a fan favourite for a while now but he further cemented his place in my heart with this performance. His offensive output on Saturday catapulted my fantasy team from 9th to 2nd place in my 10 team mixed league. I am forever grateful Jose, and congratulations on winning the award for this series.

The Indians go on the road for their next seven games, beginning with a four game series in Minnesota. The Twins will likely start Kyle Gibson and the Indians will send out Danny Salazar for his third start of the season.

Thanks for reading.

White Sox Wipeout: Indians Drop Series

Well that was disappointing. The Indians played their first divisional games of the season and hosted the White Sox, but unfortunately lost the series, despite winning the first game. After a walk-off victory in game one, the Tribe dropped a close one in the second contest, before being blown out early in the rubber game to lose the overall series. Let's take a look at some talking points from the past few days, starting with a positive.

Calling Dr Smooth

"He's back. Brantley's back."

So said Francisco Lindor after his teammate, and my favorite player Michael Brantley, hit a 10th inning walk-off double that scored Lindor all the way from first base to cement a 2-1 victory in the Indians' home opener.

Brantley's comeback is a story in and of itself. I don't expect even the most optimistic of us thought he would be back with the team this early, let alone contribute in such a big way. So far this season he's featured in 8 games and has batted .241/.313/.414 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 1 home run, 6 RBI, and a stolen base. His home run on Thursday night was his first since September 10 2015, a gap of 581 days between dingers.

I'm still going to proceed with caution and reign in my expectations. I don't expect him to produce those near-MVP level numbers of years past and he may well have some struggles or setbacks in his immediate future. But right now I'm just enjoying seeing him out there, back in the heart of the lineup, coming through in the clutch. It's good to have him back.

Josh Tomlin Cooked, Michael Martinez Relief Ace (!)

Josh Tomlin has not started 2017 in the way he might have hoped. In two outings so far, Tomlin has an ERA of 18.47. He's pitched a total of 6.1 innings and given up 13 earned runs. Those 13 runs result in Tomlin currently leading the major leagues in earned runs given up. There's no other way you can spin it, it's been an awful start to the year.

Tomlin's success is based on his ability to pound the strikezone. When he's on, he hits his spots with ease and gets ahead of the count, putting hitters on the defensive. But when he's off, those pitches in the strikezone get crushed. And that's exactly what happened on Thursday night. Chicago chased Tomlin from the game in just the second inning, as he surrendered 8 hits, 2 of them homers, for 7 earned runs. His first pitch of the game, the very first pitch, was knocked over the left field wall by leadoff hitter Tim Anderson. By the time Tomlin got out of the first inning, the Indians were in a 5-0 hole they never recovered from.

It's only 2 appearances but you begin to wonder how long the club will continue to trot Tomlin out there. He's looks a defeated man right now and needs a confidence boost in a big way. He is slated to make his next start against the Twins next week and for his sake, I hope he pitches better.

The pitching wasn't all bad in this series though, and the standout performance came from an unlikely source. Step forward Michael Martinez. The utility man who usually gets a lot of stick from fans got a round of applause instead, when he entered the ninth inning of Thursday's game as a relief pitcher.

What's that you say? Martinez isn't a pitcher? I'm sorry you're mistaken, but Martinez is a baseball player who can do everything. With the game already dead and buried and Terry Francona reluctant to burn another precious bullpen arm in a lopsided loss, Tito turned to his trusty do-it-all utility man Martinez. The 34 year-old veteran took the mound and pitched a scoreless inning, recording three groundball outs, and only allowed a double to Leury Garcia. Martinez was quoted after the game, via interpreter, "I'm here to help out whenever they need me. I play almost every single position, so I try to get in and help whenever I can." Martinez can confidently add 'relief ace' to his résumé now.

A couple of other honorable mentions must go to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, who both pitched well in their second starts of the season. Carrasco pitched 7 innings, with 4 hits, 1 run, and 7 strikeouts and Salazar lasted 6 innings, with 4 hits, 2 runs, and 11 strikeouts, matching his career high.

Player Of The Series

Francisco Lindor will soon need a very good chiropractor, since he's been carrying the Tribe on his back so much this year. With the offense still yet to find it's mojo (*cough* Edwin *cough*), our star shortstop has pretty much been the only consistent hitter thus far. Against the White Sox he had 10 at-bats, with 4 hits, 2 of them doubles, 1 home run, and 3 walks, whilst playing his customary elite defense. For the season so far he's batting .324/.415/.765 with an OPS of 1.179. Lindor is leading the Indians in every major batting category at the moment, including home runs (4) and RBI (8). Keep it up Frankie, and hopefully the rest of the lineup will help you out soon!

Cleveland now welcomes Detroit to Progressive Field for a three game series over the Easter weekend. Trevor Bauer will toe the rubber in the first game and will face off against Tigers' left-hander Daniel Norris. The Indians manhandled the Tigers in 2016, winning 14 of 18 games, and will be looking to continue that trend, beginning tonight.

Thanks for reading.

Baseball Cards: All Tribe Additions

Every year around spring training the baseball card bug bites me. It must have something to do with all that pre-season anticipation and Topps releasing all of their new designs. And each year when this feeling hits me, I head over to Check Out My Collectibles and see if I can score a bargain or two. Recently a small batch of Indians cards I'd ordered in the spring arrived and I thought I'd share them. Like my previous baseball card posts in the past, none of these are very special to serious collectors, nor are they worth a lot of money. I just buy them because I like the player and/or I like the design.

Let's begin with this Mike Clevinger 2016 Bowman Chrome - Prospects Autograph. It's a really clean auto in blue ink. It's not a particularly noteworthy card but I've been an admirer of Clev for a while now and am hoping he features for the big club in 2017. The card was just $2.74, which I think is a decent price for an autograph.

Up next is a card from the same set but from the year before, a 2015 Bowman Chrome - Prospects Autographs featuring third baseman Giovanny Urseha and his signature. The auto isn't the greatest but I still like the card a lot, and at $1.73 I added it to my basket without a second's thought. I've long been a fan of Gio's defensive prowess at the hot corner and despite Yandy Diaz beating him out for the Opening Day roster spot, I still want to see Urshela get some time in Cleveland in 2017.

This was the most deluxe card I bought from my mini haul. This Andrew Miller 2016 Topps Tier One - Prime Performers Autographs set me back $8.25. It's numbered 240 out of 249, and I don't tend to fuss over numbered cards too much but it's an added bonus. Despite Miller being in his old Yankees uniform, I still think it's a lovely card, especially with the extra large auto and gold trim. I'm like a magpie, I love shiny things.

Next up is a bit of a strange one, which I bought for a couple of reasons. When I fully got into my Indians fandom in 2008, Fausto Carmona was one of my favorite players. Coming off the back of a superb 2007 season, in which the Dominican posted a 3.06 ERA and a 19-8 record, I thought this guy was going to be a star. Unfortunately his 2008 season was a train-wreck but it did help teach me a lesson about pitchers. The second reason is because in 2012 it was revealed that Fausto Carmona was actually Roberto Hernandez, and Carmona was his alias (he was also three years older than he claimed to be as Carmona.) This got me thinking: how many people own an autographed card by a fake player, signed with a fake name? I thought it made this quite a unique pick-up and it also helped that it's a quality card, with very heavy stock and numbered out of 300 too. For the record it's a 2011 Topps Marquee - Monumental Markings that cost me $3.70 and I love it. I am still a big fan of those Indians home jerseys with the navy piping too.

And finally we have something a little simpler but still a great card. How can any Francisco Lindor card not be great? This is a 2016 Topps Update Series - [Base] card that cost $0.70 and features Lindor in his All Star garb from last year's midsummer classic in San Diego. It's the photography I love most about this card, the shot of his name across his jersey and the way his head is tilted away from the sun. Frankie is such a dude, and I pray to the baseball gods he can remain in Cleveland for the next 20 years.

Death By Diamondback: Tribe Swept

After sweeping Texas to open the season, the Indians received a reality check against Arizona in their first inter-league series of 2017, with the hosts taking all three games to sweep the series. The D-Backs are off to a scorching start and have raced out to an early 6-1 record. Sadly the Tribe couldn't string together key hits when it mattered most and now sit at 3-3, dampening some of our early excitement after the sweep of the Rangers.

(Un)Stuck In The Middle

Arizona's success in this series largely came from their ability to feast on Indians pitching in the middle innings, consistently putting Cleveland in a hole each night that they were unable to crawl out of. The first game of the series saw the hosts unload on Josh Tomlin, despite the Tribe gifting the Texan an early 3-0 lead. Tomlin was pitching well until the fourth inning, when the D-Backs capitalised on seeing Tomlin's stuff for the third and fateful time. The right-hander got pounded for 6 runs on 7 hits and never made it out of the fifth. Cleveland couldn't recover and dropped game one, their first loss of the year.

Trevor Bauer experienced much of the same in game two. Cleveland took an early lead in the fourth inning but Arizona replied in the fifth, then took the lead in the next inning thanks to a David Peralta solo home run. Up to that point Bauer was actually holding his own in his duel with Zack Greinke but soon the D-Backs broke the game open. When Bauer departed, Bryan Shaw entered the game but could only surrender stinging extra-base hits to push Arizona's lead to 5-1. In the eighth inning reliever Shawn Armstrong was absolutely torn apart in his 1 inning of work: 5 hits and 2 walks for 5 earned runs. The Tribe lost 11-2.

Corey Kluber was the Indians' last hope to salvage something from the series but even he couldn't halt this rampaging Arizona lineup. Kluber battled, giving up 2 runs in the fourth inning, but he lasted 6 frames before departing, giving up a total of 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 1 walk and he struck out 4. The Indians tried to rally late on, scoring a single run in seventh and ninth inning but couldn't come back all the way, eventually losing 3-2.

Leaving Runners On Base Is Bad

The Indians' pitching wasn't great in this series but the offense didn't offer them much support either. Over the course of the three game series the Indians left a total of 48 runners on base.

48!

15 in the first game, 12 in the second, and a whopping 21 in last night's close loss. Every game was relatively close until Arizona broke them open in the middle innings, but then we enter a game of what-if: what if just one or two Indians' hits evaded the D-Backs' gloves or found their way out of the infield? It's completely pointless to pull on this thread now and I'm not going to do it. The Indians didn't get their key hits and they lost - it's time to move on to the next one.

Player Of The Series

Last week I had so many candidates to choose from but this time I'm having difficulty choosing just one. I'm going to opt for Yandy Diaz and his improving defense at the hot corner. The club had questions about whether Diaz could handle third base and this was partly why the Cuban was left off the expanded roster last September. There were still questions being asked this spring but Diaz has done everything possible to prove himself at the position and is looking more and more comfortable each game. He made a sharp play in Texas last week and pulled off a beautiful bare-handed play in this series, a real highlight. So far Yandy's bat hasn't been quite as hot as it was in spring training, not yet anyway, but I've enjoyed seeing his progress defensively so he gets the award for this series.

The Indians have an off-day today before their home opener tomorrow against the Chicago White Sox at 4:10pm ET. The Sox will send James Shields to the mound and Carlos Carrasco will go for the Indians. There's a possibility Lonnie Chisenhall could be activated off the disabled list and return for the Tribe as well. Hopefully the Indians can channel the positivity of the home opener into results on the field and get back to winning ways against our division rivals.

Thanks for reading.

How Sweep It Is! Tribe Trounce Texas

Hey kids, that is how you start a season! The Indians opened their 2017 campaign in Arlington against the Rangers on Monday and three games later they depart Texas victorious, sending an early message to the American League that they mean business. The Rangers were one of the best clubs in the majors last year, a 95 win team, but the Indians physically and mentally overpowered them in their own backyard. Let's look at how they did it.

Cleveland ace Corey Kluber got the nod to pitch on Opening Day for the third consecutive year and entering Monday's opener, he didn't have a great record, losing his two previous Opening Day games. Despite being being far from his best and struggling with a blister, Kluber avoided the loss this time around. He battled through 6 innings and gave up 6 hits, 3 of them homers, for a total of 5 earned runs. Kluber also struck out 6 Rangers and walked 3. It was not his best performance and the home runs are a bit worrying but we'll blame them on the blister. I'm still impressed he gutted it out and hung in the game for as long as he did.

It was the offense that picked Kluber up, with new boy Edwin Encarnacion rescuing his team with a clutch home run in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game. Way to make a great first impression Edwin! Then in the ninth, Abraham Almonte singled home Tyler Naquin to give the Tribe their first lead of the game, which Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley extended with an RBI each, stretching the lead to 8-5, a lead the Indians would not relinquish. Cody Allen closed things out and struck out 3 batters for his first save of the year.

Carlos Carrasco took the mound on Tuesday and despite his swollen arm issues in the spring, he gritted his way through 5.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 earned runs, a walk and a homer, but struck out 7 batters as well. He really settled down after some early trouble (a Joey Gallo 2-run shot in the second) and didn't look like his elbow was affecting him too much.

It was the Tribe's other Carlos that rescued the team. Santana crushed his first home run of the season, taking Rangers starter Martin Perez deep for a solo shot in the top of the first. Then in the second, after an Austin Jackson RBI, Santana increased the Tribe's lead with a single into centre field to score Yan Gomes and put the Indians ahead 3-0. In the top of the seventh Brantley pushed one through the infield to tack on another run to make it 4-2 Tribe (after the Rangers had scored on Gallo's earlier HR) and that extra run proved to be pivotal. Allen entered the ninth to record his second save and despite a rocky start (back-to-back doubles and a Mike Napoli RBI) he shut the Rangers down by striking out the side and the Indians won 4-3.

The Wednesday night finale was a wild one. Danny Salazar pitched 5.2 innings but got off to a bad start when he was taken deep in the first inning by Nomar Mazara, giving Texas a 2-0 lead. Salazar ran into trouble again in the fifth and ended his night with a line of 5 hits given up, and 5 earned runs. He also walked 4 but struck out an impressive 9 batters.

Salazar's difficulties in the fifth inning were not helped by an uncharacteristic mistake by Francisco Lindor. A weak Shin-Soo Choo ground ball went straight to our Puerto Rican shortstop and he thought he had time to get Gallo out at second base but the Ranger beat him to the bag. Lindor still thought he could get Choo out at first with a throw but Encarnacion wasn't anticipating it, and the ball sailed into the stands to put the Rangers up 4-3. Mazara added another run before Salazar escaped the inning.

But Lindor, despite his easy-going appearance, is a fiercely competitive player and was quick to make amends. In the next inning he hit his first home run of the year to cut the Rangers' lead but he saved the best until last. Entering the top of the ninth with Texas ahead 6-4, the Indians put together a massive rally and went to work on Rangers closer Sam Dyson, quickly loading the bases. Santana forced a walk to bring in a run and cut the host's lead. Up stepped Lindor and on a 1-1 count he absolutely unloaded, crushing the ball into the right field stands for his first career grand slam, single-handedly winning the game. At 9-6 the Indians were not going to let Texas back in it, and Bryan Shaw pitched a clean bottom of the ninth to seal the win and the series sweep.

Player Of The Series

So many candidates in a thrilling opening series but I think the first award of the season should go to Carlos Santana. He had a positive impact in every game and in 12 total at-bats he recorded 5 hits, two of which were doubles and one a home run. He recorded 4 walks and struck out just the once. After three games he leads the team in batting average (.417), on-base percentage (.533) and OPS (on-base plus slugging - Santana has an excellent 1.367 mark at the moment). Congratulations Carlos.

Up next is a day off, then a trip to Arizona wherre Josh Tomlin is slated to start the first game of that series against the D-Backs on Friday night, and he'll face off against Shelby Miller.

Thanks for reading.

How Not To Play Fantasy Baseball

On Friday 31st March I participated in my first ever rotisserie baseball auction draft. I've been keen to partake in one ever since I read Sam Walker's excellent Fantasyland many years ago. I've never been a big fantasy baseball player but I've always thought the auction format was how drafts were supposed to be done. This year I was lucky enough to join a group of fellow Brits in a 10 team league, complete with an auction draft, and I jumped at the chance to be a part of it. I spent all of my spare time last week researching draft techniques, brushing up on tactics and strategies, as well as all the latest news on players who don't play for Cleveland.

In this post I'll give you a rundown of the players I picked and my overall draft performance; what I did right, where I went wrong, and how you can avoid being an idiot and leaving $52 on the table. Yeah, I did that.

Without further a do, let's look at my first pick:

Miguel Cabrera, Det 1B - $30

Let's make one thing clear. Not a single draft strategy of mine set out to pick a Tiger with my first overall pick but I guess that's what fate had in store for me. Ahead of the draft my strategy was to avoid overpaying for superstars. Trout, Betts, Arenado and Altuve naturally went off the board fast but for prices that surprised me. Altuve only sold for $35 but I didn't chase him as I considered second base to have depth and my real target was Paul Goldschmidt. Goldy hits for average and power, plus he's a 30 steals man, which is rare for a first baseman. But as the bidding crept over $42, I stupidly decided not to go any further. I figured Trout only went $46, and I wasn't gonna go that high. I'm a fool and should have been more aggressive.

As more players came off the board I felt I was going to miss out on one of the elite position guys, and I decided I had to act with the 13th pick. Cabrera wasn't getting much attention and despite being a Tiger, he still performs at an elite level and he's consistent too. In his 14 year career he's hit under .300 each season just three times, the last time being 2008. When no one raised Cabrera's price above $30, I felt I'd picked up a minor steal. I considered Cabrera to be at least a $35 player so I got him at a very respectable price. May he hit 45 home runs this year but strike out in every plate appearance against the Tribe!

Charlie Blackmon, Col OF - $33

I didn't hang around with my next pick and won Blackmon for $33 with the 15th overall pick; he eventually turned out to be my highest priced player. Charlie is coming off the back of a sensational 2016 season and posted great numbers in every offensive category (.324 batting average, 111 runs, 29 homers, 82 RBI and 17 stolen bases.) Playing in the thin Colorado air of Coors Field, I have a good feeling Blackmon could repeat his numbers from last year, maybe even improve on them if the Rockies are better in 2017 (as they're predicted to be.) I had no problem at all ponying up $33.

Edwin Encarnacion, Cle 1B - $22

Next up was Indians new boy Encarnacion. Hey, I had to have one Cleveland guy on my team! Similar to Cabrera, Edwin wasn't getting a lot of love from the other draftees and I managed to snatch him up for just $22. Even though I'd already taken a first baseman, I felt having two of the very best on my team could only be a good thing, and I can play them both at the same time thanks to the 1B/3B position. Either one of them could make a great trade chip in the future should I need an upgrade in the pitching department. Edwin clubbed his first homer as an Indian in last night's Opening Day win in Texas. Here's to many more!

Andrew McCutchen, Pit OF - $12

It was when McCutchen came calling that I began to get a little more active. I started to notice many of my league-mates had already amassed quite a few players and I was lagging behind a little. I was still unwilling to overpay, especially for pitchers, and I was always on the look out for bargains. When I bid $12 for Cutch, I fully expected the bidding to continue. I had not planned to own him at all, considering he had a down year in 2016. But all of a sudden I became the owner of a brand new Andrew McCutchen, albeit unintentionally. I'm happy I got him at a decent price though and my fingers are crossed he channels his old self in 2017.

Jose Ramirez, Cle 3B - $11

Another Indians player but one I had prioritized early on. Ramirez is not only a very good player who can put up good numbers in every category, he's also incredibly versatile. He's third base and outfield eligible already, but because I knew Jason Kipnis was going to miss a big chunk of April, I had the knowledge that Ramirez is going to play a lot of second base, hopefully adding another string to his fantasy bow. If I can play him over 3 positions, I can utilize him a lot. For $11 I felt I had another steal.

Christian Yelich, Mia OF - $17

Yet another player I thought I underpaid for. I expected Miami's Yelich to easily clear $20+ so I was surprised nobody challenged my bid of $17. Giancarlo Stanton has the power numbers and gets most of the attention but personally I think Yelich is the Marlins' best all-around talent in their outfield, plus he hasn't missed as much time as Stanton has.

Kyle Seager, Sea 3B - $15

Seager was a player I targeted very early on when I was planning my tactics ahead of this draft. I was over the moon to grab him for just $15. He had a career year in 2016 and the Mariners plan to go one better this season by making the post season, and Seager will be a huge part of that. Despite my pick-up of Ramirez earlier, I plan to deploy him all over the place and keep Seager as my de facto third baseman.

DJ LeMahieu, Col 2B - $14

LeMahieu was one of the reasons I wasn't too fussed that I missed out on Altuve earlier. Don't get me wrong, Altuve is one of the best players in the league and LeMahieu isn't on that level but the Rockie will still put up very good numbers, especially batting average. I had no problem parting with $14.

Cody Allen, Cle RP - $8

You may have noticed that this is my first pitcher, and that was partly my plan. My strategy all along was not to pay premium prices for pitchers, as I feel there's a lot to gain from spending little on the under-the-radar pitchers, who will still provide great value. However at this stage I needed somebody. Well Cody Allen is a pretty good somebody and despite Andrew Miller being the Tribe's best relief pitcher, it will still be Allen called upon for save opportunities.

Elvis Andrus, Tex SS - $5

To fill my shortstop vacancy I only ever had eyes for Francisco Lindor but yet again I was being too conservative. Lindor sold pretty early on for $25 and at the time I felt I didn't want to pay more than that. Little did I know I would later have plenty of extra cash to throw at players just like Lindor! Most of the top shortstops had gone when Andrus was nominated, even Dansby Swanson, a guy I was keen on. So when Andrus came up I wasn't going to miss out, and was thrilled to pay just $5.

Matt Harvey, NYM SP - $6

When I grabbed Harvey with the 155th overall pick, the feeling that I had messed up began to dawn on me. I had way more cash than everyone else and quickly saw that players were selling for cheaper prices now, nobody was being drafted for double digit dollars. I had no problem shelling out $6 for Harvey, but I was a bit annoyed with myself that I hadn't gotten any of the top arms earlier, especially when I realised I could have easily afforded them. Still, if healthy I think Harvey should provide me with some decent points.

Brandon Maurer, SD RP - $2

I know it's only two bucks, but I still felt I overpaid slightly for Maurer. He's the Padres' closer and I still needed pitchers at this point. He was chucked out there for a dollar and I thought I'd put a bid in, to raise the price up a bit. Little did I know that nobody else was interested and all of a sudden he was mine. Hey, at least he should get me some early season saves and hopefully he can hold onto the job all year long.

Byron Buxton, Min OF - $7

Buxton is another guy I didn't originally plan for but it seemed like a lot of people were down on the former number one prospect. I'm not expecting greatness either but I think he could be decent and likely to be one of the top guys on a sub-par Twins team. At the very least Buxton should keep his job in centre field this year.

Yasiel Puig, LAD OF - $1

Perhaps my largest mistake right here. A few of the guys in my league are Dodgers fans and had been chatting about Puig prior to the draft beginning so I thought I'd chuck him out there when my nomination came round and watch the Dodgers fans fight over him, hopefully bleeding them of their budgets. Nobody bit though, not even the Dodgers fans. As the seconds ticked by, I realised, "Shit, I'm going to actually draft Puig..." But hey, for a dollar I can always cut him and won't lose any sleep about it. If he somehow chooses this year to realise the potential that he flashed briefly in 2013, then I look like a genius. I don't expect this to happen.

Ben Zobrist, ChC 2B - $4

Similar to Ramirez, I snatched up Zobrist for his versatility, and considering he's going to bat somewhere in that stacked Cubs lineup, he's gonna score runs.

Joc Pederson, LAD OF - $5

The way I see it, Joc has already repaid me, thanks to his grand slam yesterday. I figure he's a good bet to earn me points in home runs and maybe some stolen bases and that's about it.

James Paxton, Sea SP - $3

I needed another pitcher, as I had only gotten three up to this point. Paxton was still on the board and honestly I don't know what to expect from him. All of the pre-season projections I've read reckon he'll have a good year and hopefully being in a pitcher's park like Safeco will help.

J.T. Realmuto, Mia C - $4

A catcher that hits dingers and steals bases? Take my money. I was surprised he was still available so late on in the draft.

Jim Johnson, Atl RP - $1

Finally a pitcher I had planned to draft all along. I fully expected someone else to bid for Johnson but alas he was mine, for just a dollar too.

Rajai Davis, Oak OF - $1

After my mistake with Puig, I wanted an outfielder I actually planned on using and World Series hero Rajai Davis was still available. He's likely to lead off for the A's to begin the year and he'll really help me out with my steals.

Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM SS - $2

Oh Asdrubal, a once-upon-a-time favourite player of mine. I was sad when he left Cleveland. But considering I drafted him as my backup shortstop, I think I got a steal. Dude is still consistent at the plate and he's off to a great start for me already, with a multi-hit performance and a stolen base in yesterday's Mets opener.

Ian Kennedy, KC SP - $1
J.A. Happ, Tor SP - $1
Ivan Nova, Pit SP - $2
Vince Velasquez, Phi SP - $1

It was these final four picks, right at the end of the draft, where I executed my pitching strategy. My goal all along was to targets these guys, or pitchers just like them. Low cost, high reward players who come with a bit of risk but I'm happy to take that chance given the pennies I paid for them. I am especially happy with getting the ever-consistent Kennedy and the promising Velasquez.

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Final Thoughts

I had $260 to spend and I finished with $52 left over. That's a rookie mistake, plain for all to see, but a rookie is exactly what I am where auction drafts are concerned. I was pretty annoyed with myself, because I could have easily spent way more in the early rounds and gotten one of the mega stars like Altuve or Betts, who both went for less than $40.

However I'm actually very happy with the way my team came out. On first appearances my pitching looks weak but then I have some very good hitters in positions where I have depth, so my plan is to potentially trade one or two of them further into the season for a pitching upgrade (if necessary.)

Whatever the result is at the end of the season, I really enjoyed my first auction draft and I'm very keen to do more in the future. Only time will tell how my team performss but with the right moves, I think my team has what it takes to contend (or be respectable at least!)

Thanks for reading.