ALDS Review: Unfulfilled Potential

Fans at Progressive Field began to file out before the end of last night's winner-takes-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series. In a game of such magnitude, when the stakes are at their highest, it is inconceivable to contemplate leaving before the final out of the ninth inning. But as Game 5 neared it's conclusion Indians fans knew deep down that the well of magic had been exhausted. 2017 was not to be their season after all, thanks to a determined Yankees side that came from behind to take the series.

It's going to take some time for Cleveland to digest what happened and plan for the future. There's going to be a great deal of analysis between now and the Winter Meetings about what went wrong. I'm certainly not the man with all the answers but nevertheless, I'm going to look at a couple of talking points from this disappointing ALDS defeat and the Indians' premature end to their season.

Talking About Terry

History has proven that it's often unwise to question Terry Francona's man-management abilities as he has repeatedly made fools of those who second-guessed his decisions. But we wouldn't be sports fans if we didn't debate and discuss those decisions, always pondering the "what-ifs." For instance, why did Francona commit to Jason Kipnis in center field when Austin Jackson, a veteran of the outfield, was available? Kipnis is a fine player, a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, but a center fielder he is not, despite the epic catch he made in Game 1. This proved to be true when he made a catch in the field last night but didn't have the arm to nail a runner from 180 feet away. Not only did he lack the arm strength, but also the know-how and awareness to restrain himself from such an attempt. Kipnis is a second baseman and, if deemed ready for action, probably should have started at second. That way Jose Ramirez could have gone back to third base and Giovanny Urshela, basically a rookie, wouldn't have been risked in such high-leverage games. Kipnis started all 5 ALDS games in center and after his performances there, most would agree that he doesn't belong, despite his best efforts.

Another interesting case was Francona's decision to start Trevor Bauer in Game 1, which was rewarded with a comprehensive win. However this meant we saw Bauer feature in two games, and Carlos Carrasco in just one. Most casual fans and observers would have argued that it should have been Carrasco given that nod, and not Bauer, but then again you can't argue with the results in Game 1. Carrasco had a superb 2017 and personally I would have preferred to see him given two starts over Bauer, but that is easy to say in hindsight. Perhaps even a combination effort from Mike Clevinger, Danny Salazar and Josh Tomlin would have been better suited over a tired Bauer in Game 4, when he couldn't get out of the second inning after the Yankees ran up his pitch count before striking for 4 unearned runs. Perhaps Bauer returning on short rest was the cause for his Game 4 performance and ultimately the Indian's defeat (although those errors didn't help!), so you have to question if that could have been avoided. I am not an MLB manager so forgive my shortsightedness as I expect Francona had ALCS and World Series rotation planning in mind when he made his choices, but I would have opted for Carrasco.

The Walking Wounded

Injuries ravaged this Indians team all season long and they were particularly cruel to the team as October neared. Michael Brantley was never really healthy all season, despite recovering in time to make it onto the postseason roster. Lonnie Chisenhall was a similar case, in and out of the lineup all season long with a myriad of afflictions and received just 7 ALDS plate appearances.

The cruelest blow came to Bradley Zimmer, the rookie who had taken complete control of center field in 2017 and the Indians were really hurt by his absence, hence the Kipnis experiment. And of course Kipnis was injured for large portions of the year also, so perhaps his postseason struggles can be attributed to his late return. Finally, Edwin Encarnacion was felled in Game 2 and had to be helped from the field with a sprained right ankle. He wouldn't return until the decisive Game 5 and even as a DH you could tell he was struggling. The Tribe really could have used their slugger in the elimination games he missed; Encarnacion batted .258 with 38 home runs and 107 RBIs in his first season with the Indians.

The strange thing is the Indians were afflicted by injuries to the rotation in 2016 but this year the pitching staff were left largely unscathed. The biggest issue the group faced was an early back injury that bothered Corey Kluber in the season's first couple of months. In his two ALDS starts, something was clearly off with Kluber and memories of that back injury started to resurface for me. He was still out there on the mound working away, but something wasn't quite right, just like in April and May when he was forced onto the DL.

Did Kluber just under-perform or was it the injury that affected his poor postseason performances? "I don't think I need to get into details about it... I was healthy enough to go out there and try to pitch." When he says try to pitch, it makes me think something definitely wasn't right. Should he have been more honest and stepped aside to recover? Athletes at such high levels of competition rarely ever want to show weakness and remove themselves from further harm, and historically baseball has been one of the worst examples of this. We won't know for sure until time has allowed the postseason autopsy to be completed but I'd like think that the Indians wouldn't allow their ace to risk causing himself further damage, to himself and the team.

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And so history closes it's book on the Cleveland Indians' 2017 season and it's over far too early for Tribe fans. The historic unbeaten streak is undoubtedly the highlight of the season and hopefully Kluber will be awarded another AL Cy Young award. Jose Ramirez's breakthrough campaign captured our hearts and even though this team couldn't ultimately deliver, they're still a lovable bunch and their window to win is far from closed.

Congratulations must go to the Yankees, considered the underdogs before the series began. They fought tooth and nail to stave off elimination and ended up advancing to the ALCS against Houston. The only silver lining to their victory is that I saw them in the flesh this year. It won't make me very popular but I would like to see them go on and win it all now - just to say I saw the team that won the World Series!

There will be much discussion now about where this Indians team is headed and some key decisions to make about their futures; do they retain Carlos Santana? What about Michael Brantley and Bryan Shaw? Could Kipnis be traded? We'll spend the rest of the fall and all of winter debating this. Until then, try and enjoy the rest of the playoffs, even if the Indians are no longer there.

Thanks for reading.

Unfinished Business: ALDS Preview

I have to admit, it's a strange world when postseason baseball begins and it is the Indians who are considered the favorites and not the historically rich Yankees. Coming off the back of 2016, when the Tribe came so agonizingly close to winning it all, it would have been a disaster if they missed out on October baseball this year. But we had no reason to fear, not even during those inconsistent first months; all that matters now is that they're back, having retooled and upgraded (thank you Edwin and Jay). Our expectations this month pretty much start and end with a championship. Anything less will be considered a failure.

First of all they must get past the vaunted Bronx Bombers, a team I saw in person this season during my time in New York. I said previously that the Indians are considered favorites but in truth the gap between the two sides is very close. The Yankees are arguably ahead of schedule; no one really expected them to be here in 2017, not yet anyway. Thanks to Aaron Judge's monstrous rookie season, and some fine pitching and hitting from his teammates, the New York side have somewhat crashed the party and won't hesitate to throw everything they have at an Indians team with loftier ambitions than this time last year. 

When Cleveland took on Boston in the 2016 ALDS, I just wanted them to give a good account of themselves, to push the Red Sox to a game 5 and see if they could ride their luck into the ALCS. The fact that the Tribe went on to sweep Boston out of the series was something I never even dreamed of. In 2017 the expectations are much higher and progress past Aaron Judge and his merry men is expected, perhaps even demanded.

Game 1 starts tonight and Terry Francona has made the surprising choice to start Trevor Bauer on the mound and not Corey Kluber. Bauer did beat the Yankees twice in August though, holding them to just a single run in each match-up: 7 innings at Progressive Field on August 4th, then 6 innings at Yankee Stadium on August 30th. But despite his recent success the majority of fans would have expected Kluber to get the nod for the opener. However Francona clearly trusts Bauer, and his bullpen, to get the job done and save Kluber for game 2. It gives the ace a full 5 days of rest ahead of his start and ensures he could feature in a pivotal game 5 if necessary. And with a bullpen that includes the likes of Danny Salazar, Mike Clevinger and Andrew Miller, why wouldn't you be confident? Francona made excellent use of Miller last October and earned many plaudits for it. Now he has even more talent at his disposal and knows full well that to be successful in the playoffs, the guy who starts the game doesn't necessarily have to finish it.

Game 3 would likely see Carlos Carrasco make his first ever postseason appearance, after cruelly being left on the sidelines in 2016 thanks to injury. Every Tribe fan is excited to see Carlos on the big stage and combined with Kluber, that's a two-headed fire-breathing pitching dragon that opposition teams will not want to face. Josh Tomlin is available to pitch game 4 if called upon.

The Yankees send Sonny Gray to the mound tonight, a pitcher I've always admired. Backed by that powerful lineup which led the league in total home runs, with 241 of them, Gray will feel confident facing the Tribe. He pitched against Cleveland three times this season, throwing 16.2 innings with a 4.86 ERA, and Tribe hitters batted just .224 against him. A stern test awaits the Indians for sure but nothing they haven't seen, and conquered, before.

The Indians will ultimately be hoping to make quick work of New York, just like they did against Boston in 2016. I feel this series will be closer than last year's ALCS but overall I still expect Cleveland to emerge victorious. Ideally with plenty of rest ahead of the next opponent.

History Marches On: The Streak

It feels like only yesterday that I was watching the AL Central standings with some sense of anxiety. The Indians have been top of the division for the vast majority of 2017 but I was cautious of the chasing pack nonetheless. When the Tribe were scuffling before the All Star break I, like most fans, was watching for the results of the Twins and Royals every night, just to see if Cleveland could extend their lead just a little bit more. At the end of July they had a slim two-game lead over Kansas City and things were looking good, but nothing was certain.

Then August happened. Then "The Streak" happened.

If you're reading this then you're surely aware that this Indians team just made history. On Tuesday night Corey Kluber pitched a complete game shutout in a 2-0 win against the Tigers, securing the Tribe's 20th straight victory, matching the AL record previously set by the A's in 2002. The following night they beat the Tigers again, 5-3 this time, to set a new AL record of 21 consecutive wins. Then on Thursday they went and sealed the deal, walking off against the Royals 3-2 thanks to a Jay Bruce 10th inning double. That was win number 22, giving the Tribe sole possession of the longest winning streak in Major League history, surpassing the Cubs's tally of 21 set in 1935. It clinched the Indians' trip to the playoffs as well, so there'll be no more looking over our shoulder at the Twins and Royals anymore.

Let's take a quick look at some of the key factors during this epic run:

Francisco Lindor's Emerging Leadership

The All Star with the best grin in baseball has been nothing short of spectacular in recent weeks. He has truly developed as a leader both on and off the field in 2017, stepping up in big moments and always quick to remind people that he's not alone out there.

This was no more evident than Thursday night's nail biter against the Royals. With the streak at 21 games and Kansas City leading 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, up stepped Lindor. With two strikes and two outs and the Tribe's historic run perilously close to ending, Lindor hit a line drive to the left field wall that just missed the outstretched glove of Alex Gordon. Erik Gonzalez had the presence of mind to take off once Lindor connected and he scored from first base to tie the game 2-2 and keep the streak alive. Cue absolute scenes in Cleveland.

In the last three weeks Lindor has slashed .360/.427/.767 with 9 homers and 20 RBIs. His overall numbers for the season have seen a healthy boost as a result: his 30 home runs lead the majors for all shortstops and his.842 OPS is good enough for third among shortstops as well. He is only behind the Rangers' Elvis Andrus in RBIs (79), doubles (38), hits (164) and runs (87).

Overall he's put in another incredible season and the Indians rely on his consistency. Thankfully for Indians fans he's hit his stride at just the right time.

Jose Ramirez Is A Legitimate MVP Contender

As far as the national media are concerned, Jose Ramirez has had a breakout season. I'm not inclined to argue with that but I would like to point out that Indians fans have known for some time now what a special player he is. It's only this year that everyone else is paying attention.

Ramirez has been the catalyst behind everything good in Cleveland this season, especially during the streak. He has slashed .423/.474/944 with 8 home runs and 11 doubles over the course of the Indians' consecutive winning run. His overall numbers are ridiculous: a .314/.368/.573 batting line for a .941 OPS, with 26 home runs, 73 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Ramirez's 50 doubles lead the majors and he has just 64 strikeouts in 541 at-bats! There isn't another third baseman like him in the American League and he rivals the very best in the NL, guys like Nolan Arenado, Justin Turner and Kris Bryant.

He's put himself in a prime position to be considered for the AL MVP and it is definitely justified. His name is being floated around with the likes of Mike Trout, Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge. Altuve recently admitted, “Ramirez is a complete player... He’s an MVP-caliber player.’’ His all-around abilities have catapulted him into the limelight and it hasn't fazed Ramirez one bit. Jonah Keri just called him one of the most exciting players in baseball and now every baseball fan knows it.

Unbeatable Rotation

Cleveland's rotation have been considered the strongest element of their team in recent years and that was largely down to the excellence of Corey Kluber. Nowadays he has support and the entire rotation have been unstoppable, as have the excellent bullpen. You could certainly argue that the entire pitching staff have been the most important factor towards the Tribe's success in 2017.

Kluber (16-4, 2.44 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (15-6, 3.41 ERA), Trevor Bauer (16-8, 4.33 ERA), Mike Clevinger (10-5, 3.21 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (9-9, 5.04 ERA) have all combined to form the most dominant rotation in the majors, and certainly the most effective. Kluber in particular has put together another award-worthy campaign: 243 strikeouts in 184.2 innings of work, restricting opposition hitters to a measly .191 batting average. Boston's Chris Sale is probably still considered by many to be the front-runner for the AL Cy Young but Kluber will undoubtedly push him all the way.

Over the course of this streak Kluber and Carrasco have combined for a miniscule 1.03 ERA and recorded 69 strikeouts between them. They have also granted just 3 walks. That is absolutely insane.

Together with the bullpen, who now have a healthy Andrew Miller back in their ranks, no team will want to face Kluber, Carrasco and co. Altogether they make a seriously scary proposition.

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It's been a magnificent three weeks for every Indians fan and all the record chasing has been a lot of fun. MLB are trying to pass off the 1916 New York Giants' "streak" of 26 wins a row as the official record. But their run of games included an 8 inning 1-1 tie against the Pirates on September 18, called short due to inclement weather. Sorry Charlie but a tie is not a victory, so that's not a 26 game winning streak is it? It's an unbeaten streak for sure, and massive credit must go to the 1916 Giants for that. As an Arsenal I know my fair share about historic unbeaten streaks. However let's be clear;  it is the Indians who should now be recognized as the outright holders of consecutive wins, not just in the AL, but the entire Major Leagues.

The Phoenix: Trevor Bauer

I'll be the first to admit it, but midway through this 2017 season I had written Trevor Bauer off. I thought he was done for, stick a fork in him, get him out of here. I honestly didn't expect Terry Francona and the club to put up with Bauer for much longer. By the end of May his ERA was 6.00 and the Californian native was in free fall.

But Bauer has turned his season around. When he left the mound yesterday after the end of the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium, the divisive right-hander was on track for his fourteenth victory of the year, which the bullpen trio of Tyler Olson, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen helped secure. Bauer stifled the Bronx Bombers' powerful lineup, limiting them to just 4 hits and 1 run, over 6 impressive innings. Since the All Star break the 26 year-old has really found another gear; In the ten games since the midsummer classic he's compiled a 3.08 ERA and hasn't lost a game since July 16th.

As we enter the season's final month Bauer currently sits with a 14-8 record and a 4.46 ERA in 145.1 innings of work. He has 161 strikeouts over that span, giving him a 9.97 K/9 rate, the highest mark of his career so far. His HR/9 rate of 1.24 is slightly above his career average but this season has seen an enormous spike in home runs across the league, so the majority of pitchers will have seen an increase in this category also.

At first glance his overall ERA doesn't look that impressive but consider the journey he's been on. By the middle of May his ERA was hovering dangerously close to the mid seven mark so he's performed a minor miracle to continue bringing that number down. Bauer hasn't been perfect by any means, and he's experienced the odd blip here and there, but to his credit he didn't give up, and the Indians should receive credit for not giving up on him too. Bauer's FIP and xFIP numbers are perhaps a better indicator of the significant improvement he has made; His FIP currently stands at 3.90 and his xFIP even lower at 3.73, both career lows as they stand.

Ultimately, all of this hard work will count for nothing unless he can erase his postseason demons of 2016. Obviously the Indians need to get there first but given their recent run of form, it's looking like a good bet. Bauer's reputation and public persona definitely divides opinion. All of that drama with his drone last year made things worse and his first half performance added fuel to the fire, making him even less popular with the Tribe faithful. However his remarkable turnaround has started to win people over, me included (oh, the fickleness of professional sports.) If he can carry this form into October he'll go a long way to securing a new deal, which is massive when you consider that just a short time ago he could have been off the team. Bauer has turned things around to comfortably become one of the Indians' top performers in the second half of 2017, and has been one of the major contributors to their turnaround in performance. Now let's hope he can keep this up for a little while longer.

Thanks for reading.

My First Major League Game

Just over two weeks ago I got married and for our honeymoon we journeyed to New York City. Despite my love for American sports, TV, movies, food and so much more, I had never been to the country before. So this was very much a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us, and naturally I had to fit in a ballgame. I gave my wife the options: Yankees or Mets (I wanted both but marriage is all about compromise). She's not much of a baseball fan so, understandably, she didn't really know who the Mets were, so she opted for the Yankees, "The Evil Empire." In my mind it was the preferred choice, so I was more than happy to book tickets to visit the Bronx.

I know what you're saying but hear me out first; as an Indians fan I'm supposed to hate the Yankees, but as a UK fan who never grew up around their apparently insufferable fanbase, I just don't have that hate for them like I'm supposed to. I'm also a big history nut, and the Yanks have perhaps the most storied history in all of sports, so I knew I was going to enjoy that aspect of our visit.

As we were going to be in the city for the first week of August, the only games the Yankees were playing at home were against the Tigers. We flew into JFK on 31 July, the first game of the series against Detroit, so I booked tickets for the Tuesday night game on 1 August. I had been tempted to get tickets for Wednesday's game, a 1pm contest, but I was very aware that, as pale English honeymooners unaccustomed to the New York City heat in August, we would be better off enjoying the cooler temperatures at night.

On the morning of the game we left our hotel and ventured into town for breakfast and to get familiar with our new surroundings. First pitch wasn't until 7pm but I wanted to get to the stadium early, as I often like to do when I see live sporting events. I like to soak in all the atmosphere, especially if it's my first time visiting a new stadium.

We caught the subway heading north and arrived in the Bronx on the D train around 4pm, and the gates didn't open for another hour. It was absolutely roasting in the sunshine so we hid in the shade, admiring the impressive exterior of Yankee Stadium.

We did a quick lap of the stadium and I paused for a photo outside of Gate 4. Before long we saw the lines start forming to get in at 5pm, so we got in the queue. The unrelenting sun cooked the crowd for close to 45 minutes, so once we got into the stadium the first thing we did was seek out water! We then took a few minutes to cool down before exploring. We also picked up free t-shirts upon entry, XXL white Yankees t-shirts with a giant green Vantelin sponsor on the back. They are so big I could pin them to a mast and sail back to America.

This was the view we were greeted to when we entered through Gate 6. Within minutes of the stadium being open, the right field porch was full of fans hoping to grab a toss-up or batting practice homer. For my first time in a baseball stadium it was quite a sight, that unbelievable green expanse filling my eyes, spreading everywhere I looked. And lots of Aaron Judge jerseys.

One of the things I looked forward to seeing most at Yankee Stadium was Monument Park, home of the most distinguished Yankees in history, so we headed there as soon as we could before it filled up quickly.

We got there pretty fast and it wasn't too busy, which was a bonus. Monument Park was everything I wanted it to be, home to some of the most legendary names in the game. I could have spent hours there.

One of the first plaques I saw that really caught my eye didn't actually belong to a Yankee. Jackie Robinson, the Dodgers legend, had a plaque on the wall that I didn't expect to see so I had to get a photo with it. I wrote my final year university dissertation on the man and his life has been an inspiration to me. I wasn't going to miss out on getting a pic!

We spent as long as possible in Monument Park, soaking in all of that history. We saw and read all of the plaques, including Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. I paid extra attention to the Joe DiMaggio monument. Of all the Yankee legends, DiMaggio is my favourite, and I have read nearly every book published on him. Its hard to explain my fandom for Joe, especially as he was reportedly a bit of an asshole, but of all the hall of famers from that era, he has resonated with me the most. Maybe it's his 1941 record-setting 56 game hitting streak, or maybe it's because he read Superman comics on roadtrips, I just like the dude so we spent a bit longer with his plaque. After we left Monument Park there is a small little store dedicated to the legends nearby, so I picked up a DiMaggio t-shirt.

We then began making our way to our seats, up, up and up. When I bought the tickets on StubHub months beforehand, it showed you what the view of the field is like, but I still wasn't entirely sure what to expect in reality. I had purchased 2 seats in the first row of section 425, in the infield grandstand overlooking third base. And when we got to our seats, I could not have been happier with the view.

Come on, that's what you call great seats! No obstructions in front of us at all, and for $15 a ticket!

It's safe to say we were pretty happy at this point. A quick comment on the caps of choice: of course I was going to rep the Indians! I saw nearly every team's cap represented at Yankee Stadium that day but I didn't see any other Tribe caps but my own. The wife had previously picked up a Yankees cap the night before, and it was a large part of the baseball experience she had been looking forward to the most, buying a cap for the ballgame and eating hot dogs. If I was forcing her to watch a baseball game on her honeymoon then she wanted the entire American pastime tradition.

Speaking of hot dogs, we decided to grab them before the game started. I didn't want to miss any of the action on the field waiting in line for food. I understand it's a bit of a contentious issue putting ketchup on your hot dog but I'm English, and I'll put ketchup on everything. So yeah, I probably ruined this hot dog in your opinion, but I loved it so whatever.

Soon enough the game got underway. The pitching match-up featured CC Sabathia taking on Anibal Sanchez. It was interesting getting to see Sabathia pitch, as he was one of the first Indians pitchers I learned about when I discovered baseball ten years ago, so it was fun to watch the 2007 AL Cy Young winner. Early in the game the jumbotron highlighted the famous people in the crowd and former New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire was present. As was Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George, who funnily enough attended the same showing of The Lion King on Broadway we went to the next day. Paul, if you're reading this (of course you are), we weren't stalking you, I promise.

I'm not going to recap every detail of the game, as it happened over a week ago and despite being an entertaining and closely contested game, a play-by-play list doesn't make for fun reading. Instead I've attached some videos below of moments during the game that really stood out to us:

Sabathia started the game well but ran into trouble in the second inning, getting tagged for a 3-run homer by Detroit's John Hicks. Down 3-0, this amazing play by second baseman Tyler Wade stopped the Tigers from putting together another rally. Dixon Machado hits it straight up the middle and Wade, playing the shift, somehow managed to contort himself in the air to make the play. The wife knew a great play when she saw one and clapped in appreciation with the rest of the stadium.

By this stage Sabathia had given up another home run, a solo-shot to Justin Upton, and things were starting to look bleak for the home side, down 4-0 now. Just prior to Didi Gregorius coming to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, I was telling the wife all about Yankee Stadium's famous short right field porch and how lefty batters can hook home runs into that corner. Up steps Didi who proceeded to do just that! I was really hoping we would get to see a home run in our first game (we saw three) but I was especially hoping we'd see a home run by the Yankees. It's a bit more special when the home team hits one out.

In the next inning Detroit were threatening again but third baseman Todd Frazier channeled his inner Brooks Robinson and made this incredible diving stop on a sharp Justin Upton groundball. The home fans around us were especially sweet on Frazier, a Jersey boy, and all rose in applause and recognition for an outstanding play.

As the game neared its end, the Yankees kept things interesting. The inning before saw Didi collect another RBI, his third of the night, to bring the Yanks within one run but reliever David Robertson had put Tigers on first and second in the top of the ninth. When Detroit right fielder Andrew Romine blooped a single into shallow center field, I thought for sure the game was over and the Yankees would not be able to come back from a multiple run deficit. But Brett Gardner charged in from center field, collected the ball on a single bounce and fired home, nailing the runner at home plate to end the inning. It was an awesome moment to see in person and really energized the crowd. 

Sadly the Yankees were unable to come back in the bottom of the ninth. They made it close, getting runners on second and third, but with two outs Clint Frazier could only pop up and the Tigers emerged victorious, running out 4-3 winners on the night.

The result did nothing to spoil our night however (I'm not a Yankees fan after all, even though I do dislike the Tigers). For my first ever game in the flesh, I enjoyed every minute of it, and saw some absolutely brilliant moments. I was actually surprised how fast the game went by, despite clocking in at 2 hours and 59 minutes. On TV the game feels a lot slower but in person I had no issues with the pace at all, in fact it flew by quite quickly. Even the wife had no issues, and I had previously warned her about it being a slow game. In 2012 I went to one of the Wembley NFL games in person and thought that to be much slower, and was quite bored by the end. Not so with baseball and thankfully the whole experience lived up to my expectations.

With my first live game in the books, I'm eager now to see more and hope I can get back to the States in the future to see another game soon. It'd be especially nice to see my Indians next time...

Sonny Days Or Gray Clouds Ahead?

Sonny Gray is a quality pitcher. At the time of writing, everyone wants a piece of Sonny Gray. He's the hottest girl in school, and guys are lining up to ask him to prom.

He had a rough go of it in 2016, thanks to injuries and inconsistency, but so far this season he looks close to the Sonny Gray of old, the All Star pitcher from 2015. The 27 year-old is probably the most fawned over player on the trade block this month and the Oakland A's have a bevy of suitors willing to part with some golden nuggets in exchange for his services. Contending clubs left and right are putting together prospect packages for Gray, and the Indians are rumored to be one of those clubs. Whoever snags him will have to pay a heavy price however, as demand for starting pitchers this summer is high. A lot of clubs are in the market to upgrade their rotation, and the A's ace represents a significant upgrade for many.

Today I thought I'd run through some potential trade ideas the Tribe could fashion together to entice Oakland to part with their ace pitcher. It's no secret that Cleveland's rotation has been out of sorts this season, with only Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco performing well (although Mike Clevinger is developing nicely). The addition of an arm like Gray's would certainly boost the Indian's chances of success in the postseason.

On paper he looks to be a good match for the Tribe; he's under club control until 2020 and is having a strong season: a 3.72 ERA in 84.2 innings of work, with 79 strikeouts, all for a 113 ERA+ and a 5-4 record. He's been improving as the season has progressed, and his last 3 weeks have been superb, including a 6 inning, 2 hit shutout victory against the Indians on July 14th.

I'll rank the following potential deals with different grades, ranging from "In A Heartbeat" to "Over My Dead Body." Simple enough? Let's begin:

Trade Scenario 1

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade C Francisco Mejia

How about a straight up trade of Oakland's best pitcher for Cleveland's best prospect? I really like Sonny Gray, and have for a few years now, but I am firmly against giving up Mejia for him. I consider Gray a top of the rotation kind of guy but he's not elite enough to surrender a prospect who could become a marquee catcher for the next decade. With Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez struggling to prove themselves as long-term solutions (their sublime defense aside), Mejia's value is currently much higher to the Indians than it would be for the A's. In the very near future, catcher is looking like a position of real need for the Tribe so it doesn't make sense to jettison the one man already under control who could solve the problem. Catchers that can hit like Mejia don't come around very often; at Double-A Akron, the young backstop is slashing .336/.385/.552 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 10 home runs, 35 RBI and 5 stolen bases. Scouts and experts absolutely rave about the kid's hitting skills, and grade him high defensively too.

Mejia is the sole trade chip the Indians can dangle in front of Oakland that could persuade the A's to ignore the treasures offered by other interested clubs, but if I were Indians Team President Chris Antonetti, I would not be willing to risk losing a future star like Mejia. Even for an admittedly great pitcher like Gray.

Trade rating: Over My Dead Body

Trade Scenario 2

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade CF Tyler Naquin and RHP Triston McKenzie

This is more like it. Naquin narrowly missed out on winning the AL Rookie of the Year award last season and McKenzie is widely ranked as the Indians' number 2 prospect overall, and their top pitching prospect. The real jewel in this deal would be McKenzie but Naquin is a nice bonus. He's not had the best 2017 campaign so far, spending most of his time at Triple-A Columbus, but he's still young enough to retain some of his former value.  The potential is still there. Would the A's go for someone like Naquin? Given their history of taking guys seemingly off the scrapheap and getting production from them, I think they'd be more open to the idea than perhaps you might think.

Many fans consider McKenzie a 'hands-off' prospect in the same category as Mejia but I have other feelings. My thinking is this: McKenzie could be a superstar, but trading him for a pitcher already established as above-average when the rest of your team is so agonizingly close to competing for a championship, it's a no-brainer. Yes, there's some risk involved with Gray's injury history, so the Indians need to be absolutely sure he's back to full health. If the A's were willing, the Indians could trade McKenzie for Gray in a straight swap, but considering the young pitcher hasn't even reached Double-A yet, Oakland would almost certainly need a sweetener. Naquin could be that guy.

Trade rating: In A Heartbeat

Trade Scenario 3

Oakland trade RHP Sonny Gray
Cleveland trade CF Greg Allen, LHP Brady Aiken and SS Erik Gonzalez

Despite Brady Aiken being ranked above Greg Allen on most prospect boards, I actually think the loss of Allen is more significant in this trade. I absolutely love Allen. If Zimmer wasn't blocking his direct path to the majors, he'd be on track to contribute for the Indians within the next two years. As it currently stands, he still could, but Zimmer has started his career in the majors so well that it looks like Allen will have great difficulty forcing his way onto the big club roster. As a result, the young outfielder has become a pretty good trade chip, one that could come in very handy to acquire a player of Gray's caliber.

Aiken and Gonzalez aren't exactly throw-ins either. Aiken, despite his struggles this year (a 4.10 ERA and 14.1% strikeout percentage at A-ball Lake County), is still considered a top prospect and the former first round draft pick has time on his side to redeem himself.

Gonzalez has featured in 25 major league games this season and has performed well, and is likely to see an increase in playing time until Jason Kipnis returns from the disabled list. This is his opportunity to put himself in the shop window, as the Tribe's infield is already crowded with talent. Similar to Allen, it will be difficult to break into an established group of All Stars, so Gonzalez's future as a major league infielder could lie elsewhere.

The major difficulty with this trade is it's attractiveness. You just know that clubs like the Yankees and Astros have more frills to woo Oakland with, so I don't expect a deal like this would be tempting enough. However it's a win-win for the Indians if they could pull it off and persuade the A's to embrace it more than the other offers out there.

Trade rating: In A Heartbeat

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As I've mentioned, the competition for Gray's services is steep. The Yankees in particular are desperate to give their fans October baseball and they need starting pitching, and have a deep collection of prospects they could throw at the A's. The Astros rightfully think this could be their year and have a top 5 farm system to seduce Oakland with, including monstrous prospect Derek Fisher. Even the upstart Brewers are reportedly going all-in to acquire Gray, and could pull off a July trade deal similar to the CC Sabathia acquisition back in 2008.

I always enjoy the hot stove season and the race for Sonny Gray will keep things extra interesting this year. Do I expect the Indians to land him? I honestly think that the other interested teams have flashier prospects, and could be more willing to chuck everything at Oakland to make a deal. Cleveland has some tempting players on offer but I just don't see them risking all of that future talent on one 27 year-old pitcher, still recovering from a bad 2016 campaign. I would love to add Gray to the rotation, don't get me wrong, but there's definitely a limit, and it looks like a 5'10, 180lb switch-hitting 21 year-old Dominican catcher who absolutely rakes.

Thanks for reading.

Exceptional Encarnacion, Back On Track

When the Indians signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the off-season, fans got pretty excited. Winter nights were spent dreaming of the Dominican veteran launching 400 ft home runs over the fence at Progressive Field, this time wearing the red, white and navy of Cleveland and not the blue hue of Toronto.

After a winter of anticipation finally gave we to spring, we got our first look at Edwin and his delightful parrot trot as he rounded the bases after a home run in the Arizona sunshine. Opening Day came and went, as did the month of April. And Edwin? Well, he was okay. Actually (lets be honest) he wasn't quite what we expected. He struck out a lot, and he wasn't hitting loads of homers, just 4 actually. By the end of the first month he was batting just .200 with an OPS of .696. Something was definitely amiss and there were quiet rumblings that the Indians had signed a bum.

But Edwin didn't listen to the naysayers and kept plugging away, battling at the plate as he always does, and has done. Since the start of May, Encarnacion's approach has finally started to reap the rewards that fans were craving for. In the last month and half, Edwin has slashed .297/.398/.579 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI, raising his season OPS to a much improved .872. He's been especially hot in the last couple of weeks, slashing .370/.483/.804 over 14 games, with 6 home runs in that span.

And it couldn't have come at a better time. The Indians have been scuffling in recent weeks, their inconsistent play holding them back from making any attempt at leading the AL Central. Then along came Edwin and a trip to Minneapolis, home of the first place Twins. This was an opportunity the Tribe could not afford to pass up, to really put a marker down in the race for the division. And Edwin and the boys did not disappoint. Encarnacion, combining with some stellar pitching and some other contributors on offense, took apart the Twins in a four-game sweep to wrestle back the AL Central lead. “It’s not a surprise that he can literally carry a team,” reliever extraordinaire Andrew Miller said, and Edwin has been doing just that.

This was the kind of performance and the kind of series that clubs look to build upon, to create that wave of momentum that will hopefully carry them to October. Encarnacion has been a huge factor in this resurgence and he'll need to continue this level of performance to keep the Indians ahead in the race for postseason baseball. As a core piece in the heart of the Indians' lineup, you could argue that the Tribe's success in 2017 hinges upon Encarnacion's output. If recent activity is to be believed, then I think we'll be just fine.

Lightning In A Bottle Lonnie

Lonnie Chisenhall has had a remarkable start to 2017. After coming off the disabled list to begin his campaign on April 13, Lonnie has been hitting the absolute crap out of the ball. Want to see what I mean?

That's him crushing his 6th home run on Saturday night in Houston. Crushing to dead center! Chisenhall has 6 homers already this year. He had 8 in total in 2016, and 7 in total in 2015. His career-high is 13 back in 2014, when he had 533 plate appearances. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Lonnie smashes that number, setting a new career-high in the process. He is currently sporting a .283 ISO (Isolated Power) which is almost double what he has produced in previous years. It's only late May so obviously too early to use that number as a predictive measure of his power output for the rest of 2017. But we'll keep a close eye on him to see if he can maintain this extra-base hit rate into the summer and beyond. I'm quietly confident he can keep this up.

At the time of writing he's slashing .261/.333/.543 (AVG/OBP/SLG) over 33 games, for a .877 OPS and a 130 WRC+. And he's done most of this playing in center field, filling in admirably in the absence of Tyler Naquin, Austin Jackson and Abraham Almonte. Since Bradley Zimmer's promotion I thought Chisenhall would go back to his usual spot in right field, but he featured in center again last night against the Reds. Lonnie's versatility is an added bonus that I think many fans don't fully appreciate. Let's be clear though: he's not winning a gold glove any time soon, but the fact he can at least hold his own in that great expanse between the corners is a blessing for the Indians, especially now the injuries have started to pile up.

Lonnie's Achilles' heel has always been his inability to hit left-handed pitchers (career .240 BA), which lead to his platoon player status in recent years, albeit a very effective one, particularly with Brandon Guyer in 2016. However this season has seen him hit lefties very well, when given the opportunity. In 12 games he's batting .308, and even though this is a super small sample size, it's encouraging, especially given Guyer's absence from the lineup recently. Put it this way: he hasn't been a black hole at the plate against lefties, so there is some comfort to be taken from his performance against them thus far.

I think the odds of Chisenhall fulfilling the expectations that came with his first round pick selection back in 2008 are now very slim. The good news is that he doesn't necessarily have to reach those heights in order to contribute to this Indians team. What he's doing right now is working and as long as he's having a positive impact in the lineup, then as far as I'm concerned he's meeting all of my expectations. This recent power surge is just an added bonus, and a very welcome one. Keep it up Lonnie.

Welcome To The Show Bradley Zimmer

Cleveland's number one prospect and great center-field-hope Bradley Zimmer got the call to join the big club on Tuesday, making his debut at home against the Rays. This move is much sooner than I had expected but has been brought on out of necessity. Since Abraham Almonte hit the disabled list (and Brandon Guyer and Austin Jackson are still unavailable too), Zimmer will replace Abe and slot straight into center field, likely pushing Lonnie Chisenhall back to his customary corner outfield spot. Zimmer has taken the number 4 jersey, formerly worn last year by fellow outfielder Coco Crisp.

Zimmer was the Indians’ first-round pick in 2014 and has developed nicely in the past few years. This season he's gotten off to a particularly fast start at Triple-A Columbus and was hitting .294/.371/.532 with 5 home runs and 9 stolen bases at the time of his promotion. He altered the mechanics in his swing in the Arizona Fall League and so far it's been working wonders for the 24 year-old.

Perhaps the largest issue that has plagued Zimmer's rise through the minor has been strikeouts. His K% (strikeouts per plate appearance) has progressively increased each season and at each level of the minor leagues. It has consistently hovered in the mid twenties but got as high as 37.3% in Columbus last year, albeit in a small sample of just 37 games. It's something that will be worth keeping an eye on during his major league development. For instance, in his debut last night he struck out in all 3 at-bats... Not exactly the best first impression when you take into account his previous history.

However we should shed some light on what he does well, and what he offers this Indians team. Zimmer had a very impressive spring training in Arizona and we finally got to see some of that stellar defense in center field that we had heard so much about. When compared with the Tribe's other center field prospect Tyler Naquin, it's pretty clear Zimmer is the superior defender, in fact he's considered the top defensive outfielder on the roster. His 6-foot-5 frame glides to the ball with zero effort. Francona said, "as he gets to know the league, you're going to see an above-average defender."

It is wise to temper our expectations somewhat with Zimmer; it's unlikely he will provide the same sort of spark that Francisco Lindor did when he first joined the Indians. However, given the Tribe's outfield struggles so far in 2017, Zimmer can really help this club right now, with some solid defense and a good eye at the plate. Even if he's just average with the bat, his defense should help the team enormously.

Welcome to Cleveland Bradley.

Jays Drop Tribe, Take Series

The Indians narrowly lost this recent three game set in Toronto, dropping two games to the Jays. The games the Tribe lost were both close though and Cleveland now sit with a 18-15 record, still atop the AL Central and half a game above Minnesota.

The Trouble With Trevor

I think the vast majority of Indians fans made their peace a long time ago with the fact that Trevor Bauer is unlikely to become the star pitcher we thought he might be when the Tribe acquired him from Arizona many moons ago. Now, in his fifth season in Cleveland, Bauer is scrapping just to hold onto his place in the rotation, let alone reach the heights we once imagined for him.

Most major league ballclubs are content with their fifth starter to deliver over 150 innings and average an ERA between four and five runs over the course of a season; this is an acceptable output for the man you send out there every fifth day. If this guy can last between 5-6 innings a game and give up just a handful of runs, keeping his team within striking distance, then he's doing good work. For the most part, Bauer does this, and in reality he's actually the Indians' fourth starter (as most would consider Tomlin the fifth guy, despite pitching out of order.) As a full-time starter the past three years, he's never pitched less than 150 innings in a season, and even managed a career high 190 in 2016. His season ERA during that span also never surpassed 4.55. So why is it that Bauer in particular seems to receive so much more criticism from his fans than your average fifth starter?

For one thing, it could be the expectations. If your fifth guy is a bit of an unknown, a lucky-just-to-be-on-the-roster type, then whatever he can give you is wonderful. But for former star prospects like Bauer, things become a little more tricky. We expect excellence and when these guys don't reach that, the rot begins to set in, until finally we accept them for what they are, a back of the rotation starter at best. Maybe this is the stage we are at with Bauer. Perhaps we need to finally accept this is as good as he can be, and stop holding onto the slim chance he'll suddenly develop into an All Star.

And of course the other reason Bauer probably receives more grief than your average fifth starter: the controversy. Trevor doesn't shy away from being the center of attention. Whether it be rapping about ex-catchers or tweeting his support for Donald Trump, the 26 year-old Californian can't avoid the spotlight. Don't even get me started on the whole drone thing...

After Monday night's loss, Bauer sits with a 2-4 record and a 7.36 ERA, with 37 strikeouts and 15 walks in 33 innings of work. It's not been an ideal start for the right-hander but looking at the numbers, it's about right for what we should now expect from him. That bloated ERA will decrease as the season wears on and likely settle somewhere between 4 and 5. We must give credit where it is due as well; despite giving up 4 runs before the third inning was over on Monday night, he kept battling out there, and managed to last 6 full innings. This helped save the bullpen for the rest of the series, as only Zach McAllister (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) was used in relief of Bauer.

Time will tell how long Francona and the front office are willing to put up with Bauer's level or performance. Behind the scenes they could be perfectly content with what he's done so far. Bauer himself seems to think so: "The results are what they are, but if you just look at the quality of the pitches and where I'm locating... I'm executing really well." But if Mike Clevinger sticks around once Corey Kluber returns from the DL, he will certainly have his eye on Bauer's rotation place. This could push Trevor into a long relief role out of the bullpen, but Tito already has McAllister for that job, and he's been doing it very well thus far. Does that then make Bauer an expendable asset and a potential trade chip? Whatever happens, his progress this year will be worth watching, even if it's not always as pretty and efficient as we might have once liked.

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Here are some other notes from the series:

• In Kluber's absence, Carlos Carrasco has taken over as the definitive ace of this pitching staff. Dare I say it, Cookie might still be the ace even once Kluber returns. His game two performance on Tuesday was sublime: 7 shutout innings of absolute dominance, allowing just 3 hits (all of them singles), and striking out 7 Jays. He's had a great start to 2017 and now lowered his season ERA to 1.86.
• Remember just the other day when I said Yan Gomes could be back? Well he's still swinging that lumber better than ever. In Tuesday's game Gomes went 2-for-3 with a mammoth 3-run homer in the top of the eighth inning that buried the Blue Jays, putting the game beyond their reach. Wednesday's game saw Gomes pick up another hit before he had to withdraw from the game in the third inning due to illness. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
• Cody Allen has been playing with fire all season long and finally got burned, taking the loss in Wednesday's rubber game. With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Toronto drew 2 walks and 2 hits from Allen to force home the winning run. It was inevitable he was going to get caught out at some stage.

The Indians have today off before opening a three-game set with the Twins on Friday. Josh Tomlin is set to take the bump and he's coming off a strong outing against Kansas City. He'll face Ervin Santana, and the right-hander is off to an impressive start in 2017, although he did have his worst start of the year last time out (4 homers surrendered against the Red Sox.) 

Thanks for reading.

Indians Score 5 Total Runs, Win Series

And just like that, the Indians are back atop the AL Central. The road to postseason baseball is littered with the corpses of division rivals and it was nice to see the Tribe chip away at their Central foes in Kansas City over the weekend. Despite scoring just 5 runs over three games, it proved to be just enough to eke out a series victory over the Royals, on the road no less. Cleveland improves their record to 17-13.

I'm pretty short for time today so here's a quick rundown on some of the events that transpired during this series:

• Francisco Lindor continues to show he has the ability to be a real power threat in the lineup as he hit his 8th home run of the season during Saturday's 3-1 win. He still leads the team in this category, and also sports a team-leading .922 OPS as well. He does it all! Frankie's ninth inning blast put the cherry on top of a great late-inning comeback win, as the Tribe scored 3 runs in the final two innings to knock out the Royals. 
• Has the Catcher Formerly Known As Yan Gomes returned to us? It seems there is hope for him yet. In his last 13 games stretching back to 17th April, Gomes has started to turn things around at the plate. He slashed .353/.463/.471 during that span with 4 doubles, 5 walks and just 3 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances. Caution alert: this is the mother of all small sample sizes but where Gomes is concerned, I take every small piece of encouragement I can find. Let's watch this space carefully and see if he can keep it up until the end of the month.
• Josh Tomlin pitched his best game of the season during Saturday's win, lasting 7 innings and giving up just 3 hits for 1 earned run, with 3 strikeouts and zero walks allowed for good measure. It was an encouraging outing from Tomlin and he dominated the Royals lineup. Now he needs to ride this momentum into his next start.
• Carlos Santana hit not one, but two game winning hits this weekend. On Saturday he smashed the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning to win the game and tie the series at one apiece. Then in the blazing Kansas City sunshine on Sunday afternoon, he lined a single inches past Royals' starter Danny Duffy to score Gomes in the top of the fifth. It was the only run of the game and proved just enough for the Tribe to hold onto for the victory. Clutch Carlos at his best.
• As predicted, Mike Clevinger took Corey Kluber's turn in the rotation and did a fantastic job on Sunday. Clevinger pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just a single hit. He did struggle with his command at times, issuing 4 walks, which didn't help with his pitch count. He struck out 5 batters and his off-speed stuff was working really well, particularly his changeup. Overall I thought he looked composed out there and certainly not out of his depth. I hope he can stick around for more than just the spot-start and gets a fair shot at a permanent gig in the rotation.
• Sunday's uniforms were absolute fire. Both teams wore retro uniforms to salute the Negro Leagues and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, with KC donning replicas of the 1942 Monarchs and the Indians opting for the 1946 Cleveland Buckeyes. I would absolutely love to see the Tribe wear those Buckeyes uniforms again this year. Just look at them:

That's all I got folks. The Tribe are now in Toronto for a three game series before finally returning back to Cleveland on Friday. Trevor Bauer pitches tonight and will be looking to improve after his last outing, that terrible shellacking he received from Detroit. He'll face the Jays' Marcus Stroman, he of the single-digit-pitcher variety that I hate so much (just pick a number with two digits dammit!)

Thanks for reading.

Tigers Tame Tribe & DL Disturbance

Apologies for my lack of words regarding the recent Mariners series win. I was away for the weekend on my stag-do (American readers, see bachelor party). Therefore I wasn't in the best condition to be writing about baseball, even if it was largely good, victorious Cleveland baseball.

The Indians traveled to Detroit this week to kick off a 10-game road trip and didn't get off to the best of starts, losing what should have been a four-game series by two games to one, thanks to a rainout on Thursday that reduced the series to three games. The sole victory came courtesy of Carlos Carrasco, who pitched 6 strong innings in a narrow 3-2 win on Wednesday night, and he was backed by a key Jose Ramirez triple that scored 2 of those runs. Let's look at some of the news items that cropped up over the course of the series.

Disabled List Dilemmas

On Tuesday the Indians placed outfielder Austin Jackson on the 10-day disabled list with a hyperextended big toe, and relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong was called up from Triple-A Columbus in his stead. The injury occurred in the ninth inning of Monday's 7-1 loss, as Jackson planted his left foot awkwardly on the first base bag after legging out an infield hit. He was clearly in some pain but thankfully it appears this injury is unrelated to Jackson's left knee surgery he had in June 2016, that ended his season.

I was slightly surprised Jackson's trip to the DL wasn't met with a like-for-like swap, with Tyler Naquin being the most obvious choice to take the open roster spot. That could still happen but we all know how Tito loves a stocked bullpen, so Armstrong got the call this time. The Tribe are currently carrying Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte and Brandon Guyer as their core outfielders, and Jose Ramirez can fill in if necessary, as could a couple of others if forced. It seems like the skipper is happy with his lot though and he might not want to interrupt Naquin's development in Columbus for what could be just a 10-day stint until Jackson's return.

So far this season Jackson has been platooned in center field, primarily facing left-handed pitchers, and is slashing .273/.368/.485 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 1 home run, 2 RBI, and 5 walks in 38 plate appearances.

Corey Kluber took the mound on Tuesday but exited after three innings due to some discomfort and tightness in his lower back, which has been causing him grief on and off all season. Outside of this rocky start in Detroit, Kluber had pitched at least 6 innings in every appearance this season but there have still been signs that he hasn't been operating at one hundred per cent. The amount of walks he's given up have been relatively high (13 in 37.1 innings) and his ability to induce weak contact from opposition hitters has been poor, with some stats suggesting he's been the worst in the league at doing so. He's also given up 7 home runs this year - that's already half of his season total (14 HR) from 2014, the year he won the AL Cy Young. It's clear he's not been his old self and the pain in his back is almost certainly why.

The Tribe's ace pitcher has now been officially placed on the 10-day disabled list, with reliever Joe Colon taking his spot to further reinforce the bullpen. To be honest, Kluber could benefit from a bit of time off. He had an incredibly intense 2016 season, throwing a total of 249.1 innings between the regular and post seasons. It's far better to rest him now and not risk further injury later down the road when the games become more slightly more important in a potential division race. Plus, he's likely to only miss one scheduled start, so could return in mid May to slot back into the rotation.

Mike Clevinger is the prime candidate to fill in on Sunday against the Royals, when Kluber was set to pitch next. However because of the rainout in Detroit tonight, he could now feature on Monday instead, against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Clevinger has been in fine form this season with a 1.50 ERA over his six starts down at Triple-A Columbus, with 32 strikeouts and 10 walks in 30 innings. He also pitched on Tuesday so is lined up perfectly to feature on schedule. With the Indians carrying so many bullpen arms at the moment, it's likely one of Armstrong or Colon will be swapped out for Clevinger, probably just prior to when he's required. I for one am looking forward to watching the big right-hander pitch for the Tribe once more, and hope he can impress, should he get the call-up.

The Indians Have An Elite Bullpen

The Tribe bullpen were called to arms this week against the Tigers and on the whole did a stellar job.

In Monday's opening game, starter Trevor Bauer was pounded early, giving up 5 runs in the first two innings alone. Somehow he managed to last four innings in total, giving up 7 hits, 7 runs, 5 walks, and struck out 3, and it was just an awful outing overall. "It was bad," Bauer said. "I didn't command the ball well, obviously." Yeah, no shit Trevor! Thankfully Zach McAllister and Dan Otero combined to pitch the rest of the game, and mopped up 4 collective innings of scoreless ball. It was an encouraging outing from the relief duo and prevented the 7-1 loss from looking even more lopsided.

Tuesday's second contest saw Shawn Armstrong, Nick Goody and Boone Logan combine for 5 shutout innings with no hits allowed after Kluber was forced from the game with his back injury. Despite the Indians losing the game 5-2, the trio of relievers kept the team in the game all the way. Special mention must go to Armstrong in particular, throwing 2.2 innings with 3 strikeouts, and making the most of his opportunity in the bigs.

In the third game Wednesday night we saw the Indians' top guys, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, who did not disappoint. Miller pitched the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just a single hit and striking out 4, allowing no runs as usual. Allen entered in the ninth and despite not letting the Tigers tag him for a hit, he did allow 2 walks to keep things interesting. Allen enjoyed teasing the Detroit faithful before he struck out outfielder Jim Adduci to seal the Tribe victory, and Allen's 7th save of 2017.

You could make a convincing argument that the Indians' bullpen is the strongest part of this team. The entire group have a 1.91 ERA with 96 strikeouts over 80 innings of relief. Miller has seen the most action thus far, 13.1 innings, and has yet to surrender a run and carries a 0.00 ERA. He is followed by Allen and Bryan Shaw, who each have 11 innings pitched. At the time of writing, the bullpen have gone 12 games (34.1 innings) without allowing an earned run. During that stretch they have struck out a whopping 48 hitters.

Overall I can't praise this Indians bullpen enough. They are doing everything a manager and a fanbase can ask of them.

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Because the final game against the Tigers has now been postponed the Indians will travel to Kansas City for a three game series at Kauffman Stadium. Danny Salazar will face off against Jason Hammel tomorrow night, and he has struggled for the Royals in 2017.

Thanks for reading.

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.