Aaron Civale - The Simple Things

Yesterday, whilst watching Aaron Civale pitch in just his third Major League game, I was struck by the 24 year-old's poise and serenity on the mound.

Civale made pitching look effortless. In fact, everything he did looked effortless.

Total composure under pressure.

By no means was Civale perfect in sunny Minnesota, but he was pretty close, giving up one sacrifice fly to Luis Arraez, over the course of six outstanding innings of work. His final line for the day was 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks and 5 strikeouts. All against the AL Central-leading, record-setting Twins, in a potentially season defining game that the Indians ultimately won (thank you Carlos, we love you).

Not bad for a rookie.

When called upon this year, Civale has answered. Sure, it's a small sample - how do you accurately judge a pitcher after just three games? But what we have seen, what we've witnessed so far, has been overwhelmingly positive.

Previously deployed as a spot starter in June for then-injured Mike Clevinger, this August has seen Civale get the opportunity to stick in the rotation. Once Danny Salazar's latest comeback attempt was halted by yet another setback, Terry Francona and his staff looked no further than Civale, and to his credit the 2016 third round draft pick has delivered.

Over three starts and 18 total innings, Civale has been tagged for just two earned runs, giving him an aesthetically pleasing 1.00 ERA. He's walked just four batters (only one walk in his last two games as well) and struck out eighteen. Civale's ability to pound the zone and stay ahead in the count has been enormously effective.

It sounds like such a simple strategy - throw strikes and get your man out, but obviously it's never that simple.

Somehow, Civale makes it appear so.

It's this deceptive simplicity that has been the key to Civale's success thus far, even when he's throwing 95mph two-seam fastballs for yet another punchout. Civale would be the first to tell you, I'm sure: There's nothing deceptive about telling your enemy to go sit their ass down.

With Corey Kluber's impending return to the Tribe getting closer every day, there's a strong chance Civale might not be in Cleveland for the long term, not in 2019 anyway. And that's okay, because the rookie has done exactly what has been asked of him, but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be disappointed to see him demoted back to Triple-A Columbus.

Nevertheless, Civale has made a great first impression, and you can bet he'll be ready to answer the call next time out.

Bats Missing In Minnesota To Open 2019

The Cleveland Indians got their 2019 campaign underway in Minnesota but suffered a largely disappointing series, losing two games to one. The Twins are likely to be the Indians' primary competitors in the AL Central and will be buoyed by this Opening Week series win, but the Indians will know there is still a long season ahead, and with key contributors like Francisco Lindor still to return.

In this series recap, I'll look at some of the good and some of the bad. We should start with the positives:

The Good

Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber were outstanding in their season debuts.

Bauer didn't pick up the victory in his start on Satuday but at least the team did, coming out on top 2-1 thanks to a ninth inning Greg Allen sac-fly. Regardless, he was sublime over 7 innings, with just 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 run given up, and he struck out 9 Twins. The right-hander's new changeup he raved about this off-season was as good as advertised, regularly disappearing in front of Twins hitters. I may not always agree with Bauer's personality but there's no denying he is one of the top pitchers in the AL. His partnership with catcher Roberto Perez looked almost telepathic.

Kluber pitched on Opening Day and logged 7 innings just like Bauer, and was incredibly sharp throughout the afternoon until he ran into some issues in that seventh inning: he gave up 4 hits and 1 walk for 2 runs, with 5 strikeouts, but those two runs were all Minnesota needed to top the Tribe. I had a horrible feeling the lack of run support would cost Kluber, and he unfairly took the loss but his performance was really encouraging.

On the offensive side, Hanley Ramirez started his career in Cleveland on a positive note, smashing his first home run for the Indians in Saturday's victory. It was one of the sweetest swings I've seen in a while, Griffey-esque in it's elegance. The ball got out in a hurry with a recorded 113.8 mph exit velocity, into Target Field's upper deck for an absolute mammoth home run. Ramirez picked up another hit that day and 2 walks as well, capping off an excellent first impression for his new ballclub.

The Bad

The Indians lineup struggled mightily without the absent Lindor and Jason Kipnis (not to mention the guys like Michael Brantley and Edwin Encarnacion currently on other teams).

Thursday's opening game saw the team collect just 2 hits as Twins ace Jose Berrios dominated the Tribe's hitters, racking up 10 strikeouts over 7.2 innings.

Jake Odorizzi and the Twins bullpen enjoyed similar success on Saturday (Odorizzi struck out 11) but thankfully the Indians managed to tag them for the two runs that proved to be enough to win the game. Still, Cleveland only collected 4 hits that day.

Sunday's rubber game saw Carlos Carrasco get picked apart over 4.1 innings, as the Twins hurt him for 10 hits and 6 earned runs. Carrasco did not look good in his outing and the Twins hit him hard; the 32 year-old allowed eight batted balls of 100-plus mph - he'll be incredibly disappointed to open the season like this. The Indians mustered 6 hits, four of which came solely from the bat of Carlos Santana, in the 9-3 series-defining defeat.

At the plate the majority of the Cleveland lineup looked lost, racking up strikeout after strikeout.

Jose Ramirez in particular looked worryingly out of sorts. The All Star third baseman hit 1-11 over the three games and looked embarrassingly awkward in his bunt attempts, as he tried in vain to battle Minnesota's severe defensive shifts. Perhaps that knee injury he sustained just prior to the season opener is impacting him more than originally anticipated.

Cleveland's uncertain outfield situation proved to be a cause for concern, as was predicted during the winter.

Tyler Naquin, thought by many to lack the necessary ingredients at the MLB level, did not endear himself to fans and management alike with his 0-for-7 showing during the first two games, including 6 strikeouts in a row. Terry Francona took the decision to bench him in favor of Greg Allen for Sunday's game and it felt like the correct decision. Jake Bauers, Jordan Luplow and Leonys Martin didn't exactly cover themselves in glory either, and you sense the Cleveland outfield will be a revolving door this season.

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There's no escaping it, this series against the Twins was cold and often brutal to watch. The bad might outweigh the good at this stage but let's not forget the season is just three games old, and recent Cleveland teams have been notoriously slow starters in April. To draw any meaningful conclusions this early is impossible.

The Indians return to action today in their home opener against the White Sox, despite the snowfall that was sitting pretty on the outfield this morning. It's set to be another frigid affair but the Tribe will be hoping Mike Clevinger can bring the heat, and get some much-needed positivity flowing once more at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Opening Day Live Blog - Indians vs Twins

10:27 - Good morning from sunny England and welcome to Opening Day! I'm currently at work, desperately waiting for 5pm to get here, and already mentally preparing myself for this evening's festivities.

If you've been living under a rock, you might not have seen the Indians are in Minnesota to kickstart their 2019 season against their division foes. I have just checked the weather for Minneapolis and it estimates the temperature at first pitch to be around 48°F, or 9°C for us Brits. Toasty then.

12:02 - I'm already hungry thinking about the food I'm having tonight ahead of the game. Every Opening Day my wife and I have hot dogs but this year I'm considering adding nachos to the party. We like to make a fuss on this most special of days.

13:59 - I've been out for lunch and returned with all the stuff for hot dogs and nachos. It's on. 

15:05 - I’ve just seen the breaking news confirming that star third baseman Jose Ramirez will be in the Indians lineup today, after some recent concerns about his health. Ramirez had to be carted from the field on Sunday after fouling a ball off his left knee and he looked in serious pain. Thank goodness he has recovered in time, because the Indians and myself will need him fully fit; he's the pride and joy of my fantasy team this season.

17:15 - I'm home from work and the baseball is on!

18:00 - With a couple of hours to go before first pitch let's quickly go over our starting pitchers this afternoon:

Corey Kluber is making his fifth straight Opening Day start for the Tribe (tied for the longest streak in franchise history.) Last year Kluber lead the AL with 215 innings pitched, to go alone with 222 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA.

Jose Berrios is his opponent and the 24 year-old righty posted a career-best 3.84 ERA in 2018. He’ll want to make an impression against the experienced Kluber and the Lindor-less Indians.

18:10 - Speaking of Lindor, the face of the franchise will be missing today thanks to an injury ravaged spring. First it was his calf, and now his ankle, injured on Wednesday in a run-down during a minor league rehab game. Jason Kipnis will also be absent as he is struggling with a calf problem of his own. So the Tribe lineup will be a little lightweight today as a result, with rookie Eric Stamets and veteran Brad Miller debuting in their stead.

18:40 - I have finished cooking the hot dogs and they are ready to be enjoyed. We didn’t have any mustard so ketchup it is, and I tried my best to get the swirly ballpark pattern (and failed).

18:58 - I've just checked in with my buddy Matt, a Brewers fan, who is also enjoying Opening Day. Thanks to a Christian Yelich 3-run homer he is now enjoying the occasion a little bit more. Matt's girlfriend Libby is an A's fan, and I like to take some of the credit for her baseball fandom (I bought her hat for her birthday!)

19:30 - We have spent most of this evening watching the Yankees game whilst we patiently wait for the Indians to start. My wife decided they were her team after she embraced the Evil Empire during our trip to New York in 2017. I’m not even mad, I just love she shows enthusiasm for one of my hobbies!

19:42 - The Yankees are crushing the Orioles and this contest is done, so I’m gonna get started on the nachos.

20:00 - The nachos are out, I’ve got a beer in my hand and the Tribe get started in 10 minutes!

20:10 - Oh hi new uniforms! I forgot the navy jerseys were getting a makeover, but I must say they look pretty nice. 

20:26 - 1st inning over and both sides go quietly, both pitchers look on their game.

20:35 - I can't eat any more nachos. I might be sick.

20:40 - I’m a big fan of Brad Miller’s stirrups. Not a fan of the umpire calling an inside ball a strike. 

20:47 - Jake Bauers take a bow sir! The second out of the 3rd inning is a high fly ball into foul territory and Bauers sprints and slides in the dirt to pull off a spectacular catch! Kluber is cruising through three innings thus far, but Berrios is matching him pitch for pitch.

20:50 - First hit of the ballgame! Leonys Martin ropes a liner down the first base line and into the corner, and collects a double for his trouble.

20:59 - Berrios has 6 strikeouts through 4 innings and is making the Tribe lineup look silly. They can’t touch his change-up, it just drops off a cliff.

21:29 - The Twins finally get a hit off Kluber in the bottom of the 6th, Byron Buxton sending a double off the wall, but Kluber strands him. The game is just over an hour old and we’re headed into the 7th already - cruising along!

21:51 - Nelson Cruz gets a single to start the bottom of the 7th but Kluber strikes out Eddie Rosario looking and there’s an audible groan from the Puerto Rican outfielder. Beautiful pitch. CJ Cron then muscles out a single that drops into shallow center field to put Kluber in a pickle and just like that a Marwin Gonzalez single escapes the grasp of Leonys Martin and rolls to the wall, scoring two to give the Twins a sudden 2-0 lead.

21:55 - Kluber hits Jonathan Schoop in the wrist to put him on but comes back to strike out Jason Castro looking, a perfectly placed pitch at the knees on the corner. A Byron Buxton pop-up ends the inning and Kluber’s day as well. He’s been really sharp but you can’t help feel the lack of run support is gonna cost him. Kluber finishes with 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 earned runs and 5 strikeouts.

22:06 - Brad Miller, he of the fantastic stirrups and no batting gloves (this guy has won me over already), cracks a single to force Berrios from the game. The Twins youngster gets a standing O from his adoring crowd and he deserves it. He’s been lights out, with 7.2 innings pitched, 10 K’s and just 2 hits given up.

22:12 - Greg Allen, in as a pinch hitter for Stamets, strikes out looking on a low pitch from Twins reliever Taylor Rogers. The umpire loves it and is very theatrical in his call of the third strike. Get a grip man.

22:24 - Francona has been busy with his bullpen in this 8th inning. We’ve seen Oliver Perez, Adam Cimber and now Brad Hand entering the game. Together they get the job done and the Indians now head to the 9th still trailing 2-0...

22:32 - We’re not off to a good start, with Leonys Martin striking out tamely and Jose Ramirez pops up on the first pitch he sees. Come on Jose, you're better than this!

22:33 - Jordan Luplow, pinch hitting for his Indians debut, is our last hope.

22:36 - Luplow goes down swinging and that’s it, the Twins take the Opening Day victory at home 2-0, Berrios collecting the win and Taylor Rogers the save.

22:37 - And so I now go to bed, with Opening Day in the books. I’m full of nachos and beer and ready for sleep. The Indians lineup looked very limp indeed. Here’s hoping it was just the Berrios effect and not indicative of the season ahead.

Still, despite the loss I've had an enjoyable day and it's so good to have baseball back. The Indians go again on Saturday in another UK friendly game, a 6:10pm start for me.

Tribe and Twins Split Puerto Rico Series

Having not played since Friday night because their weekend games against Toronto were cancelled due to the inhospitable Cleveland weather, the Indians were raring to go when they arrived in the homeland of Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez.

Playing a two-game series in legendary Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the warmer climate appeared to re-energize this Indians squad, and the environment certainly reignited their bats (for the opening game at least!)

Why were the Indians and Twins in Puerto Rico you ask? This was organised by MLB last June, and it's the first time regular season games have been played in the country since 2010, when the Mets and Marlins visited the island.

This two-game set might have been billed as Twins home games but it was Francisco Lindor who garnered much of the attention, and rightfully so.

In fact, it was Lindor who ignited the crowd in the top of the fifth inning on Tuesday night. With game scoreless and the count full, Twins' starter Jake Odorizzi left a hanging breaking ball up in the zone that Lindor wasn't going to miss. The ball soon made it's way over the right field wall for a 2-run blast, his second home run of the season.

As Lindor started to round the bases, he motioned toward his mentor and fellow Puerto Rican Sandy Alomar Jr., and was soon pumping his arms at the crowd as chants of "Lindor! Lindor!" rang down upon him. With the raucous crowd begging for more, Lindor emerged from the dugout for perhaps the most powerful curtain call of his young career. It was quite a sight to behold, this native son delivering for his adoring family, friends and countrymen. "I'm just excited. I touched second base and looked in the dugout. Everybody's hands are up, so I put my hands up. I looked around the stadium, everybody's are up, so I keep putting my hands up and running."

Lindor's home run kick-started an offensive outburst that included solo home runs from Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley and Yonder Alonso, all toward a 6-1 Tribe victory.

On the mound, Corey Kluber delivered a fine performance in typical Kluber fashion. He was completely unflappable and unfazed by the ceremony of the game. The Indians' ace pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 run (a Brian Dozier RBI double), 2 walks, and recorded 6 strikeouts, picking up his second win of the season in the process.

Wednesday night saw another superb pitching performance, this time by Carlos Carrasco, but he was matched by Minnesota starter and Puerto Rican native Jose Berrios. The two men had one heck of a duel, as Carrasco held the Twins scoreless for 7 innings with 7 strikeouts, and Berrios went the same distance, but with 5 strikeouts.

The second game of the series was somehow scoreless all the way to the fourteenth inning, with both teams emptying their bullpens, but the deadlock was finally broken by Edwin Encarnacion, who connected for his 4th home run of 2018 to put the Indians in the lead.

Sadly, the Twins replied instantly when slugger Miguel Sano hit a home run off Indians reliever Matt Belisle, to tie the game at 1-1. Two innings later, in the bottom of the sixteenth, center fielder Ryan LaMarre sent everyone home with a sharp single to give the Twins a walk-off 2-1 win.

Despite the split result, this series was overflowing with positivity throughout, and definitely appeared to bring some joy back to Puerto Rico, still suffering and rebuilding after Hurricane Maria devastated the nation over seven months ago.

The Tribe's attention now turns to Friday's trip to Baltimore, where they will play the Orioles in a four-game series. Trevor Bauer will take the mound for game one and faces off against right-hander Dylan Bundy, as the Indians look to finish their road trip in style before returning home for a long home stand next week.

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.