Baseball Cards: New Acquisitions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Braves Too Hot For Tribe, Indians Swept

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

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

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

Offense, Offense, Wherefore Art Thou Offense?

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

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

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

The People Versus Asdrubal Cabrera

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

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

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

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

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

Player Of The Series

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Indians Just Heavenly Against Angels

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

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

Guys Stepping Up When It Matters

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

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

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

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

Dice-K Released

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

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

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

Player Of The Series

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Woes Continue In Oakland

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

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

Ubaldo Still A Mystery 

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

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

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

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

Player Of The Series

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.