White Sox Swept As Race Nears End

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

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

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

Giambi Silences His Critics Once And For All

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

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

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

Ubaldo Poised For Playoffs

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Drop Series To KC But Ubaldo Shines

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

A Summertime Miracle

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Indians Regain Some Dignity But Lose Series

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

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

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

Player Of The Series

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

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

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

Thanks for reading.

Indians Win In Minnesota The Hard Way

I was beginning to get really worried there for a second. Heck, I still am worried about this team and their chances at making the playoffs. With the way they're playing right now, despite grinding out a much needed series win against the Twins, I don't think we'll be watching October baseball in Cleveland in 2013.

But let's try to lose the pessimism and focus on the fact that the Indians battled throughout this series and emerged victorious. It didn't look like they would most of the time but they did and that's all that really matters.The Indians haven't had the best August (6-8 so far) but we're still just 3 games behind in the wild card with everything still to play for. Let's take a little look at some of the key points from this series in Minnesota.

Old Man Giambi Still Got It

Jason Giambi, our 42 year-old designated hitter, has had his fair share of detractors and critics this season. Many fans see him as a glorified cheerleader on this Indians team, at best an assistant coach to Francona in the locker room. But Giambi to his credit steps up to the plate every time he is called upon. He's not even close to the juggernaut he was at his peak and we knew that when the Indians signed him in the off-season. Hell, he's 42 years old, the guy should be coaching or sat in a commentary booth. 

However, since Mark Reynolds' release the DH position has lost a viable option, thus increasing Giambi's chances of being in the lineup and starting games more often. And if he can keep producing big hits like he did on Wednesday afternoon then his spot on the team will be more than validated. Down by 3 runs in the 8th inning, Giambi stepped up with two runners on base and proceeded to smash his 8th home run of the season off Twins reliever Casey Fien to tie the game. It was a huge moment for the Indians, and without Giambi's homer the odds of the Tribe coming through victorious were slim that late in the contest. 

He's not going to bat .300 and he won't produce for us every time, but I'm glad Giambi can still provide a meaningful contribution to this Indians team on the field and not just through his leadership in the clubhouse.

A Japanese Alternative To Carrasco?

Carlos Carrasco has had a bad year in the big leagues. That much is obvious, and it's been well documented. I was hopeful he had begun to turn things around after his impressive 5 inning relief appearance against the Angels last week. But with Carrasco it always seems to be one step forward, two steps back. Francona was swayed enough by that Angels performance to hand Carlos the start for Wednesday's rubber game but the 26 year old right-hander couldn't capitalise on the opportunity and had a disappointing game yet again. Carrasco was pulled after 4 and a 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits for 4 runs with 4 strikeouts (he didn't walk anybody, a positive sign, but his pitches weren't missing many bats, the Twins hitting practically everything). His season statistics make for ugly reading: a 7.82 ERA, an 0-4 record, 58 hits surrendered in 38 innings, and opponents hitting .356 off him. 

Now if I was the manager, I think I'd safely say that Carrasco's future as a starting pitcher for the 2013 Indians should be over. I'm not saying his days as a starter are over for good; nothing is stopping him from coming back in 2014 and proving he has what it takes. But I think now that every game from here until the end of September is considered "must win", putting Carrasco out there as part of the rotation is a bad idea and doesn't give the Indians a great chance of winning ball games. I still think he could provide some effectiveness out of the bullpen this year, and maybe his major league future belongs as a reliever, but his time as an Indians starter needs to come to an end this season.

So who would replace him then? Who takes Carrasco's spot? 

The answer is more obvious than you might have thought. Remember a Japanese veteran pitcher named Daisuke Matsuzaka? Oh yeah, that guy. Only one of the most famous and successful Japanese pitchers in modern times, who caused a media storm when he signed for Boston in 2007. Well he's not at the level he once was and poor Dice-K didn't make the big club out of Spring Training, but after overcoming some injury troubles, Matsuzaka has quietly been having an impressive year in Columbus. Especially when you look at his numbers recently. In his last 8 starts, he pitched at least 7 innings in 7 of those 8 games. Since the All Star Break he has a 4-2 record with a 2.36 ERA and has been throwing some real gems these past few weeks. 

Matsuzaka's dominating run of late at the AAA level earns him a shot in my opinion. With Kluber out of action until mid-late September, I'm sure an opportunity will arise where the Tribe will need an emergency starter at some point over the next few weeks. Especially if another injury were to occur. What do the Indians have to lose by putting Matsuzaka out there? He's obviously in form and he's surely a better alternative than Carrasco right now. I would very much like to see what the 32 year old right-hander has to offer and judging by what he's exhibited in Columbus, it's pretty good.

Player Of The Series

A tough choice this week. Nobody on the team really stood out head and shoulders above everybody else during this series. Jason Kipnis was at his usual best, an offensive spark-plug. Giambi's important contribution I've already discussed, but he didn't do much else during the rest of the series. Michael Brantley had another fantastic day with the bat on Wednesday and right now looks like the best guy to put in the 4th spot, ahead of the struggling Asdrubal Cabrera. But the guy who wins the award this series for me is Zach McAllister, who pitched a solid game on Tuesday and was largely responsible for getting the Tribe back into this series. McAllister has been a bit rusty since returning from the DL but appeared to have his stuff working better this time around. Zach pitched 6 solid innings, giving up 4 hits for 2 runs, only 1 of them earned though. He walked just 1 batter and struck out an impressive 7 Twins. A very good day at the office for McAllister and we'll need more performances like this from him between now and the end of the season. Keep it up Zach and congrats.

The Indians remain on the road but travel a little farther away from home, way out west to Oakland for a three game series with the A's. It's going to be a tough trip as Oakland are having another fantastic season but we've fared well against them so far this year and the Tribe will be hoping that success continues, starting tomorrow when Justin Masterson (13-8, 3.59 ERA) faces off against Oakland's A.J. Griffin (10-8, 3.88 ERA). 

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Can't Top Tigers, Swept In Four

This was not how I hoped this series was going to turn out when I returned from my trip to Germany on Tuesday. Whilst I was away the Indians swept the Rangers, the White Sox, and took two of three from the Marlins. But yet again the Tribe came unstuck against our division foes, being swept over four brutal games.

I think we all need to recognise now that winning the AL Central is out of reach for this Indians squad in 2013. It's still mathematically possible of course but I don't see Detroit losing many games between now and the end of the season. Our best hope for the post-season will be through the wild card and the Indians now need to put this moral-sapping series behind them and concentrate on winning as many games as possible before the end of September. Thankfully we only play Detroit one more time towards the end of this month and our relatively easy schedule in September will make or break our playoff hopes.

I'm not going to do an in-depth series re-cap today, it'd be far too depressing. Instead I'm going to weigh in on a few talking points concerning the Tribe over the last few days.

Farewell Mr Reynolds

Our struggling slugger Mark Reynolds was finally put out of his misery and was designated for assignment by the Indians yesterday. And so his career in Cleveland comes to an end. Reynolds has told the front office he is unwilling to accept a demotion to AAA Columbus so he will surely be released over the course of the next few days. It'll be interesting to see if any other teams decide to take a flyer on Reynolds, or maybe the Indians can trade him for somebody useful to help us down the stretch (it's unlikely though).

It's a sad ending to what looked like a bright story early on in the season. Reynolds got off to a fantastic start in Cleveland, batting .301 in April with 8 home runs and 22 RBI. He was a key part of the offense and helped win a lot of games for the Indians over the first couple of months. But then the hits dried up and the strikeouts kept increasing. We all knew Reynolds had that side to his game; he has struck out at a ridiculously high level at every club he's been to. But that was ok as long as he was still hitting a few home runs. Right? Well that quickly became the problem, as his production at the plate has been non-existent since May. Francona had obviously lost all faith in Reynolds over the past few weeks and looked reluctant to insert him into the lineup on a daily basis. It has been pretty agonising to watch Reynolds recently, as he has looked largely over-matched nearly every day, becoming an automatic out for most opposing pitchers.

I'm somewhat sad to see Reynolds leave and it's a shame things couldn't work out the way we wanted. Having said that, I'm kind of relieved we don't have to endure watching him struggle at the plate any longer.There were a few fans calling for him to have his contract extended after his bright start to the campaign but I bet they're glad the front office didn't follow their advice now. Good luck in your future endeavours Mark. I'm sure he'll land onto another club in the near future. Some team out there will be willing to take a punt and see if his power can return (I expect the desperate Yankees may be monitoring the situation).

Raburn Earns An Extended Stay

Ryan Raburn has had a very impressive season off the bench for the Indians in 2013 and the club have rewarded his efforts with a 2 year extension that could see Ryan in Cleveland until the end of 2016. I have to say I'm pretty pleased the club have decided to keep Raburn on the team and I think he deserves it. His production has been a pleasant surprise this year, considering he was originally just a minor-league invite in the Spring. He's currently batting .274 with 13 home runs (3rd on the team) and 38 RBI, with 14 doubles as well. Not bad for a bench guy. Raburn's versatility in the field has also been of great benefit to the Tribe, slotting in with ease at both corner outfield spots as well as his natural position at second base. With Reynolds now leaving the team I can see Raburn playing a lot of DH between now and the end of September. I'm sure Francona will look to get him into the lineup as often as possible.

And what about Raburn as a pitcher? A couple of days ago you would have laughed in my face at the idea but after last night's emergency relief appearance the idea doesn't seem quite so ridiculous. And hey, the bullpen needs the help right? (I am of course joking). The Tribe's pen were exhausted again during the blowout 10-3 loss and Francona turned to Raburn to pitch the 9th inning. Ryan said no problem and proceeded to pitch a shutout inning as well as recording his first career strikeout. I don't imagine it was how Raburn intended to celebrate his contract extension, but he did add yet another layer to his versatility. The guy can do everything apparently. Congratulations to Mr Raburn.

Player Of The Series

This four-game set with Detroit has been a disaster of epic proportions but there were a couple of bright spots amongst the disappointment. Despite the Tribe losing all four games, there was some decent pitching involved. Two men stood head and shoulders above the rest: Corey Kluber, who went 7 and a 1/3 innings on Monday, giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 6 whilst keeping Detroit scoreless. And Danny Salazar, who lasted 7 and 2/3 innings on Wednesday, giving up 7 hits and 4 runs, walking 1 and striking out an astounding 10 Tigers, often on fastballs that reached close to 100 mph. Both pitchers put in superb shifts: Kluber kept Detroit off the board in his outing, and the rookie Salazar, in just his second start, struck out the powerful Tigers with ease, although he did get hit for 2 HRs. It's tough to choose this week's Player Of The Series so I'm going to give it to both men, the first time I've done such a thing at England Tribe. Kluber has since been diagnosed with a finger injury that will keep him out for 4-6 weeks, a devastating blow to the right-hander who had turned his season into a very successful one. The impressive rookie Salazar will take his spot in the rotation and can hopefully continue to dominate unsuspecting opposition lineups.

The Tribe welcome MVP candidate Mike Trout and the Angels to Progressive Field today for a three-game series that the Indians must win. Our boys really need to rebound and do it quickly if they're to keep pace in the wild card chase. Despite Anaheim having a sub-par season and standing no chance of making the playoffs, they should not be underestimated, not with the talent they have on their roster. The Indians look to Scott Kazmir (7-4, 3.89 ERA) tonight to turn things back around and he'll faceoff against Angels ace Jered Weaver (6-5, 2.90 ERA). The Tribe need to bounce back in style and they need to start doing that tonight.

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Enter Break In Royal Fashion

What a fantastic way to cap off the first half of the season, sweeping the Royals in three games as the All Star Game draws near this Tuesday. The Indians have been in fine form of late and had everything working for them in this series, shutting out KC 3-0 on Friday, beating them 5-3 on Saturday, before sweeping them with a fine 6-4 victory today, Sunday. This afternoon's win leaves the Indians with a 51-44 record, remarkable given how streaky the team have been at times, and the club are just 1.5 games behind the Tigers in the race for AL Central. As Wayne Campbell so nicely put it: Game on!

Kluber Continues To Impress

Corey Kluber is having a hell of a season for the Indians in 2013. His first half numbers don't initially dazzle the eye, and that's partly due to him feeling his way into the season, but for a guy who wasn't even supposed to be part of this club's rotation this year,he ain't doing too badly if I say so myself. At the break he has a 3.88 ERA, with 94 strikeouts in 95 innings and just 22 walks. Kluber appears to be getting better every time he takes the mound and his latest outing ranks amongst his best so far.

Kluber kicked off the series against Kansas City on Friday with a dominating pitching performance. He lasted 7 2/3 innings, surrendering only 3 hits and 3 walks, to go along with 8 strikeouts, whilst all the while keeping the Royals off the scoreboard. He was damn near untouchable, like he has been so often since the start of June. With Zach McAllister missing from the rotation due to injury, Kluber has picked up the torch and has cemented himself as the number 2 starter in McAllister's absence. If he can continue to pitch like this in the second half of the season, and McAllister can return to full health and be effective like he was before he got hurt, our rotation will immediately look a lot better. In fact, it would be so much better that I'm almost willing to admit that the Indians wouldn't need to trade for a new starter before July's deadline ends. A rotation led by Masterson, McAllister and Kluber inspires a lot of confidence in me, and if all three guys can continue to pitch into September like they have done so far, well I reckon the team can only prosper.

Player Of The Series

There are a number of worthy candidates for the award this series, Kluber amongst them for the reasons I have just mentioned. But my pick for this series goes to our young third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, for his efforts at the plate and in the field over the last couple of days. Lonnie smashed the first grand slam of his MLB career on Saturday, his 4 RBI bomb fuelling the Tribe to the 5-3 win. His grand slam ultimately proved to be the difference, supporting Scott Kazmir's sterling effort on the mound (6 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts for his 5th win of the season). Not only was Lonnie impressive at the plate against KC, he was also confident and impressive with the glove, making all the routine plays at third, showing none of the nerves he displayed earlier on in the year. Chiz made a superb catch during today's game, catching a towering pop-up over the camera-man's railing by the third base dugout, pulling it off with ease. It's just so refreshing to see him playing with this level of confidence, looking like he finally belongs on a major league field. He's really starting to progress nicely now and just needs to maintain this level throughout the second half of the season. Keep it up Lonnie and congrats.

So now we can all look forward to seeing Masterson and Kipnis in New York on Tuesday at the All Star Game. I hope both guys manage to get into the game for a bit, and I'll be making the effort to stay up late here in the UK to watch the game. Keep your eyes peeled here to the blog over the next couple of days, I'll have a first half season review coming up shortly. Until then...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Too Much For Twins

Apologies for no series re-cap about the Royals last week. I was on holiday and despite watching the majority of the games, I felt my vacation earned me a bit of a break from the blog, so there you have it.

The Indians have remained in good form since returning home from what I like to call 'The Roadtrip From Hell Apart From When We Beat Texas'. They've been so good in fact they've won their last four series including that trip to Texas, dispatching the Nationals, Royals and now the Twins. It began with a 5-1 win on Friday, on the strength of a wonderfully pitched game by Scott Kazmir. The Tribe carried that winning form into Saturday, outlasting Minnesota 8-7, largely thanks to a 6 run first inning that helped propel Corey Kluber to his 6th win of the season. Unfortunately the Tribe couldn't capture the sweep on Sunday, losing 5-3, but at least they got another valuable series win.

Kazmir Answers His Critics (Me)

Since Scott Kazmir's last start against the Nationals, when he suffered heavily through 2 2/3 innings, the veteran left-hander rebounded in style on Friday against the Twins. Kazmir put any worries I had last week to rest, pitching 7 excellent innings against Minnesota, allowing 5 hits and only 1 run (a solo-homer to Brian Dozier). Kazmir didn't allow a single walk and struck out 7 Twins on his way to the win, his 4th of the season.

I couldn't have been more relieved to see Kazmir come back from that disastrous Nationals game. He was practically flawless against the Twins and it was so reassuring to see him under control once again and have his pitches working properly. Kazmir now sits at 4-4 with a 5.37 ERA, still a bit higher than he'd obviously like but at least it's heading in the right direction (down). His next scheduled start is in Baltimore on Wednesday June 26, where he has a favourable matchup against the Orioles' right-hander Jason Hammel. The O's have been a quality ball-club this season and they possess a dangerous lineup, including early AL MVP candidate Chris Davis, so there's plenty of potential stumbling blocks for Kazmir to encounter. But if he pitches anything like he did against the Twins on Friday, I have full confidence that he can get the job done in Baltimore, and we'll need him to be on top of his game in what'll undoubtedly be a difficult series.

Player Of The Series

There's no doubt who gets the award for this series: Step on down Jason Kipnis. Our star second baseman has been tearing it up lately and he maintained his hot streak against the Twins. Kipnis collected 3 RBI on Friday, 2 RBI on Saturday and 1 more on Sunday (maybe more check stats). He's really been making a late push to be an All Star this year and his recent form suggests he deserves it. I know it's practically impossible that Kipnis will beat out Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia for that second base slot but we can live in hope for now. I know I for one would love to see the JK Kid represent the Tribe in New York.

Cleveland now return to the road for a while, beginning with a four-game series at Camden Yards against the Orioles. It'll be a tough trip, as Baltimore strive to stay in touch with the giants of the AL East, but the Indians should have no reason to fear them and could even come away victorious if everything breaks just right for us. Until then...

Thanks for reading.

Detroit Dominate, Cleveland In Freefall

This roadtrip has gotten mighty ugly, mighty quick. The Indians have lost 7 straight games and are falling away from the Tigers at the top of the division at a rapid pace. The June swoon is in full flow ladies and gents. We haven't won a game since the start of the month, June 1st...

Lets be honest, the Tribe were never really in any of these games against the Tigers. They looked over-matched, overwhelmed, short of confidence, basically exhibiting every trait and sign of a struggling team. They were always battling out of a hole, trying to rally back into contention. Our best chance came on Sunday when Ryan Raburn golfed a shot into the stands to tie the game 1-1 but the Indians couldn't build from there. Pretty soon the Tigers' Don Kelly, who hasn't been able to hit his way out of a paper bag this season (love that cliché), took Justin Masterson yard with a 3 run bomb that put Detroit up 4-1 and they never looked back from there, winning the game and sweeping the series.

It's been a depressing month for the Indians and their fans so far. They've been in a slump for a while now and aren't really showing many signs of coming out of it yet. And it gets worse: The Tribe are in Texas today for a three game series against the run-happy Rangers, sitting pretty atop the AL West with a 37-25 record. The Rangers are having a very good 2013 as expected. Their impressive pitching staff are 7th in the league in ERA and their dynamic lineup are 10th in runs scored, a deadly combination of effective pitching and successful hitting. There is a positive for the Tribe though: The hitter-friendly confines of Rangers Park in Arlington could potentially help reawaken the Indians offense, who despite their recent woes still find themselves 8th in the league in runs scored, two places ahead of the Rangers. If the Indians can get key hits off the Texas pitchers (which is no easy task admittedly) the field dimensions in Texas could possibly help them in their quest to break out of this losing streak and get back to the task of chasing down the Tigers. We just need to get those clutch hits that served us so well in the early part of the season. Easier said than done I know...

We mustn't be too hard on the team though. All these losses recently have all come against contenders, teams cruising along with plus .500 records with hopes further down the road of going deep into October. If anything, this roadtrip has helped reinforce reality, that this Tribe team aren't going all the way this year, that they are in fact one or two more years away from being a true contender. Success will not come straight away, not after the past few years of sub-par performance. This team needs time to be built up and developed properly. I think maybe we fans needed to be brought back down to earth a little bit, although perhaps the Indians could have done it in a less painful and depressing fashion. Once the Tribe return home from Texas for their off-day on Thursday, the schedule starts to relent a bit and we begin a long home-stand, starting against the Nationals on Friday. Normally the idea of facing Washington would be daunting but these Nats are struggling lately too, crippled by injuries and facing their own problems. These are not the same Nationals of 2012, and I reckon we stand a decent chance against them.

Anyway, there is still cause for optimism and the season is far from over. There's plenty of time yet to make up the ground against Detroit, or alternatively fight for a wild-card spot. Good times are just around the corner folks. I can feel it.

Thanks for reading.

Tigers Get Revenge, Win Series

Detroit came to town and won both matchups in this two-game series, cutting the Tribe's lead in the AL Central to a 0.5 game. Max Scherzer silenced the Indians' bats on Tuesday, only giving up 2 hits in his 8 innings of work, the Tribe getting 3 hits total in a 5-1 loss. Cleveland fared much better against Tigers ace Justin Verlander last night but it wasn't enough as they fell 11-7 to lose the series.

There's not a great deal to discuss here and I need to make this post relatively quick anyway. Corey Kluber pitched a solid game on Tuesday to keep the home side in the game but never got the run support. Kluber pitched 6 1/3 quality innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs whilst striking out 8. It was the 2 long balls in the 6th inning that condemned Kluber to the loss, but it was a decent outing before that.

Ubaldo Jimenez couldn't summon another miracle start last night, getting hit pretty hard by this powerful Detroit lineup. He lasted 4 innings, giving up 7 hits and 6 runs, walking 3 and striking out 3 before exiting the game early. Not Ubaldo's best effort obviously but I don't think there's cause to panic again, facing this Detroit team is a tough prospect for every pitcher.

The Indians tried to keep things close in both games but unfortunately relief pitcher David Huff couldn't stem the Tigers' tide. He pitched in both contests and couldn't get the job done in either. On Tuesday he surrendered 2 hits for 2 runs in just a 1/3 of an inning's work in the top of the 9th, putting the game beyond Cleveland's reach. Last night Huff came in to relieve Ubaldo and managed to last the entire 5th inning but got shelled. He gave up 4 hits for 3 runs with 2 strikeouts, giving the Tigers an insurmountable lead that Cleveland's subsequent rally couldn't top. It's always frustrating to watch your relief pitchers come in to save the day and get destroyed and it's tough on Huff, a pitcher I've always kind of liked despite not really knowing why. I enjoyed the majority of his 2009 rookie campaign and was really happy when he managed to reach double-digit wins that year (Huff finished 11-8 in 2009, despite possessing a 5.61 ERA). So it saddens me to see him toil away fruitlessly in the bullpen, bouncing between the majors and AAA. His future with the Tribe doesn't look good but I hope he can turn things around, work with Mickey Callaway on his technique and get back to being at least a league-average reliever.

Player Of The Series

It's always difficult to choose a bright spot when your team gets swept in a series but I can't ignore the recent efforts by Michael Brantley. He was consistently good in this short two-game series and got 3 hits for 4 RBI, including the Tribe's only run of the game on Tuesday. He's been hitting well for a while now, batting .319 this month with 1 HR and 12 RBI. His .309 batting average and 51 hits this season now lead the team in both categories. I like how Brantley is developing and progressing in 2013 and he has slotted in well wherever Francona has put him in the lineup. Keep it up Mike, you win the award for this series.

So the Tribe now travel to Fenway Park for a four-game series with the Red Sox, who've cooled off a bit since we last faced them but are still one of the better teams in the American League, with a 28-19 record so far. We'll have to be careful of the superhuman David Ortiz (as always) but I think we can use this Boston series to rebound from this Detroit hiccup and get back to winning ways.

Thanks for reading.

Indians Earn Philly Split

The Indians return home to Cleveland today for a well deserved day off, and they make it back from Philadelphia in relatively good spirits. On Tuesday the Tribe offense stalled in a 6-2 loss, but rebounded yesterday afternoon to pound the Phillies in a 10-4 Tribe victory. The win puts us a 0.5 game back from the Tigers, who still lead the AL Central despite dropping one at home to the lowly Astros. Let's keep it short and take a quick look at this mini two game series in Philadelphia:

Can The Real Corey Kluber Please Stand Up?

The Scott Kazmir Comeback Tour took a slight detour Tuesday night. He managed to last 5 innings, giving up 4 runs including 2 homers, but never got the run support, with only Michael Brantley knocking in 2 RBIs in the 6-2 loss. We were all hoping for another vintage Kazmir performance in this series but it wasn't to be. Instead we got one from Corey Kluber on Wednesday.

The 27 year-old right hander got battered in his last start in Detroit, but he shook that off and pitched a good game in Philadelphia. Kluber lasted 6 innings, scattering 6 hits and giving up 3 runs whilst striking out 5 and walking none. It was a very composed and assured performance from Kluber, who has been somewhat difficult to predict this year. In all honesty, if every pitcher on the Tribe staff were healthy, Kluber would be in the bullpen or down in AAA Columbus. However, Corey has met the challenges of being a major league starter each time he's gone to the mound and he's done pretty well given the circumstances. Given the fact he's not really supposed to be in the situation he's in, I think he's doing a fine job and deserves the correct amount of credit when he pitches like he did yesterday.

The question going forward is can Kluber keep this up? Can he pitch like this every 5 days from here on out and keep the other starters like Brett Myers off his back? Probably not. But he's making the most of his opportunities and if he can carry this form into his next start and remain solid, maybe he'll keep that fifth spot in the rotation for a bit longer. I like Corey and will be rooting for him. Oh, and damn did he look impressive with the bat in his hands. For an AL pitcher taking his first cuts at the plate in his major league career, Kluber looked like a veteran in terms of plate discipline and awareness. His first at-bat in particular was amazing to watch.

Player Of The Series

I'm going with my boy Jason Kipnis. He had a pretty quiet first game of the series on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 but he did draw a walk and steal a base, his 7th of the year so far. His bat woke up on Wednesday though. The dynamic second baseman has been hitting the ball really well of late and nowhere was that more evident than yesterday, where he went 3-for-4 at the plate with a walk, 2 doubles, and a big 3-run homer in the 8th inning that effectively ended the Phillies' resistance. His home run was his 6th of the year and the first big fly that didn't come in the first inning. A very successful day at the office all in all.

The Indians have the day off today before welcoming the Seattle Mariners to town tomorrow for a four-game series. The can't-miss game of the series will be on Sunday, our best guy against their best guy: Justin Masterson (6-2, 3.14 ERA) versus Felix Hernandez (5-2, 1.53 ERA). I can't wait for it, and it starts at 1.05 PM ET so I'll get to watch it as well. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Tame Tigers, Steal Series Win

Wow. I just finished watching what was arguably the biggest win of this young season so far. The Indians just stole a win in Detroit, beating the Tigers 4-3 in extra innings to win the series overall. The victory takes our record to 20-15, the same as Detroit. You know what that means:

Ladies and gentlemen, your first place Cleveland Indians.

Ok so it's joint first place at the moment, but the race in the AL Central is most definitely on. We went into their house, the reigning American League champions, and we beat them two out of three in dramatic fashion, laying down a marker in the process. These Indians mean business, and now Detroit and the rest of the league can take notice. Even when we're not at our best, like today, we still ground out the win and that's a very encouraging sign.

I thought it wasn't going to be our day for a while. McAllister was decent in his 6 innings of work, but he left the ball in the zone a bit too much, Detroit connecting for 8 hits and 2 earned runs. I was impressed with his location though, he nearly always started out with a first-pitch strike, but maybe that came back to bite him since Detroit had few problems making contact off the right-hander. The Tribe offense were trying their best to turn the game around but we couldn't get the big hit, stranding 9 baserunners and always at that crucial moment when we were just a run away from tying things up. A strikeout here and a double play there, the Indians couldn't make anything count and it looked as if Detroit would hold on to their slender 3-2 lead in the 9th inning. The Tribe had other ideas thankfully, as Michael Bourn came off the bench to earn a walk, then immediately stole second base (with ease, Tigers closer Valverde never even looked his way). Michael Brantley came up and lined a single into left field and Bourn didn't hesitate for a second, rounding third base and making it home without even sliding. Tie game at 3-3 and a blown save for Valverde. The Tribe rode that momentum into the 10th inning and stole the win, with Mark Reynolds smashing a single into left field, scoring Carlos Santana to make it 4-3 Indians. Rich Hill and Cody Allen (first MLB save for Mr Allen) combined in the bottom of the 10th to shut down the Tigers and thus ensuring the series victory. It was a real roller-coaster of a game but the Tribe pulled through, grabbing the series win and taking our share of first place in the AL Central, delighting every Indians fan in the meantime. Fantastic win all in all. Let's have a look at some talking points during this series:

The Yan Gomes Experiment Is A Success

With backup catcher Lou Marson spending most of this season on the DL, 25 year-old Yan Gomes has taken his place and has been a revelation. In 14 games this season he's hitting .268, with a .279 OBP, with 2 doubles, 2 triples and 2 home runs for 5 RBI total. Decent enough numbers in only 41 at-bats but Gomes is one of those players where the stats don't truly tell you the whole story. Gomes has tremendous presence defensively, his rocket of an arm gunning down would-be base thieves at will. He's not exactly a black hole at the plate either, having a very successful day in Detroit, going 3 for 4 and being the only Indian in the bottom half of the lineup who actually produced today.

Watching Gomes play this season really makes it difficult to see Lou Marson make it back onto the ballclub at Gomes' expense. I like Lou, he seems to be a great guy, but at this stage, with the way Gomes has been playing in 2013, I think Marson has to stay in AAA once he's healthy. Gomes has earned his spot on the roster and it would be ridiculously unfair to demote him again once Marson is back to full fitness. Yan has been a lot of fun to watch and I hope he can stay on the team for the rest of the year, producing the likes of what we've seen so far. He can be an important contributor down the stretch.

Is It Time We Talked About Lonnie?

Mr Chisenhall is having a rough time of it lately. He's in a deep slump and isn't showing many signs of recovery. So far in May, Lonnie is batting .211 and his April numbers aren't much better, hitting .222 with 16 hits but striking out 18 times. Even more worrying, he only has 2 walks all season, and one of them came today in Detroit. And yet again, he's struggling to hit lefties, a problem he's yet to solve during his time in Cleveland.

He had a costly error today as well, which eventually became the Tigers' third run of the game, putting them 3-2 up at that stage. Luckily the Indians came back and erased the deficit. At the plate Lonnie was even worse, striking out twice with one of them being at a key moment late in the game where runners were stranded again. He's having no luck at all right now.

The question is, how long do we wait until something is done about Lonnie? The short term solution is to bench him for now and play Mike Aviles at third, which at the moment looks like a certain upgrade. Mark Reynolds could also be given the third base job, with somebody like Gomes or Giambi taking the DH spot more regularly. Do we send Lonnie back to Columbus for a while until he can turn things around at the plate? I'm personally hesitant to do that, I think it could be crushing for his already fragile confidence, but maybe it's what he needs to work out his batting problems. Right now, Chisenhall needs to break out of his slump, and he needs to do it quickly before a decision is made about his place on the team. I'm hoping he's just having a hard time getting into a rhythm and this poor start is not indicative of his future potential with the Tribe.

Either way, Chisenhall needs to step it up before Francona takes action. The young third baseman seems to have the manager's support for now but I expect the patience with Chiz will only last so long. And for God's sake Lonnie, shave that horrid thing off your top lip. That is the nastiest 'stache I've seen in some time and is doing you no favours son.

Player Of The Series

There's been some superb solo performances during this series but how about Ubaldo Jimenez out-duelling Justin Verlander? In a nail-biting 7-6 win Saturday night, Jimenez was brilliant, lasting 6 innings, giving up 3 hits and only 1 earned run (a solo HR by Jhonny Peralta). Most impressively, Ubaldo only surrendered 1 walk and he struck out 8 Tigers. He looked so incredibly comfortable on the mound and his mechanics are working in sync for the first time in a long while. He picked up the win, his third of the year, and has had three quality starts in his last three games. The signs are good at the moment. Speak in hush tones and keep it secret, but maybe Ubaldo is finally turning things around and is becoming the player we though we were getting in 2011. He's gets my Player of the Series award for such a well pitched game yesterday. I don't think many of us expected the Indians to not only beat Verlander, but see Ubaldo put in such a fine shift as well.

That's it for this re-cap. Next up is a double header against the Yankees at home on Monday, and we get to see another Trevor Bauer spot-start. Keep those walks down Trev, and you'll be fine. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.