Tribe Turn Corner, Win In Texas

Well that was an unexpected surprise. The Indians hadn't won a series in Texas since 2008 but they took care of that last night, winning their second game in a row and taking the series win against the Rangers.

The trip to Arlington didn't get off to the best of starts, the Indians dropping the first game 6-3, pushing their losing streak to 8 games. However they rallied to stop the bleeding on what has been a pretty horrendous roadtrip against some very tough AL competition. It started with Corey Kluber's pitching masterpiece Tuesday night, his performance guiding the Tribe to a 5-2 win. Then Cleveland rode that momentum into last night's contest, winning 5-2 again and taking the series in the process. Here's what I liked over the past three days:

Offense To The Rescue

The Tribe lineup has been pretty subdued this month to say the least. After being the baseball equivalent of a powerful Godzilla-like monster at the plate in the first two months of the season, the Indians batters had stuttered of late. Thank goodness they showed up again just at the right time. I mentioned in my previous post that maybe the ballpark dimensions in Arlington could have benefited the Tribe, even against Texas's stingy pitching staff. Thankfully it ended up becoming true, to an extent, the Indians using this trip to Texas to re-energise the offense and kick into gear once again.

Certain players had a very successful series. Jason Kipnis got at least 1 hit in every game (including 3 just last night, one a solo homer). Carlos Santana broke out of his recent slump and got a hit in every game too (4 total RBI on the trip). Mike Aviles has settled into his role as a starter, getting a hit in every game as well (including a mammoth 2-run homer to fuel the offense last night). Michael Brantley joined the club too, getting at least 1 hit in each game.

This series in Texas turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for the Indians offense, a chance to rebound and show their credentials against a top team. We've really suffered this season against the top dogs in the league but it was great to see us play so well against the Rangers, a club with World Series ambitions every year (realistic hopes at that). The offense just need to settle down now and maintain this level of performance heading into our long home-stand beginning on Friday against the Nationals.

Player Of The Series

Despite all of my praise for the offense, there's really only one man I can award this to. Step on down Corey Kluber, for pitching the game of your life on Tuesday night. Kluber went 8 innings, the first time he's lasted that long in his professional career, allowing 6 hits and just a single run (he pitched scoreless ball for the first 7 innings), walking 3 and striking out 3 as well. He did a fantastic job getting the Rangers to hit his pitches into the ground, many balls never getting past the infield. In fact he even fielded a few himself, getting the Rangers to weakly tap come-backers to the mound for Kluber to field with ease. Texas just didn't know what to do with him and whenever they looked to threaten, Kluber pitched out of the jam without breaking a sweat. A fine performance and another step up for the 27 year-old right-hander, who is progressing very nicely this season. He seems to be getting better every start, minus the aberration in Detroit back on May 10th. Kluber has quickly become an important cog in the rotation, a pleasant surprise in 2013, and looks effective and efficient every time he pitches now. Congrats Corey.

So the Indians travel home today for their off-day before hosting a 32-32 Washington team on Friday. We'll see a good pitching battle between Justin Masterson (8-5, 3.68 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.59 ERA), with Masterson looking to rebound. Our 6'6 righty has yet to win a game this month, giving up 4+ runs in both his starts in June, so he'll be fired up to get back to winning ways. It should be a good game and hopefully we can build on this excellent series win in Texas.

Thanks for reading.

Beantown Beatdown, Tribe Swept

The Red Sox were not expected to be competitors in 2013, with most 'expert's predicting them to finish in the bottom half of the AL East, a division the Boston club are used to winning (or at the very least competing with the Yankees for). The players and coaches obviously didn't pay any attention to that as they have gotten off to a very good start to the early season thanks to some very strong outings from their starting pitchers and good offensive production from off-season signings like Mike Napoli and Shane Victorino, two acquisitions largely ridiculed by fans and media at their time of signing. With that said it was never going to be easy for the Indians, up against the hot (and emotional) Red Sox for a three game series this week and it resulted in a sweep for the Tribe. Here's what I thought about this week's games:

Is The Ubaldo Era Over In Cleveland?

This question has already been asked many times (exceptionally well at WFNY by TD might I add) and until a final decision is made, or Jimenez makes a Jesus-like recovery, it will continue to be asked. After an off-season of promises that mechanics had been fixed and a relatively harmless spring, we were all set for Ubaldo to bounce back in 2013. Surely it couldn't get any worse than 2012? His first start in Toronto was good, only giving up 1 earned run in 6 solid innings on his way to a no-decision which the Tribe eventually won in 11 innings. But then came the home opener in front of a near sold-out Progressive Field, where Ubaldo got rocked by the Yankees, giving up 7 earned runs in only 4 1/3 innings of work. Not only did he look lost on the mound but his velocity was drastically down, creating Ubaldogate in the process (check out Adam Burke's brilliant article for the details). Jimenez was then scratched from his next start against the White Sox and had plenty of time to prepare and rest ahead of Boston's first trip to Cleveland on Tuesday night. I don't think Ubaldo would have been ready even if he'd had a whole year to prepare for the Red Sox. After the Dominican right hander cruised through the first inning 1-2-3, he melted down in the second. Ubaldo couldn't escape and left the game having pitched only 1 2/3 innings, walking 5 guys and conceding 7 earned runs. Two of those runs Ubaldo single handedly walked in himself when Boston had loaded the bases. All in all it was an unmitigated disaster and undoubtedly one of the worst performances of Jimenez's career.

So where do we go from here? Can the Ubaldo era be saved? Right now it doesn't look good (understatement of the year) and if he keeps up this level of play he's likely to be cut from the team. Tuesday night saw him lose complete control, unable to locate any of his pitches after the first inning. I realise Ubaldo is only three starts into this fledgling season but the situation is getting out of hand now. I feel really bad for the guy, because you can see on his face how painful it is for him to struggle like this. He doesn't want to be out there at all and the pressure has become too much to bare. The true test of where we go from here will be on Sunday afternoon in Houston, when we play the third and final game against the Astros. If Ubaldo can't get through Houston's miserable lineup, easily one of the worst in MLB this year, then maybe all hope is  surely lost for the 29 year old. We either cut ties with him altogether or see if we can send him down to Single A or out to Arizona to completely re-structure him as a pitcher, similar to what we did with Fausto Carmona/ Roberto Hernandez a few years ago. It's got to the stage now where he is a liability in the rotation and can only harm the team if he can't turn around his form. Can the likes of Kluber, Bauer, or Dice-K be any worse for us? Probably not. How long Francona and the front office give Ubaldo remains to be seen; The club might even have made a decision to omit him from the team by the time his scheduled start on Sunday comes around. It'll certainly be interesting to see what happens in the next chapter of the Ubaldo Saga but all signs suggest it wont be a happy ending. Watch this space.

Infield Struggles

So far this year the Indians are not getting much production from their infield players, with the exception of Nick Swisher who has started his career in Cleveland pretty well (a .407 OBP, second on the team). The most troubling member of the Tribe infield has to be our All Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, one of my favourite players. He's mired in a deep slump at the moment and has started 2013 with a .127 batting average and a mere .200 OBP. It's early so there's obviously no need to panic yet but it's still a concern when one of your best guys only has 7 hits in two weeks, especially when he's been in every game. Cabrera is not alone though. Lonnie Chisenhall is taking some time to find his feet this year, stuck with a .200 BA and 13 strikeouts. This is Chisenhall's first full season starting at third base and it looks like he's pressing at the plate a bit, trying to do too much. He was scratched from the lineup last night in favour of Mike Aviles, who has performed relatively well in the nine games he's played in. Jason Kipnis, our second basemen, has also struggled this year, at the plate and with his health. The 26 year old hasn't played in nearly a week because of  some soreness in his left elbow but he wasn't exactly playing well before his omission from the lineup. In eight games Kipnis has a .125 BA with 11 strikeouts and only 4 hits. Not great statistics to look at I know, but at least it's a small sample in a long season.

The problem is we really need these guys to pick up their game. Kipnis, when he's healthy and back in the team, and Cabrera are two of our key guys, batting two and three in the lineup. In those positions you damn well ought to be hitting, or at least getting some walks. The lineup has had trouble getting runs over the past week because our infield isn't hitting at all, offering zero support to the rest of the offense. The Tribe travel to Houston today and now is the prime opportunity for these infield players to pick up some form and start hitting. The Astros are hardly loaded with top talent in their rotation and bullpen, so it'd be nice to see Cabrera get hot and start contributing like we know he can. I'm not expecting too much from Kipnis this weekend, returning from an injury and all, but anything he can add is obviously welcome. And if Chisenhall can also get into his groove then we're golden. There's no cause for panic or drastic changes yet but if this infield trio don't pick things up by the middle of May then something is seriously wrong out there. I don't think that'll be the case though, these guys just need a hit or two to go the right way and I think eventually their stats will recover. But they need to turn it around pretty quickly because the Tribe are already starting to lose ground in 2013 and we will need Cabrera, Kipnis and Chisenhall to play like the important players they're supposed to be.

The Tribe go on the road now for a ten game trip that begins in Houston today and won't end until we host the Phillies on the 30th April. It'll be a pretty important early season test of our abilities and we need to put a bit of a run together to keep in touch with the front-runners in the division. Tonight we have Brett Myers, he of the 8.82 ERA and 0-2 record, pitching against the Astros' Lucas Harrell, himself carrying an 0-2 record and a 5.63 ERA. Hopefully I'll be back Sunday night/ Monday with a re-cap on our travels in Houston. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Takes Series, Can't Sweep Chicago

I've been away on holiday for the past few days so didn't have a chance to re-cap the Yankees series last week, although the less said about that the better. However I have been around to watch some of the White Sox series over the last few days and even got a chance to watch last night's 3-1 loss from start to finish. So with that, let's get to my views about the series victory over Chicago:

M&M&M Boys Pitch Well

After the disastrous pitching performances against the Yankees, feelings on the Cleveland starting rotation were at an all time low. Thankfully, after two days off due to rainouts, the Indians staff came back with a vengeance against the White Sox and pitched extremely well. It all started with Justin Masterson, who pitched a complete game shutout on Friday 12th and was rewarded for his effort with a Nick Swisher walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th to win it 1-0 for the Indians. Masterson was incredible, giving up 5 hits and only 1 walk whilst striking out 7 Chicago batters on his way to his third straight victory. The 6'6 right hander has gotten off to a dream start in 2013 and his ERA now sits at an amazing 0.41. Now obviously we're only half way through April and it's a small sample size but I am absolutely loving what I'm seeing from Masterson this year. Have we got the AL Cy Young 2013 winner in our midst? That's a massive, and frankly ridiculous claim to make at the moment but stranger things have happened. Who expected Cliff Lee of all guys to win the award in 2008? The Francona effect is working wonders for Masterson and I hope this hot streak can continue and he can truly grow into the ace of our staff.

Zach McCallister pitched Saturday night and managed to pick up his first win of the season in a 9-4 Tribe victory. The 25 year old pitched 6 1/3 innings, surrendering only 1 earned run and no walks whilst striking out 6 White Sox. It was a very successful outing for McCallister, who is showing some real promise and if he can build on this recent performance could legitimately become our number two starter in the rotation. The matchup against Chicago's Chris Sale didn't look good from the outset but McCallister settled down after the first inning and outperformed the White Sox southpaw on his way to the win. Young Zach finally got some support from the Tribe lineup, especially from Mark Reynolds who is hot to start the season, hitting a grand slam in the 5th inning and collecting 5 RBI's altogether Saturday night.

Finally, it was Brett Myers pitching last night as the Indians went for the sweep. This was my first time watching Myers pitch and he looked a lot better than his previous two performances in a Tribe uniform indicated. He has gotten off to a pretty rotten start in Cleveland so far (4 HRs in his first start in Toronto didn't look good) and I've seen a few grumbles on Twitter and other blogs saying we should get rid of him already. It's far too early for that and I'd hope that his performance last night might have changed some opinions. Myers pitched well through 6 innings, surrendering 6 hits, only walking 1 and striking out 4. Myers looked really good early on and was given a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Michael Bourn hit a first-pitch home run off Jake Peavy. As the game went on Myers looked okay, but he kept having trouble getting the first batter of the inning out, only to work through the pressure and get out of it. In the 6th inning, with two outs, it was Paul Konerko who finally got to Myers, smashing a 2 run homer to give the White Sox the lead and they never looked back from there. Myers couldn't get help from the Tribe lineup, as Jake Peavy settled in and dominated after his 1st inning mistake, going 7 innings and striking out 11. Chicago tacked on another run in the 8th, De Aza hitting a homer against Vinnie Pestano to make it 3-1 to the White Sox and give them the win. Despite Myers getting the loss I liked what I saw and if he can pitch like that each time out, I think the Indians are getting good value for money from him.

Bourn Injures His Right Index Finger

There was more bad news for Cleveland when, in the 8th inning, Michael Bourn slid into first after hustling down the line and got his fingers trodden on by pitcher Matt Thornton. It was a total accident but Bourn received five stitches after the game and will probably miss a few days whilst his fingers heal. "I'll probably be in a little bit of pain for the next day or two. Other than that, I should be fine," Bourn commented. The 30 year-old centre fielder has made a great start to his career in Cleveland and has arrived from Atlanta exactly as advertised so far. We really need him out there on the field; we haven't had a lead-off hitter like him since a healthy Grady Sizemore and Bourn has quickly established himself as a crucial cog in the Tribe lineup. So far he's hitting .333 with 2 home runs and a stolen base, and has been lightning quick defensively in centre field. I'd be surprised if he can make it back against the Red Sox this week to be honest. As much as I'd love to have him back when Boston comes to town tomorrow, I think it'd be better if he heals up properly so he's healthy long-term.

That'll be all for today. The Tribe have their first official day off today before the hot Red Sox arrive tomorrow. Until next time...

Thanks for reading.

Tribe Roster Set: My Thoughts

With the news coming from Goodyear that the Indians have set out their plans for the Opening Day roster, I thought I'd weigh in on the results:

Kazmir Gets The 5th Rotation Spot

The comeback story of the Spring, once-upon-a-time flamethrower Scott Kazmir has finally beaten his competition and captured the 5th place in the Tribe's starting rotation. It's obvious he's worked incredibly hard since his exit from MLB in 2011 and done really well to regain his lost velocity. He's not going to be striking guys out like he did in his heyday (he led the American League in strikeouts with the Rays in 2007) and gone are the days of his heater blowing batters away. But he has worked his way back to getting his fastball to a respectable low-to-mid 90mph level, which is a lot better than the mid 80s stuff he was throwing prior to his release from the Angels a couple of years ago. I'm really happy Scott won the job to be the 5th starter but, and he'll be the first to admit it, the real job is just beginning. Time will tell how he performs against MLB competition after time away from the elite level and there's no knowing yet how his arm will hold up in the dog days of summer. For now though, we can all enjoy the success story that's been Kazmir's return and I'm excited to see how he does for us.

Versatility and Veterans

Possibly the biggest difference between this year's Indians and the teams over the past few years is the veteran presence on the roster. No longer must we suffer the sight of the Tribe starting every season with one of the youngest teams on the field. The oldest guy on the team is Jason Giambi and the 2000 American League MVP and 5-time All Star looks set to make the team despite being the grand old age of 42. He's been placed on the DL with a lower back strain but all signs point towards him making the bench once he's healthy. It's impossible to predict what Giambi will provide on this 2013 Indians team. He still has some power in those arms and might chip in a few homers this season. Put it this way, if he comes into a few games to pinch hit in the latter innings and his hits mean we win a few games that we normally wouldn't then that would be amazing, the best possible result from his signing. However, I think what really earned Giambi his place on the team is his experience and his ability to be a role model for the younger players. The guy has been around for a long time now and knows how to win. Francona has already stated how important Giambi could be in the clubhouse: "He's not a veteran, he's the veteran. I've already gone to him three or four times asking him questions. He's solid. Brings a lot." If the Indians can get any production on the field from the elderly DH then that's wonderful but I feel he's going to be even more productive off the field and in the locker-room. 

The other interesting addition to the roster is 31 year old Ryan Raburn (pictured above). The ex-Tiger, who can play second base as well as the outfield, provides some much-needed versatility to the team and could be an important player off the bench. He beat out the likes of Cord Phelps and Ezequiel Carrera for the final bench spot and I like the decision to go with Raburn. He's had a solid spring and earned his spot for sure. Hopefully he'll contribute, spotting Kipnis from time to time and filling in for an outfielder when they need a day off.

For more details on the Indians team set to begin the 2013 campaign, Nino over at The Tribe Daily has done a wonderful roundup on the Opening Day roster that's definitely worth checking out: http://www.thetribedaily.com/2013/03/the-roster-is-set.html#more 

Overall I really like the Opening Day roster and I'm enthusiastic about our chances in 2013. It's not very often I've said that since I've been a fan of the Tribe. There's been an amazing sense of optimism ever since the hiring of Francona last year and I've certainly never been more excited to watch the Indians. Luckily, and for the first time, I will be able to watch every and any game I like this year, having purchased MLB TV a couple of days ago. I made the decision because I was so sick of trying to watch games on crappy streams and sitting through endless pop-up ads and all the other shit that comes with illegal streaming. Best $129.99 (about £88 for you fellow Brits interested) I've ever spent. Bring on Opening Day!

Thanks for reading.

What I Want In 2013

We're into the meat of Spring Training now and Opening Day is within our sights. With that in mind I thought I'd kick off this new blog with a wishlist of sorts: what I want to see from our Cleveland Indians this 2013 season. Some of it is largely obvious but necessary too. Without further ado...

1) Masterson and Jimenez to Bounce Back

Now this one is so obvious it should be on every Tribe fan's wishlist for 2013. Whether we like it or not, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez are the "aces" of our pitching staff and both guys had pretty miserable 2012 campaigns. It's fair to say that expectations are about as low as can be so if Masterson and Jimenez can just get back to respectable form I think most Indians fans will be relatively happy. If one of them could regain some of their past magic (Masterson 2011, Jimenez 2010) and distinguish themselves as a real ace then we're golden. What a bonus that would be. Both guys are having a solid spring so far and look to be rejuvenated by the good feelings in the clubhouse that all the new additions have brought. Plus, if anyone can get the best out of Masterson, it's gotta be new skipper Terry Francona who never shied away from his admiration for the big righty during their time together in Boston. Time will tell but the success of this Indians team lies on the arms of Masterson and Jimenez. We need them to perform if we stand any chance at competing.

2) Stay Healthy (AKA Get Lucky)

Every MLB team gets hit with injuries over the gruelling season. It's part of the game. However if we can get a little bit of luck and keep our key guys healthy for the majority of the season, especially our speedy outfielders, we'll have a much better shot at staying with the Tigers this year. The most depressing sight in baseball is seeing your star player/s go down with long term injuries. So this wish is for us to get a bit of luck when it comes to the team's health. Fingers crossed...

3) New Boys Perform

The Indians had an unusually busy off-season this year and brought in a lot of new talent. If our new guys like Swisher, Bourn, Stubbs and Myers can just live up to their career averages then the Indians are immediately a more dangerous team in the American League. If any of them can surpass their average and have a career year, then that's even better! As long as each man can be on the field for the majority of the season and perform at the level we're accustomed to seeing, then the Tribe have a real shot at making the Playoffs.

4) Can the Back of the Rotation Surprise?

At the time of writing this, the 5th and final spot in the starting rotation is still up for grabs. I feel like whoever wins the job could surprise a few people in 2013. Yesterday Daisuke Matsuzaka was told by the organisation that he would not break camp with the Indians roster so the battle for the 5th spot is now down to Scott Kazmir and Carlos Carrasco (with Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer all but confirmed to be starting the season in the minors). Kazmir has been a Spring Training star and has surprised everyone during his bid to break back into the majors. Carrasco is now healthy after missing all of 2012 through injury and has had a solid spring so far, pitching well. It looks like everyone is leaning towards Kazmir grabbing that 5th spot and I think that would be fair. There are still a lot of questions about his durability and whether or not the velocity on his fastball can hold up over multiple innings but so far the signs have been good, if not great. The 5th spot in the rotation on the majority of major league clubs is usually the place for an average to below-average pitcher so if Kazmir does make the roster and contributes solid innings, the Cleveland front office will be overjoyed. With Zach McAllister already confirmed at number 4, the back of the rotation will be under watchful eyes all season. If somebody doesn't pan out or looks shaky, the good news is we have some decent guys ready and waiting to step up. Bauer is one of the best pitching prospects we have and could easily force his way onto the 25 man roster. If Dice-K does well at AAA he could be brought up, plus the young arms of Kluber and Carrasco will be stating their cases too. That's a lot of healthy competition, which can only be a good thing for the Tribe.

Overall this 2013 team will live or die on the strength of it's pitching. We all know the bullpen are pretty good but the starting pitchers are still a mystery at the moment. On paper our offense should be well equipped to keep us in games but we won't get anywhere if can't hold back the opposition. Hopefully the rotation can surprise the nay-sayers and play well. The season will depend on it.

Thanks for reading.