Archive for May, 2011

The Indians will look to  continue their success in June, but it will not come easy. They face many top-tier teams in the league, starting with the Texas Rangers. Here are the opponents for June, (does not include the last game of the Toronto series). June 2-5: vs Texas Rangers June 6-8: vs Minnesota Twins June 10-13: at New York Yankees June 14-16: at Detroit Tigers June 17-19: vs Pittsburgh Pirates June 20-22: vs Colorado Rockies June 24-26: at San Francisco Giants June 27-29: at Arizona Diamondbacks

The Indians are heading into June with a record of 32-20 and a 5 game lead in the American League Central. It is not where many imagined the team to be at after May, especially after the last few years. The Indians are usually in the bottom of the division by now, but they are currently in the driver’s seat in 2011. The reason for the team’s success is not due to a single player. It has to do with a solid combination of great pitching and offense. If the pitching is struggling, the offense seems to pick up the [...]

The Indians farm system has always been one of the strongest in the league. Many great players come from the Indians farm system, and eventually make it to the majors. The first two months of the season are now over, so I felt that now would be a good time to check up on the minor league teams, and see how they are doing. AAA: Columbus Clippers- 35-16 with a 6.5 game lead in the International League West division. AA: Akron Aeros- 25-27. Trail Harrisburg by 5 games in the Eastern League West division. A advanced: Kinston Indians- 26-24. Trail [...]

The Indians have been struggling on offense lately, and there is some talk of calling up a player from the minor leagues. This was seen with Ezequiel Carrera, but he was here for the short term. Instead, fans are looking for a player who can contribute this year and in the future. Many names are thrown around, but there are three guys who are the most likely to be called up. These three are the answers in the new poll question of “who will be called up by the Tribe next?” They are Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, and Cord Phelps. [...]

Boy do I wish my working life was as simple as a ballplayers, or even a beat writer. I have to hand it to Jordan Bastian once again for doing some outstanding work as the Tribe’s beat reporter. That must be quite an enjoyable job. Hopefully after this final year of school I can begin a similar type of work. But for now… Valet it is!! After a relatively lackluster series against the Rays the Indians head north to take on the Jays. Hopefully Grady will get back into his early season form and the rest of the lineup breaks [...]

The Indians open a three game series in Toronto on Monday, and will go up against JoJo Reyes of the Blue Jays. Looking at Reyes’ record this season, 0-4, does not explain how bad his record has been over the last few seasons. After his loss on Wednesday, not only did he become 0-4 on the season, but he also stretched his games pitched without a win streak to 28. His last win came in 2008, when he pitched for the Braves. Many would see this record and wonder why Reyes is not in the minors, but he is not [...]

The Indians are currently struggling, losing 4 of their last six, but you would not be able to tell this from the standings. The Tribe have the best record in the American League at 31-19, along with a six game lead in the AL Central over the Detroit Tigers. This is the largest lead in any division in the MLB. The next largest lead in only 2.5 games, which is held by the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central. They own a 2.5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. The AL Central is usually a very strong division, and [...]

Wednesday’s game saw the return of Mitch Talbot from the DL. It was a game that he and Indians fans would like to forget. The game ended in a 14-2 loss to the Red Sox, and was over early. The Red Sox scored 7 runs in the top of the first inning, sending 12 total batters to the plate. Talbot’s final statline read 3 innings, while allowing 8 runs on 12 hits. It was a terrible way for Talbot to return, and he must bounce back on Tuesday in Toronto. Many pitchers have at least one bad start each season, [...]

Heading into Friday’s game in Tampa, the Indians were having some offensive struggles. In the recent three game series against Boston, the Indians scored a total of 7 runs while the Red Sox scored 20. Manny Acta attempted to shake things up by making some changes in the lineup. Friday saw the return of Grady Sizemore, and he is obviously not ready to return to the beginning of the lineup. He was placed in the sixth spot, where he went 0-4. Two more players who saw a change from their usual spots in the lineup were Orlando Cabrera and Carlos [...]

Welp, the Indians dropped two out of three to a streaking Red Sox team and really took one on the chin on Wednesday. Mitch Talbot made his first start after returning from DL and it certainly showed. He fell behind in the count against 15 of the 22 batters he faced. After the top of the first the Tribe bats that had been struggling were starting at a 7-0 deficit, and when you’re  up against Jon Lester it can seem like an even larger hold to dig out of. The offense has sputtered but could be getting a  boost this [...]