Cleveland Indians Roundup: Indians Beat Baltimore Orioles, Move Into First Place; Michael Brantley’s Injury Timetable; Beer Pyramid

Cleveland Indians beat Baltimore Orioles, move into first place

The Cleveland Indians entered first place in the American League Central yesterday due to a combination of events: the Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox. With the upheaval, the Indians now have a half game lead over the Royals and White Sox, and the 24-24 Detroit Tigers sit just two and one-half games back from the crown. FanGraphs now gives the Indians a 60.1 percent chance of winning the division. 

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As noted above, the Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles yesterday by a final score of 11-4. Scoring four runs in the first inning, the Indians struck early and never let up. Matt Bretz noted that Danny Salazar played a big part in the win by returning to his prior form. After getting knocked around in his last start, the right-hander allowed just two runs over six innings of work.

The rest of the team performed well too, and the bullpen looked remarkably solid. All of the Indians reached base, and the team even collectively stole five bases. Yan Gomes drove in three runs and showed some sign of life. Hopefully, the team can carry this momentum into tonight’s game, when Mike Clevinger and Chris Tillman face off.

On a very different note, some Indians fans made news the other day when they built a very impressive beer can pyramid. During Friday’s loss to the Orioles, Tribe fans assembled a four-foot tall pyramid of beer cans on the right field wall. According to some calculations from SB Nation, the tower contained 114 Miller Lite cans, which puts it an estimated cost of $228.

Finally, the Cleveland Indians are being diligent about Michael Brantley’s rehab, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Brantley began the season on the disabled list, but he returned somewhat quickly and played in 11 games for the Tribe. After the discomfort in his shoulder returned, the outfielder went back onto the disabled list. Now there is no timetable for his return, as the team wants to ensure that the former All-Star is in tiptop shape.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians Even Series, Beat Orioles 11-4 – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians Move Into Five Place in AL Central With 11-4 Win Over Baltimore Orioles – Cleveland.com

Cleveland Indians Fans Built an Epic Beer Can Pyramid in Celebration of Beer – Washington Post

Tribe Diligent About Brantley’s Rehab Schedule – Indians.com