Player of the Game

Nick Hagadone takes home his first career 'Player of the Game' award as the rest of the team decided to be generally terrible tonight. Since the only offense came from Lonnie Chisenhall he should have been a candidate, but with a score of -3.86 due to defensive gaffs and 5 unearned runs he isn't even worth looking at. Hagadone pitched a single perfect inning and struck out a batter after the Rangers were too tired to score anymore. This gave him a score of 1.27, 0.70 points more than the next best player.

Feathers Up

Shelley Duncan showed off some moves tonight that we never knew he had. In the first inning he made two catches at the wall, the second much more confident looking than the first. Using his new found talents to the fullest, he made another good catch later in the game on a slide. If he could have jumped another 10 feet or so, he may have been able to save Indians pitchers from a couple home runs.

Feathers Down

Other than Shelley Duncan, the Indians defense was atrocious. Lonnie Chisenhall had a bad play followed by an error that allowed 5 unearned runs to score. In the same inning David Huff had a ball that hit his glove that turned into an infield single and a run. Earlier in the game, Carlos Santana allowed a steal while playing first base when he dropped a throw on a pick off attempt. Lou Marson then allowed the runner to take third.

In play-off news, the Phillies clinched the first play-off spot in the National League behind Roy Halladay. It's really surprising that the team with Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels was the first one to clinch a spot. In the AL, the Tigers passed up the Red Sox in the standings today placing the Indians closer to the Wild Card than the Central Division lead. The Tigers win against the White Sox has virtually eliminated Chicago, placing their elimination number at 1. The Indians are currently involved with the only real race left in the Majors as the Rangers are fighting against the Angels for the AL West lead.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - Texas Rangers 9

Player of the Game

Carlos Santana performed a feat only done 7 other times in Indians history. He hit a home run from each side of the plate. It was his first multi home run game and he added a double as well. His 2 RBI and 3 runs scored added up to a 'Player of the Game' score of 7.78. The score of -5.79 by Justin Masterson for his 5 innings pitched with 6 runs allowed was his second worst of the season.

Feathers Up

The Texas Rangers were nice enough to hold a charity auction during tonight's game. The purpose of the auction is to raise money to not have people die trying to catch a ball at the ballpark. Way to go Texas! Hopefully, after improvements to the stadium, those fans sitting in the lower bowl can no longer be terrified of the fact that some one can fall on their head.

Carlos Santana pounded the ball to deep center field in the fourth inning. This was Santana's 22nd home run of the year and it tied the game for the Tribe at 1-1.

The Indians had another Major League debut tonight as Zach Putnam pitched the 7th inning. Putnam has spent all of 2011 in Columbus to this point, pitching exclusively out of the pen. He went 6-3 with 9 saves and 68 strike outs in 69 innings. He had a nice "welcome to the big leagues, kid" moment when the first batter he faced, Adrien Beltre, hit a ball about as hard as a human being can for a solo home run. The Indians now have 32 players on the Major League roster, 34 if you include Shin-Soo Choo and Josh Tomlin who are on the 15 day DL and will return shortly to the team. This means only 6 players from the 40 man roster are not on the team. These players are Kelvin De La Cruz, Corey Kluber, Zach McAllister, Hector Rondon, Thomas Neal and Nick Weglarz. It shouldn't be any surprise that the Clippers lost to the Iron Pigs in the opening game of the championship round. They don't have any players left.

Feathers Down

David Murphy had Justin Masteron's number tonight. Murphy took Masterson yard twice, providing the Rangers with their only run support in the first 4 innings. Masterson ended up giving 3 home runs tonight, the 2 to Murphy and one to Josh Hamilton.

The bullpen didn't fare much better after Masterson was removed either. Nick Hagadone allowed two of Masterson's runners to score in the 6th inning and Josh Judy allowed two of Hagadone's. Niether Masterson or Hagadone recorded an out in the inning.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Texas Rangers 10

The Indians just got through a tough four game series against Chicago, where they managed to earn a split. Cleveland was outscored 22-19 and remain a half game behind Chicago in the Central Division race for second place. Monday September 12th is the last off-day of the season for the Tribe as they will play 18 games in the next 16 days.

The Rangers are currently 2.5 games above the Angels and have won 4 of their last 5 series in an effort to put the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim away for good. Texas remains the powerhouse they have been known as for the past few decades, scoring 5.2 runs per game in 2011. This is 0.34 more runs per game than last season when they went to the World Series.

Pitching Match-Ups

9/13 8:05 PM

Justin Masterson (11-9, 3.01) vs. Matt Harrison (11-9, 3.50)

The Indians ace will be pitching in one of his last games of the season against the Rangers. Lack of run support has doomed his win/loss record and his chances at any votes in the Cy Young race, but the Indians hitters still have a chance to make it up to him. With about 4 games left this year (depending on how the Indians use their starters in the doubleheaders) Masterson could possibly get a couple more wins and at least avoid going .500 in what has been an absolutely fantastic season so far for him.

9/14 7:00 PM

David Huff (2-4, 3.05) vs. Derek Holland (13-5, 4.12)

This will probably be the Indians last game on national TV this year as they will be Wednesday night game on ESPN. The original scheduled time was bumped up an hour to fit in ESPN's schedule. Huff has lost his last two games, but has pitched pretty well this season with numbers much better than his last two seasons. Holland's last bad game came against the Indians when he was only able to go 1.2 innings after allowing 6 runs to score. The Rangers ended up winning in extra innings, but Derek Holland certainly didn't look very good.

9/14 8:05 PM

Fausto Carmona (6-14, 5.18) vs. Alexi Ogando (12-8, 3.71)

Fausto has struggled for two starts in a row, but has also shown signs of greatness this season. At this point it is basically impossible to know what to expect from Carmona. Ogando on the other hand was an American League All-Star this year, but has fallen off some as of late. Before the break, Ogando had an ERA of 2.92 with a 9-3 record and a complete game. His batting average against was .213. Since then, he has gone 3-5 with a 5.20 ERA with the Rangers losing each of his last 5 starts.

This series is the perfect time for the Indians to take back second place. While the Indians will be in Texas the White Sox are slated to face the Tigers. Detroit has won 9 games in a row, including sweeps of both the Indians and White Sox. The Rangers, on the other hand, are probably looking at the rest of their schedule as easy as they play the Indians, Athletics and 2 series against the Mariners. The Indians could do a great job of spoiler if they can pull off a series win.

Player of the Game

Luis Valbuena was today's "Player of the Game." Valbuena's score of 4.47 included a solo home run and 2 singles. This is Valbuena's first PoG award this year. Ubaldo Jimenez finished today with a score of 3.74, Trevor Crowe contributed with a score of 3.96, and Lou Marson had a score of 3.60.

Feathers Up

Travis Hafner has returned to the team after being on the disabled list with a foot injury. It will be interesting to see how Manny Acta plans to juggle Hafner, Jim Thome, and Shelley Duncan in his lineup.

The bottom of the lineup delivered in the second inning. Singles by Lonnie Chisenhall, Luis Valbuena, and Trevor Crowe, and a double by Lou Marson resulted in 3 runs for the Tribe. The last four hitters of the lineup combined today for 9 hits, 4 RBI, and 7 runs scored.

Ubaldo Jimenez had a great outing today, pitching 6 innings and giving up just 2 runs on 3 hits. Despite walking 5 batters, Jimenez looked solid and was able to guide the Indians toward victory today.

Feathers Down

Matt LaPorta worked so hard yesterday and did so well, Manny Acta thought he deserved a day off.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 - Chicago White Sox 3

Player of the Game

Shelley Duncan continues hit hot streak and wins today's "Player of the Game" honors with a score of 4.41. Duncan doubled and homered today, with an RBI and 2 runs scored. This is Duncan's 8th award of the season. His home run today was Duncan's 5th home run of the week, and his 9th on the year.

Feathers Up

Carlos Santana received his first day off in 55 games. Santana has been working hard all season and deserves to be a spectator for just a day.

Matt LaPorta wants Manny Acta to know that he belongs in the lineup. In the top of the 5th inning with two runners on, LaPorta doubled, scoring both runners, and giving Cleveland the 2-1 lead.

Fausto Carmona had a much better outing than his previous appearance. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. In his last outing, he was only able to go 1.1 innings.

Feathers Down

Fausto Carmona, after a very respectable outing, was taken out with one out in the 6th inning, leaving 2 runners on. His replacement, Chad Durbin, could not find the plate. He walked the first two batters he faced, allowing Chicago to tie the game. He then allowed a single, scoring another White Sox run and giving them the lead.

After getting out of several bases-loaded jams throughout the game, the White Sox hitters were finally able to take advantage of the Indians pitching woes. In the bottom of the 10th inning, closer Chris Perez loaded the bases and Alex Rios took him yard, with a walk-off grand slam.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Chicago White Sox 7

Player of the Game

Lonnie Chisenhall's second 'Player of the Game' award of 2011 came with a two home run night, as he blasted both two run home runs against White Sox ace Mark Buehrle. His 'POG' score of 8.51 for the game was more than double his next best game this year. Ezequiel Carrera had a good game as well with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Jeanmar Gomez had his third great game in a row, allowing only two earned runs in 6 innings pitched. Carrera scored a 4.29 while Gomez scored a 3.41.

Feathers Up

The Chiz Kid took two deep tonight, a personal record and showed more of what the Indians could have had earlier, if they hadn't benched him for the past month. The recent injury to Jack Hannahan could be one of the best things to happen to the Tribe this year, as it has allowed Lonnie Chisenhall to take back the starters job at third that should have been his in the first place. In the 7 games since Hannahan's calf injury, Lonnie has hit 3 home runs, and 6 RBI.

Matt LaPorta's double secret probation has apparently ended, but his secret probation remains in effect. He was brought up from AAA today, but was not allowed to play in the game. It will be interesting to see if any news comes out after the season is over about why one of the Indians most consistant hitters was removed from the roster. Apparently Columbus didn't miss him as the Clippers swept the first round of the International League Playoffs against the Durham Bulls. They will play either the Pawtucket Red Sox or the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in the championship round.

Feathers Down

Asdrubal Cabrera is still being forced to play every day even though the Indians are out of the playoff race. Today he went 0-5 with a strike out, but after what he has done for the Indians this season, any bad play is forgiven in advance.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 8 - Chicago White Sox 4

Player of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera won his team leading 18th 'Player of the Game' tonight, 7 more than 2nd place Justin Masterson. Cabrera added to his already impressive season statistics with 2 more hits and a walk. Asdrubal singled, doubled, stole a base and scored a run while only getting out once. His double came to lead off the 9th inning in a one person effort to make a comeback. His single and steal lead to the only Indians run of the game. His final 'POG' score was 2.19, while David Huff earned a 2.11 after taking the loss. Huff only allowed 6 hits while striking out 5 in 6.1 innings. He only gave up one of the three runs scored against him as the others came off a home run allowed by Frank Herrmann.

Feathers Up

The battle for second place in the AL Central began in the Indians favor. In the first inning with two outs, Asdrubal Cabrera singled and stole a base. He would score on a single by Jim Thome, giving David Huff a 1-0 advantage before he even hit the mound.

Feathers Down

Brent Morel showed what a powerhouse he can be by jacking two home runs against the Indians, his first multi home run game of his career. Morel now has 5 home runs on the season. The first home run came off David Huff to tie the game at one and the second came when David Huff was removed, so he wouldn't have to face Morel. Apparently, Brent didn't care who he faced as he smashed another home run off Frank Herrmann, this one for three runs. 

The 7th inning has been a sticking point for Indians starters the past two days. Yesterday Justin Masterspn, and today David Huff, began the 7th but were unable to finish what they started. In both games the starter left two men on base when they left the game and both times the runners scored. Tonight's game was noticeably worse than last night's as Herrmann also allowed 2 base runners of his own after he allowed Huff's to score. Josh Judy then entered the game and promptly gave up a grand slam to Paul Konerko to put the game out of reach.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - Chicago White Sox 8

The Detroit Tigers dreams have been answered as their only two competitors face off against each other for four games. The Indians and White Sox will be playing each other for second place in the AL Central, and the best team should win as 8 of the last 22 games are against each other. It will be interesting to see if the Indians take advantage of the pressure being off by resting Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana, or if they fight the inevitable, going all out to win every game until they are officially eliminated. Because he only pitched about an inning in his last start, Fausto Carmona has been moved ahead of Ubaldo Jimenez in the rotation. That makes this series' starters look like this.

September 8th, 8:10 PM

David Huff (2-3, 2.81) vs. Gavin Floyd (12-10, 4.45)

September 9th, 8:10

Jeanmar Gomez (2-2, 4.11) vs. Mark Buehrle (11-7, 3.34)

September 10th, 4:10

Fausto Carmona (6-14, 5.18) vs. Philip Humber (9-8, 3.45)

September 11th, 2:10

Ubaldo Jimenez (2-2, 5.27) vs. Zach Stewart (2-3, 4.56)

Get used to seeing these guys play each other. Along with the 8 games against the White Sox the Indians have 7 against Minnesota and 3 more against Detroit. Hopefully the rest of this season won't be a train wreck as the Indians still have a couple things to play for. The two main goals for the rest of the season should be to maintain a record above .500 and to beat the White Sox out for second place.

This is it. Now that Detroit has taken care of business, sweeping their two divisional rivals back-to-back, the Central Division race is over and Wild Card race never began. Now is the time for the Indians to ready the ship for 2012 and a more series attempt at winning a championship. The success of the 2011 team took a lot of people by surprise, but no one will be surprised next year. In order to make sure everyone is ready for next season, there are a few things that need to be done this year still.

Heal the Wounded

The most prominent reason for the Indians failure down the stretch was the plethora of injuries that occurred to almost every starting player on the team. Since there is nothing left to play for, these players should get extra time off for any surgeries, rehab or just plain rest. Michael Brantley and Carlos Carrasco are already out for the season with hand and Tommy John surgery respectfully, but there are a few others that could use the rest of the season off. There has been a lot of talk about Travis Hafner needing foot surgery to repair a tendon and he might as well do it now. The earlier the better as it will give him more time to get into running shape for next season. Jim Thome is a more than capable replacement at DH and will be a bigger draw for the fans anyway. Other veterans who have battled injuries should also get more time off, including Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo. Both players will be extremely important to the team next season and need to get any series medical issues fixed now.

Play the Rookies

Baseball pundits often talk about how inexperience can hurt a team. This is the perfect time to help some of the younger players get some experience. Lonnie Chisenhall should play every single game for the rest of the year. He has had a lot of time off of late so Manny Acta could play Jack Hannahan's hot bat, but with Hannahan injured and certain to be gone to free agency after this season, Chisenhall should see all the playing time at the hot corner. Seeing him in the pros for another 20+ games will go along way to finding out exactly what he is capable of. Jason Kipnis and Ezequiel Carrera should also play just about every day. For Kipnis this is mostly just for experience, but Carrera needs to prove that he deserves a spot on next years squad. The Indians should have a lot of outfield depth with Grady, Brantley, Choo and Trevor Crowe available to play. A couple of relief pitchers should also get a closer look. Josh Judy and Nick Hagadone could be great assets to future Indians teams as Chad Durbin will be gone and Rafael Perez is getting older.

A Day of Rest

Asdrubal Cabrera deserves a day off. He has done absolutely everything within his power to help the Indians win and he is starting to look dead out there. Let Jason Donald take over short at least one day a week with Kipnis and Cord Phelps manning second. This will not only give the three young players a little more playing time, but will give Cabrera a break after working harder than just about anyone else all season. He is not going to win the MVP, so Manny doesn't have to try to get him every single at bat he can for the rest of the year. Another player who has been playing every single day at a high skill position is Carlos Santana. He has played in every single Indians game since July 8th at either catcher or first base. Of course during his games at first, Lou Marson has had to catch, so I'm sure he could use some time off as well. The Indians need to bring back Matt LaPorta to take over first base on a daily basis and to bring up another catcher, hopefully Luke Carlin, to spell Lou Marson. The Bullpen Mafia could also use some time off after being the work horses of the Tribe. Save their fantastic ERAs and get some other pitchers some playing time by cutting back the use of Rafael Perez, Chris Perez, Tony Sipp, Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith. Already mentioned Hagadone and Judy are good options for this, as well as Josh Tomlin (who will be returning from the DL soon) and Mitch Talbot (who is still in AAA). Both players have started for the Indians this season, but are no longer needed with Jeanmar Gomez and David Huff pitching well in the rotation.

Player of the Game

Shelley Duncan knocked in 4 and scored 3 times to win today's 'Player of the Game' award. Duncan hit two home runs off probable Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander. Combined with the 2 he hit 3 games ago, he has now hit half his home runs for 2011 in the last 4 games. Duncan also added a single and scored when Lonnie Chisenhall hit a two run home run of his own in the 7th inning. Duncan earned 8.44 total 'POG' for the game, a score marred by his error and the eventual unearned run that was allowed.

Feathers Up

Trevor Crowe is finally back in the Major Leagues after spending the first 5 months of the season on the disabled list. While the Indians could have really used him earlier this season while dealing with the all of the outfield injuries, it is better late than never. At least now Crowe will be able to play a month to get his timing right before competing in Sring Training next year for the starting left fielder role. Jared Head was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Crowe.

Shelley Duncan absolutely owned Justin Verlander today, pulling two home runs onto the left field home run porch. He has now hit 4 home runs in as many days with 9 RBI and 5 runs scored to go along with it. All the hits came in 2 games Kansas City and today against Detroit. It makes one wonder if the Indians would have been able to score more runs with Duncan playing first and Carlos Santana catching instead of Lou Marson behind the plate. In 9 less games Duncan has 7 more home runs and 21 more RBI than Marson. Matt LaPorta is also better than Lou Marson with 10 more home runs and 32 more RBI in 33 more games played, but since Manny Acta has a vendetta against him, he isn't an option. Both Duncan and LaPorta have spent time in AAA this year even though there have been expendable players that are much less talented on the roster all season.

Feathers Down

After starting off great, Masterson fell apart in the 7th and left with the bases loaded without getting an out. Masterson was well out-pitching the other Justin until this point, only giving up 2 runs while Verlander allowed 4. With Masterson out, Joe Smith gave up a single and run, following which Tony Sipp gave up everything else on a Victor Martinez grand slam to give up the lead.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Detroit Tigers 8