Roster Update: As predicted in the Astros series preview, Jeanmar Gomez was sent back to AAA after struggling in Houston. For the time being Scotty Barnes has been called up and will be used in the bullpen, but Zach McAllister is scheduled to take his place this Thursday in Baltimore. Gomez started the season out playing well as almost every other starting pitcher struggled, but he has fallen off some as of late as the other pitchers are starting to come around.

Barnes will be looking to make up for his last outing as he gave up 5 runs while only recording one out. He was solid in all his other relief appearances for the Indians and has played well for the Clippers as well, so it should turn out that that one outing against Cincinnati was an aberration and not what to expect from the real Scott Barnes.

Player of the Game

Esmil Rogers won his first Player of the Game of the year as he an inning and a third and only allowed one more batter than the minimum. Rogers struck out two and stranded a runner at third when he first came in the game. His final score was 1.78. In fact, every member of the bullpen that pitched tonight had a score over one, but it wasn't enough to overcome Josh Tomlin's score of -9.08.

Feathers Up

Scott Barnes pitched well as he threw 2.2 innings in long relief after Josh Tomlin was removed from the game early. Barnes gave up a single run, but struck out three and only gave up one hit.

Feathers Down

Going into this game Michael Brantley had only a single hit against the Yankees and Josh Tomlin had never given up a home run to a Yankee hitter. Neither of those are true anymore. Thanks to the Yankees announcers at YES for repeating these things over and over during the first 3 innings.

Casey Kotchman had a bad night tonight, mostly noticeable because the players ahead of him had slightly better games. Kotchman went 0-4 with 3 runners stranded in scoring position. He also ended the game with an easy ground out.

Play of the Game

Casey Kotchman had a slick looking double play.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - New York Yankees 7

Last year I posted this attempt to get Indians fans to the polls (website) to vote for their favorite Indians to be in the All-Star game. I waited this long to write one this season because it simply doesn't matter. The Indians only have a few players worthy of an All-Star spot and only two of those play in positions you can vote for. In both of these positions they are being blocked by Yankees who they are arguably better then. The difference between the top Yankee and the nearest Indian: about 2.5 million votes. Go ahead and vote your 50 times, but remember each time you do there are 50,000 Yankee fans doing the same thing. With the system set up the way it is the Indians are likely never to have another All-Star starter. Even if they don't get voted in, here are the Tribe players that deserve a spot on this year's squad.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Derek Jeter has played better this season than last, and Asdrubal Cabrera has played worse, but there shouldn't be much question about which one is currently the superior short stop. Last season Jeter pulled himself out of the game as he believes himself to good for All-Stars and it allowed Cabrera to start as he should have been voted for in the first place. This year, 2.57 million votes separate the Yankee captain from the young Venezuelan. Cabrera currently leads all AL shortstops in OBP, SLG, and OPS and is second in home runs (to J.J. Hardy who has no chance of making the team),  RBI (to Mike Aviles who has little chance of making the team), and doubles (also to Aviles). The leading vote getter has managed a .305 batting average (top for all AL shortstops) mostly by hitting singles. Jeter has 92 hits, but only 19 of them have been for extra bases compared to Cabrera with 72 hits, 27 beings for extra bases. Playing in the powerful Yankee lineup has allowed Jeter to rack up some impressive run totals as well, but Asdrubal has played a much more important role on his team in the number two and three spots in the lineup. In total production Asdrubal leads as well with 60 runs created (R + RBI - HR) to Jeter's 58. Another player that has not been mentioned, but is also deserving of a spot (and more deserving than Jeter) is the Rangers Elvis Andrus. Andrus leads the group in runs scored, triples and steals and is tied with Asdrubal in doubles. He leads all short stops in runs created with 72.

Vinnie Pestano

Slightly more deserving, but less likely to make the team is Vinnie Pestano. Pestano leads the majors in holds and has the third best ERA (1.86) and second best WHIP (1.00) among the American Leagues top ten set-up men. Of course fans cannot vote for pitchers, so he will have to be chosen by the American League players and coaches, but they do tend to pick one or two set up men per season. Currently he is pitching better than all but about four closers (one of which I will write about later) so he definitely has an outside chance at the team. With a current K/9 of 10.86 there are no other late inning relievers in Pestano's class.

Jason Kipnis

This is one match-up where the Yankees have a little bit of an argument. Currently Ian Kinsler (Texas) leads Robinson Cano in the voting at second base even though Cano is above Kinsler in almost every statistical category. Both players are almost 2 million votes ahead of Kipnis however and he is just as deserving as either. Kipnis currently leads all AL second basemen in steals (4 more than Kinsler and has been caught 4 less times), and RBI. He is second in home runs (to Cano), triples (to Jemile Weeks) and is third in runs scored behind both Kinsler and Cano. Kipnis has been the driving force behind the Indians offense all season long. His low batting average (.276) may keep some voters away, but it really shows what he has been able to do with the hits he has gotten. Kipnis has also been amazing with the glove this season and he leads all the All-Star candidates with a .991 fielding percentage (just 3 errors in 329 total chances. A solid second baseman is a key succeeding with to the way the Indians have their starting rotation set-up and Kipnis has been more than spectacular. Kipnis has a fairly good chance at making the All-Star team as a reserve or being on the final vote ballot that will be announced after the teams are decided.

Chris Perez

 One of the closers who could be considered better than Pestano is the Indians own Chris Perez. Perez made the All-Star team last year and pitched a single inning, allowing one hit and recording a strike out. Perez currently leads the world in saves and is only 13 shy of his total for all of last year. He has also dropped his ERA from last season almost a full run (to 2.54) and has only blown one save, his first attempt of the season. This gives him a streak of 23 straight saves. His WHIP has also improved this year and is even slightly better than Pestano at 0.99. Both he and Pestano are the absolute best at what they do right now. If the Indians only get one All-Star this year, it will be Chris Perez.

The Indians come out of the final series in Interleague play with a series loss to Houston, pushing them back to second place in the AL Central. The Indians struggles against left-handers have been largely to blame for the last few losses and without the addition of a right handed bat (or a lefty who can hit other left handers) they will likely continue. Since Mark Shapiro has stated that Manny Ramirez is not an option and the Indians have given up on Matt LaPorta they will likely have to find someone through trade. 

The Indians will be traveling to New York for the next three games and Indians fans need to prepare for a few things. The rules change a little when you enter the Big Apple, especially against the Yankees. First, Derek Jeter cannot make an error. Any ball hit to him, no matter how badly he botches it will be called a hit. The corollary to this rule is that everything Jeter hits will be considered a hit. Even if an outfielder drops an easy pop fly it will be considered a double. Second rule change is that all close plays go for the Yankees. When the Yanks are on offense just assume that first base extends towards home about five feet. Part of this rule is that any Yankee hit within 5 feet of the foul line counts as fair and the opposite is true for the opposing team (just ask Joe Mauer). Rule three: swing at everything because every pitch a Yankee pitcher throws will be a strike and every pitch against them is a ball. Keeping these few simple rules in mind will make watching this series much less frustrating for Indians fans.

June 25th, 7:05 PM EDT: Josh Tomlin, RHP, 3-4, 5.12 ERA vs Hiroki Kuroda, RHP, 6-7, 3.57 ERA

Josh Tomlin pitched well during his last outing, winning one of the games in the three game sweep of the Reds. Tomlin only allowed a single earned run and 8 baserunners during 6.2 innings. He and Justin Masterson are the perfect type of pitcher to throw against the Yankees at their home field as they are sinker ball specialists and should be able to keep the Yankees in the park.

Hiroki Kuroda throws with his right hand. The Indians have proven that this is the only thing that matters in a pitcher. Velocity is unimportant as is control or movement. The Indians are now 32-19 against right handers and 5-15 against lefties. There doesn't seem to be much reason to dig any deeper with splits like that.

June 26th, 7:05 PM EDT: Justin Masterson, RHP, 4-6, 3.98 ERA vs Phil Hughes, RHP, 7-6, 4.94 ERA

Only R.A. Dickey could match Justin Masterson's last three starts as he 23 innings and only allowed a single earned run. He also struck out 24 and only walked three. The single run came off a home run. The Indians ace has earned that moniker of late and will look to continue his success against New York. New Yankee Stadium is a band box and Justin will need to keep the ball on the ground against the powerful Yankees to continue his good stretch.

Phil Hughes is pretty much just a waste of a human being. He was touched up for six runs against Atlanta his last time out and has allowed 6 or more runs in four starts already this year. Hughes is pretty much the only prospect turned pro left from the 2009 championship Yankees as they have managed to disperse almost their entire minor league system throughout the rest of the league through blockbuster trades. This has filled the Yankees rotation with aging veterans, never-will-bes and one fat over paid former Indian.

June 27th, 1:05 PM EDT: Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 7-5, 4.95 vs Andy Pettite, LHP, 3-3, 3.92 ERA

Ubaldo Jimenez has been fantastic in June and if he can continue his improvements he could possibly make the Indians not regret the trade for him. Already this month he has lowered his ERA a full run per 9 innings. Jimenez has only walked 7 batters this month after 42 in the first two months and has had his three best strikeout totals this season in his last three games. 

Ubaldo will be going up against Roger Clemens' steroid spotter, Andy Pettite's zombie. The only things that can explain Pettitte's resurgence in his 17th season after taking a year off are HGH and his diet of unborn fetuses. Hopefully at some point during this game his arm will fall off and be reattached like Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Player of the Game

Accounting for the only run today, Jose Lopez walks away with today's Player of the Game. In the 2nd inning, Lopez led off the inning with a double. He advanced to 3rd on a ground out by Michael Brantley and came around to score on a wild pitch with Shelley Duncan batting. His score of 1.23 gives him 5 PoG awards on the year.

Feathers Up

Derek Lowe placed a perfect bunt in the 5th inning, giving him a single and advancing the runner, Casey Kotchman. Though Interleague Play is not favorable for American League teams in National League parks, Indians pitchers have managed to get several hits this year.

Lowe kept the game within striking distance in his outing today. Similar to Jeanmar Gomez yesterday, Lowe retired the first 11 Houston batters. Lowe only gave up 3 runs in 6.2 innings in his loss today.

Feathers Down

In the 8th inning, Nick Hagadone pitched 2 outs and Esmil Rogers pitched one out. Each pitcher gave up a home run and the Astros lead was increased to 6 runs by the end of the inning. Prior to the inning, the Indians only trailed by 2.

The Indians offense only managed to get one run on 5 hits today. Hopefully Travis Hafner will return soon to add power to this line up and jump start the offense.

This was supposed to be an easy series for the Indians as they faced a losing Astros team. The Indians continue to struggle against left-handed pitching, which is the main thing that hurt them in this series.

Play of the Game

With a tie game and one out in the 5th, a relay of Shelley Duncan to Asdrubal Cabrera to Jose Lopez at third base gunned down Jordan Schafer, who was trying to stretch a double into a triple.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - Houston Astros 7

Player of The Game

The lonely run the Indians scored today was credited to Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera hit a solo home run in the 4th inning, which gave the Indians the early lead. His 9th home run of the year gave him a score of 2.92, winning him his 5th Player of the Game of the season.

Feathers Up

Tony Sipp came though in relief today after Gomez fell apart. Sipp pitched 1.1 perfect innings with 2 strike outs.

Feathers Down

Jeanmar Gomez was perfect through the first 4 innings of the game, but he fell apart in the 5th inning. He started the inning giving up back-to-back doubles, recorded an out, then gave up back-to-back home runs. Going into the bottom of the 5th, the Indians had a 1-0 lead. Houston tacked on 4 runs in the 5th, giving the Indians a 4-1 disadvantage.

Jeremy Accardo struggled in his relief appearance today. He pitched just one inning, but managed to give up 3 runs on 4 extra base hits.

The Tribe offense lacked once again today. The have only managed to score 3 runs in the last 2 games after putting 8 on the board on Wednesday. The Indians are lacking a clean-up hitter and the only positive spot in the middle of the line up has been Michael Brantley, who has hit in 6 straight games since snapping his hitting streak.

Play of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera hits a solo home run, giving the Indians their only run today.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - Houston Astros 8

Roster Update: Beau Mills was traded for cash (also known as sold) to the Cincinnati Reds just after the Reds left town. As far as I know the Tribe isn't particularly strapped for cash, so I'm assuming the reason they made this room was to clear up the gluttany of great firstbasemen in the Minor League system. Why else would the Indians get rid of a first round draft pick right when he was just about ready to make the jump to the Majors. It must have been to make sure there was room on the roster in Columbus for Matt LaPorta.

Player of the Game

Ubaldo Jimenez was very impressive in Houston as he took home his 4th Player of the Game award of the season. Jimenez pitched 6.2 innings and struck out 8 while only allowing 4 hits. Ubaldo did strike out twice while he was at the plate, but it didn't matter as he was able to keep the Astros from scoring all night. This was the third game in a row the award was won by the starting pitcher.

Feathers Up

It took him awhile, but Ubaldo Jimenez found his strike out pitch and didn't lose it again. After not striking out a batter through the first two innings, he struck out 8 over the next 4.2 innings. Ubaldo also walked two batters during the first inning and was able to get back in control and only walk two more during the rest of the game. Jimenez has been fairly decent in three of his last four games.

Playing in the Central Time Zone has it's advantages. Before the Indians game was over both the White Sox and Tigers finals were in and with a Tribe win the Indians move to 1.5 games ahead of Chicago and 3.5 games ahead of Detroit. The win brings the Indians current streak to four games.

Feathers Down

National League rules brought about the end of a beautiful pitching match up as the Astros pinch hit for Lucas Harrell in the 7th inning, even though he had only allowed two hits. I can't comprehend someone who would rather see an inferior pitcher come in for the starter and an inferior hitter (the pitcher) bat during the entire game. Ubaldo Jimenez was also removed while still throwing a shutout, but that probably had more to do with a lack of trust from management rather than the double switch that occurred when he was removed.

Play of the Game

Shin-Soo Choo lead off the game with a triple hit the foul line on the left field wall. He later scored the only run that crossed the plate during the first 8 innings.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Houston Astros 0

The first place Indians look to stay in first place as they go down south to play the Houston Astros. With a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, the Tribe managed to maintain a half game lead over the White Sox. It's been a decade since the Indians have played the Astros due to the uneven numbers in the National League Central, but the two teams will be playing each other much more often starting next season as the Astros will be moving the the AL West. Currently the Astros sit at second to last in the NL Central and are the fourth worst team in the Major Leagues. If the Indians can get past the Astros secret weapon (two left handed starters the Indians have never faced) they should be able to win this series and maintain their lead in the AL Central.

Injury Updates: Travis Hafner is hitting and running (pretty much the only things he needs to be able to do) and could possibly return for the series in Baltimore at the end of the month. Grady Sizemore, Rafael Perez and Carlos Carrasco all made significant strides in their rehab work over the past week and remain on schedule. Sizemore and Perez should be back sometime in July and Carrasco could possibly return in late September from Tommy John surgery (more likely he will wait until next Spring Training, but it is good to hear he is throwing again.)

June 22st, 8:05 PM EDT: Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 6-5, 5.00 ERA vs Lucas Harrell, RHP, 6-5, 5.07 ERA

Both starting pitchers seem to be almost equivalent this season with identical win-loss records and ERAs that are close as well, but there is one difference. Ubaldo's last three starts have been some of his best work on the season (he lowered his ERA 0.79 points over the three starts) while Harrell has had the exact opposite reality. Over his last four starts, Lucas has increased his ERA from 3.72 to it's current 5.07 as he threw his three worst starts of the season within four games. Two of these starts came against American League powerhouses, Texas and Chicago during interleague play. With the Indians bats heating up over the last series they look to continue their success against the struggling right hander. 

June 23nd, 4:05 PM EDT: Jeanmar Gomez, RHP, 4-6, 4.95 ERA  vs Dallas Kuechel, LHP, 0-0, 1.80 ERA

If there is one pitcher in danger of losing his spot in the rotation it is Gomez. With so many starters banging on the door down in AAA (Zach McAllister, recent pick-up Chris Schwinden and even recent call-up Scott Barnes are all options), Jeanmar will have to really pick up his game against one of the worst offenses in the Majors. Even though he was hurt by errors last game, he still gave up 4 earned runs (8 total) and has given up 22 runs in his last 5 starts for an ERA of 7.92 in 25 innings. During this span he only struck out 9 batters as well. While he was lights out at the beginning of the season, a player with options often has to deal with a lot of "what have you done for me lately."

Kuechel pitched well in his MLB debut against interleague rival Texas. He threw an impressive 5 innings, only allowing a single run and 4 hits. If there was a weakness to his game, he walked 4 batters and only struck out two. This could be a positive sign for the Tribe as they generally excel against pitchers with control issues. If they can get past the point that he is a left hander and be patient, they should be able to compete in this game.

June 24, 2:05 PM EDT: Derek Lowe, RHP, 7-5, 4.30 ERA vs J.A. Happ, LHP, 5-7, 5.15 ERA

The Indians could possibly strike out more than 10 times in this game and still win. While James Anthony is a left hander that averages a strikeout an inning, he also allows more than a hit per inning (WHIP of 1.54). The Indians do have a few hitters that can play well against lefties (Asdrubal Cabrera, Michael Brantley and a few others) and it should be enough to carry the team if Lowe pitches well. The Indians did just mount a comeback against flame-throwing, left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman. A big part of that game was Shin-Soo Choo, who has increased his batting average against lefties by 54 points since June 4th.

Player of the Game

Justin Masterson pitched his best game of the season by far as he easily beat out Johnny Damon for Player of the Game. Masterson pitched a complete game and didn't allow a single earned run. He struck out 9 and earned the win for a score of 11.57 (the highest score by any Indians player in 2012). This is his third consecutive award.

Feathers Up

Masterson was something special tonight as he flirted with history allowing only one hit before the 7th inning. When the game was over he had only allowed 5 total base runners, two of which were eliminated on the bases (one caught stealing, one double play). Masterson hit a batter, allowed two singles a double and one runner safe on an error as the only runners for the game. He struck out 9 batters including all three in the 9th inning, tying his last start and was just one strike out below his season high.

Turnabout is fair play as the Indians made up for the Reds sweep over the Indians last week by sweeping Cincinnati this time at home. This splits the season series between the two teams and will leave the Ohio Cup in a tie for 2012.

Lonnie Chisenhall continued his hot hitting with a two out three run double to give the Indians an 8 run lead in the 7th. This came after a generous call by the second base ump when an error was awarded to Joey Votto for forgetting how many outs there were. This made all the runs that inning unearned.

Milestone Alert: Shin-Soo Choo now ranks 50th all time as a Cleveland Indian with 142 doubles.

Feathers Down

Asdrubal Cabrera turned an easy play into an error that ended up leading to the Reds only run. This unearned run was the only blemish in Justin Masterson's great start.

Play of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera hit his second home run in as many days with this 3 run jack to give the Indians a 5 run lead.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 8 - Cincinnati Reds 1

The first place Indians remain in first place with a win.

Player of the Game

Josh Tomlin pitched very effectively tonight. He recovered nicely from his bad outing against the Reds last week. Tomlin pitched 6.2 innings and gave up just one run on 6 hits. The only thing that really hurt him was a wild pitch in the 1st inning that eventually led to the only run he allowed. Tomlin's outing tonight won him his 3rd Player of the Game of the season with a score of 4.46. Asdrubal Cabrera was a close 2nd with a score of 4.36 after his walk-ff home run.

Feathers Up

The bottom part of the line up continues to produce, especially Casey Kotchman. Kotchman had 2 hits tonight and drove in the Indians first run. He has now hit in 5 straight games.

Today's game was a complete turn around from yesterday's slug-fest. Both starting pitchers today's minimized hits and base runners. Josh Tomlin and Mike Leake both pitched into the 7th inning, allowing just one run each.

Esmil Rogers came in for Tomlin in the 7th inning with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Rogers faced Devin Mesoraco, and after 9 pitches and many foul balls, Rogers got the strike out to get out of the inning.

The defense had several great plays tonight. Michael Brantley, Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Kipnis, Casey Kotchman, and Joe Smith each had plays that are worth seeing again.

With the win tonight and the White Sox loss, the Indians are now back on top of the Central Division.

Milestone Alert: With his walk-off home run in the 10th inning, Asdrubal Cabrera now has 50 home runs as a Cleveland Indian. With the win tonight, Manny Acta is now tied with Joe Gordon in 19th place for wins as an Indians manager.

Feathers Down

The Reds scored both of their runs tonight as a result of wild pitches. Indians pitchers could have easily pitched a shut out if it weren't for the 3 wild pitches, one by Josh Tomlin and 2 by Nick Hagadone.

Play of the Game

After a the lead off hitter reaches in the 8th inning, Casey Kotchman makes a nice catch in foul territory.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 - Cincinnati Reds 2

Player of the Game

Lonnie Chisenhall was fantastic today, posting what was probably his best game of his career. He scored 7.54 points with a single, triple and home run along with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Chisenhall also fielded his position well as he handled many attempts without any issues at all. The only drawback from his game was a caught stealing after he hit his single.

Feathers Up

The Indians scored some runs tonight with actual hits instead of ground outs and then they did it some more. Shin-Soo Choo and Lonnie Chisenhall each had multiple RBI hits and Casey Kotchman had one as well. When all was said and done, the Tribe offense put up more runs tonight against Cincinnati than they did during the entire series against Pittsburgh.

Lonnie Chisenhall was a double away from the cycle and was on top of the ball all night as he looked better than he has all season. He hadn't knocked in a run since he hit his second home run of the season in his 4th game played. 

Milestone Alert: Johnny Damon currently sits alone at 35th in at bats in Major League history with 9,650.

Feathers Down

The Indians 2-4 hitters went 1-11 tonight with one walk being their only other contribution. This actually isn't that bad of a note since Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis (#2 and #3) have been playing extremely well all season (as can be seen by their rankings in voting for the All-Star Game). The fact that the Indians were able to score double digits without those two players is extremely impressive.

It was another day to forget for Derek Lowe and the good thing for him is that people probably will. Lowe allowed 7 runs on 11 hits through just 5 innings and has now severely struggled in 3 of his last 5 starts. Unlike some of his other problem starts, however, today he was leaving balls up in the strike zone and allowing very solid contact. It may be time to thank Derek for his amazing job during the first half of the season and start looking towards getting Zach McAllister ready for the stretch.

Play of the Game

Chris Perez struck out Ryan Ludwick looking to end the game with the tying run on base.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 10 - Cincinnati Reds 9