Player of the Game

Michael Brantley win his first Player of the Game of the season, with a score of 5.35. Brantley was a key to the offense today, with a single, a double, 3 RBI, and a run scored. The second place candidate for player of the game followed Brantley in the line-up today. Casey Kotchman contended with a score of 4.85, consisting of a double, a run, and 3 RBI. With the bottom of this line-up producing, the 1st place Indians are nearly unstoppable.

Feathers Up

The Indians started their offensive tear in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Travis Hafner led off the inning with a no-doubt-about-it, solo bomb over the right field wall. Philip Humber faced 8 Indians batters in the 2nd, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits.

The productive offense continued in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Indians hitters knocked Humber out of the game after just 2.1 innings pitched. The 3rd inning included a bases loaded double by Michael Brantley, scoring Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana, and another 2-run double by Casey Kotchman, scoring Shin-Soo Choo and Michael Brantley. The Indians batted around in the 3rd, scoring 5 runs on 4 hits, and walking 3 times.

Travis Hafner showed off his speed today when he legged out a triple off the center field wall.

Zach McAllister had a great outing today. McAllister only gave up 2 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. The White Sox were only able to get 6 hits off of him and they struck out 5 times. McAllister had great control, only walking one batter.

Feathers Down

Two of the White Sox runs were unearned. Zack McAllister had a throwing error on a pick-off attempt to second base and Carlos Santana had a throwing error while trying to gun down a base stealer. The Indians defense has been solid all season, and luckily, these unearned runs did not lose the game for the Indians.

Reliever Jairo Asencio pitched 2 solid innings in the 7th and the 8th, facing the minimum 6 batters. However, he came back out in the 9th and gave up 2 runs without recording a single out. He probably should not have pitched the 9 inning at all, but nonetheless, this allowed Nick Hagadone to come in for the save.

Play of the Game

Travis Hafner kick starts the Indians offense with a home run in the 2nd inning

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 8 - Chicago White Sox 6

To be the best, you have to beat the best. This means that the Indians are officially the best team in the American League coming out of a series win against the Texas Rangers. The Tribe have won three series in a row against the Rangers, White Sox and Angels and go into the next series with the White Sox looking to maintain their division lead (1.5 games over Detroit).

This will be the third time already this season that these two teams have gotten together, so there is already a lot of familiarity. There will be a couple new faces this time around however as each team will add a new starting pitcher to the roster for the double header. In other White Sox news, the front office decided they no longer like winning, so they have pushed Chris Sale back into the bullpen, effective for game one of this series. He had some minor elbow issues and rather than wait it out, give him more time off between starts or put him on a pitch count that they would limit him to one inning a game.

May 7th, 1:05 EST: Philip Humber, RHP, 1-1. 4.62 ERA vs Zach McAllister, RHP, 3-1, 2.83 ERA (AAA stats)

Phil Humber went six innings against the Tribe last week and allowed three runs in a game the Indians eventually won. It was literally his last start so everyone should remember it fairly well still. You read what I wrote about him the last time if you care so much about Humby. 

Everyone should remember Zach McAllister as the star rookie from 2011 who filled in time-after-time as pitchers hit the DL. He has been solid so far this year at AAA Columbus going 35 innings and only allowing 11 runs. Even more impressive for him are the 32 strike outs. His numbers shouldn't carry all that much weight, however, as he is basically a Major League player playing in AAA, much like the rest of the Clippers team. McAllister will likely be the first pitcher to get called up anytime a situation like this happens again this year. 

May 7th, 7:05 EST: Eric Stults, LHP, 1-1, 2.20 ERA (AAA stats) vs Josh Tomlin, RHP, 1-2, 5.27 ERA

Game two of the double header (making up for the postponed game on 4/10) will feature the White Sox throwing out a new starting pitcher. Stults played some for the Rockies in 2011 and came to the White Sox via free agency. He has thrown 28.1 innings for AAA Charlotte, striking out 26 and only allowing 7 runs. It will be his first game against the Indians.

Tomlin will be making his 6th start of the season and it comes after his second best outing so far this year. Against the White Sox he was able to go 6 innings  and only allow three runs (he and Humber had almost identical performances in the same game). Tomlin needs to continue to work on increasing his innings this time out. He isn't throwing too many pitches (he is averaging less than 90 pitches per game), but is placing himself into situations that Manny Acta doesn't believe he can get out of. Even though Josh has only walked 5 batters all season, he has allowed 31 hits that have completely negated the positives earned by his control. He is on the right path though and with the defense playing at a whole new level during the last season, he should find some success in this game.

May 8th, 7:05 EST: John Danks, LHP, 2-4, 6.51 ERA vs Justin Masterson, RHP, 1-2, 5.20 ERA

Again? Really? Danks got his first win of the season pitching against Justin Masterson during the first White Sox/Indians series and Masterson got his first win during the second matchup. This game will feature the third time each team's ace will face the other. Round three, begin.

May 9th, 7:05 EST: Jake Peavy, RHP, 3-1, 1.99 ERA vs Jeanmar Gomez, RHP, 2-1, 2.84 ERA

Finally some new blood. The Indians have yet to face the former NL Cy Young Award winner in 2012 and the righty seems to be having a bit of a rennasaince. After a few off seasons with Chicago, Peavy has managed to keep his ERA under 4.50 for the first six starts of the season. He had an ERA below 3.00 in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 so everyone knows what he is capable of. If he does mount a superb comeback year, it may give hope to the Indians own Ubaldo Jimenez for 2014.

Jeanmar Gomez is something special and he showed it last time out, going 7 innings against the best offense in the American League and winning. He maintains an ERA below 3.00 and a WHIP below 1.00 for the time being as he shows what Josh Tomlin could be doing if he had a little better luck.

Player of the Game

In today's battle of the Yu's (U's) pitching match-up, the underdog U came out on top. Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez pitched 7 shut out inning of baseball, striking out 6 Rangers hitters. In those 7 innings, Jimenez only allowed 2 hits, a single and a double. Ubaldo's Player of the Game score of 8.42 is the second highest score of any player this year.

Feathers Up

Doesn't anyone ever listen to Rick Manning? If the sun is out, you need to be wearing sunglasses! In today's case, lack of sunglasses helped the Indians as Johnny Damon got credited with a single that Texas second baseman Ian Kinsler lost in the sun. This was the beginning of the Indians 3-run 3rd inning. After the single, Yu Darvish walked Jason Kipnis, and Asdrubal Cabrera doubled both runners in. Shin-Soo Choo would later single, scoring Cabrera after a throwing error by Elvis Andrus.

The Indians showed patience at the plate today, forcing Yu Darvish out after six innings. Indians hitters were taking Yu deep into counts, and walking a total of 5 times, 4 of those against, well, Yu know.

Jason Kipnis continued his 10-game hit streak today with a solo home run off Darvish. Kipnis now has 5 home runs on the year and a batting average of .300.

Vinny Pestano donimated once again. He relieved Tony Sipp in the 8th inning after Sipp had given up 2 runs. Pestano came in, lights out, and stuck out the only batter he saw that inning. Pestano has yet to let an inherited runner score this year.

Before today's game, did Yu think that the Indians would give Darvish his first loss in the Majors?

The Indians continue to play atop the AL Central division, after taking 2 of 3 from the Rangers this weekend. The Indians play a double header tomorrow against the 3rd Place White Sox.

Feathers Down

Indians batters struck out 13 times today, 11 of those against, Yu guessed it, Yu Darvish.

Play of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera hits a two-run double off of Yu.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Texas Rangers 2

Player of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera was the Indians star player today as he contributed not only on defense, but also with 4 hits and an RBI on offense. His efforts earned him today's Player of the Game with a score of 3.16. Joe Smith took the loss as he allowed a 3 run home run to Adrien Beltre in the 11th. His score of -3.65 was his worst of the season.

Feathers Up

Even though chances were few and far between, the Indians were able to score enough to keep with the Rangers. On just three hits, the Indians scored two runs in the 8th to tie the game. Asdrubal Cabrera doubled in Michael Brantley after which Jason Kipnis scored on a passed ball.

Nick Hagadone had another excellent outing as he threw two innings of shut out baseball, striking out one and only allowing a single hit.

Feathers Down

It makes you miss Kelly Shoppach, doesn't it? Why do back up catchers get delusions of grandior? There is room on any baseball team for a player who is willing to play a couple times a week and bat .280.

Indians pitchers have averaged 9.4 innings a game. This is from a combination of playing extra innings and winning road games that has lead the Indians to be the most overworked staff in the Majors. Relief will come Monday at the latest as Zach McAllister will be recalled to pitch one of the two games against Chicago.

Play of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera turned a double play by tagging out the runner going to third, then throwing to first.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Texas Rangers 5

Player of the Game

Shin-Soo Choo won his first Player of the Game this year as he hit his first home run of the season. His score of 4.28 came mostly from his 2 run home run that showed that Colby Lewis is not unhittable. With another positive outing, Jeanmar Gomez now has a streak of 5 straight positive games (more importantly every game he's played in this year). He is the only player on the team without a negative game this year. Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo are each tied for the longest positive streak at 8 games, both of which happened earlier in the season.

Feathers Up

The Tribe put out an impressve offensive performance against Texas ace Colby Lewis. Before today he had not given up 2 runs in a single game and the Indians were able to put up 6 against him. Jeanmar Gomez was also impressive as he lasted one more out than Lewis and allowed 3 less runs.

Johnny Damon hit a triple to knock Lewis from the game and bring in his first 2 RBI as a Cleveland Indian. He had been retired in each of his first three at bats, but was able to take a breaking ball deep to centerfield in his 4th.

After all that melodramatic stuff in the series preview, it turned out to be just a regular baseball game. Plus the Indians won. Expect more doom and gloom in the series previews.

Feathers Down

It took a really long time for the umpires to review Jack Hannahan's triple turned home run. It only took Matt Underwood about 5 seconds to see what really happened, it shouldn't have taken more than 5 minutes to figure it out, but itdid.

Play of the Game

Shin-Soo Choo hit his first home run of the season to give the Tribe a 2 run lead.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Texas Rangers 3

The Indians series win against the White Sox in Chicago ensured their continued hold over first place in the AL Central. The Tribe are currently 1.5 games ahead of Detroit and 2 games above the Chi Sox. Cleveland will need that two game lead as they head into a series with the team with the second best record in the Majors, the Texas Rangers. The Indians have struggled mightily with the Rangers over the last few years, losing 9 of their 10 matchups in 2011 and four of six in 2010. They may have some trouble reversing history as a few important Indians are still battling injuries (Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Hafner and Johnny Damon). On the other hand, the Tribe bullpen is in top shape and the pitching matchups look favorable so the Indians are in their best position to hold back the potent Rangers offense.

May 4th, 7:05 EST: Colby Lewis, RHP, 3-0, 1.93 ERA vs Jeanmar Gomez, 1-1, 2.35 ERA

Jeanmar Gomez will have to be just about perfect in this matchup to beat the Texas ace. Lewis has yet to give up more than 2 runs in a game and has pitched into the 7th in three of five starts. The best chance for the Indians to win is probably the same way the Mariners beat the Rangers last week against Lewis. In the only game the Rangers have lost that Lewis started, the M's scored four runs against set up man Alexi Ogando and Joe Nathan after being shut out by Lewis. The Indians have an equal if not better back end of the bullpen, so as long as they don't need to go deeper than Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, there is a chance here.

May 5th, 7:05 EST: Derek Holland, LHP, 2-2, 5.13 ERA vs Derek Lowe, 4-1, 2.27 ERA

In the battle of Dereks the Indians will have their best chance to steal a game out of this three game series. Lowe has been incredibly dependable so far this season, much better than anyone expected when he signed with the team late last year. Holland, however, seems to have regressed a bit in his last two starts. Combined he has allowed 18 hits and 12 runs in 13 innings. He also recorded losses in both games after winning two of his first three. If the Indians can't put up some offensive numbers in this game it could be a very short and depressing series.

May 6th, 1:05 EST: Yu Darvish, RHP, 4-0, 2.18 ERA vs Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 2-2, 5.02 ERA

I had the pleasure of watching Yu Darvish pitch in his second Spring Training start this year and the numbers he has produced in the regular season bear no relation to the pitcher I saw. At the time he was a wild mess, going deep into counts with every hitter and allowing anybody who wanted to to get on base. Since struggling in his first Major League start, Darvish has not allowed more than a single earned run in any one game and he struck out 19 in his last two games combined. He certainly seems to be pitching like the pitcher the Rangers paid over $100 million for.

Ubaldo was aided by three unearned runs in his last start, to make him look better than he was. He still gave up 7 total runs and was pulled out of the game before the end of the 5th inning, continuing a trend of Indians starting pitchers throwing fewer innings each game. I have so little confidence in Ubaldo against the Rangers that the rest of this post will be about Nick Hagadone, who could possibly throw as many as three innings in this game. Hagadone may be technically replacing Rafael Perez in the bullpen, but his left handedness does not make him a situational pitcher. Hagadone is the real deal against any type of hitter. So far this year he has faced an equal amount of lefties and righties and has allowed exactly one hit to each. He did walk a lefty and has struck out one more righty (3 RH, 2 LH), but the small sample size makes it hard to judge. Just wait and see how he plays against Texas in this series. He should show that he is something special.

AAA Roster Moves: Ryan Spilborghs was traded to the Rangers for cash just before the start of this series.

The puns will by a flying when Yu Darvish makes his debut in Cleveland.

(Picture of Yu Darvish throwing against Michael Brantley at Goodyear Ballpark)

Player of the Game

Jason Kipnis dominated in today's win. Kipnis went 2-3 with a walk. His two hits included an RBI triple in the 3rd inning, scoring Johnny Damon's first run as an Indian. In the 7th inning, Kipnis lined a 3-run home run over the right field wall. Kipnis scored 2 runs today and knocked in 4. His effort today amounted for the highest Player of the Game score of the year, with a 8.91.

Feathers Up

Johnny Damon received hit first hit as an Indian, with a lead off double in the 3rd inning. He scored on the Jason Kipnis triple.

Justin Masterson received his first win of the season today. Masterson pitched 6.1 innings, giving up 8 hits, 7 of which were singles. He gave up 3 earned runs, walked 3, and struck out 6.

The Indians are starting to get their power swings back with 2 home runs tonight, one by Jason Kipnis, and the other by Asdrubal Cabrera.

Manny Acta decided he wanted Chris Perez to get a save tonight, so he put Dan Wheeler in the game in the bottom of the 9th so the game would be close enough for Perez to get the save.

Feathers Down

The 4-5-6 hitters, Carlos Santana, Shelley Duncan, and Shin-Soo Choo combined for 0-11 today, with 2 strike outs and a walk. This isn't that big of a deal, seeing the Indians scored 7 runs today and there will be different players batting in those positions tomorrow.

Travis Hafner was sidelined in today's game wuth a sore right knee after getting hit by in last night's game.

Play of the Game

Jason Kipnis extends the lead for the Indians with a 3-run home run.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 5 - Cleveland Indians 7

Player of the Game

Carlos Santana did a little bit of everything tonight, earning him the Player of the Game. His 3 run home run gave the Indians the lead and he added a hit and a walk to his stat line as well. Santana also threw out a runner attempting to steal and stole a base himself after his single. While stealing second, a terrible throw by A.J. Pierzynski allowed Santana to take third as well. Travis Hafner's 2 run home run and single put him in second place with a score of 5.40, while Santana scored a 6.58.

Feathers Up

Matt LaPorta is third in the league in batting average with a .386 clip. Lonnie Chisenhall is also tearing the cover off the ball with a .326/.351/.562 line. Combined they have hit 13 home runs and knocked in 30. They also have 15 combined doubles and 32 runs scored. It isn't even fair. It's like these guys should be in a whole different league.

The Indians win and gain sole possession of first place to begin May. Chris Perez's save pushes him into a tie for the league lead in saves as well.

Feathers Down

Casey Kotchman is currently hitting .143, worst in the league by 7 points. He and Aaron Cunningham combined have a total of 4 extra base hits and 6 RBI. These guys are totally outmatched. It's almost like these guys should be in a totally different league.

Johnny Damon left the game in the bottom of the 6th with PMS. Trainers say he should have stayed in Goodyear until the end of his cycle.

It's hard to get a chances with 5 runners in scoring position in a single game, but Shin-Soo Choo not only had those chances, he managed to go 0-4 during the game, stranding all 5 runners. He wasn't the only Indians hitter to with a RISPLOB tonight, Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana, Travis Hafner and Shelley Duncan had them as well, but he was the most prodigious.

Play of the Game

Carlos Santana hit a three run home run to give the Indians a 2 run lead in the top of the 5th.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Chicago White Sox 3

Player of the Game

In what could be his last game as a starter, Shelley Duncan went 2-3 with a double, home run and walk to win tonight's Player of the Game. He earned a total score of 4.68, aided by his two runs scored and the RBI from the home run. It was his highest score since April 15th and the first Indians home run in over a week. With a -4.45, Asdrubal Cabrera had a game to forget about. He went 0-4 without hitting a ball out of the infield and had an error that lead to three unearned runs.

Feathers Up

The removal of Jose Lopez from the roster rather than Aaron Cunningham will allow the Indians to platoon Shelley Duncan and Casey Kotchman at first, with Johnny Damon splitting time with Duncan and Cunningham in left. This will allow the Indians to keep Duncan's powerful bat in the lineup on a daily basis and avoid having Kotchman's.

I rarely have as mixed feelings about a player as I do about Jairo Asencio. He started the season by losing the opening game, but only after pitching two good innings. Since then he's had three good appearances followed by a bad one, then two more average appearances followed by an absolutely terrible inning where he gave up 4 hits and 4 runs. Asencio pitched well again today, but it's impossible to get a feeling on him, whether he will be lights out or get his lights knocked out.

Feathers Down

There must be things that Manny Acta cares more about than winning, otherwise he wouldn't play the back up catcher the day after an off day and move the number 2 hitter down to 7th so the utility infielder could hit second.

Shin-Soo Choo did not make his return tonight as promised. The Indians are claiming that he will be ready to start tomorrow night. Johnny Damon was also left out of the lineup, although he was available to play.

Ubaldo Jimenez still can't throw strikes. He was removed before the end of the fifth inning as he had already thrown over 100 pitches and walked 6 batters.

With bases loaded in the 9th and two outs, Manny Acta showed that he had already given up as he let Lou Marson, who hasn't had a hit in two weeks, bat instead of pinch hitting either Choo, Damon or Jack Hannahan (the team leader in RBI). Somebody should tell Manny that his goal should be to win games, not to play little league coach and make sure everybody gets their playing time.

Play of the Game

In the 7th, Alexis Rios hit a shallow pop to second base where the Indians catcher, Carlos Santana misjudged it, allowing it to fall for an error. This is the play of the game because it exemplifies this game as good as any other. Why was Carlos Santana trying to catch a ball at second? Why did Alexis change his name to Alex? Who is John Galt?

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Chicago White Sox 7

This is a new segment that may be recurring on a monthly basis. Basically I will be ranking the Indians players by importance to the team with notes to whether they are exceeding expectations, meeting them or falling behind. I will also include their most important stat and why it is so.

Travis Hafner Above

.450 OBP: Although his batting average has dropped a little over the last week (.295), Pronk is still second in the AL in OBP. His excellence in this, the all-mightiest of basic stats, makes him top offensive player on the team.

Derek Lowe Above

4 Wins: Lowe's greatest ability is that he can keep a team in the game. The Indians have rewarded his ability by giving him a league leading 4 wins through April. Lowe has certainly been the best surprise on the Indians so far this year.

Jason Kipnis Even

20 Games Played: Kipnis hasn't been the best offensive player statistically, but by being solid defensively and on the base-paths, he has become a steady point for this team to base itself around. He has played every game this season for the Indians at second base.

Jack Hannahan Above

14 RBI: Hannahan has been Mr. Clutch this year, knocking in the most runs on the team and doing so from the bottom half of the lineup. This is probably because the Indians lead off hitters don't get on base as much as their middle of the lineup hitters, but I'll try not to take all the credit away from Jack.

Jeanmar Gomez Above

.161 BAA: There isn't one stat you can use to describe Jeanmar's performance this year as they are all fantastic. He has done exactly what was asked of him, from the bullpen or as a starter, on short or long rest. He has not allowed hits, walks or runs scored and has struck out 13 in 15.1 innings.

Carlos Santana Even

18 Walks: This total ranks him second in the league, right above Travis Hafner. His ability to get on base by other means makes it a lot easier to accept a .262 batting average.

Justin Masterson Below

6 IP per game: Where is the Indians ace who had a chance to go the full 9 every five days last season? Masterson has been hit like crazy this year, giving up almost a hit per inning in addition to the 17 batters he's walked. His turn around is the single most important thing the Indians need for this baseball team to be successful.

Asdrubal Cabrera Even

10 Extra Bases: This is one of the stats I keep on my own and I believe it is even more important than stolen bases, because it brings greater reward to the team with less risk. His 11/13 on extra base attempts (extra bases + steals / extra bases + outs on the base paths) makes him the best base runner on the team this season.

Josh Tomlin Even

3 Walks: Every pitcher on the staff who was in Cleveland all month has walked more batters than Tomlin (except Pestano). This includes relievers who have only pitched 7 innings, while Tomlin pitched over 20. Josh is a control freak and be remain successful as long as he remains one.

Vinnie Pestano Above

8 Inherited Runners Stranded: Pestano leads the team in runners stranded by other pitchers as he has continued from where he left off last year. His job as holder is just as important as Perez's as closer and is usually more difficult as Pure Rage gets to come in with nobody on base.

Michael Brantley Below (but rising)

6 Doubles: Brantley has made a huge comeback after hitting below .200 for the first three weeks of the season and is now sitting at .250. He has also taken over the team lead in doubles. As he gets on base and into scoring position more, it will only increase the potential of Hafner and Santana.

Joe Smith Above

1.74 ERA: Smith leads Indians relievers in ERA and least amount of credit given. There is no question anymore of whether he is one of the top three coming out of the Tribe bullpen. The question is "is he the top one?" While Perez gets the glory and Pestano gets the love, don't forget about the lowly side armer, who destroys evething that gets in his path.

Ubaldo Jimenez Below

14 Walks: As a power pitcher, you should never walk more batters than you strike out, but Jimenez has come up with Fausto Carmona syndrome as he has only struck out 13 batters. He will need to start missing some bats if he wants to maintain his #2 spot in the rotation and will need to find his control if he still wants a job in professional baseball.

Chris Perez Even

7 Saves: Perez is tied for the league lead in saves as he is doing his job extremely well. He is paid to close out games, no matter how he does it and he has only failed once so far this season.

Shin-Soo Choo Below

.697 OPS: For those who don't know, great players usually have an OPS of 1.000+. Bad players, like Kotchman, have one around .500. Choo's OPS is embarassing for him and the only way to fix it is to start hitting for some power. Choo has walked a fair amount this season (10), but has yet to hit a home run or triple. Hopefully when he returns from his injury in May, he will find his power stroke.

Shelley Duncan Below

.344 SLG: The Indians have 5 players hitting above .400 slugging even though they didn't hit a home run the last week plus in April. Duncan is not one of them, but should be. The only powerful right handed bat in the lineup is being out hit by Kipnis and Hannahan among others. He will probably be pushed back into a pinch-hitting role with the acquisition of Johnny Damon.

Jason Donald Even

5 Runs: You may say that 5 runs scored in nothing, there are guys on the team with double that, but Donald has only been on base 8 times. He also has two steals and is yet to be caught, making him extremely productive when he does get on base. He has already played 4 positions for the Tribe this year as well, the perfect definition of a utility man.

Aaron Cunningham Below

2 RBI: Cunningham has mostly been used as a late inning defensive replacement, but also has started in right field for Choo during his injury. Through that time he has managed to get 37 at bats, but has produced as close to nothing as possible. He has a total of 9 hits and his 2 RBI came in back to back games. It is almost a surety that Cunningham will not be on the team the next time I write one of these.

Tony Sipp Below

5 Holds: Sipp has done just about the absolute minimum to get his job done at this point in the season. With young stud Nick Hagadone on the roster now, his job as left handed specialist may be in jeopardy.

Casey Kotchman Below

.149 Batting Average: This guy was in the top ten in hitting in 2011 (Currently is second to last in AL). Kotchman's absolute lack of success is inexplicable. All the Indians can do at the moment is drop him to the bottom of the lineup, enjoy his solid defense and wait for Beau Mills.

Dan Wheeler Below

4/8 Inherited Runners Scored: Wheeler has been very predictable when he comes in from the pen with runners on. He will let them score. He has really hurt Manny Acta's strategy of taking out a starting pitcher extremely early in the game.

Nick Hagadone Above

0.69 WHIP: Even though his sample size is small, his numbers are impressive as he has struck out 5 batters in 4.1 innings and has only allowed 3 base runners and one run to score. Hagadone belongs in the "Bullpen Mafia" and will hopefully never have to put on a Clippers uniform again.

Jose Lopez Below

1 Home run: This home run is pretty much the only thing Lopez has done this year. He has 3 RBI in 5 games and his .190 batting average in limited time makes him next on the chopping block if the Indians want to bring up someone else/Lonnie Chisenhall.

Lou Marson Even

3 Games Played: How can you judge a player with only 3 games under his belt. This is actually a great number as it means Carlos Santana is playing every day and at the position that he brings the most value to. Marson needs to be ready down the line, later in the season as fatigue hits Santana and he can't play behind the plate every day.

Jairo Asencio Below

0 Options: Asencio has the worst batting average against on the team and the second worst ERA (7.15). He has allowed more runs, hits and walks than any pitchers on the staff except 4 of the five starters even though he has pitched in less than half the innings those pitchers have. He does not deserve to be on a Major League roster.

Out: Rafael Perez (DL) Even

.143 BA (Against righties) .231 BA (Against lefties): So much for matching up. Did we learn nothing from Money Ball? It doesn't matter what hand you throw with. Get used to Hagadone, Cleveland.

Those are my rankings and assessments. I dare you to tell me I'm wrong. @BRBBlog on Twitter.