Player of the Game

Justin Masterson was dominant again today against the Mariners, striking out 11 in seven shut out innings. Masterson was never really in trouble and allowed just six base runners while recording the win. It is his third straight start that he has won the Player of the Game and his team leading sixth overall. His POG score of 9.79 is the best score since his last start (11.14) and the fifth best score of the year.

Feathers Up

In what has become a recurring theme with the Indians this year (as expected), speed kills. Michael Bourn lead off the bottom of the first with a line drive to the outfield and took advantage of a lazy play by right fielder Michael Morse to take second on what should have been a single. Michael Brantley then singled and scored Bourn from second easily and getting to second himself in the process. Brantley then used his above average speed to score from second on an error by first baseman Justin Smoak.

Another example of Bourn's speed came an inning later when he beat out an infield single hit straight to second. This play allowed the inning to continue, which was a very good thing for the Tribe. After Jason Kipnis singled, Michael Brantley hit a three run home run that rocked King Felix's world.

If you need another example of speed/very aggressive base running, just look to the fourth inning. After a Mike Aviles double, Drew Stubbs grounded out to the catcher. When Aviles saw the catcher leave the plate to field the ball, he ran home and scored from second on a ball that didn't travel more than 20 feet from the plate. The Indians knew they were facing one of the best pitchers in the league and a former Cy Young winner in Hernandez, so they were working hard to score every run they could. They were much more successful than they would have expected, scoring six runs in four innings playing small ball against a pitcher who came into the game with an ERA below 2.00. Most impressively, Felix Hernandez is the seventh (of eight) former Cy Young award winner that the Indians have beaten in 2013.

For the first time in years, Indians starting pitchers have started striking batters out with regularity. The two most adept at doing so, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, have now struck out 52 batters in their past six starts (8.67 K/G).

Feathers Down

The Indians kept David Huff on the roster instead of Nick Hagadone when Vinnie Pestano was recalled, but he has been completely unutilized out of the pen. Today would have been a perfect game to get him some innings, but instead, Rich Hill was used for the third time in the series. In the first two games against Seattle, Hill pitched two innings, blowing a save and allowing a home run and a double. In addition to Huff, who hasn't been used since May 13th, Joe Smith (who pitched today) and Matt Albers had been kept out of this series.

Carlos Santana may be working on a little bit of a slump. No one expected Santana to maintain an average near .400 as he did during the first month of the season, but as the rest of the team has heated up, he has cooled down. He is hitless in the past two games (going 0-8). This comes after a streak where he reached base at least once in 18 of his previous 19 games.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Seattle Mariners 0

Player of the Game

Similarly to last night, the hero wins the Player of the Game again as the Indians win in walk off fashion. Mark Reynolds knocked in three of the five Indians runs including a solo home run and the RBI fielder's choice to win the game.

Feathers Up

When he was signed, everyone knew that Mark Reynolds was a home run hitter, but where he has impressed most this year has been with runners in scoring position and two outs. He knocked in the Indians first run in the first inning in this situation. As he has been able to consistently do this year (9/18 with 2 outs and RISP) he hit the ball the other way to score Asdrubal Cabrera from second.

Of course, Reynolds still has some power as well, which he showcased with the bases empty in the fifth inning right into the teeth of a strong wind blowing in from left. I don't believe I've ever seen a player that had so much control over the baseball that he could put it exactly where he wants, whenever he wants to.

Zach McAllister was dominant (again) pitching into the eighth inning for just the second time this year. After a lead-off double to start the game, McAllister didn't give up another extra base hit until the eighth, when he gave up a double and a home run for the first Mariners runs of the game. In fact, no runner reached third until Justin Smoak did in the 8th after his double.

Indians fans had their rally caps on tonight (they were free to the first 10,000 fans), but they may have worked the wrong way. With the Tribe winning from the first inning on, they weren't the team that needed a rally. The Mariners completed their own rally with two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth to tie the game. The magic worked twice however, as the Indians were able to come back again in the ninth to win it.

Milestone Update: With a double in the ninth (and four total bases in all) Asdrubal Cabrera now has 1,135 total bases as an Indian, placing him in 50th all time, tied with great Indians outfielder, Homer Summa. 

Feathers Down

With Nick Hagadone down in the minors (despite being deserving of a Major League spot in the bullpen), Terry Francona placed his trust in Rich Hill again. Prior to today, Hill had allowed inherited runners to score in two straight appearances. As soon as Hill came into the game, Eric Wedge went to his bench and brought in the right handed Jason Bay to pinch hit, eliminating the similar hand advantage. While he exscaped just allowing a single this time, Francona was playing with fire by not just bringing in Vinnie Pestano to pitch the eighth.

Chris Perez blew just his second save of the season, ending a streak of 12 straight scoreless outings. The Indians closer allowed two solo home runs back-to-back against Justin Smoak and Raul Ibanez.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 5 - Seattle Mariners 4

Roster Update: The Indians set-up man is back after spending his minimum of 11 games on the DL. To make room for Vinnie Pestano, the Indians have demoted Nick Hagadone for the third time this year. If this continues, Hagadone will be nicknamed the Herrmann of 2013.

Player of the Game

Tonight, the hero and the Player of the Game are one in the same as Jason Kipnis hit the home run that ended the game (even though a single would have done it). Kipnis also walked and singled earlier in the game as he reached base in four of his five at bats. This is his second POG in a row as he scored 5.76 points for tonight's effort.

Feathers Up

Seeing the Mariners play the Indians is always a good time. You always get to see a fair amount of players on one team that played (or managed) for the other. They also have been competitive with each other since at least the early 1990's, providing some of the greatest match-ups in recent history. Tonight was no different as the two teams took a tie game into the tenth inning before the Indians won in walk off fashion.

What Mark Reynolds couldn't do, Carlos Santana took care of himself. With Santana at third and one out in the second, Reynolds grounded out to short with the infield pulled in. Still at third, Santana then scored on a wild pitch by Brandon Maurer to give the Tribe a 2-0 lead.

Ubaldo Jimenez did a great job throwing strikes tonight and has now been effective in four straight starts. Most impressively, and an effect of throwing strikes, is that he has struck out at least eight batters in each of his last three starts. Jimenez only allowed 7 hits, six of which were singles, only one of which ended up creating a run (thanks to Rich Hill).

Michael Bourn has found the perfect place to hit the ball, just to the right side of the pitcher. Twice tonight he was safe on an infield hit that rolled slowly toward the second baseman. The second single was necessary to set up Jason Kipnis' two out, game winning, walk off, three run home run.

Eric Wedge deserves a lot of credit for this Indians win as he removed Carter Capps, who had no problem mowing down Tribe hitters for an inning and a third. He replaced Capps with Lucas Luetge (who now has an ERA of 10.50) and Luetge walked Drew Stubbs and gave up the Michael Bourn single before losing the game on the Kipnis home run.

Feathers Down

The only non-single that Ubaldo gave up tonight was a monstrous jack hit by Kendrys Morales. The ball landed in Kendrysville (I think the Indians are renaming the mezzanine after whoever hit the last home run there) a place that no Indians hitter has reached yet this year.

Rich Hill had a fairly easy chance at a hold in the sixth inning, facing the left handed Raul Ibanez with no outs and a runner on. Hill threw a 0-1 curve ball that stayed very high in the strike zone which Ibanez deposited far into the right field seats. The blast tied the game and stole what could have been a win away from Ubaldo Jimenez, who was great.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Seattle Mariners 3

Player of the Game

Jason Kipnis came to mash today, with three extra base hits including the finishing blow to the Phillies, a monster three run home run in the 8th inning. He scored after each of his hits, giving him three runs and three RBI on the day. He walked once as well, adding up to a POG score of 8.64. It is his team leading, fifth award on the season and his fourth in the Indians past 12 games.

Feathers Up

With Trevor Bauer getting things under control and Brett Myers returning from the DL within the next week, the pressure has been put on Corey Kluber to keep his place on the roster. After three pretty good starts, Kluber was destroyed last week against Detroit. He made amends this week, stating his case in a great game against Philadelphia. Kluber threw six strong innings, allowing just three runs, all knocked in by Jimmy Rollins. While he may not have guaranteed himself another start, hopefully he will at least be kept on the roster as the long reliever.

With two outs and two on in the top of the second, Kluber came up to bat and didn't embarrass himself. In fact, he had a great at bat, taking a couple of very close pitches after he had two strikes and ripping a foul ball down the left field line. He ended the at bat with a line drive out to the gap in left-center that was close to being a two run double. All-in-all, most people would still have preferred to see any player on the Indians bench batting in that position.

The Indians have long been proponents of making the opposing pitchers work and today it worked out perfectly. Even though they only scored three runs by the fifth inning, they already forced Cole Hamels to throw more than 90 pitches. Obviously tiring, Hamels left a ball up against Nick Swisher, who deposited it in the left field seats for a two run home run. It also forced the Phillies to go their bullpen early in the game despite the fact that Hamels pitched better than average, allowing just six hits in his five innings.

Feathers Down

Mark Reynolds was favoring his left shoulder/elbow during the at bat in which he eventually doubled against Cole Hamels. Once he reached second he still appeared to be in some discomfort. He was removed from the game in the 7th after striking out as part of a double switch with no further mention of the possible injury. Reynolds remains the Indians top hitter and the Indians cannot afford to lose his presence.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 10 - Philadelphia Phillies 4

Player of the Game

Michael Brantley wins tonight Player of the Game as the only Indian player to provide any positive effort. His second inning 2 RBI single was the only run scoring play for the Indians in the game and an 8th inning assist saved the Tribe another run. Most impressive about his RBI single is that it came with two outs on an 0-2 count. This is made even more impressive by the fact that the Indians only had four more hits during the entire game.

Feathers Up

Playing with the archaic National League rules, the Indians were lucky to score in the second inning before the opportunity was ruined by the pitcher batting. With runners at second and third, Michael Brantley hit a two run single to give the Indians the lead. Had Brantley gotten out, the Phillies would have walked Drew Stubbs to get to pitcher, Scott Kazmir. This essentially removes not just the DH from the lineup, but also the number eight hitter.

Feathers Down

In two steps forward and one step back news today, Scott Kazmir. The Indians fifth starter looked nothing like his last start when he had pin-point control in his dismantling of the Athletics. In that start he walked none and struck out 10, but this time around he walked two and hit two more while striking out just three. Less apparent, but just as important, his inability to throw strikes lead to many long at bats and a high pitch count early in the game.

Mark Reynolds had a night to forget tonight in Philadelphia. He couldn't have had more chances to increase his team lead in RBI than he did today, as he came up with a runner at third in each of his first three at bats and each time flew out to shallow right. For the night, Reynolds stranded five runners in scoring position. His first at bat came with runners at second and third with no outs, the second with the bases loaded and two outs and the third with runners at first and third with one out.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 2 - Philadelphia Phillies 6

Player of the Game

Indians starter Trevor Bauer won his second Player of the Game today after being on the roster for just four games this season. He threw 6.1 innings allowing no earned runs before a couple Yankees doubles chased him from the game. Nick Hagadone allowed the second of the runners to score giving Bauer two earned runs allowed in the end. He still earned a POG score of 2.87, the highest on the team.

Feathers Up

Two low scoring, fast games allowed the Indians to save their pitching staff and to get to Philadelphia as soon as possible on what was originally scheduled as a day off. The flexibility of the bullpen should allow Terry Francona to maneuver however he sees fit in the NL rules park. The games we so quick that the Indians and Yankees played two games before any other team even started one.

Trevor Bauer continues to improve in each start, setting a new season high in innings pitched today. While he did give up a run in the seventh after a couple of doubles, he only allowed five total hits and is starting to get his command under control. His two walks are a far cry from the 13 he walked across his first two Indians starts.

Feathers Down

Despite an early game that lasted just two and a half hours, the Yankees had enough time between games to add some pitching depth, sending Brennan Boesch back to AAA and bringing up Brett Marshall.

The Indians had some defensive issues for the first time in a long time in the first inning, when Carlos Santana botched an easy play to first to give Robinson Cano a single. He then over threw the pitcher allowing Jayson Nix to reach third. Nix then scored on an overthrow on an attempted double play by Mike Aviles. This unearned run was all the Yankees needed to win the game. Mark Reynolds added another error in the 7th inning that allowed another unearned run as well.

Nick Hagadone saw trouble in his second straight appearance. This time he came on with a runner on second and one out, but was only able to get out of the inning without damage. He allowed a walk, two singles and a double to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 0 - New York Yankees 7

Roster Update: For today's double header, the Indians have brought up Trevor Bauer as their 26th man and he will be starting the second game. It will be Bauer's third start and just his third day on the roster this year. The Indians are being very frugal with his Major League time so they can keep him under team control as long as possible.

The Indians also made a huge move today, sending starting third baseman down to AAA after he had struggled early in the year. This makes the normal DH, Mark Reynolds, the starting third baseman and moves Jason Giambi to starting DH. Mike Aviles will likely move into a larger role in the lineup as well. Chisenhall will spend at least ten days in Columbus after which he can be reevaluated if the the Indians would like to bring him back. David Huff was recalled for Chisenhell, giving the Indians 6 starting pitchers and 8 relievers for today's games.

Player of the Game

Justin Masterson earned his nickname (Nasty Masty) today as he threw his best game so far this year and his second complete game shut out. Despite having an extra man in the bullpen, Masterson decided to go the distance himself, limiting the depleted Yankee lineup to just three infield hits and an opposite field seeing-eye single. He struck out a season high of 9 (2nd time) in addition to the season high of 9 innings (also 2nd time). Jason Kipnis deserves some credit as well for hitting a home run to give the Indians their only run of the game.

Feathers Up

The Indians are finishing up their opening series today with a very different look in the visitors dug out. In addition to their already expensive disabled list, the Yankees have since added Kevin Youkilis, Ivan Nova, Joba Chamberlain and Eduardo Nunoz to the DL. This has lead to what looks to be the least familiar Yankee lineup in over 20 years. The Tribe has also completely turned things since being swept by the Yankees in that shortened two game series. Since then, they have gone 17-10 after staring the year 3-5.

Justin Masterson held the Yankees to just three hits, all infield singles. The Yankees had trouble hitting anything solid against the Indians ace and all three were well placed slowly hit ground balls. He also had his strike out pitch working, throwing his fourth game this year with at least 7 innings pitched and 7 strike outs.

Milestone Updates: Jason Giambi is now 50th in Major League history with 1,515 strike outs.
Joe Smith is now tired for third all time in career holds as an Indian with Paul Shuey at 67.

Feathers Down

A bad call cost the Indians a run in the first inning, when Michael Bourn was called out trying to steal second. Jason Kipnis followed with a solo home run that should have given the Indians a two run lead.

Justin Masterson now has two complete game shut-outs this season and the Indians have scored a total of two runs during those two matches. Can a pitcher get some run support?

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - New York Yankees 0

Player of the Game

Although he only had one plate appearance, Mark Reynolds is the player of the game. What was equally impressive about his at-bat was that he was in the hole 0-2, facing a very tough southpaw in Darin Downs and still came up with the game winning hit on a change-up.

Feathers Up

Two-out hits continue to be the main reason why the Indians are tied for first place in the division. They had two more this afternoon in high leverage situations in the ninth and tenth. Michael Brantley's at-bat in the top of the ninth was an excellent one. Known as a patient hitter, he certainly lived up to that reputation as he laid off two tough pitches on the outside part of the plate and shot the third pitch to left field to score the game-tying run. After recording only three saves in his short minor league career, Cody Allen earned his first Major League save, striking out the only batter he faced in the bottom of the tenth.

Feathers Down

The Indians are only tied for first place, not in sole possession.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Detroit Tigers 3

Player of the Game

With his third straight solid start, Ubaldo Jimenez gets the award for tonight. Even when he did not hit his spots, his fastball had so much movement that it fooled the hitters anyway. Six strong innings is all the offense needed to effectively win the game. It could not have come at a better time as the Indians inch closer to the top spot in the A.L. Central.

Feathers Up

To steal a term from former Tribe skipper Eric Wedge, this game was truly a "grind." It has been tough for the Indians to win in Comerica Park since the ballpark was built so any victory is special.

The Indians scored seven runs without hitting a home run, something that has not been all that common this year. The offense was patient with Justin Verlander as he walked five in five innings of work. He also faced 26 batters; a very ineffective start.

Chris Perez worked out of a jam in the bottom of the 9th, as he got reigning triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera to hit a weak ground ball to third with two runners on.

A close second in my player of the game ranking was the other Cabrera, the good guy Cabrera, Adsrubal. Three hits and two RBI's; all coming at high leverage opportunities in the game. His "The Will To Win" score tonight was pretty decent: 94.

Feathers Down

When is Vinnie coming back? Cody Allen and Nick Hagadone struggled in their role of bridging the gap between the starter and Joe Smith tonight. While Allen earned a hold, he did not keep the Tigers from scoring in the 7th, allowing two all of the inherited base-runners from Hagadone to score. Both pitchers entered the inning with the Indians ahead 6-1 and left it ahead by only one.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 7 - Detroit Tigers 6

Roster Update: Michael Bourn is finally back from his grueling cut finger and is in the lineup tonight. He will replace Scott Barnes on the roster.

Player of the Game

A home run short of the cycle, Nick Swisher provided most of the Tribe offense tonight. In addition to his triple, double, and single, Swisher scored 2 runs and knocked in 1.

Feathers Up

Though there were few scoring opportunities, the Indians took advantage of each base runner they had. With only 6 hits in the game, they still managed to knock in 4 runs.

After Corey Kluber gave up 8 runs, the Tribe bullpen was able to limit Detroit's offense to just one additional earned run.

Feathers Down

Corey Kluber could not contain the Detroit offense. He gave up 8 runs in just 4.2 innings. The Tigers knocked 11 hits off Kluber, consisting of 4 singles, 5 doubles, and 2 home runs.

Through the first 6 innings, the Indians only had 3 hits off Detroit starter Max Scherzer.

With the loss tonight, the Indian lost a game in the standings. They are now 2 games behind the first place Tigers.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Detroit Tigers 10