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

In 1904 George Stovall joined the Cleveland Blues and became the teams first long-term first baseman. Unlike the majority first baggers to follow him, Stovall was a defense first player, recording a career .986 fielding percent at first base. He lead the league in fielding percent  in 1910 and 1911 and ranked at least third from 1907 on. He also ranked first in assists from first base every year from 1909 through 1911.

Offensively, Stovall was subpar compared to both the players of his age (like Napoleon Lajoie and Elmer Flick) and the first basemen of the future, but he still contributed to the team for a lengthy career. During his eight years in Cleveland his most impressive stat was his 110 stolen bases. While caught stealing numbers are unavailable from that time period, the total steals still rank among the top 20 in Indians history. Despite little power, he still had over 200 extra base hits and knocked in and scored more than 375 runs. To this day he remains ranked in the top ten Indians first basemen.

At the end of his playing career his leadership ability was recognized and he became player/manager before being traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1912 for Lefty George. He continued managing every team he played for during his last four seasons with the Browns and Kansas City Packers (Federal League). As a Cleveland manager he ranks tenth all time among managers with at least 100 games under their belt. Stovall retired in 1915 after 12 years of professional baseball. George Stovall died in 1951 at the age of 73.

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

Player of the Game

Scott Kazmir had his best start to date with the Indians as he won his first player of the game of 2013. Kazmir set a new team high with 10 strike outs in just six innings. He allowed only five hits, four of which were singles, and just a single run on a solo home run by Josh Donaldson. For his effort and the win, his POG score was 6.39. Mark Reynolds had the strongest offensive day with two RBI and two runs scored for a POG score of 5.91.

Feathers Up

After a day off, the Indians offense resurfaced today, behind the resurgent Jason Kipnis. The dirt ball started everything off in the first inning with a two run home run, but wasn't alone as Yan Gomes and Drew Stubbs added two more in the second. Mark Reynolds added to the scoring as well, hitting a two run home run, his league leading 11th of the season.

Drew Stubbs' speed makes a big difference in every single game, whether it means tracking down balls easily that others wouldn't get near or running the bases. Today, he went first to third on a Michael Brantley single that barely made it through the right side of the infield. By getting to third safely, he was able to score on a fly ball by Kipnis. In the 8th inning he repeated an event that has become commonplace. He was safe on a ground ball hit directly at an infielder as he outran the throw. The times Stubbs has been able to beat out an infield single or force an error due to his speed are an incalculable bonus for the Indians offense.

Scott Kazmir has progressed significantly in every single start so far in 2013. In his first start, he lucked out by pitching in the Indians biggest outburst of the season, but struggled himself, throwing less than four innings and allowing six runs. In his next start, Kazmir threw five innings and allowed two runs, a much better attempt, but still a loss. His third start saw a vast improvement as he pitched another inning and four more strike outs. Today, he tied his season best in innings pitched and set new marks for strike outs and runs allowed against Oakland. While the early injury was certainly a set back, it now a appears that the Indians made the right choice for their fifth starter.

With the sweep, the Indians improve to 18-14, their high water mark on the season. They finished 8-1 on the home stand, sweeping both Oakland and Philadelphia, losing just a single game to Minnesota. Including the two previous games, the Indians have won 10 of 11 after starting the year 8-13.

Feathers Down

Going into April 28th, the Indians were just 3.5 games behind Detroit and have since went on a 10-1 tear. However, they have only gained two games on the Tigers, who are currently 19-12, 1.5 games above the Tribe. The Indians will now go on to play the Tigers in Detroit for three games and an early chance to grab the lead in the AL Central.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 9 - Oakland Athletics 2

Player of the Game

The Indians ace showed his stuff once again tonight, pitching seven innings and striking out seven to earn his fifth win of the season. Masterson wasn't perfect, giving up three runs, all in the fourth inning, but other than that was fantastic. His final POG score was 4.70, his best start of his last five.

Feathers Up

The Indians needed some luck to finally get on the board tonight. In the fifth inning, Carlos Santana and Ryan Raburn walked to lead off the inning. Lonnie Chisenhall then hit a ball in the air to the right of the pitcher that fell, loading the bases. It still took an error to take advantage as Adam Rosales threw what should have been a double play ball into the dirt, allowing two runs to cross. While this is not the Indians preferred method of offense, they can't complain after scoring just once in the previous 15 innings.

Nick Swisher said, "enough of that small ball bull" and hit a home run to straight center to tie the game in the sixth. Carlos Santana followed an out later with a solo shot of his own to take the lead. It was the Indians tenth multi home run inning this year. The following vine (courtesy of @MattNewsHerald) is essentially how the Indians are feeling about this season:

Milestone Update: With his 104th career save as an Indian (took him long enough) Chris Perez in now ranked fourth all time in Cleveland Indians history with Jose Mesa. Second place is still 25 saves away, but is definitely attainable. By the end of this season, Perez could even be the club's all time saves leader. Perez has just had six save attempts this season out of the Indians 17 wins, but has earned saves in consecutive days.

The Indians win puts them at 9-1 on the home stand and wins the series against Oakland before the finale tomorrow afternoon.

Feathers Down

Justin Masterson didn't allow a hit until the fouth inning, but when he did he let it all go. Masterson gave up two straight singles (both just out of the reach of a diving infielder), before recording an out. Tired of seeing-eye-singles, Brandon Moss hit a solid line drive to right to score Seth Smith for the first run of the game. Fresh up from AAA, Daric Barton continued the attack with another line drive single, this one to center as he knocked in two more runs. While the first couple hits were lucky, Masterson seemed to press afterwards, throwing a wild pitch and hitting a batter along with the hits.

The Indians needed one final bit of luck to win the game after Adam Rosalas hit a questionable double over the left field wall. After a challenge from Bob Melvin, the umpires reviewed the play and the play stayed as called, despite incriminating video evidence. Melvin was then ejected for further arguing the call that he was probably right about in the first place.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4  - Oakland Athletics3

Player of the Game

Zach McAllister won his first Player of the Game in 2013 with a fantastic outing. He threw 7.2 innings and allowed just five hits, all singles. He shut out the Athletics with absolutely no margin for error as the Indians scored just a single run. As a team, the Indians have had eight straight positive games by their starting pitchers. This is especially impressive considering the fact that 9 of the Indians first 21 games resulted in negative scores for the starting pitcher. McAllister's POG score of 8.76 was the highest of any pitcher not named Justin Masterson.

Feathers Up

Zach McAllister pitched what was, by far, the greatest game in his career so far tonight against Oakland. For the first time in his career, he allowed no runs in a start (he had two starts with no earned runs) and for the first time in 2013 he pitched into the 8th inning. A's starter Tommy Milone almost matched him, but was much less efficient, allowing five hits (in addition to the A's two errors) forcing him to throw more pitches and come out of the game earlier than McAllister.

The Indians did well in some categories tonight that are usually ignored statistically. Drew Stubbs and Jason Kipnis had above average games defensively, while Mike Aviles and Carlos Santana used good base running in the fifth inning to score in the Indians only run.

Jason Kipnis had two more hits tonight, giving him eight in his last five games. This mini hot streak has raised his season batting average from .189 on May 2nd to .229 today. It may not seem like much, but it seems his confidence at the plate has returned and it shouldn't be too much longer before he gets back up near his career average of .255.

Chris Perez finally earned a save as the Indians offense was kept in check by the Tommy Milone and the A's. His fourth save of the year was almost in jeopardy after a single, but Yan Gomes threw out Yoenis Cespedes trying to steal before Perez struck out Brandon Moss to end the game.

Feathers Down

It's beginning to look like manager Terry Francona may prefer playing games with less than a 25 man roster. Lonnie Chisenhall has been intentionally benched for the past two games (don't worry, he's not hurt) so he can work out his swing with hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo. With the Indians offense playing hot, the team can afford to go without their starting third baseman for a couple games.

The Indians got runners to second to lead off the third through fifth innings, but were unable to score in the first two. Ryan Raburn doubled and was eventually stranded at third and Jason Kipnis doubled and was thrown out trying to steal third. The Indians finally got a single run across after Carlos Santana was safe on a two base error, was moved up on a Mike Aviles single and scored on a Yan Gomes sacrifice fly.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1 - Oakland Athletics 0

Here is another glorious episode of Burning River Radio, presented by BurningRiverBaseball.com.

On this episode we talk about the Tribe's recent success, Nick Swisher's injury and sabrmetrics as a whole. Part of today's discussion was inspired by this video of Hawk Harrelson speaking on the MLB Network from our sister site, Awful Announcing. During this discussion you will learn about a great new stat (TWTW), how to calculate BABIP and how to compare apples to oranges (it's easier than you think). Overall, this is a must hear for all humans.