Setting aside a few torturous offensive performances at the beginning of the week including both parts of the doubleheader against the Yankees as well as the first game in Philadelphia, the Indians have been absolute must-watch television. With the Indians reaching the quarter pole tonight, it is time to reflect back on what the Indians have shown this season compared to the fool's gold from last season. The IBI's Michael Hattery shares his second thoughts on an Indians off day...

Wednesday night, Jim Piascik complained about the lack of pitching throughout the minor league system. The pitchers in Columbus used that as fuel Thursday night, turning in a dominant collective appearance as they led the Clippers to victory. Okay, while using it as fuel is unlikely, the dominant pitching did happen. That effort was not enough to take the top spot, however, as a few top prospects in Carolina continued their push to get promoted quicker than anyone expected. Find out who these top prospects are and everything else that happened in the minors last night and go Around The Farm.

A sports hernia is an often-misdiagnosed tearing of the oblique abdominal muscles. At least that is what the good people at sportshernia.com tell me. Akron Aeros right-hander Trey Haley managed to pitch through the pain of a misdiagnosed sport hernia over parts of the previous three seasons -- in particular last season. When he was shut down for surgery in early June, he owned a 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings. After finding a way to perform with great amounts of pain, Haley told Jim Piascik that he is happy to be in Akron and is just looking to be consistent in 2013.

In this week’s week-ending edition of Minor Happenings, Tony provides a bevy of updates on the walking wounded in the Indians system with players such as Alex Monsalve, Chen-Chang Lee, Shawn Armstrong, Joey Wendle and a half a dozen others. On top of that he provides several comments and insight from the Indians front office on players at Low-A Lake County like Anthony Santander, Eric Haase and others. He also touches on the recent good play of outfielder Tim Fedroff and his big league chances, and provides insight and analysis on the likes of Jeremy Hermida, Jesus Aguilar, Cody Anderson, Jeremy Lucas and others.

The Columbus Clippers finished their sixth week of the season capturing five wins in the seven games played. The Clippers are 22-18 on the year and had their best week of the season posting a 5-2 record. The IBI's Cameron Weimer recaps the week that was for the Clippers.

After a week hiatus, The Inside Pitch returns. Andrew and Jeff will discuss the recent successes of the Tribe, what to do with Trevor Bauer and Lonnie Chisenhall, and the season looking forward. They'll also discuss the upcoming MLB draft. Who are players on the rise? What will the top five look like? Finally, what players are potential targets for the Indians at number five?

The Indians had either won or tied eight straight series heading into Wednesday’s game against the Phillies. Needing a win to keep that streak alive, the Indians relied on Corey Kluber, who was coming off a start in which he gave up eight runs in only 4.2 innings against the Detroit Tigers. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels made his second career start against the Indians and faced a lineup that was without starters Michael Bourn and Michael Brantley. Join Michael Goodman as he gives his Second Thoughts on the win.

If you like great pitching performances, then you might want to avert your eyes from last night in the Cleveland organization. The pitching at each of the affiliates left something to be desired, leaving the onus on the offense to make something happen. Some teams did better than others, especially a sometimes-forgotten outfielder in Lake County. To find out who this is and all you need to know about what happened in the minor leagues last night, join Jim Piascik go Around The Farm.

Baseball players are supposed to play baseball. That sounds like a simple idea, but that tautology does not always hold. More often than we all realize, injuries affect players and prevent them from reaching their full potential. Plus, pitchers are all time bombs waiting to explode. Add it all together and you get where Akron Aeros right-hander Austin Adams was last year. Jim Piascik recently talked to Adams about missing the whole season, the journey back, and how things are going for him in 2013.

For the first time since 1954, the Indians won a ballgame in the City of Brotherly Love, routing the Philadelphia Phillies and lefty Cole Hamels 10-4 on Wednesday. A 17-game winner just one season ago, Hamels (1-6, 4.61 ERA) went just five innings, giving up five runs on six hits for his National League-leading sixth loss of the season. Join Jim Berdysz as he recaps how Cleveland roughed up Hamels and split the two-game series Wednesday afternoon.

Justin Masterson can be an ace? I don't know that the peripherals necessarily match up, but if he continues to throw like he did on Monday, the Indians may have just found the guy that can carry the load for the 2013 Indians in that capacity. Regardless of numbers, Masterson is important to the future of the stability of the rotation. Join Jim Pete at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario as he talks Masterson's future, Mickey Callaway's early brilliance, and the hunt for "Orbanek's fifteen minutes of fame."

The Lake County Captains went 2-4 since last Wednesday with one rainout, and the offense is still attempting to heat up. It has not been pretty offensively for Lake County this season, but there are a few bright spots in the lineup and on the pitching staff as well. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger recaps the week that was for the Captains...

It was just one of those nights. There’s really no other way to describe it. After a two-run single by Michael Brantley in the second inning, the Indians batters did nothing despite having multiple scoring opportunities including a leadoff triple by Asdrubal Cabrera in the seventh inning. Scott Kazmir was okay but the bullpen allowed a few runs late to put the game out of reach. The IBI's Jake Dungan shares his second thoughts on the game...

It was a busy night around the farm on Tuesday as the Clippers played a 14-inning marathon while a number of other Indians affiliates took home rough losses. Despite the negatives, there were some positives as #WashTime continues to impress and Chun-Hsiu Chen recorded two more RBIs. Join the IBI's Arthur Kinney as he recaps all the action and takes you Around the Farm.

The stagnant Indians' offense continued to struggle Tuesday as the team scored just two runs and fell 6-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies. Scott Kazmir took the loss for the Indians, which have managed to scored just three runs and record 17 hits across their last three games. Join the IBI's Jim Berdysz as he looks back on all the action from Tuesday's interleague contest.

In this week’s first edition of the Happenings, I provide an update on what is going on out in Arizona with several players participating in extended spring training. I recently had a chance to sit down with the player development staff and discuss several players and I provide lots of comments from them on players such as D’Vone McClure, Josh McAdams, Tyler Booth, Kieran Lovegrove, Luis Lugo, Dillon Howard, and more. I also provide the details on Cord Phelps’ new role, the plans for Danny Salazar this season, and insight and info on the likes of Tim Fedroff, Jordan Cooper, Enosil Tejeda, Jake Sisco and more.