The Indians exploded for 19 runs on 22 hits on Saturday night against the Astros. It was a performance that was much needed, but going into the game there were several concerns with the offense. Tony touches on the offensive woes the first two weeks of the season, why today's start is a big one for Ubaldo Jimenez, what is going on with Brett Myers, Travis Hafner's hot start, and more!

The Transaction Rundown is back after a week hiatus, which means twice the fun this week as we recap all of the moves over the last two weeks up and down the Indians system. Michael Bourn went on the DL while Trevor Bauer, Yan Gomes, and Omir Santos all made their Tribe debuts. Those moves and more are recapped...

Finally! After a dismal stretch of baseball that left the Tribe in search of any offense, the bats rang loud in the heart of Texas as Cleveland toppled Houston, 19-6 ending their five game losing streak. Astros starter Philip Humber would record just one out in the first inning before yielding eight runs on eight hits in 1/3 of an inning on Saturday. It was the first time in the last five days that the Tribe not only scored first, but led a ballgame.

There was plenty of action within the Indians' system on Saturday as two teams took part in doubleheaders, and all four minor league affiliates were in action. Starting pitchers Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco both had arguably their most impressive starts of the season so far, and Lake County first baseman Nelson Rodriguez continued to impress. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps all the action and takes you Around the Farm.

The IBI Digest catches you up on anything you might have missed over the past week at Indians Baseball Insider and also notes some of the more popular columns posted at the major news sites and blogs.

The year was 1871. The country was in the shadow of the Civil War and General Grant was in the White House and what some consider the first Major Leagues was founded. The Forrest City Blue Stockings debuted and featured some of baseball's greats such as Deacon White, and IBI history guru Rick Lamborn takes us for a trip down memory lane on how that first season of Cleveland baseball went.

Remember when the Tribe traded for Ubaldo in the middle of 2011? The IBI's James Keene does, and he is not happy with what Jimenez has shown since being acquired. There is no doubt that Jimenez has been a major disappointment, which begs the question: is it time to move on?

The Indians lost to the Houston Astros. That pretty much sums it up. The offense continues to struggle with runners on base and in scoring position. Brett Myers gave up two home runs, but still managed to keep the Tribe within striking distance over five innings. The bullpen was once again outstanding pitching four shutout innings. However, it all came back to the offense and lack thereof in scoring opportunities. The IBI's Jake Dungan gives his "second thoughts" on the game...

It was another quiet night down on the farm thanks to two rain outs that washed away the games for Carolina and Lake County, but there were some very good and some not so good performances at Columbus and Akron on Friday night. Trevor Bauer had another great outing, Jesus Aguilar continues to pile up RBI, and more!

Frustrating is one way to put it. Baffling could be another. Offensive woes continued for the Tribe Friday night, as Houston starter Lucas Harrell and the Astros edged out Cleveland to a 3-2 victory, sending the Indians to a season-high five game losing streak.

Ubaldo Jimenez had arguably his darkest day as a member of the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday as he allowed seven runs in less than two innings of work. With their record at 5-9, the Indians have gotten off to a less than stellar start and a big part of that has been Jimenez. With Jimenez's struggles, should the Indians be exploring alternative options right now? Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he ponders that thought in the latest edition of the weekly IBI staple, Orbiting Cleveland.

After being pummeled by the Boston Red Sox in a three game sweep at home, the Cleveland Indians sit in last place in the AL Central, proud owners of a 5-9 record. While it is too early -- way too early -- to hit the panic button, there are some warning signs that the Indians better watch just how far they fall out of the race, even in April.

As the 2013 MLB Draft approaches, IBI draft guru Jeff Ellis has been a bit surprised by the amount of fans who want to push the Indians draft in a certain direction based on need. Jeff would say at this point that 90% of the questions he fields are based on pitching and how the Indians have to draft pitching because they lack impact pitching in the system. But he says that it should not be that cut and dry...

Twenty-five years ago, when they were briefly teammates on a typically mediocre 1980s Cleveland Indians squad, John Farrell seemed to bring out the best in Terry Francona. On the flip side, John Farrell did not seem to find Francona’s presence mutually beneficial, leading to some bizarro inverse relationship to one another. That is, until this week. Join Andrew Clayman as he gives his Second Thoughts on Ferrell's Red Sox completing a three-game sweep of Francona's Indians, after the jump...

Thursday was a busy day Around The Farm, headlined by some offensive fireworks in Akron. The Aeros' offense was clicking on all cylinders, with players like Chris Wallace and Carlos Moncrief knocking the ball around the park. No one was bigger than Chun Chen, however, who finally answered the question everyone has been asking: where is the power? Join Arthur Kinney as he recaps the night in the minor leagues and checks in on the other affiliates, after the jump...

Boston swept the field clean from any Tribe offense for the third straight game on Thursday, as the Red Sox brought out their booms defeating the Indians 6-2 to complete the series sweep. Red Sox starter Jon Lester (3-0, 1.73 ERA) blanked the Tribe for seven strong innings, as the left-hander surrendered just two runs on four hits, sending Cleveland to their fourth straight loss. Join Jim Berdysz as he recaps Thursday's loss after the jump...