It's been a great week for the Cleveland Indians as the Tribe went 5-1 to get back to .500 at 14-14 and move into third place in the AL Central. Ryan Raburn was scorching hot at the plate as he went 11-for-13 across a three-game span to lead the Tribe. Trevor Bauer also made his return this past week, and it appears as if he now could be on his way back... and for good. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps the week that was in the weekly IBI staple, Notes from the Wigwam.
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Cleveland snapped their six-game winning streak Sunday afternoon as they fell to the Minnesota Twins, 4-2. Tribe bats cooled off considerably as the team was blanked by a strong pitching performance from Twins starter Mike Pelfrey (3-3, 6.35 ERA). Indians starter Corey Kluber (2-1, 3.06 ERA) worked out of some early trouble to surrender three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings, but the solid effort was not enough.
Carlos Carrasco and Luigi Rodriguez celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style on Sunday, with two outstanding performances. Carrasco put all the injury worries to rest with six innings of one run ball. He's now struck out 24 in 23 2/3 innings. Luigi Rodriguez continued to own the Carolina League with his third straight multi-hit game. Join Carlos, Luigi and Jim Pete for Sunday Night's ATF fiesta.
Behind a strong effort by Minnesota starter Mike Pelfrey, the Twins snapped the Cleveland Indians’ six-game winning streak Sunday afternoon, beating the Tribe 4-1. With the loss, the Indians fall back to .500 on the season and now trail the Detroit Tigers by four games in the AL Central division.
Jim and Steve return to the cyber airwaves tonight with the latest edition of CSI: Cleveland Sports Insiders. There will be plenty of Indians talk tonight as the team has been scorching hot as of late, and the guys will also look look at potential draft targets for the Cavaliers. Plus, what about the Browns, and the team's chances of contending next year? Jim and Steve will discuss all of this tonight beginning at 9 p.m.
The Carolina Mudcats don't look all that good on paper, but Francisco Lindor makes it all better in the land of Carolina. Lindor has exploded offensively, and while there are some that says he still needs seasoning, the #1 prospect is making a case to be moved now. Join Jim Pete with his weekly Carolina Mudcats notebook, as he takes a close look at Lindor, and the rest of the Mudcats week.
The Cleveland Indians have placed a stronger focus in recent years to draft more athletes that can play in the middle of the diamond. One such example of this is the selection of outfielder D’Vone McClure in the 4th round of last year’s draft. At 19-years of age and 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he has the body, size, and athleticism that make scouts drool over his potential. McClure is in the process of molding all of that potential and Tony recently caught up with him in Arizona.
The Cleveland Indians are heating up, both at the plate and on the mound. That was showcased last night as Scott Kazmir and the bullpen held the Minnesota Twins to three runs, while the offense put seven on the board. It's only May, but the Indians certainly look like a team that others will have to contend with. Join Jim "The Berd Man" Berdysz as he gives his Second Thoughts on Saturday Night's game.
The Indians big league club is plugging right along with a six-game win streak, but the organizational affiliates ran into a buzz saw on Saturday, as all lost except for Akron, who won on a walk-off single. The stars of Saturday night's ATF are perhaps the two players with the best raw tools in the entire system. They are raw tools, but when everything clicks, these two kids can be special. Join Jim Pete with the latest edition of ATF.
Second baseman Jason Kipnis had three hits, falling just a double short of the cycle, and Scott Kazmir won his first major league game in 958 days as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-3. The win was the Indians' sixth in a row, and it was their eighth win out of their past 11 games.
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.
Welcome to "Trend Spotting", a weekly column here at the IBI from Michael Hattery which will look at current Indians performances and some of the peripheral statistics in order to see if they can provide any insight into whether good or bad performances are likely to continue. In today's first edition of the season, Michael takes a look at the hot start of Carlos Santana and cold start of Lonnie Chisenhall and if either performance is sustainable and if a drop or increase in performance is coming.
The Cleveland Indians continued their winning ways with another big win in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins. Justin Masterson scuffled through 6 2/3, but Drew Stubbs and Mark Reynolds picked up the slack with big-time performances in the Indians victory. Join IBI contributor Jake Dungan with his Second Thoughts on the Tribe's Friday Night victory.
It's only two games, but Matt LaPorta is doing his best to prove that he is all the way back after years of disappointment and injuries. The first baseman is making waves at Columbus and starting to turn some heads. On the other side of the spectrum, Francisco Lindor just continues to impress day-in and day-out, stating his case to move up with each great performance. For all this and more, join Arthur Kinney as he goes Around The Farm.
Center fielder Drew Stubbs hit a game-winning double to deep center field, his fourth hit of the game, as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-6. The walkoff win was the second for the Tribe this season and extended the team's winning streak to five, their longest since the 2011 season.
Life after the draft changes considerably for a player, but Lake County Captains’ starter Dylan Baker knows that baseball is just a game. Baker was taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 5th round of the 2012 draft and is an Alaska native who is still finding his way in pro ball. The IBI's Stephanie Metzger gives an update on the talented righty...
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!