Evan Longoria and Yunel Escobar both hit two-run home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians, 11-3. With the win, the Rays won the rubber match of the three-game series, improving their record to 31-25. They are now 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East, though they sit in fourth place in the hotly-contested division.
Join Jim Pete and Steve Orbanek for tonight's episode of Cleveland Sports Insiders. Tonight, they'll talk Cavs basketball, and the NBA as a whole, before diving into first round pick discussions. They'll also jump into some Cleveland Indians baseball, and boy...there's plenty there to talk about. Look, it's not scripted, so who knows where this will go. Join us at 9:00!!!
As we move into June the Indians are five games over .500 and a half game out of first place, something a lot of Indians fans thought was not possible back in spring training. Tony touches on that, but he also looks at the Indians' struggles in the left-handed relief department and what their options are there, the turnaround of Ubaldo Jimenez, what the Indians do with Lou Marson when he returns, and gives the details on the upcoming MLB Draft.
With no rain or any chance of rain delays in the forecast, the Indians got a much needed victory Saturday afternoon over Tampa Bay, as they shutout the Rays, 5-0. Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 4.83 ERA) looked sharp over his eight innings of work, allowing just one of his four hits in the ballgame for extra bases.
The first day of June brought several interesting performances by Cleveland Indians prospects. Lonnie Chisenhall doesn't appear to be all that enthused about being back in the minors, and is trying to do something about it. Cord Phelps is another player that tasted the big leagues in 2013, but seems to be going in another direction. Join Jim Pete for Saturday's ATF to find out about Chis, Phelps, and a whole lot more.
The Cleveland Indians took the field Saturday for game two of their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays only a mere 10 hours after game one had concluded. While there may have been concerns that the lack of sleep could have got to players, it certainly did not affect Tribe right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who pitched eight shutout innings to lead the Indians to a 5-0 win. While Jimenez provided the pitching, Jason Giambi took care of the offense as he drove in three runs for the Indians. Join the IBI's Nathan Kemp as he provides all the play-by-play from what was arguably Jimenez's best start in his Indians career.
The Cleveland Indians selected the contract of righty reliever Matt Langwell from Triple A Columbus. In conjunction with the Langwell call-up, lefty Scott Barnes was optioned back to Columbus after getting roughed up during Friday night’s/Saturday morning’s rain delayed game.
Zach McAllister has been one of the most important dominoes in a string that have tumbled to make the Indians a legitimate contender. The IBI's Michael Hattery must confess though that until the last few months he never thought Zach was anything more than an innings eating fourth starter. Now he thinks he could be a solid number two starter. He explains in his latest Trend Spotting piece...
After more than four hours of rain delays and just one hit, there really is not too much that can be said about the Indians' 9-2 loss to the Rays Friday. Once again, the team's left-handed relief options failed them, and the contest quickly became a forgettable one. Join the IBI's Jake Dungan as he looks back on the rough night and offers his Second Thoughts and some key takeaways.
There have been some strange Cleveland Indians' games in the years, but perhaps few have been any stranger than what we saw Friday. After more than four hours of rain delays, the Cleveland Indians fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 9-2 Friday. The weather was not the only ugly thing about the contest either as the Indians mustered only one hit. Join the IBI's Jim Berdysz as he provides all the play-by-play and recaps the unforgettable night.
With Chris Perez's recent injury and Vinnie Pestano's struggles, the Cleveland Indians' bullpen has been in shambles. Manager Terry Francona recently announced that Pestano would assume closing duties in Perez's absence, but was it the right decision? Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek for his weekly column, Orbiting Cleveland, as he makes the argument that it should actually be right-hander Cody Allen coming on in the ninth for the Indians.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with removing any drama from a ballgame and simply battering your opponent into submission in the span of roughly ten minutes. Like a high-pressure system rolling along the radar screen, the Tribe bats cracked six consecutive two-out hits off Reds pitchers Homer Bailey and Alfredo Simon in the fourth inning, then left an eerie calm in their wake for the rest of the night. Andrew Clayman shares his second thoughts on a big Indians win...
The Ohio Cup will be staying in Cleveland after the Indians took down their state rival Cincinnati Reds for the second straight night, 7-1. Thursday’s series finale with the Reds can be summed up in one inning: the Tribe’s fourth inning. Cleveland bats caught fire in the inning, scoring all seven of their runs in the ballgame in frame off Cincinnati starter Homer Bailey. Join Jim Berdysz as he recaps Thursday's win.
This Indians entered this game really struggling. They’d lost five straight for the second time this season and in the midst of a tough stretch of games that included two more games against a Cincinnati Reds team that has been as hot as the Indians are cold. The good news is that ace Justin Masterson took the hill to stop the losing streak and Jason Giambi came through with a big hit. Join Michael Goodman as he gives his Second Thoughts on Wednesday's win.
Sometimes there’s really is no place like home. After an ugly six-game road trip that saw the Indians drop five of their last six, Cleveland got a much needed win Wednesday night in Tribe Town, defeating Cincinnati 5-2. The victory ends the Tribe’s five game losing streak, moving the team just 1.5 games in back of the first place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division. Join Jim Berdysz as he recaps Wednesday night's action.
The Indians have been an interesting team in 2013. Initially, the starting rotation faltered, and the offense struggled to score runs with consistency. But the bullpen was solid. Then, the offense started clicking, and so did the starters. The bullpen remained solid. Now, the starters are consistent, while the offense has scuffled here and there, and the bullpen is struggling. Join Jim Pete at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario as he looks at the bullpen...
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!