Cleveland%2520Indians

Even outside of baseball, April is a month commonly described as a prelude to better things—showers begetting flowers and all that. So, for all our nail-biting over the Indians’ rather lifeless kickoff to the 2013 campaign, it can’t be too surprising to see things starting to balance out—more than a little bit—in the past few days. With things starting to look up for the team and spring in the air, join Andrew Clayman as he gives his off-day Second Thoughts.

On Thursday evening the Cleveland Indians claimed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera off waivers from Philadelphia. To make room on the club's 40-man roster the Indians esiganted first baseman Mike McDade for assignment.

In a move that was expected, the Cleveland Indians today announced that right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus. The Indians also announced that righty Blake Wood is set to begin a major league rehab assignment in Akron this weekend and first baseman Matt LaPorta has been activated in Columbus.

The Indians entered Wednesday’s game on a three-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 33-5 in that span. For seemingly the first time all season the team has been able to get their offense and pitching staff on track at the same time. Bauer was not perfect Wednesday, but he kept the Phillies off of the board and Cleveland won again. Join Michael Goodman as he gives his Second Thoughts on the win and the team's sudden surge toward .500.

With a forecast that called for a potential Bauer outage, there was no short of electricity in the air at Progressive Field on Wednesday. The Indians offense powered their way to their fourth straight win as they shutout the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-0 to complete the two-game series sweep. In a matchup that featured former Tribe lefty Cliff Lee in one corner and Indians top prospect Trevor Bauer in the other, the past essentially met the future. Join Jim Berdysz as recaps Cleveland's 6-0 win.

The Cleveland Indians can be really, really good and really, really bad, seemingly at the drop of a hat. With a pitching staff that has more questions than the riddler, and an offense that scores in bunches, or not at all, can this team put together enough to be a contender? Jim Pete takes a look at this enigmatic team from the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario, and what it may take to take the next step.

Today the Cleveland Indians announced that right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus and will make a spot start tonight against the Phillies. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Indians have optioned left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone to Columbus.

The Cleveland Indians last night defeated their third straight Cy Young winner this season. Two-time award winner Roy Halladay took the mound for the Phillies at Progressive Field, but his stay would be brief as the hot-swinging Tribesman tagged the right-hander for eight runs and three homers in only three and two thirds innings of work. The Indians didn’t settle for that as they went on to score six more runs and hit four more bombs in a 14-2 blowout of the Phillies in their first interleague matchup of 2013.

So much for that lack of offense, right? The Indians exploded for seven home runs as they earned a 14-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday. The offense was not the only part of the team that impressed though as Zach McAllister pitched seven strong innings while only allowing two runs. Jojn the IBI's Jim Berdysz as he recaps all of the night's action from what proved to be a very memorable Tribe win.

Who was that masked man? That was not the Ubaldo we have all come to loathe, and to his credit he pitched a wonderful ballgame and helped the Indians cruise to a much needed 9-0 win and more importantly finish the road trip with a 5-4 record. Ryan Raburn got into the action and clubbed two home runs, Carlos Santana continues to sizzle, and Asdrubal Cabrera looks to be heating up. All of that and more in today's "second thoughts"...

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched seven plus innings of shutout baseball and right fielder Ryan Raburn went 4-for-4 with two home runs, as the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 9-0. Nathan Kemp enters the Indians' twilight zone with his recap on the Indians big victory over the first place Royals.

The offensive woes continued for the Indians this past week as the team went 2-3 and averaged only 1.33 runs per game in their three losses. There were some positives though as Carlos Santana continued to rake, and Mike Aviles showed why he's such a valuable member of the team's bench. Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he recaps all of the action from the past week in the latest edition of Notes from the Wigwam.

It was a tale of two completely different ballgames on Sunday, as the Indians split a day-night doubleheader with the first place Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The Indians were ice cold again in the first game as the Royals trounced them 9-0, but the Indians came back in the second game and pounded the Royals 10-3. The IBI's Jim Berdysz shares his "second thoughts" on the doubleheader.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have recalled catcher Yan Gomes and placed catcher Lou Marson on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation (retroactive to April 25). They also recalled left-handed reliever Scott Barnes from Tripe-A Columbus for the doubleheader.

It is something that has not been talked about much yet, but right-hander Justin Masterson is getting closer and closer to free agency with every start he makes. At the same time, with every good start he makes, his price tag goes up and up as well. Tony discussed why the Indians have to extend now him and ensure he does not get away. He also touches on how close Yan Gomes is to taking Lou Marson's backup catching job, the close scare with Carlos Carrasco, moving on from Brett Myers, and more.

They say pitching is the key to winning in baseball. But there also is another key saying that should go along with that: you can’t win if you can’t score. This was exactly the case again for the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night as they fell to the first place Kansas City Royals, 3-2. The IBI's Jim Berdysz shares his second thoughts on the game...