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The Indians middling at or near .500, and July has turned into a battling ground to find out whether or not they are a legit contender, or just a small market failure. With Grady Sizemore and Roberto Hernandez out of sight/out of mind, and with Carlos Santana in site and struggling, can the Tribe stop being a .500 team, and become something more? Join Jim Pete for his weekly rendition at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario...

With all of the trade speculation swirling in Tribe nation about the best right-handed hitting options on the trade market, few have given much thought to targeting a starter or reliever. However, there is a better chance of the Indians landing a middle-reliever or middle of the rotation starter in a savvy, understated trade, than fleecing an unsuspecting seller who has a power-hitting righty for sale.

The Indians entered Friday Night's contest coming off a big opening series win and with their staff ace on the mound. The Tampa Bay Rays were struggling, and everything seemed pointed towards another victory. Of course, that's why they play the games. The Rays, given a big advantage by Masterson's lack of command, dominated the contest from the start. Check out Jim B's "Second Thoughts" on Friday Night's game action.

While there weren't many moves, there were certainly some moves of substance throughout the week. Tyler Holt finally made a progression, as did Alex Monsalve. The headliner had to be the return of Travis Hafner to the big league club. Take a look at our weekly transaction rundown from the entire Indians organization with Arthur Kinney...and did I fail to mention, Pronk is back?

The Indians continued their winnings ways on Thursday night with a 3-1 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of a four game set. The Indians have now won three in a row and six of their last eight games, and with three games left before the All Star break they will look to finish strong this weekend. Jason Ruggiero shares his "second thoughts" on last night's Tribe victory...

The Indians exploded for 12 runs on 15 hits in a 12-3 win over the Angels on Independence Day. The game quickly turned into a laugher in the second inning when a three-run homer by Kotchman put the Indians up 9-1. Charlie Adams shares his "second thoughts" on the game and breaks down another Indians' series win.

After scoring 32 runs against the Orioles in a four game set over the weekend, the Indians returned home to Progressive Field on Monday night in the hopes of continuing their good play from over the weekend. But even with another good outing from Ubaldo Jimenez, it was not enough as Jerad Weaver shut the offense down and the Indians lost 3-0. Adam McGavin shares his "second thoughts" and more on the game.

There are big-time names out on the market that several teams will be looking at as the trade deadline approaches. Jeff Ellis will look at a couple of those names, but will throw out a few more that aren't being talked about at all. With the Indians struggling to find offensive help from the right-handed side of the plate, they'll have to get creative. Join Jeff to find out a few of those creative ideas...after the jump...

After falling behind the White Sox, the Indians began the toughest part of their schedule to date. With both teams matching each other blow for blow, last week Chicago beat out Cleveland to acquire Kevin Youkilis from Boston. Brian La Shier wonders if Cleveland’s hesitation in the bidding inadvertently strengthened its rival’s position.

No matter what the outcome of this game, the Indians were guaranteed at least a split of the long series in Baltimore. Paced by another strong outing from their ace and more early offense, they were able to win the series outright and salvage a once-disastrous road trip. The White Sox also lost, and the Indians found themselves only a game and a half out of first place. Join Kevin Dean with his Second Thoughts of Sunday's ballgame.

It is July 1st, which unofficially kicks off the start of the July trade season in Major League Baseball. Over the course of the next several weeks lots of rumors will fly around involving hundreds of players and almost every team, and Tony takes a look at some of the Indians' best trade chips they have in the minors that could land them a few of those players. In addition to that he gives an update on Lonnie Chisenhall, Carlos Santana, and others, and also has details on an important event he is participating in.

Lou Marson nearly hit for the cycle. Please read that again, and take it in slowly. Even with the potential Marson cycle, he wasn't the best offensive player on the roster yesterday. Marson, Shin-Soo Choo and Jose Lopez went a combined 13-for-16, and the Indians offense had an insane 19 hits in scoring 11 total runs. With the big win over the Orioles, the Indians inched to 2 1/2 games out of first place. Join Jim Berdysz with his second thoughts on the Tribe's offense onslaught...

Is the Indians' season over in June? Is losing six of seven games a sign that the Tribe has finally dropped off the cliff that so many have predicted? Jim Pete weighs in on the ownership and management role in the overall Indians picture in 2012, as well as taking a quick look at some timely issues with regards to the lineup and the offense. Join us all at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario...

The Indians continued their busy summer transactions with a host of movement from the big league club through Mahoning Valley. Jeanmar Gomez, Zach, McAllister, Scott Barnes and Travis Hafner all found themselves making high profile moves over the past seven days. Arthur Kinney pulls out every transaction over the past week, in the final June edition of IPI's transaction rundown.

The Indians have now lost six of seven games, and have falled 3 1/2 games behind the first place Chicago White Sox. With Lonnie Chisenhall heading to the DL, Michael Brantley hitting cleanup and Chris Antonetti talking about "improvement...from the interior," it may be time to start circling the wagons. Join Jim B. for some Second Thoughts on last night's ballgame.

The Indians ended their season high five-game losing streak on Thursday night with a 7-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. With the offense struggling, a lefty starting for the Orioles, and the team on a long losing streak, it did not look good for the Indians going into the game; however, Zach McAllister gave the Indians a very good start and the offense came through with some big hits. Jason Ruggiero chimes in with his "second thoughts" on the game...