Indians Prospect Insider

Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera both slugged home runs off Cleveland starter Corey Kluber as the Tigers beat the Indians 10-4. After Cleveland held a 1-0 first-inning lead, the Tigers plated three runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back. The game was the first of several matchups on the year between the two clubs, and the Tigers took round one.

The Indians have gone 10-1 in their last 11 games and are now in the thick of the American League Central race. Offense has played a huge role in the hot streak, but pitching has been equally impressive. With the rotation impressing, how do Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar fit into the Indians' 2013 plans? Join the IBI's Steve Orbanek as he looks at the rotation and tackles that question in the latest edition of the weekly IBI staple, Orbiting Cleveland.

Jake, Mike and Hayden are back for the fifth weekly episode of Call To The Bullpen! The Indians meet arch division rival Detroit for a 3-game weekend series trailing the division-leading Tigers by one game. The Tribe comes into Motown riding a 10-out-of-11 game winning streak. And are we seeing a revival of the old Scott Kazmir in Cleveland?

All offseason long, Tribe fans heard about that "team up north". Last year the Detroit Tigers were not only the reigning American League Central Division Champions, but won the AL Pennant for the second time in the last seven years. Tonight the Indians and that "team up north" tangle in the first of several Central Division showdowns this weekend, and the IBI's Jim Berdysz preview the important early season series.

It’s been nearly four years since Scott Kazmir last struck out 10 batters in a game. To put that in context, a teenager who was just starting college back then—August 26, 2009, to be exact—could conceivably be preparing for his graduation this weekend. That’s an awful lot of space between two bookends. Andrew Clayman takes a look at Kazmir's resurgence along with whether it is time to jump on board the bandwagon in today's Second Thoughts.

The Clippers unloaded on Thursday with two players in particular having great showings. One of the top prospects in Akron had a huge night, while the Mudcats played a doubleheader and had impressing pitching performances. Did #WashTime come through again? All this and more as contributor Andrew Zajac goes Around the Farm on Thursday, May 8.

The Carolina Mudcats received the clutch hits they had been searching for, and the bullpen held the Salem Red Sox at bay in a doubleheader sweep on Thursday night at LewisGale Field. The Mudcats snapped a five-game losing skid with a 2-1 triumph in game one, and pulled away for a game two victory, 4-1.

Akron began its away series with a close win against the Reading Phils Thursday night 5-4. The Aeros offense overcame weak pitching to clinch their 17th win of the season. First baseman Jesus Aguilar led Akron throughout the game putting up exceptional numbers throughout his five at bats.

The Captains came back strong from a 3-0 on loss Wednesday to beat the Silver Hawks 5-0 in Thursday night's game. Despite their struggles on Wednesday, the Captains were strong defensively and behind the plate on Thursday night. Grabbing two runs in the bottom of the first, the Captains started off with a bang.

After Wednesday's replay debacle, Cleveland got out there Thursday afternoon and did not leave the game in the umpires' hands. Jason Kipnis, Nick Swisher, and Mark Reynolds hit home runs that needed no review and Scott Kazmir struck out 10 as the Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics 9-2. With the win, the Indians completed a four-game sweep of the A’s and have now won 10 of their last 11 games. Join Nathan Kemp as he recaps the action.

The IBI's James Keene never wanted instant replay in baseball. When first proposed he felt it would merely cause the game to last longer and possibly not solve anything and the game on Wednesday is what he expected. When MLB announced they were implementing instant replay in 2008 he was thankful they were only using replay for home run calls. And while they umpire crew blew the replay review on Wednesday night, it is here to stay.

A monster seven-run first inning fueled the Columbus Clippers as they defeated the Charlotte Knights 12-9 Thursday to split the four-game series. After taking a commanding 7-0 lead in the first, Charlotte came back to tie the game in the top of the third. The Clippers kept battling, however, as they regained the lead with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning.

On Thursday afternoon the Cleveland Indians announced that outfielder Michael Bourn has been activated from the 15-day disabled list and lefty Scott Barnes has been optioned to Triple-A Columbus.

In this week’s Minor Happenings, Tony talks about the rapid growth of Danny Salazar and his alleged promotion to Columbus and what he needs to work on. He also looks at the return of Matt LaPorta and if his showing to date is any different from last year, provides some detailed comments from the front office on Trevor Bauer’s progression as a pitcher as well as the 411 on extended spring training, and also provides some insight and information on the likes of Preston Guilmet, Justin Toole, Francisco Lindor, Mitch Brown, and more.

The Columbus Clippers finished their fifth week of the season capturing four wins in the six games played and are now 17-16 on the season. Matt LaPorta is back with the club and is off to a good start, Ezequiel Carrera has returned to his old stomping grounds, and TJ House has struggled some since his good debut several days ago. All that and more in this week's notebook.

The Indians got a big break with a reviewed non-home run call not being overturned, and it helped the Indians and closer Chris Perez escape with a 4-3 win, their ninth win in their last ten games. The IBI's Michael Hattery steps in and provides his "second thoughts" on Perez's save, the value of Justin Masterson, the depth of the lineup, and more.