Your 2018 Cleveland Indians

[Rick]

They signed Rajai Davis last week and it was just announced that Napoli is being signed to a minor league contract lending passing a physical.

[CenTexDave]

Two wasted signings if you ask me. Napoli had more K's than hits last year with Texas. Once the Rangers figured out how washed up he is they stuck him on the bench.
Davis is just too old. Didn't do much with the A's last year. Don't know if he can do much this year either.
Cleveland didn't do diddly as far as I'm concerned this off season. They let pitchers Brian Shaw and Joe Smith leave (some say no big deal about Shaw), let Carlos Santana leave, didn't even
try to keep him and same with Jay Bruce.
Signed some 1B who had a good first half of a season last year then slumped the entire second half.
Have read that Brantley won't be ready for opening day. Sure am glad they wasted $10M on his option. He must have stubbed his toe on the dugout steps.
I look for more of the same - win the Central going away and early exit from the playoffs.

[CenTexDave]

Now I read Salazar has arm problems and won't be ready for Opening Day. All the talent in the world but the past two seasons has been on the DL way too often to be considered a reliable arm.
Also forgot - they didn't try to keep Austin Jackson, the sub OF who had the catch of the year in CF and also hit .318. Big mistake.

[CenTexDave]

Napoli's batting average during the spring training games remained at .000 after yesterday's 0-3 debacle. :))

[CenTexDave]

Only another week - 10 days and the teams will name their rosters and break for the start of the season.
The Tribe has some interesting and hard choices to make at some key positions:
Giovanni Urshela is batting .519 during spring training. Yandy Diaz is batting .417. Who do you keep as a back-up infielder? Kipnis is back - he's batting .452 so 2nd base is solved.
The OF is in tatters with Brantley - again - not ready to play. Greg Allen is batting .375. Guyer is also not ready to play. Chisenhall is hitting an anemic .188.
And Fat Ed is his usual self batting a roaring .161. I wasn't pleased they let Santana get away, but they did sign Alonso to play 1B and he's hitting .333 this spring.
Perez is having a good spring behind the plate at .375. Where does that leave the young Francisco Mejia who is hitting .450?
Kluber pitched a gem yesterday - 5 IP, 1 hit. Clevinger has looked real good. Bauer and Tomlin have not, and Salazar is injured (again).

[CenTexDave]

They tried Urshela at 1B yesterday and did fine. He is now batting .457 for the spring. Will be hard to leave him off the roster. Yandy Diaz continues to impress. Good thing about him is
he can also play LF. Chisenhall has had a miserable spring, but I'm sure he'll be penciled in as the starter in RF. But if I was Francona I'd quickly lose my patience with him if he gets off to a real slow start. With Brantley and Guyer out
with injuries carried over from last year, I'd consider Diaz for LF, Zimmer for CF and Allen in RF.

[CenTexDave]

They sent Diaz down to Columbus. He was hitting a ton and some of the other regulars aren't. I have a feeling he'll be back. Urshela has been tried at 1B and did fine and continues to hit. BA over .500.
And, lo and behold, and surprise, surprise, surprise - Michael Brantley made his spring debut yesterday. Went 1 for 3 with a HR. If he's ready to go will be great.

[Rick]

They seem pretty optimistic about Brantley.

[CenTexDave]

Definitely need him as long as he's 100%. Hope they don't have him in LF if he's not fully healed.

[Rick]

976878437079101442

[CenTexDave]

Francona likes some of his veterans too much - even when they don't play well. Davis brings nothing to the Tribe. He didn't hit good at Oakland last season and is two years older than when he led the league in stolen bases.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe kept Napoli - signed him to a deal and will most likely assign him to Columbus AAA. The deal includes a clause where he can opt out if he receives a better offer from a different team.
Between him and Fat Ed Encarnacion at DH, they might have 400K's between them.

[CenTexDave]

Other than Kluber, and Clevinger at times, the starting pitching this spring has simply sucked. Tomlin has started to round into form as he has had a couple good consecutive outings, but Tomlin isn't great when he is on.
Bauer has looked extremely shaky. Yesterday Carrasco got shelled (again) - his spring ERA is over 7.00. And Salazar is on the DL. Andrew Miller even hasn't looked sharp.
But the hitting, with the exception of a few, has been very, very good. Alonso - Santana's replacement at 1B - has been smacking the hell out of the ball. Brantley has been extremely good, but looks like he'll start the
season on the DL. Both Gomes and Perez at catcher have hit great. Kipnis' comeback has been very good and he's hitting well. So who isn't? Fat Ed (normal - always starts slow), Ramirez and Lindor haven't been hitting as they
should, and Chisenhall has been miserable. Sub infielders Gonzalez (usually plays at SS) and Urshela (who can play 3B-very good defensively-, SS, 2B and 1B have hit well. Yandy Diaz was hitting extremely well and they send
him down to AAA. Sometimes I really wonder about Francona. His loyalty to these older veterans - like Guyer, Encarnacion, Napoli, Chisenhall, etc- may not pay off.
This team has way too much talent not to get out of the gate and have a 10 game lead by the all-star break. But if the starting pitching continues to suck and these older vets don't hit, I wouldn't be surprised to see
some wholesale changes. The only difference is I would make them now. Doesn't do much for morale to go into May 5 games back thinking that they'll put together another 13 and 22 game win streak.

[CenTexDave]

Seems as soon as I posted something blasting a couple of the players they play great.
Today Bauer has pitched 5 great innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 7 K's. Napoli has blasted one out. Indians lead Arizona 2-1 in the 6th.

[Rick]

The only time to worry about Bauer is when he's playing with his drone. They say he struck out more in spring training than any other pitcher. Not that it means much. In fact, none of means anything until tomorrow.

I think Francona is wise to keep those "old" guys around. With the injuries during the course of the season, especially early on, it'll be good to have veterans close by. Just in case. Time will tell.

[CenTexDave]

I just don't understand Francona's love affair with Guyer. He is a below average defensive outfielder, has no power, but gets on base sometimes when he gets hit and takes one for the team.
Hopefully Chisenhall stays healthy this year - he was batting well over .300 and lead the team in RBIs before getting injured last year just before the all-star break. Matter of fact, I thought he
should have made the all-star team instead of Brantley.
You're right - time will tell. But Diaz and Allen will be at AAA and can be called up overnight if needed.

[Rick]

Good news for tonight. Wahoo hats.
979496289103679488

[CenTexDave]

10pm on ESPN

[CenTexDave]

Tribe loses the opener, 2-1, to Seattle. Kluber was outpitched by Felix Hernandez. Gave up a 2 run HR and that was it, but over 8 innings he looked pretty good.

[fchafey]

Watched most of it as i am off today so i could stay up late. Pretty good game, interesting they mentioned Seattle is about to get an NHL franchise.

[CenTexDave]

I didn't watch any of it. I'm usually dead to the world by 10PM. :)
Guess it was poetic justice that Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers also lost his opener, 1-0, to the Giants.

[Rick]

Watching the game now. Tribe leads 6-3 top of the 4th.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180331/1e54fbd7ff516d69a9d5a9d54cbe968b.jpg

[Rick]

Tribe wins 6-5.

Tomorrow's game should be on too.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe ekes it out, 6-5. Carrasco hasn't looked good all spring, but the bullpen did their job.

[CenTexDave]

The rubber game. Through 4 Bauer looks sharp - 2 hits and 5 K's. Fat Ed has gone deep and the Tribe leads 2-0. Starting to worry about Rameriz - hasn't gotten a hit yet this year but was robbed of a HR yesterday by a great over the wall catch.

[Rick]

Bauer allowed 2 in the 5th. Otero pitched the 6th and got them all.

[Rick]

Tribe gave up 3 in the 7th. Encarnacion hit a two run blast in the 8th. Tribe down by one

[CenTexDave]

Good to see Ed hitting early in the season. Now need a couple of the others to start hitting.

[Rick]

Tribe has three home runs so far tonight including an inside the park HR by, wait for it, Encarnacion.

They lead 5-0 in the 4th.
981000951871000576

[CenTexDave]

6-0 final. Shutout by Clevinger, but only pitched 5 innings. Clevinger looked pretty this spring. Bauer was fine for 5 innings until the roof fell in the 6th. Need to get Carrasco straightened out quick.
Still amazed that Rameriz does not have one hit yet.

[Rick]

I know. I don't think they are too worried about Ramirez because once he gets going, he'll be a beast. There's no need to wear out the pitchers with the bullpen they have. Plus, as the announcers said last night, Tito needs to find a 7th inning replacement for Shaw and to do that, they need to throw the ball.

[CenTexDave]

Nick Goody has looked "good". lol Last year's phenom, Tyler Olson, who went 20+ innings with a 0.00 ERA got lit up his first appearance, but looked good last night. McAllister is doing real good also. Just hope they don't
try Miller Time too much and wear him out. If Carrasco gets straightened out and Tomlin can be his usual half decent, I would think Salazar would be a great set-up or closer when he comes back.

[Night Owl]

Pipe dreams coming out of Cleveland.:)

[Rick]

Speaking of pipe dreams, I see that Bartolo Colon pitched for your Texas Rangers last night...haha

[Rick]

Ramirez' first hit of the season was a two run homer in the 1st inning.

[Rick]

Tomlin's a mess in the 1st. Gave up six runs. Serious control issues early on.

[Night Owl]

Tomlin's a mess in the 1st. Gave up six runs. Serious control issues early on.
Might need to trade for Colon.:))

[Rick]

Nope. Your team raided the old folks home to get him. You gotta keep him.


It's too bad that you can't support your team with positive comments.

[Night Owl]

Nope. Your team raided the old folks home to get him. You gotta keep him.


It's too bad that you can't support your team with positive comments.
Probably won't see a single pitch this year or next, or the next............from any MLB team. I'm still on strike from there last strike.

[CenTexDave]

One whole hit!! 12 K's. At least Rameriz broke out of his early slump. I wouldn't wait much longer on Tomlin to come around. He was half-assed during spring. Either he pitches decent or get rid of him. We have good, young
arms at Columbus.

[CenTexDave]

This team is not hitting. Wasted another good effort by Kluber last night.

[Rick]

Hopefully, coming home will light a fire tomorrow.

[CenTexDave]

It seems each year they open on the road. Now they come home at 2-4. Probably get a good dose of that lovely Cleveland spring weather. Snow flurries, anyone? :)

[CenTexDave]

Snow in the area but not forecast for the 4PM Tribe Home Opener. But the high today in Cleveland is forecast at 41 degrees, and with the wind blowing off the lake should be a balmy
35 or so wind chill. :)) Still, wish I was there. :)

[Rick]

Brantley was activated today and he already has two RBI's in the 1st inning.

[Night Owl]

Snow in the area but not forecast for the 4PM Tribe Home Opener. But the high today in Cleveland is forecast at 41 degrees, and with the wind blowing off the lake should be a balmy
35 or so wind chill. :)) Still, wish I was there. :)
Nothing stopping you from being there.:)

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes it, 3-2. All runs came in the first inning. Boring game.

[Rick]

I'm sure the windy and cold weather had something to do with the boring game.

[CenTexDave]

Won't be much better today - snowing in southern Ohio. :))

[CenTexDave]

A bit chilly there right now - 32 degrees with a wind chill of 27. Hardly baseball weather.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe's bats have gone on strike. Bauer pitches 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 Earned Run, 7 K's and loses 1-0.

[Rick]

That's ridiculous.

[CenTexDave]

More of the same today. 32 degrees. 8th inning and Clevinger is pitching good, they are down 1-0. 3 whole hits. Pathetic.

[CenTexDave]

Tied it up in the 8th. And wasn't any bunch of hits - a walk, stolen base, sacrifice and two throwing errors for KC's pitcher. lol
Now going to bottom of the 9th, still 1-1.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe pulls it out in the bottom of the 9th - Yan Gomes two run HR!!!!!!!!!!

[Rick]

This was huge for the tribe.
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[CenTexDave]

Tribe leads Detroit 2-0 after 5. Zimmer two run HR. Kluber 10K's.

[Rick]

Is it on tv here?

[CenTexDave]

No. Following on internet. Kluber goes 8, 13 K's, Miller gets the save. Tribe 2-0

[CenTexDave]

1-0, Tribe in the 4th. JRam HR.

[CenTexDave]

2-1, Tribe. Perez HR in 8th. Miller gets the win, Allen the save. 5 good innings from Tomlin.

[Rick]

Crazy how the late game big hits lately have come from the two CATCHERS!

[CenTexDave]

Warmer tonight and the bats have come out of their hibernation - 4-0 Tribe in the 4th.

[fchafey]

Someone from the Tribe hit a Tigers pitcher in the face. ouch.....

[CenTexDave]

Cookie Carrasco complete game 3 hitter, Tribe 5-1. Everyone but Fat Ed got a hit.

[Rick]

Someone from the Tribe hit a Tigers pitcher in the face. ouch.....That was ugly.

[CenTexDave]

Just saw a video clip of it. Evidently he's ok. Shades of Herb Score.

[CenTexDave]

Bauer takes the hill tonight in the series finale. He has never beaten Detroit. Hopefully tonight he will mow them down. Much warmer there today, but forecast calls for 50% chance of showers.

[CenTexDave]

After 1 is 2-0, Tribe. Lindor goes deep as he leads off. Fat Ed struck out as usual.

[CenTexDave]

6-0 now. Lindor 2 run 2B and JRam 2 run homer

[CenTexDave]

9-1 after 4. The bats have come alive in the warm weather. Well, all except Fat Ed and Alonso. Big waste of $25 M.

[CenTexDave]

Final: 9-3. Bauer went 7 innings, 7 K's, 2 earned runs. Good outing against he had never before beaten. And the Tribe pounded out hits galore.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe got bounced last night. Clevinger was pitching well then walked two batters and HR. At least our bats have woke up now.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe leading the Twins in Puerto Rico, 2-0. Frankie Lindor goes deep and the home crowd goes crazy. Kluber pitching good too.

[CenTexDave]

Top of the 6th, 4-0 Tribe. JRam and Dr Smooth go deep back to back.

[CenTexDave]

8th inning and Tribe up 6-1. Alonso goes deep. Hot and humid there. Kluber went 6.2 innings, 102 pitches, and was gassed.

[Rick]

Lindor's home run really lit the place up. You'd think he just hit the World Series winning HR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MN8wXlkZwa8

[CenTexDave]

I watched it on FS1. The crowd went nuts. Lindor is the PR's hero there. And they like the Indians. Place went wild when JRam and Michael Brantley went back-to-back an inning later.
The offensive slump they were in was obviously because of the cold weather. Zimmer had two doubles last night. It seems they all, with the exception of the $16M mistake - Fat Ed - is
hitting now.

[CenTexDave]

Last night had to be the ultimate lesson by Tito as to how to blow a game. Went 16 innings before the Tribe finally lost. Every position player had been used
and in the bottom of the 16th had to bring in Tomlin to relieve. Naturally Tomlin got shelled and the Tribe fell 2-1.
Thought we had it won when Fat Ed went deep in the, I believe, 13th inning. So in the bottom of the 13th our reliever gives up a HR. Too bad Tito decided
to use closer Cody Allen earlier. He also pinch hit using Guyer for Zimmer. Zimmer has been on a tear lately. Of course Guyer, with a runner on second, weakly
grounds out.

[CenTexDave]

After the Tribe's bats went silent (again) on Friday night and gave Bauer no run support, they came to life this afternoon. Three homers (JRAM, Alonso and Gomes). JRAM went 3 for 4. Mike
Clevinger pitched a complete game gem of a shutout, 4-0, 2 hits. If not for one bad inning this year he'd be 4-0. His ERA is a mini 1.75.
Oh, and Fat Ed went 0-4. lol

[CenTexDave]

JRAM goes deep X 2 and the Tribe wins it 7-3. Kluber wins his third but wasn't all that sharp. Miller (0.00 ERA) and Cody Allen (0.00 ERA) finish it off.
Gotta get Kipnis and Fat Ed to start hitting though.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe sweeps the Orioles, 2-1. Carrasco gets the win. Tribe bats silent again, but Alonso's 2 run HR was the difference.

[CenTexDave]

Interesting series starting tonight with the Chicago Cubs coming to town.

[CenTexDave]

5-1, Cubs, after 5. Tomlin got shelled right from the start - gave up 4 HRs.
Ramirez has officially broken out of his slump as he has 2 hits in 2 at bats. Now if only Lindor would come to life.
Kipnis is worthless - get rid of him. Oh, and Fat Ed K'd in his first at bat. :)

[CenTexDave]

Final: 10-3. Tomlin was lit up and so was McAllister in relief. Ramirez went 3-3. Fat Ed finally drove in a run, but had 2 K's.

[CenTexDave]

Going to the bottom of the 7th - 3-1, Tribe. All 3 Tribe runs on homers - Guyer, Lindor and Fat Ed. Bauer went 6.2 and pitched well. Miller came in to relieve and on his 2nd pitch
he pulled a hamstring/muscle.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes it 4-1.

[CenTexDave]

Miller put on the 10 day DL and obviously missed him tonight as the Mariners won, 5-4. This bullpen already appears to be worn out and it's only April.

[CenTexDave]

After getting stomped on Thursday night, the Tribe rebounds with a 6-5 home run fest over the Mariners Friday night. Brantley went 3-3 with a HR and Lindor, Fat Ed, and the duo of Yon and Yan joined them.
Kluber pitched good. Was robbed of a called third strike in the top of the 9th which should have ended the game. It really shock him up so Tito brings in Allen to close it and he got shelled before finally putting
out the fire.
Obviously they miss Andrew Miller. One of these relief pitchers has to step up as a set-up man. Kluber was left in there to finish it although he already had 112 pitches.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe needs some serious help and needs it fast. Their pitching has gone way south.

[Night Owl]

Tribe needs some serious help and needs it fast. Their pitching has gone way south.
Is the sky falling or is another sports team from Cleveland smelling up the field again?

[CenTexDave]

Still in first place.
And the Cavs won today.
All is good.
Texas Rangers come to town tomorrow. We'll see.

[Night Owl]

Still in first place.
And the Cavs won today.
All is good.
Texas Rangers come to town tomorrow. We'll see.
The Indians should sweep them.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes the first one, 7-5. For 6 innings looked like a pitchers' duel, then all hell broke loose. Bauer pitched 6, 3 hits, 1 ER, 11 Ks.

[Rick]

Looks like the Rangers will win one tonight. 6-0 in the 7th.

[Rick]

The fat lady hadn't sung yet. Brantley grand slam tied it at 6 in the bottom of the 9th.

[Rick]

Goody has given up two home runs in the 12th.

[Night Owl]

Goody has given up two home runs in the 12th.
Might need to change his name.:))

[CenTexDave]

Might need to replace that entire bullpen.

[Rick]

Tribe's is off to a good start this afternoon. Four runs in the first with Encarnacion hitting a three run shot and Kipnis hit a three run homer in the second. 7-1, bottom of the second with one out.

[Rick]

Encarnacion just hit his second home run of the game. A two run shot with Lindor on second. 9-1 in the second.

[CenTexDave]

Final: 12-4. Fat Ed goes deep 3 times, Lindor and Kipnis also go yard. Kluber wins his fifth game.

[CenTexDave]

Make-up double header today scheduled with Toronto. Two games last month were rained out.
Of course today's Cleveland weather forecast calls for rain. :)) Carrasco scheduled to start the first game. Hopefully he got over the shellacking he had last time out. The 2nd game
starter is some guy they brought up from AAA to pitch today's second game. Be nice if this guy tosses a 3 hit shutout and they keep him. :)

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe split the double header. Two hour rain delay to get the first game started. Bats have really come to life. If not for a couple base running screw ups in the first game it would have been a sweep.
In the first the bullpen continued to show how terrible they have become ever since Andrew Miller went on the DL. Of more concern might be Carrasco getting shelled for two consecutive games. During the
intermission the Tribe put Nick Goody on the DL and called up a pitcher from Columbus. McAllister is proving he's a liability too. In the second game Adam Plutko, who was called up just to pitch this game,
was very impressive. He went 7.l innings. The reliever they called up between games, a guy named Marshal, came in and put out the fire in the 8th.
If Tomlin has another crappy outing this evening in New York might see Plutko on the varsity roster.

[fchafey]

Got to watch the Indians - Astros series this weekend. Took a weekend off from golf. I know it isn't halfway through the season yet, but I would hope Indian's management is trying to address the pitching problem in the bullpen. This year like last the central is looking pretty weak, but that weakness rotates around divisions so I am not bashing the Indians for being in first place at 22-23. just thought the pitching and run support was pretty iffy.

[Rick]

Ya, they are hurting in the bullpen. The bats are coming on. Houston had a perfect game going into the 6th. Houston's defense was lights out last night. They robbed the Tribe of a couple of extra base hits for sure.

It looks like Cabrera might be a good pick up.

[CenTexDave]

My observations, for what they are worth:
1. Bullpen is shaky at best. They seemed fine until Miller went on the DL about 3 weeks ago. He came back too early. Supposedly he's ok now. We'll see this week as he'll most likely be needed when they take on the Cubs on Tues and Weds. The rest of them plain suck. They keep on picking up washed up pitchers hoping to find one that can do the job. It ain't working.
2. Other than Lindor, Brantley, and JRam there is no consistent hitting. You could add Gonzalez, as he's hitting a ton, but sits on the bench (nice move, Tito) as Francona would rather play his toys like Krapnis and Guyer. Gomes is hitting better. Alonso and Fat Ed have proven to be big mistakes. Altogether, Krapnis, Alonso and Fat Ed account for $40M salary and they sure aren't getting their moneys worth. Naquin was hitting good (around .320) when he got injured, but even so, when is he due back?
3. Never seen so many injuries - pulled hamstrings, etc. Zimmer runs into the wall in Yankee Stadium two weeks ago and still isn't back. Chisenhall has been out for 7 weeks with another of many injuries this guy always gets. He's due to start rehab assignment today at Columbus. Pitcher injuries involving arm problems I can understand. Just seems the position players need to be in better shape. No excuse for pulling a muscle or, in Fat Ed's case, missed two days with a sore neck.
4. Addressing the bullpen problem - have already read an article where management (not Tito) stated that don't expect help as this payroll is the highest in the history of the club. In other words, Dolan (the owner) is too freaking cheap to bother trying to get some help. That was obvious this past winter when he let two decent relief pitchers (Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith) walk, outfielders Jay Bruce and Austin Jackson walk and Carlos Santana leave. They signed garbage to replace the relief pitchers and Alonso to replace Santana. Now in all fairness to Alonso, Santana isn't doing squat with the Phillies and Shaw and Smith are getting shelled also. Jackson is with the Giants and not producing. Haven't checked on Bruce. They bet the farm on Brantlley being able to come back and he has. They figured the OF was also set with Brantley, Zimmer and Chisenhall with Naquin and Guyer as back-ups. Didn't plan for injuries.
5. They traded Urshela after DFA'ing him. He was batting .326 at AAA Columbus after hitting around .500 for the spring. Now he's doing well for Toronto. Brilliant.
6. Kluber, as usual, is pitching great. Carrasco not so much, although giving up two runs last night to the defending world champs is no disgrace. Bauer and Clevinger have pitched well. Tomlin is worthless. Be interesting to see if Salazar can get back. Ryan Merritt is again hurt and on the DL. There are three good, young pitchers at Columbus. I'd bring them up and take my chances with them. Certainly can't do worse than Tomlin, McAllister, Otero and the rest of the clowns.
A team usually has a 3-5 year window of opportunity to succeed with the bulk of the good players they have. The clock has been ticking on the Tribe for 4 years now. They will most likely win the Central this year and another fast exit from the playoffs. Brantley is a free agent after this year, and after one more of the same, they"ll lose Lindor. The kid will command a $200+M contract and only BoSox, Dodgers or Yankees can afford that kind of money.

[Rick]

Hey Dave, I have a few more of these from my trip last year. I'll give you one of you want.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180521/84f7c0d9d6a8c9a7bc801f6b9fedff32.jpg

[CenTexDave]

Wow, I haven't tasted that stuff since the last time I went to an Indians' game at old Municipal Stadium.
Rick, thanks, but I'll pass. You enjoy the mustard.

[Rick]

I am enjoying it. I have a bottle in my refrigerator at home and work and three more in the cupboard. They have a sell by date of September so I don't want it to go bad. I have plenty and since I send my aunt pecans, she can't send me some more politically incorrect mustard.

I would love to share some with someone who appreciates what it is.

[Rick]

Tribe leading 7-0 in the 5th. Bauer pitching. Hope they don't have to go to the bullpen.

[Rick]

10-0 in the 5th. Bauer even scored a run.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe completes the sweep, 1-0. That kid Adam Plutko pitched a good 7 innings. Miller is back to being Miller and Allen is back to being Allen.

[mac]

10-0 in the 5th. Bauer even scored a run.

they beat the celtics tonight too!.......6 and 6 now....mac

[CenTexDave]

????

[gnatsum]

they beat the celtics tonight too!.......6 and 6 now....mac

I'm with the Dave on this.:?
Aren't the Celtics a BASKETBALL TEAM? :)

[fchafey]

they beat the celtics tonight too!.......6 and 6 now....mac

Whatever you are on, I would like 2......FYI Boston leads Cleveland, at the moment 3 games to 2. The Celtics won tonight.

[CenTexDave]

Finally a comeback win for the ages.
Bauer pitched very good - 13 Ks in 7 innings, but 115 pitches. Not having any faith in his bullpen, Tito sends him out for the 8th and he gives up a hit and walk. In comes the bullpen and
immediately Houston jumps all over the pitcher and takes an 8-3 lead. Then the pen settles down, and the Tribe gets a bit of revenge as they score 5 in the bottom of the 9th to tie it.
On we go - in the 13th Houston hits a HR. Bottom of the 13th Alonso ties it with a HR.
Bottom of the 14th we go, tied 9-9. Greg Allen leads off - first pitch he deposits over the right field wall for the win!! :)
The Tribe really needed this game. Hopefully the bullpen gained some confidence. At least McAllister and Otero - both threw two shutout innings.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe took it today over the White Sox. That kid Plutko got hammered early, but the Tribe exploded for 5 runs in the 6th and that was it.
Now a 3 game winning streak.

[Rick]

I watched it. Pretty pathetic defense for Chicago.

[CenTexDave]

Streak is at 4. Of course we can't get too excited because 2 of those have been against the White Sox, but Clevinger pitched very good tonight; Brantley, Ramirez and Kipnis went deep. Ramirez now has 16 HRs and 39 RBIs - tied for like 3rd in the league.

[CenTexDave]

Brantley - 18 game hitting streak!!

[Rick]

1001659537680748546

[CenTexDave]

Don't know if they still are, but earlier this season, at least up to a week or so ago, also were leading in HRs. Now if Fat Ed gets hot watch out.
Hell, even Krapnis is now starting to hit.
But that bullpen - Francona states we'll get it figured out, so they send Plutko back down to Columbus and call up Believeau to bolster the bullpen. Put him in
for the start of the 8th yesterday and immediately (first batter) deposits one into the lake. They need to bring Plutko back up as well as Shane Biever who just tossed
a no-hitter at Columbus.
Chisenhall is having a great rehab and hitting exceedingly well. Get him back up and send this Melky Cabrera, who is a double-play machine, packing - forever.

[fchafey]

Currently Yankees 87, Boston 80, Cleveland 79, LA Angels 73, Washington, 71.

[CenTexDave]

The streak is at 5 as the Tribe crushes the White Sox 9-1. Kluber wins his 8th, 6 IP, 3 hits, 10 K's then took the rest of the game off. Thanks to the Tribe's crap bullpen they gave up a run in the 9th and ruined the shutout.
Ramirez and Fat Ed went deep, Brantley's hitting streak is at 19. For Ramirez it was HR #17, tied for 2nd in all of baseball and third in RBIs (40).
A scare for Tribe fans yesterday - was reported that Ramirez tested positive for PEDs. Turned out to be a fake news story. MLB said there is no truth to it.

[CenTexDave]

Whew. The streak's at 6. Shane Bieber, called up from AAA Columbus, makes his major league debut on his 23rd birthday and pitched great for 5 innings. Ran into trouble in the 6th, then in comes the bullpen and
an 8-0 lead was soon 8-8. But Lindor went yard in the 8th and Allen closed it. Lindor went 4-5 with 2 HR and 2 doubles - only the 4th player to ever do this. JRam also went deep and is now tied for MLB lead with 18.

[CenTexDave]

From above: "Lindor went 4-5 with 2 HR and 2 doubles - only the 4th player to ever do this." Sorry, not exactly correct. Only the 4th player to ever do this twice in one season.

[CenTexDave]

The six game winning streak is over. Tribe loses Friday night to the Twins, 7-4. Carlos Carrasco got shelled early and often and the Tribe just couldn't catch up.
I believe something is wrong with Carrasco but he won't admit it. This is not the guy who tied for the AL lead in wins last year with 18. His fastball is continually
2-3 mph slower, he's walking batters a lot more - something he didn't do the past couple of years. Kipnis, again, amazes all with his ability to do nothing. Fat Ed hit
a monsterous 430 foot homer. The Tribe now has 5 players with 30 or more RBIs.
Mad Dog Bauer takes the hill today in hopes of getting another streak going. Bradley Zimmer has rejoined the team following a rehab assignment at AAA. Chisenhall,
Guyer and Naquin are due to soon follow, which means a couple of these dud outfielders we now have are going. Just hope they keep Greg Allen, who was the subject of
an article I read on ESPN's website the other day. They think he may be the next coming of Kenny Lofton.
Personally, I'd keep Allen on the roster and send Davis and Cabrera packing and would not bring up Guyer who was hitting around .155 when he went on the DL. But,
knowing he's one of Francona's favs, he'll probably be added at Allen's expense.

[Rick]

They are getting shelled today, 7-1 in the 8th. Thanks a lot to an error on an easy double play ball hit to Kipnis.

[CenTexDave]

Alonso made a bone headed error also - simple throw back to the pitcher.
Bauer deserved better - had 11 Ks. But he should be used to it by now.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe limps home following that mess in Minnesota. Clevinger pitched good but, as usual, hit 100 pitches after 6 innings so, in his infinite wisdom and afraid to use his bullpen, Tito sends him out for the 7th. Walks the first
batter then pulls him and then starts the massacre.
Kluber pitching tonight against Milwaukee, NL Central Div leaders. Sure hope he pitches a gem. They need to stop the bleeding.

[CenTexDave]

Kluber wins his 9th. 7IP, 1ER, 7Ks. JRam hit his 19th HR.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes the final game of the series with the Brewers, 3-1. Cookie Carrasco, although far from pitching a gem, went 7 innings, 1 ER, 10 Ks. Rajai Davis had 3 stolen bases. The bullpen may be
coming around. Tito has been using Neil Ramirez as the hold guy and Oliver Perez (another cast-off and Tribe pickup) as the set-up. They've done well in those roles the last two games. Allen gets the save
as he struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced to end the game. Fat Ed's 11 game hitting streak came to an end though.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe's heating it up, take the first at Detroit 4-1. Trevor Bauer - 8 IP, 12Ks, 1ER. Kipnis 3 run homer in the ninth wins it.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes the final of the series against the Tiger, 9-2. Kluber wins his 10th, 8 IP, 5 hits, 8 Ks. Tomlin pitched the 9th and had 2 Ks. New closer? :)

[CenTexDave]

Carrasco tosses a gem as the Tribe shuts out the ChiSox, 4-0. 7 IP, 2 hits, 11 K's. Brantley went deep. Chisenhall, since returning from the Dl, is lighting it up hitting .330.

[CenTexDave]

After giving Bauer (10 K's) no run support last night and dropping a 3-2 decision, Big Mike Clevinger looked like he might meet the same fate this afternoon. Down 2-1 early on, Clevinger got tough and the Tribe finally got
some runs. Clevinger - 12 K's (career high). Lindor and JRam went deep and the Tribe takes it 5-2.
The once terrible bullpen has been really good the past 10 days or so. Need them to keep it up. Miller should be back this weekend.

[CenTexDave]

It happens to the best once in a while - Kluber got klobbered. He wasn't himself at all. Went 5 innings and left after giving up two HRs down by the score of 4-0. Two Lindor errors didn't help. The Tribe
rallied too little, too late and we lost 6-3. Might have been Lindor's worst ever game as an Indian - two errors and went 0-5, making the final out of the game with a runner on 2B.

[CenTexDave]

No comment on today's massacre. Carrasco got shelled early and often. This team is frustrating.

[CenTexDave]

Today was more like it. Carrasco got hit yesterday by a line drive in the 2nd inning. He was put on the 10 day DL today. Adam Plutko was supposed to start today's game, but they had to use him yesterday with Carrasco's early
exit. So they called up Shane Bieber from AAA Columbus. He did great - 1 run in 6 innings. Tribe's big hit was a Yan Gomes bases clearing double. Tribe really needed this one.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe takes the first of the series with the White Sox. Trevor Bauer threw a gem - 7 IP, 8 K's, 3 hits. Rain delay caused him to be taken out after 7 innings. The idiot bullpen gave up runs in the 8th and 9th, but didn't matter.
Tribe wins 6-2. Even two of our worst hitters got into this - Kipnis HR and 3-4 and Perez 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Too bad about the rain delay - Bauer had a chance to tie the record for consecutive games with at least 10 K's.
He finished with 8. The record holder? None other than Cory Kluber who has done it twice.

[fchafey]

I would have thought with al the past great Cleveland pitchers, this 10k's consecutively would have been done more often or longer consecutive starts. Martinez did it 8 in a row ands Sales did it 10 in a row. With the arms Cleveland has ad go through them it is surprising.

[CenTexDave]

I think Feller did it also, but can't confirm that. Surprising Sam McDowell didn't accomplish that and maybe also Gaylord Perry.
I read this morning where Bauer kept pleading with Francona to go back out for the 8th inning once the rain stopped. Of course Bauer
thinks he can throw 150 pitches a game. And he just might, for he doesn't seem to get tired. If you're going to hit him better do it
in the first three innings because he just gets better as the game goes along. But the Tribe will need a live arm come Sept and Oct,
so better to play it safe.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe-6, ChiSox-3. Clevinger pitched a gem - 7.2IP, 5 hits, 10 Ks. Walked a guy in the top of 8th then gave up a hit so Francona replaced him with Ramirez. Took Ramirez two pitches to end the inning.
Then in the 9th McAllister melted down as he does so much lately. Time for the bum to be DFA'd. After giving up 2 runs they brought in Allen to close it out.

[CenTexDave]

Kluber, coming off his worst game of the season, takes the hill this afternoon. I have never heard of Kluber having two bad games in a row. I smell sweep.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe blasts the White Sox this afternoon, 12-0, and completes the sweep. JRam and Kipnis both hit 3 run HRs. Fat Ed doubled in two more. Seems everyone got into the act.
Kluber pitched a magnificent game - 7 innings, only 1 hit, 7 Ks. He probably could have completed the game as he was under 100 pitches, but we're going to need him come Sep and Oct.
The bullpen actually completed the shutout.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe continues their offense assault Friday evening. Following a 1 hour, 40 minute rain delay to start the game, they came out swinging. Lindor, Fat Ed and Alonso all went deep. Alonso's was a grand slam.
Shane Bieber, the 23 year old phenom recently called up from Columbus, went 7 innings, 4 hits, 9 kits. The kid is the real deal. The bullpen has gotten it together the past couple of weeks also. Once Miller returns
he should hopefully make this bullpen as good as it was last year.
Final: Tribe - 10, Detroit - 0.
That's two consecutive blow out shutouts.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe makes it 6 in a row witha 4-1 decision this afternoon. Trevor Bauer went 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 12 K's. If the guy could get his pitch count down he would be pitching masterful complete games. Had 110 pitches
when Tito pulled him in the 6th.
Lindor went deep. His 18th HR.
We go for the sweep tomorrow.

[CenTexDave]

Sorry, 5 hits and 11 K's.

[Night Owl]

Who has the current winning streak in the majors? Yeppers, the Texas Rangers with 7. Followed by the Cin Reds and the Indians with 6.

After looking at the standings I gleamed these little jewels.

Cleveland leads their division and are the only team with a winning record in their division.

Texas is in last place in their division and are the only team with a losing record in their division.

Texas would be in fourth place if they were in Clevelands division.

[CenTexDave]

What an astute observation, Owl. :))

[CenTexDave]

The massacres continue as the Tribe sweeps Detroit, 12-2, for their 7th in a row. Adam Plutko went 7 innings, 2 ER, but didn't walk a batter. This guy and Shane Bieber have been great in the absence of Carlos Carrasco.
The Tribe blasted 4 HRs - JRam (his 23rd ties him for the league lead), Lindor (19th - 3 in this series alone), Kipnis (starting to finally hit) and Fat Ed (18 - a grand slam). They walked JRam to load
the bases to pitch to Fat Ed and he made them pay with a grand slam). Fat Ed had 5 RBIs and now has 53. JRam's 52nd and both are now in the top 5 in RBIs. Just for good measure the Tribe
stole 3 bases. While the past week has been impressive we have to remember who they were playing. Now off to St Louis and Oakland. Hope they keep it up.

[CenTexDave]

The streak is over and they looked pathetic doing it. 4-0, St. Louis. Clevinger didn't have it tonight, 6 IP, 2 ER, only 4K's but nobody hit at all. Think they finished with 4 hits, but only one
prior to the 8th inning.

[CenTexDave]

Kluber goes tonight. Last time he faced the Cards may have been his best game ever - 8 IP, 1 hit, 18 K's. Hope he can repeat that tonight.

[CenTexDave]

Early in the game and Kluber has gotten shelled. Something is physically wrong with him. I've seen it his last 3 starts.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe bounced back and took care of business, 5-1, over the cards. Rookie Shane Bieber tossed a good game, 6 IP, 6 H, 5 K, 1 W, 1 ER. His ERA is now 2.23, and he's 3-0. Just turned 23 years old last month.
The real deal. Fat Ed went deep as well as Chisenhall. Kipnis had 2 hits so looks like he's finally getting it together.
Day off tomorrow then onto Oakland.

[Rick]

Bieber even had a double.

[CenTexDave]

Yeah, he's batting .333 for his career. Maybe we should put him at DH when he isn't pitching. :)

[CenTexDave]

It is becoming apparent this team cannot hit on the road. A 3-1 loss to the A's last night. They started out good, had the bases loaded then Perez struck out ending the threat. That guy is a wasted
roster spot. They should bring up Mejia from AAA and either send Perez down where he can play more frequently or just DFA him.
Bauer pitched well - 7 innings, 2 ER, 8 K's, but got absolutely no run support. Tribe didn't score until the 8th inning. Then it was 2-1 and the A's added a run in the bottom of the 8th off the bullpen.
Gonna be a long road trip.

[CenTexDave]

It is becoming more frustrating. They lose another one today, 7-2. We had a 2 run lead, courtesy of Lindor and JRam homers in the same inning, and Plutko pitched well until the 6th when
he gave up consecutive doubles and a HR. Still, we were only behind 3-2. In comes nOtero who pitches one good inning. That's all he's good for - 1 inning. Tito sends him out for the 7th and he gives up
a couple. Enter Tomlin and the wheels come off.
Still can't hit (3 hits) and score on the road.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe took out their frustration on the A's today after dropping the first two in this series.
Clevinger - 6IP, 3 ER, 5 Ks.
But the bats!!!! Lindor 3-4, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Brantley 2-5, 2 RBI; JRam 3-6, 2 RBI; Fat Ed 2-4, HR, 2 RBI; Alonso 4-6, 2 2B, 3 RBI; Chisenhall 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI.
They pound out 20 hits in a 15-3 massacre.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe crushed the Royals tonight, 9-3. Kluber won his 11th, but was hardly his usual dominant self.
Lindor is on a tear - 2-4 with 2 HRs and 7, that is SEVEN, RBIs. Yep, a grand slam and a 3 run job. That's 6 HR in his last 10 games.
Chisenhall is hurt again. I guess that right calf of his is held together with duct tape or glue. But Rajai Davis, who has
gotten a chance to play a lot lately, went 3 - 3. He hit .347 in June.
Carrasco threw 60 pitches at AA Akron and was good to go - consistenly hitting 97 mph on his fastball. He's scheduled to start
Friday. Salazar underwent arthroscopic surgery this morning to determine why his pitching shoulder isn't coming around. Not good news-
he's done for the year, if not forever.
The Tribe now has 3 players with 50+ RBIs (Lindor, Ramirez, Fat Ed) and 2 more with 40+ (Brantley and Alonso).

[fchafey]

It's good for baseball in general that Cleveland is doing well. Of course we will see come September. But I like to that as baseball isn't just about the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers.....

[CenTexDave]

Glad to see not only the Tribe doing well but also Milwaukee and the Cubs, Atlanta and Arizona.
Anything can happen in the playoffs, especially the ALDS which is a shorter series. All it takes it for your ace pitcher to have one bad outing an see ya next year.
I still say that if the Tribe's starting pitching staff wasn't all injured in 2016 they would have won the WS. Only Kluber was healthy. Carrasco was out, Salazar was
on the roster but limited to spot relief work, Bauer got his hand chopped up by a drone he was playing with. Tomlin threw a good game, but he's not reliable anymore.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe dumps KC, 6-4. Shane Bieber was far from a good game, but got the job done. The big hit was a Yan Gomes' Grand Slam. That's 8 now for
the Tribe this year and leads the majors.

[CenTexDave]

Get out the broom, but this one was close, 3-2. Bauer gets the win - 7.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 K, but the Tribe got more walks than hits.
KC even had a runner steal home. But now 11 games over .500, and a 11.5 game lead.

[CenTexDave]

Tribe makes 5 in a row blowing away Oakland tonight, 10-4. Carlos Carrasco finally returned from the DL and other than a shaky first couple of innings got better as the game went on and got the win.
The bats were exploding - this against the same pitcher who shut them down in Oakland. The big four of Lindor, Ramirez, Brantley and Encarnacion put on a hitting display. Lindor even stole home. :))
Kluber goes tomorrow. Now a 12 game lead.
But appears Chisenhall is now out for a while - again. That guy can't stay healthy.

[mac]

It's good for baseball in general that Cleveland is doing well. Of course we will see come September. But I like to that as baseball isn't just about the Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers.....

why of course not! everyone knows it's about the Rangers and Astros......

[CenTexDave]

Nothing against either of those two teams except when they play the Tribe. :)

[CenTexDave]

Tribe loses in extra innings, 6-3. Kluber was pitching a shutout through 7 innings and we had a 3-0 lead. Ramirez comes in for the 8th and gives up back-to-back HRs. Game tied.
Into the 11th and in comes Tomlin and he gives up a 2 run homer and another run.
The bullpen, which looked like it was coming around, melted big time. But in all fairness to Ramirez, those are the first runs he's given up in over a month, and he did also pitch an
inning last night. Even relievers need a day off sometimes. Tomlin is another story. Tito's obvious loyalty to him has run its course.

[CenTexDave]

No more comments. This team is losing my support. :))

[Night Owl]

No more comments. This team is losing my support. :))
Must be getting their butts kicked........again.:))

[Rick]

They got spanked 6 - 0.

[Rick]

They blew a four run lead tonight. It is 7-4 top of the 9th in Cleveland.

[CenTexDave]

Not just blew a 4 run lead, but blew a gem by Bauer who pitched 8 innings, 3 hits, 12 K's.
Last I saw Bauer had a bat and was chasing Allen and nOtero around the clubhouse with it.

[Rick]

Losing their pitching coach really hurt them this year.

[CenTexDave]

It sure did. You can see that in little things, like holding runners on first base.
As far as last night, Tito said he told Willis (pitching coach) to get "OP", meaning Oliver Perez, a leftie with an ERA of under 1.00, to face the Reds' left hitting Votto.
Willis said he thought he said "OT", meaning Otero, a rightie. First pitch and clears the bases with a 3 run double. Idiot.

[fchafey]

Losing their pitching coach really hurt them this year.

Well I for one am thankful for Cleveland's pitching coach leaving. The Mets may be down right now, but he will make them right soon enough. :)

[Rick]

Tribe is leading 11-0 in the 4th. Will the bullpen blow it tonight?

[Rick]

Make that 13-0 in the 4th.

[Ludwig]

It's not the number of runs that matters as long as the team gets a Win. Baseball is a binary game, you either win or lose and nothing else counts except to keep the statistics nuts working.

[CenTexDave]

Nope, 17-0. New record for most runs by a team in the first four innings of a game. :))

[Rick]

17-0 top of the 5th.

[Rick]

And everyone in CLE is wondering if it's enough once Francona calls the bullpen.

[Ludwig]

Nope, 17-0. New record for most runs by a team in the first four innings of a game. :))Yippie. Give them a Kewpi Doll. Really, WGAS in the end. You can set all the records you want but it's only thw W/L that will get you into the post-season.

[CenTexDave]

You don't understand, Ludwig. Last night they were leading 7-0 after a superb game by Bauer. Went to the bullpen for the 9th and lost the game. :))
The only problem with tonight's blowout is they scored 9 in the 3rd, 6 in the 4th, and Carrasco tightened up and they had to replace him.

[Rick]

They squeaked out the win. 19-4.

[CenTexDave]

Final 19-4. Plutko pitched the final 4 innings and gave up 2 HRs. Showed he's destined to be sent down to AAA again.

[CenTexDave]

And just like that - pooofff - the record is gone. The Rockies have put up 18 tonight in their first four innings. :))

[Night Owl]

It's called baseball and anything can happen.

[Rick]

Tribe beat the Yukkies tonight, 6-5 to avenge last night's loss.

[CenTexDave]

And the kid, Shane Bieber, did real good. JRam 68 RBIs now. Tied for league lead in HRs. MVP type season.

[CenTexDave]

Yankees edge the Tribe, 5-4. Clevinger takes the loss, but not his fault. Yankees scored the winning run on a double which turned into a little league type HR
courtesy of two Tribe errors - Guyer misplayed it, then Gonzalez tossed the relay into the stands.
JRam hit his 29th.

[mac]

hard to believe the Rangers lost tonight.....just plain ought not have happened. it's a hell of a life trying to watch the nascar race and ranger game at the same time......mac

[CenTexDave]

LOL.
The Rangers should be sellers soon. Get some talent and/or draft picks. That Shoo Shin Choo or whatever his name is is having a good year. The Indians could seriously use him
as their outfield is decimated with injuries.

[mac]

LOL.
The Rangers should be sellers soon. Get some talent and/or draft picks. That Shoo Shin Choo or whatever his name is is having a good year. The Indians could seriously use him
as their outfield is decimated with injuries.

the indians only hire players born and bred.....or bred and born in Cleveland.....otherwise folks might accuse them of 'importing' their players like the French do...but, then again, last time I looked, not a single Cleveland Indian was raised in Cleveland.....mac

[CenTexDave]

Mac, get real.
Besides, I thought I was watching Croatia play a team from Africa, not France.

[Rick]

Today's game is on TBS.

[mac]

Mac, get real.
Besides, I thought I was watching Croatia play a team from Africa, not France.

can't help but say that I thought the same thing, till I heard 'em talk.....mac

[CenTexDave]

French is easy to learn. lol
Tribe takes care of the Yankees, 5-2. Fat Ed and Dr. Smooth go deep.
These announcers on TNT are paid for by the Yankees. Never heard such b.s. from a supposed "neutral" announcing crew.

[Rick]

Hope Encarnacion isn't hurt too bad. Looks like he has been taking crybaby lessons from LeBron.

[CenTexDave]

I'm sure it was unintentional. Maybe. Or was it. Brantley had just homered, Ramirez had just walked.
Anyway, was a good series and all games close.
And the Tribe sends 5 to the All-Star game: Ramirez, Lindor, Brantley, Gomes and Bauer, plus Kluber who was selected is sitting it out, so that is 6, most of any team.

[Rick]

Francona said that the ball hit the meaty part of his hand and that he was feeling better rather quickly. Nothing serious. Good news.

[CenTexDave]

He still ain't worth $18M. :)

[mac]

He still ain't worth $18M. :)

he is to someone!

[CenTexDave]

Probably his wife. :))

[Rick]

He still ain't worth $18M. :)

Well for that matter there is only one person worth that much and that would be, the one and only, Mr. Jackie Steve Welch.

[CenTexDave]

All I'm saying about Edwin Encarnacin is that, while he produces a fair amount of HRs, and a better than good amount of RBIs, his batting average is terrible - believe it is now .224.
Jose Ramirez, for a mere $2+M, is hitting .302, tied for the lead in HRs, and second in RBIs. Lindor is even a better bargain, but we'll lose this kid in a few more years. Dolan might be
a billionaire but won't be able to keep him. He may become the highest paid player of all time.
The window of opportunity is closing. With $18M tied up in Fat Ed., another $14M next year for Kipnis (and nobody would want a 2B who is hitting .225 so forget about trading him),
they need to resign Brantley. Now Michael Brantley doesn't strike me as the kind of player who will just hit the free agent market and sign for the highest amount. He knows the team's
loyalty, so hopefully will agree to something around $12M/year for 4 years or so. Think we still have both Kluber and Carrasco for another year before they become free agents. Bauer is
on a one year deal and swears he'll never sign more than a one year deal. So sign him for $12M and keep him. He's the best young pitcher in baseball.

[CenTexDave]

Anyone watch that farce of an all-star game? AL won it in 10 innings. 10 home runs to go along with 25 strikeouts!!! :))
Baseball is not the same game we all grew up with.

[fchafey]

Anyone watch that farce of an all-star game? AL won it in 10 innings. 10 home runs to go along with 25 strikeouts!!! :))
Baseball is not the same game we all grew up with.

We decided to rewatch all the seasons of Game of Thrones. Between episodes or potty breaks I had the game on. I did notice a lot of empty seats. Also saw the interview with Machado going to the Dodgers. I totally agree, the All Star game is on par with the Pro Bowl.....

[CenTexDave]

Evidently a monsoon hit the D.C. area yesterday afternoon and flooded the dugouts. There was even talk of postponing the game (to when - tonight?!) or cancelling it. I imagine the storms kept
a lot of people away. Then again, it's D.C. Venture out at night and your last stop of the evening might be the morgue.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe pulled the plug and got two relievers today from San Diego - their closer who is an all-star (Brad Hand) and a rookie fireballer who throws sidearm, Adam Cimber. They had
to give up their #1 prospect, catcher Francisco Mejia, but Mejia wasn't coming up to the bigs as long as Yan Gomes was still catching and Francona was manager. They gave the kid a
chance to play the outfield, but he simply didn't want to and wasn't very good at it. So it's a win-win for all concerned. Miller should be back in a week or even less.
Will then be interesting to see which relievers get the axe.
The Tribe just became serious contenders for another World Series appearance. Still need some OF help - maybe they'll go after Shoo Shin Choo when in Texas this weekend, but Choo
has a huge back-loaded contract ($20M next year and the following year) so doubt they can afford to make the move.

[Rick]

Will then be interesting to see which relievers get the axe.

All of them?


The Tribe just became serious contenders for another World Series appearance. Still need some OF help - maybe they'll go after Shoo Shin Choo when in Texas this weekend, but Choo
has a huge back-loaded contract ($20M next year and the following year) so doubt they can afford to make the move.
Getting these two pitchers should make a difference. I don't see them going after Choo for that kind of money.

Brantley staying healthy has been a good thing.

[CenTexDave]

Yep, Choo is just way too expensive. But they need to find some OF help from somewhere. Doubt Chisenhall will be back this season. Last I heard he was 8-10 weeks rehab.
Even if he comes back, will take him a good 2 weeks to get his feet under him and then he'll probably get hurt again. Just time to give up on this guy unfortunately. Melky Cabrera
is doing good at Columbus - hitting .321. A switch hitter, but like Naquin, Allen and Guyer, absolutely no power. Brandon Barnes, a highly touted prospect, is hitting only .287 at Columbus, but
has power. But doubt he's ready. So I could live with an OF of Brantley, Naquin, Cabrera, Davis and either Allen or Guyer. Don't know why Davis doesn't get more playing time. The guy
gets on base and he's always a threat to steal.
This was a great trade for the Tribe. Both of these relievers are very good and, more importantly, won't become free agents at the end of the year like Miller and Allen. So they planned
ahead and solidified the bullpen. And for the rest of this year the bullpen should be lights out. No more having to ask Otero, McAllister, etc to pitch more than 1 inning. Will be a huge difference.

[Ludwig]

I’m at the ballpark watching Choo show His value. Top of the 3rd now.

[CenTexDave]

Bauer looks like dog poop. :)

[sojourner truth]

Not to fear.... The Rangers he a whole new take on how to give away a game. Just watch bannister let Perez give away the game, wait until he has over 100 pitches, and then call in another loser in a long line of losers in the Ranger bullpen.

Ho hum... Been watching them snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory all season. No change in tactics going on tonight either. Only semi bright point so far is the new hitter they called up.

What they need to do is get rid of a lot of those high priced strike out kings they have like No hit Nomar and low ball Gallo and bring up a few promising kids from Class A ball. And as long as they are in a firing mood, which never happens with them, they could get rid of Bannister and their GM. They recycle the same old losers over and over again. Somebody must be keeping a warm seat on the bus for the Profars and Ruas that always seem to find their way back into the lineup. Until they get serious about winning, they will just be the same old mediocre Rangers we all have come to expect. And love.

[Rick]

Well, Hand is not off to a good start. Four pitches and a two run homer. Indians still leading 7-6.

[CenTexDave]

Andrew Miller did the same to the first batter he faced when we got him.
But leave it to Allen - comes in with a 8-6 lead and gets 2 K's, then gives up 2 HRs. Now in the bottom of the 10th.

[Rick]

He blew it big time.

[Rick]

Mcallister did a good job. loaded the bases, then retired the side. To the 11th inning.

[CenTexDave]

We have the lead now. JRam double and Fat Ed single.
Up to nOtero to finish it. I hope.

[Rick]

Tribe wins. Otero did a great job in the 11th after the Tribe took the lead in the top of the 11th.

[Rick]

Otero needed that after the fiasco of the miscommunication between Francona and the pitching coach a week or so ago.

[CenTexDave]

Hee haw!!!!!!!!!!

[Rick]

The bullpen needed that boost tonight. Otero really came through.

And if anyone is not impressed with Ramirez' hustle, they must be dead.

[CenTexDave]

Ramirez, if he keeps going the second half of the season as he has the first half, is a definite MVP candidate. Lots of people are in favor of Mike Trout of the Angels, J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox and Mookie Betts of the Red Sox. But
let's compare stats up to now: JRam: .302, 30 HR, 71 RBI; Trout: .307, 25 HR, 50 RBI; Martinez: .325, 29 HR, 80 RBI; Betts: .354, 23 HR, 51 RBI. Just for the hell of it, to compare Betts as a lead off hitter I'll toss in Frankie
Lindor: .292, 25 HR, 62 RBI.
Martinez is a solid hitter, but he's a Designated Hitter, does not play in the OF, is lousy defensively, and cannot steal a base. I could never vote for a DH unless he won a Triple Crown by a huge margin.
Trout is having a great year, but his RBIs are the least of this group.
Betts has a high BA, good HR production, fair amount of RBIs, but as a lead off hitter Lindor has more HRs and quite a few more RBIs.
JRam is leading the bigs in HRs, 2nd in RBIs to Martinez, great defensive 3B and steals plenty of bases.
To me, and I know I'm a bit prejudiced, the selection is easy - Jose Ramirez. I hope Betts and Martinez splits the vote from the baseball writers up in and near Boston. That should open the door for JRam.

[Night Owl]

Martinez, his numbers are tops and a DH is still a position in the lineup.

Dave, Dave , Dave I'll refer you back to post 172. Roflmao

[CenTexDave]

Martinez, his numbers are tops and a DH is still a position in the lineup.

Dave, Dave , Dave I'll refer you back to post 172. Roflmao

Yes, DH is a position, but he sits on his ass so can't make errors. Sorry, while having a great season hitting he's not a complete player.
And, Owl, that was before they split with the Yankees. Then the trade. :))

[Night Owl]

Yes, DH is a position, but he sits on his ass so can't make errors. Sorry, while having a great season hitting he's not a complete player.
And, Owl, that was before they split with the Yankees. Then the trade. :))
But he is a complete player. Since pitchers don't hit does that rule them out of the MVP? They are just sitting on their asses for over half the game. Since a DH doesn't field does he get to count what the pitcher does or vice versa.:))

[CenTexDave]

"Since pitchers don't hit does that rule them out of the MVP?" No, it doesn't. Unless a pitcher is totally dominant and wins well over
20 games these days (winning 20 is pretty hard now that all teams use 5 starters) he won't win the MVP.
So I guess these 5 guys have a chance at winning the Cy Young? I mean, they don't pitch, but according to you there isn't a difference.
Ok, so I guess Martinez gets 2 votes - yours and his. :)

[fchafey]

If Ohtani gets his era a bit lower and puts a few more homers on the board, I believe he will be the MVP....Ramirez is having a very good year, but...…...

[CenTexDave]

Fred - Ohtani is so far behind in pitching and hitting that he'll probably be Rookie of the Year but that's about it.
West coast sports writers will now probably vote for Manny Machado after he was traded to the Dodgers.

[Rick]

My daughter and I are at the game tonight. Funny that Bartolo Colon is pitching. Charlie Pride sang the National Anthem.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/cea26bf418557c677bf276def28bdf56.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/fd1be36e9f6024bab1b1a0931487a8d3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/e471718034085772767efb18b37c60c8.jpg

[Ricky]

My daughter and I are at the game tonight. Funny that Bartolo Colon is pitching. Charlie Pride sang the National Anthem.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/cea26bf418557c677bf276def28bdf56.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/fd1be36e9f6024bab1b1a0931487a8d3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/e471718034085772767efb18b37c60c8.jpg

:thumbsup:thumbsup:clap:clap

[CenTexDave]

Too damn hot to sit there and watch it.

[Rick]

We almost canceled, but it's not that bad.

[CenTexDave]

Hope you're enjoying the game. Ranger fans aren't. :))

[sojourner truth]

Hope you're enjoying the game. Ranger fans aren't. :))

Oh, Not so Dave... It simply reinforces our conviction that the GM and Bannister are about as smart as bricks. Colon is so predictable, shoot, all the Rangers pitchers are. If you really want to win a game, let the starter pitch 4 innings, and then start relieving. The other teams always figure out the Ranger pitcher after they've gone through the order twice, then it's Katy bar the gate.

Gallo and his stumbling fumble fingers in right field is pathetic. And it appears that the Rangers have decided to take a break on hitting tonight. If you watch really close you will see they have only one batter who actually watches the pitch coming in before he swings... And that is Odor. The rest of them just swing away, shooting for the rafters and trying to lift one out of the park. They have yet to realize that you do not win games on home runs without having runners on base. And like last night, they tend to get runners ion base and then run out of anyone who can get even one home. Bases loaded, no outs, and can't get so much as one guy in... even on a sac fly.

The Rangers are still my team, but have dearly earned their basement position this season. In spades.

[CenTexDave]

8-0 now. Loving it.

[CenTexDave]

9-0. Everyone, including me, at times this season thought the Tribe was dead. We all forget they seem to play better in the second half of the season.

[CenTexDave]

10-0 :))

[CenTexDave]

16-3. Turned into a real laugher.

[CenTexDave]

The Tribe's offense for the past few weeks has really come around. They are now 2nd in runs scored with 512, bypassing Houston and the Yankees and trailing only Boston. The bullpen will be improved once Hand and Cinder get on board, and
Miller should be back in 7-10 days.

[Rick]

Despite the heat, we really enjoyed the game. The seats were great and one hell of a bargain. They were $94 on the Rangers site, but Stubhub had them for $52 plus fees.

I had tickets from Vettix, but they were upper deck, so I decided to upgrade. Was so glad that I did. In all the games I've been to, I have never sat that close.

We even got the Andrus bobblehead.

Here are a couple more pictures.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/2d2510eaa4e25a14ea3b4b69d2e35301.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/e79dd528e51bfc19ae44c5f347255867.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/51028f8dda8c79fed032d116fa78254b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/856e88184c46fb283d12002004568311.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/40e2e510e6550a384d56d686911f989f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180722/9077ef0aeb2176dfffd849bebc2e0189.jpg

[fchafey]

Fred - Ohtani is so far behind in pitching and hitting that he'll probably be Rookie of the Year but that's about it.
West coast sports writers will now probably vote for Manny Machado after he was traded to the Dodgers.

Yea, I forgot about him being a rookie. The west coast sports writers love Trout anyway. Maybe this year the Indians......they are certainly due.

[CenTexDave]

And I don't know what I'm thinking. Machado is now a Dodger - National League. Mike Trout will get most of the west coast sports writers' votes for MVP. These awards
usually show regional voting influence.

[fchafey]

What would be good for baseball right now? a Milwaukee vs. Cleveland WS. Why not.

[Rick]

The Rangers avoided the sweep today. Beating the Tribe 5-0.