By Mike Brandyberry

One play can make the difference in a game and that was evidence Friday evening when the Marlins defeated the Indians, 3-2. Joe Smith’s inability to cut down a lead runner, hung out to dry was the difference in the game.

The game was decided in the late [...]]]>

By Mike Brandyberry

One play can make the difference in a game and that was evidence Friday evening when the Marlins defeated the Indians, 3-2. Joe Smith’s inability to cut down a lead runner, hung out to dry was the difference in the game.

The game was decided in the late innings, but was crafted by outstanding pitching performances from the Indians Justin Masterson and the Marlins Carlos Zambrano.

“I thought it was a well pitched ball game on both sides, a little better on their side,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Zambrano did a good job and when you only score two runs, you have to play near perfectly.”

The Tribe jumped ahead early in the bottom of the second inning with some two-out thunder. After two outs were retired, Johnny Damon walked and Casey Kotchman doubled down the right field line. Damon chugged around, all the way from first base to score the game’s first run. After Jose Lopez walked, Shin-Soo Choo singled to center field to score Kotchman and give the Indians an early 2-0 lead.

Masterson would not be able to hold the two run lead, however. The very next half inning, Bryan Petersen would walk and Jose Reyes would single to right field to put runners on the corners with no one out. Omar Infante would ground out on a fielder’s choice to shortstop, but would score Petersen from third, putting the Marlins on the board and cutting the Tribe lead to 2-1.

But Masterson would settle down and keep the Marlins at bay until the top of the sixth inning, when with one out Infante walked and Hanley Ramirez doubled to left field to put runners on second and third. Greg Dobbs would fly out to short left field, but Damon’s three bounce throw to the plate would not get Infante and the Marlins would tie the game at two.

Each starting pitcher would leave after seven innings. Masterson would work seven strong, allowing six hits, two runs, three walks and five strikeouts on 111 pitches. Zambrano matched Masterson on the mound, throwing the same seven innings, allowing only four hits, two runs, five walks and two strikeouts. Each team had the chance to capitalize on the other pitcher’s walks.

“I’m just happy with the way Justin (Masterson) threw the ball today,” Acta said. “He had better command and better command against left handers.”

Tony Sipp would relieve Masteson in the top of the eighth inning and promptly walk Peterson to start the inning. Reyes would sacrifice bunt the lead runner to second base before Sipp was removed for right-hander Smith. Infante then grounded back up the middle to Smith, who snagged the ball and had Petersen caught between second and third, but an errant throw to second allowed him to advance to third base. Hanley Ramirez would sacrifice fly to center field scoring Petersen and give the Marlins a 3-2 lead.

“He probably took too long to get rid of the ball,” Acta said. “Once you get them caught in between, you want to get the out. Joe is one of our best fielders though.”

Randy Choate worked a three-up, three-down eighth inning—retiring Carlos Santana, Travis Hafner and Michael Brantley and Heath Bell worked an exact same ninth inning for the save and the victory for Miami.

Saturday, Jeanmar Gomez (2-2, 3.75 ERA) will try to right the ship against left hander, Anibal Sanchez (2-1, 2.28 ERA). The Tribe will be forced to get back in the series against a left hander. They are 4-8 on the season against left-handed starters. Game time is set for 4:05 ET on WKYC-3 and the Indians Radio Network.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

By Matthew Van Wormer

The Indians matched their season high win streak with a 6-5, extra inning victory yesterday and look to extend it tonight when they host the Miami Marlins for their first Interleague series of 2012. Jose Lopez and Carlos Santana were the heroes yesterday as the [...]]]>

By Matthew Van Wormer

The Indians matched their season high win streak with a 6-5, extra inning victory yesterday and look to extend it tonight when they host the Miami Marlins for their first Interleague series of 2012. Jose Lopez and Carlos Santana were the heroes yesterday as the Indians game from behind twice to win the ballgame.

Indians hitters showed great patience at the plate yesterday, drawing eight walks in the game, something they will have to continue to do tonight against Carlos Zambrano (1-2, 1.88 ERA). The Marlins have won each of Zambrano’s last three starts after losing his first four.

Casey Kotchman, Johnny Damon and Travis Hafner are the only Indians hitters with any experience against the big righty, combining to go 4-for-7. Many thought that Zambrano’s temper had taken him out of the big league game but he received a fresh start in Miami and has pitched very well so far this season, though his win-loss record doesn’t show it.

Justin Masterson (1-3, 5.40 ERA), on the other hand, has been every bit as inconsistent as his record indicates. In his last start, against Boston, Masterson gave up six runs over six innings and never really had command of the game. The guy that threw eight spectacular innings on Opening Day has not been seen since that game.

Interleague play brings in teams you rarely get to see and the Marlins look like they plan on contending in the National League East this year. They have been a tough team all season and the Indians will need to be prepared if they want to continue to hold on to the top spot in the Central Division. The Tribe and Marlins get underway tonight at 7:05 on the Cleveland Indians Radio Network and SportsTime Ohio.

Cleveland Indians Starting Lineup
1. Shin-Soo Choo, RF
2. Jason Kipnis, 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
4. Travis Hafner, DH
5. Carlos Santana, C
6. Michael Brantley, CF
7. Johnny Damon, LF
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
9. Jose Lopez, 3B

Miami Marlins Starting Lineup
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Omar Infante, 2B
3. Hanley Ramirez, 3B
4. Greg Dobbs, 1B
5. Giancarlo Stanton, RF
6. Logan Morrison, DH
7. Emilio Bonifacio, CF
8. John Buck, C
9. Bryan Petersen, CF
Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

By Craig Gifford

Joe Carter had his best years and biggest moment of his baseball career as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The greatest Indian of those teams that struggled to win games in the 1980s may well best be known to Cleveland sports fans for being traded away [...]]]>

By Craig Gifford

Joe Carter had his best years and biggest moment of his baseball career as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The greatest Indian of those teams that struggled to win games in the 1980s may well best be known to Cleveland sports fans for being traded away in a deal that laid the foundation for the Tribe’s success in the 90s. However, on Sunday, Carter will be immortalized with a bobblehead doll day.

Does he deserve such an honor? Yes.

The key statement in that first paragraph is Carter was the best player to wear a Tribe uniform in the 1980s. For six seasons he did all he could to get the Indians over the hump. The piles upon piles of losses cannot be pinned to Carter.

During his time in Cleveland, from 1984-1989, Carter hit 151 home runs. That included a career-high 35 in 1989 and 32 in 1987 – the season Sports Illustrated erroneously predicted the Tribe would find their way back to baseball’s postseason for the first time since 1954. The popular magazine was only eight years early.

Still, in 1987, Carter had the 32 home runs and added 102 RBI. The season before, it was 29 homers and a league-leading 121 runs driven in, while batting .302. Remember, those were impressive power numbers before the steroid era bloated home run statistics in the 1990s.

Carter had amazing seasons with truly bad Cleveland teams. It is why he is not more recognized as a Cleveland great. Most people do not think back to the 1980s Indians teams with many fond memories.

After 1989, with the Indians realizing a major overhaul was needed to get on the right track, management traded the team’s star player to the San Diego Padres. It was a shocking move, but brought two major pieces to what would become contending teams for years to come. In the mega deal, the Tribe landed second baseman Carlos Baerga and catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr. Both went on to become all-stars. Alomar, after more than a decade on the field and two trips to the World Series with the Wahoo Warriors is currently the Tribe’s bench coach. The trade worked well – especially considering a third player was Chris James, who had several productive seasons with Cleveland.

The deal worked well for Carter, too, who was traded to Toronto after one season with the Padres. As a Blue Jay, Carter was a big part of back-to-back World Champions in 1992 and 1993. The 1993 series will always be remembered for Carter hitting a series-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Philadelphia closer Mitch Williams. The image of Carter running the bases with his arms stretchEd High in triumph is forever etched in baseball lore.

Carter has the big moment and nearly had the overall numbers to be a Hall of Famer. The numbers were very good, but he is left just short of serious hall consideration. He had 396 home runs, with 2,184 hits. Both are high, but nowhere near the hall-clinching numbers of 500 and 3,000. He goes down as very good player with one of the top 20 (arguably) moments in the game’s history.

Joe Carter may be most remembered in a Blue Jays uniform and for netting the Indians two of the team’s more popular players of the 1990s. However, Carter’s body of work deserves to be remembered throughout baseball and on the shores of Lake Erie. What better way than with a bobblehead doll, one of today’s most sought after pieces of sports memorabilia.

At Fenway Park, the Cleveland  Indians score 11 runs in the fifth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 19 – 0,  and give Herb Score an easy  win over Willard  Nixon. The big blow in the inning is a grand slam by Vic Wertz. It [...]]]> Compiled by Jason Kaminski

At Fenway Park, the Cleveland  Indians score 11 runs in the fifth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox, 19 – 0,  and give Herb Score an easy  win over Willard  Nixon. The big blow in the inning is a grand slam by Vic Wertz. It is the worst shutout pasting ever by Boston and the most runs  ever in a shutout for the Indians.

By Sean Tuttle

The tallest player in the minors is now coming out of the Akron Aeros bullpen. On May 5, the Cleveland Indians acquired, Ludovicus Jacobus Maria van Mil a.k.a. Loek Van Mil, from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in an outright trade for future considerations. The Indians immediately [...]]]>

By Sean Tuttle

The tallest player in the minors is now coming out of the Akron Aeros bullpen. On May 5, the Cleveland Indians acquired, Ludovicus Jacobus Maria van Mil a.k.a. Loek Van Mil, from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in an outright trade for future considerations. The Indians immediately assigned Van Mil to the Akron Aeros.

Van Mil, 27, was born in Oss, Netherlands. At a height of seven feet, one inch he is currently the tallest player in the minor leagues.

He has pitched for the Netherlands national baseball team, appeared in the 2007 Baseball World Cup, and was selected to appear in the 2008 Summer Olympics, but missed the tournament because of injury.

Van Mil reached the height of six feet one inch at the age of 12, grew to the height of six feet seven inches by the age of 14, and extended to seven feet at the age of 15. He was moved from the position of catcher to first base when he became too tall to play the position, and a coach chose to make him a pitcher at the age of 17 because of his strong throwing arm.

In July of 2005, Van Mil signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Minnesota Twins. In 2010 he was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Brian Fuentes. He was announced as the player to be named later going to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the trade for Fuentes on September 1, 2010.

With the Arkansas Travelers of the Double-A Texas League in 2011, Van Mil had a 3-5 record, and 2.04 ERA in 66.1 innings of work in 30 games. He began the 2012 season with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, where he had a 1-0 record, and 6.30 ERA. He allowed ten runs, seven earned, in ten innings pitched.

According to recent scouting reports, Van Mil throws a fastball that averages 95 mph, with a top speed of 97 mph. He has off speed pitches of a slider and change-up. His height causes difficulties in maintaining his pitching mechanics, as there are more variables in his windup that he needs to repeat each time he throws a pitch.

If Van Mil gets the call up to the big leagues, he will become the tallest player to ever play Major League Baseball passing Jon Rauch who stands at six feet eleven inches for the New York Mets.

Minor League Round-Up

As of May 15th, the Columbus Clippers (AAA) are 18-20 overall and are currently four games out of first place. Infielder Matt LaPorta is currently sixth in the International League in batting with a .331 average, tied for second in home runs with 10, fourth in total bases with 76. Second baseman Cord Phelps is tied for first in the league in doubles, and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. He currently has a batting average of .333, with two home runs, and three RBI’s. The Clippers are in the middle of a seven game home stand.

The Akron Aeros (AA) are 23-13 overall and are currently in first place by two and a half games. Outfielder Jared Goedert is first in the Eastern League in batting with a .383 average, and in OBP (.468). Outfielder Tim Fedroff is fourth in OBP (.422) and seventh in batting with a .333 average. Fedroff has an eight game hitting streak (.419 avg. 13-31, two doubles, a triple, and on RBI). Left-handed pitcher, T.J. McFarland has four straight starts of allowing three runs or fewer and throwing at least six innings, in his last three starts he is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA (20.0IP, 17H, 3R/3ER, 2BB, 14K). Akron leads the Eastern League in team ERA with a 2.75 mark through 36 games. The Aeros return home for a three game series against Richmond on Friday, May 18th before heading out again for seven games.

The Carolina Mudcats (A) are 20-17 overall and are currently two and a half games in back of first. Left-handed pitcher Francisco Jimenez is second in the Carolina League with a 2.43 ERA, and has not allowed an earned run in his last 13.2IP. Designated hitter Jeremie Tice is second in the league in RBI’s with 28 and tied for second in home runs with seven. Delvi Cidi is tied for fifth in stolen bases with 10. Outfielder Tyler Holt is fifth in OBP (.413). Outfielders Carlos Moncrief and Tyler Holt are tied for first in triples with three. Right-handed pitcher Jose Flores is tied for first in saves with seven. The Mudcats leave for a six game road trip on Friday, May 18th.

The Lake County Captains (A) are 19-19 overall and are currently eight games back of first. They are riding a four game win streak. Infielder Francisco Lindor has four straight multi-hit games and five in his last six. He is currently tied for fourth in the Midwest League in batting (.319), third in hits with 46, and tied for fourth in total bases with 70. Outfielder Jordan Smith has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games. Right handed pitcher Cody Anderson has not allowed more than one earned run in five straight starts (3 ER, 29 IP, 0.93 ERA). The Captains will return home on Saturday, May 19th for a three game series against Lansing before having a day off and heading off for a seven game road trip.

Recent Transactions

May 12

Transfered Brett Brach from Carolina to Akron

Transfered Paolo Espino from Akron to Columbus

Transfered Manny Carmona from Phoenix to Lake County

Placed Xavier De Los Santos on 7 day DL in Lake County with a Right Shoulder Strain.

May 13

Jordan Casas was transferred from Lake County to Akron

Justin Toole was transferred from Carolina to Columbus

May 14

Eric Berger was transferred from Akron to Columbus

By Craig Gifford

The Cleveland Indians simply were not going to accept losing the finale of their brief two-game series with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon.

Twice, things looked bleak for the home team. However, the Tribe put together come-from-behind rallies in the eighth and eleventh innings to avoid losing. Cleveland completed [...]]]>

By Craig Gifford

The Cleveland Indians simply were not going to accept losing the finale of their brief two-game series with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday afternoon.

Twice, things looked bleak for the home team. However, the Tribe put together come-from-behind rallies in the eighth and eleventh innings to avoid losing. Cleveland completed the sweep of Seattle, with a 6-5 win in 11 frames at Progressive Field.

With Detroit losing to Minnesota in an afternoon tilt, the Indians, standing at 22-16, are now four games up in the AL Central Division. It is the team’s largest division lead since they led by as many games on June 3, last season.

Cleveland scored three runs in the eighth inning, to tie a game they seemed destined to lose. Walks and errors helped lead to a 4-1 deficit heading into the bottom of the eighth. With two out and the Indians quickly running out of chances, third baseman Jose Lopez drilled 2-0 pitch to left field for a three-run, game-tying homer.

Seattle took the lead in the top of the 11^th inning. Again the Indians rallied behind key hits from two of their most important offensive players. Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana each hit RBI singles. Santana’s was a walk-off, plating the game-winning run and sending an announced crowd of 12,894 fans home happy.

“It was a nice comeback win,” said Tribe manager Manny Acta. “Lopez had that huge at bat with the home run. We put up better at bats later in the game than in the first five innings.”

Seattle second-year starter Hector Noesi kept Cleveland off kilter for 6.1 innings. He allowed just one run on five hits, striking out five and walking three.

“We battled against Noesi,” Acta said. “He did a very good job keeping our left handers off balance.”

Meanwhile, Cleveland rookie starter Zach McAllister labored through five and two-third stanzas. McAllister never allowed a big inning, but was hurt by walks, wildness and bad fielding. He walked five batters, two of whom scored. In a two-run fifth inning, Seattle plated a pair. The Mariners were helped in the inning by a Jose Lopez error and Carlos Santana passed ball. Still McAllister got out of innings when he had to and did not allow Seattle to pull too far ahead.

“He did make good pitches when he had to,” Acta said of his young starter. “He did good damage control.”

Once McAllister’s day was done, after 100 pitches (only 55 for strikes), the bullpen entered the fray and mostly shut the door as only the Bullpen Mafia knows how. Six relievers combined to throw five and one-third innings of one-run ball.

“The bullpen did a nice job on a day McAllister had to fight hard with his control,” Acta said. “The bullpen held them at bay and gave us the opportunity to win the game.”

Joe Smith gave up the only run among relievers, yet got the win to improve to 4-1. Smith allowed Seattle’s go-ahead tally in the visitor’s half of the 11th before the heroics of Cabrera and Santana in the bottom of the frame.

Cleveland’s game-winning inning was set up by the walk. Lopez, Jason Kipnis and Aaron Cunningham all walked. Lopez scored on Cabrera’s hit and Cunningham scored the day’s final mark on Santana’s bases loaded knock.

Cunningham did not start the game. However, he was inserted for the 11^th inning at bat because Travis Hafner was hit by a pitch on the hand in the ninth. Acta did not seem too concerned, however, about the future health of the Tribe designated hitter.

“His hand was too swollen to grip the bat (in the 11th),” the Cleveland skipper said. “He won’t even be taken for x-rays. The doctors say he should be ok.”

For the day, the Tribe offense was better than ok. The team collected 10 hits, led by two each from Cabrera, Santana and a suddenly hot Casey Kotchman. Cabrera had a pair of RBI (17 on the year) to with Lopez’s trio (6) and Santana’s 22nd plated runner.

The Indians have now swept back-to-back two-game series, having done so in Minnesota to start the week. The four-game winning streak and six games over .500 record both match season highs for the Tribe.

Cleveland will look to stay hot when they welcome the Miami Marlins to town for a weekend interleague series starting Friday night. Cleveland will send ace Justin Masterson to the mound to open the three-game tilt against Victor Zambrano. Game time is 7:05.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

By Matthew Van Wormer

The Indians go for their fourth straight win as they take on the Mariners this afternoon, looking to hold on to, at least, a three game lead over their next competitor in the Central Division, the Detroit Tigers. An offensive outburst by the Tribe gave them a 9-3 victory [...]]]>

By Matthew Van Wormer

The Indians go for their fourth straight win as they take on the Mariners this afternoon, looking to hold on to, at least, a three game lead over their next competitor in the Central Division, the Detroit Tigers. An offensive outburst by the Tribe gave them a 9-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night that they will look to build on.

Shin-Soo Choo continued to thrive in the leadoff spot in the order, going 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored in the winning effort for the Indians while Ubaldo Jimenez had a great outing, getting ahead of hitters and keeping them off the base paths. Jimenez was able to get ahead of 16 of the 24 hitter he faced in his fourth victory of the year.

Zach McAllister (1-1, 4.15 ERA) will make his third start of the year for the Indians, taking on a Mariners lineup that has little experience against the righty. In his start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, McAllister pitched well but gave up four earned runs in seven innings of work. He walked no Red Sox hitters while striking out eight at Fenway Park.

Right-hander Hector Noesi (2-4, 6.32 ERA) gets the call for the Mariners who are quickly losing their chance to compete for the American League West while other teams in the division also struggle. Noesi’s last start saw him walk four hitters while giving up five runs over seven innings. Noesi’s only wins on the season have come at Safeco Field this season.

The Indians look to sweep their second straight two-game set heading into Interleague play. The ballgame gets underway at 12:05 on the Cleveland Indians Radio Network.

Cleveland Indians Starting Lineup
1. Shin-Soo Choo, RF
2. Jason Kipnis, 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
4. Travis Hafner, DH
5. Carlos Santana, C
6. Michael Brantley, CF
7. Johnny Damon, LF
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
9. Jose Lopez, 3B

Seattle Mariners Starting Lineup
1. Dustin Ackley, 2B
2. Michael Saunders, CF
3. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
4. Kyle Seager, 3B
5. Justin Smoak, 1B
6. Alex Liddi, 3B
7. John Jaso, C
8. Mike Carp, DH
9. Brendan Ryan, SS

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

At League Park, Tris Speaker of the Cleveland  Indians collects his 3,000th hit off Tom Zachary of the Washington Senators.  Zachary leads Washington to a 2 – 1 victory. George Uhle is the loser.

By Christian Petrila

The Indians offense didn’t care that it was going up against a former Cy Young winner, and Ubaldo Jimenez didn’t care that fans were out looking for reasons to criticize him, as the Indians took the first of two against Seattle, 9-3.

The Mariners wasted no [...]]]>

By Christian Petrila

The Indians offense didn’t care that it was going up against a former Cy Young winner, and Ubaldo Jimenez didn’t care that fans were out looking for reasons to criticize him, as the Indians took the first of two against Seattle, 9-3.

The Mariners wasted no time getting to Ubaldo Jimenez, scoring a run in the first inning on an Ichiro RBI groundout. Following the game on Twitter, some people were already hitting the Ubaldo panic button. Although he did throw 27 pitches in the first, 21 of them were for strikes, so he was consistent. The Mariners were just doing an excellent job of fouling off pitches. Things would start getting wacky in the bottom of the frame, though.

With the usually untouchable Felix Hernandez on the mound, the Indians struck for four runs in the first. Considering Hernandez went eight innings and struck out 12 when the Indians visitedSeattleearlier in the season, four runs in one inning seemed like a miracle. However, it wasn’t so much the runs as it was the way the Indians got the runs that surprised many fans.

The Indians led off the inning with back-to-back hits from Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Kipnis. Asdrubal Cabrera was hit by a pitch bringing up Travis Hafner with the bases loaded and no outs. The first run scored on a passed ball that Jesus Montero couldn’t catch. Hafner got an RBI groundout to end his at bat. Carlos Santana walked and Michael Brantley struck out. That brought Johnny Damon to the plate and the circus into town.

With Damon nursing a 2-2 count, manager Manny Acta put on a delayed steal with Santana at first. Catcher Jesus Montero tried to catch Cabrera napping at third. Rather than get a sneaky third out, Montero’s throw sailed into left field. Cabrera raced home and scored. Left fielder Chone Figgins tried to throw Cabrera out at home, but the ball short hopped and bounced away from Montero. In the confusion, Carlos did his best impression of Kenny Lofton from the 1995 ALCS, scoring from second base just in front of the throw to the plate. The play was a scorekeeper’s nightmare and a disaster for Hernandez.

“When you’re able to put up a four-spot in the first inning off Felix Hernandez, you feel like you have a chance,” Manny Acta said.

The second inning was quiet on both fronts. The Mariners got two runs back in the third when Dustin Ackley hit a two-run home run on a pitch he almost had to kneel to hit. The 4-3 score would last until the fourth, when the Indians tagged the 2010 Cy Young winner again.

Hernandez recorded a quick first out on former teammate Jose Lopez. Choo singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kipnis drove him home with a double to left-center. Cabrera grounded out, bringing Hafner to the plate with two outs. He smacked a double to right field, then Santana quickly returned the favor with a double of his own. After a Michael Brantley single to center, Hernandez’s night was over. His final line was 3.2 innings pitched while allowing 10 hits and eight runs, six earned.

The Indians got an insurance run in the sixth when Hafner hit a pitch offSeattlereliever Hisashi Iwakuma that probably had a hangtime of around seven seconds into the seats in right. The score was 9-3 Indians. The Mariners would’ve needed a couple field goals to tie it.

Jeremy Accardo made his Indians debut in the seventh inning and first impressions were promising. He sent the Mariners down in order, striking out one in the process.

Tony Sipp and Jairo Asencio came out of the bullpen for the eighth and ninth respectively, allowing only one hit.

Ubaldo Jimenez was very solid coming off his poor start in Boston. He went six innings allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out four.

“I felt this was the best he has thrown all year,” Acta said. “He looked relaxed, he looked fluid, with his delivery and everything.”

Jimenez improves his record on the season to 4-3, while Hernandez drops to 3-3.

The win improves the Indians record to 21-16, while the Mariners drop to 16-23.

For game two of the series, Zach McAllister is scheduled to pitch against Seattle’s Hector Noesi. First pitch is at 12:05.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

By Matthew Van Wormer

With yesterday’s win against the Minnesota Twins, the Indians were able to split their six game road trip and come back home exactly where they were when they left, four games over the .500 mark and with a two game lead on the Detroit Tigers. Things could have gone [...]]]>

By Matthew Van Wormer

With yesterday’s win against the Minnesota Twins, the Indians were able to split their six game road trip and come back home exactly where they were when they left, four games over the .500 mark and with a two game lead on the Detroit Tigers. Things could have gone better but the Indians may have finally figured some things out in the two games they played against the Twins.

Tonight will be a great test to see if the Tribe is ready to start putting some room between themselves and their division rivals. They welcome the Mariners into town for their second straight two game series. In addition to the Seattle ballclub, Progressive Field will also be hosting hundreds of dogs as they celebrate Puppy-Palooza. Hopefully none of the four legged creatures leave anything on the field when they have their pre-game parade along the warning track.

It will be a battle of two pitchers heading in opposite directions. “King” Felix Hernandez (3-2, 2.29 ERA) will throw for the Mariners while Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3, 5.18 ERA) goes for Cleveland. Hernandez has pitched well for most of the season, a victim of a low amount of run support, while Jimenez struggles to find the strike zone and giving up far too many hits when he does find it.

Jimenez has been frustratingly inconsistent on the mound. Sometimes he looks untouchable, like his start against Texas (7 innings, 0 runs), and other times he has nothing, as was seen in Boston (4.1 innings, 7 runs). He will have to be on his game tonight if the Indians are going to have a chance to beat Hernandez. Last time they faced King Felix, they won the game but only scratched out two runs in the process.

While it must be taken into consideration that it was against Minnesota, the worst team in the league, Manny Acta‘s tinkering with the lineup helped the Indians put some runs on the board in the short stint against the Twins. Shin Soo Choo, batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this year, went 3 for 8 in the two games with a home run, a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Casey Kotchman also seems to have turned a corner, batting .286 over the last week and finally getting above the Mendoza-Line.

The Indians have just five games standing between them and their biggest threat in the division, the Detroit Tigers. The Indians need to take every opportunity they can to stay ahead of the Tigers before they get to Cleveland. First pitch at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario is set for 7:05. Watch or listen on SportsTime Ohio and the Cleveland Indians Radio Network.

Cleveland Indians Starting Lineup
1. Shin-Soo Choo, RF
2. Jason Kipnis, 2B
3. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
4. Travis Hafner, DH
5. Carlos Santana, C
6. Michael Brantley, CF
7. Johnny Damon, LF
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
9. Jose Lopez, 3B

Seattle Mariners Starting Lineup
1. Dustin Ackley, 2B
2. Michael Saunders, CF
3. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
4. Jesus Montero, C
5. Kyle Seager, DH
6. Justin Smoak, 1B
7. Alex Liddi, 3B
8. Mike Carp, LF
9. Brendan Ryan, SS

Photo: Getty Images