Finally, in a back-and-forth affair, it was Yan Gomes who delivered the knockout punch. A 10^th inning, three-run home run, erased an 8-7 deficit and gave the Tribe a 10-8 win. It was Gomes’ second longball of the day and fourth of the season. The comeback victory completed a four-game sweep over the Mariners and gave Cleveland its fifth straight win. At 26-17 the Indians are now two and a half games up in the AL Central Division over the Tigers, who visit Progressive Field on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A count of 19,390 fans witnessed the Indians’ third walk-off home run of the year and third walk-off victory during the four-game tilt with Seattle. Gomes’ blast was the sixth time on the day a team had a lead erased. Seattle had the lead to start both the ninth and tenth innings.

“You don’t look up very often and see the opponent score in three straight innings and you win,” said Cleveland manager Terry Francona. “That was interesting. It’s a good feeling when, as a ball club, you feel like you’re going to win even when things aren’t going your way or you’re facing challenges.”

In the ninth, Endy Cavez hit a solo home run, turning a 6-6 ball game into a 7-6 Seattle lead. The disconcerting part of it was that the shot came of Tribe closer Chris Perez, who blew a save Friday night in allowing back-to-back homers to this same Mariners ball club. Despite consecutive games of struggling, Francona is not worried about his all-star reliever.

“It’s part of the Major League game,” the Tribe skipper said. “When you give up a home run it’s glaring. It’s part of pitching at the end of ball games.”

However, much as both teams had done all game, the Indians came back in the bottom of the frame to send the game to extra innings.  Jason Kipnis delivered a one-out single. Down to the team’s last out of the game, Nick Swisher delivered a base hit to put runners on first and second with two down. Carlos Santana followed with what appeared would be a game-ending grounder to first base. However, Seattle closer Tom Wilhelmsen could not hold on to the toss from first baseman Justin Smoak, allowing Kipnis to cross home plate with the game-tier.

It was Smoak who untied the contest with a homer in the 10^th. It was another home run off one of Cleveland’s vaunted relievers. This time it was Joe Smith. Counting a solo home run off Vinnie Pestano in the eighth, all of the Tribe’s big-three bullpen arms gave up homers in back-to-back-to-back frames, a rare sight.

Like the Indians did in the ninth inning, they were not going to let the Mariners put them away. Brantley began what turned out to be the final stanza with a hit. Drew Stubbs followed up with a bunt and reached on an error by Smoak, setting up Gomes’ heroics.

Francona said the Indians were never worried despite losing a lead in the eighth and trailing in the ninth and 10^th innings. Winning late as the Tribe has done a number of times this season has given the team hope it is never out of game.

“You play until they send you home,” Francona said. “Once you do it a few times, it builds confidence. It’s getting contagious and that’s good.”

It was Seattle delivering the game’s first blow, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Both tallies came after two batters had been retired. Kendrys Morales delivered run-scoring doubled and then scored on a base hit from Michael Morse.

Cleveland did not stay down long, putting four runs on the board in the home half of the second inning.  Much like Seattle’s initial pair of scores, all four of the Tribe’s runs in the frame came after two men were out. With Carlos Santana on second, after a double and Michael Brantley at first, Ryan Raburn delivered with his fifth home run of the season. It put the Tribe up 3-2. Raburn, a backup player, was followed in the lineup by fellow backup Gomes, who went back-to-back to give the Indians a two-run cushion.

However, as would be the case all day, the Indians could not hold a lead. Starter Scott Kazmir, who struggled all day, allowed the Mariners to tie the score with a third-inning two-spot. Morales drove in his second run of the day with a base hit.

Cleveland  then took a 5-4 edge in the bottom of the third, only to see Seattle retie the game one half-inning later. Kazmir’s day was done at that point, having labored through three-plus innings, allowing five earned runs. He walked two and struck out two.

The game remained tied until Asdrubal Cabrera drove in a go ahead run in the seventh to make it 6-5.  Kyle Seager tied the game, 6-6, with a homer of Pestano in the eighth, setting up the craziness of the final two frames.

The Tribe will open its two-game set with Detroit tomorrow night at Progressive Field, sending Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound to face Max Scherzer. The battle between the Central’s top two squads starts off at 7:05.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

Guilmet grew up in Rosefield California, where he played pitcher and infield. He dominated the high school level, giving up just five runs in 70.1 innings pitch his senior year, along with a 14:1 strikeout to walk ratio. During his junior and senior years he has voted team captain and all-metro pitcher. 

After high school, Guilmet went to the University of Arizona where he continued to pitch and find great success. During his time there Guilmet was able to pitch quite well as a starter, gaining multiple Pac-10 Player of the Week awards, three time first team Pac-10 player, and twice Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year. He went all four years despite being drafted in the 22^nd round of the MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics after his junior year. After his senior year he was drafted in the 8^th round by the Indians, who he signed with. 

After signing, Guilmet entered the Tribe’s system at lower Single-A, Mahoning Valley. Right away he was able to make a name for himself as a starting pitcher in 2009, pitching 15 games with a 4.09 ERA, 62 strikeouts and only 16 walks. While most minor league players would have been happy with that season, Guilmet has pitched so well since that his first season has been his worst season in the minors to date.

After that season Guilmet was moved to Lake County for the 2010 season, but in a different role then before, out of the bullpen. Guilmet was a starting pitcher at UA and in Mahoning Valley so this was a change for him, but one he was more than willing to accept.

“I always wanted to be a starter but once I got here to pro ball you are a small fish in a big pound,” Guilmet said. “There are so many guys I was just happy to have the opportunity to be in the game and throwing. It was a little different getting warm quicker and being ready everyday but once you get used to that it really has been a lot of fun.” 

Guilmet seemed to have fun for sure in his new role in the bullpen for Lake County, as he has able to have a 2.25 ERA over 52.0 IP with a WHIP of only .865 and an absolutely dominant 7.90 strikeout to walk ratio. Guilmet was able to earn 11 saves and a 4-1 record, but most importantly found his role in the bullpen and began to thrive.

The next two seasons were more of the same for Guilmet, moving to a new place and continuing to absolutely control the game on the mound. In 2011 Guilmet was called up to High-A Kinston where he had a career high in saves, 35, a career low 2.16 ERA and a dominate 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. 

In 2012 Guilmet was promoted to Double-A Akron where he just kept rolling. That season he was able to have his third straight year with a sub 3.00 ERA, that seasons being at 2.39, with 24 saves, 60 strikeouts, while only allowing 41 hits and 13. 

With the success that Guilmet has had, it has meant lots of moving trucks and new places for him every year. 

“When I first got out here (to Ohio) it was a little bit different but I am starting to grow found of the place,” Guilmet said. “It’s always great getting a new change of scenery, new park, new people, you can ask any player about that.” 

When asked if he had a favorite park he’s played in, Guilmet laughed, “There have been a lot of good ones. All of our home fields have been great, pretty incredible.”

After his great 2012 season, Guilmet was promoted again, this time to Triple-A Columbus to be the closer there this season. So far he has continued to thrive and pitch well, converting 13 of his 14 save opportunities. While his ERA has risen slightly, to 3.80, he still is proving his pitches are able to get batters out, as he has struck out 23 batters in only 21.1 IP. 

After starting the season with 13 straight save opportunities converted, Guilmet blew his first save on Sunday again the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, giving up a two run home run to tie the game 3-3, but was able to settle down and keep the score tied going into the bottom of the ninth inning. His teammates were able to come through with a walk off single giving Guilmet the win.

“He (Guilmet) has done a great job for us this season,” Clippers manager Chris Tremie said. “Blown saves happen sometimes but he will continue to do a great job for us this season.”

Tremie had praise for the mindset and determination of his club and his closer, “I think it’s great when you can get comeback wins like this. It shows the heart of the team and keep guys heads up going forward.”

Overall, Guilmet has been successful at every level he has played at, from his high school days to his current time in Columbus. It seems clear that his success not only stems from his play on the field but his positive attitude, ability to do whatever is needed for the team and love of the sport. If Guilmet can keep this up, there is no reason to think he will not be taking that drive up I-71 to help out Cleveland and bring his positive attitude and success to the major league level.

This afternoon the Indians go for a four game sweep of the Seattle Mariners and their fifth straight win. Heading in to the game, the Indians have a two game lead on the Detroit Tigers, whose starting pitching is starting to become a question mark of their own. Instead, the Indians seem to be hitting on all cylinders as they are winners of 17 of their last 21 games. While Detroit seems to be stalling at the quarter mark, the Tribe seems to be hitting the gas and starting to speed ahead.But, we’ve seen this before in 2011 and 2012 as the Indians sped ahead of the competition to take first place leads in the standings in May and June, only to fall behind in July and out of the race by August and September. At 25-17 this year, they still can’t match their 30-15 start of two seasons ago that staked them to a seven game lead in the standings. Detroit still managed to catch and pass the Tribe, winning the division by 15 games in 2011.

And while the start of the story of the 2013 season seems to mirror that of 2011 and 2012, anyone who has watched the first 42 games of the season knows the Tribe has a whole different feel and vibe to its play.

Gone are the young, inexperienced players being asked to play in more expanded roles in order to win. This team doesn’t have Shelley Duncan trying to play left field every day. It doesn’t have Johnny Damon trying to find a way to play one more season while six-hopping throws in to third base. It doesn’t have all-glove, no bat Jack Hannahan catching those six-hop throws at third base. It doesn’t have Casey Kotchman or Aaron Cunningham.

What it does have is star power and a veteran presence that isn’t going to panic when they lose five in a row. They’ve actually already lost five in a row and didn’t wreck the season or grow into a 10-game losing streak. They have a true leadoff hitter in Michael Bourn that changes the defense when he gets on base, a power hitter and leader in Nick Swisher and a guy that makes you stay in your seat every time he strides to the plate in Mark Reynolds.

No longer do Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana have to be expected to be stars and leaders, they just have to be contributors. The lack of pressure seems to be brightening their stardom. Their veteran role players in Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn and Jason Giambi are just that, veteran role players. A year ago, they would have been asked for more and likely would have produced less.

Much is the ballyhoo about the Indians beating seven former Cy Young winners (R.A. Dickey, David Price, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Bartolo Colon, Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez) but they’ve also defeated Cole Hamels, Chris Sale and Andy Pettitte. That’s a quarter of their season against top flight pitchers. It’s also 40 percent of their wins for the season.

Don’t worry about the Indians scoring runs, this team can beat the best.

So, the start of the season may have the same look and feel as the last two seasons, but the roster and way the Indians are playing the game has a whole different feel to it. A feel that says they are in it for the long haul.

This team has staying power.

The 2013 Cleveland Indians aren’t going anywhere. There won’t be a second half collapse. Whether that results in a playoff appearance remains to be seen. They aren’t perfect, for sure. In the first 40 games the Indians played their way onto the scene. Likely in the next 40 games they’ll prove just how necessary another starting pitcher is to their October hopes.

They might not finally beat the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central, but they aren’t going to fall down and fade away either. This season will be a race deep into September.

It has a whole new look.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Indians strong offense at the game’s beginning, coupled with Masterson’s strong outing which brought him to a straight 19 scoreless innings, brought the Tribe to 3-0 in the series against the Mariners and defeated their ace, Felix Hernandez.

At the game’s opening, Hernandez was 5-2 with a 1.53 ERA. Following a 1-2-3 top of the first for the Tribe, Hernandez started his outing facing center fielder Michael Bourn who hit a hard drive to right field.

What should have been a single turned into a lead-off double for Bourn, whose speed propelled him into second. Seattle outfielder Michael Morse was caught with his head down following his pick-up of the ball, which also assisted in Bourn’s ability to make it to second.

Although the Mariners’ defense is rated second in the league, they were no match for the Indians continued strong offense. With Bourn at second, Michael Brantley delivered an RBI-single to bring Bourn home. Morse made an unsuccessful attempt to throw Bourn out at home, a throw which sent Brantley to second.

Nick Swisher followed with a hit to first that appeared to be leading into a standard out, but that instead bounced between the legs of Seattle first baseman Justin Smoak and scored Brantley.

The Indians ended the first inning with a score of 2-0, a winning margin that would only increase throughout the rest of the game.

The next three Mariners’ batters went down in order in the top of the second.

The bottom of the second brought Bourn up to bat again, who continued his strong plate appearance with a two-out single. Jason Kipnis followed Bourn, hitting a single that brought Bourn to third.

With runners at the corners, Michael Brantley came to bat and crushed a two-out, three-run home run, bringing the Indians’ lead to 5-0.

Seattle had their first runner on base of the day in the third inning when Brendan Ryan was hit by a pitch. A ground ball the flew past the glove of Kipnis and to Drew Stubbs in right field also brought Michael Saunders onto the field for the Mariners with two outs.

The threat of a runner in scoring position did nothing to deter Masterson’s confidence, as he struck out Dustin Ackley to end the top of the third inning.

The Indians had their first 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third, and Masterson issued his first walk of the game in the top of the fourth.

Up in the bottom of the fourth, Mike Aviles had his seventh career hit off Hernandez. Stubbs’ following ground ball had catcher Jesus Montero hustling to retrieve the ball to throw Stubbs out a first, a move which allowed Aviles to score with no one guarding the plate.

The Tribe brought their lead to 6-0, where it stayed for the remainder of the game. The Indians put runners in scoring position a number of other times, though they did not cross home plate any more throughout the game. It did not matter, though, as Seattle could not manage to get on the board at all.

Masterson pitched through the seventh inning, and ended his outing with 11 strikeouts and only two walks. Today’s game raised his record to 7-2 with a 2.83 ERA. He gave up only three hits.

“He works fast, he’s throwing the ball all over the place, but at the same time, he’s getting outs,” Bourn said of Masterson. “That’s a good combination for a pitcher.”

During an in-game interview, pitching coach Mickey Callaway said that the success of the Tribe’s pitching has been coming from their ability to “pound the zone with conviction. They’re making sure they don’t get beat by walking guys.”

Hernandez was replaced by Charlie Furbush in the bottom of the sixth. Named the losing pitcher, Hernandez gave up eight hits and threw two walks with eight strikeouts. He is now 5-3 with a 2.07 ERA. He threw 107 pitches in his five innings on the mound.

Lucas Luetge replaced Furbush in the eighth for Seattle.

Rich Hill appeared for the Indians in the eighth and threw to three batters before he was replaced by Joe Smith. Smith finished the game for the Indians.

The Indians had many strong performances throughout the game, with Bourn, Kipnis, Brantley and Aviles all going 2-4. Brantley hit four RBIs, Stubbs posted one RBI, and Swisher, Aviles, Kipnis and Bourn all hit doubles.

“We tried to make him work, but looked for a pitch to hit at the same time,” Bourn said of the team’s approach to facing Hernandez.

With seven hits during the Mariners’ series, Bourn said his approach has been nothing elaborate – “Just see the ball and hit it.”

The Indians are now 25-17 on the season, winning 17 of their last 21 games and remaining on top of the American League Central Division. They also lead the American League in shut-outs, with today’s bringing their count to seven.

The Tribe concludes their four-game series with the Mariners tomorrow during a 12:05 day-game at Progressive Field. Tomorrow’s game will put Seattle RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (5-1, 1.84) against Cleveland LHP Scott Kazmir (2-2, 5.33).

“It’s not always easy to sweep a team, but it’s a challenge we look forward to,” said Bourn.

The game can be seen on SportsTime Ohio and heard on the Cleveland Indians Radio Network.

Frustratingly lost in the shuffle of another Cleveland Indians walkoff victory on Saturday afternoon was more undesired focus on the fans.

It was not in regards to all fans as a whole. Nor was it related to their attendance, a much belabored point because of the miniscule, pathetic, and disgraceful turnout through the turnstiles this season at Progressive Field.

Instead, it was on the actions of a vocal minority, who once again aimed audibly at the Indians two-time American League All-Star closer, Chris Perez.

In the ninth inning, Perez entered the action with a two-run lead. He retired lefty Kendrys Morales on two pitches, getting him to line out to Jason Kipnis, who barely had to move. The out decreased the batting average of left-handed hitters against Perez to .074 on the season. Just four left-handed batters had reached base against Perez on the year (a single, double, walk, and hit by pitch).

Michael Morse, the Mariners’ leader in home runs on the season, struck out on six pitches, five of which were strikes. Two down.

In stepped Raul Ibanez. Despite the odds heavily stacked in Perez’s favor, Ibanez sent a solo homer to the seats in right. In the last five days, he has homered in consecutive games twice. His sixth home run in his last seven games cut the deficit to 4-3. It was just the second blast allowed on the season by Perez, the first to a lefty, and the first since the season’s second game.

Switch-hitting Justin Smoak climbed into the batter’s box from the lefty side of the plate and crushed a 1-1 pitch nearly 400 feet to right center. His second home run of the season tied up the game. It was the second official blown save of the season for Perez.

Perez promptly came back and retired Jesus Montero on a first pitch grounder to second to end the frame. As he and his teammates walked off of the field, the closer was serenaded with boos.

What does booing Perez do? Does it make you feel better, to kick someone when he is already down? Because I can’t possibly fathom what else it could accomplish.

Do you think that there was any chance Perez was not aware he gave up back-to-back homers to tie it? The guy is a gamer, a fierce competitor who was not afraid to man up and speak up last year when NO ONE else on the roster was willing or able to.

“You can’t always make excuses when things don’t go your way,” Perez was quoted after the game in a story by Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle-Telegram. “I made two mistakes. It was just one of those days today. It’s just one blip on the radar. I’m not going to change anything. It’s not going to be the last save I blow.”

Last season, Perez took on a leadership role that few in his position as a closer have ever tried to do. A guy who pitches in close games on occasion is generally not looked to be the first to speak up. Any of the other starting nine should be expected in that role.

As a veteran on the club, Perez embraced the role, he ruffled some feathers, but he put his money where his mouth was. His performance on the field still placed him amongst the best in the game at his position while he nailed down a career-best 39 saves in 43 opportunities.

I’ve heard the rationalization too often that Cleveland fans can boo Perez if they want to because he called them out.

Really? What did he say that was so wrong?

He was right when he said in a Jon Morosi column on September 4, 2012 that Cleveland ownership’s unwillingness to spend money helped to create the gap between the Tigers and the Indians during the 2012 season that ultimately became too much to overcome.

He was right when he said that small market ball clubs do not have room to make mistakes in trades or free agency. It is no coincidence that the Indians front office spent big money in the offseason and brought in several top tier free agents and also added through what appear to be several beneficial trades.

He was right when he expressed his confusion about the poor attendance at Progressive Field. Fans didn’t show up last year and, as a whole, have yet to show up this season, as the first place Cleveland Indians are in last place in all of baseball in attendance (even though their attendance is up slightly compared to last year’s figures). Fans have lined up in droves to support a Cleveland Browns team blindly eight times a season. I can make the exception that the Browns play just eight home games and the Indians play 81, but the case in point is that the Indians have been more competitive and at least have actually laid claim to first place for significant stretches over the last several seasons, and several times more since the Browns returned in 1999.

“Their whole thing is, ‘We want a winner.’ Well, why do you support the Browns? They don’t win. They’ve never won. They left. You guys blindly support them,” Perez was quoted in a New York Times story by Tyler Kepner published on June 25, 2012. “I don’t understand it. It’s a double standard, and I don’t know why. It’s head-scratching. It’s just — they don’t come out. But around the city, there’s great support. They watch it in the bars. They watch it at home. They just don’t come.”

If there is anything we know how to do well in Cleveland, it’s lose!

Don’t let me tell you how to spend your money. I’m grateful the attendance has slowly climbed over the course of the last few games. It’s fantastic to see some people beginning to recognize that the Indians are playing some good baseball right now and are enjoying it in person. They may very well be the hottest team in all of baseball.

They have won 16 of their last 20 games. Any time you win 80% of your ball games over any stretch of the season, it can be called a pretty good run.

Luckily for Perez and the Indians, the first four Cleveland batters reached base successfully in the bottom of the ninth Saturday, earning the team their second consecutive walkoff win and third straight win overall.

It also guarantees, at worst, a series split with Seattle. The Indians have not lost a series since they were swept by the Boston Red Sox a month ago and have only lost three series on the season (including series two of the season versus Tampa Bay and series three versus New York).

The Indians have been able to accomplish this feat because of the far more balanced team they field this season. But even though they are more balanced, some common themes will occur from time to time over the course of a 162-game baseball season.

Offenses will have quiet days or slumps at the plate.

Starters will struggle at times to make it through five innings.

Bullpens will allow runs.

Closers will blow saves.

It all has happened before; I guarantee it will all happen again.

For what it’s worth, the man who was booed by SOME of the 17,574 in attendance on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon is also third in the storied history of the Cleveland Indians organization with 105 saves.

Bob Wickman spent parts of six seasons representing the Indians. He donned the Indians’ cap in the All-Star game in 2005. He never once completed a season without blowing a save and blew five saves in his 45-save 2005 season. Only twice in his stay in Cleveland did he have an ERA below three. He is the team’s leader in saves with 139 in 156 opportunities (89.1%).

For those who watched Wicky time, you likely recall being on the edge of your seat night in and night out while he made the ninth inning an adventure.

Doug Jones spent parts of seven different seasons on the shores of Lake Erie, including a brief return in 1998 to Jacobs Field. He was a five-time All-Star, three times in Cleveland, and accumulated 129 career saves.

Like Wickman, it was not always smooth sailing. He lost ten games in 1989 and blew nine saves. He blew eight more saves the next season on the way to saving 43. In his Cleveland career, he converted 129 of 163 save opportunities (79.1%).

The math alone says that Jones had his fair share of misses, despite owning the team’s saves record until the early portion of the 2006 season when Wickman stole the crown.

With Saturday’s blown save, Perez has now converted 105 of his 121 save opportunities in an Indians uniform. His 86.8% conversion rate is one of the best in the history of the franchise, trailing Mike Jackson’s 89.5% amongst all Cleveland relievers who have had at least five save opportunities since saves and save opportunities officially became tracked statistics in 1969. In the last three years, he has converted 89% (81-of-91).

By comparison, Mariano Rivera has saved 89.5% of his chances in his career. Trevor Hoffman, second all-time in saves, converted 88.8%. Former Indians pitcher Dennis Eckersley was able to lock down 92.6% of his career saves.

Perez, so far in 2013, has a 2-0 record and has earned saves in six of his eight chances. His 1.80 ERA, tarnished by the two home runs against Seattle, jumped from 0.64 entering the day. He has a strikeout in each one of his 15 appearances on the season and has 16 strikeouts total. While his May numbers have been slightly higher than his April effort, he still is sporting a 1.13 WHIP on the year. Only twice this season has he given up more than two hits in a game.

In both of his blown saves, the Indians have come back to win the game. His first blown save of the season came on a solo home run in Toronto against Jose Bautista, hardly putting him in rare company. In what could have been a blown save against Oakland during Cleveland’s last homestand, the Indians were able to earn a win via instant replay failure.

He is 8-14 in his Cleveland career with a 3.00 ERA.

Perez hardly deserved the ridiculous reception he was greeted with when he left the field Saturday afternoon. He has been one of the better closers in the league since he took over the role in Cleveland and has made a quick ascent to the top of the all-time leaderboard in the organization.

If you don’t respect the man for the manner in which he approached sensitive team matters last season, so be it, but he deserves more respect for the quality closer he has been for the city of Cleveland far more often than not.

Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images

Saturday afternoon the Tribe squandered an early 4-0 lead and strong pitching performance from Zach McAllister to blow the lead in the top of the ninth and walk off with another bottom of the ninth inning victory, winning 5-4. It was the second victory in as many days in the Tribe’s final at bat.

Cleveland continued to ride the wave from Friday night’s late inning heroics to strike early on Saturday afternoon. In the bottom of the first inning the Tribe got the offense started with two outs when Asdrubal Cabrera singled to right field and Nick Swisher walked. Then Reynolds laced a 3-1 fastball to right field to score Cabrera from second base and give the Tribe an early 1-0 lead.

The power-hitting Reynolds did not try to pull the ball, but stayed back for a short, two-out base hit. Reynolds is now hitting .500 with two outs and runners in scoring position this season.

Reynolds was no one-hit wonder on the afternoon, however. In the bottom of the sixth inning he helped the Indians extend their lead with a solo home run down the left field line. The line drive through the tough wind was his 12^th home run of the season for Reynolds. Swisher had a fly ball die on the warning track just a hitter earlier.

The Tribe did all the small things in the sixth inning to take control of the game. Mike Aviles doubled to the right field gap off Mariners’ starter Joe Saunders to start the inning. Yan Gomes singled to right field, but Aviles was unable to advance, putting runners on first and second with no one out. After Drew Stubbs executed a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners, Michael Bourn hit a slow chopper to shortstop. With the contact play on, Aviles beat Brendan Ryan’s throw home, sliding under the tag and giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.

Kipnis followed with a bloop single to left field, scoring Gomes and chasing Saunders from the game. With the Tribe leading 4-0, Saunders left the game, allowing 11 hits, four runs while walking two and striking out two in five and one-third innings of work.

Meanwhile, McAllister was making it look easy against the Mariners. He was ahead in the count against hitters all afternoon. It wasn’t until the eighth inning that Seattle was able to crack the scoreboard when Ryan hit a one-out two run home run to cut the score to 4-2, Cleveland. McAllister pitched seven and one-third innings, allowing six hits and two runs while walking one and striking out one. Rich Hill finished the eighth inning without any further damage.

However, with two gone in the ninth inning and Chris Perez on his way to his seventh save, Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak hit back-to-back solo home runs to tie the game at four. It was Perez’s second blown save of the season. Both blown saves have been products of home runs in the ninth inning.

With the wind out of their sails, Cleveland battled right back off lefty reliever Oliver Perez (1-1). Kipnis led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a base hit to center field. After Cabrera could not get a sacrifice bunt down, he instead doubled off the wall to put runners on second and third base with no one out. Swisher was intentionally walked to load the bases before Mariners manager Eric Wedge summoned Yoervis Medina from the bullpen to match up with Reynolds.

Reynolds instead hit a slider into the hole that Ryan had to make a diving play on. When he got up and threw home, he had to hurry, pulling Montero off the plate and allowing Kipnis to score and end the game with the Tribe prevailing 5-4. The fielder’s choice was Reynolds’ third RBI of the game and 37^th of the season.

Chris Perez (2-0) works one inning, allowing two runs but steals the victory on the scorecard.

After starting the year 8-13, the Tribe has now rattled off 16 wins in their last 20 games to put the squad at 24-17 on the season, good enough for piece of first place in the American League Central Division. Cleveland currently holds a half game lead with Detroit playing tonight in Texas at 8:05 p.m.

Sunday the Tribe will look for their fourth straight win and third in a row against Seattle with a marquee pitching matchup. Justin Masterson (6-2, 3.14 ERA) strides to the mound for the Indians, while Seattle counters with Felix Hernandez (5-2, 1.53 ERA). Game time is slated for 1:05 p.m. from Progressive Field.

Photo: Tony Dejak/AP Photo

The following month will tell a lot about our Cleveland Indians.

Over the past month, the Tribe has been one of, if not the hottest team in baseball. They have defeated six former Cy Young Award winners—including the two from last year—along with some defending division champs, preseason playoff favorites and other teams that are said to be overachieving.  They have done it with a perceived “weak” starting rotation and have battled injuries from their centerfielder/leadoff hitter, second baseman, first baseman/cleanup batter, catcher, closer, setup man and two starting pitchers.  Even after all of this, the real work is only just about to get started.

Over the course of the next 27 days, the Indians and the city of Cleveland will probably find out exactly what kind of team we have.  The Tribe is about to endure the toughest stretch of their schedule and will most likely tell whether they are contenders or pretenders.  Starting with the Tigers visit to Progressive Field on Tuesday, Cleveland fans are in for a treat, but will the treat turn out to be sweet or sour?

May 21-21 vs. Detroit Tigers (ESPN Power Rankings #6)

Who else would this stretch start with?  After years of beating up on them when I was younger, the Tigers have quickly become the Indians biggest nemesis in the division.  The games between the Great Lakes rivals are often hardcore, emotionally draining, back and forth contests and will put the Indians to the test immediately.

May 22-26 at Boston Red Sox (PR #5)

Going to Fenway Park is never easy and the Red Sox have had a much better start than a lot of people expected.  Sure, they have hit a rough patch the last week or so, but this is still the same team that swept the Indians at home last month.  Led by the solid production of Dustin Pedroia, a rejuvenated Mike Napoli and the strong arms of Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox have kept themselves in the race since the beginning.  And you thought the Red Sox were going to be bad this year, huh? 

May 27-28 at Cincinnati Reds (PR #10)

Remember when the Reds and Indians used to always play on the weekends?  What happened to that?

Nevertheless, the Tribe will take on the Cincinnati Rats on Memorial Day and the day after before skipping town.  The Reds were one of the preseason darlings in the National League and it’s hard to argue that they shouldn’t still be.  Cincy has lived up to their billing as a top-tier team and will be playing very meaningful games well into the fall.  A better-than-ever Shin-Soo Choo will face his former mates for the first time, breathing new life into the Battle of Ohio.

May 29-30 vs. Cincinnati Reds

This is a weird, stupid section of the schedule.  After playing the Reds for two in The Natti, both teams will head up I-71 to finish their four game set in Cleveland.  I guess this quirk happens to some teams every year, but that is usually in October.  This is in May, so it’s dumb.

May 31-June 2 vs. Tampa Bay Rays (PR #17)

The Rays haven’t really been as good as their five fans had hoped, but they are still a good team with an outstanding pitching staff.  The Indians experienced this first hand back in April, as they lost two of three down at Tropicana Field.  Matt Moore has turned into one of the better pitchers in baseball and Evan Longoria is still really good.  Don’t take last year’s AL Cy Young winner lightly either, despite the struggles of David Price.

June 3-5 at New York Yankees (PR #7)

If you scroll up four paragraphs, you can read about playing at Fenway and how the Red Sox were supposed to be terrible…the same applies here and the Yankees are also still a good team.  The injury riddled Yanks have taken three out of four against the Indians in Cleveland so far—and this time they’re going to be at home and are getting healthy.

I hate the Yankees so much.

June 7-9 at Detroit Tigers

Back to the D where the Tribe took two of three last weekend.  Hopefully, we will still care at this point and the Indians will not be hanging on for dear life in the standings like they were last August.  I like to refer to that weekend as the Motown Disaster.

June 10-12 at Texas Rangers (PR #2)

Next, the Tribe will head to Arlington; a place that has NEVER been kind to them.  The Rangers have won two of the last three American League pennants and, despite losing Josh Hamilton, are still one of the best teams in the game.   The Indians seem to win in Texas about one out of every ten games, so I always cringe when I see this place on the schedule.

June 14-16 vs. Washington Nationals (PR #11)

The Stretch from Hell ends with a visit from another playoff team.  The Nats are young, exciting and extremely good.  With the Tigers kicking this off, Washington will be a good way to bookend the stretch of facing baseball’s best.

The Indians certainly have their work cut out for them, but if this team has proven anything so far in 2013, it is that they can rise to the occasion and persevere.  Let’s all hope that they can keep it up and prove themselves to be among baseball’s elite.

Drew Stubbs worked a two-out walk in the 10th. With Michael Bourn up to bat, Seattle left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge threw to first in an attempt to pick off Stubbs. But the speedy Stubbs had already made his move and easily beat the throw from first to second. Bourn followed with an infield single, and Kipnis brought the house down.

“You just have to be patient with good players and it’s paying off in huge dividends,” Francona said about Kipnis. “He’s not just getting hits, he’s getting big hits and he’s driving the ball out of the ballpark. He’s running the bases. He’s doing everything.”

Prior to Bourn’s single in the 10th, the Seattle pitching staff had retired 15 straight batters.

Ubaldo Jimenez turned in another strong performance for the Tribe, striking out a season high nine batters over five innings.

“He should feel good about himself. He’s backing up each start. There’s life to everything. He should feel very good about himself,” said Francona.

Vinnie Pestano (1-0, 2.00) pitched a scoreless tenth to pick up the win in his first game back from the disabled list after missing the past two weeks with elbow tendinitis

Cleveland got on the scoreboard in the second inning. After a leadoff walk to Nick Swisher, Carlos Santana crushed a double off the right field wall to give the Indians runners on second and third with no outs. Jason Giambi followed with a deep sac fly to right to score Swisher and give Cleveland a 1-0 advantage. Santana came around to score on a Brandon Maurer wild pitch to Michael Brantley to make it 2-0.

Seattle threatened in the third with back-to-back singles by Brendan Ryan and Michael Saunders, but Jimenez got a double play ball and ground out to escape the jam.

Both teams got a scare in the third when Kipnis attempted to steal second with a head first slide. His head caught the right shin of Ryan, who fell to the ground. Both players were down for a few minutes, but returned to the game.

In the fourth inning, a Kendrys Morales solo shot to deep right cut the Tribe’s lead in half. It was Morales fifth home run of the season.

The Tribe got that run back in the fifth on a Stubbs one-out solo home run to right – his third.

Those three Tribe runs meant nothing though as Seattle made it a brand new ballgame in the sixth. After Jimenez gave up a leadoff single to Justin Smoak, Terry Francona called on Rich Hill to face Seattle slugger Raul Ibanez. Last year’s postseason hero for the New York Yankees welcomed Hill to the game by driving his first pitch over the right field wall to knot the game at 3-3.

Ibanez’s home run resulted in a no decision for Jimenez, who was charged with 2 earned runs on 7 hits, 9 strikeouts, and 2 walks in 5 innings of work.

Rich Hill returned to the mound in the seventh and recorded one out before walking Seager. Cody Allen relieved Hill and retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Allen returned to the mound in the eighth and gave up a leadoff single to Ibanez. Former Indian Kelly Shoppach sacrificed to the pitcher to move Ibanez to second with one out. Bryan Shaw relieved Allen and retired Endy Chavez and Ryan to keep the game tied.

Charlie Furbush relieved Seattle starter Brandon Maurer, who got better as the game went on. In 6 innings of work, the 22-year-old righty gave up 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking 4.

Carter Capps relieved Furbush with two-outs in the eighth to face Cabrera, who he struck out swinging. The hard throwing Capps returned to the mound in the ninth and retired the side before giving way to Luetge who gave up the Kipnis blast.

Chris Perez pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Indians are 20-0 when leading after the sixth inning.

Game two of this four game series is Saturday at 1:05pm ET. Zach McAllister (3-3, 2.68 ERA) will start for the Indians, with Joe Saunders (3-4 5.51 ERA) pitching for the Mariners.

Photo credit: AP Photo / Mark Duncan