Victory Slides Away In Late Innings; Royals 2, Indians 1

There are tough luck losses, but rarely are there tough luck no-decisions. Both James Shields and Carlos Carrasco may have earned one, however.

Carrasco pitched into the eighth inning, not allowing a run until he had already left the game, but suffered a no-decision, just like Shields as the Royals won the game late, 2-1. The Tribe’s bullpen—that was once a strength—coughed up another lead in a late inning situation.

It was a game of a seasoned veteran pitching just like one, keeping his team in the game. Meanwhile, someone who likely should have established himself as a mainstay in the rotation quite some time ago may have finally asserted himself.

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Series Preview #25: Kansas City Royals (33-34) at Cleveland Indians (34-34)

A battle for second place in the American League Central will take place at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario Streets this week as the Cleveland Indians welcome the red-hot rival Royals of Kansas City into town for a three-game series.

The Royals (33-34) come into town on a very good streak and trailing the Indians by just one-half game in the division. They have won all four series played entirely in the month of June and have an 11-4 record for the month. They have put together winning streaks of six and three games in the last two weeks.

The Indians (34-34) have now won back-to-back series for the first time since early May, taking series against two high quality opponents, the Texas Rangers and the Washington Nationals. Cleveland owns a 305-290 advantage in matchups with Kansas City all-time, dating back to the Royals’ inception in 1969.

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Roller Coaster Season Could Reach New Heights

The Indians wake up this morning at 34-34, experiencing a roller coaster ride that would make most Cedar Point goers blush on the journey that they have traveled.

By definition, the Indians are what make a .500 team. They have inconsistent starting pitching, inconsistent offense—and suddenly an inconsistent bullpen. Most .500 teams are inconsistent, some days looking like a contender while other times looking like a team headed for the cellar.

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Kluber’s Arm The Key As Cleveland Blanks Washington; Indians 2, Nationals 0

Corey Kluber gave the Indians eight shutout innings and Vinnie Pestano closed it out as Cleveland defeated the Washington Nationals, 2-0, on a beautiful Father’s Day afternoon to claim the interleague series.

Kluber (5-4) effectively worked into and out of trouble, getting timely strikeouts and double plays throughout the game to earn his fifth win of the season. Kluber was in control of his pitches throughout the game, allowing seven hits but giving up no free passes. Eight Nationals batters were vicitimized by strike threes at the plate.

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Indians Battle Back but Bullpen Fails to Hold the Lead; Nationals 7, Indians 6

Scott Kazmir struggled mightily in Saturday’s game and was chased out in the third inning, but the Tribe offense battled hard against the excellent Washington pitching. Home runs ruled the day with a total of seven hit and the Indians came back from a five-run deficit to gain the lead heading into the eighth. The bullpen couldn’t hold it however, and the Indians dropped game two of the series, 7-6.

The Indians came into the game on the heels of a three-game winning streak. Both the Washington Nationals and the Cleveland Indians held an even .500 record at 33-33 entering the game. The Tribe now looks to clinch the series win and climb the ranks in the American League Central with a victory Sunday. Read More

Bats Come Alive to Take Two of Three from Texas; Indians 5, Rangers 2

After finally breaking their eight game losing streak last night, the Indians hoped to keep they winning ways alive in the third game of their series against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night. Ending the game with a 5-2 win over the Rangers did just that.

A much-improved outing from Ubaldo Jimenez, combined with a decent showing from the bullpen, kept Texas from scoring often. The Indians offense, led by Jason Kipnis, who hit a triple short of the cycle tonight, seemed to be regaining their power from earlier in the season.

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Kluber Shines and Bats Come Alive to Snap Streak; Indians 5, Rangers 2

Cleveland’s current eight game losing streak has not been kind to the starting rotation. All eight of the Tribe’s losses were hung on the shoulders of the starters; they posted a 7.59 ERA, a .328 average against and tossed only 5.1 innings per game.

So when Corey Kluber threw eight innings and allowed only one run Tuesday night, Cleveland breathed a collective sigh of relief.

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Berkman Bomb Helps Texas Slide by Tribe; Rangers 6, Indians 3

When things aren’t going well, it seems like a team can find new ways to lose instead of just one way to win.

After a seesaw, rocky start from both Indians starter Scott Kazmir and Rangers starter Josh Lindblom, each settled down to provide solid outings. However, one bad inning—and a bad pitch by Nick Hagadone—resulted in the Indians eighth straight loss and 12^th straight on the road, losing 6-3 in Arlington.

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June Swoon or Just a Slump?

Many Cleveland Indians fans seem to share the sentiment that we have all seen this movie before. The hope is that this particular version has some sort of alternate ending we have yet to see, with a much happier end result.

The 2013 Indians team has been streaky throughout the season. When the offense was clicking, the rotation was struggling. When the rotation was solid, the bullpen was struggling. When the bullpen was going strong, they could not get to the mound in a meaningful opportunity with a close game to preserve because the offense and starting pitching would not let it be so. Too few times has the entire machine been functioning on all cylinders.

The Indians just are not playing good baseball right now. There is no real denying of that. But is this a June swoon to be likened to the midseason collapses of the last several years, or just a temporary stretch of bad baseball made worse by a series of slumps, injuries, and unfortunate scheduling?

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Series Preview #22: Cleveland Indians (30-29) at Detroit Tigers (32-26)

A reeling Cleveland Indians squad continues a tough road trip as they head to Detroit to play three this weekend against the rival Tigers.

The Indians (30-29) have not played well at all since losing a two-game midweek series with the Tigers in late May. Since that sweep, they are 4-12 and have fallen out of first place. They had taken two of three earlier in the season in Detroit.

The Tigers (32-26) have enjoyed home cooking this season. They are 19-10 on the season at Comerica Park, the second-best winning percentage at home of American League teams. They have not been exempt from the struggles affecting the AL Central, as they have dropped six of ten and have failed to capitalize on the Indians slide to increase their distance in the division.

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Identity of This Year’s Indians Still a Mystery

In baseball circles it is said you can get a good feel for what a team will be through 40 games. As the Cleveland Indians have proven the last couple years, there are exceptions to that rule. However, it is a generally a good stretch of games to see if a team will be good, bad or somewhere in between as the summer rolls along.

This season’s Indians are again putting the old theory to the test, though not like they have in years past. Both the 2011 and 2012 Tribe were in contention for a division title beyond the halfway points of each campaign. Both clubs crumbled in the second half with young teams wilting under pressure.

The 2013 squad was built with more veterans to better face the strains of expectations to contend. The 2013 squad, to this point, is in contention. As the season hits game No. 60 tonight, though, the identity and realistic expectations one should have are as unknown as they were on Opening Day. Read More

Injured and Battered, Tribe Beaten in Bronx; Yankees 7, Indians 4

Cleveland fans expected that going into a nine game road trip, things would be hard.

After the Indians’ first night in the Bronx, their fears were confirmed.

Justin Masterson gave up a season-high seven runs on the way to a 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees (32-25) on Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

Cleveland (30-27) was yet again unable to muster much offense the first time through the lineup, going 2-7 without any runs through the second inning. In the third, Nick Swisher grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Michael Bourn and giving the Indians the first run of the ballgame.

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