Zach McAllister
Offensive Outburst Makes Francona Homecoming Easy; Indians 12, Red Sox 3
May 23, 2013 | Mike BrandyberryHomecoming games are usually easy victories for the home team. However, this homecoming was easy for the visiting team.
The Indians struck early and often and used a six-run sixth inning to pace themselves to a 12-3 victory, taking the first game of a four game series in Boston. The win was the first for Indians manager Terry Francona since his eight year tenure as skipper of the Red Sox ended two years ago. Zach McAllister turned in another solid start, controlling Boston with the exception of one pitch.
Series Preview #17: Cleveland Indians (26-19) at Boston Red Sox (28-19)
May 23, 2013 | Bob TothTerry Francona returns to another city he once called home as his Cleveland Indians head to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox.
The first-place Indians (26-19) lost their first series, during the week to the Tigers, since the last time they met up with the Red Sox. They maintain a one-half game lead over Detroit in the American League Central. They are 15-6 in the month of May.
The Red Sox (28-19) fell on some hard times after their previous meeting with the Indians. After finishing the month of April at 18-8, they are a game under in the month of May at 10-11. They have lost four series this month – in Texas, versus Minnesota and Toronto at home, and in Chicago against the White Sox in their last series. After charging out of the gate in first place in the AL East, they have fallen as far as three games back and are currently in second place, one-half game back of the New York Yankees.
Reynolds Saves Game with Second Straight Walkoff Win; Indians 5, Mariners 4
May 18, 2013 | Mike BrandyberryWalk-off victories are kind of becoming a thing again at Progressive Field.
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.
Series Preview #15: Seattle Mariners (20-21) at Cleveland Indians (22-17)
May 17, 2013 | Bob TothThe Seattle Mariners continue their cross-country tour with their lone stop to the shores of Lake Erie this weekend as they take on the Cleveland Indians in a four-game set.
The Mariners (20-21) pulled into second place in the American League West after a series win over the New York Yankees. They have won or split each of their last six series (five wins, one split). They still trail the division-leading Texas Rangers by seven games.
The Indians (22-17) got a much needed day off on Thursday, their last of the month, but were still able to move back into a first place tie in the AL Central, courtesy of a Detroit loss to Texas. During a 14-games-in-13-days span, the Indians were 10-4. They now begin a stretch of 20 straight games before their next day off.
Tribe Takes Series in Extras With Late Rallies; Indians 4, Tigers 3
May 12, 2013 | Dave RobertsThe Indians looked to gain a series victory against the Detroit Tigers on Mother’s Day. On the hill for the Tribe was Zach McAllister (3-3, 2.63) who was opposed by Rick Porcello (1-2, 7.52) for the Tigers. It was a game where both teams missed key opportunities at the plate but the Indians were able to put together the late-inning magic to secure an extra inning victory.
The Tigers got the hitting started when Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera ripped back-to-back singles to left with one out in the first. Prince Fielder then hit a sinking line drive that Ryan Raburn managed to scoop off right above his shoe tops for the second out and then McAllister rung up Victor Martinez to end the inning.
Series Preview #12: Cleveland Indians (18-14) at Detroit Tigers (19-13)
May 10, 2013 | Bob TothEyes will be on the Motor City this weekend for a key American League Central matchup between the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland. The series will pair up the number one and two run differential teams in the AL.
The Indians (18-14) have quietly become baseball’s hottest team. After ending their six-game winning streak on Sunday, they immediately ripped off a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, by no means an easy task. Respect is starting to slowly pour in nationally, as Cleveland jumped ten spots in Sports Illustrated’s MLB Power Rankings to third, the largest move of the week for any of the 30 teams in the league. Leading all of baseball in slugging percentage (.475) and home runs (49) certainly has not hurt their cause.
After winning five straight and nine of ten, the Tigers (19-13) lost a pair of close games to the Washington Nationals after weather claimed the opener of the series. They enter play against the Indians this weekend with the league’s best team batting average and on-base percentage and have two of the league’s top six hitters in Miguel Cabrera and Torii Hunter. They have the best team ERA amongst starting pitchers in the AL at 3.17.
Surprising Rotation Key to Winning
May 10, 2013 | Craig Gifford | One CommentMajor League Baseball teams that reach the postseason typically get contributions from players and spots on their clubs previously unexpected to make an impact.
Entering the 2013 season, it was the starting pitching for the Cleveland Indians that many people thought would have to overachieve in order for the Tribe to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Cleveland’s starting pitching staff had so many questions and few answers to start the year. Could Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez rebound from disappointing 2012 campaigns? Could Brett Myers make the conversion from the bullpen back to the rotation? Could Scott Kazmir make a successful comeback from two years away from the game? Finally, what young pitchers would step up this season? Read More
Timely Bats and Dazzling McAllister Give Tribe a Victory; Indians 1, A’s 0
May 7, 2013 | Dave RobertsThe Indians have been on fire of late, winning seven of their last ten ballgames. Their success has come from playing solid ball on both sides of the ball. The Indians and Athletics matched up on Tuesday night for the second matchup of a four game series. The pitching matchup featured Zach McAllister (2-3, 3.30 ERA) on the hill for the Tribe, opposed by Tommy Malone (3-3, 3.69 ERA).
What transpired at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario was a stellar pitching matchup between McAllister and Malone, but the Indians made the best of an offensive opportunity and pulled out a 1-0 victory.
Series Preview #11: Oakland A’s (18-14) at Cleveland Indians (14-14)
May 6, 2013 | Bob TothMajor League Baseball’s top scoring team brings its offensive show on the road to Cleveland, as the Oakland Athletics take on the upstart Indians in a four-game series this week.
The A’s (18-14) have cooled off after starting the season 12-4. While Oakland has dominated their AL West rivals, winning 13 of 16 matchups so far, they have struggled against the rest of the league. Their offense has remained productive throughout, as the team continues to be among the American League leaders this season in runs, walks, and runs batted in. They enter their series with Cleveland leading the MLB in runs scored with 171 through their first 32 games.
The Indians (14-14) saw their six-game winning streak end Sunday at the expense of Mike Pelfrey. During their winning streak, they outscored the opposition, 53-14, and had two shutouts. They were able to earn a split against Kansas City and to claim both series against Philadelphia and Minnesota during the week.
Series Preview #9: Philadelphia Phillies (12-14) at Cleveland Indians (10-13)
April 30, 2013 | Bob TothInterleague play comes to Cleveland for the first time this season as the Philadelphia Phillies make a quick stop to Progressive Field for a pair of games against the Indians.
The Phillies come to town on a three game winning streak. They have played very streaky baseball so far this season – prior to their sweep of the Mets over the weekend, they dropped three of four against the Pittsburgh Pirates, split a series two games apiece with the St. Louis Cardinals, and were swept in three games by the Cincinnati Reds. They have won just three of their eight series on the season, winning two sets from the Mets and one from the Miami Marlins.
The Indians return home after a scheduled ten-game road trip that was shortened a day in Chicago due to inclement weather. Unusual heroes – Mike Aviles, Corey Kluber, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Ryan Raburn – assisted Cleveland in coming home with a winning 5-4 record on their road trip.
Both managers (Terry Francona and Charlie Manuel) will face off against the organizations they began their managerial careers with. Francona managed in Philadelphia for four years starting in 1997. Manuel led Cleveland for two and a half seasons, starting in 2000.
Series Preview #8: Cleveland Indians (8-11) at Kansas City Royals (11-8)
April 26, 2013 | Bob TothThe first place Kansas City Royals, fresh off of a split in Detroit to end an eight-game road trip, welcome the Cleveland Indians to Kauffman Stadium for a four-game wraparound series this weekend.
The Indians are on the final leg of a road trip that featured ten scheduled games in eleven days. Cleveland fell to 6-5 on the road on the season after losing their series finale against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
The Indians are the last of the AL Central foes to face off against the Royals this season. Kansas City returns home for their longest home stand of the season, playing ten straight games in their friendly confines. They will play another ten-game home series in August. They are 4-2 at home this year.
Not-So-Timely Hitting Dooms Tribe in Matinee; White Sox 3, Indians 2
April 24, 2013 | Craig GiffordFor 13 innings, White Sox starter Jose Quintana was an enigma the Indians batters could not figure out. When the two teams played on Apr. 12, Quintana shut the Tribe out for eight innings before his bullpen allowed a 1-0 defeat.
Quintana was again masterful through the first five frames of Wednesday afternoon’s game. Cleveland finally got to him for a pair of runs in the sixth. However, this time, the Indians could not figure out Chicago’s relievers. The Sox bullpen shout out the Tribe for four innings as Cleveland fell at U.S. Cellular Field, 3-2. The AL Central Division rivals split the rain-shortened, two-game series.
The Indians, who dropped to 8-11, fell behind early and never could quite catch up despite having several scoring opportunities.
