Cleveland indians

[tolbiny]

5 game winning streak- 3 games over .500, 9-3 over their last 12 games.
2nd best ERA in the AL- best bullpen in the AL (pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings last night to allow them to come back from a 6-2 deficiet). Millwood returns from the DL today.
Wild card here we come.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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Wild card here we come.

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No.

[tolbiny]

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Wild card here we come.

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No.

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You could be right, we may end up winning the division.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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Wild card here we come.

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No.

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You could be right, we may end up winning the division.

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Ha ha. No.

[nolanfan34]

I like the Indians. They need Victor to start hitting though, and I just don't think they can catch the Twins. The White Sox will fade of course, because that's what they do.

[tolbiny]

"They need Victor to start hitting"

Yes, yes they do- but with boone starting to hit, and Jody back who will replace blake they have filled two of the three glaring holes in their offense- so its not an enourmous concern. I am hesitant to sit him since our pitching has been so good that its worth having him in there if he is having a positive impact on it. Their defense can be shaky at times- and they scare me a little, but overall the team is lookig better and better as the season goes on.
oh- and Grady Siezemore is a man-child Furture all star.

[Lazymeatball]

so i guess the AL central matters to some people. good for you. personally i find the White sox interesting this year. let me here the mid-wests thoughts.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

The AL Central is going to be the next big tough division. I think the Twinkies will pull it out again this year and I've got money on them getting to the Series. They're built for the postseason.

[tolbiny]

The white sox are good, but for all their early >.700 play this season they are stil only 5 games up in the division, and they seem to be coming down. If their younger players can hold up under the stress of a close division race they should be able to fight their way into the postseason. They have a good mix of veterans in there so they really shouldn't collapse- but with the talent on the INdians and twins behind them, they really can't afford to slip much this year.

[jakethebake]

They should make them change their name though. Cleveland "Indians" is so degrading.

[kyro]

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They should make them change their name though. Cleveland "Indians" is so degrading.

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Would "Steamers" be more appropriate?

[ArchAngel71857]

We have to win the division to make the playoffs. This division could be won with 88 games, but probably at least 90. The White Sox will start sucking in about 5 weeks, people will get hurt and pitchers will start seeing how many home runs they can give up in a game.

The Twins are good. Really, really good.

The bullpen has been great this year. Oddly, pitching isn't the problem, we need to hit. Victor has been in a slump that dates to Aug./Sept. of last year. Boone and Blake need to stop hitting like women. Victor is heating up, but it will probably be impossible for him to equal the output he had last year. Grady needs to stop competing with Coco Crisp in a strike out contest and take a few more walks if he is going to stay in the lead off position. I feel confident about the rest of the lineup. But if we are going to win the division, Shapiro will have to make a trade deadline move for someone who can help us win RIGHT NOW.

It will be interesting to see if he does it since this was the guarantee playoff year, and his contract is up after this year. He has been hesitant to sacrifice his model for the future for present payoffs at the deadline in the past, but he may be more willing this year. The Indians model of building a team has been done well and proved me wrong when I thought it was stupid. However, the Twins have done it better. So if we don't win the division, I seriously doubt our record will grant us a wild card spot.

-AA

[KJS]

Amen.

Biggest longterm issue will be health of the pitching staff. Aside from Millwood's recent DL stint everyone has been healthy. If they are gonna be in it down the stretch we need those guys to stay healthy.

I listen to every Indians game on mlb.com and I have to say, I got tired of Wedge saying "The bats will come around, I know they will", when half the line-up was below .250. But it seems like they are coming around now. Boone's walk-off last night could end up marking the end of his prolonged slump. Now if Casey Blake can break out they'll really be in business. If he doesn't you might see them move for a more experience right fielder who can .250, since Blake is not a natural RF and can't hit right now.

Of course, Chicago and Minnesota are also very good teams. The games against them at the end of the year will make or break the season. But thinking only of the present, things are looking way up.

Go Tribe!

KJS