Indians swept by Tigers

The Indians were swept by the Tigers, ending their five game winning streak. Coming into the series with a 2.5 game lead in the A.L. Central, the Indians are now just half a game ahead of the Tigers for first place.

The Tigers came into the series losing four of their past five games.  On Tuesday, Michael Brantley brought Michael Bourn home on a sacrifice fly in the first inning, giving the Tribe its only run. Corey Kluber was on the mound for the Indians on Tuesday and had a pretty solid outing with the exception of one pitch. That pitch came in the sixth inning where he surrendered a two run homerun to Miguel Cabrera. Kluber began the game with five-shutout innings before the Indians lost their lead to the best hitter in baseball, eventually helping the Tigers to a 5-1 win. 

Last night, the Indians welcomed back Ubaldo, the old Ubaldo that they thought they had gotten rid of.  Jimenez gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings, giving the Tigers the 11-7 win. With two rain delays, the game ended at 12:28 am. Justin Verlander allowed five runs on ten hits in five innings, striking out nine. Verlander just became the second Cy Young winner to beat the Tribe this season. With the Tigers leading 9-5 in the fifth inning, the game was delayed for 62 minutes. Had the game been rained out, it would have been thrown out if five full innings hadn’t been completed per MLB rules.  The Indians gave Drew Smyly some trouble in the sixth inning. Yan Gomes opened the inning with a homer to left and Michael Brantley drove in Mike Aviles, bringing the game within two runs. After another rain delay around 11 pm, Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer off Rich Hill. Bourn had his glove on the ball but he let it slip over the fence, basically securing the win for the Tigers.

Off the field, Chris Perez deleted his Twitter account on Monday night, after he gave up a homer to Seattle in the ninth.  Perez even released a statement explaining why he deleted the account.

''The decision to deactivate my Twitter account was a personal choice I made in order to maintain the greater focus on the success of the team this season and our shared goals moving forward,'' he said. ''We have an extremely positive and supportive group of players, coaches and staff members in our clubhouse and I want to participate in activities and routines that contribute positively to the culture we're building here.

''Out of respect for my teammates, I want to minimize any potential off-the-field distractions so this is the only time I will comment on this topic. Thank you for your understanding.''

 Chris Perez is by far the most vocal member of the team. People heavily criticized Perez for being too sensitive to see fans’ negative tweets following a bad game. But hey, if this means that he’ll spend more time focused and less time calling fans out and defending himself on Twitter then this move can only have a positive outcome.

The Indians have a tough stretch ahead of them. The Indians are at Boston, at Cincinnati, play the Reds at home, welcome Tampa Bay, they are at New York facing the Yankees, are at Detroit and then are at Texas facing the Rangers. The Tribe’s long road trip starts today in Boston. First pitch is at 7:10.

Video of the Day

Josh Cribbs, now officially a Raider, reflects a bit on his time in Cleveland.

Cavs' horrible season actually pays off

There were a few bright spots for the Cavaliers during the 2012-2013 season. Kyrie Irving's All-Star Weekend. The thrilling win against Oklahoma City. A stretch of 18 games where they went 11-7.

But other than that, it was pretty bleak. There were injuries, blowouts, and frustrations. After three straight years of being terrible, everyone seemed pretty fed up with the whole situation by season's end.

Last night, however, all that losing paid off once again. With every envelope that was opened in New York City, a few rays of hope filled the hearts of Cleveland. And when the Orlando Magic were revealed to have the second overall pick, and Nick Gilbert had worked his magic once again, we were reminded that there are big things coming in the not-so-distant future.

For the next month, we will get to engage in endless speculation about what the Cavaliers should and will do with the first overall pick. From where I sit, there are three realistic options: Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, or a trade. Of course, some player (like a Victor Oladipo) could have an amazing workout and move into the conversation. It will be fun to talk about.

Some people will try to tell you that this is a weak draft, with no clear number one. That may be true. But I am sure about two things: 1.) It is better to have the first pick in a weak draft than it is to have the second pick in a weak draft (or the third, fourth, etc.); and 2.) A few people also said that there was no clear number one in 2011 when the Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving.

So make no mistake, last night was a very, very good night for Cleveland and its basketball team. Better days are coming. Nick Gilbert said it best when he was asked, "What's not to like?" His answer: "Being in the lottery."

Browns Update

A quick look at what the Browns have been up to:

-The club re-signed running back Brandon Jackson to a one-year deal, bringing him back for a third consecutive season in Cleveland. However, the team now has a ton of RB's and Jackson has no guarantee of making this roster.

-Safety Eric Hagg was released by the team yesterday after Cleveland came to terms with sixth-round draft pick Jamoris Slaughter. Slaughter signed a four-year contract and could be ready in time to start the year (Achilles).

-In a surprise move, the Browns signed former Saint Ignatius/Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer to a two-year contract. Cleveland has now signed two QB's this offseason, despite saying they love Brandon Weeden.

-The Browns are currently in their second session of offseason OTA's, which wrap up Thursday. Their third and final session runs from May 28-31. Mandatory minicamp starts June 4th.

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We won! We won!

Indians sweep Mariners in dramatic fashion

With the help of three dramatic walk offs, the Indians swept the Seattle Mariners and gained a 2.5 game lead on the Detroit Tigers for first place in the A.L. Central.

It all started Friday night with some heroics from Jason Kipnis. Ubaldo had a solid outing for the Tribe, allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings, striking out seven. The Indians’ tenth inning rally began with a Drew Stubbs double, followed by a single from Michael Bourn. Kipnis stepped up to the plate, hammering home his seventh home run of the season. The Indians won the game by a score of 6-3 in exciting fashion, in front of the largest crowd since the home opener.

Zach McAllister pitched a solid game on Saturday, throwing 7 1/3 innings while giving up two runs on seven hits. The Indians carried over a 4-2 lead into the ninth. Chris Perez gave up consecutive homers to Raul Ibanez and Justin Smoak, tying the game. The lineup backed up Perez in the bottom of the ninth, started by a single by Jason Kipnis. Asdrubal Cabrera doubled followed by an intentional walk from Nick Swisher. Reynolds drove in Swisher with a single, leading to their second consecutive walk off and the 5-4 win.

Justin Masterson led the Indians to a comfortable 6-0 win on Sunday. Masterson allowed three hits and struck out 11 in seven innings. Masterson has earned a 1.17 ERA through his last three starts. Felix Hernandez’s loss makes him the seventh Cy Young winner the Indians have defeated this season.

Yesterday’s game was one of the most bizarre Tribe games in a while; it was a game the Indians had no business winning. Vinnie Pestano, Chris Perez and Joe Smith each gave up home runs in the last three innings. Pestano led off the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff homer to Kyle Seager to tie the game. In the ninth, Perez gave up the lead, giving up a home run to Endy Chavez, making that the third homer Perez has given up in his last two outings. Perez said his shoulder was fine after the game but said he’d watch film to see if he was protecting it. In the tenth, Joe Smith gave up a two-run homerun to Justin Smoak giving Seattle the 8-7 lead. Michael Brantley started off the tenth with a single to right, followed by a bunt from Drew Stubbs. Yan Gomes tried to bunt with his first two pitches at bat. With a full count, Gomes belted a three-run homerun into left field, giving the Indians the 10-8 victory.

The Indians have won five in a row and 18 of their last 22. The Tribe completed two four game sweeps in the same month for the first time since 1977.

The Indians welcome the Detroit Tigers to Progressive Field for a two game series starting tonight. First pitch is at 7:05.

Video of the Day

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery is tonight! Finally! The Cavaliers have a 15.6% chance at getting the number one pick. If they do get lucky, it would (in all likelihood) lead to selecting this man come June: