Tribe Still Control Post-Season Fate

It’s been a tough week so far for the Cleveland Indians.

They lost four games to the division leading Detroit Tigers, two of them in excruciating fashion, losing a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning of the series opener on Monday night, and then losing in 13 frames on Wednesday on a Prince Fielder double, 6-5.

Oh, and they also lost Corey Kluber, who pitched 7-1/3 shutout innings on Monday and was having an excellent season to date, for four to six weeks with a sprained middle finger.

They also designated Mark Reynolds for assignment yesterday. Reynolds hit .301 with 8 HR and 22 RBI in April, and since has batted just .187 with 7 HR and 26 batted in. It has been clear for the past month that skipper Terry Francona lost confidence in the former Oriole and Diamondback, so it wasn’t a totally unexpected move.

Many fans, mostly the fair weather football minded ones, are writing off the rest of the baseball season.

To be sure, if the team doesn’t put this week behind them, the Indians will fall out of the race soon and the rest of the summer will be about the Browns and football season.

However, this isn’t the 2011 and 2012 version of the Tribe and Francona is now the manager, so it is doubtful that will happen.

Why? Because the Indians have a lot to play for, namely a berth in the post-season tournament.

Even after the debacle at Progressive Field the past four days, the Tribe is just three games out of a wild card spot, trailing the incumbent Texas Rangers and Baltimore, with the Royals right on their heels.

Keep in mind there are still 47 games left on the schedule, plenty of time to pass both teams.

The upcoming schedule will be tough to be sure. After this weekend series vs. the Angels, Francona’s crew plays 18 of the next 21 games on the road, playing possible playoff teams like Oakland, Atlanta, and Detroit (ugh!) once again. They also visit Minnesota and Los Angeles too, with the Twins visiting for the only three home games in this stretch.

If the Tribe can pull together and play like they had been playing prior to these four games, and there really isn’t reason they can’t, they will have a good shot at a wild card appearance.

Here are some things that could happen in the next couple of weeks–

First, the Reynolds’ assignment could be a precursor to the addition of a bat to bolster the offense. GM Chris Antonetti is said to be looking for another bat, and could make a move soon. Remember, anybody than can bring more production than Reynolds gave the team over the last three months will help the club.

Zack McAllister has not pitched as well since returning to the rotation after his finger injury as he had before he went on the disabled list, and if that continues, don’t be surprised to see Daisuke Matsuzaka get a shot for a few starts.

The former Red Sox pitcher has done very well in the last month at Columbus, and the front office may want to see what he can offer the big club.

There is no question the Tigers’ series was a huge disappointment, but the Tribe can’t and won’t let it linger. They still have a legitimate chance at the post-season.

Now, it’s just a matter of putting up as many wins as they can.

Don’t Forget, Tribe Has Two Shots at Playoffs

Going into tonight’s series against the Detroit TIgers, baseball fans in Cleveland looked at the four game set as a showdown for the American League Central Division lead.

Tonight’s crushing defeat has Tribe fans all over the area panicking because the pennant race is slipping away.

But Indians’ supporters are missing something else, Going into tonight’s game, both Cleveland and Detroit would make the playoffs because the Tribe held the lead in the wild card chase by a half game over the Texas Rangers.

That’s right, with all of the experts saying all season long that the non-division winners that qualify for post-season play would come out of the tough AL East and AL West, here sit the Indians with a playoff spot if the season ended today.

It doesn’t of course, but no longer is it a shoo-in that the wild card will come from one of the coastal divisions.

Several things have happened to teams in those divisions that give the Tribe a fighting chance at a post-season spot.

It is very probable that one of the wild card teams comes out of the East, with the loser in the Boston-Tampa Bay dogfight getting a spot. Right now, the Rays have a 4-1/2 game lead for a berth.

At this moment, the Indians, Rangers, and Orioles are all within a game and a half of each other for the spot to play either the Red Sox or Rays.

The Royals and Yankees, who figured to be a certain playoff team, are the same number of games behind the Indians as Cleveland is behind Tampa Bay. So, while both teams have a plausible chance to win the last spot, they would have to jump over three teams.

That’s why fans can’t overreact even if the Tigers would sweep the Indians at Progressive Field. If that happened, the Tribe would be seven games behind the Detroit, but they would still probably be within two or three games of the wild card.

And Cleveland would only have three more games against the Jim Leyland’s crew the rest of the way. Even ESPN’s Buster Olney noted the other day that the Tribe’s last 17 games are against the Royals, Twins, White Sox, and Astros.

That’s a lot of games against lower echelon teams if Terry Francona’s squad is in contention going into the last three weeks of the season.

Yes, it would be good to stay within striking distance of the Tigers as well, giving them two chances at making the post-season. And it would be nice to stop allowing the Tigers to steal wins as they did tonight.

However, fans need to look at the big picture.

There are still 50 games remaining in the season, and no matter what happens the next three days, when the Tribe plays the Angels this weekend, they will still be in the playoff mix.

They do have a tough stretch on the road after this weekend, with 18 of their next 21 games away from Cleveland. Among the teams Francona’s crew will play are playoff teams like Oakland, Atlanta, and Detroit.

That more than this week will likely determine the Indians’ fate.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words on Jimenez

We just finished reading Terry Francona’s book (written with Dan Shaughnessy) about his days with the Boston Red Sox.

First of all, we recommend that all Tribe fans read the book, because it gives tremendous insight on how the skipper relates to players, and to what kind of players he likes.

It is no surprise after reading the book how much Francona values Jason Giambi in his clubhouse.

Francona also talks about his managerial philosophy in regards to handling players in the media. Basically, no matter how upset he is with a player, he handles it privately and publicly backs the player in question.

The reason we are bringing this up is today’s announcement that the Indians will bring up Danny Salazar to start Wednesday night’s contest vs. the Tigers, a big series for Cleveland. While it’s probably not make or break because it is the beginning of August, it is more important than the series at the beginning of July because it’s later in the season.

Still, the Indians need to show the Tigers they can beat them, and there are only seven games remaining between the two teams.

Although Francona always speaks in positive tones about Ubaldo Jimenez, his actions tell us something else.

The manager couldn’t have been pleased at Friday night’s performance where the right hander threw 107 pitches in four innings, making Francona have to use his bullpen for four innings.

This after arguably Jimenez best start of the season, an eight inning effort against the Rangers where he didn’t allow a run.

It says here that’s the problem for the skipper, Jimenez is inconsistent and can’t be counted on to pitch well.

Yes, the error by Asdrubal Cabrera on a possible double play ball in the first, a mistake the shortstop took full responsibility for, made the pitcher throw a lot more pitches than he would have had to without the bobble. However, it was still first and second with one out against a Marlins’ team that isn’t known for swinging the bat.

Jimenez allowed three more hits in the inning (to be fair, one was a bloop double by Logan Morrison), and had to throw 23 more pitches. But he threw 34 more pitches in the second inning and allowed another run before Cabrera’s second error of the game.

You would think that after shutting out Texas for eight innings and facing a poor hitting Miami team, Jimenez would come out and be aggressive, challenging the hitters. He didn’t, and that has to drive Francona and pitching coach Mickey Calloway crazy.

Francona cited Jimenez poor results against Detroit this season (1-2, 6.93 ERA) as the reason for the move, and said he would make his next appearance against the Angels on Friday, but more likely the real reason is his lack of confidence in having Jimenez pitch well in a key game against the division leaders.

Certainly, the desire to see more of Salazar, who has been dominating in AAA, striking out 78 in 59-1/3 innings of work with the Clippers, and allowing just two earned runs in his last 33-1/3 frames.

If the kid throws another good game against Detroit, it could lead to him staying and being used out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. Imagine him coming in every third or fourth day for two or three innings.

This is a bold move by Francona and GM Chris Antonetti. Regardless of how it works out, you have to commend them for making the move.

Santana and Cabrera Can’t Catch Break

We understand that radio sports talk shows and Twitter are not representative of the feelings of the majority of sports fans anywhere, particularly in Cleveland. However, in listening and reading daily, there seems to be a lack of support for two regulars for the Cleveland Indians.

Those players are Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera.

Santana got off to a great start in 2013, hitting .389 with 5 HR and 13 RBI in April. Still, he is putting together his best full season with the Tribe, batting .272 with 12 HR and 48 RBI for the season. He currently is enjoying career highs in batting average and on base percentage, and has a 835 OPS and anything over 800 is very good.

For the stat guys out there, Santana ranks as the fourth best catcher in baseball in VORP (value over replacement player) behind just Buster Posey, Yadier Molina, and Joe Mauer. Posey and Mauer are former MVPs and Molina is a viable candidate for the award this season.

Much of the criticism of Santana comes on his handling of the pitching staff. However, the Tribe pitcher’s ERA with Santana behind the plate is 4.17, not all that different from the 3.87 figure with Yan Gomes, the new people’s choice. The league ERA is 4.32, so Santana is better than average.

Santana has struggled in throwing runners out on the basepaths, getting just 12% of the runners stealing, and he has been behind the plate for 38 of the league leading 56 wild pitches thrown by Tribe hurlers.

Granted, he’s not the second coming of Johnny Bench defensively, but he’s still one of the better catchers in the game and a very good offensive player. What’s not to like about a player, who at 27 is just entering the prime of his career.

Cabrera is tougher to defend because he is having an off-season in 2013, but he still is a two-time All-Star at shortstop, and still puts up solid numbers offensively at a defensive position.

According to VORP, Cabrera ranks right in the middle of American League shortstops, between Erick Aybar and Stephan Drew.

He could be suffering from having a down year after two solid offensive seasons, both of which he tailed in the second half, but he’s solid, not spectacular defensively. He also probably suffers from not being Omar Vizquel, one of the more popular Indians of the late 90’s.

Before the trade deadline, there were a lot of fans who wanted GM Chris Antonetti to trade the team’s starting shortstop for pitching prospects and turn the job over to Mike Aviles.

Admittedly, it may be prudent to deal Cabrera over the off-season with prize prospect Francisco Lindor possibly being ready for the big leagues as early as next season. But to trade him now would be crazy.

Neither Santana nor Cabrera is an outgoing player with the media, probably because they aren’t comfortable speaking English, their second language. That doesn’t play well in Cleveland, where talkative players become popular ones.

However, the reality is both are solid, if not very good players and both are extremely important to Terry Francona and the Indians. Most teams would love to have both guys playing regularly in their lineups.

Both players should get the benefit of the doubt from the ticket buying public. It’s a shame they seem to be more criticized than appreciated.

No Big Move for Tribe Now

The trading deadline came and went for the Cleveland Indians, and the only move they made at this point was getting another left-handed reliever, Marc Rzepczynski from St. Louis for a minor league shortstop.

The move certainly filled a need because Terry Francona needed another southpaw to go with Rich Hill to match up against tough lefty hitters.

While many are looking at the newcomer’s 7.84 ERA with the Cardinals and sneer, remember that he pitched just 10-1/3 innings in the big leagues in 2013, and with relief pitchers, ERA can be a very misleading statistic.

For his career, Rzepczynski has faced 365 left-handed hitters and limited them to a .224 batting average with 94 punchouts and a 607 OPS. This year he allowed five hits in 18 at bats vs. left-handed batters with four strikeouts, but right-handed batters were crushing him.

He most definitely is a LOOGY (left-handed one out guy) and Francona will most definitely use him that way, limiting his exposure to batters from the opposite side of the plate.

The bigger news coming from the deal is who the new guy replaced on the roster, as the Tribe sent VInnie Pestano back to Columbus.

While many fans were outraged by this news, after all, Pestano was arguably the best set up man in the big leagues the last two seasons, we believe it was the only move that could be made.

Who else should have been sent out?

SInce being taken out of the eighth inning role by Francona a few weeks ago, Pestano hasn’t done anything that showed the skipper he is ready to resume his usual spot in the bullpen.

And right now, the only pitcher who is struggling out of the ‘pen is another veteran Joe Smith, who took over Pestano’s eighth inning duties, and not with good results. However, Smith has over five years of big league time, so he can’t be sent out without his permission.

That makes Pestano, who has lost the confidence of his manager, the logical one to go.

The former set up man needs to go back, regain his own confidence (his walks are way up this season) and get back to helping this team in the stretch drive. The last two seasons, he walked 24 batters in 62 and 70 innings respectively, while this year he has issued 19 free passes in 33 innings of work.

It would have been nice to get another proven starter for the rotation, not that the starting pitching hasn’t been good thus far, but there aren’t a lot of proven pitchers on the list, so getting one would have enhanced the Tribe’s chance.

It also would have been nice to get another right-handed hitter to replace Mark Reynolds, who has fallen out of favor with the management because he’s really done nothing since the end of April.

GM Chris Antonetti said the asking prices were too high, and really, there weren’t a big slew of deals at this deadline because some teams are looking at the second wild card and thinking they are still in the race, a misguided notion for many of those teams (Seattle, Philadelphia).

There still is the waiver wire and some nice pieces could be moved in August. As long as the Indians play well, they will be in the market to help their ballclub.

For now, the deal they did make will help.

Numbers Show Tribe Needs Hitting

The Cleveland Indians lost four out of six games on their trip to Minnesota and Seattle after the All-Star Game despite outscoring their opponents 25-14 in the contests.

The Tribe ranks 4^th in the American League in runs scored, yet it seems like they struggle to score runs on a nightly basis.

The Indians have scored more than 10 runs nine times this season, scoring 117 of their 479 tallies in those games. That means they have put 24% of their runs on the board in those nine games, which represent 9% of their schedule.

The question is this: Is this normal?

We checked the American League leader in runs scored, the Boston Red Sox, to see if Cleveland’s situation was abnormal.

The Red Sox have scored ten or more runs 11 times, putting up 126 runs of their season total of 519 in those games. That would be the same 24% as the Tribe’s total.

The Detroit Tigers are second in the AL in scoring. They’ve gone above 10 runs in a game ten times, scoring 110 of their 505 runs in those contests. That’s 22% of their total.

Here is a chart, which also includes the top three scoring teams in the National League:

Times 10+ Runs in 10+ games Total Runs Percentage

Cleveland 9 117 479 24.4%

Boston 11 126 519 24.4%

Detroit 10 110 505 21.8%

Baltimore 7 74 490 15.1%

St. Louis 13 146 492 30.0%

Cincinnati 10 119 456 26.0%

Colorado 7 75 445 17.0%

It appears the Indians’ offense is fairly normal compared to the other top scoring teams in the major leagues. You probably would want an offense like Baltimore’s, which according to these numbers would seem to be more consistent.

On the other hand, Colorado has the most similar offense to the Orioles and they have a losing record. And before you blame their pitching, it ranks in the National League where the Indians’ rank in the AL (12^th).

However, when the Tribe scores over 10 runs, they really score over 10 runs. They average 13 runs per game when they get into double figures, a full run more than the Reds. Having two games where they scored 19 runs helps build your total.

In the 92 games where they haven’t scored in double digits, they average less than four runs per night (3.9). The Tigers and Orioles score 4.4 runs in their non-10 run games, and the Red Sox get 4.3 runs in those contests.

It’s tough to win when you can’t score four runs per game on a consistent basis.

So, maybe the people who say that GM Chris Antonetti needs to get another bat are correct. The offense needs to be more consistent. The Tribe doesn’t need to score another run per game, but averaging another half run would be nice.

It would allow the starting pitchers to pitch in less stressful situations.

Obviously, having Asdrubal Cabrera and Nick Swisher get back to their normal numbers would help, but this team needs more runs to stay in the race and it has to come from somewhere.

Let’s look at it another way. The league average for OPS is 726. Right now, the Tribe has only six batters above average, and only four are regulars: Jason Kipnis (892), Carlos Santana (837), Nick Swisher (746), and Asdrubal Cabrera (729). They also have two highly productive bench players above the mark in Ryan Raburn (914) and Yan Gomes (799).

By contrast, six Red Sox and Tigers’ regulars are above the mark, and Detroit has two more players above the mark on the bench.

There is no doubt that pitching wins in baseball. However, in the regular season, you have to score runs to make the playoffs. Despite the overall numbers, the Indians need help in that area.

Browns Enter Camp Poised for Success

It’s finally here, football fans! The Cleveland Browns open training camp at the end of this week, and exhibition football is just around the corner.

After accumulating cap space and high draft choices over the past few years, the Browns should be poised for improvement. Records of 5-11 and 4-12 should no longer be acceptable or tolerated.

This football team now has a new head coach in Rob Chudzinski and experienced offensive and defensive coordinators in Norv Turner and Ray Horton. These coaches have track records of developing players and putting them in position for maximum success.

That would seem to bode well for young veterans like QB Brandon Weeden, RB Trent Richardson, WR Josh Gordon, DE/LB Jabaal Sheard, NT Phil Taylor, and CB Joe Haden.

This squad has good, young players ready to make the step in becoming solid, productive football players, and fans should have faith that the new coaching staff will make that happen.

For all of the talk about Turner being a passing game guru, the man has a history of running the football effectively too. His offenses have been known to stretch the field with the passing game and pound the ball on the ground too.

That would seem to be a perfect fit for both Weeden and Richardson, as that would appear to be their strengths. If either does not flourish under the former San Diego head coach, then the front office will have to look to replace them both.

This isn’t to say that Turner is a miracle worker, but he’s had success in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and it seems like he has been able to maximize the strengths of players. And that’s exactly what Weeden needs after last year’s dink and dunk attack.

Horton’s influence is something new to Cleveland and his defense should be interesting to watch for Browns’ fans.

He likes to attack and that is something that we can’t remember from a Cleveland defense, and we’ve been following the orange and brown for almost 50 years.

Even in the late 80’s when Cleveland has two elite cornerbacks in Hanford Dixon and Frank Minniefield, they really weren’t an attacking style defense that got after the opposing quarterback.

Horton promises his crew will get after the passer and that will disrupt the aerial game.

That will be quite a contrast from the “bend, but don’t break” schemes Browns’ fans have been seeing since the days when Blanton Collier was roaming the sidelines as the head coach here.

With the talent acquired from the past few drafts, including the last few from the previous regime, and the experienced proven coordinators secured by team president Joe Banner and Chudzinski, if the Cleveland Browns can’t take a quantum leap forward now, they may never will.

It’s finally time to be optimistic about Cleveland’s football team, and with good reason.

Fans should expect a team that contends for the playoffs, nothing more, nothing less. And that is a good thing.

If the Browns don’t win seven or more games in 2013, there should be major disappointment.

And we didn’t even mention Jimmy Haslam’s problems with his company either.

Tribe Fans: Good Team or Not, This Team Is In It.

After the first two games after the All Star break, the Cleveland Indians lost two games in very similar ways. They didn’t score runs, their defense was shaky, and their bullpen couldn’t get big outs when needed.

That started the fair weather Tribe fans trembling with fear and apprehension. See, this team just isn’t good enough.

That’s silly. Sure, this team isn’t the same as the teams that slugged their way to division titles in the mid to late 1990’s, but they are just a 1-1/2 out of first place. If you are that close, anything can happen.

In 2006, just seven years ago, the St. Louis Cardinals won 83 games in the regular season and went on to win the World Series.

Nineteen years earlier, the Minnesota Twins won 85 games in the regular season and were outscored on the season by 20 runs, yet still won the World Series.

You know what they call both of those teams? Champions! It doesn’t matter how you get to the playoffs as long as you do, and once you are there everyone has a chance. This isn’t the NBA where teams that just get in to the post-season really have no chance.

Does the current edition of the team have warts? Of course. The starting pitchers, outside of Justin Masterson, have problems completing six innings, putting a large burden on the bullpen.

In turn, the relief corps has been buckling under the weight put on them by the starters, leading to some shaky times for fans when manager Terry Francona has to go to the ‘pen.

Save for Jason Kipnis, the lineup has been inconsistent, suffering through off years by SS Asdrubal Cabrera and 1B Nick Swisher. With both of them struggling, the middle of the order has been a vacuum, and we can anticipate opposing hurlers not giving Kipnis much to hit if either can’t pick it up.

The hitter that carried the team for the first month of the season, Mark Reynolds, is hit under .200 since the first of May and right now, you would have to be surprised if he made contact, let alone get a hit.

But the team is still just 1-1/2 out of first place.

National baseball writers continue to tell everyone how the Detroit Tigers, who are the defending American League Champions, and currently lead the AL Central, are a superior team, and really the Tribe should be playing for a wild card.

But Francona’s guys are just a game and a half out of first place.

Last season, the same national writers felt the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s were surprising teams that wouldn’t be able to hold up and stay in the race coming down the stretch. Both teams made the playoffs though.

So, why can’t the Indians pull it off as well.

Lost in the angst about losing the first two contests after the break is that the Tigers also lost, keeping the Indians at the same deficit as they were going into the All-Star game.

The optimistic fans says no problem, they haven’t lost any ground. The pessimist bemoans the opportunity to overtake Detroit and has a “see, I told you so” attitude.

The only thing that matters is that the Indians stay close to the Tigers. Whether they are a great team or not, this ballclub is in contention.

Sit back and enjoy it.

Bynum Should Be Viewed as Bonus

In the next couple of days, the Cleveland Cavaliers will officially sign Andrew Bynum to a contract, making him the newest member of the wine and gold.

It was a great low risk, high reward signing by GM Chris Grant, as if the big man’s knees aren’t healthy, the parties can go their separate ways after the season and the Cavs will keep their salary cap flexibility.

If Bynum is healthy, the Cavaliers get one of the few legitimate centers still playing in the NBA, and a quality one at that.

However, the organization should still tread very carefully in putting this year’s team together. In fact, they should plan things based on not having Bynum available at all this season.

That seems a bit harsh, but if the Cavs are serious about building a team that can make the playoffs, then they need to put that squad together without the former Laker, and have anything he gives the wine and gold be a bonus.

The state of Bynum’s knees are such that he missed a complete season last year while on the roster of the Philadelphia 76ers, who made the playoffs the year before and actually won a playoff series.

The Sixers gave up an all-star in Andre Iguodala, who would be a free agent after the season, to rebuild their squad around a franchise center, only to see him not play a minute.

They would up winning fewer games than they did the year before in a strike shortened season (35-31 in ’11-’12 vs. 34-48 in ’12-’13), missed the playoffs, and traded their starting point guard, Jrue Holliday for Nerlens Noel, the rookie from Kentucky who had knee surgery last winter.

This isn’t to say the same chain of events will happen to the Cavs if they put all of their eggs in the Bynum basket, but Grant needs to continue to put together a team that can compete for a playoff spot even if he doesn’t play a minute for them.

Cleveland should have a solid backcourt with Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, and Jarret Jack taking most of the minutes. There shouldn’t be any weakness at that spot if that trio can stay healthy.

Besides Bynum, the team has other injury woes that need to be address in the front court, as C/PF Anderson Varejao also cannot be considered reliable. That means that coach Mike Brown will have to depend on Tyler Zeller as his only true pivot man, with his only other options being true power forwards like Tristan Thompson, Earl Clark, and Anthony Bennett.

That means Grant should be looking for another big man who can take minutes if Bynum and Varejao can’t take the floor. And if the former can’t go, they certainly need a big man who is a threat to score in the low post.

The Cavs also need to continue to look for a legitimate small forward so Alonzo Gee can come off the bench. Gee’s game plays better in smaller spurts, his lack of shooting was exposed with more minutes.

If they can fill those holes, then they have a solid team, one capable of making the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James’ departure.

Then if Bynum can play, they have a chance to be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

It is too risky for Brown and Grant to depend on the big man. That’s a risk they can’t afford to make.

What Needs to Happen for Tribe in Second Half

The Cleveland Indians have entered the all-star break a mere 1-1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central Division, a place we didn’t think they would be. After all, we picked the Tribe for 4th in the division after spring training.

Now, the question becomes, can they stay in the race for the rest of the season. Skipper Terry Francona said this is the fun time of the season, with every game meaning that much more for the Indians.

What needs to happen for the Tribe in order to stay close to the Tigers and compete for the division title?

First, they have to continue to get good performances from All-Star right-hander Justin Masterson (10-7, 3.72 ERA) who currently leads the AL in complete games and shutouts, and is among the league leaders in innings pitched, strikeouts, and wins.

They also need continued success from the staff’s biggest surprise, Corey Kluber, who is 7-5 with a 3.88 ERA, and Scott Kazmir, who in his last five starts has allowed just eight earned runs in 31 innings pitched (2.32 ERA).

They need Zack McAllister to get healthy and pitch like he did before his finger injury when he gave Francona six quality starts in his first eight times he took the hill.

They need another starting pitcher who can provide quality innings. It has created a major toll on the bullpen to have two starters every time through the rotation only going a little over five innings.

We believe this will assist in correcting the struggling bullpen. Some of those guys have had to carry too large of a load because the starters can’t go deep enough into games. Too many innings, and the injury to Chris Perez caused too much of a strain on the relief corps, and has led to the inconsistency of the ‘pen.

There are many who also feel that GM Chris Antonetti needs to add another bat as well, but really the Tribe needs a couple of guys with proven track records to start performing up to their capabilities: Nick Swisher and Asdrubal Cabrera.

Swisher, who has a lifetime OPS of 823, is currently sitting at 750, his lowest number since 2007 with the White Sox. He has battled shoulder issues since early in the season, but appears to be getting healthy now, batting .289 in July. In fact, it was only June that Swisher struggled, hitting .160 for the month.

He needs to get back to being the guy who hits 20+ home runs and drives in 80+ runs for the Tribe to stay in contention.

Cabrera, a two-time all-star, has struggled in the first half as well, and needs to get back to the guy who played for the Tribe in 2009 and 2011, when he was an extra base hit machine.

He’s never been a guy who walked a lot, but he’s currently hitting 21 points below his lifetime average of .276, and is off his pace in extra base hits too. He had 52 in ’09 and 60 in ’11, but only has 29 right now.

He would provide a spark if he got back to a .280 hitter with some pop.

If those guys can return to form and if Mark Reynolds can have another stretch at some point during the balance of the season like he did in April, the Tribe has enough hitting.

None of these things is out of the realm of possibility. However, the Tribe also can’t afford to have one of the guys who had good first halves, like Jason Kipnis or Carlos Santana to have dreadful second halves.

While everyone talks about the Tigers, and how talented they are, the Cleveland Indians are right there. They can remain there if some players just get to their normal level of production.