@mjp28 said:

OMG what a game! And Kluber was smokin'.

CLE 5-0 bottom 7.

CLE 8-0 final, another shutout.

Salazar came on in the 9th can still throw fastballs but not ready to start yet.

Kluber 10Ks Indians pitchers 17 Ks and 59 over the 4 games,, nice.

CLE 5-0 bottom 7.

6. Wins and losses: The Indians sit a couple of percentage points behind the Twins for first place in the American League Central.

The Indians, through 50 games:

2016: 26-24

2017: 27-23

Now, who knows if the Indians have another 14-game winning streak in them. They probably won't need one, though, as the division isn't exactly daunting.

For what it's worth, the Cubs stand at 25-26.

Mike Napoli has new "Party at Napoli's" shirts that depict the state of Texas.

The Indians moved on from both veterans over the winter in sensible fashion. Could the Tribe benefit from the 2016 versions of each player? Absolutely. Those players no longer exist, though, and the 2017 characters have had a rough go of it.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2017/05/no_the_cleveland_indians_dont.html#incart_river_index

So, no, the Indians don't miss Napoli or Davis.

Let's look at the numbers.

1. Party time: Napoli has been worth minus-0.5 WAR this season, as his struggles from the end of last season persist.

How about a comparison of Napoli and Edwin Encarnacion?

MN: .194/.263/.411 slash line

EE: .232/.349/.420 slash line

2. Dollars and sense: Of course, the salary commitments can't be ignored.

MN: One year, $8 million

EE: Three years, $60 million

Napoli's career year in 2016 still paled in comparison to any of Encarnacion's last five seasons. Had the Indians kept Napoli, fans surely would have groaned that the club didn't sign Encarnacion (and understandably so).

Granted, the Indians are paying Encarnacion for more production than he has provided to this point.

FOR THE REST SEE LINK........

AND Just WTF must it be like in the twilight of your career to be pulling down $8 or $20M a year......regardless of your performance without the fear of being fired?

Ah AMERICA you gotta love it!

Team W L Pct GB

Minnesota 26 22 .542 -

Cleveland 27 23 .540 - <--- the TRIBE just .002 out of 1st place baby

Chi White Sox 24 27 .471 3.5

Detroit 24 28 .462 4

Kansas City 22 29 .431 5.5

And the Twinkies still in first? That won't last plus DET might have a fire sale soon.

http://www.letsgotribe.com/2017/5/30/15711144/carlos-carrasco-ace-goat-mike-trout-lol-twins

Tribe News

Carrasco evolving into Tribe’s de facto ace | MLB

Carlos Carrasco has been the best starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians thus far in 2017. With Corey Kluber returning this week from the disabled list, it’s looking like the Indians may have two genuine aces on their staff as the calendar flips to June. Be aware, rest of American League.

Francona shares importance of Memorial Day | MLB

Baseball was played yesterday, but Tribe skipper Terry Francona had more on his mind, namely the men and women who serve in the armed services. And while his dad served in the Army, Tito joked that his dad probably didn’t actually do all that much during his service time.

Cleveland Indians fans welcome Rajai Davis with rousing ovation before first at-bat | Cleveland.com

Rajai Davis was a momentary hero for an entire city last November. And while negotiations stagnated and he moved on to Oakland for this season, Davis will always hold a special place in Cleveland sports history. Here’s to you, Rajai.

Is Carlos Santana in the outfield a good idea for the Indians? | Cleveland.com

While his defense isn’t setting the world on fire, his bat is good enough to warrant keeping Carlos Santana in the lineup when the Indians are forced to play fake baseball against NL teams.

Davis went from hero to footnote in last year's Fall Classic, hitting a game-tying home run off of Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of a Game 7 the Cubs would ultimately win in 10 innings. Davis' dramatics may have gone for naught, but they're not forgotten.

Ahead of Monday's series opener, Davis is expected to be celebrated in a pregame ceremony in the very setting that played as a backdrop to his memorable World Series moment.

Come game time, righty Carlos Carrasco will be on the mound for the Tribe, while the A's counter with right-hander Daniel Mengden.

Carrasco (4-2, 2.93 ERA) is looking to return to form following a pair of shaky starts that saw him yield a combined nine runs over 10 innings. He had allowed no more than three earned runs in any of his previous seven starts.

Carrasco will be pitching on extended five days' rest after his May 23 outing in Cincinnati, where he gave up four runs on five hits with six strikeouts and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. He's seeking his first home victory of the season.

Things to know

• Carrasco is 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against the A's. He last faced them Aug. 22, spinning eight shutout innings and allowing just four hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.

• Davis is 6-for-19 with two doubles and two triples in his career against Carrasco. Trevor Plouffe is 5-for-14 with three RBIs off the right-hander.

• This will mark Mengden's first career start against Cleveland.

Mon, May 29, 2017 vs. Athletics 4:10 PM Mengden v Carrasco

Tue, May 30, 2017 vs. Athletics 6:10 PM Gray v Bauer

Wed, May 31, 2017 vs. Athletics 6:10 PM Manaea v Clevinger

Thur. June 1, 2017 vs Athletics 12:10 PM Cotton v Kluber

....then at KC.

GO TRIBE!

@the-gipper said:

They keep cacking away games. WTF is wrong with this team....they are barely above .500

Starting pitching which was so great in 2016 is last in the AL ERA this year. Pitching can help overcome spotty hitting.

If you saw the last game they interviewed the FS1 announcer during an inning and they were talking about the 7 month season on pitchers in the WS and the hangover effect. It's affecting the Cubbies also.

As long as they're within striking distance before the break they should be fine in this weak division.

And hello Encarnacion you can join in anytime now.

Team W L Pct GB

Minnesota 25 18 .581 -

Cleveland 24 21 .533 2 <--- season just over 1/4 finished

Detroit 22 23 .489 4

Chi White Sox 20 25 .444 6

Kansas City 19 27 .413 7.5

The club has placed Lonnie Chisenhall on the seven-day concussion disabled list, retroactive to Tuesday. The team will make a corresponding roster move on Friday.

Originally, the Indians called upon reliever Kyle Crockett to assume Chisenhall's spot on the roster. The left-hander could have provided bullpen insurance in the event that rain interrupted Mike Clevinger's start on Thursday.

Instead, the Indians and Reds had their series finale postponed, with a makeup date set for July 24.

Tribe manager Terry Francona indicated that Crockett could still join the roster on Friday, but that might depend on Austin Jackson's status. The veteran outfielder was scheduled to play right field for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday evening as he completes his recovery from a hyperextended big toe.

In addition to Jackson, Chisenhall joins fellow outfielders Brandon Guyer (wrist sprain) and Abraham Almonte (biceps strain) on the DL. Tyler Naquin also remains sidelined at Triple-A with a lower back strain......

.......The Indians aren't entirely sure when Chisenhall suffered the injury. The initial thought was that he was injured on a slide in Houston over the weekend.

"That's the thing we don't know," Francona said. "I don't think he does either. We don't know. The first time he really said anything was [Wednesday]. He felt groggy."

The Indians will reassess their outfield situation and roster composition on Friday, before the club welcomes the Royals to Progressive Field for a three-game set.......

Fri, May 26, 2017 vs. Royals 7:10 PM KENNEDY V CLEVINGER

* Sugardale Dollar Dog N...Sugardale Dollar Dog Night

Pregame in the District Presented by Budweiser

Fireworks - Star Wars Tribute presented by SportClips

Block Party

Sat, May 27, 2017 vs. Royals 4:10 PM VARGAS V SALAZAR

* Pregame in the District Presented by Budweiser

Jose Ramirez Bobblehead Courtesy of Sugardale - 12,500 fans

Frank Robinson statue unveiling

Block Party

Sun, May 28, 2017 vs. Royals 1:10 PM DUFFY V TOMLIN

* Kids Run the Bases, Ke...

Mon, May 29, 2017 vs. Athletics 4:10 PM TBA V CARRASCO

Tue, May 30, 2017 vs. Athletics 6:10 PM

Wed, May 31, 2017 vs. Athletics 6:10 PM

...then DET. GO TRIBE!

@the-gipper said:

Uh.....they lost last night 4-3. Cody Allen blew a save for like the first time this year. Thus I think they are only 24-21, no?

Yes a win turned into a loss. THURSDAY GAME PPD BAD WX.

@mjp28 said:

Uh.....they lost last night 4-3. Cody Allen blew a save for like the first time this year. Thus I think they are only 24-21, no?

Oh well, but 24-21 now sounds like crap.....but that's baseball.

Now just Indians at 6 pm. Yesterday watched Indians / Penguins / CAVS in a row.....the same lineup tomorrow with two being clinching games, one a game 7.

Well after sweeping the state of Tex-ass for 2017 that was refreshing.

On to the battle of Ohio v2.0.

HOUSTON -- Corey Kluber exceeded his expected pitch count in Saturday's simulated game at Progressive Field and came out feeling good.

The right-hander, who has been sidelined for most of May with a lower back strain, threw 50 pitches. He was scheduled to throw a minimum of 35.

Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway and head athletic trainer James Quinlan heard good reports from Kluber's throwing session on Saturday.

"Mick told me he felt good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He was OK to continue. Mickey and James and myself, we're going to get everybody on the same page about when he's going to pitch because he'll most likely go to a Minor League game, and then we'll go from there. But we want to talk to him and make sure that everything is all right."

Kluber, who landed on the 10-day disabled list on May 3, was at Progressive Field on Sunday stretching.

In 37 1/3 innings this season, Kluber is 3-2 with a 5.06 ERA over six starts. The 2014 American League Cy Young Award winner has 41 strikeouts and 13 walks, but he has surrendered seven home runs.

Mon, May 22, 2017 @ Reds 7:10 PM Tomlin v Feldman

Tue, May 23, 2017 @ Reds 7:10 PM Carrasco v Garrett

Wed, May 24, 2017 vs. Reds 6:10 PM Bonilla v Bauer

* AL Championship Replica Trophy 10,000 fans

Thu, May 25, 2017 vs. Reds 6:10 PM TBA v Clevinger

GO TRIBE & CAVS!

@browns149 said:

Clevenger looked great yesterday as did the bullpen

Carrasco, Tomlin/Clevinger, Bauer until Kluber gets back and Salazar finds his mojo?