Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!
Take that, all you Indian haters who are convinced this club will fold sooner or later. In April, the anti-Tribesmen said the meltdown in the 9th inning against the Yankees would kickstart the tailspin. When that didn't happen, they predicted Sunday's awful loss in the 9th to Oakland would burst the Indians' bubble.
So, what do the Wahoos do? Only come storming back to take three straight against the Twins. Already, Cleveland is 5-0 against Minnesota this season, and 14-3 at home (including the three games it played against the Angels in Milwaukee).
You'll recall that when the Indians were stumbling around in 2006, they had a hard time winning at home. No more.
And who do we have to thank for this wonderful turnaround? Well, we can start with Fausto Carmona, who pitched a four-hit shutout against Twins ace Johan Santana Thursday afternoon. The Tribe used back-to-back homers by Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko to subdue the talented Santana, 2-0.
Carmona, who snapped a personal 11-game losing streak when he outdueled Santana last month, continues to sparkle. He's 5-0 in his last five starts and opposing players are raving about his stuff. They've been pounding his low, hard stuff into the dirt.
No way will the Tribe exile Carmona to Buffalo when Jake Westbrook returns. It puts the onus on Jeremy Sowers, who's scheduled to start Saturday against Cincinnati. Sowers is 0-3 and hasn't pitched well in his last several starts.
Personally, I think Sowers can still pull it together, and he's fortunate that Westbrook will likely be sidelined another three weeks.
Garko's fifth homer might be enough to keep Andy Marte in Buffalo for a while longer. The young Cleveland first baseman has played solid defense and he gives the Indians a strong righthanded bat. At this point, he's way ahead of Marte from a developmental standpoint.
Plus, Casey Blake, who's been playing a nifty third base, has hit in 9 straight games. Nope, the Indians shouldn't recall Marte until he's absolutely blazing hot in Buffalo. It's tough on the young guy, I know, but Cleveland doesn't want to screw up what's been a winning hand for more than six weeks.
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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Kenney Lofton, with 545 stolen bases, is Cleveland's all-time leader in steals.
Today's quiz: How old was Fausto Carmona when he started pitching in the Indians farm system?
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-- Kevin Cuneo

