Tribe Watch (Week 12)

Record: 40-38

Standing: 2nd in AL Central (1.5 games back)

I was almost ready to write this team off for this season after they got swept by the Yankees earlier this week. All facets of our game looked bad, but in particular the offense was non-existent. However, as if often the case in baseball, things turn quickly. The Indians managed to recover by taking 3 out of 4 against the Orioles and had solid hitting in each of the four games. On the roster front, it was another good news/bad news situation. On the positive side, it appears Travis Hafner will rejoin the team on Monday, which could provide a boost to the offense. However, during the Baltimore series young third baseman, Lonnie Chisenhall was hit by a pitch that broke a bone in his arm. After having surgery the report is that he'll be out 10-12 weeks, which pretty much means he won't return this season. Though the Indians are still in second place, they could put themselves in a good position heading into the All Star Break if they manage to play well this week. They return home to play a couple of tough opponents. First up will be the Anaheim Angels. We were fortunate enough to play well against them earlier this season when they were struggling. It'll be interesting to see how we fare against them now that they have had a resurgence. We'll then finish off the first half of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. They have been bitten by the injury bug all season long, yet have still managed to play well so we can't let our guard down against them. And of course, the trade deadline is still looming, so it should be interesting to see what, if any, changes are made to the roster in the coming days. All of it makes for some exciting baseball that should be fun to watch. Go Tribe!