Tribe Watch '13 (Week 10)

Record: 30 - 32

Standing: Second in AL Central (5.5 games behind Detroit)

What an utterly disastrous week for the Indians. The team was already struggling and then they proceed to get swept by both the Yankees and the Tigers. Our losing streak is at 7 games. We have lost 11 straight games on the road, which is the longest streak the Indians have had in over twenty years. We are back under .500 for the season. And we are now 5 and half games out of first place. There just are not many bright spots for this team right now as the offense is not producing and the pitching, while not terrible, have been giving up runs in key situations. The only thing I'm holding on to right now and keeping me from believing we are destined to have another second half implosion is the fact that we are playing an unbelievably rough schedule right now. It's been weeks since we have played a sub .500 team. We've got one more tough week and then things cool off considerably. We have to find a way to weather this storm. This week the Indians finish up this brutal road trip with a 3 game series in Texas. Then they will come back home this weekend to play the Washington Nationals. If we can have even a moderately productive week, it may help us refocus and get back to our winning ways against the lesser teams that we'll eventually play. If we have another week like this past one, then there may not be any recovery from it, which would set us up for another long disappointing summer. It may look bleak at the moment, but we gotta keep this town as "Believeland". Send some positive energy toward this team - any little bit could help these days. As always, Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 9)

Record: 30 - 26

Standing: Second in AL Central (0.5 games out of first place)

From a record standpoint, the Indians did better this week than the previous week, but it was still something of a letdown. The week began with the Indians splitting their series with the Reds as both teams won both of their home games. I was pleased that our starting pitching did well against their potent lineup and if we were to face them again in the World Series, I have confidence that we would not be outmatched. The Tribe then finished out their homestand by losing 2 of 3 to Tampa Bay. The first game should have been a rain out, but given the poor scheduling done by MLB, their hand was forced and the game didn't truly get started until midnight and was a battle of bullpens, so not the best display of our talent. The one that hurts is our loss on Sunday. It hurts for a few reasons. One is that is was a lopsided loss and we haven't had a ton of those so far this year. Second, it was a rare bad start by pitcher Zack McAllister. Losing that game also meant we lost the series. But perhaps worst of all is that it was a deflating loss that comes on the eve of the Tribe's most important road series of the year. Our next 9 games will be on the road against the likes of the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Texas Rangers. Detroit and Texas are currently in first place in their respective divisions and the Yankees were atop the AL East last week before going on a recent skid. These are three very good teams that the Indians will need to find a way of staying competitive against. If we can somehow come out with at least 5 wins on this road trip, I'll be very happy. It'll also further bolster my confidence that this team has what it takes to play in the postseason. It may be disastrous, it may be great, but either way I'll be watching them every step of the way. Go Indians!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 7)

Record: 25-17

Standing: First in the AL Central

Don't look now because the Indians are the hottest thing in baseball. Since April 20th they've only lost four games. This past week was another excellent outing. They split the double header on Monday against the Yankees and then also split the 2 game set in Philadelphia. As a followup they've now taken the first three games (of four) against Seattle, which included two walk off wins and then defeating Felix Hernandez on Sunday. Hernandez is now the seventh former Cy Young winner that the Tribe has beat this year and we're not even into June yet. There's not a lot to complain or be worried about with this team. If they continue to play like this, it will make for a very fun season. Obviously the pitching needs to remain strong. During this good stretch, our starters have been getting ahead of batters, which they need to keep doing. On the hitting side, it's great to see that we're not being reliant on any one hitter. Everyone is contributing. This is especially true when it comes to two-out hitting. Our offense is making pitchers work long and hard, which means getting to the bullpen that much sooner. The bottom line here is that this team is just so much fun to watch right now. This week you can see them finish off their series with Seattle today in a day game. We then see the team we'll be fighting with all season for first place, the Detroit Tigers. They come into town for a brief two game set. After that, we head out onto the road to play Boston this weekend. Boston has been playing surprisingly well this season and they beat up on us earlier this season before we started playing well. We'll be looking for revenge when we head to Beantown. As always, I'll be here to report on all the highs and lows. Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch '13 (Week 6)

Record: 20 - 15

Standing: Tied for first in the AL Central

Wow, another amazing week for the Indians. Two weeks ago they were in languishing in last place and have now won 12 of their last 14 games and have now gotten into a first place tie with Detroit. The past week began with an impressive four game sweep of the A's. The series wasn't without some controversy, however. A blown call by the umpires in Wednesday's game earned national attention and potentially cost Oakland the victory in that game. Then the Indians got a big test this past weekend as they faced the Tigers in Detroit. After dropping the first game, the Tribe came back and won a couple of close games on Saturday and today. Winning close is an extremely good sign that this team can be competitive for the whole season and potentially have success if they make the playoffs. One of the things that has been so remarkable during this good stretch by the Indians is their ability to get big hits with two outs. You gotta love a team that never says die and believes they are in every game regardless of what the score is. The Indians will look to maintain their momentum as they deal with another busy week. It all begins with a traditional doubleheader tomorrow against the Yankees to make up a pair of games that were washed out a few weeks ago. The Indians will then make a brief two game visit to Philadelphia to play the Phillies. We handled the Phillies when they played in Cleveland a couple weeks ago, so they'll no doubt have revenge on their mind. Then the week will wrap up with a trip back home to play against the Seattle Mariners. Whenever we can beat up on a team managed by Eric Wedge, I take extra glee in that. Things are starting to get really exciting in Cleveland, so let's show this team that we're behind them. Despite their impressive play, the stadium hasn't been very full. Let's hope that begins to change. Go Tribe!!

Tribe Watch (Week 2)

Record: 5-6

Standing: 3rd in AL Central (1.5 games out of 1st place)

Similar to week 1, the second week of the season saw a mixed bag of results for the Tribe. Things looked pretty bleak early on in the week as the Yankees dominated us for the first two games of the series. Mother Nature thankfully cut that attack short by raining out the remaining two games of that series. We can now look forward to a doubleheader in May against New York to make up those games. The back end of the week was more promising as we took two out of three from our rivals the White Sox. Justin Masterson showed true ace material in his complete game shutout win on Friday and the bats came to life in Saturday's game. Though they lost on Sunday, the team has to feel positive by an improved performance by Brett Myers. Starting pitching is going to be so critical for this team. If they falter, things fall apart. When the pitching is strong, we have a very good chance of winning each of those games. As we head into this third week, the Indians will begin with an emotional series against the Boston Red Sox. Not only will it be the first time that Terry Francona manages against his old team, but the tragic events of yesterday will still be weighing heavily on everyone's mind. After the Boston series, the Indians will head out onto the road for a lengthy trip that begins with a weekend series against the Houston Astros who more closely resemble a AAA team than they do a major league team. Hopefully we can dominate them to help improve our standing in the division. One final note is with regard to injuries. Every team is suffering from them and the Indians are no different. The catcher position seems to be particularly plagued with both Carlos Santana and Lou Marson ailing. The Tribe actually had to make a minor league trade earlier this week just to gain some additional emergency backups. Center fielder Michael Bourn will also miss some time thanks to a finger laceration he received in Sunday's game. Thankfully most of the team's injuries are minor, so we can just hope for a speedy recovery so that our team can get back to playing at full strength. No matter who's out on the field, though, I'll always be ready to support my team. Go Tribe!

Tribe Watch (Week 1)

Record: 3-3

Standing: Tied for second in AL Central

I'm running short on time so this will have to be brief, but I wanted to get this out before today's home opener. As you can expect with a .500 record in their first week, there was a mixed bag of results for the Tribe as they kicked off the 2013 season. I think, however, that looking at the result of the past week, that there is more positive than negative to take away from their performance. First of all, the Tribe went .500 on the road against two teams that many predict will be at the top of the AL East, so there's no shame in that. The wins that the Tribe had were also pretty impressive in that they beat BOTH reigning Cy Young winners within the span of 6 days. The offense was certainly on display in those wins as well with the team showing both power and clutch hitting. We did get shutout two straight games, but it is was understandable because they had a long flight to Tampa and the Rays have very good pitching. As for our pitching, I was pleased by the performances of our #1 and #2 starters. For us to have any chance at competiting this season, both Masterson and Jimenez need to pitch well. The back end of our rotation and our long relievers have some question marks that give me some concern, but nothing too grave just yet. We'll need a larger sample size before we can truly make any determinations. Hopefully the Tribe can feel positive about their efforts and take that good feeling into their performance this week as the Tribe plays at Progressive Field for this first time this year. First up is the dreaded New York Yankees, who are really struggling thus far thanks to injuries and old age. On paper, we should play well against them, but when it comes to the Yankees, they are never as bad as they seem. Then it's a weekend series against the even more loathesome Chicago White Sox. Of course, divisional games are crucial no matter when in the year they occur, so let's get off to a good start by beating up on our rival. There's a lot to be excited about in Cleveland right now, so let's all get behind this team and watch what could be a very magical year. Go Tribe!

A gift from St. Nick

Amidst the holidays, I neglected to report on this big Indians news here when it was first announced. In case you missed it, here's the details on how we managed to get Nick Swisher.

The Indians got what they wanted for Christmas: outfielder Nick Swisher. On Sunday, MLB.com confirmed that Cleveland has reached an agreement on a four-year contract with Swisher. The deal with the outfielder is pending a physical and is unlikely to be officially announced until after the holiday. As such, the ballclub would not comment on the agreement.

Adding Swisher to the fold was the latest move within an aggressive offseason for the Tribe, which is trying to swiftly move beyond its 94-loss showing last year. Cleveland already brought in a new manager in Terry Francona, signed a new first baseman in slugger Mark Reynolds, and added a top-flight pitching prospect via trade in Trevor Bauer. Swisher now becomes the biggest free-agent signing in Indians franchise history.

The agreed-upon contract will pay Swisher $56 million over his four guaranteed seasons and includes a vesting option based on plate appearances for 2017. If the outfielder reaches the required plateau in the 2016 campaign, he could earn another $14 million in '17, pushing the deal's potential value to $70 million. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News first reported the agreement.

Swisher took to social media to share his excitement. "Wow! What a crazy few weeks," he wrote on his Twitter account, @NickSwisher. "Hey Cleveland! Are you ready? Because I'm coming home!"

The handshake deal completes what was a strong push to acquire Swisher by the Indians, who treated the free-agent outfielder like a star recruit throughout the process. Last week, the Indians hosted Swisher and his wife, JoAnna, in Cleveland for a two-day visit on Monday and Tuesday. Swisher met with Francona, team president Mark Shapiro, team CEO Paul Dolan and other club executives. During the visit, the Indians also had former Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel on hand to try to help sway Swisher to bring his family to the Buckeye State. Swisher -- born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised in Parkersburg, W. Va., near the southeast Ohio border -- played baseball at Ohio State. His father, former big leaguer Steve Swisher, attended Ohio University.

The Tribe focused on Swisher's Ohio roots during the negotiations. As part of Swisher's tour of Progressive Field, Cleveland showed his image in an Indians uniform on the scoreboard above the left-field bleachers, and then played a special video message featuring the likes of OSU football coach Urban Meyer and basketball coach Thad Matta, among others. Swisher and his family were impressed by their visit with the Indians.

The outfielder brings more than local appeal to Cleveland, though. The Indians wanted to bring him into the mix to provide some added power and on-base ability to a lineup that ranked just 13th in the American League in runs scored last season. The 32-year-old Swisher can also provide some veteran leadership to a relatively young roster, taking some pressure off of Cleveland's up-and-coming players. Adding Swisher to play right field completes the starting outfield picture for the Tribe, which projects to have Drew Stubbs and Michael Brantley filling the other two spots. It remains undetermined if Brantley -- Cleveland's starting center fielder for most of the past two seasons -- will shift to left field to allow Stubbs to patrol center.

Right field was vacated earlier this winter when the Indians teamed with the Reds and D-backs for a blockbuster nine-player trade that shipped Shin-Soo Choo from Cleveland to Cincinnati. As part of that deal, the Indians aquired Stubbs from the Reds and Bauer, along with relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw, from the D-backs. Besides Choo, Cleveland parted with infielder Jason Donald and $3.5 million (to Cincinnati) and left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and Minor League first baseman Lars Anderson (to Arizona). The Reds sent shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius to the D-backs to complete the complicated trade.

Swisher, who spent the past four seasons with the Yankees, turned down a one-year qualifying contract offer from New York worth $13.3 million in order to test free agency this winter. By turning down the offer, the Yankees secured a compensation pick in next June's First-Year Player Draft. Under the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, however, the top 10 selections are protected from free-agent compensation. That means that Cleveland will not lose the fifth overall pick in the first round by signing Swisher. The Indians will lose their second round pick, though. The Yankees will earn a compensatory pick between the first and second round.

During his four years in the Bronx, the switch-hitting Swisher posted a .268/.367/.483 slash line with an average of 26 home runs and 87 RBIs per season. Over his nine-year career in the big leagues -- spent with the A's, White Sox and Yankees -- Swisher has hit .256 with a .361 on-base percentage and a .467 slugging percentage. An American League All-Star in 2010, Swisher has averaged 151 games over the past seven seasons, posting an average of 27 homers and 84 RBIs in that span. He set his career bests in homers (35) and RBIs (95) in 2006 with the A's, and equaled a personal high in doubles (36) this past season with the Yankees.

In 148 games last year, Swisher hit .272 with a .364 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage. Along the way, he piled up 24 home runs, 75 runs scored, 77 walks and 93 RBIs in helping the Yankees to their third AL East crown in his four years in New York. With the Swisher signing nearly in the books, Cleveland will likely turn its attention to its starting rotation. The Indians, who added lefty Scott Kazmir on a Minor League deal earlier this week, would like to add an arm or two to the mix before Spring Training. The aggressive Tribe also has a vacancy at designated hitter.

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!

Tribe Watch (Week 11)

Record: 37-34

Standing: Second in AL Central (0.5 games back)

After getting swept the week prior in Cincinnati, the Indians gained a measure of revenge this past week by sweeping the Reds in Cleveland. That proved to be the high point for the week as we not only had won 3 games in a row, but also climbed back up into first place. Sadly, things went downhill from there as they lost the last two out of a three game series against the Houston Astros and fell back into second place. The Houston series was particularly frustrating as the bats went dormant once again against a less than stellar pitching rotatation. In addition, we saw a recurring problem from both Jeanmar Gomez and Derek Lowe. Both pitchers pitched well early on, but got hit bad as they went through the lineup the second and third time. Given that Lowe's a veteran, we can hope that he'll be able to recover from this. As for Gomez, it seems as if he needs to be either sent back to the minors or converted into a long man in the bullpen. In other disappointing news, it was announced yesterday that the longtime Boston Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis had been traded to the Chicago White Sox. While I do not necessarily think the Indians needed to get him, the absolute LAST place I wanted him to wind up was in Chicago. If he provides them with any sort of offensive productivity, it could be really harmful to our chances at competing with them for the AL Central title. Despite that, we shouldn't dwell on the negative. Remaining positive will be key as the Indians continue their 10-game road trip with visits to New York for a three game series against the Yankees and then a four game series beginning on Thursday in Baltimore against the Orioles. Those two teams currently sit in first and second place respectively in the AL East. We cannot afford to lose much ground heading into the midway point of the season, so this could be a make it or break it week for the tribe. Now that the NBA season is over and the people of Cleveland can stop dwelling on Lebron, our focus should be on the Indians and rooting them on to victory. Go Tribe!