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!

Tribe Watch (Week 1)

Record: 4 - 4

Standing: 3rd in the AL Central

I didn't do a Tribe Watch post last Sunday for a couple of reasons...I was busy prepping for my dissertation defense and they were only 3 games into the season, so there wasn't much to discuss yet. Now 8 games into the season we can begin to pick apart this team's performance and the end result is a mixed bag which is indicative in their .500 record. The first four games things looked pretty bad. We begun the season with two long extra inning games that ended in defeat. No matter how good of a team you are, those type of games will sting. After picking up our first win last Sunday, we continued to look flat in our two losses against the nasty Chicago White Sox. I thought the loss of guys like Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buerhle would soften my stance against them, but it hasn't. I still hate that team with a passion. In those first two series our pitching was pretty good, especially the starters, but our offense looked completely anemic. It really made me think we were in for a long season. That turned around though this weekend with our visit to Kansas City. The Indians' offense exploded and put up the most runs in a three game series since 2000! Seeing the Tribe hit like they did against the Royals has buoyed my spirits some, but I'm going to need to see a larger sample size before I'm convinced. The Tribe will get that opportunity to see if the offense can stay red hot starting on Tuesday. After an off day tomorrow, the Indians will begin a six game West Coast trip that will see us play the Mariners and then Oakland. Both of those teams are playing around .500 ball as well, so these should be competitive matchups. When it comes to baseball, the phrase 'hope springs eternal' is certainly true. It's exciting time for baseball fans and my hope remains high for now as I continue to root on my Indians and see if this year can finally be their year.