Author's Blog

Who would have thought the Indians could win three out of four in New York this late in the season? Especially when the Yankees are trying to fight off the Blue Jays? It shows how good pitching can win ballgames when your offense is barely functioning. For the year Cleveland took five out of seven against New York.

I am looking forward to Houston and the Yankees squaring off tonight. The Astros swept the Dodgers to really tighten the National League West race. Despite excellent pitching from Kershaw and Greinke, L.A. now has San Francisco ready to overtake them. The Giants are one of the most tenacious clubs in baseball. They always are in striking distance even with injuries and other assorted problems, they never go away. I would not be surprised to see them win the division. Picking up Marlon Byrd was a nice move.

I did not think it could happen, but the Pirates have closed to within four games of St. Louis. I still believe St. Louis will hold on, but the Pirates are going to be tough to beat in the post season and for a few years to come.

Josh Donaldson had a monster week for Toronto. He now has 100 rbi's and thirty-four home runs and still a month left in the season. The Blue Jays now have their own murderer's row with Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion. Who is going to stop them?

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With about six weeks left in the season, the candidates for the playoffs are emerging. In the American League the Royals are way out in front. Houston appears to be able to hold off the Angels. The only interesting battle is between the Yankees and Toronto. If the Orioles keep hitting they will get the second wild card spot. Chris Davis has been unbelievable the second half of the season. With his hitting along with Jones and Machado they will be tough to overtake.

Last week Toronto slipped into first place then fell back. At present New York has a half-game lead. My guess is both teams will fight it out through September. I am leaning towards Toronto, but would not be shocked if the Yankees held on and won the division. Either way this is a fun one to watch.

In the National League there is not much drama. The Cardinals despite key injuries still have a five game lead over the Pirates. The Cubs have been on a great run which will probably get them the second wild card. I am totally surprised that Washington has not been able to stay above .500. The Mets are in control there and will likely win the division.

I still like the Giants in the West, but the Dodgers continue to stay in front. What can you say about Zack Greinke? Between him and Kershaw, Los Angeles looks good here.

I have not mentioned the Indians for obvious reasons. They did have a little streak going after they unloaded Swisher and Bourn. I hope the front office does not get too excited that the Indians are playing better ball now that they have  just about eliminated themselves from any hopes of a wild card. Chris Johnson and Abraham Almonte both looked like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb for about a week. The Tribe still needs legitimate hitters on the roster next year, not guys who play well when the season is almost over. The recent performance against the Twins shows the team needs people who can drive in a run or two.

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I am sure most baseball fans were quite surprised to see the Indians move Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to the Atlanta Braves for Chris Johnson. I am still having difficulty seeing why the Braves would take both players. Swisher will not be able to dh there and he won't play regularly in the outfield.

The Indians now can do some dealing in the off season to improve the club. They have a crying need for a power hitter in the middle of the lineup. They may have to trade a starting pitcher or a minor league prospect to make that happen. I am eager to see what the front office can come up with.

Toronto is 11-1 since they acquired Troy Tulowitzki and Davis Price. The Yankees are scrambling to hold onto first place from the surging Blue Jays. New York has a three game series here in Cleveland starting on Tuesday. The Tribe has nothing to lose and could make things interesting.

I had thought Washington would run away with its division but as of today the Mets are in the top spot. It is going to be fun to watch these two teams as the season moves to September. Pitching will tell the story.

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The deadline has passed and the Indians as expected did very little. I was disappointed to see them let David Murphy go for a AA shortstop that does not hit. On the other hand the Brandon Moss deal got the Tribe a pretty good pitcher with an upside.

The trades made roster spots available and we now have the return of Lonnie Chisenhall, now an outfielder, and Jerry Sands for the second or third time. The team needs to do much better than that.

I liked the Astros picking up Scott Kazmir and the Royals getting Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. These teams are in it for the long haul. Toronto getting David Price should help a lot, but they have ground to make up. I still like the Cardinals to repeat, but I can't rule out the Pirates either.

The home runs are flying in the American League. Chris Davis continues his comeback while Mark Texiera approaches thirty bombs. The Yankees appear to be a strong finisher. I am still sticking with another Royals Cardinals World Series.

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If someone, anyone would have told me the Indians would be swept by the White Sox I'd have laughed. Sure the Indians are not playing well, but to lose four in a row at home? The combined score was 25-4! I expected at least a split or maybe three out of four. The Tribe has sunk to new lows.

They are now fourteen games out of first place and six and a half out of the wild card. I think it is time to make some changes. I would like to see the Indians move Carlos Carrasco if they could get a decent power hitter or a top prospect. Carlos Santana should be traded if there are any takers. David Murphy and Ryan Raburn were hot in the first half of the season but both have cooled off quite a bit. They should go as well.

If Brad Zimmer plays well at Akron, he should be moved up in September. Jesus Aguilar should get a chance at first base. The youth movement is here, like it or not.

I noticed several columns about Cole Hamels and Johnny Cueto as pitching poorly in their last two starts and possibly their trade value diminishing. That changed in a hurry when Hamels threw his no-hitter and Cueto pitched seven shut out innings. The Royals grabbed Cueto and Hamels will now command the maximum in any deal. Looks like another Cardinals and Royals World Series.

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