Now. Now they're for real.

[bookelly]

You can't deny this team is a contender.

[googleeph2]

Yeah, who's to fear in their division?

[Crooked River]

They have won games in every fashion but one: coming from one/two down in the 9th. Still, would we doubt them in that situation if it happens this weekend?

This team continues to thumb its noses at the doubters and it's time for the masses to come out to the Jake.

Enjoy it.

[Prosecutor]

As of today the only team the Indians have played that's above .500 is the Angels at 15-11, and they only played three games against them. So far the Tribe has been feasting on losers and mediocre teams. They certainly look like they're for real, but I'm withholding judgement until I see what they do against teams that win more than they lose.

The strength of the team has been their starting pitching, but Gomez looks a little shaky and now Carrasco is going to miss at least two starts. Maybe Gomez improves and White turns out to be as good as Carrasco, but if not, it's going to be tough against the better teams. Fortunately, all the better teams are in other divisions so we don't play them that much. As long as the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers continue to suck we're in pretty good shape.

When Choo and Santana start hitting, look out.

[googleeph2]

As of today the only team the Indians have played that's above .500 is the Angels at 15-11, and they only played three games against them. So far the Tribe has been feasting on losers and mediocre teams.

True, but the Tribe has made one or two of them losers, like KC.

And they've shown some resiliency, eg. bouncing back like this after the opening series of the season.

And like you seem to agree, even if they aren't an elite team, they at least look like the class of the division.

[Dnthateonthepronk]

I think they are contenders now because of the teams in their division and because this is actually a pretty solid team, which is only going to get better because players like Hagadone, Kipnis, Chisenhall, Phelps, & De La Cruz could all be called up this year as reinforcements.

They will hit a rough spot and injuries are always the great equalizer but as long as they stay moderately healthy, I think they have a chance.

[Damage]

MAriners & Boston looking much better than when we faced them. It all sorts itself out. Bottom line, we're 17-8

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

Everything I look at says the Tribe is for real.

Biggest division lead.
Largest run differential.
Tied for best record.
Most runs scored in AL.
Fourth-most HRs in baseball. (One behind second place.)
Best AVG and OBP in AL.

And all those supposed bad teams they are beating look a heck of a lot better when you take out their losses to the Indians.

Teams are good when they beat the snot out of their opponents. That's what the Indians are doing.

[British_Pharaoh]

Baseball Tonight had a nice graphic a couple of nights a go, apprising viewers of the fact that every time the Indians have recorded 16 wins in April, they have gone onto claim a playoff berth.

The pitiful nature of this division certainly helps. Minnesota, KC and Chicago are all in the bottom 5 in pithcing and Detroit and Minnesota are among the worst hitting teams.

The Sox have massively fallen off with their hitting.

Gordon Beckham is at .202 Yes that same kid who torched the Indians and seemed to be hitting everything in the opening week. Even Quentin and Konerko have fallen below .300 now after their hot starts. And after those 2 the hitting looks putrid. Their bullpen is in tatters (excluding Santos) the starters aren't great, it's just chaos in Chicago.

Minnesota's team is just vile at the moment.

[davemanddd]

You can't deny this team is a contender.

yes!!! go tribe!!!

[tired]

how sweet it is

[The Brook]

Baseball Tonight had a nice graphic a couple of nights a go, apprising viewers of the fact that every time the Indians have recorded 16 wins in April, they have gone onto claim a playoff berth.

The pitiful nature of this division certainly helps. Minnesota, KC and Chicago are all in the bottom 5 in pithcing and Detroit and Minnesota are among the worst hitting teams.

The Sox have massively fallen off with their hitting.

Gordon Beckham is at .202 Yes that same kid who torched the Indians and seemed to be hitting everything in the opening week. Even Quentin and Konerko have fallen below .300 now after their hot starts. And after those 2 the hitting looks putrid. Their bullpen is in tatters (excluding Santos) the starters aren't great, it's just chaos in Chicago.

Minnesota's team is just vile at the moment.

Cleveland won 16 games during April in 1988.

They finished 78-84, 11 games out of first place and didn't make the playoffs.

[leadpipe]

It'd be nice to see them stretch out this lead for as long as they stay red hot. One thing about this division (and no, I'm not considering Minn or Det dead yet) is it has the worst starting pitching of any division in baseball.

Really. Name your 5 man rotation culled from every team in this division.

Bodes well if someone's tryin' to catch you from a ways, and also doesn't make the Tribe starting pitching look too bad, even with an imminent fall back to earth.

[Toxicadam]

Their month of May looks just as favorable as far as scheduling goes. So, if they can build up a big enough lead .. they could coast to a division title the second half even with playing less than .500 ball.

[Prosecutor]

I think today's game could be very significant. If White pitches well, the injury to Carrasco won't hurt us because he wasn't pitching that great. Then if Carrasco is ready in a week or so they'll have the option of putting him back in the rotation and sending Gomez back down.

We also need Hafner to be OK by the time we hit the road.

[1Perry]

White pitched well. That certainly lessons any concerns about losing a starting pitcher...

I have no idea if they will win the division (but I'll agree that the rest of the teams in their division look less than impressive) I'm just glad for now they aren't going to be out of it mid-May.

The large walk up numbers today also bodes well if they need to make a trade at some point.

[FUDU]

Did I hear a stat this weekend that the Tribe has something like 15 walk off wins v. Detroit in Jacobs field?

[jerryroche]

Realistically speaking, there are 135 games left. A lot can happen, especially when so many players are so young and unproven. Thing about baseball is that, with a 162-game season, winning 19 of 27 games can be an indication of a potential champion, or it could just be a decent winning streak. So realistically, I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude.

However, I want to believe, and I'll be attending way more games than usual this season. Even if they’re playing way over their head right now (and I’m not saying they are), they appear to have some excellent young talent that should provide plenty of thrills for the next two or three years minimum. And that’s considerably more than many of us hoped for, just one month ago.

Excited? Hell, yeah. Ready to crown them world champs? Whoa! Not yet: seen too many "June swoons."

[motherscratcher]

I'm addressing this very thing in the Glance tomorrow Jerry.

[YahooFanChicago]

This team looks a lot like the 2005 Chicago White Sox to me. That year every major outlet projected them to finish 4th or 5th in the division. They took advantage of a weak early schedule and a red hot start and coasted in the 2nd half.

The Indians that year were red hot in the 2nd half but the Sox finished strong the last week and the tribe colapsed allowing the Sox to win the division. As that Sox team proved, once you're in the playoffs anything can happen.

[bookelly]

They play .550 ball from here and they win 93 games. .600 is 100 wins. .500 is 86.5 wins.

/oh, and fuck Bin Laden.

[googleeph2]

Most fans wanted to see improvement this year.

By any realistic barometer, the season already looks like a success.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

I want to believe.

[KFletch]

This team looks a lot like the 2005 Chicago White Sox to me. That year every major outlet projected them to finish 4th or 5th in the division. They took advantage of a weak early schedule and a red hot start and coasted in the 2nd half.

The Indians that year were red hot in the 2nd half but the Sox finished strong the last week and the tribe colapsed allowing the Sox to win the division. As that Sox team proved, once you're in the playoffs anything can happen.

Oh dear God, please don't bring the ball into the sun that started the epic fail that was the 2005 Cleveland Indians. I lived in Chicago at the time and went to the series the week before were the Indians destroyed them at home. Then to get swept and Ozzy doing the choke symbol.

Obviously I still hold grudges.

[Am I Here Again?]

This team looks a lot like the 2005 Chicago White Sox to me. That year every major outlet projected them to finish 4th or 5th in the division. They took advantage of a weak early schedule and a red hot start and coasted in the 2nd half.

The Indians that year were red hot in the 2nd half but the Sox finished strong the last week and the tribe colapsed allowing the Sox to win the division. As that Sox team proved, once you're in the playoffs anything can happen.

Oh dear God, please don't bring the ball into the sun that started the epic fail that was the 2005 Cleveland Indians. I lived in Chicago at the time and went to the series the week before were the Indians destroyed them at home. Then to get swept and Ozzy doing the choke symbol.

Obviously I still hold grudges.

Me too KFletch. We had moved to MA a couple years earlier. Red Sux fans on either side, rabid MA native who is a skankee fan across the street. The Saturday we lost to Chicago and the skankees backed into the playoffs because of our loss that skankee guy came across the street towards me, waving his beer and pointing, laughing his fatty assets off. I cried...not because I was sad but because I wanted to rip his head off (our kids knew to hide 'cuz if Mom was crying she was seriously PO'd). Jerk won't even look my since we used them to wipe up the field in 2007.

[Pressrunnr]

I think a good comparison -- and I obviously hope to heck I'm underestimating them -- is the 2001 Twins. Started fast, faded in 2nd half but still won 84-85 games and thus began a sustained run of year-in-year-out contention/division winners. (And who knows -- if there's no '01 Tribe to win 90 in the Central that year, maybe even that would mean playoffs this year)

[KFletch]

Historically, the last 5 years aren't we a better second half team!?! Let's hope that trend con't.

I know I am super naive to think that we can con't this pace forever especially with such a young team...but my heart believes it is owed to us.