The Cleveland Indians won their fourth straight game tonight by beating the Blue Jays 3-1 at Progressive Field. Sure, you could make a big deal about winning four in a row, but let’s be honest, it’s not like this team is going to make a run for the playoffs. What you can get excited about is that the Indians’ future was on display tonight in neon lights.
Okay, so Shin-Soo Choo isn’t exactly a newbie, but he’s certainly part of the Indians foreseeable future. Choo continued his power streak tonight with a first inning, one-out solo shot, to give the Tribe a 1-0 lead. Over Choo’s last eight games, he has five homers and nine RBI. Overall, Choo leads the Tribe with 13 home runs, and until a recent call-up, was the Indians best offensive player.
Now, Carlos Santana is showcasing his offensive wares, and it’s been pretty “supernatural” since his recent call-up. Santana went two for four tonight, with a run-scoring single. Choo was thrown out at third on the single, or it could have led to an even bigger inning. Santana is currently hitting .345 for the Indians, with eight doubles, four homers and 14 RBI in 17 games. His line is .333/.456/.704, and that 1.160 OPS is impressive, regardless of how few games he’s played. He’s walked 13 times, and struck out a grand total of seven, making him a rarity to the Indians line-up. Defensively, this kid has made only one error, and thrown out six baserunners out of twelve. Yeah, 50% isn’t just good, it’s, well, “supernatural.”
Then there’s Matt LaPorta. Cleveland fans, including myself, have either been ho-humming his performance, or been slamming the Tribe brass for holding him back. Well, the Indians sent him down in early June because of his struggles. He was recalled this past week, thanks to the Russell Branyan deal. In his four games back, he’s gone four for 13, with two home runs, two runs scored, two RBI, two walks and three K’s. Take out his 0 for 4 in his debut-back game, and he’s really streaking…even to the quad. He’s hit two homers in as many games.
Finally, I thought I’d mention Chris Perez. While it would have been nice to see Kerry Wood become Mr. Iron Man, and save his fourth game in as many nights, Perez took over his closer duties, and recorded his seventh save in ten chances. He had a 1, 2, 3 inning, with a K, and even got through a bit of adversity when Andy Marte dropped Aaron Hill’s foul ball. Perez responded by striking Hill out.
Will the Indians youth lead the Tribe to the promised land this season? Not likely, but there’s certainly reason to get excited about 2011 and beyond.
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