Quote of the day
"I plan on flogging them tomorrow." -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson, when asked how he would motivate the Lakers as they head into Dallas after dropping the opening two games at homeDaily blurb
I keep waiting for the Indians’ bubble to show signs of bursting. But after an extra inning win in Oakland yesterday, they are now one game over .500 (8-7) on the road, to go with 13-2 at home (with the two home losses at the start of the season). They rank 4th in the majors in runs scored, and 5th in OPS. Their team pitching ranks 6th in the majors in ERA, and 5th in BAA. Their starting pitchers have an aggregate ERA of 3.44 and a WHIP of 1.21, averaging 6-1/3 innings per start. So it’s not as though there is one element of overachieving that’s carried them. And it’s not that they have faced cupcakes. If you strip out their head-to-head results, only two of the nine teams they have faced have losing records. And oddly enough, the Tribe is only 1-4 against those two teams – the Twins and White Sox.
Can they keep it up? It’s only May 6, and the season has not even reached the 20% mark. They are only one 10-game swoon away from mediocrity – but so far, they’ve been the positive story of the American League.