Cleveland Indians: Jay Bruce paying early dividends for Tribe

Jay Bruce has had a hot start to his stint with the Cleveland Indians. His offense and defense have been on display in his new uniform as he looks to help propel the Indians to the postseason.

Jay Bruce is no stranger to hitting. He came to the Cleveland Indians batting .256 with 29 home runs and 75 RBI in his 103 games in a New York Mets uniform.

The buzz quickly turned into production for Bruce in his first start in a Tribe uniform. He went 2-4 and had a run scored against the Rays. Bruce continued that production and followed up with another 2-4 day and drove in two runs Saturday night.

He then again came up big in a close game going 1-3 with a RBI double and a run scored Sunday afternoon in Tampa. This game brought his series to an end with a .417 average (5-12), three RBI and two runs scored.

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Upon being acquired by Cleveland, Bruce was immediately in sole possession of the team lead in home runs and runs batted in. He also slotted into fourth on the team in batting average among qualified hitters.

Bruce has always been around .250 when healthy and fans shouldn’t expect a huge jump in his average. They can, however, expect good at-bats, home runs and him driving runs in for the team.

His impact is a sight for sore eyes in Cleveland as the offense has struggled lately to score.

Bruce has slotted between Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Santana in the lineup the last three games and it has paid off so far.

Jay Bruce’s offense was not the only thing that impressed me this series. He has not been known for his defense but he has made some very nice plays in an Indians uniform.

My favorite play from the series was from Sunday’s game. An Adeiny Hechavarria foul ball sliced down the right field line and Bruce ran over making the catch just before running into the wall.

The Indians will benefit very much from the addition of Bruce. With Lonnie Chisenhall slowly on his way back the Indians outfield is plentiful on options.

Michael Brantley will be back at some point which will only continue to bolster the lineup for Terry Francona. Jay Bruce will only complement the available hitters for the Tribe.

Next: 3 takeaways from the series in Tampa Bay

The addition of Bruce is sure to offer a spark for the team heading toward October. However, I don’t envy Terry Francona finding a spot for his guys each day.