Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from a dominant win over the Tigers

The Cleveland Indians got back into the win column as they pound the Detroit Tigers for a 6-1 victory in Motown to cap off the weekend.

Oh how fun it is for the Cleveland Indians to play in the AL Central. It allows them to rebound perfectly from slow painful losses such as last night’s loss. They answer that with a big win in Detroit to end the weekend.

The Indians took the lead in the first before allowing the Tigers to answer in the bottom of the inning. It must not have  sat very well for the Indians offense to allow the game to be tied because they came back with a bang in the second inning.

The offense was key in this win. It allowed Corey Kluber to have some run support. As for Kluber himself, he was vintage. It’s only natural the Indians offense would be dominant on Jim Home day. His inauguration into Cooperstown was just the cherry on top of today.

Klubot returns

July hadn’t been the kindest month to Corey Kluber. He had two losses in four starts with a 4.44 ERA. If there were any concerns about Kluber they were certainly held in check today. Kluber came out against the Tigers and was absolutely dominant. Kluber pitched 7.1 innings and allowed just one run.

He struck out five and worked his deepest outing allowing the fewest runs since his zero-run effort against Oakland. This is a great sign for Kluber. Dominating the AL Central is what he does best. He did just that today.

The Yonder and Melky show

The offense as a whole was brilliant today but there were two really bright spots int he lineup. Yonder Alonso had himself three hits with three RBIs in today’s action. He had a two-out RBI with. It’s now been five consecutive games with a hit for Yonder Alonso. Seeing him get hot and how powerful he can be, has to make Tribe fans very happy.

Melky Cabrera also had himself a day. He had three hits with an RBI. He also flashed his leather in the outfield with a few great plays, one robbing a home run from Nick Castellanos. Melky has hit .294 in the last week. He’s proven to be an effective hitter in the bottom of the order since his return to the Indians.

Give the bullpen a hand

I got to use my first of many Brad Hand jokes. The bullpen made quick work of the Tigers. Brad Hand worked the last two outs of the eighth inning with just six pitches. In fact, Adam Plutko came out in the ninth and tossed just six pitches. When your bullpen is able to work that quickly and easily you know things are going right.

The Indians bullpen has managed to keep things in check yet again. Last night they didn’t allow a run and today they were perfect. Brad Hand’s outstanding performances allow Andrew Miller to take all the time he needs in rehab.

The Indians will now head up to Minnesota for a date with the Twins. The Twins are now 9 games back on the Tribe in the AL Central.