Tribe Talk: Indians Engage In A Brief Flirtation With Improvement

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Tribe fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the Indians each week throughout the season.

This week we discuss the Tribe’s brief flirtation with improvement, analyze the team’s actions in the amateur draft, and ponder who really has the advantage in interleague play.

I would like to thank this week's participants Scott Miles and Dale Thomas for their contributions.

This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and pitch in your thoughts on the questions we're addressing this week.

Go Tribe!

1.  For a few blissful days, the Tribe finally seemed to be getting things on track, winning six of 10. Though things have since gone downhill yet again, what, if anything, has changed that brought about this positive streak, arguably the Tribe's longest stretch of consistently positive performance all season?

Samantha Bunten: There doesn't seem to be any one dramatic change, which is a very, very good thing because that means that the team is simply improving their play across the board.

If anything, what has been noticeable is a marked improvement in the performance of the bullpen, particularly thanks to Matt Herges and Kerry Wood.

As for the offense, they have done a much, much better job of answering immediately when the opponent scores. This has allowed them to stay in almost every game of late.

Still, I just can't get that excited about a 6-4 stretch when the team is still well below .500 and solidly in last place in the division. The Indians should not be having this much trouble moving up in the standings, as performance across the division has been notably unspectacular.

I'm glad things are going in a more positive direction, but I don’t think the Indians have any business being satisfied with their performance just yet.

Dale Thomas: Although the current lineup is in desperate need of a healthy Grady Sizemore, Mark DeRosa has stepped up big. The 1-2 punch of Martinez and Choo has paid big dividends.

We've seen some decent pitching and decent relief as well over the course of the past couple of weeks.

That said, both pitching and hitting remain inconsistent overall.

Scott Miles: Despite Monday's meltdown, I can point my finger to one area in particular—the bullpen.

Matt Herges (2-0, 1.93 ERA entering Tuesday) has been a Godsend. He's having a Bob Howry-esque (circa 2007) season for us. Luis Vizcaino (1-2, 4.50) and Greg Aquino (1-1, 4.20) haven't exactly set the world on fire, but they're not terrible either.

Joe Smith is back off the DL and pitched well in three outings. And don't look now, but Kerry Wood hasn't given up a run since getting blasted for four on May 19 against the Royals.

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