Have The Cleveland Indians Found Their Hitting Touch?

The Cleveland Indians can't hit. They can't find the ball, and when they do they can't find a good place to hit it. They can't hit home runs, score runs, and their best hitter is a guy they picked up not expecting him to be on the roster.

At least, that's what we've been saying all season. Of our first 30 games, nine were games in which the Indians had 10 or more hits, and in 16 of those games, the Tribe scored three runs or fewer.

Perhaps this series with Kansas City Royals was just what the doctor ordered.

The Indians are now running a four game 10+ hit streak, and we've hit 23 runs in the last four games. Our batting average has jumped from the low .240's to .249 after today's game. For a team 12th in the American League in runs scored and 13th in hits (good thing we share a conference with the Mariners), this is a great sudden improvement.

Perhaps Bruce Drennan's rant got the Indians going? Or maybe it's just a fluke as the result of having faced the Royals. After all, they came into the series last in the American League in ERA, and that's with having Greinke. I don't mind the loss to him, he deserves to have a win by now with how he's pitching for the Royals.

There are a few positive developments over the past week that show maybe we have turned the corner in hitting and will be able to rise to the middle of the pack.

First, Travis Hafner is finally hitting, and hitting well. In May, he has doubled his multi-hit games (4), is walking more than he's striking out (6 to 5), and has seen his average jump to .237. A batting average down there is not great, but he's still moving up and getting more comfortable. I'm optimistic that Hafner will have a respectable season in the end, though he's never going back to a 30 HR season.

Second, the Indians need to replace Valbuena with Grudzielanek. This is not just because Valbuena still can't hit and should be demoted at this point, but because the rugged veteran is finding his stride and hitting for us. The Indians have noticed this, as he's already played more games in May than in April. He's up to a .290 average, and also has more walks than strikeouts in May (5 to 4).

Third, everyone seems to be gradually getting comfortable with where they are on the team. There has to be a psychological aspect to why they haven't been hitting, and I think this is starting to move down. They have a solid middle in Choo and Kearns, Cabrera leading off with a good average, and all the talk about Carlos Santana seems to have lit a fire under Lou Marson, who's already equalled his hit total for the month of April. He got an RBI too at long last!

Not everyone is improving though. We're still waiting on Grady Sizemore and Luis Valbuena to wake up. Despite this, it seems that the Indians are starting to get comfortable in their own skin and look poised to get a hold on 3rd place in the central.

Am I being too optimistic about the hitting? Is facing the Royals a facade, masking the Indians' hitting weaknesses? Well, if we can't hit against the Orioles this weekend then that'll answer that question. Here's hoping the Indians can continue to hit alright. If nothing else it'll give options for Shapiro to trade to contenders so we can rebuild some more.