Tribe Updates - Looking ahead to the hapless M's

The Tribe enters the weekend after losing 2 of 3 to the A's only 3.5 games out from the card. There are 7 teams w/in 5 games of the lead, and if the Tribe does not take advantage of the weekend series with the M's, they'll find themselves in a tough spot w/ the Yanks coming to the Jake on Tuesday.

Pronk to the DL

From the CPD: "Hafner returned to Cleveland on Tuesday night to recover from the lingering effects of a concussion suffered July 16 when he was struck in the face by an 86 mph fastball from Chicago's Mark Buehrle....."

"....Buehrle, who started the All-Star Game for the American League, has not called Hafner to check his condition. "I wouldn't want him to call me," said Hafner. "I wouldn't care what he had to say. I really don't care."

Gotta love that spirit.

On the farm:

"Lefty Brian Tallet was recalled for the third time this year from Buffalo. He will replace Fernando Cabrera, who was optioned to Buffalo on Tuesday. "

"Indians first baseman Stephen Head went absolutely berserk in high Class A Kinston's 25-4 throttling of Frederick. Head, the Indians' second-round pick in June out of Mississippi, blasted his first two Carolina League home runs--including a seventh-inning grand slam--but that is only part of his ridiculous batting line. He finished 6-for-7 with nine RBIs and four runs scored, raising his high A batting average 86 points to .354."

What's up with the C'town faithful?

D'town Roger Brown: "Through 51 dates at Jacobs Field, the Indians are averaging 22,517 spectators. At that rate, the Indians will draw 1.82 million this season - short of the 1.95 million ownership has claimed is needed to break even. That said, the Indians should draw huge crowds next Tuesday through Thursday, when the Yankees visit."

What more does this team need to do? They are in the thick of the wild card chase, and they are a pretty damn exciting young team, albeit quite inconsistent.