The Cleveland Indians are on a Roll.. what up 6 game win streak

Things are finally starting to turn around for the Cleveland Indians.  Since the All-Star break, the Tribe has reeled of 6 straight wins.  That's a pretty decent turnaround for a team that was 33-54 at the break.  Manny Acta has finally started to put together lineups that work, and the Tribe is in the process of beating the Twins for a second straight night.

The emergence of several role players has been very important for the Indians.  Since losing Grady Sizemore, the Tribe had struggled to find the pieces that could win on a nightly basis.  Enter Trevor Crowe, and Nix.  These players have made an impact and have allowed the Indians to turn around their season.. somewhat. 

Tonight, Asdrubal Cabrera returned to the lineup and his presence was felt.  Not only did he rip a single into left field, he made a great diving play to throw a runner out at first.  Asdrubal is without a doubt the best shortstop the Indians have in their system, and his return was welcomed.  Manny Acta immediately re-inserted him into the starting lineup, and had him bat lead-off.  It must have been a confidence boost for Asdrubal to see his first Big-League action in over 2 months.

Justin Masterson has been pitching pretty well tonight.  After a shaky start, he calmed down and started striking out a bunch of Twins including former-Indian Jim Thome twice.  Masterson gave up a run in the 1st inning but settled down and really showed his ability to pitch in this league.  He sometimes can throw a wild pitch or two with his intense delivery, but that also throws off hitters some of the time.

It was also nice to see Shelley Duncan continue his hot streak, as he has now hit safely in a few straight games.  The Indians organization was expecting him to be a major piece this year, and he struggled to find his swing early in the season.  Personally, I think Duncan just needs to keep building his confidence and he can continue to help the Indians succeed this season.  His power is something that is missing in this lineup. 

Are the Cleveland Indians poised to make a run or is this just a lucky streak we have going?  I feel that the Indians are finally starting to find out what works for them, and some players we didn't expect to have an impact are starting to make their presence felt.  The only thing that is missing is a consistent bomb from Travis Hafner every now and then.  However, after the Twins tied up the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th, Travis came up big for a clutch double in the top of the 8th that knocked in the game winning run.

With the emergence of LaPorta, Nix, Crowe, as well as Carlos Santana, the mid-level Indians have a chance to turn this season around and potentially compete late in September.  Who knows, maybe if we still had Cliff Lee this team could be competing for the playoffs?  The Tribe is starting to be fun to watch again, and I hope we can keep this streak going.  Let's do this.