Recently, one of the other SweetSpot affiliate blogs decided to rehash their team’s 2011 season through the team’s Power Rankings on ESPN.com. This seemed like a really neat idea, so I decided to put together a table with the date, the Indians ranking on that date, the team record, and the weekly comment on the team’s performance.
It was a pretty interesting look at the season. The Indians peaked at #1 in the rankings on May 23 and fell to their lowest point, #16, on September 12. They started out the season ranked #30, and finished the season at #14.
|
Date and Ranking |
Overall Won-Loss Record |
Comment on the Team |
|
April 11 – Ranked #9 (At start of the season, ranked #30) |
7-2 |
Break up the Indians! It’s still early, but the best news of 2011 might be the resurgent Travis Hafner, who’s hitting .370/.433/.630 with two homers in 30 plate appearances. — The Common Man: The Platoon Advantage |
|
April 18 – Ranked #5 |
11-4 |
Even more surprising than Cleveland’s 11-4 start is that it has done it without much help from perhaps its two best players, Shin-Soo Choo (hitting .214/.286/.339) and Grady Sizemore (2-for-4 with a homer in his season debut Sunday). — Bill Parker: The Platoon Advantage |
|
April 26 – Ranked #6 |
13-8 |
The Indians are still in first place in the AL Central, despite a disappointing weekend in Minnesota. But Tribe fans have to be excited about the triumphant return of Grady Sizemore, who’s hitting .391/.440/.783 in his first 25 plate appearances. — The Common Man: The Platoon Advantage |
|
May 2 – Ranked #3 |
19-8 |
The Indians just completed their fifth series sweep; to put this in perspective, the Indians only had four series sweeps during the entire 2010 season. Despite losing two starters to the DL (Mitch Talbot and Carlos Carrasco), the Indians set a team record for victories in April (18) and just tied their longest home winning streak since 1996 (13). — Stephanie Liscio:It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” |
|
May 9 – Ranked #2 |
22-11 (tied for best record with the Philadelphia Phillies, ranked #1) |
The Indians’ offense cooled a bit during a West Coast road trip that included a blown lead in the rubber match against the Angels plus the team’s first extra-inning loss since April 13. The trip wasn’t a total disappointment as the Tribe went 3-3 against some tough pitching and saw their first series win at the Oakland Coliseum since July 2002. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” |
|
May 16 – Ranked #2 |
24-13 |
The Indians’ offense was relatively quiet during the series opener against the Mariners on Friday, but was loud when it counted — a three-run ninth inning that included a walk-off home run from Travis Hafner. — Stephanie Liscio |
|
May 23 – Ranked #1 |
29-15 (best record in baseball) |
After doing unspeakable things to Vin Mazzaro’s ERA and sweeping the Royals, the Indians lost two in Chicago then came home to sweep the Reds in interleague play. While Ozzie Guillen’s White Sox are proving to be their kryptonite this season, the steamroller that is the 2011 Indians continues rolling merrily along. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” |
|
May 30 – Ranked #2 |
31-19 |
The Indians had a difficult week against the AL East, as they went 2-4 against Tampa Bay and Boston and were outscored 35-14. Despite the four losses, they still maintain a six-game lead over Detroit. — Stephanie Liscio:It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” |
|
June 6 – Ranked #3 |
33-24 |
The Indians started the week with a blowout loss in Toronto then quickly redeemed themselves by taking the last two games in the series. Then a four-game homestand against the Rangers turned into a “Man Who Came to Dinner” nightmare, as the Rangers proved to be downright horrid house guests. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced “Lajaway” |
|
June 13 – Ranked #8 |
34-29 |
The Indians’ offense crumbled this week; they were shut out twice and got their only win in a 1-0 affair with the Twins. Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana all hit under .190 during this stretch. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
June 20 – Ranked #9 |
39-31 |
The Indians managed one win in each of their series against the Yankees and Tigers, then came home to face Pittsburgh, culminating in an 11th-inning, post-rain-delay walk-off homer by rookie Cord Phelps to complete a sweep. Although their lead is a little tenuous, they’re back in first place. —Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
June 27 – Ranked #11 |
40-36 |
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … and with the Indians it’s definitely a tale of two teams. At home, they’re 24-14. On the road (following the Giants sweep), they’re 16-22. The Tribe also struggles without Travis Hafner in the lineup; they were 9-18 while he was on the DL and will miss his bat in NL parks. — Stephanie Liscio |
|
July 4 – Ranked #8 |
44-38 |
The Lonnie Chisenhall era officially began in Cleveland this past week, as he helped propel the Indians to a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks by going 2-for-4 with an RBI in his first major league game. The 22-year-old third baseman went 6-for-20 against the D-backs and Reds. — Stephanie Liscio:It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
July 11 – Ranked #9 |
47-42 |
The Indians had a week of ups and downs. They won two of three from the Yankees and won the first of a four-game series with the Blue Jays on a walk-off home run by Travis Hafner. However, roster changes, inconsistent offense and starting pitching that gets very thin in the four and five spots gave the Tribe a 3-4 record for the week. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
July 18 – Ranked #9 |
49-44 |
The Indians started the second half by splitting a four-game series in Baltimore. The offense continues to have trouble with situational hitting and stranding men on base. In addition, the starting rotation is getting shaky, with only Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin proving consistently reliable. —Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
July 25 – Ranked #11 |
51-48 |
The Indians continue to struggle against the White Sox and Twins; on the season, they are just 4-12 against Chicago and Minnesota. Their only win against the White Sox this season came on April 3. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
August 1 – Ranked #15 |
53-52 |
The Indians went a combined 2-4 against the Angels and Royals last week as an anemic offense continues to struggle. The Tribe did make a huge trade by acquiring pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies for a quartet of prospects, in hopes that the ace can bolster the starting rotation. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
August 8 – Ranked #14 |
56-56 |
Jason Kipnis hit five home runs this past week, including homers in four consecutive games. He was the first Indians rookie since Al Rosen in 1950 to homer in four straight. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
August 15 – Ranked #13 |
60-57 |
The Indians started a pivotal stretch against their AL Central rivals last week and showed they are still serious contenders. Ubaldo Jimenez had his first win as an Indian as the Tribe took two of three from the division-leading Tigers and two from the Twins in a rain-shorted series. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
August 22 – Ranked #14 |
62-61 |
The Indians finally learned how to beat the White Sox last week but ended the week by getting swept by the Tigers. Travis Hafner broke an 0-for-16 streak by singling in the sixth inning on Sunday. Unfortunately, he strained his left foot on the play and may be headed to the DL. If relegated to the DL, he would join fellow regulars Grady Sizemore, Jason Kipnis and Carlos Carrasco. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
August 29 – Ranked #14 |
65-65 |
To say the Indians had a tough week is like saying the East Coast got a little rain this weekend. Not only did the Tribe go 3-4 and drop to 6.5 games out of first, but Travis Hafner, Michael Brantley and Josh Tomlin joined the cast of thousands on the DL. The bright spot: winning the waiver claim on Jim Thome and bringing him “home” to Progressive Field. — Susan Petrone:It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
September 5 – Ranked #13 |
70-67 |
Kosuke Fukudome has been swinging a hot bat for the Indians lately, particularly in last week’s series against the Athletics, when he had five hits and four RBIs. The Indians have already won more games this season than they did in 2010, when they finished 69-93. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
September 12 – Ranked #16 |
72-72 |
A four-game sweep by Detroit pretty much eliminated any hopes that the Tribe would be playing in October. Despite going 2-5 for the week, the Indians are still plugging away. Bright spots were Shelley Duncan, who hit five home runs this week, including two two-homer games, and rookie Lonnie Chisenhall, who hit three home runs, including one two-homer game. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
September 19 – Ranked #14 |
75-75 |
The Indians clawed their way back to .500 with a sweep of the Twins over the weekend. With his 25th home run of the season on Saturday, Carlos Santana tied Victor Martinez for the team record for most homers by a switch-hitter in a season. — Stephanie Liscio: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
|
September 26 – Ranked #14 |
80-79 |
In the last full week and final homestand of the season, the Indians showed they won’t go gently into the night. Playing nine games in seven days, the Tribe went 6-3, including a 2-2 split with the White Sox, who’ve given them problems all season. Fan favorite Jim Thome even stepped in at third base, albeit for one pitch, in what was likely his last appearance in an Indians uniform. — Susan Petrone: It’s Pronounced Lajaway |
80-82. The question now is: Can they be better in 2012?
The pessimist in me thinks this could end up like the 2008 season…high expectations that never really pan out. The optimist in me thinks that with a full year of Chisenhall and Kipnis, and fewer injuries, they definitely should be better!