One thing I don't get ...

The Indians have won three in a row, which is nice, obviously. It's still only 30% as long as the losing streak that preceded it, so it's not like they're suddenly the '27 Yankees, but we'll take it. I wish it were against Boston or New York, rather than the Rays, because I want the Rays to win the AL East, but it's nice that the Tribe's playing better.

But I have to wonder what Eric Wedge was thinking when he pulled Matt Ginter from last night's game after just five innings and 67 pitches. He had a five-hit shutout going, with five strikeouts and no walks. At that time, the score was 7-0. Ginter was making his first start of the season at the major-league level, but he'd been starting all season in Buffalo. He'd thrown more than 100 pitches as recently as July 3. His last start for the Bisons had been Tuesday, which meant he was making yesterday's start on just three days' rest, but he'd only thrown 41 pitches in Tuesday's start, probably because the Indians knew he'd be needed Saturday. So if you add those two outings together, that's only 108 pitches. He certainly could have gone at least another inning or two.

And let's not forget how bad the Indians' bullpen has been. Sure, you'd like to think the relievers can protect a seven-run lead, but if that's true, wouldn't the same be true of the starter? And the bullpen held true to form yesterday. Rafael Betancourt, who's had a very difficult first half, put in two scoreless innings, but then Juan Rincon gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning. And suddenly, it was a ballgame again. When you've got a seven-run lead, you surely don't want the game to turn into an actual ballgame.

The decision to pull Ginter notwithstanding, it's nice to see the Tribe offense putting some runs on the board. Except for Kelly Shoppach, everybody in the lineup got at least one hit, and several had two. One of those was Ryan Garko, who's not having a good year, but his three-run double and two-run homer were huge. And Grady Sizemore, the AL's home run leader, hit his 23rd of the year. If he holds on, he'll be the Tribe's first home run champion since Albert Belle in 1995.