Welcome to the bigs, Jason Kipnis

If Vinnie Pestano hadn't given up a two-run homer to Bobby Abreu in the eighth inning yesterday, the Indians would have won 1-0, there would have been no bottom of the ninth, and Jason Kipnis would still be looking for his first major-league hit. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't complain about a 1-0 win, but Kipnis winning the game with a single to right was quite a thrilling moment. I wasn't able to cheer because my wife and I were trying to put my 17-month-old daughter to sleep, but I cheered inwardly.

Now that Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall are both up in the majors to play every day instead of Orlando Cabrera and Jack Hannahan, respectively, the Indians truly have their best possible team on the field (considering injury). They are a game behind Detroit, and there's certainly no guarantee they can overtake the Tigers regardless of who's out there, but Hannahan and O-Cab haven't been doing feces offensively, and the offense has been struggling like crazy. Chisenhall may not be Hannahan's equal with the glove, but he'll surely more than make up for it with his bat, and the same is likely true for Kipnis.

Chisenhall gives reason for excitement

When a team is having a devil of a time scoring runs, as the Indians have lately (they just got swept by the Giants in a series in which their pitchers gave up less than three earned runs per game), and that team is in contention for a playoff spot, as the Indians are, it's time to start looking for other options. One of the chief offenders in the Tribe's lineup has been third baseman Jack Hannahan, who got off to a decent start at the plate but has been ice-cold since then. Hannahan's numbers: .214 batting, .304 on-base, .333 slugging. He's played strong defense all year, but you can't carry a bat like that in your lineup no matter what he's doing with the glove.

Enter Lonnie Chisenhall. There was talk of Chisenhall making the team out of spring training, but the front office decided to give him some more time in Columbus to develop. And his numbers with the Clippers have been decent, but nothing to sing about: .265/.352/.427. But even if you adjust those numbers for major-league-caliber pitching, it's going to be better than Hannahan. And he's been super-hot lately. In his last four games before being called up yesterday, Chisenhall went 7-for-17 with two home runs, a triple, and 13 RBIs. In Hannahan's last four games, he'd gone 1-for-14 with that one hit being a single. So why not give Chisenhall a try?

He's now played in exactly one major-league game, last night's 5-4 victory over Arizona, but the Indians probably would not have won that game without Chisenhall. He had two hits, an RBI single and a double. Maybe he'll provide an instant jolt to the offense. He's only 22 years old, so I think we can logically assume the best is yet to come. Whether he helps much this year or not, the kid's future looks pretty bright.