Back and forth between Indians-Tigers and Reading-Chelsea

Fausto Carmona looked sharp for the Tribe, 10 K's, can’t front on that. Speaking of looking sharp, what's up with Chelsea's coach Jose Mourinho's Inspector Gadget look? The Tigers scored the first run from a walk Carmona shouldn't have given up followed by a flukey infield play that Garko should've finished off. Meanwhile, Reading went up 1-0 in the first half on a flukey goal of their own, Chelsea's goalie getting pulled into no man's land and leaving his right flank wide open. The Indians were able to jump ahead on a 2 run dinger by Gutierrez. Frank Lampard put Chelsea on the board with a coupla nice touches in the box, thought the keeper came out a step late. Grady Sizemore tripled and then came home on a double play ball by Hafner (who looked uncomfortable the whole game). Didier Drogba drilled a goal--a brilliant shot, as them Euro commentators would say--from about 20 yards out, just curling it inside the post. The Tigers scored another run on Granderson's triple--Sizemore just missed it and he might've had a double play at that!--but Borowski was able to nail it down after blowing the save the night before.

I caught most of Reading's draw at Man U over the weekend, a gritty performance in hostile territory against a superior squad. Reading started their season at Manchester and at home to Chelsea? Jeez, who's banana ya gotta peel to get a break over in England? They play tough but the final touch always seemed to get away from them. They were in over their heads against Chelsea and in the second half that became clear. These will probably be the only two Reading matches I see all year, I'd say they're not a relegation candidate but they're clearly a bottom half of the table team.

The Indians drew back into a tie atop the AL Central with the Tigers, with tonight's rubber game determining who jumps ahead from here. Sizemore hasn't been hot lately and Hafner is clearly hurting, so I discount the Indians' chances from here on out. If the Yankees stay hot I think they'll take the wild card--although its certainly not a done deal. In April everyone wrote off the Yankees, in August everyone's assuming they're the greatest in the world again. I didn't buy it then and I'm not buying it now. If the Yankees do take the wild card it'll have more to do with Cleveland's injuries and Seattle's general lack of depth than with the conventional wisdom.