Tribe time

Tribe Time

The Cleveland Indians started the season on a sluggish note, and injuries to their pitching staff interrupted the flow of things. However, as the team gets healthier, they're starting to look more and more like the defending American League champions.

Carlos Carrasco took advantage of a toothless Orioles lineup on Wednesday, scattering seven hits over six scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters and walking none to run his record to 8-3 while lowering his ERA to 2.99. The Venezuelan right-hander has recorded quality starts in five of his past seven road outings, and he has won three straight starts for the first time since a similar hot streak at this time last season, June 25-July 5. His double-digit strikeout total was the first of the season, as he is rounding into form heading into the summer.

Corey Kluber hasn't lost since returning from the 10-day disabled list, recording four consecutive quality starts while posting a 3-0 record with a 1.61 ERA and 39 strikeouts across 28 innings. The last time the Klubot served up a homer was May 2 in Detroit, and he is 4-0 with a 3.90 ERA in five starts at home this season.

Pitching is great, but the team is also getting career contributions from some unlikely sources. Jose Ramirez looked like he might simply be a role player a few years back, but he is emerging as a star in Cleveland. He leads the team with a .322 average while rolling up 23 doubles, three triples, 11 homers and 34 RBI with a .322/.376/.557 slash line and healthy .933 OPS. In Wednesday's game at Baltimore he posted his ninth consecutive multi-hit game, and he has 10 doubles and three homers during the amazing tear.

Pow Peralta

David Peralta of the Diamondbacks is enjoying quite the hot streak lately, and it continued Wednesday in Colorado. The right fielder collected four singles with a walk, RBI and four runs scored, including two singles in a 10-run fourth inning. His is now slashing a robust .332/.380/.498, raising his average 22 points in the month of June. He has been a huge part of the surprising turnaround in Arizona this season, as the Snakes have been at or near the top of the National League West Division for most of the season.

Peralta has five games with three or more hits over his past 10 outings, raising his average from .303 to .332 just since June 8. While fantasy owners might complain that he doesn't rack up many extra-base hits, he has been a friend to rotisserie owners with his outstanding average, 19 runs scored over the past 16 outings as well as occasional thefts and a low strikeout rate. He checks in with a solid 1.058 OPS, so he isn't totally devoid of power. Peralta continues to sail along for manager Torey Lovullo in the desert, and it will be interesting to see how the outfield picture shakes down once A.J. Pollock (groin, quadriceps) is healthy enough to return. However, Gregor Blanco figures to be the biggest loser once the team is 100 percent healthy.

National League Quick Hits: Ryan Raburn posted his second consecutive multi-hit effort in Miami while launching his first homer of the season. … Max Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning in Miami, but it was ruined by an infield bleeder by A.J. Ellis. It got worse. He ended up allowing two unearned runs with one walk and two hits to end up with a complete-game loss. … Jose Pirela lifted his average to .351 with two more hits and an RBI in matinee action in Chicago. … Jedd Gyorko finished 3-for-4 with a two-run home run off of Nick Pivetta in a stunning comeback in Philly. The big right-hander from West Virginia belted 30 homers in his first season in the Lou last year, and he might be having an even better season in 2017. He has 11 doubles, 11 homers, 31 RBI and a .297 average. The latter might be most surprising considering he is a career .245 hitter. … Tommy Pham is making the most of his shot at regular playing time, belting four homers with six RBI over the past five games, including two solo bombs in Philly on Wednesday. He has six multi-hit games over his past 14 outings. … Matt Adams is on a tear in Hotlanta, as he belted his third homer with eight RBI over the past five outings. He has nine homers with 23 RBI and a ridiculous 1.104 OPS in the month of June. … When Domingo Santana came up, he made headlines for his amazing arm. Lately, it's his hitting that is turning heads. He whacked his 12th homer while amassing three RBI to propel the Brew Crew past the Bucs. His 12 homers are already a career best, besting his 11 from 2016. … Brandon Drury posted a double, three singles and a career-high six RBI in Coors Field.

American League Quick Hits: After four scoreless innings, Francisco Lindor got the ball rolling for the Indians offense in the fifth. He smacked his 14th homer while finishing with three RBI in the win. … Trey Mancini posted three more hits in the loss, giving him six multi-hit performances over the past 10 outings to raise his average 30 points from .284 back on June 11. … Kevin Gausman, once considered ace material, can't get out of his own way this season. The opposition is hitting a gaudy .332 against him over 80 2/3 innings while he slipped to 3-7 with a 6.47 ERA in Wednesday's loss to the Indians. … Trevor Plouffe belted his homer in a Tampa Bay uniform, and he has hit safely in each of his three games since coming over from Oakland. … Salvador Perez had a perfect night at the dish, going 3-for-3 with grand slam and a walk against the Red Sox. He has raised his average from .254 to .292 just since June 5, a span of 12 games. … Martin Maldonado racked up three extra-base hits in a loss at Yankee Stadium. He posted a double, two homers and four RBI, giving him four multi-hit games over his past 10 starts. … Steve Pearce finished 3-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI in Texas, hitting safely in eight straight contests. However, he suffered a knee contusion in the victory and is a question mark for Thursday's game. … Jose Berrios ran his record to 7-1 while lowering his ERA to 2.67, allowing just two runs, four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over eight innings. He is a perfect 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in four starts in the month of June. … Carlos Correa connected for his 14th homer in a solo smash off of Oakland reliever Josh Smith. He is slowly starting to heat up again after a rough patch in the middle of the month.