well, last i wrote was mid august (the 15th). today is the end of august (the 31st). i got my wish. i was lamenting our struggles at the plate and in the standings on the 15th, and wishing for a hot streak. i listed reasons why we sucked, but also listed reasons why we could changeour ways. i was very prophetic on that night, except with one LARGE exception. one bad (to put it mildly) call. i thought asdrubal would be sent down. instead, not only has he stayed, but he is batting second and seemingly coincidentally sparked our 12-3 run.

about this run:

it includes winning our last 7 in a row. after the win over detroit that tied us with them for 1st, we went 6-3 on the road. we won each of the 3 series 2-1. we usually have problems on the road.

-it was nice to get things started against TB. we had a chance for the sweep. but then we were back to detroit.

-the rook who allowed franklyn's 2 run bomb in mid august (my other gaffe, i called it a 3 run blast, i did not watch or listen to that game) dominated us in game 1. seemed like our usually inept offensive selves.

-then the offense exploded in game 2, against verlander.

-in game 3, we were back to our ineptness at the plate. but jake came through, as he has done for all of his august starts. not a run was scored after 9. we scored 3 runs on clutch 2 out hits by kenny and gomez in the 10th, and won 3-1. what a rubber game! what a big win against the team you are battling for firs place! a playoff type game for sure.

-our first game in KC bewildered me. following the dramatic series victory, we were held to 1 run against a KC starter who only was in the game for 3 innings (zach greinke). c.c. is once again a tough luck loser. what the hades! will we ever play consistently, i was thinking.

-then another offensive explosion in game 2. i guess we were just tired in game 1.

-then we pull out the series win, in truly dramatic fashion. we were one strike away from loosing the series. then grady comes through with a double. then AC comes through with the game tying 2 out RBI single. in the 11th, both victor and pronk come through with clutch 2 out RBI singles. we now have won two in a row, starting with the laugher.

-back home, our winning ways at the jake have finally returned.

-we capped the sweep of twinkies (who had won their last 5 to slowly inch their way back into the race) by beating johan for the 4th time this year! in a battle of aces (vs c.c.), he allowed a career high in hits. the twins were shoved back into non contention status. we also turned a 5-4-3 triple play to boot!

-in make up game #3 against struggling seattle, kenny provided the walk-off walk to overcome a (tired) joe borowski blown save. typical jake heroics!

-in win 7, we score 6 in the 8th to beat the white sox. casey had the key hit, a 2 out 3 run double. more 2 out clutch hitting. more big numbers put up on the scoreboard. and unusual run support in a game that fausto started.

so, that catches me up. now onto some non game related thoughts:

newly anointed pinch runner josh barfield got his first start tonight since the run began. he did ok. he actually had a single that helped us score our first runs of the game, when we were down 5-0. after the game, wedge was asked if AC was ok. he assured us that yes, he is. i wished he used the same conviction he used when asked whether he wears his jersey under his pullover. ' "I always do, for the record," Wedge said with a devilish grin. "Always." ' this question was prompted after terry francona was checked mid game recently. is AC ok? "Absolutely" should have been his reply. after 15 games, a starter needs a break. props to wedge for doing so. he sometimes 'forgets' to give his starters a break.

in a sign that the management is with it, a seemingly minor move was made by the tribe brass today. AAA OF brad snyder was called up today, then placed on the DL. this odd move was made with the playoffs in mind. this move opens up a roster spot come playoff time. we are making moves with the playoffs in mind. i love it!

one concern is joe borowski. his health for the playoffs is imperative. as that of the rafaels. but instead of using JB for the 4th straight game, rafael B got the call to nail down the W. aaron fultz showed a sign tonight that he can once again be a reliable late inning guy. we can have our choice of lefties. rafael P hopefully no longer has to be overused. jansen lewis had a bad game against detroit, but rebounded with a great inning against minnesota in a close and late appearance. if he could spell rafael B, our bullpen is solid. and with rafael B's save tonight, he could spell JB. such depth and flexibility are crucial come playoff time.

the last 2 years, slumps seem to be the norm when a AL central team makes it to the world series. in '05, chicago almost lost the division lead due to a monumental slump. in '06 , detroit did loose the division lead on the final day of the season. hopefully, this trend continues.

oh yeah, it is official. the indians hold a 5-1/2 game lead over second place detroit to end the month of august. detroit lost tonight in the 10th to oakland to make it so. the tigers did their best to avoid falling back yet again. they scored 2 runs to tie the game in the 9th on just 3 singles and a RBI groundout. but right now the mojo is only going our way.

the one thing i do not understand, why is rookie aaron laffey starting when experienced cliff lee and jeremy sowers are still starting in buffalo? on one hand, i trust our decision makers, but on the other hand i am still thinking what the heck.

speaking of mojo: i really, really, really hope this posting does not jinx us in going for win 8. but i gotta write when the time presents itself. it has been forever, and i definitely will not be posting tomorrow. i probably will not even watch the game. i definitely will have my XM receiver with me though.