Happy Birthday, Grady

It was Grady Sizemore's 25th birthday, so Eric Wedge gave him a present - a start at DH instead of centerfield. Sizemore responded by going 2 for 3, driving in the game's first two runs, helping to spark the Indians to a 5-0 win.

Jake Westbrook, Rafael Perez and Edward Mujica combines for the shutout. Westbrook struck out 5 and gave up 5 hits in 6 innings in his second straight excellent performance.

Victor Martinez also showed some signs of life after a tough home stand, with a solo home run in the 7th inning.

Eric Wedge apparently gave the team a refresher course in situational hitting overnight, as the team scored two runs on sacrifice flies and even advanced a runner from second to third on a groundout to the right side of the infield - twice!

Sizemore's start at DH was brought on primarily by the fact that they were facing soft-tossing lefty Kason Gabbard for the second time in a week, and Wedge decided to give Pronk a Mental Health Day.

In other team news, Fernando Cabrera, who has been maddeningly inconsistent, was DFA'd. It seems clear that Shapiro could find no takers in a deadline deal. I have a hard time believing he'll clear waivers - he's got "killer stuff" and there's always a team willing to take a chance on their pitching coach being the one to get through to such a guy.

The Indians season of strangeness continues with a trip to Minnesota, this time as the first team in after the bridge disaster. There was some debate over whether the games should be played, since I-35W is one of the major arteries serving the Hideous Abomination (aka the Metrodome); however, the consensus is that the games should be played for the sake of the community. The cancellation of yesterday's Twins game, however, means that instead of the Indians missing Johan Santana, he's now up against Sabathia tonight. There is an old baseball saying that momentum is your starting pitcher, so both teams have momentum coming into this evening's game, but only one team will leave with it.

Mojo Watch

See sidebar for new Elvis-based mojo scale.

Cleveland Indians:

This situational hitting is encouraging. I'd say they now actually appear to have recovered a small amount of Mojo. Sizemore definitely had high levels of Elvis on his birthday. Victor also showed some signs of recovering his Elvis.

Pronk:

His Elvis level is dangerously approaching Michael J. Fox levels.