Around the Beat: Talking Tribe and O’s with Cleveland’s Hoynes

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to be a contender in 2016 thanks to their impressive, young rotation and an offense that could be solid, especially if star outfielder Michael Brantley could return quickly from shoulder surgery.

Brantley is on the shelf again and so is Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco, yet the Indians are in the thick of things in the American League Central with a scrappy offense that has scored among the most runs in the majors. This team is “lying in the weeds” according to Paul Hoynes, the excellent, long-time Indians beatwriter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com.

Hoynes is my guest this week on ‘Around the Beat’ as the Orioles prepare for a three-game series at Progressive Field starting Friday night.

We talk about the Indians’ rotation, including the early success of Josh Tomlin, get an update on Brantley’s health and explore how good shortstop Francisco Lindor can be.

You may be surprised at the two names Hoynes uses to describe the talent Lindor possesses.

So we cover lots of stuff in this podcast, including the “Hawk Call,” and how it frightened me silly years ago.

Yeah, it’s worth your time to check this out before the O’s and Tribe go at it this weekend in Cleveland.

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Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly has spent more than two decades as a print journalist in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate first covered the Orioles as a beat writer for the York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record in 2001 before becoming The Baltimore Sun’s national baseball writer/Orioles reporter in 2005. He has won multiple state and national writing awards, including several from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2013 he was named Maryland Co-Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. And in 2015, he authored his first book, "100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." He lives in York, with his wife, Karen, and three children, Alex, Annie, and Grace.