Cleveland Indians vs Arizona Diamondbacks
9:40 PM ET, June 27, 2011
Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
As the baseball season nears its midpoint, most of the teams contending for division titles were expected to be in the playoff hunt.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians are notable exceptions.
Two of the biggest surprises in baseball open a three-game interleague series in Arizona on Monday night.
One year ago Monday, Arizona was 30-46, last place in the NL West and 15 1/2 games out of first. Cleveland occupied the AL Central basement, 13 1/2 games off the pace with a 27-47 record. The Diamondbacks and Indians finished 2010 with a combined 190 losses and 52 games out of first.
Despite dropping two of three in Detroit over the weekend, the Diamondbacks (43-36) are only 1 1/2 games behind of West-leading San Francisco. However, Sunday's loss was especially discouraging, as the Tigers scored seven runs with two outs in the eighth inning to beat Arizona 8-3.
It was a surprisingly poor performance by a bullpen that has been emblematic of the club's overall turnaround. Arizona's relievers have a 3.92 ERA after posting a 5.74 ERA last season, the seventh-worst in baseball since 1946.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians are notable exceptions.
Two of the biggest surprises in baseball open a three-game interleague series in Arizona on Monday night.
One year ago Monday, Arizona was 30-46, last place in the NL West and 15 1/2 games out of first. Cleveland occupied the AL Central basement, 13 1/2 games off the pace with a 27-47 record. The Diamondbacks and Indians finished 2010 with a combined 190 losses and 52 games out of first.
Despite dropping two of three in Detroit over the weekend, the Diamondbacks (43-36) are only 1 1/2 games behind of West-leading San Francisco. However, Sunday's loss was especially discouraging, as the Tigers scored seven runs with two outs in the eighth inning to beat Arizona 8-3.
It was a surprisingly poor performance by a bullpen that has been emblematic of the club's overall turnaround. Arizona's relievers have a 3.92 ERA after posting a 5.74 ERA last season, the seventh-worst in baseball since 1946.
Watch Cleveland Indians vs Arizona Diamondbacks Live Stream Online Free MLB June 27, 2011
