Terry Francona defends going to Nick Hagadone in the 9th

One series, one series win. Feels good to be back in the saddle. Here's what's up in Tribeland and beyond:

Yesterday's game: Indians 5, Astros 1

Tribe bast finally woke up, but the real story was Trevor Bauer pitching six *hitless* innings with 11 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he also walked five batters so ha to be pulled due to pitch count. The bullpen very nearly preserved the "team" no-hitter, but Nick Hagadone sucks.

• LGT recap (Andrew Kinsman)
• Cleveland.com recap (Paul Hoynes)
• Indians.com recap (Jordan Bastian and Brian McTaggart)

Indians news & notes

Tito explains why he went with Hagadone | Cleveland.com - Not surprisingly, Terry Francona didn't have the no-hitter in mind when he went with the big lefty in the 9th. It was only the third game of the season, and setting up the pitching staff for future success is probably more important than securing a multi-pitcher no-hitter.

Carrasco deal a calculated risk for both sides | Did The Tribe Win Last Night? - Carlos Carrasco's agent and the MLBPA both had some complaints about the pitcher's new contract, but Cookie himself has no issues. He says he's happy with the security the Indians have given him, and clearly appreciates the confidence the team has in him. On the other side of the coin, the Indians are betting big on Carlos being second half of 2014 Carlos, and not sucky/Tommy John/bullpen reclamation project Carlos.

Guide to Indians 2015 farm system | Burning River Baseball - We know Columbus is brimming with talent this season, at least for a while. New affiliate Lynchburg's roster is also shaping up to be quite interested. What about the other levels? BRB provides a birds-eye view of the organization.

Columbus Clippers season preview | Indians Baseball Insider - Zooming in to a more detailed level, IBI previews each position at Columbus and gives some insight into what to expect from a stacked Clippers team.

Indians feeling upbeat thanks to pitching, new contracts, ballpark upgrades | Cleveland.com - As if the pitching performances of the past three days weren't enough, Tribe players and fans alike have a lot to look forward to. The stability of the coaching staff, led by Terry Francona, continues to prove to be a big draw for both new and returning players. The new stadium renovations are just the icing on the cake.

Tidbits from around MLB

What have new pace of play rules meant for Tulo? | Fangraphs - An extensive, illustrated, and animated look at the minuscule year-to-year differences between Troy Tulowitski's batting rituals - i.e. "the batter equivalent of an office worker keeping an Excel tab open to make it look like he’s busy if the boss comes around." Point being: the new rule is kind of silly and doesn't mean much.

Examining potential MLB expansion cities | The Hardball Times - Expanding the league could help cure the low run scoring environment, and help spread out the growing talent pool. What cities are most ripe for expansion? This article combines two of my nerd passions - baseball, and Census statistics - to examine what would make a good expansion city.

When Ryan Zimmerman is Miguel Cabrera | Fangraphs - Turns out the only person better than Zimmerman at hitting absurdly inside pitches is Cabrera. More interesting and illustrated analysis.

From bad to baseball's best | Sports On Earth - The second Wild Card team has averaged just over 89 wins in the past two years. What would it take for last year's bad team to get back to that point?

When the Reds became the Redlegs | ESPN.com - At the peak of the communist scare in the 50's, Cincinnati baseball officially changed its team name.

Matt Harvey dominates in return from TJ | CBS Sports - The Mets' whiz kid performs exactly as everyone hoped he was going to before Tommy John surgery.