Could Chris Johnson actually make a difference?

Hi there, LGTers! It's good to be back, despite the fact that I don't recognize half the dudes on the team anymore. I'm busy over here trying to figure out what an Abraham Almonte is, but in the meantime, here's what's going on around baseball:

Yesterday's game: Yankees 8, Indians 6

Trevor Bauer had another rough outing, once again running into problems with the longball, and the Tribe's offense just couldn't make it up. Good to see things are just as I've left them.

• LGT recap (Matt R. Lyons)
• Cleveland.com recap (Zack Meisel)
• Indians.com recap (August Fagerstrom and Bryan Hoch)

Indians news & notes

Johnson showing trade could be better than initially thought | Did The Tribe Win Last Night? - It seemed like enough that Chris Antonetti somehow managed to find a team willing to accept Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher in a trade, but could Chris Johnson actually turn into something decent? In a SSSS, he's off to a good start in Cleveland, and he may also benefit from the availability of the DH role in the AL.

Top 10 second half surprises since 2005 | Burning River Baseball - The raging fire of Abraham Almonte and Chris Johnson brings to mind some of the other great second half acquisitions/call-ups of the past decade - legends like Joe Inglett and Russ Canzler (but also some good players).

Are the days of trying to wear down the opposing starter numbered? | Cleveland.com - Back in the olden days - or something - the idea was to try to get to an opposing team's starter quickly so you could feast on the soft underbelly of a team's bullpen. But with offense down and bullpen talent in abundance, that strategy might be going out of style.

Tidbits from around MLB

• Fangraphs has a cool piece breaking down Hisashi Iwakuma's no-hitter, exploring just how much luck goes into these types of games
• CBS Sports discusses the leading candidates for AL MVP and NL MVP (which seems much more clear cut)
• CBS also has a quick look back at how April's breakout stars have fared over the course of the season so far
• Aroldis Chapman throws so fast, Statcast has to have a Chapman filter just to make it easier to find the other leaders in the "fastest pitch" category
• The Giants have made an offer to the Phillies for Chase Utley
• The Blue Jays won their 11th in a row - the first team with two 11-game win streaks in a season since the '54 Indians - and are inching ever closer to a playoff spot