Watch: Indians’ Bradley Zimmer hit a 471 foot bomb to dead center

Indians’ Bradley Zimmer smacked a home run into another zip code.

The Cleveland Indians have won three of their last four and some of it has to do with the improved play of the Cleveland outfield. We’ll talk about Myles Straw on his own eventually, but the new-leadoff hitter is hitting .297 since joining the Indians. He’s not the only one getting a chance to shine, as Bradley Zimmer has seemingly put it all together.

While just hitting .248 on the year, that mark is a career-high for Zimmer, who is also on pace to set new career marks in home runs and runs batted in. Cue Monday night, in a make-up game against the Cincinnati Reds. Zimmer was able to catch a pitch right on the sweet spot of his bat, blasting the ball 471 feet to dead-center field.

According to Jensen Lewis, this was the longest home run by an Indians player in 2021.

The Indians need to start putting wins together

Kudos to the Indians who defeated the Reds with nothing but relievers. The Tribe threw five pitchers on Monday, none going more than two innings, with occasional spot-starter Sam Hentges getting the nod to start and Justin Garza, who came on in relief, getting the win.

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The Tribe starts a pivotal game with the Oakland A’s on Tuesday, a series they must win if they hope to keep their postseason alive. Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, and Eli Morgan will take the mound for the Indians in this clash, and with the A’s being one of the better teams in the AL, a Herculean effort may be needed.

Quantrill has not given up more than three runs in his last seven outings, including a win against the A’s. He’s cemented himself as a reliable starter who should remain in the starting rotation for the rest of the season. Despite a bloated-looking ERA, Morgan has only given up more than three runs twice in his last eight outings. In those other two outings, Morgan only gave up four runs total. While his ERA looks horrid, he’s actually pitching quite well.

McKenzie is going to be the weak link, who’s had a disastrous year in 2021 and despite spells where he looks like he’s finally putting it all together, he ends up regressing. He’ll need the performance of his season if he hopes to hold the A’s at bay.