Indians Winning Streak Post Mortem

The Cleveland Indians seemed unstoppable. Contrary to The Dodger Implosion, the Indians just kept on rising. Cleveland managed to stretch their winning streak to 22 games. Their last victim was the Kansas City Royals by virtue of a walk off. By the same token, the Royals also ended the impressive streak, beating the Tribe 4-3 on Friday. Not only did they managed to pull off 22 victories in a row, but they did it with crushing victories. It seems that the Cleveland Indians picked up where the Dodgers left off. But of course, all good things must come to an end.

http://gty.im/847163370

The Aftermath

The hottest team in baseball is a well oiled machine. Not much has gone wrong for the Tribe as of late. Take a look at the results of their streak numbers wise:

Pitching

First of all, pitching has been spectacular for the Indians. Not only trough their hot streak, but also for the entire campaign. Corey Kluber has been solid all season long with a 16-4 record and an ERA of 2.44. Similarly, Carlos Carrasco has been strong on the mound, despite not having quite as good of an ERA as Kluber (3.41), his teammates have been there to pick him up offensively to help him to a 16-8 record. Mike Clevinger has also done his part. Despite not having such a flashy record (10-5) and an average ERA (3.21), he has held the bar in numerous tight, low scoring affairs. Not only has pitching made them defensively tough, it has also allowed them to crush the opposition. During the now ended streak, the Indians  outscored their adversaries by more than a hundred runs.

Offense:

Perhaps the flashiest element of the Cleveland winning streak, the Tribe’s bats certainly have been scorching hot. Edwin Encarnacion leads the team in RBI as designated hitter (89).First baseman Carlos Santana has also helped the Indian cause with 70 runs batted in. Dominican born Jose Ramirez  leads the Indians in home runs with 26. He has come in specially handy, given the fact that Jay Bruce has lost some power despite still being a rock solid offensive contributor. Most importantly, this is a simple offense. They don’t over power pitchers. They just focus in getting the ball in play and playing small ball. It is a team offense above all.

http://gty.im/840349678

It’s All About Momentum

Winning is important, more so in this stage of the season. While some teams seem to sink during these final days of regular baseball, others grow big. Those who grow big are the ones that thrive during postseason baseball. Momentum is key. That same momentum has turned the Cleveland Indians from divisional leaders to serious postseason contenders. When a team its hot, unless a colossal failure happens, it is pretty hard to stop. However, let’s not forget that an unexpected upset can turn things upside down. The momentum that once was rising up can very well go down crashing hard.

Dark Horse?

To say that this took most of us by surprise is an understatement. Performances like their recent streak can very well carry them all the way to the World Series. While is it true that their last bit of schedule has not been the toughest out there, this efficient brand of baseball is more than enough to give everyone a fight. The Indians must now reset and start from zero to avoid catastrophe.  There is still plenty of baseball to be played, losses can very well rack up in the same way the wins once did. The Cleveland Indians now find themselves between a very fine line. Either they stride to the top of the pack, or, they fall flat and lose the race. The end of the streak and the momentum issue make the Indians could have the Indians playing the role of a dark horse.