June has been a banner month for Cleveland sports. LeBron James and the Cavaliers are the NBA champions. The win ended a 52 year title drought for the city. That good fortune seems like it is rubbing off on the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe are on fire right now and there doesn’t look like an end in immediate sight. It would be foolish to call for a second title in a calendar year for Cleveland. But, from what they’ve shown during this 13 game winning streak, it isn’t as far-fetched as some believed before.
13 games ago the Indians completed a three game series with the Royals. Cleveland were on the wrong end of a sweep in that one and ace Corey Kluber was tuned up to the tone of eight runs. The loss left Cleveland tied with Kansas City for first place in the American League Central. Since then, they have been nothing short of dominant.
First of all, and least surprising, the starting pitching has been fantastic. During this streak, Kluber has lowered his ERA nearly half a point. He threw a complete game shutout against the Rays and hurled eight more solid innings against Atlanta. While Kluber was in regrouping mode, Danny Salazar continued to shine. Salazar could make a substantial case for being the AL’s starter in the All-Star Game. His 10-3 record catches the casual eye, but his 2.22 ERA, 10.32 K/9, and .560 opponent’s OPS have statisticians drooling. The success of these two has rubbed off on the rest of the rotation.
The rotation as a whole has gelled into the best in the junior circuit. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin have ironed out the kinks from recent year struggles. Bauer has curtailed his control issues allowing him to go deeper into games. Since being inserted into the rotation, Bauer has gone at least five innings. His only start under seven in the month of June came in a win his last time out. Tomlin has been equally impressive during this streak. Unlike his fireballing counterparts though, the Indians righty has kept himself in games with pinpoint pitch placement. He has just two walks in five June starts and only seven for the entire season.
We finally round out the starting five with Carlos Carrasco. He’s come alive during this run after a month long DL stint and a rough start to June. Carrasco’s second to last start was a pitching clinic against divisional rival Detroit. He threw a four hit shutout and seemed to grow stronger with each one of his 117 pitches on the night. He followed that up with a 14 strikeout showcase against the Blue Jays. He victimized every Blue Jay hitter at least once. The rotation may be at its peak right now leaving less than scraps for a so-so bullpen.
That isn’t to say the pen isn’t decent but between the starters going deep into games, and hitters going deep into the stands, there isn’t much for them to do. The Indians lineup has gone yard 24 times during the 13 game winning streak. That tally includes back to back four tater games against the Tigers, the latter being all in one inning against Justin Verlander. This windfall nearly doubles their home run rate from the prior 65 games of the season. Even without star Michael Brantley, the offense is humming. Three of Lonnie Chisenhall’s five home runs in 2016 for the Indians have come during this stretch. Juan Uribe has hit five of his seven homers in the past ten outings.
This double whammy of greatness has counteracted the slight drop in the Indians usual strength, defense. A year after finishing second in the AL in team defense, Cleveland is currently in the bottom half (9 of 15) of the American League in the field. Francisco Lindor is still breathtaking with the glove at shortstop, but his teammates are booting the ball much more than usual. It is something that I am sure manager Terry Francona is aware of, and will surely make the necessary adjustments to rectify.
Once mired in a tight race, the Indians now have a sizable lead in the division. You can’t count out the Royals’ recent pedigree or the Tigers’ deep war chest, but the Indians have proved they are here to stay. Expect to see plenty of them in San Diego on All-Star weekend. You can also expect to see them in the playoffs this year.