Here Are Tribe’s Needs For The Stretch Run

The Major League Baseball, referred to by most people as a marathon, not a sprint, has reached the closing kick stage, as the Cleveland Indians have just 15 games remaining.

In fact, when the first place Minnesota Twins come to town Friday night for a big three game series, it will be the beginning of the final home stand of 2019.

Nine more at Progressive Field, and a six game, two city trip to Chicago and Washington, and see if Terry Francona’s squad gets a berth in the post-season tournament.

The Tribe has struggled against both the White Sox and good pitching all season long, so that last week will be a gauntlet to be sure. One thing to hope for is the Nationals might have their playoff spot (they currently hold the top spot in the NL by 2-1/2 games) solidified by the last weekend, putting them in rest/set up their pitching mode for the wild card game.

It would also help if Cleveland can avoid Lucas Giolito for the White Sox series.

As it has been all season, the key for the Indians will be generating enough offense to support the pitching they have had, ranking 2nd in the AL in ERA, just behind Tampa Bay.

We have railed on Jason Kipnis all season long, but no one can doubt the Indians need a strong finish from him, particularly with Jose Ramirez’ injury. The problem is the second baseman has had a 564 OPS vs. teams over .500 compared to 824 against good teams.

Nine of the final 15 games are against the former. They need Kipnis to get hot and stay hot in the final three weeks.

The other player who the Tribe needs to get going is Yasiel Puig. Puig was slugging .475 for Cincinnati (yes, we know about Great American Ballpark) and had an OPS of 777 with the Reds.

He only hit 9 of his 22 National League homers in Cincy.

His OPS for the Indians isn’t far off of that at 759, but instead of driving the ball, he’s been more of an on base guy, at .355 vs. .302 in southern Ohio.

The Indians could use Puig getting hot with the long ball in these last three weeks to help them push runs across the plate.

Puig has 16 RBI in 136 at bats with Cleveland. By contrast, Franmil Reyes, who started slow, has 28 ribbies in 131 at bats. If Puig could start matching Reyes’ production, that would help the lineup immensely.

The other concern is how much gas the bullpen has left.

Brad Hand needs to find the arm slot on his slider, and the sooner, the better. Hitters aren’t swinging at the back foot breaking ball he throws right now, probably because they know it will be a ball.

Hopefully, a few days off will help his tired arm.

Carlos Carrasco was supposed to help and still could, but he’s allowed three HR’s in his five relief appearances since returning to the mound.

The most reliable guys Francona has right now are the two oldest relievers, Tyler Clippard and Oliver Perez.

Clippard, 34, has a 2.25 ERA in the second half, striking out 36 hitters in 32 innings since the All Star Game.

Perez, who just turned 38 recently, has pitched to a 2.57 ERA in 16 innings post All Star break.

The ‘pen needs someone else to be reliable, perhaps Nick Wittgren, a couple of good outings recently, or Nick Goody to get back to where he was in July through mid August.

Or have Carrasco avoid the long ball.

Those are the keys as baseball heads into the stretch run. The Indians are still in the thick of the race, but right now are on the outside looking in.

With a tougher schedule in the last two and a half weeks, Francona needs a few guys to step it up.

Relax, Browns Fans. It’s One Game

To be sure, no one in northeast Ohio thought the Cleveland Browns would lose by 30 points in week one of the 2019 NFL schedule.

After all kinds of optimism, including here, over the weekend, the Tennessee Titans pounded the Browns 43-13 at First Energy Stadium.

We are hearing the squeals of panic from both fans and media alike after the performance, with many focusing on the 20 penalties (two were declined) called on the brown and orange, saying it is a sign of the undisciplined ways of Freddie Kitchens.

We heard Kitchens say pretty much at every halftime during the pre-season complaining about the amount of penalties on his team, so we are pretty sure he doesn’t condone them.

Our thought at the time was that it was reserves committing the fouls, because let’s face it, the Browns didn’t play a lot of starters in the games that don’t count.

And we also doubt Kitchens told Greg Robinson to kick someone or Myles Garrett to slap someone in the face.

On the other hand, if the Browns are penalized 10 or more times next Monday night against the Jets, then an eyebrow should be raised. Until that happens, let’s consider that the flags in the opener were a blip on the radar, or perhaps the result of one of the NFL’s terrible officiating crews.

We are frequent critics of the league’s officials, mostly because they are terribly inconsistent and selective. Perhaps the crew on Sunday interpreted the way the Browns did some things (not the kicking or slapping) as penalties and another crew won’t.

Remember, the same crew ignored a play clock violation for two or three seconds on Titans’ punt. Who knows what they were watching then?

That said, there were definitely some issues with the opening game.

It seemed that Kitchens got caught up in playing with his new toys, and ignored one of the biggest reasons for the Browns’ success in the second half of last season.

Nick Chubb carried the ball just 17 times for 75 yards, but just six times in the first half. Only one of those carries was for negative yards, and two of the totes went for 10 and 9 yards.

The offensive line was a problem too. Cameron Wake ran around RT Chris Hubbard several times, and when Robinson was ejected, it put the offensive line in shambles.

If your offensive line is an issue, doesn’t running the ball successfully take some pressure off the unit?

But let’s not forget this was a 15-13 game with two minutes to go in the third quarter. It’s not like they were blown out from the get go. The screen pass to Derrick Henry for 75 yards after Cleveland made it a two point game was the back breaker.

The Browns got impatient after that. Baker Mayfield forced a couple of throws, both were picked off, and the rout was on. Mayfield could’ve used some patience. There was still a quarter to play and it was just a two score game.

Plenty of time to come back.

We get that there was a lot of anticipation going into the season, and it was a kick in the head (no pun intended, Greg Robinson) for not only the fans, but also for the Browns.

Remember this, when the Browns beat the Steelers 51-0 in the season opener in 1989, the Steelers went 9-7 and made the playoffs.

It’s just one game. Again, if we see the same thing next Monday night against the Jets, then it could be a problem.

A Trip To The Playoffs Starts Today.

Today, the Cleveland Browns kickoff the 2019 season, and for the first time in four years there are expectations to live up to.

Fans expect this football team to make the playoffs, something the team hasn’t done since 2004. Cleveland went 5-2 to end the season a year ago, and the last loss, in the final game of the season, ended with Baker Mayfield through an interception with the Browns driving for a go ahead score.

That was the last time we saw this team in a game that counts.

While the Browns didn’t beat any winning teams in that seven game stretch, they did give several a battle early in the season when Hue Jackson was at the helm.

They tied the Steelers in the season opener last year.

The tied the Saints with a little over a minute to go in New Orleans in week two, and a missed extra point could’ve given them a 19-18 lead. The Saints kicked the winning field goal with 21 seconds left.

They played four overtime games in 2018, going 1-2-1, beating the Ravens, their only win over a winning team.

This is a very young football team. As we said a week ago, there are only five players on this roster over 29 years of age, and two of them are backup quarterback Drew Stanton and long snapper Charlie Hughlett.

The thing about a young football team is it will get better with experience. Baker Mayfield should be better, Nick Chubb should be better, Denzel Ward should be better, and Myles Garrett should be better.

But that wasn’t good enough for GM John Dorsey. He wanted more help for his two franchise cornerstones, first overall picks Garrett and Mayfield.

He accelerated the progress by trading for Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon, an elite wide receiver to help Mayfield and another pass rusher to aid Garrett. He also signed DT Sheldon Richardson as a free agent.

Remember what former Browns GM Ernie Accorsi said were the two most important positions in football. The quarterback and people who can get to the quarterback.

Mayfield and Garrett. Mayfield and Garrett. Mayfield and Garrett.

Dorsey also understands this is a passing league now, and so in addition to the pass rushers, he loves secondary people.

Ward was his first defensive draft pick, and if he can stay healthy (he had two concussions a year ago), he looks like he can be the shutdown cover corner good teams need.

That’s why he took CB Greedy Williams as his first pick (second round) in the 2019 draft. Williams was heralded for his ability to pick off passes in college, and the brass hopes eventually he will team with Ward to have a pair of corners to rival the 80’s duo of Hanford Dixon and Frank Minniefield.

Yes, the Browns have a new coach, and yes, that coach was only a coordinator for seven games last season.

We don’t know how Freddie Kitchens will do in terms of clock management, etc. (the things media and fans focus on), but we do think the players respect him and like playing for him.

He seems like to right guy to lead this football team.

Everyone may be singing a different tune in about a month, but optimism reigns as the Browns take the field this afternoon, and it should.

Barring injuries, the talent is there. Now it’s time to put the talent into use.

September Call Ups (To Date) Shouldn’t Help Much (Outside of Cookie)

Major league rules permit teams to expand their rosters on September 1st, enabling them to carry 40 players if they so choose.

The Cleveland Indians followed those rules on Sunday, activating Carlos Carrasco, a move much anticipated because of Carrasco’s battle with leukemia. It was great to see Cookie on the mound against Tampa and Chicago this week.

The rest of the moves were, quite simply, meh.

You figured Eric Haase would get called up because adding an extra catcher enables Terry Francona to pinch hit or pinch run for whoever starts that night, and he doesn’t have to be on pins and needles because he doesn’t have an alternative.

It is doubtful Haase will get any action with a game in doubt as long as the Tribe remains in the playoff race.

The other call ups were veterans, players who will probably make little impact on a team that right now seems to be gasping for air.

Dan Otero was activated from the 60 day injured list, but he’s a back of the bullpen option at this point, with an ERA of 5.47 and having allowed 37 hits (5 of them home runs) and striking out just 11 in 24-2/3 innings.

James Hoyt may be able to help, although he has a career 4.28 ERA in the major leagues.

The club also called up Ryan Flaherty, who is a lifetime .217 hitter over seven major league seasons. His claim to fame is he’s had success against Cleveland, because if you remove his performance vs. the Tribe over the years, his career average is .210.

If Francona has to give him any playing time, that’s a big problem.

Jake Bauers was brought back too, and probably would have been even if Tyler Naquin didn’t injure his knee last weekend.

While it would be nice if Carrasco could get his legs and become a guy Francona can turn to late in ballgames, it is doubtful any of the other players called up can or will make an impact on the roster.

We have heard about the power arms the Tribe has in Columbus, guys like strikeout machine James Karinchak (42 punchouts, 13 walks in 17-1/3 innings at AAA), Cameron Hill (36 K’s in 24-1/3 frames) and lefty Kyle Nelson (16 strikeouts in 12 innings), but none of these guys can help a recently beleaguered bullpen?

Karinchak not being here is very curious. He was whiffed 66 batters in 27-1/3 innings at AA and AAA this season. That’s an eye popping number.

Yes, he has walked 15 batters, but nine of those came in four appearances, all occurring before August 15th. He’s walked just one in his last six outings.

Why not see if his stuff plays at the big league level? We mean no one else is putting up those kind of numbers in the minor leagues.

In our mind, wouldn’t he be more help during the stretch run than a guy like Otero?

And the Tribe could use another southpaw in relief.

We understand none of the players were going to jump in and be better than the regular players, but on the other hand, they aren’t giving any chances to young players either.

Right now, Carrasco is the lone hope for an impact to the big league club. Francona admitted he might have jumped the gun putting Cookie in a pressure situation so soon. We would have eased him in a little more, with the goal of having him be the set up man around the middle of the month.

Yesterday, Francona said more players may get the call from Columbus before the Clippers’ playoff series is over.

Perhaps a reliever or two, and a bat with some potential? We can hope.

Browns Fans On The Edge Of Their Seats Waiting For Sunday

On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns will open perhaps their most anticipated season opener since they returned to the NFL in 1999 when they take on the Tennessee Titans.

Normally, we would analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each team, but that goes out the window because of the new way teams view the pre-season.

Baker Mayfield played two quarters in the third game vs. Tampa and one series in the first game against Washington. That’s it.

Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry haven’t even taken the field yet, and to our recollection Nick Chubb played in only the first game too.

If the offensive line can hold up, and without question it is a weaker unit without Kevin Zeitler, because Austin Corbett couldn’t grab a hold of the job, the offense should be dynamic with playmakers all over the place.

You can tell coach Freddie Kitchens and GM John Dorsey are concerned about the line because Dorsey swung two trades since Friday, getting Wyatt Teller from Buffalo and Justin McCray from Green Bay. Both play guard, the same spot Zeitler played.

Probably the biggest question will be how much Kitchens wants to run the football. We feel he will continue to use Chubb and try to balance the run and the pass, despite the presence of Beckham, Landry, Hollywood Higgins, and David Njoku.

The running game will help the offensive line, and if successful, will keep teams from pressuring the guy who orchestrates the offense, second year quarterback Baker Mayfield.

If it is true the biggest jump for a player comes in his second year, Cleveland football fans will be in for a treat. Mayfield will be the best passer the Browns have had since Bernie Kosar was at the helm in the mid 80’s.

The defensive front could be dominated, and if the Browns can get leads and teams will be forced to play catch up, the sack totals could be astronomical.

We have watched the Browns since the mid 1960’s, and never have they had a dominating pass rush. Myles Garrett has a chance to be the franchise’s all time sack leader within five years.

That tells you something about Garrett’s ability, and also the lack of an elite pass rusher for the Browns since sacks were kept as a statistic.

The most controversial cut by Kitchens and Dorsey turned out to be the punter. Britton Colquitt was let go in favor of the “Scottish Hammer”, Jamie Gillen.

We weren’t surprised by the move, because it will save the Browns dollars on the salary cap next season, when they will probably need the space.

Think about it, how many times have you ever heard of a punt costing a team a game? You might hear how punt coverage was a factor, but not the kick itself.

The Browns hired a very successful special teams coach in Mike Prieffer, and if he thinks Gillen can handle the job, we will side with him.

This is still a very young football team. The only players over 30 years old are S Morgan Burnett and back up QB Drew Stanton.

The only guys at 29 are G Eric Kush, CB T. J. Carrie, and long snapper Charlie Hughlett. That’s it.

It has the potential to be a very interesting fall for football fans in Cleveland. And since it has been a long time waiting, the anticipation is real.

Tribe Leaking Oil, Particularly Hitting and Bullpen

Even when the Cleveland Indians were 11-1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins, we did not give up hope.

We looked at the schedule in June and July and thought there was a very good chance the Tribe would right itself and be able to win some games. In early June, we advised fans to forget about Minnesota and focus on winning, win enough games to get a Wild Card spot.

The Indians did that, and right now have a half game lead over Oakland and Tampa Bay for the top Wild Card spot.

However, right now the last month of the season doesn’t have us feeling quite as confident.

One reason is injuries. Cleveland suffered a huge blow when Jose Ramirez, who was one of the sport’s hottest hitters went down with a broken hamate bone, and is likely lost for the season.

Then Tyler Naquin, hitting well in a platoon role in left, tore his ACL in Tampa Friday night, and he is gone for the remainder of the campaign.

As a whole, the offense was sputtering a bit in August, averaging 4.8 runs per game compared to 5.9 in July, and even down a tad from 4.9 in June, and losing Ramirez doesn’t help that.

Roberto Perez needs some time off, but his glove and handling of pitchers is so valuable, particularly with the young starting pitchers, that you want him in there. But his offense, such a key in the June/July resurgence, has disappeared. He’s hit just .139 (503 OPS) in August.

Yasiel Puig, who started off hot after joining the Tribe, is in a 5 for 45 skid (.111), knocking in just two runs in that timeframe. He hasn’t homered since August 16th in New York.

Jason Kipnis, another big key in the hot streak for the team, is also in a funk, going 8 for his last 48 (.167), although four of those hits have been home runs.

So, the lineup, which seemed lengthened with the acquisitions of Puig and Franmil Reyes, no longer is relentless.

Right now, after Carlos Santana in the #3 hole, the only hitter presenting much of a threat is Reyes, who has started to drive the ball, and is striking out a little bit less.

There is no question fatigue is a factor, particularly in Perez’ case, but if the Indians want to make the post-season, that trio, and Greg Allen too, as he replaced Naquin, have to pick up the slack offensively.

The bullpen has also been struggling lately, not being able to hold teams close twice in the last week (last Sunday vs. KC, last night vs. Tampa). We thought the loss of inning eater Trevor Bauer might cause a ripple effect, and perhaps it has.

However, the bullpen doesn’t have anyone beside Brad Hand that has “ungodly” stuff, and perhaps being a overused a bit causes the pinpoint control to be off a bit, and giving up hits is the result.

Maybe, and we stress maybe, Carlos Carrasco can help in this area.

The front office opted to bring up veterans in the initial call up today, bringing up terrible offensive utility man Ryan Flaherty and James Hoyt, who allowed more hits than innings pitched at AAA this season, along with Carrasco, and journeyman Dan Otero, and catcher Eric Haase.

If the Indians want to get to the playoffs, though, the offense simply has to pick it up. The way the game is played in 2019, having great pitching is not enough.

Royals’ Potential Sale Should Be A Red Flag For Tribe Fans.

Even though they are in the middle of a post-season race, the Cleveland Indians were involved in off the field news yesterday, both good and bad.

The good was the announcement that Carlos Carrasco would be activated on Sunday when the rosters will be expanded, barring any problem with his rehab assignment today in Columbus.

Carrasco will pitch out of the bullpen during September, and he could be a big weapon in relief, potentially as a set up man for Brad Hand.

The other news should be concerning and it isn’t getting a lot of play from the local media.

John Sherman, who joined the Indians as a minority owner in 2016, appears to be close to buying the Kansas City Royals.

Sherman is from KC, and reportedly has been a Royals’ season ticket holder for many years.

If you are someone who is skeptical about the Dolan family ownership of the Indians, you are probably alarmed by this news.

It is not a coincidence that the spike in the Indians’ payroll in 2017 and 2018 came after Sherman bought a piece of the franchise. It has been reported by MLB.com that the minority owner was responsible for that spike.

Rumors that Sherman was no longer part of the organization surfaced in the spring when the payroll was cut from the 2018 level, but in retrospect, the reduction is salaries came from the news that Sherman was in negotiations to buy the Royals.

That should, in itself, be a huge warning signal about the future salary expenditures for the Cleveland Indians.

After trimming $15-$20 million off the payroll a year ago, could there be a similar reduction this winter? After all, the Dolans will have to buy Sherman out assuming he buys the Royals, and we are guessing that’s a substantial amount of cash.

Also, whether they win the AL Central Division or not, the Indians will be one of the top five or six teams in the league after the season, and could be making their fourth consecutive appearance in the post-season.

We have seen the effect on attendance after the payroll trim last season, can you imagine what will happen if let’s say management doesn’t bring back Corey Kluber and heaven forbid, decides to trade Francisco Lindor because the want to pay less in salaries than they did in 2019?

Before you say we are over-reacting, if the reason for the high payrolls in ’17 and ’18 were because of Sherman, then can’t you infer another cut is coming? Certainly, there will not be an increase in the players’ salaries.

Will the Dolans look for another investor to take Sherman’s place, or will Sherman sell his shares in the Indians to another person who is willing to spend?

Remember, the mega trade at the deadline which moved Trevor Bauer for what appears to be a huge haul, actually saved the Tribe money in 2019. It wasn’t a financial move to “go for it”.

So, keep an eye on these Kansas City negotiations. A close eye. Because the near future of the Cleveland Indians franchise and the Dolan ownership should be under close scrutiny.

Or maybe this is the first step in a full sale of the franchise. Either way, it should be concerning for Tribe fans.

Only Preseason, But Still Overreaction.

The pre-season in the NFL has become an out and out joke, but that hasn’t stopped fans from overreacting to the Cleveland Browns’ first loss in games that don’t count, last Friday at Tampa Bay.

One of the reasons it shouldn’t be taken too seriously is the intentions of the head coach’s toward these games.

For example, and we have no inside information here, let’s say Freddie Kitchens prepared his team one way and told his friend, Bruce Arians, now the head coach of the Buccaneers, to run some stuff the Browns haven’t seen in order to see how the players would react.

Maybe they agreed to do this to each other’s teams to gauge how the two teams would respond to some adversity.

We just don’t know.

Remember, there were some who were upset in the first game against the Redskins, when the Browns opened the game in the no huddle, hurry up offense.

We speculated then that Kitchens told Washington coach Jay Gruden he was going to do this, and offensive coordinator Todd Monken confirmed it a couple of days later.

This doesn’t mean the Browns don’t have issues on the offensive line or in the kicking game. It does mean the issues aren’t greater than they were before kickoff last Friday night.

It isn’t like it was 10 years ago, when the third pre-season game was the dress rehearsal game. Back then, the starters played pretty much the whole first quarter of the first game, about a half of the second, and three quarters of the third.

That’s not the case anymore.

Baker Mayfield played one series in the opener against Washington. He didn’t play at all in the second contest at Indianapolis. Most of the starters did the same.

Heck, Odell Beckham Jr. nor Jarvis Landry has stepped foot on the field of play through three exhibition (yes, we know the NFL doesn’t like them called that) games.

The preseason has become a series of glorified scrimmages, and many teams, including the Browns, have gone to organized practices against other teams where the action and hitting can be controlled.

Remember 2017 when the Browns went 0-16? They were 4-0 in the preseason. Hue Jackson was trying to win those games.

We heard Kitchens say if they are keeping score then he wants to win, but our guess is he’d be a lot more upset about a loss on September 8th than he is about the Tampa game.

Someone is going to win Thursday night in the game against Detroit, but it is likely no one of any importance to the 2019 Cleveland Browns will play in that game, and the same can be said of most NFL teams.

It’s time for the NFL to cut back to two games, and start playing them off-site, so season ticket holders don’t have to pay full price for them. Or, if you want to play a home game, give season ticket holders an option to buy them at a reduced price, and if they don’t sell them to the public at a lower price.

Maybe someone who can’t afford to go normally can get to see an NFL game in person.

As for the results, don’t get to concerned, because again, we don’t know what the opposing teams are trying to accomplish.

There will be plenty of time for concern when the regular season starts next week.

Tribe Has To Stay With Hand

First of all, Brad Hand has saved the last two games, and now has 31 on the year.

He’s blown five saves this season, and four of them have come since the All Star break. And when you are in a pennant race, everything is magnified, and when you lose games you had the lead in going into the ninth inning, it’s a huge deal.

However, Terry Francona is right when he says the Indians cannot run away from Brad Hand if they want to get to the post-season and go deep into October. They need Hand to be the guy he was in April and May.

Since Hand went to San Diego in 2016, he has been one of the game’s best closers, striking out more than 100 hitters in each of the last three seasons, and he’s fanned 77 in 53 innings this season.

But the real reason the Francona and the Tribe can’t go away from the lefty is they really don’t have any options.

While the Indians statistically have the best bullpen in the sport, they are doing it without the power arms one usually associates with a closer.

Think about it, who would Francona use as an alternative to Hand?

Nick Wittgren has been the guy the skipper has gone to when Hand wasn’t available because of high usage, but he’s allowed four home runs in the last two months of the season (he’s allowed seven all year), and closers have to stay away from the long ball (Hand has allowed 5 HR).

Plus, even though Wittgren has struck out a hitter per inning this season, he’s not considered a strikeout pitcher.

Nick Goody has been outstanding since coming up in May (1.93 ERA, 20 hits allowed in 32-1/3 innings), but he relies more on his breaking ball. Still, he might be the guy Francona goes to today if the Indians have a lead late.

Tyler Clippard is a guy Francona has been trusting more and more, he pitched the 8th inning last night, and he has a 2.52 ERA, allowing just 31 hits in 50 innings, whiffing 47, but he’s another guy who knows how to pitch. He’s closed before, but the last time was 2015.

The ageless Oliver Perez continues to amaze both fans and hitters with his array of deliveries and arm angles, but he and Adam Cimber are more situational pitchers at this point in time in their careers.

Hunter Wood and Phil Maton are the newest members of the bullpen, and are too new for Francona to bring into the game in the 9th inning, although Wood has started to be used in some high leverage situations.

We are also sure some fans will say what about James Karinchak, who in 24-1/3 innings at AA and AAA has struck out 58 hitters, but do you really want to put an unproven rookie in the high pressure spot of saving games right away?

If he comes up, Francona will use him in low leverage situations at first before trying him with the game on the line.

As for the comeback of Carlos Carrasco, which would be great for him and a great story, our guess is at least at the beginning, Tito will use him as a set up guy, in the 7th or 8th inning.

By the time he’s back, Hand may have solved his issues.

Our point is that it’s easy to say remove Hand as the closer, but it’s another to say who should take his place. There isn’t really an alternative on the current roster.

Tribe Slump Needs To End Quick

When you are in a pennant race, and the Cleveland Indians are in one, if you have a slump, it cannot last very long.

That’s why the Indians need to stem the tide right away. They’ve now lost seven of their last nine games, and where they led the AL Central Division by a half game after a win over the Red Sox on August 13th, they are now three and a half games behind the Twins.

After that win, they had a two and a half game edge on Tampa Bay and a four and a half game bulge on Oakland, who would have been the first team out of the playoffs.

Today, they are on the outside looking in, a half game behind the Rays and A’s. That’s what happens when you have a bad week in a race for a playoff spot. What was once a comfortable lead, is now down to nail biting levels.

Now, Tampa Bay and Oakland are capable of having bad weeks too, but that’s their problem. The Indians have to pull them out of this themselves.

There are several issues at play here.

First, the offense was supposed to be bolstered with the acquisitions of Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes at the trade deadline, but the runs scored has dropped from 5.91 runs per game in July to 4.8 in August, and the latter figure includes the 19 run outburst in the first game at Yankee Stadium, otherwise they are scoring just 4.1 runs per game.

Roberto Perez has slumped at the plate, but his defense and handling of the staff is so valuable, he has to be in the lineup.

No doubt the Tribe misses Jordan Luplow vs. lefties, and the offense has become home run or bust recently. To us, it seems the patience at the plate has been lost, especially with runners in scoring position.

And quite frankly, to this point, Reyes hasn’t helped, hitting .154 with 26 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances.

The pitching has held up pretty well, even after the trade of Trevor Bauer. Cleveland allowed 4.27 runs in June, when they started playing well, 3.13 runs in July, and 3.81 runs in August, despite playing the high powered offenses of the Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees.

The team looks a little tired too. Coming from 11.5 games out to hold the lead in the division (at least for a day), took a toll, and with Terry Francona wanting an eight man bullpen, it doesn’t allow a rest for the non-platoon players, like Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Carlos Santana.

We feel the weariness is part of the reason for the sloppy play defensively over the past week.

Yes, the Indians have a home stand against the Royals this weekend and then go to the Detroit for another troika of games, but Tampa Bay follows that, and then a home set with the White Sox, who have been tough on the Indians.

It’s was inevitable that the Tribe cooled off after being so hot in June and July. If they would have played .500 ball over a 20 game stretch, that would have been fine, but if you are going to lose seven of nine, you have to respond with a winning streak.

That’s the new challenge for the 2019 edition of the Cleveland Indians.