Mercado, Perez, and Bieber Key Tribe Resurgence

On May 26th, the Cleveland Indians lost to Tampa Bay, 6-3 at Progressive Field, ending a four game series against the Rays losing three out of four.

Their record was 26-26 and they were floundering, especially on offense. Their lineup that day featured five hitters with OPS under 681.

The starting rotation lost Corey Kluber at the beginning of the month, and Carlos Carrasco would make his (to this point, hopefully) last start four days later in a 10-4 loss to the White Sox. Mike Clevinger was still on the injured list, after making just two starts.

With games coming up against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Twins, it was easy to see the season quickly going down the toilet.

Then something weird happened, the Tribe started winning, going 23-12 since then, helped by playing well against the big boys of the American League (they went 6-3 vs. NY, BOS, and MIN) and taking advantage of a decidedly soft schedule.

Who were the big players in this turn around?

First, Oscar Mercado started getting regular playing time. Mercado received a call up on May 14th, and instantly gave the offense a shot in the arm.

His OPS is 777 and his batting average hasn’t dipped below .259 at any point in that period. He gave Terry Francona another solid hitter to add to Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor.

He has some pop in his bat, slugging .440, and also is not a big swing and miss guy, with 34 strikeouts in 182 plate appearances.

Another huge contribution came from Roberto Perez, who since that date has belted 10 home runs and knocked in 21. Many criticized the veteran early in the season when he was hitting under .200 as late as April 26th, but we always liked Perez’ patience at the plate.

Even when he wasn’t hitting, and he had a .212 lifetime batting average coming into the year, he didn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches. We felt with regular playing time, he would be a better hitter than he had shown.

His emergence gave Francona a fourth bat in the lineup, and with Jason Kipnis’ recent hot streak (he has since cooled, going 3 for his last 23), and Jose Ramirez showing signs of regaining at least some of his old form, the offense suddenly wasn’t anemic.

And the rightfield platoon of Tyler Naquin and Jordan Luplow has been contributing too.

As for the pitching, with the top three in the rotation (Kluber, Carrasco, and Bauer) down to just one, someone had to step up.

Rookie Zach Plesac gave the squad several solid starts, although he has had rookie struggles lately. And another rook not on the radar when spring training began, Aaron Civale pitched in with a solid outing too.

Adam Plutko made seven starts, five of them very good, including a win at home over the Yankees.

But the breakout star, much like Clevinger in 2017, has been Shane Bieber, who was voted to the All Star team this week.

The righty, who made his major league debut just a year ago, is 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA on the season with 141 strikeouts in 112-1/3 innings.

The strikeouts put him 4th in the AL (behind Garret Cole, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, and Matthew Boyd), while the ERA is 12th in the league.

His batting average against is the league’s 6th best figure.

With Clevinger back, Bieber gives the Tribe a new big three at the top of the rotation with Bauer, who has been the constant.

And if Kluber and Carrasco return this season? That’s a helluva rotation.

Who knows where the Tribe would be without this trio of players? We can be sure the front office would be contemplating who to sell off at the end of July.

That’s how important these three have been to the Cleveland Indians.

Patience Should Still Be Short For Tribe.

We know the Cleveland Indians are in a race for a post- season spot, even if the team’s front office may not realize it, or in fact, may not want them to be.

Yes, we are being slightly facetious here, but if you are trying to win as many games as you can, you don’t use extreme patience with young players.

There is no question the Tribe received a tremendous boost from OF Oscar Mercado, whose production kind of forced the Indians to move on from Leonys Martin.

The rookie has the third highest OPS on the squad right now, behind Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor, and his .837 OPS is a true 800+, meaning the magic “800” number came from having an on base percentage of at least .350 and a slugging percentage of over .450.

Mercado does, with a .360 OBP and a .477 slugging mark. He’s not doing it by slugging a bunch of home runs, so his slugging mark is like .550 and he can get on base.

Since they should be vying for a wild card spot, they may have to make some tough decisions on other young players.

This doesn’t mean writing them off for ever. We know some players don’t catch on in their first call up, but need to go back to the minors for more seasoning. It’s not a crime, nor is it a horrible thing, it’s just baseball.

Two such players for the Indians are Jake Bauers and Bobby Bradley.

Bauers has received a longer leash, playing in 77 of the Tribe’s 83 games, but quite frankly, we hasn’t produced up to expectations, hitting just .226 with a .300/.389/.689 OPS make up.

And Bauers has received most of his time playing left field, and let’s just say, he’s not reminding anyone of a gold glover at the position.

As for Bradley, the Indians hoped to catch lightning in a bottle because he was mashing homers at a crazy pace in Columbus, but since being moved up hasn’t homered and has whiffed in half of his last 18 at bats.

If the Indians were 15 games out of a wild card spot, we’d say play both on an every day basis to find out if they can hit. But they aren’t, they need very much to win games.

And they seem to have players ready to go at Columbus.

Switch-hitting OF Greg Allen was hitting at the big league level right before he was sent out when Carlos Carrasco had to be put on the IL and the Tribe needed an extra reliever for a bullpen game.

Allen was 7 for his last 21 with two triples, a home run and four RBIs before going back to AAA.

The other player who should be brought up is 23-year-old left-handed hitting Daniel Johnson, who came over from Washington in the Yan Gomes deal.

Johnson started the year in Akron, and combined at AA and AAA, has hit .272 with an 884 OPS (.358/.527/.884). At Columbus, he has fanned 27 times and walked 17 times in 161 plate appearances.

Plus, he has played a lot of centerfield in his past, so his defense will be better than Bauers if he would play LF, or he could go to RF and have Tyler Naquin DH.

Terry Francona would still need a back up first baseman to give Carlos Santana a half day off, but that’s the only downside to this.

Again, the time to have patience is when you are losing or it’s the beginning of the season. Right now, the Cleveland Indians shouldn’t have much of the virtue.

If they show an excessive amount, it might tell you what they think of this year’s team.

Halfway Through, Tribe Still In A Race.

After finishing the first third of the season right at the .500 mark, the Cleveland Indians went 17-10 in their next 27 games to sit at 44-37 at the halfway point of the season, an 88 win pace for the entire campaign.

Here is how the season has gone in groups of 27 games (1/6th of the schedule):

First 27: 15-12
Next 27: 12-15
Third 27: 17-10

After 81 games, the Indians sit just a game and a half behind Texas for a wild card spot, tied with Oakland, and are a half game ahead of Boston.

So, the Tribe is still in the midst of a playoff hunt, but the bigger question is how hard will the organization go after it.

The Indians have dropped to 4th in the American League in ERA after back-to-back shellackings at the hands of the lowly Baltimore Orioles, but have moved up to 10th in the league in runs scored despite being shutout in consecutive games by a pitching staff with the worst ERA in the league.

And playing in a major hitter’s yard.

Jason Kipnis has had a rebirth in the last couple of weeks, but is it sustainable? Jose Ramirez has a 918 OPS and a .306 batting average in the last 14 days. Is this yet another sign that the two time top three MVP finisher has turned the corner?

What we are trying to say is if they want to make a run at the playoffs, the front office still needs to improve the offense.

Right now, Cleveland’s third or fourth best hitter on most nights is Roberto Perez, who is having his best offensive season (14 home runs, 825 OPS), but how long will that keep up, especially considering Perez plays a position where the schedule takes its toll on your body.

Are young players the answer? Well, Oscar Mercado has been a revelation to date, helping lengthen the lineup with a .307 and 812 OPS, but should that mean a wholesale influx of people from Columbus.

To date, and we know it is very early, Bobby Bradley has not. After going 2 for 6 in his first two games with a couple of key RBIs, he has been the all or nothing hitter we feared, going 1 for 14 with six strikeouts.

Again, it’s an extremely small sample size, but what the Tribe needs is not more swing and miss hitters that occasionally run into one, but more guys who get on base, and hit doubles and triples with an occasional long ball.

Cleveland is 11th in slugging, and 12th in doubles, and tenth in triples and home runs.

Again, using Mercado as an example, he has nine doubles and four homers, to go with his .352 on base percentage.

And it’s why we’d like to see Mark Mathias (.358 OBP, .459 slugging) or even Daniel Johnson (.350 OBP, .518 slugging) get a shot with the big club.

We touched on some of the power arms for the bullpen in the organization earlier this week, and that is another area we would like to see improved in the second half.

We feel guys like Tyler Olson and Adam Cimber can’t be trusted to get big outs in important games and that puts a bigger load on Brad Hand and Nick Wittgren, who probably should be a 7th inning guy, not an 8th inning one.

But it comes down to the front office and a commitment from ownership to go after a post-season spot.

And to those who say the Indians can’t beat New York or Houston? They may have a slim chance of that, but they have no chance if they don’t qualify for the playoffs.

Is Winning Exposing Tribe Bullpen A Bit?

With the Cleveland Indians’ recent winning ways, we have seen a return to the way Terry Francona likes to manage a bullpen.

Francona likes to use certain relievers with a lead and others when the Indians are trailing. We saw this with Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen when the Tribe was winning a lot of games in 2016 and 2017.

Yes, the Indians still have the best bullpen ERA in the AL at 3.35, but they are 12th in strikeouts by relievers, but again, they haven’t thrown as many innings as other teams.

Brad Hand has done an outstanding job in the closer role all season long and should make the American League All-Star team, but with all the winning lately, he may be showing a little bit of fatigue.

Hand had given up five runs all season before Tuesday night’s appearance in which he gave up five runs in the ninth inning vs. Kansas City.

It was his fifth appearance in six days, and since a two inning outing against the Reds in a 2-1 win on June 11th, he has struggled just a bit.

He had given up 5 hits in 4-2/3 frames since that outing, after allowing just 14 hits in 29 innings up to that point.

We aren’t blaming Hand at all, but what we are pointing out is the need for another reliable arm in the back of the Cleveland bullpen.

Nick Wittgren has been Francona’s eighth inning guy since he had a two inning save in Seattle on April 17th, and for the most part he has pitched better than he ever had in his major league career to this point.

But his recent appearance have resembled with he was in Miami, a solid reliever, but not someone with a high strikeout rate.

Veteran Tyler Clippard has been solid too, but he’s not a flame thrower either. He throws strikes and keeps the ball in the yard, but he isn’t the type of guy who opponents fear in the 7th or 8th inning.

Francona has started to use Nick Goody more in high leverage situations too, but again, he’s not the kind of reliever who can blow hitters away.

Veteran Oliver Perez has been the most reliable lefty besides Hand, mostly because he throws strikes and holds left-handed hitters to a 471 OPS.

Help could be coming in the form of James Karinchak as soon as he gets healthy from a hamstring pull.

Starting the year in Akron, the righty struck out a mind-boggling 24 hitters in 10 innings, and then went to Columbus and fanned eight in three innings.

Those figures are right, in 13 minor league innings, Karinchak has whiffed 32 batters in 13 innings. In his minor league career (he was drafted in 2017), he struck out 144 in 85 frames.

The Indians have promoted relievers quickly if they show dominance. Allen made a quick leap to the majors, being drafted in 2010, and debuting with the Tribe in 2012.

Kyle Crockett and Perci Garner (remember him) also made surprising rises through the system.

You could also see 22 year old Kyle Nelson, currently at Akron, before the season ends too. Nelson has 154 strikeouts in 104 minor league innings, including 30 in 20 innings (allowing just 9 hits) at AA.

Sidearmer Nick Sandlin, drafted last year, could also be a factor. He had a 1.56 ERA at Akron before being promoted to Columbus.

So, help could be on the way for Francona, and it will be interesting to see what the front office does after the All Star break.

There is potential to add some power arms to the relief corps by the end of this season. Keep an eye on the guys we mentioned.

A Tribe Selling Spree Now Seems Silly

A few weeks ago, when the Cleveland Indians were really struggling and lost three out of four to Tampa Bay, there was a good amount of people who were giving up on the season, AT THE END OF MAY!

Granted, for some teams, like Baltimore, Detroit, etc., that is a reasonable expectation, but no for a team who was supposed to win the Central Division title in 2019.

Even at that point (May 26th), the Tribe was playing .500 baseball at 26-26, and was just a game and a half out of the second wild card spot.

To start a selling off of assets would have been ridiculous at best.

At that point we examined the future schedule, and after a tough stretch of 13 games which included series vs. Boston, Minnesota, and New York, Cleveland’s slate of game until the trade deadline didn’t have a lot of meat to it.

The Indians are really just beginning that stretch now, and as of today, they are tied with the Red Sox for the second wild card spot, and are just 2-1/2 behind Tampa for a chance to host the game.

Yet, there are still fans and media alike who want to torch the rest of the season and start building for 2020.

Again, this is crazy thinking.

However, do we think the ownership and front office will go wild and make deals to insure a one game playoff run? The past tells us this is doubtful, but the Indians shouldn’t stand pat either.

Once again, the older veterans management counted on didn’t come through, so the young players will be expected to give the roster a needed shot in the arm.

Today, Bobby Bradley will make his major league debut, after swatting 24 home runs in AAA. We have doubts about his long term success because of contact issues, but he’s earned a look at the big league level, and maybe gives the lineup a bit of a jolt.

Leonys Martin was designated for assignment yesterday, another move long over due. Martin overcame a serious illness last season, but was hitting just .199, striking out way too much, and his defense had slipped a little.

It was time to let Oscar Mercado, who has played well to date, play on an everyday basis.

With the starting rotation riddled with injuries, the organization gave a fast call up to Zach Plesac, who has been a wonder in his five starts.

Suddenly, assuming Mike Clevinger’s ankle sprain is minor, the Indians have a very good rotation again, only the names are different and pretty much unknown.

Instead of Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, Clevinger, and Bieber, the names are Bauer, Clevinger, Bieber, Plesac, and Adam Plutko, who has done a solid job as the fifth starter, even picking up a win over the Yankees.

Could the front office gamble and trade a starter or even say, Brad Hand for some offensive help right now? It certainly could happen.

The Tribe is still 3rd in the American League in ERA despite all the injuries to the rotation, and still are 10th in runs per game.

Cleveland is still getting below average play from several positions: 2B, 3B, LF, CF, and DH.

The Indians have addressed center by going to Mercado, and maybe Bradley takes the bull by the horns at DH.

Can Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez regain their old form or at least a facsimile of it which would help both spots. We still say, despite Kipnis’ solid week, we are more optimistic about Ramirez.

Jake Bauers does a lot of things we like, hits lefties well, works the count too, but he still have a 685 OPS and a .224 batting average. Maybe it’s time to give Greg Allen an everyday job there, which would also help the defense.

If the Indians continue to beat up on the lesser teams in the AL, they will be right in the thick of things for a post-season spot. If they are, selling becomes a moot point.

Is Lack Of Tribe Moves Based On Patience, Stubbornness, Or Fear?

The Cleveland Indians have started to play better baseball now that the schedule has lightened up a bit.

They have won four of their last five, and six of their last eight. They are currently 9-4 in June, and won series against the Twins and Yankees, two of the American League’s better teams.

The offense has been better lately, moving up to 11th in the AL in runs scored and OPS, but the Tribe is still 13th in slugging percentage, ahead of just Toronto and Detroit.

And Terry Francona still writes three hitters in nightly lineup with OPS of under 650: Jason Kipnis, Leonys Martin, and Jose Ramirez.

Despite hitting for the cycle on Friday night, Jake Bauers (.223/.306/.379) isn’t striking fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers.

These guys haven’t hit for awhile and yet, no changes have been made. Ramirez is different because he was one of the best players in baseball in 2017 and 2018, so he has earned and should get the benefit of the doubt.

Although, whether or not he should be hitting fifth is up for debate.

Fans and media alike have asked about the unreal amount of patience given to Kipnis, Martin, and Bauers. However, is it patience or fear?

The Indians sometimes operate as if they are afraid to give young players a chance for a variety of reasons. They worry about how a young player handles failure. They worry about a player they let go going somewhere else and having success.

We operate by a different theory. It’s called the “can’t do any worse” theory.

That takes the fear factor out of the equation.

Take Martin, for example. He’s hitting .204 with a 637 OPS to date this season. His strength was how he hit right-handed pitching, he’s never been a factor against southpaws. But he batting .220 with a 700 OPS vs. RHP thus far.

He’s batting .189 overall since May 1st.

Now, ask this question…could Greg Allen be worse than those numbers? We aren’t saying Allen is the next coming of Willie Mays or Mike Trout, but you have to think he could be better than what Martin has given you over the last six weeks.

Martin is also striking out at a career high rate, so it’s not as though he’s hitting in tough luck. Why not bring up Allen and give him regular playing time?

As for Jason Kipnis, we have heard him finding something in his swing before, so let’s say we are skeptical as to his success for the rest of the season. It’s pretty clear he’s not the same guy he was in 2016, and after two and a half years, that ship has sailed.

So, why not try Mark Mathias, who is hitting .294 with an 827 OPS at Columbus? Yes, we understand those numbers are much better than how he has performed at AA Akron the past two years, but maybe he found something in his swing.

You can also replace Bauers with Bobby Bradley, who is crushing the ball at Columbus.

We wouldn’t give up on Bauers, we think he can still be a productive major league hitter, but right now, he can’t put together any consistency. And that’s the name of the game in baseball.

Would switching out a third of your lineup turn the Tribe’s offensive fortunes around? What we do know is it couldn’t hurt.

It may be just getting over fear of the unknown to make it happen.

The Time To Act For Tribe Is Now

As we wrote about a week ago, the next two weeks will say a lot about how the rest of the baseball season will play out for the Cleveland Indians.

Between now and when the best players in the sport descend on Progressive Field on July 9th, the Tribe plays 23 games against teams with some of the worst records in the game.

Yes, they have four in Texas next week, and two more against Cincinnati right before the All Star Game, but the rest of the slate is filled with contests vs. the Tigers, Royals, and Orioles.

We know baseball is a sport designed around series, so the teams themselves are best served by taking each game as it comes, but we don’t have to do that.

It’s not far-fetched to think the Indians could go 15-8 in those 23 games, which would make their record 48-40 heading into the Midsummer Classic.

Does it make sense to sell at that point?

Then, after the All Star Game, Terry Francona’s squad has three with the Twins at home, followed by more games against Detroit, Kansas City, and Toronto, before ending the month with a series against Houston.

This means with the trade deadline coming at the end of July, Cleveland could be a good way above the .500 mark.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it will be difficult unless the attitude of the front office and Francona changes.

They split with the Reds despite scoring just four runs in the pair of games. The lineup, beyond Carlos Santana hitting in the three hole, is filled with a lot of guys who are very proficient at making outs.

And this is as good a time to change this as there is.

Oscar Mercado’s success, and make no mistake, he hasn’t been great, merely solid, should have Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff, and Francona looking at Columbus for some help.

Since the end of April, Leonys Martin is hitting .193 with 3 HR, 8 RBI, and has drawn seven walks (in 31 games). Usually reliable vs. right-handers, he has a .294 on base percentage and a 696 OPS in 2019.

Jason Kipnis is batting .218 for the season, and .224 since May 1st. His OPS vs. righties? Try 646.

Jake Bauers has hit .148 over the last 28 days with 28 strikeouts in 81 at bats.

It’s time to end this madness.

Greg Allen is eligible to be recalled from Columbus this weekend, and he was hitting a bit the week or so before he was sent down.

Make your outfield rotation Mercado, Allen, Jordan Luplow, and Tyler Naquin, and give them extended opportunities. It’s doubtful they can be worse than Martin and Bauers.

We would bring up Bobby Bradley, even though we have concerns about his strikeout rate. His numbers indicate he is not simply piling up numbers at Huntington Park in Columbus.

As for second base, why not give Mark Mathias an opportunity. He has an 816 OPS at AAA, and gets on base (.354). And he’s been better on the road.

What to do with the others? Bauers can be sent to AAA to relocate his batting stroke. As for Kipnis and Martin, the season is just about half over, so just designated them for assignment. If you have to release them, which is likely, then so be it.

We don’t think they can help the Indians going forward.

We understand it is a very difficult decision. On the other hand, by and large, players know who should be playing, and our guess is there were puzzled looks in the clubhouse last week when Allen was sent out.

This is a critical stretch for this baseball team, and the front office can’t wait any longer to make a tough decision.

The Disconnect Between Dolans, Fans

Cleveland sports fans have different relationships with the owners of their sports teams.

Since the early 1960’s, the Browns have been owned by out of towners. Sure, Art Modell moved to northeast Ohio, but he was a New Yorker. After he moved the team to Baltimore and the Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999, Al Lerner, another ex-New Yorker owned the team.

His son, Randy, sold the team to Jimmy Haslam, from Tennessee. None of these guys really had the trust of the fans of the team, for various reasons, although right now, Haslam gets a break because of the hiring of GM John Dorsey.

The Cavaliers were brought into the NBA by Nick Mileti, born in Cleveland.

At one point, Mileti owned (through partnerships) the Cavs, the World Hockey Association Cleveland Crusaders, and the Indians, as well as building the Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, a world class sports arena.

Because he was from here, the fans warmed to Mileti. After all, he brought professional basketball to the area, and at the time, many thought the Indians were headed out of town before he bought them.

Mileti didn’t have a lot of money, but he had vision and passion for Cleveland sports.

Unfortunately, the baseball fans in the area have never bought into the current ownership, the Dolan family.

Dick Jacobs is looked fondly on by Tribe fans because he built a solid organization, which hadn’t been seen for years, and his teams won, for the first time in 40 years, the Cleveland Indians were among the best teams in the sport.

And with the revenue pouring in from the new ballpark combined with a contending team (and no football team), Jacobs signed off on adding players. The payoff was five straight post-season appearances and two American League pennants.

Those Indians were brash and cocky, and the fans loved it. Our baseball team was competing with the Yankees and Red Sox, and beat them in the playoffs.

Jacobs got out of the game before any rebuild had to be done. And that’s where the Dolans came in.

We believe that Cleveland sports fans want to see in their teams the same attitude they have, that of an underdog. The attitude that we can be as good as the bigger cities, a “we’ll show you” feeling.

The Dolans simply don’t exude that type of feeling.

Think about some of the things the fans and the media alike bring up in discussing their stewardship of the professional baseball team.

They talk about “windows of opportunity” and consistently remind the ticket buying public that Cleveland is a small market.

You never hear words like that coming out of Dan Gilbert’s mouth. Gilbert’s attitude seems to be screw you, we’ll win anyway.

And in our opinion, that’s why fans gravitate to the Cavaliers’ owner more, even though the Indians have been the more consistent franchise over the last 15 years.

Even though Gilbert is from Detroit, he displays more of the Cleveland spirit than Larry and Paul Dolan. They seem resigned to their situation, instead of fighting the big boys.

This year might be the ultimate test case. The Indians have a slim chance in the division race, but they have virtually the same record as the Boston Red Sox. And you know the Red Sox aren’t selling.

This might be the reason ticket sales suffer too. As we know, there is plenty of interest in the team, the local ratings are among the best in baseball, but Progressive Field isn’t the “place to be” for a variety of reasons.

Did Cookie Galvanize The Tribe?

The 2019 Cleveland Indians are certainly a different type of team.

After floundering around the first 60 games of the season, perhaps this squad finally found a rallying point with Carlos Carrasco’s blood disorder.

Different things unite teams every year. In 1997, the favored Indians were scuffling. Kenny Lofton had been traded during spring training, Albert Belle left during the winter as a free agent, and Carlos Baerga had been moved the season before.

Cleveland, coming off two straight division titles, had to integrate Matt Williams, David Justice, and Marquis Grissom into the culture.

Then, on Jim Thome’s birthday, August 27th, with the Tribe sitting at 67-61, the Indians decided to wear their red socks high to honor their teammate, and won 10-4.

They went on to win 9 of the next 11, increasing their division lead from 2.5 to 5.5 games and coasted to a third straight division title. And a post-season run that didn’t end until the seventh game of the World Series.

Carrasco is a respected and popular teammate who has been in the organization since the 2009 season when he came over in the Cliff Lee trade. He’s gone through Tommy John surgery and a heart procedure.

He was ineffective as a starter, and was sent to the bullpen to figure things out and get more aggressive. When he returned to the rotation, he simply became one of the most reliable starting pitchers in baseball.

And he means a lot to his teammates, who may have wanted to win that night for their teammate, and perhaps Carrasco’s illness may have reminded the other 24 players in the locker room that baseball is a game, and having fun is part of playing the game.

In the past four games, Francisco Lindor’s smile has been front and center in the dugout. We don’t remember seeing it as much earlier this year, although we might be blocking it out because the offense has been dormant.

Make no mistake, Lindor is the leader of this baseball team, and probably has been for a few years.

Yes, Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis, both players with more seniority, have been part of the leadership group, but Lindor is the Tribe’s heartbeat, one they were missing throughout the first month of the season.

How long will this continue? There’s no way to tell, heck it could end today. The Indians start a long stretch against some of the sport’s lesser teams, and maybe they lose their edge and settle back into a malaise.

If they do, it’s a sign there are bigger things wrong here.

Yes, the Tribe still has a long way to go. They are still 9.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the division.

However, they are still just a game and a half behind Texas for the second wild card spot, a half game behind Boston. Can you imagine the Red Sox saying they are going to be a seller if they were in the Tribe’s position?

Of course not. That’s why if the standings are about the same when the Midsummer Classic is played at Progressive Field a month from now, and the front office is talking about moving productive players, they are doing you a disservice as fans.

We will see how the next few weeks play out for the Indians, but if they go on a little run here, Carlos Carrasco might be a major contributor, even if he doesn’t throw one pitch.

Upcoming Schedule Is Tribe’s Friend

The Cleveland Indians starting rotation took another blow yesterday when it was announced that Carlos Carrasco, one of baseball’s best starting pitchers over the past four seasons, has a blood disorder and will be out indefinitely.

First of all, let’s all hope the illness is not serious and Carrasco will make a full recovery.

His absence gets added to fellow starters Corey Kluber (broken arm) and Mike Clevinger (shoulder/back muscle issue), and turns the strength of the team into a mess.

The only starters now remaining from the beginning of the season are Trevor Bauer and Shane Bieber, who might be the Tribe’s best starting pitcher this year with a 3.57 ERA in 13 appearances.

However, Carrasco’s not being with the team doesn’t change our stance on the future of the 2019 season for the Cleveland Indians.

As of today, while it is true the Tribe is 10.5 games out of the lead in the AL Central, they are only two games out of the second wild card spot.

Until they mathematically fall further behind any chance of a post-season spot, we have a problem giving up on a season.

Can you imagine how excited an Indians’ fan in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s would have been had the Tribe been a game out of a playoff spot in early June?

If you were around then, you are probably like us and think cashing in the season at this point is simply ludicrous.

We guess fans have gotten spoiled since Jacobs Field/Progressive Field opened up 25 years ago.

After this weekend’s series against the Yankees, here is who the Tribe plays until the All Star break on July 8th:

June 11th and 12th: Cincinnati (28-32)
June 14th-16th: Detroit (23-35)
June 17th-20th: Texas (31-28)
June 21st-23rd: Detroit again
June 24th-26th: Kansas City (19-42)
June 28th-30th: Baltimore (19-42)
July 2nd-4th: Kansas City again
July 6th and 7th: Cincinnati again

As you can see, Texas is the only above .500 team Cleveland will play over a four week stretch, and only the Reds are close to the break even mark.

Yes, we know the Indians have struggled against some bad teams (KC and Miami most notably) this season, but wouldn’t you bank on making up some ground in the standings before the Midsummer Classic?

Even after the break, there are five games the rest of July with Minnesota and Houston, but the balance of the schedule is more of the Tigers, Royals, and Blue Jays.

We haven’t changed our mind about dealing Trevor Bauer either. As we said a few days ago, a deal like that could save the 2019 season, if you can acquire some hitting.

The pitching could be good enough with Bieber and the hopefully soon return of Clevinger, and maybe the Tribe caught some lightning in a bottle with Zack Plesac.

Another good thing about the upcoming schedule is four off days between now the the All Star Game, which could minimize the need for a fifth starter.

We understand the Indians have had issues with some of the bottom teams in the league this year, but if they can start playing a little better, getting a little more offense, they have a good opportunity to make up some ground.

Soon, the schedule will be the Indians’ friend. That’s a good enough reason to not start looking toward 2020.