Three Signs The Indians Will Win The American League Pennant Once Again

No one can deny the Indians are rolling as of late. They are currently a season high 13 games over .500 at 65-52 and on a tear! They are 5.5 games up on the second place Kansas City Royals-- a pretty impressive feat considering the Royals had a long winning streak (eight games) this season themselves.

Since July 21 the Indians have rattled off a nine-game winning streak at one point, and have won 17 of 24 total. They are playing their best baseball of the year and at the perfect time. Quite impressive considering two All-Stars, (Andrew Miller and Michael Brantley) are both currently banged up on the DL, but due back soon if everything goes well.

Right now at least, a healthy starting lineup is looking like

1B Santana

2B Kipnis

SS Lindor

3B Ramirez

LF Brantley

CF Zimmer

RF Bruce

C Gomes

DH Encarnacion

With the sole exception of catcher, there are zero holes in that lineup. And if you're nervous about playing a rookie in the postseason, don't be. But if you insist, then move Brantley to center and Chisenhall to left if you have too. Either way, you will have plenty of talent off the bench if need be.

Not to mention you have the soon to be, one day Gold Glove of Giovanny Urshela to come in late for defensive purposes at third base. This team can beat you in any number of ways. The power of Encarnacion and Bruce, mixed in with the clutch hitting of Brantley, Ramirez and Lindor? Forget about it!

While I can come up with a laundry list of reasons the Indians remain the favorite to win the American League, three jump out at me. And none of these three even mention the inexperience with the Astros or the unrest in the Boston Clubhouse....

The Resurgence of Danny Salazar bolsters the starting rotation and makes it very dangerous.

It wasn't that long ago that Danny Salazar was looking like a one hit wonder that couldn't stay healthy. The once dominant young stud seemed to be injury prone and not nearly as sharp as he was when he first burst onto the scene with the Indians in 2013.

However, it appears he simply needed time to rest and heal, as he has been better than ever as of late. He is now 2-0 with a minuscule 1.38 ERA since coming off his latest stint on the DL on July 22nd. In only 32 innings, he has struck out 46 and looks untouchable. He was incredible tonight, setting down 13 of the final 14 Minnesota Twins that he faced.

If Salazar continues to pitch this well, the Indians are back to having one of the best, if not the best pitching rotation in the American League. Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger have also been pitching well as of late.

If the two studs at the top of the rotation, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carassco, remain healthy and avoid any injuries the rest of the way, this gives the Tribe an excellent chance to win every three out of five games and really pull away in the Central. Solid depth in the rotation will also be key in the playoffs as it was lack of depth that crushed them last season when they ran out of gas in October.

One last note on the rotation, a lot of people give Trevor Bauer grief for numerous reasons, but do those same people realize he is tied for the team lead in wins with 11? Yes, he may be "eccentric" but the guy can flat out pitch!

The Batting Lineup is starting to look loaded when healthy!

It's hard to argue that Edwin Encarnacion is playing his best ball of the season right now. Edwin has homered in three straight games, and has homered five times in his last five games. It has bumped his season total up to 27 home runs. It also appears he is starting to become comfortable in that lineup, and is in line to start crushing the ball every time up.

Encarnacion is heating up at the perfect time after the gigantic addition of Jay Bruce earlier last week. Any returning World Series lineup that boasts Encarnacion and Jay Bruce as "new additions" can be a very dangerous thing. If and when both Brantley and Chisenhall get healthy and start swatting again, the lineup becomes an embarrassment of riches.

Imagine having an outfield of Bruce, Brantley and Chisenhall in October, with names such as Bradley Zimmer and Austin Jackson being ready at a seconds notice to come in and pinch hit. This also gives Terry Francona plenty of options as well, something he is very familiar with and does well.

For a bit, it looked like Carlos Santana may be the odd man out as his season has had its share of peaks and valleys. However, he also showed great signs of life tonight with Santana going deep twice at Target Field in Minnesota.

Target Field was once a house of nightmares for the Cleveland Indians, not this season! So far in the 2017 campaign, the Indians have been on a mission, going 8-0 at Target Fieldand outscoring the Twins 56-16.

Trusting in Tito

I said it once already and it bears repeating, Tito Francona loves his options all over the diamond, and this squad, when healthy, has plenty of them.

Giovanny Urshela stepped up in a huge way with Jason Kipnis on the DL nursing the hamstring injury. Urshela proved to be one of the very best at the hot corner in the AL with a lightening quick glove, stopping anything that came his way. Urshela is a home grown product of the Indians farm system. Don't be shocked if Kipnis continues to struggle, and Urshela becomes the man at third come post season.

It is no secret that Jose Ramirez is more comfortable at second base and Frankie Lindor has shortstop wrapped up for the foreseeable future. With that being said, the banged up Kipnis may be the odd man out, despite his home run tonight. Trust in Tito to make the right call when the time is needed.

That same embarrassment of riches also brings him a bounty of outfielders. Once again, the key word here is "healthy." With a full healthy roster, no one can touch the Cleveland Indians outfield and DH situation.

To think, the Indians three best hitters, Brantley, Encarnacion and Bruce weren't even on the postseason roster a year ago. Brantley was hurt, and Encarnacion and Bruce were elsewhere. Yes, I know, many fans consider Jose Ramirez and Frankie Lindor the two best hitters on the team. I mean, they made the All-Star Team this season and are both extremely clutch.

But, as good as both men are, few can match just how important to the lineup, and how unstoppable they can make it when the pre-mentioned Encarnacion, Brantley and Bruce are all rolling at the same time. With Dr. Smooth currently hurt, we haven't seen it yet, but we will soon and it will be GLORIOUS!

Tito proved he can manage with a banged up pitching rotation (last season) and get within one inning away from winning the World Series. He showed everyone what he could do with a talented and healthy lineup in Boston while managing there winning World Series Titles in 2004 and 2007.

Bottom line, the players love him and will play their tails off for him. Mix that in with the incredible talent on this roster, and the rest of the MLB needs to be on high alert for the Tribe come October!