Four Reasons Why the Indians Should Be Postseason Favorites

The Cleveland Indians are currently playing their best baseball of the season and there’s plenty of reasons for fans to be optimistic with the playoffs within sight.

The Tribe stands at 73-52 atop the AL Central with 37 games left to play. With their winning percentage at .584 they’re projected to win 94 games, but with 22 of those games coming in division, expect them to eclipse the 95 win mark for the second season in a row and 94 for the third consecutive year.

All that sounds good, but what should fans expect from this years Tribe team when the playoffs arrive? Well, Cleveland, you should favor this team to win the whole dang thing and here’s four reasons why.

1. The Starting Pitching

The Indians have the best rotation in baseball. Corey Kluber is in the hunt for his third Cy Young of his career and on pace to strikeout 200 batter’s for the fifth consecutive season.

Carlos Carrasco has been as consistent or better than last year. He’s currently on pace to eclipse his win total from last year and by season’s end, he’ll more than likely have his lowest ERA of his career.

Trevor Bauer should return before seasons end and has been dominating the opposition this season. He has a 2.22 ERA and a career high in strikeouts with 214. Bauer also has been impressive with a 5.7 WAR and 1.09 whip.

The Tribe’s fourth and fifth starters have also been pitching well this season. Mike Clevinger has really figured things out in the month of August, going 2-0 in four starts with a 2.25 ERA. Now in the playoffs the Tribe will most likely only have a four-man rotation, but if Bauer doesn’t return rookie RHP Shane Bieber has proven to be a reliable starter.

After last nights win against Boston he improved to 7-2 and is capable of getting high strikeout numbers.

2. The Offense

Cleveland boasts arguably the most dangerous lineup in all of baseball. Their first five batters in the lineup all have at least 68 RBI and four of their hitters have at least 20 home runs (Lindor, Ramirez, Alonso and Encarnacion).

Greg Allen is a threat to steal a base every time he’s on and Gomes and Perez have always been timely and clutch hitters. The surprise in the lineup is Melky Cabrera who has really stepped up recently. In July the RF batted .364 but this month his offensive numbers have taken a jump.

Cabrera has 5 home runs, 14 RBI and eight runs scored this month, he has really gotten in the groove of things. The only weak link currently is second baseman Jason Kipnis who has been in a season long slump, but has the capability to get hot at any point in time.

3. The Bullpen

The Indians had issues early in the season with their bullpen. Andrew Miller missed significant time with an injury and the Tribe struggled to find consistency outside of Cody Allen. That is no longer a problem.

Miller’s return and the additions of Adam Cimber and Brad Hand at the trade deadline has stabilized their bullpen. Another reason to be optimistic about the bullpen is Shane Bieber.

The rookie starter will more than likely be tapped to move into the bullpen in the playoffs and serve as a long reliever.

The flexibility to have Hand, Allen or Miller close ball games is something no other team has and is a huge advantage for the Indians.

4. Terry Francona

The two-time World Series championship Manager knows what he’s doing. Managing in his sixth season with the Indians, he has never been below .500 and has led them to the playoffs three out of the last five seasons, including a World Series appearance in 2016.

The Though his team won an impressive 102 games last season, this may be his most dangerous team since he took over in 2013. His experience combined with the pitching and offense definitely makes this team the most feared coming into the playoff.