Tribe Back On Top Of The AL Central Following Double-Header Sweep; Four Takeaways On The Day

Home, sweet home. The Cleveland Indians have been playing in second place in the AL Central for most of the young season behind the surprising Minnesota Twins.

Home, sweet home.

The Cleveland Indians have been playing in second place in the AL Central for most of the young season behind the surprising Minnesota Twins. With a big series currently in place, the Tribe looked to take over the lead with a Saturday doubleheader. They did just that, winning by final scores of 9-3 and 6-2.

Let's talk about our four takeaways from the games and how the Tribe handled business on Saturday.

1. Offensive Outpour- The Indians absolutely tore the cover off the ball Saturday, scoring a combined 15 runs on the day. While the Twins tried to avoid pitching to Edwin Encarnacion, they would find themselves in trouble when Jose Ramirez, Lonnie Chisenhall and Bradley Zimmer would all have big days. Ramirez would go yard twice in the first game and Chisenhall would hit two long balls in the second game. Zimmer would bring in four runs in the afternoon contest, not starting later that night. When the Indians are hitting this well as a team, they're nearly unstoppable. Oh, and Michael Brantley is currently on paternity leave. Wait until he gets back.

2. The Youngsters Come Through- Saturday was a chance to see two of the better pitching prospects that Cleveland has. Ryan Merritt and Mike Clevinger would get the nod for the two games, neither one disappointing. Merritt went four innings and allowed only two runs, showcasing his poise and command that many fans were caught off-guard with during last year's ALCS start.

Clevinger continued his growth on the year after having a few starts with the Tribe earlier in the year. He would go four innings as well, though it could be argued that he would have went longer if the game wouldn't have went into a rain delay. Clevinger gave up on run on two hits while striking out four, keeping the Twins offense in check.

3. Frankie's Fine- After Erik Gonzalez got the start in the first game to give shortstop Francisco Lindor some rest, the young star would leadoff in the second game. Lindor had been struggling at the plate as of late, which was an uncommon thing to see for Tribe fans. Lindor seemed to get himself out of his slump, going 2-for-5 and hitting a solo shot in yesterday's game. Whether it was the rest he was able to get by taking the afternoon game off or the fact that the rest of the offense was producing at a high rate yesterday, Frankie seems to be back on track and all is right in the world once again.

4. Familiar Situation- With the two wins Saturday, Cleveland is now in first place in the AL Central. They locked up first place in June last season and never let it go, heading all the way to the World Series. Let's hope that the Tribe can replicate some of that same success this year.