Cleveland Indians up to No. 2 in ESPN’s MLB power rankings

The Cleveland Indians did not lose a game last week and as a result have moved up right near the top of ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

The Cleveland Indians are having fun right now. That becomes clear during broadcasts when the game is already won early on and the focus is on the mini baseball people being made in the dugout.

As of Monday morning, the Indians have won 11 straight and begin the series in Chicago with a nine-game lead over the Minnesota Twins with just 26 games remaining. Remember when the Kansas City Royals were deemed a threat in the division? They sit 12.5 games back in the division.

The recent dominance has seen the Indians go all the way up to number two overall in ESPN’s MLB power rankings, with only the Los Angeles Dodgers ranked higher.

From the article:

"Jose Ramirez helped power the Indians to their 11th straight victory by delivering just the third game with five extra-base hits in Indians history, homering twice and doubling three times. Now they’re three games back of the league-leading Astros — within reach of claiming the AL’s best record and home-field advantage through the ALCS. With their 33-16 record in the second half vs. Houston’s 23-24 mark, there’s every reason to expect they could seize it. — Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com"

An 11-game win streak will always do damage to the other division contenders, but the success seen over the past two weeks has also allowed the Indians to get back into the race for the top overall spot in the American League.

The Indians are just three games back of the Houston Astros, while the Boston Red Sox are now 6.5 games back. And with four games against the Chicago White Sox this week, the Indians have a great shot to keep the streak alive and get closer to the Astros.

Corey Kluber has emerged as the clear favorite for the AL Cy Young Award while Jose Ramirez has bounced back from a mini slump in a big way, with the highlight being his five extra-base hits on Sunday.

Next: The healthy core needed for a title in 2017

Lonnie Chisenhall is back and Greg Allen and Francisco Mejia are up, so this team is in a great position talent-wise here in the last month of the season. Once everyone is healthy, it will be hard to imagine this team losing a game.