Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the sweep in Houston

The Cleveland Indians went on the road and swept the best team in baseball. Here is what stood out from the weekend series in Houston.

The Cleveland Indians arrived in Houston on Friday after losing three consecutive series. That made the matchup against the first-place Houston Astros look daunting.

But in typical Indians fashion, the good guys responded by sweeping the best team in baseball. The starting pitchers picked up victories in all three games, while Cody Allen was able to be used, picking up two saves in the process.

Let’s take a look at what stood out during the weekend series.

1. The Yanimal is back

Yan Gomes had a monster weekend, capped off with his five RBI during Sunday’s 8-6 victory. Oh, he also did some damage to the train tracks in Houston.

Gomes has raised his batting average to .267 after picking up hits in all three games against the Astros. This series may prove to be the turning point for Gomes who has struggled since the beginning of 2016.

2. Mike Clevinger is proving he belongs

Mike Clevinger showed up in Houston to take on the first-place Astros and responded by pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.

Corey Kluber should be ready to return soon, but it is going to be hard to keep Clevinger in Triple-A if he is doing this well.

Either Trevor Bauer or Josh Tomlin would be the one losing a job, but even Bauer bounced back with a great start on Friday. Tomlin’s 6.86 ERA stands out as an eyesore, so perhaps he will be the one to lose some time to the surging Clevinger.

Clevinger has already proved to be dominant enough in Triple-A, so it is only a matter of time before Terry Francona calls on him on a full-time basis. Dominating the best team in baseball wasn’t a bad way to state his case.

3. The Indians own the Astros

The Indians have played six games against the Astros this season, and the results haven’t been too great for the team from Texas.

The Astros, who own the best record in baseball at 29-15, are now 1-5 against the Indians this season.

While some around the league may look at the Astros as a team to fear this October, the Indians seem like a great matchup for the rising group.

Next: Figuring out the current outfield rodeo

It is too early to even assume the Astros and the Indians will both make the postseason, but it does appear to be a favorable matchup for the Indians if the two end up meeting again this fall.