Cleveland Indians: Flipping the switch in June?

On Wednesday June 15, 2016, the Cleveland Indians were 35-30 and coming off of a three-game losing streak. Then they won 14 in a row and made the World Series. Could it happen again?

The Cleveland Indians are a mess. They are inconsistent as a team could be here in 2017. Danny Salazar is in the bullpen. Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer both have ERAs north of 5.50, two of the worst ERAs of any starters in the American League.

Mike Clevinger, someone who the Indians thought could take up space, is pitching just okay. Should we freak out, or does this not matter at all?

The 2017 Cleveland Indians look remarkably similar to the 2016 version. They have some rotation issues, the offense is inconsistent, and they cannot string together a bunch of wins in a row. Right now, the Indians are 31-29, and everyone is freaking out. The expectations are through the roof after a World Series run and a huge offseason signing in Edwin Encarnacion.

Have expectations harmed the Tribe? Maybe. Salazar has not fully recovered from his 2016 injuries. Bauer is just a little more inconsistent than usual, even though he managed 14 Ks the other day.

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Tomlin had a great first half last year, but he is looking like his second half self. The offense actually has been pretty decent, and the slumping Encarnacion and Carlos Santana are heating up a bit.

Michael Brantley is back to his All-Star form, top prospect Bradley Zimmer has looked good so far, and the rest of the offense is playing at or above expectations.

The bullpen is lights out. Andrew Miller is still otherworldly. Nick Goody has pitched incredibly well. Brian Shaw and Cody Allen are still the same guys they have been for the last two years.

If you take out the Tribe’s 14-game winning streak last year, and put it at something like 8-6, their overall record ends up being 88-73, which is just a 54.6 percent winning percentage.

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Right now, at 31-29, they sit at a 51.6% winning percentage. That is not too far off. Moral of the story, this Cleveland Indians team is built to succeed in the playoffs – they just need to put in the work to get there.