Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the sweep of the Yankees

The Cleveland Indians didn’t slow down a bit in New York, taking all three games against the Yankees. Here is what stood out from the sweep.

Hot takes about the Cleveland Indians from earlier this summer aren’t aging well. The team is on fire and fighting for the top spot in the American League, leaving the New York Yankees as their latest plaything.

The Indians outscored the Yankees 17-7 in the three-game series, demoralizing the Yankees with two wins in Wednesday’s doubleheader.

The sweep has the Indians sitting 20 games over .500 heading into September after an August in which the Indians knocked the Kansas City Royals out of contention for the division crown, while the Minnesota Twins hang on with slim hopes, although both teams are still fighting for a Wild Card spot.

The Indians are back in action Friday with yet another doubleheader, this time against the Detroit Tigers, but before we look ahead let’s take one final look back at what stood out from the sweep of the Yankees.

Home run hitters

The 2017 Indians are kings of the long ball. Jose Ramirez hit two home runs Monday night, giving him 20 on the season. If we don’t count Jay Bruce‘s NL numbers, the Indians now have four players with at least 20 home runs this season.

The most surprising of the group has to be Francisco Lindor, who hit another one Wednesday to give him 25 on the year.

Carlos Santana is at 21 and Edwin Encarnacion has 31, showing opponents just how dangerous the middle of the lineup can be.

Merritt’s progression

Ryan Merritt has gone from a great story to a great MLB starting pitcher. He started the second game on Wednesday, going 5.1 innings and allowing just one run on five hits in the win. This start built upon his last outing in Kansas City when he went 6.2 innings, allowing no runs.

Merritt may not have a spot in the postseason rotation, but he is next in line to get a start if any injuries occur. He could also land a spot in the bullpen as an extra arm in October.

Kings of the American League

After months of the Houston Astros dominating the AL, the Indians enter today just three games back of the Astros for the top spot in the league.

The Red Sox are also close to that top spot, making each game in September important even if the division is wrapped up halfway through the month.

Next: Greg Allen receives a call-up

The Indians should only keep improving with players returning from injuries and reinforcements coming from the minors, so prepare for what could be a dominant month of September.