Cleveland Indians survive the supposedly daunting month of August

Back when August began the Cleveland Indians were staring at a gauntlet. The team took the challenge head on and succeeded in the daunting month.

When the Cleveland Indians entered August, they were expected to have a rough time. This would be the month that would show who the Indians really are.

The month began with a four-game series against the New York Yankees after a game against Boston. The Indians started the series hot, outscoring the Yankees 12-3 in two wins but dropped the last two games of the series.

They then faced off against Colorado and split that short two-game series. They were playing .500 baseball up to this point which is great given the tough month.

The Indians would drop the opener to Tampa Bay by the score of 4-1 but then something clicked. The team went on a tear, winning six in a row before dropping the night-cap of the doubleheader against Minnesota.

Cleveland outscored their opponents 36-10 in the six-game win streak. They then threw two shutouts against Kansas City before dropping the series finale.

After the Kansas City series Boston came back to town. They would split that four-game series and then welcome Kansas City to town. The Indians put on a clinic both offensively and pitching in that series. They threw three shutouts and scored 20 runs in the series sweep.

The Tribe ended the month much like they began it and faced New York in a three-game series on the road. They put the exclamation point on the month with a sweep of the Yankees including taking both games of a doubleheader.

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The Indians had an off day to end the exhausting month and rightfully so. They ended August with a record of 19 wins to 9 losses.

Beginning the month of August, the goal seemed to be to go at or just above .500. The Indians not only reached that goal, but exceeded expectations.

The month of August was a gauntlet and the month of September, while less daunting, will still be a test for the team. They will need to keep the pedal down and keep building on their divisional lead.

September has two off days but the first does not come for 17 days. The month begins with a road doubleheader against division rival Detroit.

Out of the 29 games in September, 20 of them are against a division opponent. The Indians enter the month with a 6.5-game lead in the Central as of Friday morning.

Next: Healthy core needed for a title in 2017

The month of August was a very successful one for the Indians in the face of injuries plaguing the 25-man roster. The race for October is on, and the team is in great position to never relinquish the lead in the division.