Cleveland Indians looking to move past an ugly Game 4 loss

The 2017 Cleveland Indians season comes down to an elimination game against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field on Wednesday.

The Cleveland Indians first forgot to bring their bats to New York, then it became clear they forgot their gloves.

The Indians committed four errors on Monday night, leading to six of the seven runs scored by the Yankees to be unearned. Giovanny Urshela led the way with two errors, which could put his status for Game 5 in question if Terry Francona wants to shift Jose Ramirez to third and Jason Kipnis to second.

Early errors gave the Yankees some cheap runs, but the lack of offense did nothing to help either. The Indians managed four hits one night after only having five, and were only able to get three runs in thanks to two home runs.

The national media may be saying the series is all but over and the Yankees are a team of destiny, but the series is still tied and Corey Kluber is on the mound for the deciding Game 5. I’m confident.

The defense must be perfect while the offense needs to wake up.

Francisco Lindor only has one hit in four games, albeit a big grand slam, while Jose Ramirez only has two and Michael Brantley has one. The best hitter right now is Carlos Santana, but one player cannot carry an entire lineup when everyone else is in the midst of a slump at the worst possible time.

The beauty of baseball is that the Indians can erase all the bad thoughts from New York with a win on Wednesday. The offense can come alive and Kluber can shut down the Yankees, making it seem like nothing was ever wrong.

But it is fair to be filled with anxiety from now until first pitch, because this team has played well below their collective potential in the ALDS. The Game 2 comeback was amazing, but it shows how great the Yankees have been. If not for that miraculous comeback with a lucky non-challenge, the series could already be over.

The best thing to do now is just forget that trip to New York ever happened. All that matters is the upcoming Game 5, and we are in good hands with Kluber on the mound. Or so I hope after he laid an egg in Game 2.

Next: Breaking down the insane Game 2 victory

It will be interesting to see if Francona changes up the lineup at all, which likely comes down to whether Edwin Encarnacion is able to play or not. For the sake of this team, let’s hope he finds a way to play. The lineup has been atrocious without him.