Cleveland Indians salvage the division race on a busy weekend

The Cleveland Indians went into Minnesota seeking a sweep. That didn’t end up happening but the results were still good enough to remain in the race.

Sunday was a great sports day in Cleveland if you ignore what happened on the football field.

The Cleveland Indians came out and got a much-needed win in Minnesota by the final score of 5-2. Mike Clevinger remained dominant and several key players stepped up with big home runs on the day.

You just may not hear about any of this in the Cleveland media today due to the blowout of the Browns on Sunday.

The Indians were written off by some fans ahead of this crucial series in Minnesota. The team has had a tough time winning big games this year and nearly let Friday’s game slip away. Instead, the team rallied and won by the final score of 6-2. Saturday’s game featured a bullpen collapse and a lack of offense. Nothing out of the ordinary for this team, but it did erase the gains from Friday.

Then came Sunday when the Indians faced a familiar 6.5-game deficit in the division. A loss would have made it quite difficult to even have a chance to overcome the Twins with the season finale only three weeks away. The Wild Card race would have been all that mattered in terms of talking about October.

Unlike the Browns, the Indians responded to the adversity and won the game. The 5-2 victory didn’t stand out as a dominant performance. Yet getting the win was all that mattered in the end.

The Indians now sit 5.5 games behind the Twins heading into play tonight. The Indians are out west to take on the Los Angeles Angels while the Twins are off tonight. A win to make it a five-game deficit would put the pressure on the Twins as the AL Central leaders are set to take on a Washington Nationals team that is at the top of the National League Wild Card standings.

That is followed by a trip to Cleveland this weekend.

I will be at the game on Sunday when there is chance the Indians could be fighting to get back to the top of the AL Central. The Browns are also off that day so everyone can stop the fighting on Twitter and just focus on the Indians.

Taking two of three from the Twins should not be a shock to any Indians fans. I’m sure Twins fans are wondering what is going on, but the Indians have the talent to win the division. It is just about everyone clicking at the same time and not relying on the bullpen to hold a lead when the offense only musters up two or three runs.

The Indians now have three games against a talented Angels team, but one that is 67-77 on the year.

I once again see no reason why the Indians can’t sweep, but I will avoid any bold predictions with this team and just take it a day at a time.