Cleveland Indians ranked No. 10 in ESPN’s MLB power rankings

The Cleveland Indians are playing average baseball, but are down to No. 10 in ESPN’s MLB power rankings after being jumped by several teams.

Another week, another reason for Cleveland Indians fans to be concerned.

The Indians went 2-4 last week, but ended on a positive note with an 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Mother’s Day.

But while the Indians are trying to figure things out, other teams continue to get better. That is why the Indians fell four spots down to No. 10 in this week’s ESPN MLB power rankings.

From the power rankings:

"The Indians’ mediocre start enters another week. Edwin Encarnacion has been in a season-long slump and needs to start hitting if he’s going to play as big a role as expected in Cleveland’s bid to contend. But a bigger concern might be the starting pitching; the Indians’ touted rotation ranks last in the league in ERA after ranking second in the AL last season. — Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information"

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While the pitching may be a concern, it is the offense that has fans worried. Edwin Encarnacion in particular is a major cause of frustration for fans.

Even the most reasonable fans who knew he wouldn’t come out and hit 20 home runs right away are still worried given his .206 batting average heading into today.

I am guilty of just assuming he will turn things around on any given day, and his past performance seems to indicate he will be just fine. But he still needs to prove he can be the same player he was in Toronto to warrant faith from fans.

The Indians may have entered the season as the favorites to win the American League, but the Houston Astros and New York Yankees have quickly risen to become the new favorites, at least right now.

The Astros already own a 7.5-game lead in the AL West, while the Indians sit one game behind the Minnesota Twins in the Central.

Next: 3 takeaways from the series vs. the Twins

The good news is that it is only May 15 and the Indians are fighting at the top of the division. There is no need to worry just yet, as there is plenty of baseball to be played.