Cleveland Indians: A great weekend would set a commanding tone

The Cleveland Indians have the chance to take a commanding lead in the AL Central this weekend when they meet up with the Minnesota Twins.

This past week has been a coming out party for the Cleveland Indians.

It all got started with a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, and the two teams are back in action starting tonight at Progressive Field. That is, if the weather holds off.

Twins fans were likely excited about the team leading the AL Central early in the season, perhaps believing the team would shock the world and run the table in the division. Then the Indians came to town and spoiled those plans.

The Indians hold a 2.5-game lead over the Twins heading into tonight, and another sweep could help give the Indians a division lead to hold for the remainder of the season. The only other competition in the division comes from the Kansas City Royals, but the Indians can end those hopes with a sweep or two as well.

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Even with a sweep this weekend, a 5.5-game lead in June is not enough to declare the Indians division champions just yet. We have all seen this team play inconsistent baseball this season, with the past week being a reprieve from those frustrations.

Yet things feel different now. Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion have emerged as one of the best offensive duos in baseball, while Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have become forces in the rotation after rocky starts.

The team is playing this well while not at full strength, so it appears this is only the beginning of what should be a great summer of baseball.

This series against the Twins will offer up a great measure of how solid this team really is in 2017. If the Indians sweep or take two of three, another division title may be on the horizon. But if the Twins get their revenge by sweeping or winning two of three, the AL Central race will be a tight one in the coming months.

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It all starts tonight with Trevor Bauer on the mound, weather permitting, so get ready for what will hopefully be a fun three days. We may be looking back at this series in a few months as the turning point in the season, whether that be for positive or negative reasons.