Cleveland Indians remain at No. 7 in ESPN power rankings

The Cleveland Indians put together a great week, which was good enough to keep the team high up in ESPN’s latest MLB power rankings.

Last week was a great one for the Cleveland Indians. A series victory over the Texas Rangers, then one over the Detroit Tigers. And to top it off the Indians have five players headed to the All-Star Game, and Jose Ramirez is a starter.

Much better than how the previous weekend ended.

The Indians, the proud owners of a three-game lead in the AL Central, are off today before playing three against the San Diego Padres at home. The great play will hopefully continue and help the Indians remain high up in ESPN’s MLB power rankings, where the team ranks No. 7 this week.

From the article:

"One thing that’s missing from the Indians’ gradual takeover of the AL Central race? Offense from their keystone combo, as Francisco Lindor is mired in a slump since the end of May (his .574 OPS since June 1 is in the bottom 10), and Jason Kipnis is posting career worsts in his walk rate, infield fly balls and ground ball/fly ball ratio. The happy way to think about their struggles is that once they snap out of their funks, the Indians’ offense might regain a place among baseball’s best. — Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com"

The struggles of both Lindor and Kipnis are making it harder for fans to stomach the two holding the first two spots in the order. They just aren’t getting on base, and the real threat of the Indians lineup begins when Michael Brantley comes to the plate.

Terry Francona may be waiting to see if things change, but shuffling the lineup around and getting a better hitter like Jose Ramirez or Lonnie Chisenhall higher in the lineup could help get more production in those top spots. Even giving Carlos Santana a bump back toward the top could be something to experiment with.

Lindor and Kipnis should be able to break out of their slumps eventually, but there is no need to leave them in the top spots until they do so.

Next: Jose highlights 2017 ASG class

With upcoming games against the Padres and Tigers before the All-Star break, the Indians have a great opportunity to keep extending the lead in the division. Doing that would help the Indians get back to the level of the elite teams in the league, and keep the team rising in these power rankings.