Cleveland Indians remain ranked No. 4 overall in ESPN power rankings

The Cleveland Indians did not have a great week, but are still doing well enough this season to be ranked near the top of ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

What at eventful week it was.

The Cleveland Indians only went 2-4 last week in games against the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but plenty happened to make the week seem much longer.

From Tuesday’s heartbreaking loss to Corey Kluber‘s epic outing on Thursday, there was plenty to remember, although Austin Jackson‘s catch may stand out as the ultimate highlight of the week.

Even with the lack of wins, the Indians remain at the No. 4 spot in ESPN’s MLB power rankings. Not too bad considering the three teams ahead of the Indians all own giant division leads.

From the article:

"Losing Jason Kipnis for a month might have delayed the Indians’ bid to end the AL Central race early, but now that he’s back from the DL there’s more at stake than just adding space in the standings. An entirely healthy Kipnis provides the Tribe with a top-tier table-setter in front of Francisco Lindor and the heart of the lineup. But if his production limps along as it did during his injury-marred 2014 season, that could hurt them now and in October. — Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com"

While I agree with the No. 4 ranking, the point about Jason Kipnis may not make sense. He is among the worst offensive players on the team this season, and having him at the top of the order has done more harm than good thus far. There is still time for him to turn things around, but keeping him in the leadoff role may be illogical if he doesn’t turn it around soon. As in, this week.

A positive takeaway from the week was the starting pitching, as Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer all had great outings against the Yankees. Kluber’s complete-game shutout stands out, but Salazar and Bauer each went seven innings of one-run baseball, while Carrasco had a great start until he was let down by Abraham Almonte misplaying a fly ball.

Next: 3 takeaways from the NYY series

As long as the pitching stays elite, one has to believe the offense will find a way to score enough runs down the stretch. Is that wishful thinking at this point? I sure hope not.