Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from a walk-off loss in Minnesota

The Cleveland Indians dropped yet another game in Minnesota. This loss was charged to the bullpen, although the group isn’t entirely to blame.

The Cleveland Indians were supposed to give the city some good vibes heading into tonight’s Cavaliers game. That didn’t go so well.

The Indians fought hard but lost another game late to end the weekend with a series loss to the Twins. The Indians head back home losers of three straight.

It’s time for a relaxing Sunday night, until the Cavs start, so let’s take a quick look at what stood out from this game.

Edwin and Eddie went off

Edwin Encarnacion hit two home runs in this game and drove in four runs. But he was topped by Eddie Rosario, who hit three home runs, including the walk-off winner.

The home runs from these two are what stood out, especially when our Eddie was hitting bombs to the upper levels of Target Field. But winning is what matters so Rosario stands out as the MVP from this game. Maybe him hitting two home runs already meant the team shouldn’t have pitched to him in the bottom of the ninth.

Not all on the bullpen

Cody Allen allowed the walk-off to Rosario, but the bullpen wasn’t the sole reason for the loss. Mike Clevinger allowed four runs in six innings of work, and the offense managed just five runs on six hits.

I know this sounds like making excuses, but this wasn’t a true bullpen collapse. The Indians only scored via home runs and went 1-5 with RISP. It was the third straight game the Twins scored seven runs, outscoring the Indians 21-10 in that span.

Dropping back toward .500

The Indians had a six-game winning streak before the weekend began. Now the team has lost three straight and own a 2.5-game lead over the Detroit Tigers. I thought they were supposed to be rebuilding?

The Indians are off tomorrow before taking on the Brewers in a quick two-game series. Then it’s time to take on the Tigers, who could be in a position to jump into first place.

Next: Why the Tribe needs to nail the 2018 MLB Draft

I am in no way panicking, but losing the division lead to the Tigers could be a real cause for concern from the fans to the front office.