Cleveland Indians: Previewing the series against the Detroit Tigers

Storylines

Dominate the division

There is a reason the Cleveland Indians are on their way to a third straight AL Central title. They have absolutely dominated within their division. This year that trend continues. While the Central has been a complete joke in terms of performance, and that includes the Indians somewhat as they are still behind the AL powerhouses in terms of record.

Having a 28-13 record against your own division is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s the best record against the division among any team in baseball in terms of losses. (The Red Sox have played more division games with two more wins and one more loss). That kind of play is keeping the Indians in contention to catch up with the other AL leaders, as they have the easiest schedule remaining thanks to their division.

Worst/Best case scenario

Worse case: 1-2 series loss

I would say that the worse case is a 2-1 series loss. But with Clevinger and Kluber’s recent struggles there is a chance they can drop two of these games without proper run-support. With that in mind, this really is a worse case. If the Indians drop this series and don’t make a trade at the deadline, fans will be sent in a frenzy.

Best case: 3-0 series win

This is what most fans should expect. The Tigers are bad, they’re selling the farm yet again and some of these names I’ve mentioned may not even be on the team on Sunday. The Indians can take advantage of these upcoming division games to gain some ground and some momentum.

The series starts tonight at 7:10 EST and will continue until Sunday afternoon. You know the drill. Go Tribe!