Cleveland Indians: Mixed feelings after a rough series in Chicago

The Cleveland Indians needed a win Thursday night and couldn’t even score a run. The postseason hopes are all but over now.

I am not sure how to feel after the Cleveland Indians ripped my heart out once again.

Everything was set up perfectly too. The Indians whooped the Chicago White Sox by the score of 11-3 Tuesday night and the talks of a Game 163 were in full effect.

Then come Wednesday and Thursday.

The Indians collapsed against a 70-win White Sox team and now need a ton of help to make the postseason. I will be clear in saying that yes, the Indians are not officially out of it just yet. I’m just not sure I can be confident in an Indians sweep in Washington after what I saw the team do in Chicago against a much worse team.

My mixed feelings are due to several factors. On one hand I can acknowledge that the Indians lost a ton of talent to injuries this season. Corey Kluber only played for a month, Mike Clevinger missed time, Carlos Carrasco was diagnosed with leukemia, Francisco Lindor missed the start of the year, Jose Ramirez missed a month, and the list goes on and on.

The injuries are an easy thing to point to in saying that it is a miracle the Indians will end up with more wins in 2019 than the team had in 2018. That is fair.

Yet that is no excuse for getting shutout in Chicago in what was the most important game of the entire season. An 8-0 loss on such a big night against such a bad team. Unacceptable.

The same goes for the two baffling blowout losses to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this season. If you forgot, the Indians lost 13-0 on back-to-back nights against a historically bad team.

Right now the Indians are 93-66. That record is good enough to qualify for the postseason in most years. Yet it is fair to point out bad losses against American League teams that never intended to compete in 2019.

Not bottoming out in Baltimore, a few blown saves gone the either way, not putting out questionable lineups in April, etc, and the Indians aren’t in such a depressing situation with three games remaining.

I will be a good sport and keep rooting for the team until the season is over Sunday. I just hope they don’t lay down in Washington and make us all regret tuning in.