Cleveland Indians: Tribe riding win streak into Ohio Cup

Cleveland Indians riding win streak into Ohio Cup

The Cleveland Indians will return to Progressive Field on Friday as the American League Central leaders. After a seven-game road trip against AL Central foes, the Tribe will be back in Cleveland riding a five-game win streak on top of winning nine of their last 11 games. The burst of success also included a four-game sweep over the then division-leading Kansas City Royals.

Now, the Cleveland Indians will shift their focus to the Ohio Cup as they will host the Cincinnati Reds for a weekend series before a much needed off day. The Reds took two of the three games in Cincinnati back in April, but the Tribe enter this series as one of the hottest teams in the game.

The offense for Cleveland has really started to click of late. The team has been able to tally at least three runs in all but two games going back to the last game against the Reds on April 18. Over that stretch, the Tribe have put together a 10-6 record with five of the six losses being when the team scores three runs or less.

Over the last 11 games, not only has the Tribe been able to go 9-2, but they have also outscored their opponent 51-43 and that includes the 10-run outburst by the Minnesota Twins. Cleveland has also been able to close out both of their last two series with shutouts, being a 5-0 shutout against the Chicago White Sox and then a 4-0 shutout against the Kansas City Royals.

During the win streak, Cleveland has an average of .230 which might seem low, but it’s a big improvement over the team’s .209 season mark. The Tribe have also been able to log a game over .300 as a team, being the series finale against the Royals as well as two of four double-digits hit games this year. While average has been improved, the key has, obviously, been finding ways to get runners home.

One player that has played a rather significant role in the offensive success has been Harold Ramirez, who joined the team in the midst of the road trip. Despite just four games, Ramirez has made the most of his opportunity and has been able to turn heads his way each game. Since arriving to the lineup, Ramirez has three runs scored with three doubles and two RBI.

On top of Harold Ramirez, Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes have continued to be threats in the middle of the order while others around the lineup have started to show signs on improvement as well.

As for the upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians will have a shot to take control of the Ohio Cup for the year. The Reds took two-of-three in Cincinnati, so the Tribe will need a sweep to take control or to win at least two of the three games in Cleveland to even the series. The two teams aren’t set to meet again this season, unless it’s in the World Series, so this will most likely be the final series of the Ohio Cup for 2021.

For the Tribe, they are set to put Zach Plesac on the mound for the series opener, followed by Aaron Civale on Saturday and Sam Hentges for Sunday’s afternoon matinee to conclude the Ohio Cup. None of three pitched during the first meeting with the Reds back in April.

As for the Reds, they’ll toss Wade Miley in game one, Luis Castillo for game two and Tyler Mahle in game three. Miley pitched against the Tribe in the first series, giving up four runs over five innings in what would be the one loss of the series for the Reds, being a 6-3 score in favor of Cleveland. As for Castillo and Mahle, they’ve yet to face the Tribe this year.

While there’s a lot of baseball left to be played, the ending of the Ohio Cup comes early this year. The Tribe will need a sweep to take the Cup, but given their current hot streak paired with new pitching matchups from the first time around there’s a chance that happens. Hopefully, the bats make the trip home with the team from Kansas City and the team can continue to roll.