Cleveland Indians: 2 things that went wrong in July and 1 that went right

2 things that went wrong in July and 1 that went right for the Cleveland Indians

The month of July was arguably the hardest month of the major league season for the Cleveland Indians. Not only did the team have an eventful month off the field with the 2021 MLB Draft, All-Star week and trade deadline, but the Tribe struggled mightily on the field.

Normally, our end of the month updates try to take a positive twist. While the update for July will end on a positive note, there were far more negatives to highlight than positives which should tell you all you need to know about the month. Luckily, there’s still two months left in the season, but it will be an uphill climb for Cleveland to salvage any sort of productive season as a whole by the end of the year.

The year has served a purpose, getting lots of young talent experience at the major league level, but as a whole the year has just been tough. Looking back on the month of July, these are two things that went wrong for the Tribe and one thing that went right.

Cleveland Indians first losing record

The month of July brought about the first losing record in a single month for the Cleveland Indians, posting a 9-15 standing over the course of 24 games. Leading into July, the Tribe had been .500 in April before being five games above .500 in May and two above in June.

It might not seem like too big of a deal to post a losing record over the course of the month, but for Cleveland it’s a bit of a rarity. The last time the team was below .500 in a single month was back in May of 2019. In fact, in months where the team played at least five games, the Tribe have posted a losing record just four times in the last six seasons dating back to Opening Day in 2016.

What’s a bit more disappointing is the timing. Of the other three times, twice were in May and once in April. Meaning this is the first time since 2015 that the Cleveland Indians have posted a losing record for a single month in June or later.

If you look at run differential for this season, it’s almost impressive that the Tribe made it this far into the season without a losing record in a single month. The team has outscored their opponent over the course of a month just once this year, being June and by just one run.

Cleveland Indians selling at the trade deadline

It was a good thing that the trade deadline was at the end of July. Had it been earlier in the month, the Cleveland Indians may have been inclined to buy, which would have backfired by the end of the month. While it was the right decision to sell, it still hurts that Cleveland was in that position in the first place.

Entering July, the team was still well within reach of both the AL Central and the Wild Card races. Unfortunately, the month caught up with the team and they ended up being sellers at the trade deadline. As we gain distance from the deadline, the deals to move Eddie Rosario, Jordan Luplow and Phil Maton make more sense. However, the Cesar Hernandez deal still has us scratching our heads a bit.

Hernandez still has a club option for 2022 on his deal. Moving now gets the most value for him, but it also doesn’t quite make sense in the fact that the team hasn’t really shown their hand for a plan at second. The team is using a combination of Owen Miller and Ernie Clement to fill the spot, but moving a veteran who has been playing well without a clear successor just seemed a bit odd.

There’s still plenty of time left to see if the Hernandez deal was worth it, and odds are when everything is said and done it will be. Nevertheless, it still hurts that the Tribe ended up selling at the end of July after having the potential to buy going into the month.