The Aftermath: 3 Takeaways After the Indians’ 6-1 Win Over the White Sox

Josh Tomlin and the Cleveland Indians bounced back with an impressive 6-1 win Wednesday night over the Chicago White Sox.

The Cleveland Indians entered Wednesday’s night game following two consecutive losses to the Chicago White Sox, and turned to an unlikely hero to try to bring the team back to its winning ways.

Josh Tomlin was that unlikely hero, making his first start since August 30. After losing his spot in the starting rotation and only getting it back after Danny Salazar was removed due to injury, Tomlin had a great outing Wednesday night. He completed five innings of work, allowing one run on four hits and striking out two.

The most notable stat from his start is the fact he didn’t allow a home run, making it only his third start this season in which he has not allowed at least one home run.

But Tomlin did not win the game on his own, receiving some long-awaited help from the offense. Jose Ramirez drove in two runs on a triple in the fourth inning and Coco Crisp launched a three-run home run to left field in the sixth inning, giving the Indians the 6-1 lead that would hold until the end of the game.

The Return of Josh Tomlin

It was great to see Josh Tomlin have a solid outing Wednesday night. After not making it beyond 4 2/3 innings in an outing since August 15, Tomlin made it through five innings. He exited the game with a 6-1 lead, but he did his job by going five innings and only allowing a single run.

It is too early to assume Tomlin is back to his early-season form, but this start certainly earned him another one when his spot in the rotation comes up next week Tuesday. With Danny Salazar being out for the rest of the regular season, a revitalized Tomlin would be great as the Indians continue to reduce the magic number to win the AL Central.

Another Unlikely Hero

2016 has been a magical season for the Indians. It seems like whenever the team begins to fall into a rut, someone steps up to bring back the winning ways.

Coco Crisp did that Wednesday night, hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Indians and Tomlin a five-run cushion. No one is expecting Crisp to hit for power, so when he does it is always an exciting sight to take in.

His playing time is going to increase one the postseason begins, as Abraham Almonte is ineligible, so seeing Crisp be a difference-maker in September is a great sign.

The Dwindling Magic Number

The Detroit Tigers unfortunately won their game Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins, but the Indians’ win means the magic number is down to 12 games. That number can be significantly reduced if the Indians play well against the Tigers in the upcoming weekend series, but we must take it one game at a time to avoid going crazy.