Cleveland Indians ranked No. 6 in FanSided’s MLB power rankings

The Cleveland Indians have played well over the last week and now occupy the No. 6 overall spot in FanSided’s MLB power rankings.

The Cleveland Indians are 6-2 in the last eight games after a 5-7 start and are in a three-way tie for first in the American League Central.

A great win Wednesday night over the Houston Astros sets up the Indians to win yet another series, but the recent success hasn’t caused a lot of upward movement in the most recent edition of FanSided’s MLB power rankings.

The Indians come in as the No. 6 overall team, behind the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and the Astros. So a series win over the top team should mean some movement in next week’s rankings.

The key to the recent success has been the starting pitching, especially at the top. From the power rankings article:

"The Indians can begin breathing a little easier about their spotty starting pitching. They recorded two shutouts of the White Sox last week, including a complete game three-hitter by Corey Kluber. That performance lowered Kluber’s ERA to 4.28, and he could be shaking off the April rust."

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That has been followed up by some solid outings from Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer at the bottom of the rotation, thus putting the emphasis on the offense to bring home some victories.

These rankings, although early, do give Indians fans an idea of which teams serve as the team’s main competition for not only an AL crown, but for a World Series one as well.

This series against the Astros has proven that the team is a legitimate contender, at least at this point in time.

The Indians are also contenders, but the road may not be as easy as it was in 2016.

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And being ranked No. 6 overall after a 5-7 start is nothing to be upset about. The Indians now seem to be piecing it all together and it won’t be long before a long streak of wins is had. Calling it now.