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

The Cleveland Indians did not have a great week, but it was not awful either. That is why the team only moved slightly in ESPN’s power rankings.

The Cleveland Indians haven’t been playing great baseball as of late, but they have done enough to hold down first place in the American League Central.

The solid play sees the Indians end up in the No. 6 spot in ESPN’s MLB power rankings, dropping just one spot from last week.

The Indians are behind the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.

Here is what was said about the Indians in the article:

"Ace Corey Kluber landed on the DL after leaving a start against the Tigers on May 2 with lower-back discomfort, and the bats have been quiet lately. After a hot start, Francisco Lindor has struggled, while Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion have struggled all season. With three other teams clustered atop the AL Central, the Indians need to start scoring runs to get some separation from the pack. — Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information"

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The lack of production on offense has been the main talking point surrounding the team, as it has taken near-perfect pitching performances to pick up a win. Sunday’s one-hit outing between Mike Clevinger and the bullpen is evidence of that.

But wins are what matter and the Indians’ current record of 17-13 gives the team a 1.5-game lead over Minnesota Twins in the Central division.

In fact, the Indians are the only Central team entering play Monday without a losing streak of at least two games.

So while the Indians may be struggling to score, they are still winning and beginning to take steps toward building an early lead in the division.

Next: 3 takeaways from the series in KC

It is hard to believe the offense will be this bad all throughout the month of May, so expect the Central lead to continue growing as June approaches. And as that happens, the Indians will continue to fight for the claim as the best team in all of baseball.