Cleveland Indians stay put at No. 9 in ESPN’s power rankings

The Cleveland Indians have begun to heat up, and remain in the top ten of the most recent edition of ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

Thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, I was a little late with this week’s recap of where the Cleveland Indians stand in ESPN’s MLB power rankings. Alas, here we go.

The Indians entered this week at No. 9 in the latest edition of the power rankings, one spot ahead of the Minnesota Twins who opened their week with a historic collapse against the Houston Astros.

Here is what the article had to say about the team:

"Things seemed to have turned around for the Indians after they swept the Astros in Houston last weekend, but Cleveland couldn’t generate any momentum off that, losing two of three to Cincinnati, then losing their weekend series with the Royals. The Indians’ bullpen is still among the best in baseball, but the team ranks bottom half of baseball in starting pitcher ERA and runs per game. Corey Kluber will return Thursday against the A’s; perhaps he’ll be the spark to get things going for the Tribe. — Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information"

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These rankings were published Monday, meaning a sweep of the Oakland Athletics this week could help the Indians climb a few spots in next week’s rankings.

But even after two straight wins, fans are waiting to see if the team is beginning a winning streak, or if the bats will disappear for a game or two as has been common this season.

It is not a pessimistic view, but rather one that is just going off how the team has played and followed up big wins in 2017.

Corey Kluber‘s return Thursday will be huge for the team. Carlos Carrasco has emerged as the ace, but there needs to be more stability from the starting rotation.

Next: Who deserves to have their number retired next?

Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer have had flashes, but both of them have yet to prove the success can be a regular thing. Perhaps a few great starts in a row can help change that narrative.