Cleveland Indians up to No. 8 in ESPN MLB power rankings

The Cleveland Indians have won five straight games, which has propelled them back up to the No. 8 spot in ESPN’s MLB power rankings.

Just when some overreacting Cleveland Indians fans were ready to throw in the towel even though it’s only June and the team is fighting for a division crown, (breathe), the team gave us all a reason to be excited over the weekend.

The Indians pulled off a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, sending the Twins down to second place and the Indians back up to first.

It was a great series for nearly everyone on the roster not named Daniel Robertson, with the four wins being the most important takeaway from the weekend.

The series was good enough to move the Indians up two spots to No. 8 in this week’s ESPN MLB power rankings. From the article:

"The Indians seem to have finally gotten it together. They swept a four-game series in Minnesota to take the division lead from the Twins. After a dreadful start, Edwin Encarnacion is red-hot and Jose Ramirez is having a great under-the-radar season. After a four-game series in Baltimore, the Indians play the Twins again in Cleveland next weekend. Will they take complete control of the Central race at that point? — Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information"

While Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Ramirez have been heating up all month, the weekend series was a true coming out party for both players. From Edwin’s five RBI on Sunday to Jose hitting home runs from both sides of the plate on Saturday, the two have become a feared duo in the lineup. If only Carlos Santana could join in on the fun.

As mentioned in the article, the Indians have another three games against the Twins coming up this weekend. Depending on how the Indians do against the Baltimore Orioles the next few days, another sweep against the Twins could open up a commanding lead in the Central heading into the All-Star break.

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But players and fans alike must not treat this most recent sweep as a definitive sign that the division has been won. It was fun to watch, but the Indians must keep up the winning ways and make the sweep a starting point for a turnaround, which happens to be right around the same time the team opened up a historic win streak a year ago.