Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the series win over Texas

The Cleveland Indians responded after a horrible weekend by taking three of four from the Texas Rangers. Here is what stood out.

Cleveland Indians fans needed something to cheer about after the team got swept over the weekend. That was why things were so grim on Monday when the Texas Rangers took a 9-2 lead in the first game of the four-game series.

Then things got weird. 13 unanswered runs later and the Indians picked up a blowout win of their own, beginning what ended up as a great series. Without that comeback, the bad vibes may have only gotten worse.

The Indians were able to take three of four from the Rangers, jumping back into first place in the AL Central with a chance to keep the winning ways going this weekend with four games against the lowly Detroit Tigers.

But before we get excited for four games in less than 48 hours, let’s take a look back at the wild series against the Rangers.

1. The Klubot is engaged

So, Corey Kluber is pretty good.

Kluber picked up another 12 strikeouts Thursday afternoon in eight innings of one-run baseball. It was his fourth consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts, which happens to be a mark held by one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.

Kluber has been simply unstoppable in June, logging 43 innings in six starts and allowing just six earned runs while striking out 64 batters. His start on June 9 against the Chicago White Sox, a game the Indians won, was the only game this month he hasn’t struck out at least 10 batters. But his eight strikeouts were enough to help the cause.

It is hard to expect Kluber to keep going at this pace, but there is also no reason to believe he will slow down anytime soon. If he even keeps going at 75 percent of his current rate, another Cy Young award should be coming his way after the season.

2. Cody is still elite

Unlike Kluber, Cody Allen didn’t have himself a great series. Yet it wasn’t as bad as some fans made it out to be.

Allen appeared in the first three games of the series, getting through Monday’s game unscathed. Then came Tuesday, when he allowed the go-ahead home run to Adrian Beltre in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied 1-1.

Related: Bullpen can’t be blamed when offense falters

That second run was all the Rangers needed to win, and it was obvious the offense let the entire team down. However, some fans jumped to blame Allen, even though it was a 2-1 loss.

Things continued to be difficult Wednesday, when he allowed two earned runs in what ended up being a 5-3 victory for the Indians. Some always jump to blame relievers when they allow runs, not matter the outcome of the game. But when the Indians win, there is no reason to complain.

Cody Allen remains one of the better relievers in all of baseball, and three earned runs in two games doesn’t change that.

3. As unpredictable as ever

This entire series was a great representation of how this season has gone. After bailing out Carlos Carrasco and scoring 15 runs in an amazing comeback on Monday, the offense was only able to muster a single run on Tuesday, while the pitching staff had a great night.

Next: 5 players to expect in the ASG

The inconsistency doesn’t seem to be coming to an end anytime soon, but as long as the Indians keep winning, everything is quite alright.