The Tribe: 2011 Strong Start, Bitter Finish



It's crazy to think that the Cleveland Indians started off so amazingly well. A 30-15 record has given way to 40-55 clip, thus a 70-68 record as of September 6th. Technically, the team is in a pennant race with Detroit, but the team would need a frantic finish to take the crown. 24 games for the Indians, 21 for the Tigers. The Tribe are 6 games down in the loss column and 9 games in the win column which amounts to a 7.5 game deficit. If the Indians finish 20-4 down the stretch, their record would be 90-72. If the Tigers finish 11-10 their last 21, the teams would finish tied. The tiebreaker would be the head-to-head record.

Looking at the two rosters, the Tigers lineup looks vastly superior. The Tigers have 4 guys hitting over .300 to the Indians none. The Tigers have been fairly injury-free while the Indians have had injuries galore. Every statistic sides with the Tigers. All rational folks believe the Tigers will win the central. Yet, there sit the Cleveland Indians in 2nd place. No, they probably have no business being there. Not with the injuries and inexperienced lineup which looks pretty similar to what AAA Columbus trotted out there on opening day.

As bleak as it looks, guys are gaining experience in the big leagues when it counts. Baseball is a game played by grown men. It's played on a field and not on paper. I'd love to see the stat book thrown out the window. I'd love to see the Indians catch lightning in a bottle and run the table. Normally I would count them out by this point, but I decided to write this blog entry.

Maybe these kids can relax in the face of long odds and thrive. No pressure. Finish this out strong. One solid at bat at a time. One strike at a time. This is supposed to be fun. Smile out there and enjoy the beautiful game.