Cleveland Indians: Don’t Overlook The Bats in June’s Surge
By Joe Russo
The offense has picked up in June, which has helped the Cleveland Indians increase their lead in the A.L. Central division by five games.
If this past weekend against the Detroit Tigers didn’t convince you that the Cleveland Indians are for real, I don’t know what else to say. With the Tribe sweeping the Tigers again, the Indians extended their AL Central lead and have asserted themselves as possibly the best team in the American League.
It is more than just the offensive highlights from the weekend. Sure, a game with four triples is great. Even better is a game with four home runs. Topping that is a game with four home runs in one inning!
Beyond just the beat down in Detroit, the Cleveland Indians offense has exceeded expectations. Their success should finally put fans at ease about the preseason pessimism regarding the lineup.
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Would you believe it if I told you the Cleveland Indians lead the A.L. in run differential? Sitting currently at a +81 mark, the Tribe is a full 13 runs ahead of second place Boston Red Sox in the category and 32 ahead of the Texas Rangers, the team with the best record in the American League.
I will admit that it helps when the pitching staff has allowed an A.L. low 280 total runs on the year. Cleveland is the only team in the league to be under 300 runs allowed at this point in the season.
It isn’t like the offense is not doing their part, though. The Indians have scored the fifth most runs in the A.L. and are only two runs scored behind the aforementioned Rangers, the only other team with a better record than Cleveland’s.
All those fans still yelling for a bit power hitter? Remember them?
They are the ones overlooking the fact that the Indians have the third most home runs in the A.L. in June with 39 and are also third in team OPS for the month at .804. On the year, the Tribe is seventh and sixth, respectively, far better than most would have predicted heading into spring training.
It trickles down to an individual level as well. Francisco Lindor is ninth in the A.L. in batting with a .311 average — a big reason why he is eighth in the A.L. in Wins Above Replacement. His .322 June served as just the type of catalyst needed for a big run earlier in the season than we are used to seeing from the Cleveland Indians.
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Carlos Santana, who has actually thrived as a lead-off hitter, is tied for sixth in the A.L. for home runs in June with seven. Tyler Naquin is hitting .327 this month and only has one fewer home run than Santana. His OPS for June is an insane 1.224, making everyone wonder what the heck took so long to make Naquin a fixture in the lineup.
Rajai Davis is hitting .319, while Lonnie Chisenhall is .288 and Jason Kipnis is at .277. Aside from the scuffling Juan Uribe and anyone playing catcher, this offense is as balanced as any we have seen from the Cleveland Indians since their last A.L. Central title teams.
Yes, the pitching deserves most of the credit. When Carlos Carrasco‘s 2.91 ERA is the highest for a team’s rotation in a month, they are having a great month.
Next: Grading The Offseason Pitching Acquisitions
No one will say that it isn’t the pitching that is the main reason why this team will continue to push for a A.L. Central crown. But don’t overlook the offense, the only reason for concern all spring. Now, it looks like the Cleveland Indians bats might be finally pulling it’s weight.