Scary: The 2017 Cleveland Indians

There are those records that can be traced back to who knows how long. Odds are we'll never see someone break Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive game streak, which he broke Lou Gehrig's in September 1995. The 56 game hitting streak set by Joe DiMaggio in 1941 could be broken as some batters can get 30 game hit streaks, but fail. That being said, what this Cleveland Indians team has done this past month is nothing short of spectacular.

As of this blog, the Indians have won 19 in a row dating back to August 24th. They have played 11 straight games with the start of September to now. When this season began, they looked mediocre. Some might have questioned the players that acquired like Edwin Encarnacion. Since mid-June, they have been a bigger team in the American League Central. A few hiccups here and there, but they could get back into the World Series. What is that makes them scary?

For one thing, you don't want to face pitchers Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. They will find ways to get batters out and produce lengthy outings. Both them and Trevor Bauer are a deadly trio, though Bauer has a high E.R.A. The relief in the bullpen shows some stand outs like Cody Allen and Andrew Miller. They can get those innings in case things go bad or close out to get a win. Four of the relievers have struck out 60 plus batters, so there isn't too much of a weakness in that area.

Batting has its obvious strengths and weaknesses. What team doesn't? The Indians have some power. Francisco Lindor has been on a tear with the long ball. Encarnacion has been a decent addition. His numbers aren't like what they were the last five years, but Cleveland should be happy this year. With 34 home runs, it's still good enough to guarantee wins. They can hit the ball well with Jose Ramirez, Lindor, and Carlos Santana. A problem is being healthy. Jason Kipnis and Michael Bradley have had issues being on the field. The Indians have just lost Bradley Zimmer for the rest of the season due to a broken hand in their latest game. They don't have much talent on the bench outside of Austin Jackson. 

Could the Indians get cold, though? Absolutely. Look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have lost the last few weeks, and what could have been an easy candidate to represent the National League in the World Series is now in question. It's going to be tight for Cleveland to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs with the Houston Astros breathing down their neck.  However, they could make history with their next few games. Win another one and they will tie the 2002 Oakland Athletics streak at 20. Another one can tie the 1935 Chicago Cubs with another one securing the number one streak as far as consecutive games without a tie goes. The record, tie or not, is 26 set by the 1916 New York Giants. Funny as it is, these records were around August and September of their respective years. (Update: They are second all time and their streak lost last night, September 15th)

The only team I see scaring Cleveland is the Astros. With the addition of Justin Verlander in the Lone Star State, the pitching can be even more dangerous. Don't rule out the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees as. When they are good, they can't be stopped. Cleveland can't let their foot off the gas. It's crunch time and every game matters not in the sense of division (they're going to win the Central), but as mentioned, home field advantage. Similar to the Dodgers, anything less than a World Series championship will make 2017 a big year for nothing.