A once wide-open American League Central division has become the Wild Wild West at high noon.
Prior to the season, the Central was generally viewed as a cluster of potential contenders, tightly wound and headed for a disjointed race to the postseason. Now, with two months remaining, the Indians and Detroit Tigers are staring at one another, hands at their hips, with the rest of the pack hiding in the saloon.
Entering Friday’s games, the Indians were 61-45 and holding a three-game lead over the 59-49 Tigers. The Chicago White Sox (52-56), defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals (51-57) and Minnesota Twins (43-65) have all slipped below .500 and are double-digit games behind the Indians.
Now the Tigers, who have been easily handled by the Indians this year, are the ones still chasing them.
After three years of the Tigers holding down the Indians like a bully on the playground, the Indians have taken 11 of the 12 games the two have played against each other this season. It’s the biggest reason the Indians are still in first place in the division.
The White Sox and Royals have fallen off, but the Indians’ once-commanding lead has shrunk as the Tigers have played their best baseball lately.
The Tigers charged back as they went 17-11 in June and 16-10 in July, much of it without starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez. Zimmermann could be headed back to the disabled list but Martinez was reinstated from the disabled list on Wednesday and, in his first at-bat, hit a pinch-hit game-winning home run off the White Sox’s Chris Sale.
Justin Verlander has found his stride and has a case to be named AL Pitcher of the Month in July, going 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA and striking out 48 batters. And Justin Upton, who was arguably the most disappointing hitter in baseball the first two months, has since rebounded and given an already dangerous Tigers lineup another threat.
The Indians built their lead in the division with a 22-6 June and then went 12-12 in July and had a poor series against the Minnesota Twins earlier this week. It’s set up a two-way race through August and September for the division.
The trade deadline and the following week have sent Indians fans through a wide range of emotions. There was joy with the news of the agreed-upon Jonathan Lucroy trade, then the disappointment when he not only vetoed that deal, but also was traded to the Texas Rangers, another AL contender. There was elation with the Andrew Miller trade, a second signal the front office was willing to be aggressive when the time is right, and then concern when Danny Salazar landed on the disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow.
Then the Indians’ biggest asset all season — the starting rotation — faltered on back-to-back-to-back days, a rare weak spot on the armor that had protected the Indians from most poor nights offensively or in the bullpen.
The Indians hold a three-game lead in the division, and a three-game skid in one series is nothing to hold a town hall meeting over, but their lead in the division isn’t as substantial. The Indians are still the favorites, but the Tigers are charging.
These two teams have played significant roles in holding the other one back the past few years. This time, the Indians are holding the early lead and have outplayed the Tigers in nearly every game. The roles have been reversed, but the chase is the same.
Take 10 paces and draw.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ.