CLEVELAND, OH – Francisco Lindor stood at his locker following a 7-1 loss to the White Sox. The Indians finished with just one hit and the clubhouse was silent.
The team fell to 81-60. The Indians ended the day 6½ games behind the first place Twins and 1½ games behind Oakland in the Wild Card standings.
Suddenly the team that had battled back from countless injuries and adversity found themselves backed into a corner once again.
“Every game is a must [win],” Francisco Lindor said in an exclusive interview with 92.3 The Fan after the loss. “Every game for the rest of the season is a must [win]. I don’t care who it is, it’s a must [win].”
The Indians have won five of their last six games since Lindor made those comments. The clubhouse was silent and bummed out after putting up a dud against Chicago, but Frankie’s confidence never waivered.
“We got a great group of guys that are very resilient,” he said. “We’ll be fine. We just gotta go out there and play as hard as we can.”
The Indians’ playoff chances look much different now – just eight days after they were one-hit by the White Sox. The Tribe has pulled within 3½ games of the Twins in the AL Central. They’re within a game of the top Wild Card spot in the American League.
This team continues to be resilient, but it won’t be enough if they don’t handle their business this weekend at Progressive Field.
The Indians play the Twins for the final time this year. They’re 9-7 against Minnesota this season and have won six of their last eight games against the Twins.
If the Indians are going to win a fourth straight division title, then they’ll likely have to sweep the weekend series. They’re putting their best foot forward, with Aaron Civale, Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber on the mound. Civale allowed one run in five innings in a 5-3 loss to the Twins last weekend. He’s posted a 1.93 ERA in eight starts this season. Civale's made two starts against Minnesota, allowing two runs in 11 innings.
Clevinger and Bieber are the Indians’ two aces. There’s no one else they would rather have on the mound in a series of this magnitude.
There is one major factor that could have an impact on this series against the Twins. How is Brad Hand feeling and will he be available at any point this weekend? The Indians’ closer underwent an MRI on Wednesday that came back clean. The team is hoping he gets the 'OK' from the medical staff and is available against the Twins.
“The MRI came back clean, which we’re thrilled about,” manager Terry Francona said. “Now we just have to build him back up. How that goes will be determined by how he feels. He got treatment today [Wednesday] and tomorrow [Thursday]. We’ll see how he shows up on Friday.”
Hand is second in the American League with 34 saves. He’s struggled during the second half of the season, posting a 6.00 ERA in his last 19 outings.
If Hand can’t pitch against the Twins, the Indians may be forced to rely on another rookie in critical moments. The Tribe promoted James Karinchak, who has been dominant in the minor leagues this season. The 23 year old has 82 strikeouts in 33⅔ innings this season (including Triple-A postseason). He’s posted a 2.41 ERA and is averaging 21.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Karinchak has been unhittable when healthy this season. He struggled coming back from a hamstring injury earlier in the season, but has been as dominant as ever over the past few weeks.
Karinchak’s fastball tops out around 98 mph and he has a breaking ball that impressed the Indians.
“Looks like a video game,” Francona said in May. “It’s going to be interesting because of his stuff. He’s got plenty of fastball. I mean plenty – like 97-98 and a breaking ball that’s like a curve ball/slider – a hard curve ball. He’s got two pitches that are just like wipeout pitches.”
Karinchak could play a big role in the series against the Twins and for the rest of the season. The Indians’ bullpen has struggled over the past month, posting a 5.20 ERA. They hope Karinchak is one of the many reasons that number drops significantly in the final 15 regular season games.
The Indians have fought their way back into the division race once again. This weekend will go a long way in determining if they can get over the hump and win a fourth straight AL Central title.
Pitching Matchups
Friday – Aaron Civale (1.93 ERA) vs Jake Odorizzi (3.60 ERA)
Saturday – Mike Clevinger (2.72 ERA) vs TBD (bullpen game)
Sunday – Shane Bieber ( 3.17 ERA) vs José Berríos (3.63 ERA)
