Neither scenario is likely to happen. How have the Indians reached this point? They were one of the hottest teams in baseball in June and July. They’ve fought adversity all season long to stay in the playoff picture.
They’re 14-9 in the month of September and have lost three crucial games over the past six days. They looked lifeless at times in their two losses to the White Sox. The Indians’ season was on the line and instead of playing inspired, they looked defeated the moment Chicago took the lead in both games.
Francisco Lindor has been awful in September and even worse over the past week. He looked lost at the plate against the White Sox, striking out eight times in 14 at-bats. Lindor wasn’t patient at the plate like normal and got caught fishing for breaking balls outside of the zone.
No one doubts his greatness, but his struggles are a big reason why the Indians' playoff hopes are on life support.
Lindor has a .218/.275/.416 slash line in September (23 games). He’s posted a .125 average in his last six games. The Indians are 3-3 in those contests.
The four-time All-Star could be tired. He never takes a day off. He’s started every game since the All-Star break (71 games). It’s not an excuse for his recent performance and not something he would admit to, but it could certainly be a factor in his September struggles.
Lindor went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday and Thursday against the White Sox. He was the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on Wednesday night with the Indians trailing 5-3. He struck out to end the inning. He got a shot for redemption in the ninth, with the Tribe down 8-3 and the bases loaded, but the result was the same – another strikeout.
On Thursday night the Indians had a chance to give rookie Aaron Civale some early run support. Lindor came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning. He hit a line drive to right field to end the threat.
Those missed opportunities cost the Indians. Would they have won both games? No one knows the answer, but having a dialed in Lindor would’ve been ideal.
Instead, he appears to be searching for answers and chasing pitches he would never swing at under normal circumstances. It looks like he's pressing, which would make sense with how important each game is at this point in the season. That attitude could spread throughout the clubhouse and have an impact on the rest of the team.
This isn’t a personal attack. Everyone knows how great of a player he is and how important he is to the Indians' success. Lindor has emerged as a leader in the clubhouse this season. He stayed composed when the team was battling injuries and hovering around .500. He came back from injury at less than 100 percent to help the team stay afloat in April and May. He never got frustrated and always stayed positive.
Yasiel Puig and Oscar Mercado have been hot at the plate, which helped hide Lindor’s struggles, but they were much more noticeable in the White Sox series. Puig and Mercado cooled off and Lindor was at the plate in critical moments in each of their losses.
Lindor shouldn't shoulder all of the blame. There are plenty of other ways this team can win games and we’ve seen it this season, but he’s playing his worst ball of the season at an inopportune time.
Some say Lindor always struggles in September and he did last season, but that team knew it had the AL Central locked up. He was also great in the final month of the 2017 season (.287/.381/.617 slash line), so it’s hard to make that argument.
The circumstances are much different this year than they were in the past. The Indians are fighting for their playoff lives. Every at-bat is important. Every pitch could change a game for better or worse.
Unfortunately for the Tribe, Lindor’s at-bats have been the latter, which is a big reason why the Indians' season could end in Washington.