CLEVELAND, OH – Sometimes your best isn’t good enough. Sometimes things don't break your way and adversity stops you from achieving a goal.
The Indians learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday. The Twins swept the day-night doubleheader, increasing their lead in the AL Central to 5½ games. It’s easy to question lineup decisions or sequences that played a significant role in the outcome, but it's not always as complicated it seems.
The Twins are better than the Indians. They were the better team in April. They had a better record all season long and they’re the better team now. They’re going to win the American League Central Division for the first time since 2010.
Some look back at the offseason and question the Indians’ lack of moves or their decision to cut the payroll. It’s a valid criticism, but money had nothing to do with Franmil Reyes, Yu Chang and Kevin Plawecki striking out in order with the bases loaded and no outs in the first inning of Saturday night's game.
Chang has no business playing in a game of that magnitude, but José Ramírez’s injury forced the Indians to rely on the rookie infielder.
No one should be blaming the Dolans because Nick Goody left a hanging slider over the middle of the plate. Miguel Sano drove it into the left field seats for his first career grand slam. The 4-run blast was the final blow, in a season full of them, that finally put the Indians away. Cleveland won't win a fourth straight AL Central title.
“It sucks. One pitch,” Goody said. “Prior to that at-bat, he hadn’t had a hit off me yet. Came in, left one hanging and he capitalized on it. Three pitches I wish I could get back this year. That’s one of ’em. The guys played really well and, once again, it sucks.”
Bad pitches happen in baseball. It's part of the game. The Twins capitalized on the Indians' mistakes and it's put them in position to win the division.
Some will scoff at the Indians’ injuries this season, but they’re a reason why the Twins are the better team. No one knows what the Indians would look like if Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger had avoided 60-day stints on the injured list.
Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis both missed the start of the season due to leg injuries. The standings might’ve looked much different had health been on the Indians’ side, but it wasn’t this season.
Sometimes success in sports has just as much to do with luck as it has to do with talent. For example, Ramírez suffered a broken hand in August swinging the bat and was forced to miss significant time. Minnesota slugger Nelson Cruz suffered a wrist injury swinging the bat and was back on the field 11 days later after a short stint on the injured list.
This isn’t excuse making for the hometown team. It’s a reality every sports team has to deal with, especially at the professional level.
The Twins deserve credit. They showed poise in both games on Saturday. Jorge Polanco not only hit a 2-run homer that brought home the only two runs of game one. He also made a diving grab that kept the Indians from tying the game.
Bruh. -- pic.twitter.com/5ivPCm360t
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 14, 2019Minnesota slammed the door shut anytime Cleveland was close to seizing the momentum. The Indians should’ve blown game two wide open in the first inning, but somehow Reyes, Chang and Plawecki all failed at the plate. Give Twins left-hander Lewis Thorpe credit. He battled back after dealing with control issues and kept the Indians from having a big inning.
The season isn’t over. The Indians could still overcome a 2½ game deficit in the American League Wild Card race and qualify for the playoffs. They are still capable of making a postseason run. One bad Saturday doesn’t change that, but it was a huge blow to their chances.
“Well, it’s baseball. We got to understand we got to go tomorrow and we have the chance to play another game,” Oscar Mercado said. “The sun’s still gonna come up tomorrow, so we got to make sure tomorrow is a new day and we got to make sure that we come in and salvage the last game of the series and try to find a way to get hot again.”
The Indians have had plenty of weaknesses all season long. They’ve been able to overcome them enough to put themselves in a position to contend for a playoff spot. They weren’t good enough to win the AL Central title for a fourth straight season. Instead, they have 13 games left to prove they belong in the playoffs. It all starts with Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
