The Indians headed into this road trip with their chests puffed out, feeling like a team on the cusp of something special. After the past week of baseball, Cleveland is now gasping for air.
It was more of the same on Monday night for the reeling Tribe.
Left-hander Scott Kazmir gave the Indians a decent outing, but if it’s not one thing, it’s another right now for Cleveland. In this 6-3 loss to Texas at Rangers Ballpark, the letdown came in the form of a lack of offense and an off night for the bullpen, which spotted the Rangers three runs in the decisive seventh inning.
The end result was an eighth consecutive defeat for Cleveland, which has two games remaining on this winless, nine-game slog through New York, Detroit and Texas.
“We’re struggling. We are,” Kazmir said. “It’s just little things that cost us a game. It could be a pitch. It could be defensively, offensively. It just seems like there’s something so small that determines the outcome of the game, especially the past couple, or the past three or four. We’ve been in every game.
“We’ve battled out there, but stuff’s not going our way. By any means, we’re not losing confidence at all. It’s just one of those things where we have to battle our way out of it.
This eight-game slump marks the longest losing streak for the Indians since the club dropped nine in a row in August last year. Cleveland also suffered through an 11-game slide last August, when the team compiled a 5-24 and saw a once promising season officially derailed.
The only good news for the Indians is that there are still more than three months to right the wrongs of the past three weeks.
“We’ve just got to keep playing,” Indians third baseman Mark Reynolds said. “I know it’s cliche or whatever, but it’s a long season. Hopefully, in a month or two we can look back on this and laugh at it. We’re having our tough stretch. Trust me, it’s tough on everyone in here and it’s very frustrating. We’ve just got to find a way to win one game and build on that.”
The Indians have not only lost eight straight, slipping to just 1-8 this month, but the team has lost 16 of its past 20 games. Prior to that stretch, the Indians ripped off 18 wins in a 22-game span to run to the top of the American League Central. The club was firing on all cylinders throughout that successful run, but has seen different aspects of the roster fall short in the games that have followed.
What is the secret to turning things around?
“Work hard and grind,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “Because there isn’t a magic potion.”
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