Indians manager Terry Francona would prefer his players proceed as if wearing horse blinders. There is no game more important than the one at hand, and it is not wise to worry about what is waiting down the road.
Francona lives and breathes by the old baseball adage of taking one game at a time.
That is all well and good, but there is no denying that the Indians are in the midst of a critical stretch of games that extends beyond Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. Cleveland could not solve Braves lefty Alex Wood in the opener of this three-game Interleague series, leading to a defeat at the onset of a grueling test for the Tribe.
“There’s no sugarcoating it,” Indians third baseman Mike Aviles said. “At the end of the day, we had people on base and we had a chance to do what we needed to do. We just didn’t do it.”
Including the Indians’ latest loss, Cleveland plays nine straight games against postseason contenders in the Braves, Tigers and Orioles. It is a stretch that could go a long way in determining whether the Tribe has what it takes to make a push for a playoff spot, especially when considering what awaits on the other side of the gauntlet.
After the next eight games, which includes a three-game road series against the American League Central-leading Tigers and a three-game home set against the AL Wild Card-chasing Orioles, Cleveland has a softer schedule down the stretch. The remaining opponents (Mets, Royals, White Sox, Astros and Twins) have a combined .431 winning percentage.
A lot can happen over the course of one month, but the current nine-game stretch could go a long way in vaulting the Indians into serious postseason position. First, Cleveland has to try to salvage this set against Atlanta, which has the top seed in the National League East locked down at the moment.
“We’re playing some teams that are fighting for the playoffs. It’s a test,” Indians center fielder Michael Bourn said. “You have to face those teams, take them on and try to beat them. None of these teams are going to be easy — Atlanta, Detroit or Baltimore. We’ll just come out here and see what we’re made of.”
Things did not go the Tribe’s way in their first trip back to Turner Field since 2004.
Working with a pitch limit, Indians starter Danny Salazar provided a decent enough performance, but was lifted after logging 77 pitches through four innings. That has been Cleveland’s modus operandi with Salazar, who is three seasons removed from Tommy John elbow surgery and has already logged a career high for innings in one year.
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