After Tuesday night’s win are the Cleveland Indians the safest bet on MLB teams right now? Online sportsbook users have both eyes on the Indians as they’ve increased their win streak to 11 after a victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. 11 straight wins is no easy feat, it’s the longest streak in the MLB this season. It’s also the Indians longest streak since 1982, and as is tradition in baseball no one in the Cleveland clubhouse is talking about it. If Cleveland can scrap nine more wins Brad Pitt might just be starring in another baseball film. With last night’s win the tribe has extended their lead in the American League Central to a six-game mark over the Royals. This streak, and the Cavs taking home the title, have given Cleveland sports fans more than enough reason to smile. Extending their win streak further will prove difficult, and with all of the attention that Cleveland is getting it might be even harder to keep the club from talking about the streak. Nonetheless the Indians have the talent to do it and if they keep performing at this level a jinx might be the only thing to stop them. But the question remains, how long can they keep this up?
The last time the Indians won 12 straight was in 1922. This is a testament of how difficult it is to win games back-to-back. What’s even more impressive is that they’re doing this without Abraham Almonte, Marlyn Byrd, and Michael Brantley. Brantley has been fighting a right bicep tendinitis while the other two were suspended for PEDs. Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez have been able to fill the void left in the outfield, and superb play from Uribe, Ramirez, and Naquin have helped the tribe score plenty of runs. Another aspect of this offense is their ability to steal bases and that is a big thing for those who bet on MLB. Lead by Rajai Davis, who currently has 21 steals, they’re currently ranked second in the American League for bases stolen.
On the defensive side Lindor has been outstanding. Behind Lindor’s efforts the Indians have excelled in turning grounders into outs. Currently they have the lowest slugging percentage allowed on ground balls in the MLB. The Indians have given up three runs or less in 10 straight games. That’s currently the longest streak in the American League this season, and is only one game short of the streak set by the Cubs in April. Overall they’re ranked third in the majors for defensive efficiency. This is arguably the biggest contributing factor to the tribe’s win streak, that and their rotation.
Even before the season began everyone knew that Cleveland’s rotation was dangerous. They’ve more than lived up to the hype. Behind the continued development of Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer’s improved play, and the stability of Josh Tomlin this team has the 6th best ERA in baseball. Throw in Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco and you can see why they’re allowing so few runs.
The tribe is looking to keep the stampede rolling when they face the Braves again Wednesday night. Danny Salazar is on the bump, which is good news as he has the 2nd lowest ERA in the American League at 2.40. On the other side the Braves have RHP Joel De La Rosa who is making his major league debut. De La Cruz put up a mediocre 4.68 over 57 innings at Triple-A Gwinnet. With this in mind picking the Indians over the Braves might just be the safest bet on MLB games.
