Indians’ AL Pennant Odds Tumble After Ramirez Injury and 3-6 Skid

• The Cleveland Indians have lost eight of their last 12 games
• Closer Brad Hand has blown four saves in his last 12 appearances
• The Indians will be without two-time All-Star Jose Ramirez for the foreseeable future

The Cleveland Indians have stumbled in the month of August, losing eight of their last 12. On top of that, they’ve lost slugger Jose Ramirez to a wrist injury that will keep him out a while. Their AL Pennant odds have tumbled a little bit, which begs the question: are they a fading commodity or are they still worth a bet?

2019 AL Pennant Odds

*Odds taken 08/26/19.

Has Cleveland Run Out Of Gas?

The American League has mostly been viewed as a two-horse race this season as the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees are the teams to beat. Many felt that the Indians had a shot, though, as they compiled a record of 52-30 from May 8th to August 9th.

On top of that, the Indians’ main weakness was their offense which they addressed that at the trade deadline when they acquired Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes. At that point, the Indians moved from being a dark horse to a team that could contend. However, a recent slump has changed the mood.

Remember that the Indians were 11.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for the lead in the American League Central at one point. They came all the way back and briefly took the lead at one point, but it feels like they’ve run out of steam a little bit.

A Lot Of Close Losses

Before everyone hits the panic button, it’s worth noting that the Indians have had a lot of close losses recently. Taking a closer look at the eight losses in their last 12 games, four of them came in extra innings while another two were by exactly one run. It’s not as if they’re getting blown out.

Also, take a look at the opponents they’ve played. Sure, losing to the Kansas City Royals – as they did on Sunday – is never ideal but that was in extra innings after they won the first two games of the series. Prior to that, they played the streaking New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. That’s a tough little stretch.

Loss Of Ramirez Is Significant

As mentioned, the main weakness on this Indians team was batting. Losing two-time All-Star Jose Ramirez for the playoff push is going to hurt.

Many might point to his overall numbers and suggest that he hasn’t been that good this season. It’s true: his 20 home runs and .254 average is not that impressive. However, he slumped early in the season but has been red-hot in the summer months.

He’s batting .327 since the All-Star break with 13 home runs and 40 RBI’s in 156 at-bats. He had just seven home runs and 35 RBI’s in 317 at-bats before the break. That goes to show you just how hot he’s been.

Hand Has Struggled

One of the other unexpected and unpleasant surprises has been the struggles of closer Brad Hand. He had just one blown save in his first 43 appearances this season but has four blown saves in his last 12 appearances. He had blown three saves in four opportunities mid-August but has saved two straight games to get back on track.

This is a situation to monitor as the Indians aren’t going anywhere if their bullpen becomes leaky. Their bullpen leads the league in ERA (3.41) and their save percentage is still the third-best mark in the Majors. However, Hand’s performance in August – and his 7.00 ERA in the month – is a concern.

What’s The Best Bet?

It just feels like the Indians have over-exerted themselves while trying to close down the gap between them and the Twins. It’s like a basketball team that makes a huge effort to come back from a big deficit and then runs out of steam once they’ve pulled even.

I still expect the Indians to make the playoffs as they’ve lost a lot of close games recently but without Ramirez and without the momentum they had, I’ll pass on their odds to win the AL Pennant. There are more complete teams than them.