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Indians go from overlooked to potential World Series favorites
Rookie Ryan Merritt helped the Cleveland Indians advance to the World Series as the ALCS Game 5 starter. Elsa/Getty Images

Indians go from overlooked to potential World Series favorites

The Cleveland Indians put the final touches on their efficiently dominant American League Championship performance yesterday, downing the Toronto Blue Jays in just five games. For Toronto, it was the second ALCS defeat in as many years and effectively may have closed a window on the Blue Jays' era of competing at this level. However, it marked a continuation of the new beginning of Indians baseball, as they now head to their first World Series in 19 years and take another shot at ending baseball’s second longest World Series victory drought.

It is a drought that stretches all the way back to 1948, when the Indians defeated the Boston Braves in six games to win the franchise’s second World Series and first since 1920. The team was then guided by player-manager Lou Boudreau, who won the AL MVP that season. He was joined by future Hall of Famers Larry Doby, Bob Lemon, and both the incomparable Bob Feller and Satchel Paige.

In the 68 years since, the club has now won four more AL titles, but never has it gotten over the hump of the World Series itself. The losses have been of the particularly painful version as well. In 1995, after making the World Series for the first time since the '50s, the Indians lost Game 6 by a 1-0 score after eight shutout innings from Tom Glavine. Two years later, the Tribe returned again, only to lose in the bottom of the ninth inning on an Edgar Renteria single to put over the upstart Florida Marlins.

All has been quiet on the elite-level baseball competitive tip since then. And while LeBron James’ messiah turn broke the overall drought of Cleveland championships this past spring, the Indians still sit with a sizable task ahead. It has certainly been one that fewer people may have seen coming, but now more and more are believing in what is transpiring before them. Whether it be the on-demand dominance of ALCS MVP Andrew Miller, the timely hitting of rising star Francisco Lindor or the understated dominance of their starting pitching, the Indians have moved from underdog to potentially the waiting-in-the-wings favorite in just a bit over two weeks’ time.

Yet, regardless where they currently stand, baseball’s postseason is a cruel and unsteady terrain. A team that has done everything right for months on end can see the rug be pulled from underneath them in no time. For many inhabitants of the Cleveland roster, every round they advance this year is a bold new step into unchartered territory. Outside of manager Terry Francona, only Mike Napoli has played this far into a season before, having twice previously been to the Fall Classic, losing in 2011 with the Texas Rangers before winning in 2013 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Momentum is vital, but experience also plays a big part of calming the waves of anticipation and anxiety that can manifest during a World Series run — as well as the wait to get one underway.

After punching their ticket yesterday, Thursday marks day one in a five-day wait for the hottest team in baseball between when the players suit up again. This could be of concern for a team that has played most fatigue-proof baseball and has now won eight of nine postseason games and 11 of 12 overall, counting their regular season-ending sweep of the Kansas City Royals. It is the type of streak makes a team hungry to get to the ballpark each day and makes off days feel like years.

But in all reality, getting business done in short order is a good thing for this particular team, as the Indians have a few issues to address. Mainly, it gives their juggernaut bullpen some time to breathe. They pitched 24 innings in the ALCS alone, including carrying the full weight of Game 3 after Trevor Bauer’s first-inning, bloody finger exit. Talent and adrenaline have carried them thus far, but rest will need to do its part as well.

Speaking of Bauer, it gives his freakish injury time to heal itself, as he will be a necessary part of the Cleveland rotation in the World Series. He could be extended out as far as Game 3, which would be over a full week since he was forced to bow out of Game 3 of the ALCS. The prolonged rest could make him a vital weapon on the hill.

Speaking of prolonged rest, the time off will allow Corey Kluber’s clock to be fully reset as well, as he came back on only three days rest to pitch Game 4 of the ALCS. Having him fully locked and loaded will allow the Indians to match wits with any of the multiple aces the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have on hand waiting for them.

Speaking of the National League Championship tilt that is still ongoing, the outcome of the series will yield a captivating World Series matchup, regardless of outcome.

The Indians are a relentless team that is built more around speed, pitching and defense than raw power or waiting on the big play to develop. They are a deep team as well, one that has multiple interchangeable parts that can be parlayed in multiple parts of a lineup or defensive alignment. These factors are not typical of American League clubs, which are usually more rigid and consistent in their approach. This makes the Indians a uniquely prepared team for the National League game — while also allowing them to maintain AL advantage of featuring one premier bat that is focused only on the designated hitter role as well.

Even with the insertion of regular interleague play into the MLB schedule, the World Series will produce a unique matchup regardless of which team emerges from the NLCS. The AL Central was pitted against the NL East in this year’s interleague slate, meaning that Cleveland missed both the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers during the year. So for the first time this postseason, there will be a matchup of teams with no prior knowledge of each other. The results of this should make for an enticing acquaintanceship between the two league representatives.

In some ways, Cleveland is both similar and quite different from its opponents-to-be. The Cubs are a team that is guided by their pitching staff and an underrated defense, but one that also leans heavily on bullpen-created matchups as well. This would be a series where the big moment would likely be on display often but would likely echo more of the elements of the Indians’ showdown with the deep Red Sox lineup than with the Blue Jays.

Boston hit .214 in the ALDS and managed only seven runs. Thus far, the Chicago offense has struggled to consistently be effective as well and has done so against lesser pitching staffs in the Giants and now Dodgers. A date with a rested Indians staff could be a date with disaster.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers could be even lesser equipped for a date with the Indians than the Cubs. Their great benefit is having have a pair of potentially dominant lefties in Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill to start games. But the Indians are mostly matchup-proof due to the fact they have five switch-hitters and another three right-handed hitters on their roster. Even their main everyday left-handed-only swinger, Jason Kipnis, has hit .282 on the year against his fellow southpaws.

While they have not been stealing bases anywhere near the clip they did during the regular season, a matchup with the Dodgers could reawaken that currently dormant part of their attack as well. Yasmani Grandal has thrown out less than 30 percent of would-be base thieves. Lindor, Kipnis, Rajai Davis, Jose Ramirez and company would certainly be able to put the pressure down there as well.

All things considered, it still seems odd to think that all roads could be leading through Cleveland and that the Indians distinctly hold the upper hand at this juncture in the season. But regardless of how things turn now, there simply is no more dangerous — or prepared — team than these Indians. History could continue to craft its web in what without a doubt should be known as "Believeland" now.

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