The Cleveland Indians are one of the most confounding teams in all of baseball.
One day Franmil Reyes and Jose Ramirez are launching home runs into the seat and all is well.
The next day sees the offense totally disappear, leaving fans wondering what will happen on a daily basis.
That is why it remains so difficult to project what the team will do for the remainder of the season.
This past week was as confusing as ever.
The New York Yankees came to town last Thursday and proceeded to win three in a row.
Then came three straight Indians wins, followed by a bad loss Wednesday to the Minnesota Twins.
It was a bizarre week and that is why the team had a bit of a slide in ESPN’s MLB power rankings.
The Indians dropped from No. 14 to No. 17, which is where the team hovered around to open the season.
Major Questions Remain
The Indians released Oliver Perez and demoted Logan Allen on Wednesday.
Logan Allen is being optioned to the alternate training site.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 28, 2021
That should only be the start of the moves yet to come.
What is the team going to do with Jake Bauers?
He seemed to be headed for a release, only to make some solid contact and actually get on base against the Twins.
Now there is a question at the fifth starter spot.
Will Allen make a return soon, or is it Cal Quantrill‘s job to lose?
The team also has a surplus of arms in the bullpen.
Luckily, the top guys in that group have shown up in a big way early this season.
Where would this team be without the dominance of Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak?
The same is true about Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale when it comes to the starting rotation.
The Schedule Ahead
The week ahead features two key divisional matchups.
First up is a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.
Up next?
A four-game set against the first-place Kansas City Royals.
This is going to be a telling week for this 2021 Indians squad.
Are they actually contenders in the Central division this season?
The White Sox remain the betting favorites and the Royals are the early surprise.
Ending the week with a winning record would prove the Indians are right in the mix as well.
The key, as always, is going to be consistency on offense.
The hope at some point in May should be solidifying positions such as first base, shortstop, and center field.
The latter two positions still have Amed Rosario in the mix at both and he is still struggling on offense.
Fans also want to see players like Bobby Bradley and Daniel Johnson at some point soon.
Taxi Squad for upcoming roadtrip to Chicago and KC:
C René Rivera
INF Ernie Clement
OF Harold Ramirez
OF Daniel Johnson
RHP Jean Carlos MejÃaAlso, RHP Nick Sandlin will travel with the club this evening.
— Tribeinsider (@tribeinsider) April 29, 2021
May could end up being an interesting month.
Whether that is because of winning or losing remains to be seen.
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