The Cleveland Indians have had their trouble with the Detroit Tigers this year, but another interdivision opponent has proven to be a magic elixir.
That team, of course, is the lowly Chicago White Sox, and the Indians completed a third consecutive four-game sweep of them on Sunday night, pulling them within a half-game of the AL Wild Card.
Nick Swisher, who has at least one hit in eight of his last nine games, hit two solo home runs and Asdrubal Cabrera added a three-run homer of his own to pace the Indians to a 7-1 victory.
Zach McAllister bounced back from his three previous so-so starts, pitching 6 2-3 innings and giving up only one run on six hits, striking out five and walking one.
Entering Sunday’s game, Swisher was batting .313/.405/.625 in his last eight games with three home runs and nine runs batted in. While his first year in Cleveland has been an overall disappointment, he couldn’t have picked a better time to get hot at the plate.
In this most recent demolition, the Indians outscored the White Sox 32-6, ensuring that no game was ever really in doubt.
With two games left to play against each other, the Indians are 15-2 against Chicago, essentially negating the 4-15 record that Cleveland has sustained against the Tigers.
There are only 13 games left in the Indians’ regular season, and they are right in the thick of the playoff race. With the Texas Rangers reeling entering a big series with the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland could soon find itself as a Wild Card leader.
