Houston Astros: Three reasons not to worry about the Cleveland Indians

As the Cleveland Indians continue their hot streak on the heels of the Houston Astros dominance, it’s becoming clear that a playoff showdown between both is inevitable, here are three reasons not to worry about them.

With the Houston Astros having all but clinched the AL West division, it should be easy to sit back and enjoy the rest of the league fighting for a playoff spot.

But yet, for some reason, the Houston Astros and their fans find themselves in a pennant race of their own.

Okay! So here’s what’s been bothering me. We have a lead that at this point is almost insurmountable. The Houston Astros are nearing the point of clinching the division for the first time and there is nobody that can stop us in the AL West. However, the top stories in baseball are the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, once baseball’s golden team are struggling right now. But they’ll be in the playoffs and should be a force in the National League. I still want a World Series between Houston and L.A.

That brings us back to the American League and the Indians. Yes, the Indians are playing the best baseball right now. How can you not marvel at the winning streak? They recently became the third team (1977 Royals & 2002 A’s) in the expansion era to win 16 straight games. That also puts them with the 1935 Chicago Cubs (21 straight wins), 1947 Yankees (19 in a row), 1904 Giants (18 in a row) & 1916 Giants (25 games in a row undefeated with one tie).

Why is it a problem for some fans?

With the streak going on, Houston Astros fans are starting to panic (like they always have during this season) about our first place record that we had worked so hard for being in jeopardy. As of now, the lead is down to 2-3 games. But should it really be a problem for us?

Make no mistake, the Indians are a great team. They went to the World Series last year and were on the cusp of winning it until pulling a 2016 Warriors to the Cubs. They’re pitching staff is the best (take Justin Verlander out from us) and they’re hitting is tremendous. You go 114-28 during this winning streak, that says something.

But here’s where the problem lies. The problem is that we are still in regular season mode and the postseason is a different animal. Sometimes, the best team doesn’t always come out on top.

With that being said, there are reasons I feel the Cleveland Indians should be our worries just yet. Whether we lose our spot to them or not is up to us in the end. But really, we should focus on getting ready for a potential showdown with them in the playoffs.