Everything inside of me...

 Frist, I wanted to say congratulations to the Cleveland Indians.   I don't know what would have happened in a 162 game schedule but in the 60 game schedule, they would have made the playoffs even if only 6 teams were taken to the playoffs in each league, which is the case every other year.

But....

Of all the matchups they could have had, this is the one that scares me the most.   

In game 1 they will be facing one of the best pitchers in baseball not named Shane Bieber AND, in game 2, another excellent pitcher who has given them fits in the past and, especially, in the playoffs.  

Plus, on paper the Yankees have a much better batting order than do the Indians.  And, on paper, it isn't even close. 

Everything inside of me tells me that we don't have a chance in this series because, as good as Bieber, Carrasco and Plesac are, the best they can do is put up zeros and the most likely thing, in the first two games, that Indians' batters will do is also put up zeros.

All it will take is one mistake by Bieber and one by Carrasco and the Indians' batters will fold like a house of cards in a windstorm.

Cole's statistics with his catcher on Tuesday (1.00 ERA) are more impressive than Bieber's stats.  Plus Bieber had that recent 118 pitch game.   Now, does that necessarily mean it will impact his start tomorrow?  No, it doesn't.   But everything inside of me tells me that that game will have just enough impact on him that he will make that one mistake or two mistakes and, with Cole and the Indians offense, that will be enough.

In game 2 we will be going with Carrasco, which I think is the right choice.  And Carrasco will likely be very good.   However, my gut tells me he will make a mistake or two and we won't be able to touch Tanaka.

Plus Ramirez has not been the best in the post-season and Lindor doesn't look like he will turn his season around.  And the rest of the offense and, recently, the defense and the base running, has been AAA level, at best.

So, my gut tells me we will lose in a numbing two game sweep to the Yankees and all of us will be left with the same questions and frustration we had over the winter and at the trade deadline: the FO knew we needed more outfielders and, generally, more offensive production, and they didn't get it for us.  

Everything inside of me tells me this is what is going to happen and that it is going to be bad and frustrating and ugly and a little angering as we will get down and won't show any fight to get back in either game and lose by scores of 6-1 and 10-2, going down without any fight in us at all.

But what if Lindor finds a way to put his foot on the gas?  What if Ramirez has matured enough to just take what the game gives him instead of trying to hit 5-run HRs?   What if Santana has found that spark that he missed all year and Reyes runs into enough pitches that he deposits over the fence to negate the Yankees power?  What if Hernandez is even better than he has been?  And what if the rest of the guys find a way to just match the bottom of the Yankees order?  And what if we get out of our defensive and baserunning funk and find a way to play flawless, fundamental baseball?  

And what if, against the odds, Bieber and the batters find a way to best Cole and his batters and Carrasco stands strong and Tanaka shows he is human against the Indians?

What if, this time, it is the Indians who sweep and go into the next round against the Rays?  What if they are built more to beat Tampa Bay and actually do it?   What if they get to the ALCS and are facing the White Sox and what they did in the last series with them is what happens again?   What if they get to the World Series in a year what they hadthe equivalent of a 22 game losing steak in a regular-length season?

What if they get to the World Series and, against all odds, pull a Dodgers vs Athletics 1984 thing and do to the Dodgers what they did to the Athletics that year?

What if this is their year?   What if it is the Indians year for a change?  It's not what everything inside me THINKS will happen, it is what everything inside of me HOPES and WiLLS to happen.  And what better time to turn baseball history on its ear than in this pandemic-warped season.  So, with every sinew of hope and will in my body I am going to be rooting for them to do what looks impossible, knowing that, just below the surface of what we have seen this year is a team that can do it.   A team that WILL do it!  

Good luck Indians!! God's speed!