The Cleveland Indians are just 2.5 games behind the South Side Sox. But if they keep up their current run, they could overtake the White Sox soon. The Indians have won seven of their last ten. Meanwhile, the Sox are splitting with 5-5.
AL Central Standings—as of June 21
- Chicago White Sox 43-29
- Cleveland Indians 39-30
- Kansas City Royals 32-38
- Minnesota Twins 30-41
- Detroit Tigers 30-42
As far as Monday evening’s tilt with the Chicago Cubs, the Cleveland Indians are small dogs on the money line but significant favorites to cover the run line. However, the White Sox are still heavy favorites to win the division.
AL Central Division Odds
The odds for the Chicago White Sox to win the division are varied. That said, the odds of the Indians winning are pretty consistent, either +350 or +400 (4 to 1). The longest odds I found were +400 at Intertops, where the White Sox are a whopping -714 to win the AL Central. That said, over at Bovada, the White Sox are -400, but the Indians remain +400. Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Indians are +400, and the Sox are -670. At DK, the Royals are +3300, the Twinnies are +4000, and the Tigers are way back at +15,000.
Terry Francona Is The Cleveland Indians’ MVP https://t.co/7OrrB5BirK pic.twitter.com/9JBhn7oHcA
— SPORTS CIRCUS INT. (@SPORTSCIRCUSINT) June 21, 2021
That said, at 4 to 1, I like the Indians to take the division. I believe their chances are good, especially how they have played recently. And getting four dollars for every one dollar risked, I believe they are worth a small wager to win the Division.
Remaining Strength of Schedule in the Division
The Cleveland Indians are sitting right at the middle of the road with the 15th easiest strength of schedule left to play. Unfortunately for Indians fans, the Chicago White Sox have the 26th most difficult—or 5th most manageable think they’re remaining schedule in the league. The Tigers have it reasonably easy at 20th most difficult, and the Royals are sitting next to the Indians at No. 14. So, they are just on the wrong side of easy.
As far as what’s already been played, the Indians have had the easiest schedule in the league, according to Power Ranking Gurus. On the plus side, the Chicago White Sox have played the second easiest schedule in the MLB. So, Indians may have some work cut out for them if they want to keep up with the Sox, as the Indians’ schedule, even though middling, gets significantly more difficult when compared to the first half of the season.
But if we look at Tankathons rankings, the Indians’ final 93 games rank as 10th in difficulty, whereas the White Sox are 24th. So, we may see the White Sox pull away down the stretch. That is … if they are as good as the bookmakers think and their schedule is weak as the power rankings people say.
Relative Power Index
- Chicago White Sox (No. 6) .524
- Cleveland Indians (No. 13) .508
- Detroit Tigers (No. 21) .487
- Kansas City Royals (No. 23) .483
- Minnesota Twins (No. 27) .473
It’s safe to say that the Kansas City Royals will have a tough time towards the end of the year. They have the 5th most demanding schedule left to play, and unfortunately for the Twinnies, they have the second-toughest remaining schedule—at least according to Tankathon—and of the entire AL Central are struck with the worst RPI.
That said, of the five teams that have moved up in TeamRankings power ratings over the last couple of days, two are from the AL Central. Both The Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins moved up. The Twinnies came up one spot to No. 14, and the Indians came up two places to No. 15 on their rating system—which I find pretty accurate.
Conclusion
The Indians absolutely can win the AL Central. However, it isn’t going to be an easy road. And after cross-referencing various statistical sites and standard power ranking sites, I’ve found the White Sox to be rated and ranked between 8th and 6th in the league. Meanwhile, the Indians are consistently right in the middle of the league.
The question becomes: how well the Indians hold up over the next 90 or so games?
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