Anytime you sweep a team, you’re going to be happy. But for some reason, the Indians 3-game sweep of the Tigers this weekend seemed like something bigger. For starters, the eight game lead over Detroit and Minnesota gives the fans a chance to breathe a little easier now. And, the offensive eruption over the last 5 days gives us a sense that the best is yet to come. This offense has too many professional hitters to be putting up middling numbers. I’d put our 1-3 hitters up against any other team in baseball, and all three of them (Lindor, Brantley, and Ramirez) deserve to be All-Stars this year as they were last year. The two-headed monster of Oliver Perez-Neil Ramirez–neither of whom I’d heard of three months ago–has brought stability to a bullpen that sorely needed it.

But, beyond the emergence of Jose Ramirez as a modern-day Babe Ruth, another fascinating aspect of the Indians’ last two years has been the arrival of Trevor Bauer as a star. His ERA is a more-than-impressive 2.44 and he’s leading the league in fewest home runs per 9 innings. The guy from three years ago who’d become flustered if the wind blew has clearly learned to concentrate. He always had wicked good ability, and that breaking ball can devastate hitters, but could he develop the mental toughness to turn that ability into something more? That was the question he’s answered with his performance this year. Undoubtedly it helps to have a master of focus as a teammate in Corey Kluber. But, we no longer have to worry about which Trevor Bauer we’re going to get every five days.

If we’re going to compete against Houston and the Yankees in October, we still need another piece or two, but the last few days makes me a little more hopeful. And it’s always nice to sweep Detroit.