The Cleveland Indians are in the thick of the American League Central race.
At 39-30, they are in second place. They trail the Chicago White Sox by just 2 ½ games.
That isnt much different than any of the other eight seasons since Terry Francona took over as manager as 2013. The Indians have won one American League pennant, three division titles and made five postseason appearances during that time while finishing above .500 each season.
It has been quite a run of sustained success for a franchise located in a smaller market and that has the lowest payroll in the major leagues this season. However, those who are around the Indians on a regular basis readily say this is Franconas best managing job yet.
Most people outside the organization expected the Indians to finally take a step back this season following the offseason trade of star shortstop Francisco Lindor and reliable veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets.
Yet the Indians keep chugging along despite a depleted roster in which staff ace Shane Bieber, last years AL Cy Young winner, is on the injured list along with fellow right-hander Zach Plesac.
The Indians are so short on starting pitching that they were forced to improvise while losing twice in a three-game series over the weekend against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
Cleveland started rookie right-hander J.C. Mejia, righty Cal Quantrill and left-hander Sam Hentges. All were working in relief before being needed as starters.
Another rookie, right-hander Eli Morgan, joined the rotation last week after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus.
The only veteran in the rotation is righty Aaron Civale, who is just 26. He leads the major leagues in wins with a 10-2 record and 3.48 ERA in 14 starts and its not a stretch to say he has been the Indians most valuable player other than third baseman Jose Ramirez.
The fragile status of the rotation is why Francona is proud of what his team has accomplished through 69 games. It is also why he is hesitant to get overly excited.
Its great to be near the top of the standings but I will say it's fluid, Francona said. As we know, the record can change and that's part of it, but up to this point our guys have done a really, really good job of just competing.
One thing our guys always do is keep playing regardless of the situation. When you feel like you get kicked in the stomach, feeling sorry for yourself doesnt really help. These guys dont do that.
And its not as if the Indians have just outhit teams to paper over the starting pitching problems. With an average of 4.36 runs scored a game, the Indians are 16th among the 30 MLB teams.
Like the starting rotation, Cleveland has significant injuries in its lineup. Designated hitter Franmil Reyes has been out nearly a month with a strained abdominal muscle and Gold Glove catcher Roberto Perez has missed six weeks following surgery on a broken finger.
Ramirez is having another All-Star caliber season after finishing second to White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu in last years AL Most Valuable Player voting. Ramirez is hitting .269 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs in 68 games.
Yet the rest of the lineup consists pretty much of journeymen and young players. However, the offense has started to jell in June, averaging 5.53 runs through 17 games.
The whole group we have is banding together for this long ride, rookie first baseman Bobby Bradley said. There is no better feeling than seeing your teammates contribute.
Where that ride takes the Indians remains to be seen. However, history has been on the Indians side ever since Francona came to town eight years ago after leading the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles.
We told our guys that were going to have to figure some things out, Francona said. Weve got some things were going to have to figure out every day. But its OK when guys are playing like theyre playing and giving the effort. Were figuring it out together.
