As May comes to a close, the Cleveland Indians sit just a half game out of first place in the American League Central, and FanGraphs gives them a 72.6 percent chance of making the playoffs. Certainly, this is optimistic of the Tribe’s future, but it also reflects the big month of May that the team had. After posting a middling 10-12 record in March and April, the team surged to win 16 games against just ten losses in May.
Much of this success can be chalked up to some incredible starting pitching. Danny Salazar continued his breakout season by striking out 46 batters in just 37 innings.