CLEVELAND -- There was a funereal mood at Progressive Field in the final few moments of the Cleveland Indians' lopsided loss to the Houston Astros Monday afternoon.
The stands were largely empty, understandably vacated by fans who had endured 89-degree temperatures in the sun -- on a workday afternoon -- to watch a listless, painfully slow four-hour snoozer.
But beyond that, there was a sense that this version of the Indians -- largely the same the group that was on the brink of a World Series in 2016 -- had run its course.
In the ninth inning, radio announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus were already looking ahead to spring training.