The Cleveland Indians had won three out of five games combined during interleague play just before taking on the Chicago White Sox.

A four-game series against the last place team in the American League Central seemed like a golden opportunity to make some hay and perhaps move toward earning a wild card berth.

Instead, while division leaders Kansas City Royals officially announced the acquisition of ace pitcher Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds, the Tribe was busy getting swept by the White Sox.

Indians’ second baseman Jason Kipnis summed up the recent play accurately after the 2-1 loss July 26 when he said that the team’s play was “embarrassing” and there was “no fight”, according to MLB.com.

I couldn’t agree more and isn’t it time for someone to be held accountable? Kipnis acknowledged there was a team meeting to spur the players and play better baseball. Unfortunately, the damage has likely been done and it’s probably too late to salvage the season.

Sure, the Indians (45-52) are only 6.5 games behind in the wild card standings. But the problem is there are seven other teams in front of them and the Tribe is only 2.5 games away from having the worst record in the American League.

Not a lot of room for optimism here, but as I mentioned last week, if the Indians could just get their act together and rip off a significant hot streak then they could be right back in the mix.

That’s a lot to ask for with a team that is now 14 games behind in its division and in last place. Plus, the Indians have showed little of that capability all season especially with an offense that has lacked clutch hitting and has been, quite simply, awful.

The series sweep also should put to rest any discussion about the Indians being buyers for the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. If anything, the Tribe might look to build for the future if any deal is made.

The upcoming week on the field doesn’t start off any easier as the Royals (59-38) cruise into Cleveland for a three-game series and afterward the Indians head to Oakland (44-56) for a four-game series.

Cody Anderson (2-1, 1.91 ERA) will take the hill at 7:10 p.m. July 27th for a start against righty Edinson Volquez (9-5, 3.15). Anderson looks to bounce back from his last appearance when he gave up four runs and 10 hits in 2.2 innings during a July 22 start against Milwaukee.

Volquez won his last start when he threw 7.2 innings and gave up just one run on July 22nd against Pittsburgh.

Trevor Bauer (8-7, 4.29 ERA) makes the start at 7:10 p.m. July 28th against righty Chris Young (8-6, 3.32 ERA). Bauer has struggled recently and has compiled a 3-4 record with a 5.66 ERA in his last seven starts spanning 41.1 innings. Bauer pitched six innings on July 23 and gave up six hits and six runs while striking out nine and walking two.

Corey Kluber (5-11, 3.59 ERA) gets a 12:10 p.m. start on July 29th and continues to pitch well despite his win-loss record. The Royals will counter with former Indians pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (7-6, 5.35 ERA), who took the loss on July 24 against the Houston after giving up four runs and 11 hits in 7 innings.

Kluber is 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 innings in his last seven starts. He continues to strike out batters at a high rate with 55 during that span along with a 1.07 WHIP. He gave up six runs and eight hits in seven innings on July 24 to take the loss against Chicago.

When the Indians arrive in Oakland for a 10:05 p.m. start on July 30th, Jesse Chavez (5-10, 3.45 ERA) will take the mound for the A’s. The Indians hadn’t announced a starter for the game or for the series.

The A’s have Chris Bassitt (0-3, 2.94 ERA) scheduled for the 9:35 p.m. July 31 start, and have yet to announce starters for the 9:05 p.m. start on Aug. 1 and 4:05 p.m. start on Aug. 2.

Who’s Hot – Who’s Not

After being outscored 26-5 in the four losses against the White Sox, I’m hesitant to give any individual player the nod as being hot, so I’ll give some love here to the team and organization.

It was long overdue, but the Indians unveiled a beautiful statue of Hall of Famer Larry Doby, who was the first African-American player in the American League when he made his debut for Cleveland on July 5, 1947, which was 87 days after Jackie Robinson.

Despite a subpar season, the Indians do lead the American League in two categories. The Tribe batters are first in walks with 336. The pitching staff also is first in strikeouts with 887.

Ryan Raburn, who has gotten the nod at cleanup in the lineup in recent times has just 13 hits in his last 60 at-bats for a .217 average. He’s also hit just two home runs and driven in eight during that span while slugging just .367. Those aren’t supposed to be the numbers of a No. 4 hitter.

He might have other things on his mind, but on the field Mike Aviles has only 19 hits in his last 98 at-bats for a .194 average. Aviles also has just one home run and two RBI during that span and has walked just five times. His on-base percentage during those appearances is just .233 and slugging percentage is an anemic .235.