The Cleveland Indians picked up their 18th consecutive win on Sunday night, knocking off the Baltimore Orioles by a 3-2 final score.
The Indians had already set a new franchise record by winning 15 games in a row. Their current 18-game winning streak is also the second-longest in baseball over the last 50 years -- behind only the 20-game stretch authored by the 2003 Oakland Athletics:
2002 Athletics: 20 wins
2017 Indians: 18 wins and counting
1977 Royals: 16 wins
2001 Mariners: 15 wins
2000 Braves: 15 wins
1991 Twins: 15 wins
Cleveland's latest win saw them score first, with Francisco Lindor leading off with a double and later touching the plate on a Jose Ramirez groundout. Lindor played into the scoring again later in the night, as he combined with Roberto Perez to hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning.
On the mound, Trevor Bauer struck out seven batters and allowed two runs over 6 1/3 innings. From there, manager Terry Francona turned things over to the bullpen. That proved to be a wise decision, as the combination of Joe Smith, Tyler Olson, Nick Goody, and Cody Allen allowed zero baserunners the rest of the way.
The Indians are now 87-56 on the season, giving them the best record in the American League and a game lead in the hunt for home-field advantage. Cleveland will now play host to the Detroit Tigers for three games. A sweep would give the Indians the longest winning streak in baseball in a long, long time.
