Empty seats don't slow Indians in playoff drive

CLEVELAND – Terry Francona couldn't help but smile recently when second baseman Jason Kipnis walked past him in the Indians dugout on the way to hit and said, "I realize now that I don't play for the money."

That's the kind of thing Francona is looking for. Signs of growth. Signs that his team is taking on the challenge of remaining in the postseason race. Signs that they aren't overwhelmed by the moment.

"I kind of knew that and it made me feel good and I caught myself smiling," Francona said, "and he hit into a double play and it took my smile away before he got back to the dugout."

Francona, however, has plenty of reasons to smile about his team as Cleveland attempts to come back from 4½ games back in the wild-card race and five games back in the AL Central to keep fans in northern Ohio from totally giving in to Johnny Football and LeReturn.

The Indians are in a stretch where they play 30 games in 30 days. They play 17 of their final 27 games at home, where they have the fourth-highest winning percentage in the AL. Complain all you want about Major League Baseball adding a second wild card. Francona would gladly take a spot in a one-game playoff to move on in the postseason for the second year in a row. No one has run away with the division, enabling Cleveland to stay in range of relevancy. And the Indians have shown, by being ranked seventh in the AL in runs scored and ERA, that they can be tough to beat.

"It creates some opportunity, some hope for teams who might not be on the cusp of winning a division," said Francona, whose team lost 4-0 at home to Tampa Bay in last year's wild card game. "And because of that you're still in the middle of it in the September and they are such meaningful games, which is great. For fans. it's win-win. For players, it's win and then be careful of what you wish for, because you have a one-game playoff. I think it's good for baseball. Personally, it has burned me a little bit on some teams I have been associated, with but it's good for baseball."

Cleveland has fought off several injuries, including a knee injury to Nick Swisher that has limited the switch hitter to 97 games. Kipnis is clearly not himself as he plays despite a strained oblique muscle that landed him on the disabled list in May.

Michael Brantley blossomed into an All-Star and No. 3 hitter. Carlos Santana was batting .139 on May 6 but has hit 21 homers with 62 RBI since. Starting pitchers Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber and T.J. House have taken significant steps in their development.

Keep in mind that the Indians traded righthander Justin Masterson, once believed to be staff ace material, and former All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in July. Those two have not been missed.

"Cleveland is hanging in there, doing a nice job," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They have some young pitchers who are doing a decent job, and they have some nice pitchers coming out of the bullpen, Some young people are doing well with those guys."

The toughest part for the Indians has been convincing their fans to stick around. On Tuesday, they opened a three-game series against the Twins. Despite being one hot streak away from making things really interesting, most of Progressive Field was empty. Cleveland drew an announced 9,489 for the game, putting the Indians' season total at 1,311,211. Their average attendance of 17,962 is the second worst in baseball.

Certainly, a matchup against the last-place Twins is not a glamorous one. But at least one of the teams is good. And Francona doesn't need to steer his team to the postseason to validate his year.