Let’s get all the bad stuff out of the way first: With last night’s loss and Detroit’s win, the Indians were mathematically eliminated from AL Central contention. Kansas City and Oakland are tied for an AL Wild Card spot. In order to force a game 163 tiebreaker, Cleveland would need to win all four of its remaining games AND either Kansas City or Oakland would have to lose all five of their remaining games (the Tribe has an off day tomorrow). Thus we come to the difference between what is possible and what is probable.

What is probable is that Trevor Bauer (5-8, 4.06) will start tonight against left-hander Jason Vargas (11-10, 3.59). It’s probable that the Indians will win. And it’s also probable that come the long, cold, dark stretch known in some places as “winter” and in other places as “the off season,” we will miss baseball. We will miss going to the ballpark or turning on the radio or television and catching our team, so we might as well enjoy it while we can.

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