What a difference three weeks make.
On August 23, the Los Angeles Dodgers were playing so well that Sports Illustrated put them on the cover with the caption, "BEST. TEAM. EVER?" In the weeks since, the Dodgers have gone on a stretch where they have lost 16 of 17 and the Cleveland Indians have won 19 in a row, the fourth-longest streak without a loss in MLB history.
While teams can get streaky over 162 games, there is nothing lucky about what the Indians are doing. During their winning streak, they have outscored their opponents by 100 runs, or about 5.3 runs per game. As a result, the Indians have surged to the top of baseball in terms of run differential, a stat that is often the best indicator of a team's true ability. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are sinking fast and are barely ahead of the next three teams on the list, the New York Yankees, the Washington Nationals, and the Houston Astros.
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