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ESPN’s Peter Gammons details how Mark Shapiro’s patience during the Indians’ early season struggles has really paid off. After 30 games, the Tribe was 12-18 and the offense was invisible. Five weeks later, the Indians are now seven games above .500 and right in the thick of the playoff race, if not in the Central, then in the wild-card standings. As Gammons points out, Cleveland’s recent hot streak may have actually put the franchise ahead of schedule since Shapiro and Eric Wedge had 2006 targeted as the year the Indians would be serious contenders.

Their recent hot streak can be attributed to many different factors: a starting staff that keeps the team in just about every game, a bullpen that owns the lowest ERA in all of baseball by almost a full half a run (2.51), and an offense that, as Gammons details, is led by two of the AL’s most promising youngsters: Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta. Plus, Aaron Boone and Casey Blake finally have their averages above .200, Coco Crisp is proving to be a lethal #2 hitter and Travis Hafner is driving the ball just like he did last year. This team is dangerous now that everything is clicking, and kudos to Mark Shapiro for having the patience to let it happen.

So who’s the hottest team in baseball? The Indians, of course. Jake Westbrook limited the Diamondbacks to two runs in eight innings while Bob Wickman notched his 20th save in Sunday’s 3-2 win. The Tribe now has ninth straight, the longest current streak in all of baseball, and now find themselves just one game out of the Wild Card at 37-30. Of course, they’re still 8.5 behind the White Sox, who won again Sunday night, and this week’s series against the Red Sox will be a big test, but this is the kind of baseball we all expected when the season began. The bats are hot, the starters are lights-out virtually every night and the ‘pen is one of the best in baseball. Man, does this feel good or what?

The red-hot Tribe made it eight in a row with a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Scott Elarton has turned into a reliable starter and he delivered another fine outing even after 10 days rest. The bullpen slammed the door again and the offense delivered just enough to give Elarton his fourth win of the year. Unfortunately, the White Sox won again, though the Tribe is serving notice that they are a team to be reckoned with this season.

The offense is officially on a roll. The Indians pounded the Diamondbacks for 10 runs in the third inning on their way to a 13-6 victory. It was their seventh-straight win, and for a change the offense carried the day. Aaron Boone contines his resurgence, and Casey Blake hit another home run as he works to break out of his own slump.

Meanwhile, Grady Sizemore continues to make Shapiro look like a genius. Three years after the Bartolo Colon trade, Sizemore and Cliff Lee have become important components of this team, and Brandon Phillips still has great potential. Not every one of Shapiro’s trades yielded gems like Sizemore and Lee, but it’s hard to argue with the salary dump he initiated once it became clear that the Tribe needed to rebuild. Even the Robbie Alomar deal is paying dividends as Shapiro parlayed Matt Lawton into Arthur Rhodes, transforming the bullpen into a real asset this season. It remains to be seen whether the current roster can make it to the playoffs, but the Indians are certainly better off than they would have been had Shapiro held on to Colon and fading stars like Alomar and Thome. The salary structure is under control, and there is real hope for this season and beyond with guys like Sizemore and Lee leading the way.