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Watch live: Indians take on Royals in Free Game of the Day

After clinching their first AL Central championship since 2007, the Cleveland Indians still find themselves in an interesting position this final weekend.

On one hand, the Indians still have an outside chance to clinch home field for their ALDS against the Boston Red Sox. So they still need wins. On the other hand, they just need to get to the playoffs without suffering another potentially damaging injury. Otherwise, home field and everything else they’ve accomplished could be rendered meaningless.

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Those are the circumstances. On Saturday, we’ll see the results when they battle the reigning but no longer defending World Series champion Royals in Kansas City. That game will be featured as the MLB Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game for free at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home beginning at 4:15 p.m. ET.

Thanks to Thursday’s rain out in Detroit, the Indians still have three games left. They’ll enter Saturday one-half game behind Boston in the standings, but it’s more like a game and a half because Boston owns the tiebreaker after winning the season series 4-2. That means Cleveland would have to win out, while Boston would have to lose its final two games.

Anything is possible, but manager Terry Francona may have to consider the unlikely odds when making his lineup. That’s especially true with the considerable injury mess they’re already in.

Corey Kluber is hoping to return for Game 1 or 2 of the ALDS (Getty Images)
Corey Kluber is hoping to return for Game 1 or 2 of the ALDS. (Getty Images)

The Indians have dealt with the absence of All-Star Michael Brantley essentially all season. Starting catcher Yan Gomes is surprisingly back, though it’s no guarantee he’ll be close to the same after missing several months with a shoulder injury. Their big three starters — Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco — are all ailing as well and are not guaranteed to return or be effective for the ALDS.

Kluber suffered a quad injury in his final regular season start that has him questionable to start Game 1 or 2. Salazar has a mild strain of his right flexor musculature, which would likely limit him to relief duties if he returns at all. As for Carrasco, he’s done for the season after breaking his hand on a line drive comebacker on Sept. 17.

They’re already in tough shape. They can’t afford to lose anyone else, regardless of what could still be gained in the standings. If Francona opts for bubble wrap over wins, no one would blame him.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!