Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber tossed a complete game on Saturday.

(Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are five observations following the Indians' weekend sweep of the White Sox.

1. Offensive: Over their last 26 games, the Indians have scored only 86 runs, an average of 3.3 runs per contest. All season -- and for much of last year -- the Tribe offense has been feast or famine. Still, the Indians averaged 4.5 runs per game in the 115 affairs before the recent 26-game stretch. In those 26 games, the club has scored four runs or fewer in 20 of them, three runs or fewer in 17 of them and two runs or fewer in 10 of them.

And yet, the Indians are 17-8 in those 26 games, with the final decision pending on the execution of three outs against Kansas City on Sept. 22.

2. Sterling hurling: The Indians' starting pitching serves as the reason for the recent surge. (The bullpen has been dynamite all year, no question.) Carlos Carrasco's 8 2/3-inning gem on Sunday afternoon reduced the starting rotation's ERA to 1.84 in those 26 games. The fivesome of Carrasco, Corey Kluber, T.J. House, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer has combined for 168 strikeouts and only 40 walks in 161 2/3 innings.

Carrasco held Chicago scoreless on Sunday. Kluber allowed only an unearned run in his complete-game effort on Saturday night.

"All the guys are throwing the ball tremendously well and giving us a good opportunity to win," said closer Cody Allen.

3. Sterling hurling II: Since the All-Star break, Cleveland's pitching staff has forged together a 2.82 ERA, an unthinkable number back in the early parts of the summer, when Justin Masterson struggled to last five innings, Salazar was toiling in trouble at Triple-A and Kluber seemingly provided about the only chance the Indians had to win on any given day.

Now, it appears as though masterful pitching has become contagious. Is that possible?

"I hope so. I think we're going to need it," said manager Terry Francona. "It's been allowing us every day to have a chance to win. We scored seven runs this series [against Chicago], but we're coming away feeling pretty good. It's taken a little bit of a burden off the bullpen. You can just show up and you feel like you have a chance to win. That's what we need."

4. Sterling hurling III: The Indians held the White Sox without an earned run in consecutive games on Saturday and Sunday, the first time the club has accomplished that feat since July 27-28, 2013, when they pitched back-to-back shutouts against the Rangers. Cleveland permitted Chicago only one earned run all weekend.

Kluber tallied eight strikeouts without issuing a free pass on Saturday. Carrasco duplicated those numbers on Sunday. It marked the first time the Indians totaled eight or more strikeouts and zero walks in consecutive games since April 23-24, 1991.

In fact, had Carrasco registered the 27th and final out on Sunday, the Indians would have recorded consecutive complete games for the first time since 2010, when David Huff and Mitch Talbot -- of all people -- turned the trick.

5. Peaking: Following the weekend sweep, the Indians moved to seven games above the .500 mark (73-67), their new high-water mark of the season. They are 42-30 in games decided by two runs or fewer and 22-18 in one-run games. Last season, they finished 30-17 in one-run games.