The Cleveland Indians came just shy of winning the World Series a year ago. With a talented pitching staff and solid position players, they should again be in the playoff hunt. The Indians are atop the American League Central early in the season and hope to remain there when they face off with divisional rival the Detroit Tigers this week in a four-game series.
The Indians must play this series on the road but will send their top four starting pitchers to the hill, so a split or better could very well happen. Detroit has given up a ton of runs early in the season and needs to start pitching better to challenge Cleveland in the division this year.
While it’s still early in the season, the Tigers hope to make a statement by playing well at home in this series, but it won’t be easy as the Indians are a solid club.
This series will be contested from Monday, May 1 through Thursday, May 4, 2017 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Thursday afternoon’s clash is being shown live on MLB Network.
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Pitching Matchups
The Monday matchup features Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer against Detroit’s Daniel Norris. Bauer has good stuff but control problems and is 2-2 on the season with a 6.26 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Bauer isn’t as bad as his ERA indicates but he needs to do a better job of limiting the long ball. Norris is 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA and an ugly 1.76 WHIP. This one could be high scoring if these pitchers don’t turn it around.
The second game on Tuesday features aces on both sides. Cleveland’s Corey Kluber is 3-1 on the season with a 4.19 ERA, but he’s striking out more than a batter per inning and is one of the better pitchers in the American League. The Tigers will counter with Justin Verlander, who is 1-2 with a 4.60 ERA on the season but should whittle that down as the season moves along.
The third game of the series could be the Indians’ to lose, as they are sending Carlos Carrasco to the mound. He is 2-2 on the season with a 2.04 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. The Tigers hope Matt Boyd can keep his team in the game. He is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
The Indians will send Danny Salazar to the mound in the series finale. He has electric stuff and is 2-2 with a 4.34 ERA this season. Salazar has 42 strikeouts in only 29 innings of work and is capable of dominating entire lineups when he is on. The Tigers will counter with Michael Fulmer. He is a solid starter and has gone 2-1 with a 3.19 ERA on the season.
Scheduling Situation
The Indians have started the season 8-4 on the road, but will be challenged to stay hot beginning with the four games against Detroit. They will follow that up with a three-game series in Kansas City and then wrap up a long trip with three more games in Toronto.
Cleveland is a solid team, but it’s not easy to consistently win on the road. Luckily, the Indians have a fantastic pitching staff and an offense with several key bats.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor is a burgeoning star, while key free agent signee Edwin Encarnacion anchors the middle of the lineup. Cleveland would likely be fine with a split in this four-game series, but if its pitchers throw up to their capability, three wins would be fantastic.
The Return Of Miggy
The Tigers are expected to get star first baseman Miguel Cabrera back on Tuesday following a stint on the disabled list because of a groin injury. While he is getting older, Cabrera is still one of the elite hitters in baseball.
He is batting .268 with three homers and nine RBIs on the season with an .834 OPS, but when healthy he is always a threat. The Tigers have stayed afloat offensively without him because Justin Upton has been hot, but Cabrera is a great piece to put in the middle of the lineup.
The Indians will catch a break in not having to face him on Monday, but the expectation is for Cabrera to return for the final three games of the series. Keep an eye on his progress, because any setback would hurt Detroit’s chances in this series.
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