The teams will face off in an Interleague matchup in Cleveland this week in a series which should be intriguing. The Dodgers have the superior record and its superstar ace in one of the games, so the Indians will need to play well to win two of the three even at home.
The Indians are only 1.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central and are still the favorites to win the division despite the slow 31-29 start. Los Angeles is 39-25 overall but behind the surprising Colorado Rockies in the National League West.
This series will be contested from Tuesday, June 13 through Thursday, June 15, 2017 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The Wednesday and Thursday games will be televised on MLB Network.
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Pitching Matchups
The Dodgers should feel good about the opener of this series as they send Clayton Kershaw to the mound. He is 8-2 on the season with a 2.20 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Kershaw has long been the best pitcher in the major leagues and isn’t giving up that title in this one. He has struck out 101 batters in 90 innings and has only given up one run in each of his past two outings. The Indians hope to get something out of Trevor Bauer, who has good stuff but is 5-5 with a 6.10 ERA.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles is scheduled to start Brandon McCarthy. He is 5-3 on the year with a 3.28 ERA. While the veteran right-hander is injury-prone, he’s often been good when healthy. The Indians will send out star Corey Kluber, who is 5-2 with a 4.38 ERA. He missed a month due to injury but is back and should watch his ERA come down since he’s such a good hurler.
If each team wins with their star pitcher on the mound, Thursday will be the rubber match. The Dodgers will start Rich Hill, who is 3-2 with a 3.77 ERA. Hill seems to constantly battle injuries but he’s healthy for now, which could be bad news for Cleveland’s offense. The Indians need a good outing from Josh Tomlin, who is 3-8 with a 5.73 ERA. He has only walked four batters all season but is allowing opposing hitters to record a .314 average on the season.
Player to Watch
Cody Bellinger -- The Dodgers’ rotation is really good and the offense has several talented pieces, but it has really been stabilized with the addition of top prospect Bellinger. He has come out hitting right away with an average of .248, 15 homers and 35 RBIs. Bellinger leads the team in round-trippers despite missing the first few weeks when he was still in the minor leagues.
There are a lot of good young players who have been called up recently and found quick success, and Bellinger is among that group. He could win Rookie of the Year if he keeps this up, and based on the bat speed and ease of his swing, it seems likely for him to keep producing.
Bellinger had three home runs in the last two games of the Reds series and will aim to stay hot in this one.
A New Power Approach
Cleveland’s star shortstop, Francisco Lindor, has been a success story since the moment he took over at the major league level. In his first two years in the league, Lindor batted better than .300 and had balanced power and stolen base totals.
This season, Lindor’s average is down but his home runs are up, as he is batting .259 with 12 homers and 27 RBIs. Lindor had 15 home runs total last season and is well on his way to setting a career high. Lindor’s OPS is higher than last season’s but he has the type of ability to both hit for average and power, which would be a boon to the Cleveland offense.
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