Indians take on Mariners in final stop of road trip
After being the victims of a three-game sweep in Kansas City, the Cleveland Indians are traveling to Seattle to take on the Mariners.
The Cleveland Indians are desperate for a rebound performance after dropping three straight games to the still last place Kansas City Royals. Heading to Seattle may not be the best matchup currently as the Mariners offense has been on fire to start the season. Seattle continues to clobber home runs and the question is not if they will hit a home run, it is just how many home runs will they hit? Cleveland will need to shut down the Mariners offense if they want a chance to win a game this series.
Game 1: April 15 10:10 P.M. – Trevor Bauer (1-1) versus Yusei Kikuchi (0-0)
The Cleveland Indians will get their first shot at Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi has pitched fairly well in his first four MLB starts. In 21.2 innings Kikuchi has an ERA of 4.15 and 15 strikeouts. Kikuchi has gotten a lot of outs via ground balls and fly balls. The Indians will to make sure they do not swing at his pitch and wait for their pitch. If that does not happen it could be another long night for Cleveland.
There are two batters in the Seattle lineup with a good track record against Trevor Bauer. Kyle Seager is 8-20 with one home run and six RBI’s. Ryon Healy is 4-11 with one double and four runs batted in. Bauer has had success against others in the Mariners lineup. Edwin Encarnacion is 1-8, Jay Bruce is 1-6, Dee Gordon is 0-8 and Omar Narvaez is 1-10. Bauer has shut down these hitters before, but will need to pitch to near perfection to continue his previous success against a current hot-hitting lineup.
Game 2: April 16 10:10 P.M. – Shane Bieber (1-0) versus Mike Leake (2-0)
Shane Bieber looks to continue his strong start in the second game of the series. Through three games Bieber has allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out 17 batters. While Bieber is performing well his past track record of pounding the strike zone could prove problematic against the Mariners lineup. Seattle is swinging away and punishing opposing pitchers. Bieber will need to make sure he does not leave anything in the middle of the zone, because if he does it will end up over the fence.
The Indians do have some successful at-bats against Mike Leake in the past. Leonys Martin is 4-8, Jose Ramirez is 3-10 with a home run and Hanley Ramirez is 6-12 with a home run and six RBI’s. Jose and Hanley Ramirez are the only two with home runs against Leake. The only other Indians batter with an extra-base hit is Jason Kipnis who is 6-24 in his career against Leake. Cleveland will need to string together some hits against Leake in order to come out victorious Tuesday.
Game 3: April 17 6:40 P.M. – Carlos Carrasco (1-2) versus TBA
The Mariners are yet to name their starter for the final game of the series while Carlos Carrasco takes the mound for the Tribe. The Indians starter has endured a rough and inconsistent start to the year. Carrasco pitched well against Toronto, allowing two runs on two hits in five innings while striking out 12. The other five innings with Carrasco on the mound have been a disaster. Allowing 12 runs on 16 hits with only five strikeouts. It is worth noting that both of Carrasco’s poor starts have been on the road while his good start against Toronto was at home. If this trend continues it could be a rough start for Cookie.
Some Mariners hitters have taken advantage of Carrasco in the past. Jay Bruce has two home runs in nine at-bats. Mitch Haniger is 2-5 with a home run and Ryon Healy is 4-12 with a home run. Kyle Seager also has a home run in 16 at-bats against Carrasco. Carrasco will need to avoid the long ball in order to win Wednesday. Against a lineup that is absolutely mashing right now that is easier said than done.
