The Cleveland Indians return home from their road trip to take on the Baltimore Orioles in a four games series beginning Thursday.
It is still a frustrating season watching the Cleveland Indians. The offense is still not performing up to expectations on a regular basis and is leaving a lot to be desired. However the emergence of Jordan Luplow is providing Cleveland with the production they need. Perhaps the series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles could provide the Tribe with the offensive boost they need.
Game 1: May 16 6:10 P.M. Trevor Bauer (4-2) versus Dan Straily (1-3)
The Indians send Trevor Bauer to start Game 1 of the series. Unfortunately the Orioles hitters have some good history against Bauer. Chris Davis is 4-13 with a home run and Mark Trumbo is 3-10 with a home run. While Trumbo is still on the 60-day injured list, Davis has been pretty much terrible all season long. Trey Mancini is performing well this season but has struggled against Bauer (1-7). Mancini’s only hit off of Bauer was a double.
Cleveland’s hitters have not faired well against Dan Straily in the past. They are 4-34 lifetime against Straily, the only players with hits are Leonys Martin, Kevin Plawecki and Jason Kipnis. The Tribe will need their other hitters to produce if they are to come away with a win Thursday.
Game 2: May 17 7:10 P.M. Jefry Rodriguez (1-2) versus Dylan Bundy (1-5)
Jefry Rodriguez has been quite the surprise for Cleveland this season. The Indians needed a pitcher to bail them out after the injuries to Mike Clevinger and Corey Kluber and he has done just that. His 2.92 ERA over 24.2 innings is just what the Indians needed. While Rodrgieuz may not have a ton of strikeouts, he has done an excellent job of limiting the opponents offense. Rodriguez has not allowed more than three runs in any start this season.
Quite a few of the Indians hitters have been productive against Orioles starter Dylan Bundy. Jason Kipnis is 4-9 with a solo home run. Leonys Martin is 2-3 with a home run and two RBI’s. Jake Bauers is 1-4 with a solo home run off of Bundy. Bundy has allowed 11 home runs so far this season and could give up even more against the Indians Friday.
Game 3: May 18 4:10 P.M. Adam Plutko (0-0) versus John Means (5-3)
The third game of the series will feature Adam Plutko and John Means. Plutko will be making his season debut and Means will be facing Cleveland for the first time.
Adam Plutko appeared in 17 games last season and was relatively average at best. Plukto allowed 21 home runs in 76.2 innings, which is not exactly what is needed from a starter. In two starts with the Columbus Clippers Plutko was not much better. While he did not allow a home run, his ERA was an uninspiring 10.12 in 5.1 innings. Considering Plutko’s past this game could very well end up as bullpen game.
John Means has been quite dominant on the mound. Means has only allowed more than one run once this season. Granted there are a couple of relief appearances on his line, but his ability to keep the bats quiet is still impressive.
Game 4: May 19 1:10 P.M. Shane Bieber (2-2) versus TBA
Shane Bieber will start the final game of the series for the Tribe. Bieber is coming off a rough performance in Chicago, but has shown the ability to shut down good offenses. In 19.2 innings against Seattle and Houston, Bieber only allowed five runs total. The bulk of which (3) came against the Astros. It is not out of the question for Bieber to continue his good start to the season.
