Detroit took the first game on Friday night 7-6, despite the Indians' best attempts to make it close in the final innings (a Lonnie Chisenhall grand slam will help) but ultimately their comeback came up short. The Tribe lineup burst into action on Saturday though, annihilating Tigers' ace Justin Verlander in a lopsided 13-6 win, with Jose Ramirez having an especially good day (more on that later.) Sadly the hometown team couldn't win the rubber game on Sunday, as the Indians apparently used up all their runs the day before, and lost 4-1.
Let's look at a couple of talking points from the weekend's series:
Where Did You Go, Yan Gomes?
It's common knowledge in Cleveland that the Indians' Brazilian catcher has been in quite a slump, and it's lasted for over two years now. Nine games into his 2017 season, well lets just say it appears Gomes' problems at the plate haven't gone away just yet. He's currently batting just .067/.152/.167 (AVG/OBP/SLG); that's only 2 hits in 30 attempts. Fair enough Yan, one of them was a home run, but this is still a very bad start to an important season for the 29 year-old. With his backup Roberto Perez nipping at his heels and the impressive prospect Francisco Mejia on the rise, Gomes' days in Cleveland appear to be numbered and his time with the Indians might come to a close sooner rather than later if he doesn't find a way to turn things around. Despite being signed through to 2019, how long does the club endure Gomes' offensive struggles? That magical period between 2013-14 when he was the AL Silver Slugger suddenly feels like a long time ago and the current version of Gomes the Indians trot out there everyday looks like a shadow of his former self.
I've been a big Gomes supporter in the past but the odds of him recapturing some of his former glory look slim. It's still very early in the season, make no mistake about that, so there's time to turn it around yet. Thankfully he still calls an excellent game defensively but with the bat he's an awful mess right now. For his sake more than ours, I just hope he can start stringing together some hits before things turn ugly.
Carlos Carrasco - Ace In The Making
Corey Kluber is the definitive ace of the Indians' pitching staff and the former Cy Young award winner deserves his position at the top of the rotation. However an argument could be made that Carlos Carrasco is pitching as well, if not better than Kluber so far in 2017, and the Venezuelan right-hander may be on the cusp of earning ace status pretty soon.
Carrasco has been on the verge of making the leap for a couple of years but an odd injury here and there has stalled his progress and disrupted his momentum. Despite struggling with some swelling in his elbow this spring, the injury doesn't appear to have hindered him thus far.
In his three starts Carrasco has pitched 19.1 innings and given up just 5 earned runs while striking out 19 and walking 6, to the tune of a 2.33 ERA. No other Tribe starter has pitched as many innings so far this season, not even the ol' workhorse Kluber.
On Sunday Carrasco lasted 6.2 innings, scattering 4 hits for 2 earned runs. He struck out 5 Tigers but he gave up 5 walks as well, which was uncharacteristic but thankfully didn't come back to hurt him. The damage Detroit dealt to Carrasco came on a Alex Avila two-run homer in the second inning, on a fastball Carrasco mistakenly left right over the middle of the plate. After that blip Carrasco knuckled down and didn't let Detroit tag him again. However the Indians' offense couldn't provide their starter much run support and Carrasco was unfairly given the loss, despite pitching a good game.
It has long been remarked by both fans and scouts alike that Carrasco may possess the best stuff on the Indians staff. His split-finger can make opposition hitters look downright foolish and he mixes his fastball and slider to devastating effect. In fact Carrasco's slider has been called "one of the best pitches in baseball" by Baseball Prospectus. Is 2017 the year he finally puts it all together and qualifies himself as a bonafide ace? We won't know for a little while yet but he's certainly off to a good start.
Player Of The Series
Jose Ramirez wins the award this series, and by some margin. Over the course of the three game set Ramirez had 11 at-bats against Detroit and managed to collect 7 hits. It was on Saturday in particular when he really broke out, recording a hit in all 4 of his plate appearances. The dynamic 24 year-old Dominican hit 2 home runs for 6 RBI, and recorded a walk for good measure in the Indians' blowout win. Ramirez has been a fan favourite for a while now but he further cemented his place in my heart with this performance. His offensive output on Saturday catapulted my fantasy team from 9th to 2nd place in my 10 team mixed league. I am forever grateful Jose, and congratulations on winning the award for this series.
The Indians go on the road for their next seven games, beginning with a four game series in Minnesota. The Twins will likely start Kyle Gibson and the Indians will send out Danny Salazar for his third start of the season.
Thanks for reading.
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