In this series recap, I'll look at some of the good and some of the bad. We should start with the positives:
The Good
Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber were outstanding in their season debuts.
Bauer didn't pick up the victory in his start on Satuday but at least the team did, coming out on top 2-1 thanks to a ninth inning Greg Allen sac-fly. Regardless, he was sublime over 7 innings, with just 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 run given up, and he struck out 9 Twins. The right-hander's new changeup he raved about this off-season was as good as advertised, regularly disappearing in front of Twins hitters. I may not always agree with Bauer's personality but there's no denying he is one of the top pitchers in the AL. His partnership with catcher Roberto Perez looked almost telepathic.
Kluber pitched on Opening Day and logged 7 innings just like Bauer, and was incredibly sharp throughout the afternoon until he ran into some issues in that seventh inning: he gave up 4 hits and 1 walk for 2 runs, with 5 strikeouts, but those two runs were all Minnesota needed to top the Tribe. I had a horrible feeling the lack of run support would cost Kluber, and he unfairly took the loss but his performance was really encouraging.
On the offensive side, Hanley Ramirez started his career in Cleveland on a positive note, smashing his first home run for the Indians in Saturday's victory. It was one of the sweetest swings I've seen in a while, Griffey-esque in it's elegance. The ball got out in a hurry with a recorded 113.8 mph exit velocity, into Target Field's upper deck for an absolute mammoth home run. Ramirez picked up another hit that day and 2 walks as well, capping off an excellent first impression for his new ballclub.
The Bad
The Indians lineup struggled mightily without the absent Lindor and Jason Kipnis (not to mention the guys like Michael Brantley and Edwin Encarnacion currently on other teams).
Thursday's opening game saw the team collect just 2 hits as Twins ace Jose Berrios dominated the Tribe's hitters, racking up 10 strikeouts over 7.2 innings.
Jake Odorizzi and the Twins bullpen enjoyed similar success on Saturday (Odorizzi struck out 11) but thankfully the Indians managed to tag them for the two runs that proved to be enough to win the game. Still, Cleveland only collected 4 hits that day.
Sunday's rubber game saw Carlos Carrasco get picked apart over 4.1 innings, as the Twins hurt him for 10 hits and 6 earned runs. Carrasco did not look good in his outing and the Twins hit him hard; the 32 year-old allowed eight batted balls of 100-plus mph - he'll be incredibly disappointed to open the season like this. The Indians mustered 6 hits, four of which came solely from the bat of Carlos Santana, in the 9-3 series-defining defeat.
At the plate the majority of the Cleveland lineup looked lost, racking up strikeout after strikeout.
Jose Ramirez in particular looked worryingly out of sorts. The All Star third baseman hit 1-11 over the three games and looked embarrassingly awkward in his bunt attempts, as he tried in vain to battle Minnesota's severe defensive shifts. Perhaps that knee injury he sustained just prior to the season opener is impacting him more than originally anticipated.
Cleveland's uncertain outfield situation proved to be a cause for concern, as was predicted during the winter.
Tyler Naquin, thought by many to lack the necessary ingredients at the MLB level, did not endear himself to fans and management alike with his 0-for-7 showing during the first two games, including 6 strikeouts in a row. Terry Francona took the decision to bench him in favor of Greg Allen for Sunday's game and it felt like the correct decision. Jake Bauers, Jordan Luplow and Leonys Martin didn't exactly cover themselves in glory either, and you sense the Cleveland outfield will be a revolving door this season.
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There's no escaping it, this series against the Twins was cold and often brutal to watch. The bad might outweigh the good at this stage but let's not forget the season is just three games old, and recent Cleveland teams have been notoriously slow starters in April. To draw any meaningful conclusions this early is impossible.
The Indians return to action today in their home opener against the White Sox, despite the snowfall that was sitting pretty on the outfield this morning. It's set to be another frigid affair but the Tribe will be hoping Mike Clevinger can bring the heat, and get some much-needed positivity flowing once more at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
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