Philadelphia Phillies Biased Weekend Preview: Cleveland Indians
By Mike Lacy
A preview of this weekend’s Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cleveland Indians series from the perspective of a biased Phillies fan.
Every weekend, I look ahead to the Philadelphia Phillies’ next opponent and preview their opponent. I try to be as optimistic as possible about the Phils’ chances. No matter how dreadfully they have played, I attempt to find a reason to hope that the Philadelphia Phillies will emerge victorious. (Coming off a sweep of the Nationals, that’s actually not too tough this week!)
Cleveland Indians
Record: 10-9 (3rd in AL Central)
What’s the Deal with the Indians
Coming off an 81-80 season, the Indians have continued to play near .500 ball in 2016. They rank a middling 8th in the American League in runs scored, and there isn’t really a “dangerous” hitter in their lineup.
The Indians pitching has been worse, as they rank 12th in the AL in ERA. The bullpen has been their main weakness, and it’s not a good sign that former Phillie Jeff Manship has been one of their more effective relievers.
The Last Time They Met
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Indians haven’t often crossed paths. They’ve only played each other 13 times, with the most recent matchup coming in 2013 when the Indians took three out of the four games the teams played. In those four games, the Phillies starting pitchers were Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Jonathan Pettibone, and Cole Hamels. Can you guess which of the four the Phillies won?
Indians Player Who Isn’t Entirely Horrible
Francisco Lindor finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and appears determined to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. The young shortstop appears to have it all: Speed, defense, power, and a strong ability to get on base.
Indians Player Who Is Horrible
Bryan Shaw has been a durable reliever for the Indians. He’s coming off three straight seasons with over 70 appearances, and he’s already pitched in 10 games this season. The bad news is that he hasn’t been particularly good in those appearances, recording a 10.80 ERA. He strikes out a lot of batters (13 in 8.1 innings), but that’s been offset by a high number of walks (5).
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Starting Pitching Report
A look at the starting pitchers the Philadelphia Phillies will be up against this weekend.
The former Cy Young Award winner is off to a slow start this season. He’s only 1-3 with a 4.67 ERA, although that may be partly due to bad luck. He pitched a gem his last time out, surrendering only one run in eight innings against the Tigers.
Bauer is making his first start of the season. He began the year in the bullpen but has been moved into the rotation following an injury to Carlos Carrasco. He’s been a starter for most of his career (although not an especially effective one), but he may not be ready to pitch that deep into the game.
In his fourth major league season, Salazar has been a pleasant surprise for the Indians. He’s 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA and has given up the fewest hits per nine innings in the majors. However, he had a shaky start earlier this week, allowing three runs in less than five innings.
Reason for Optimism
The Philadelphia Phillies are on a legitimate roll, having won six of their last seven games. Their pitching has been excellent, and their hitting has improved somewhat. They’ve averaged five runs per game over this hot stretch. If they can get into the Indians’ weak bullpen, they have a chance to continue that (relatively) hot hitting.
Reason for Pessimism
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t done very well against American League teams in recent years. (Okay, they haven’t done especially well against National League teams either.) Since these games will be played in Philly, there’s no need for a DH, which theoretically helps the Phillies, although not having to watch Ryan Howard play defense wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Next: Phillies Carried by Young Guns Through April
Prediction
Kluber will cool off the Phillies bats on Friday, but thanks to strong showings by Jared Eickhoff and Vincent Velasquez, the Phillies will rebound to take the last two games.