BALTIMORE– The Indians bats were silent once again Friday night in Baltimore as the team dropped the first of a four-game set to the Orioles, 3-1.
Dylan Bundy held the Indians off guard all night, and following the Tribe’s 16-inning marathon loss to the Twins on Wednesday in Puerto Rico, a day off on Thursday did little to help their bats get back to form.
Here’s three takeaways from another tough loss on a night when starting pitcher Trevor Bauer deserved better after allowing three runs on five hits.
1. Sleepwalking at the plate
The Tribe got off to a good start as they scored a first inning run after Edwin Encarnación was plunked by a Dylan Bundy pitch with the bases loaded, but the team had a shot at so many more. Per usual thus far in 2018, however, they failed to do anything else offensively.
After Edwin was hit, Yonder Alonso filed out to left, and Roberto Perez struck out for the first of four times on the night, ending the best Tribe threat.
The team managed just six hits, and it seemed that Bundy was able to work out of any jams he got himself into, and the Tribe offense had no answers for his six innings, nine strikeout outing.
2. Bauer deserved better
Trevor Bauer is sporting an ERA below 2.70 this season, yet sits at 1-2 after suffering the loss Friday to the Orioles.
He gave up a solo homer to Manny Machado, and then gave up two runs in the 5th, as Baltimore strung some hits together and took advantage of a sub par Bauer inning to build a two-run lead.
Bauer was a workhorse on a night that the Indians bullpen needed some rest still after the 16-inning affair on Wednesday, and in the end the Indians No. 3 starter threw 116 pitches.
He struck out six and walked three, but in the end, the offense couldn’t find a way to produce any runs but the one in the first.
3. Will the offense ever wake up?
Fans continue to lament the fact that 17 games into 2018, the Indians offense might just be the worst in baseball, as the team simply isn’t hitting enough to produce more than 1-2 runs a night on most evenings.
The only two hitters that seem to be doing any consistent hitting are Michael Brantley and Tyler Naquin, and expect managerTerry Francona to continue to try to find more at-bats for both until other players come around.
The top of the lineup is still a major problem for the Tribe, as even Friday the top three of Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez went 1-for-10 with three walks and four Ks.
As these guys go, so will the success of the offense, and right now none of the three are doing much damage to opposing pitchers, which is why this offense remains frozen on a daily basis.
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