CLEVELAND– This one got started nearly two hours after the scheduled first pitch, thus it was only fair the Cleveland Indians gave the 30,296 fans who stuck around their money’s worth.
With a 10-0 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers, the Indians improved to 41-33 on the season and pushed their season record vs. Detroit to 8-3. Rookie starting pitcher Shane Bieber was able to settle in rather early as he struck out five of the first six batters he faced. Francisco Lindor got things going for Cleveland with a home run in the bottom of the third inning, and this seemed to jumpstart the bats.
The Indians and Tigers meet again tomorrow at 6:10 p.m. as Trevor Bauer and Francisco Liriano are set to battle it out.
Here are three takeaways from tonight’s Indians victory.
1. Rook makes a statement
Shane Bieber made his third career start Friday night and it may have been his most impressive start to date. Bieber really came out in a groove as he struck out two in the first and then struck out the side in the second.
His final line across seven innings included nine Ks compared to just one walk. If Bieber is able to continue to throw strikes like this, it will be extremely difficult for Terry Francona to not name him the team’s fifth starter. The 23 year old has a bright future for the Tribe and should end up being a front end starter if he continues to improve like this.
2. Balanced effort
The Indians may not have the most star studded lineup, but they do have one of the most well balanced lineups in the American League. That was on display Friday night as the Tribe were able to get contributions from all three levels of the lineup.
Francisco Lindor got things going in the third and then Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Cleveland never looked back. Tyler Naquin’s impressive season continued as he added one hit along with scoring two runs, anchoring the bottom of the order.
3. Home cooking
Friday’s win pushed the Tribe’s home record to 25-13 on the young season, but the Indians aren’t just winning at home– they’re also producing runs.
The Indians scored another 10 runs Friday night making it 225 runs scored at Progressive Field while only scoring 146 runs on the road. It is to be expected for a club’s offense to perform better in their home ballpark, but these kind of splits are a little eye-opening, and will be something to follow as the season continues.
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