Game of the Week: April 3: CLE @ TEX

[Commissioner Erick]

Cleveland Indians (0-0) @ Texas Rangers (0-0)

CLE: Corey Kluber (0-0)
TEX: Yu Darvish (0-0)

The Cleveland Indians were the final American League Champions in the old MLB. The Texas Rangers were postseason stalwarts over the last decade of the MLB. The two teams square off as early favorites for the American League pennant.

The Indians and Rangers have several things in common as they do battle to start the year. Both feature excellent front line pitching, and both raiding the National League for premier bats this February.

Corey Kluber may be the second best pitcher in baseball. He gets an absurd amount of break on his cutter and curveball and has a lot of guts trying to frontdoor two-seam fastballs on the inside part of the plate. That combination of skill and guts puts him in baseball's elite tier of hurlers as he's a threat for double digit whiffs and complete game shutouts against any lineup. His opponent will be Yu Darvish, a pitcher who thrives on the basis of an absurd number of quality offerings. He throws three fastballs, a curveball, a slider, a changeup, and a splitter that all rate as above average. If he's locating each pitch well, the sheer volume of information an opponent has to be aware of is overwhelming. Combine that with the fact that Darvish throws in the mid-90's and his slider drops off the map even if a hitter is looking for it, and you get an electric hurler. This game should be a low scoring treat.

Cleveland ensured itself of having one of the most potent lineups in baseball in trading for Giancarlo Stanton. A power-hitting monster, Stanton combines with Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion to form a trio of elite sluggers in the middle of the Indians order. This comes behind two of the most well-rounded hitters in Michael Brantley and Francisco Lindor setting them up. On paper, the Indians lineup looks to be, perhaps, the best offense in baseball.

Texas also featured a deep lineup, with quality players up and down the roster. The one thing it arguably lacked was a premier hitter. Texas solved that issue with trading for Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is patient, runs well, fields his position excellent, and most importantly, is one of the most dynamic hitters in the game. He has a swing geared towards hitting the ball hard, power to all fields, and most impressively, the eye to make sure he's not wasting at bats swinging at pitchers' pitches. His battles with Kluber should be excellent theater.

While it's only the first game of 162, with the caliber of the lineups and the quality of the pitchers involved, this may be a frontrunner for one of the best games played this season.


Questions for the GMs:


For David Springgay, trading for Giancarlo Stanton was a big move. He has prodigious power, but has also been hurt in the past and strikes out a ton. Why did you figure he was the right guy to acquire?

You have an excellent bullpen. Do you see Andrew Miller getting any save chances this year is the closer's roll strictly Cody Allen's?

With the addition of Stanton, how does Brandon Guyer's role change?

For Clayton Piper, you have a ton of outfield and designated hitter types on your roster. How do you shake out playing time for everybody?

Yu Darvish has great stuff but has a tendency to nibble as well. Do you want him pitching carefully to this Cleveland offense?

Against Cleveland, your bullpen is at a major disadvantage. Do you have confidence in your pen putting up scoreless innings in high pressure situations?

[indiansgm]

Going int this season we knew we had one of the top bullpens in all f baseball and a starting rotation that rivaled anybody in the american league.  Our lineup was another question it was strong but worthy of challenging the likes of the Red Sox or etc. not necessarily.  The opportunity to acquire a stud like Stanton was ot even on our minds until the Marlins made it known he was available to be moved.  We gave up a lt of quality for the future to get aguy that when healthy is on of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.  You put him into the middle of the lineup with guys like Santana, Edwin, Frankie, and Brantley you have an order that will be tough to navigate then throw in supporting cast of Kipnis, Lonnie, Yan, and Zimmer and we now have what on paper could be the most potent lineup in all of baseball.

When it comes to the bullpen Cody Allen is penciled in as the so called "Closer" in the sense that he will be the guy that comes in in the 9th inning to close out the game.  That being said as baseball people we know that the real save to secure the game could come earlier in the game in the 7th or 8th or even the 6th inning at times.  Having Andrew Miller freed up to come in during those high leverage game changing scenarios is very important and thats how we will be deploying Miller.  Miller is a left handed weapon out of the bullpen and with him not being the "Closer" it will be on the opposing managers mind that we could bring in Miller at any point to shut down the game.

Guyers role really wont be changing much.  He is one of the main back up outfielder and a main pinch hitter.  He will be an important cog to this team going forward and when the season is drawing to a close Guyer would be looked at as part of the reason the Indians are where they are in the standings

[Commissioner Erick]

Keeping Miller in the fireman role! I'm excited to see how it will work out!

[Commissioner Erick]

Indians 8 - Rangers 6

WP: D. Otero
LP: M. Bush
SV: C. Allen


The potent Rangers and Indians lineups got the best of each team's starting pitcher. The fact that nobody could touch the Indians' bullpen was the deciding factor in their opening day win.

Dan Otero, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen combined for five shutout innings, Carlos Santana hit a huge two run double, and the Cleveland Indians bested the Texas Rangers 8-6.

It didn't seem like Cleveland would prevail as Corey Kluber was hit hard. Often around the strike zone, the Rangers tucked a pair of home runs just inside the right field foul pole, on their way to knocking him out after 4 innings.

Rougned Odor got Texas on the board by sneaking a 335 foot home run inside the right field foul pole for a three-run home run in the first inning. Kluber worked around a two-on, no-out situation in the second, but gave up a two-run bomb to Shin-soo Choo in the third. After Nomar Mazara slipped a home run over the wall in right, Kluber had given up 6 runs, on three home runs, a double, two singles, and two walks after 3+ innings. He finished the frame, but without much command, he was lifted after getting through the fourth.

Fortunately for Cleveland, Yu Darvish was all over the place. Darvish walked four batters in 4 innings, getting victimized on long balls by Giancarlo Stanton and Yan Gomes. While better than Kluber, Darvish also couldn't go longer than 4 innings.

That's where the game changed. While Texas couldn't touch Cleveland's pen, the Indians worked the Rangers' long relief.

Alex Claudio worked two reasonable innings, but was victimized by the combination of Giancarlo Stanton and Carlos Santana. Stanton walked leading off the fifth as Claudio remembered Stanton hooking a Darvish Stanton over the left field stands for a home run. Stanton moved to second base before Santana yanked a single into left to plate a run, making the game 6-5 Texas.

In the seventh, the combination of Stanton and Santana struck again, though innocuously at first. Stanton swung and missed a Matt Bush slider well off the plate for strike three. The ball eluded Jonathan Lucroy though, and Stanton raced to first base successfully. Edwin Encarnacion singled, setting up Santana with a two-on, two-out opportunity. He ripped a double that landed just short of the center field track, scoring both runners, and giving the Indians the lead.

Cleveland's bullpen was near perfect though. Paul Goldschmidt greeted Dan Otero with a single, but Otero got an inning-ending double play from Wil Myers to get through the fifth. The single was the last baserunner Texas would get.

Otero retired the bottom of the order in the sixth before fireman Andrew Miller was called in. Miller faced six batters, five batting from the right side, and retired them all over two perfect innings. Cody Allen worked the ninth for the save.

Each team's big new slugger acquainted himself well. Goldschmidt had two hits, including a double, and scored a run in his Ranger debut. Stanton, however, was incredible. He homered, scored three runs, knocked two hits, and walked twice in a ferocious debut.

The win had to be comforting for Cleveland fans. Even with Kluber not having his best stuff, the bullpen and lineup were so strong that it didn't even matter.


Questions for the GMs:


For David Springgay, you mentioned how Miller was going to be key for you in facing big batters before the ninth. He paid immediate dividends. How comforting is it that he can get righties out as well as lefties?

Carlos Santana has power and patience, yet he's batting low in the order at six. Do you plan to hit him there all year?

I thought Dan Otero played an important part in the game in bridging to Miller and Allen. How confident are you in the guys behind Miller and Allen in getting the job done for you this season?

For Clayton Piper, Yu Darvish was very wild. Was he timid against a potent offense, or did he not have his best stuff?

Jurrickson Profar was sloppy at the plate with three strikeouts, plus in the field with an error. Does he have a long leash for you at shortstop?

Rougned Odor had a home run off Corey Kluber, and made contact against Andrew Miller (which counts as an accomplishment). Is he going to be your cleanup hitter to stay?

[indiansgm]

Im quite happy with start to the season Andrew has had. Hes my best pitcher out of the pen and he will be used in the high leverage situations this season too which he has acquitted himself very nice already.

Santana is starting the season great his position in the batting order is not a slight to Carlos but a result of how deep our offense is. With the likes of Frankie, Edwin, Giancarlo, Brantley along with guys like Kipnis and the hot hitting Chisenhall to begin the season someone has to be pushed down the order. Right now thats Carlos it lengthens our lineup out and makes the opposition work from 1 to 9

Im very secure in the talent of our entire pen. Bryan Shaw, Otero, Logan, McAllister are very capable to bridge the gap between our starting pitchers and end of the pen. The strength of our team is our deep and talented bull pen

[friscoranger]

Yeah, Yu was pretty wild and I believe that's just a result of a not having his best stuff that day. Don't get me wrong Cleveland's offense is really great, but I don't think they made him timid. I'm not that worried. Yu is an ace and I expect him to bounce back strong.
Also, we believe in profar. Although that game was very sloppy there is a reason he was the number one prospect in baseball a few years ago.
I think so in regards to Odor. We really love his passion and hard nose style of playing the game, and you want somebody like that one your team and with that power yes i do believe he will stay at cleanup.