Keys to the Game 4/23 Indians @ White Sox

Hannah's Three Keys
1.) Aggressive base running!
You often hear the phrase, "speed kills". It is especially true in baseball when done correctly. Our boys were fantastic on the bases last night. It was the aggressiveness paired with when they chose to challenge the Chicago defense that made them so effective. Not only did they steal 4 bases, but they also avoided tags and ran from third to home on fly balls.  It is not only exciting to watch, but it is a heck of a way to maintain momentum. Keep the peddle to the metal and show that speed.

Danny Salazar

2.) Your turn, Salazar  
Corey Kluber took the mound on Thursday and pitched a complete game shut out. Carlos Carrasco came out last night and pitched eight innings of shut out baseball.  Now, Danny Salazar takes the mound for the Tribe and I have to believe that he is going to want to pitch his own gem of a game. During the team's five-game winning streak the starting rotation is 5-0, with a 1.53 ERA. So far this season, Danny Boy has a 1-1 record with a 3.57 ERA, with 27 K's in 17 2/3 innings pitched. Those are not bad numbers, but you and I both know he is capable of even better. He has got to make sure he doesn't elevate his fastball, keep the ball down and work the corners. The White Sox offense is struggling and frustrated, we don't want to be the ones who give them any confidence.

3.) Ding, ding, ding! Round two!
This time put runs on the board. Derek Holland takes the mound for Chicago today. We faced him back on April 12, but were unable to score a single run off him. At  the end of the day, it does not matter how well your pitcher pitches, if you cannot score runs, you cannot win games. We saw this last week when our offense was slumping, but our offense is now firing on all cylinders. Now, we just need them to keep it up. Holland has actually put up some surprisingly solid numbers this season, with a 2.16 ERA and 13 K's in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Holland often struggles with his command and with leaving balls up in the zone. We have seen him recently, the team needs to make adjustments and complete the sweep in dominant fashion.