Series Preview: White Sox @ Indians

Hello, friends of the feather! It's time for your series preview for the home opener. Let's get you ready with everything you need to know for the first games of the year at Progressive Field.

Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco

Chicago White Sox (2-3) @ Cleveland Indians (3-3)

Game #1 - 4:10 p.m. RHP Carlos Carrasco v.s. RHP James Shields

Game #2  - 6:10 p.m. RHP Danny Salazar v.s. LHP Derek Holland

Game #3 - 6:10 p.m. RHP Josh Tomlin v.s. RHP Miguel Gonzalez

The lineups were a little harder to predict for this weekend, because Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall both are on rehab assignments in the minor leagues. Be on the look out for some roster moves near the end of the Chicago series or this weekend. Bringing Kipnis and Chisenhall back onto the roster is bound to occur in the next week or so.

Projected Lineups:

Cleveland

DH Carlos Santana

SS Francisco Lindor

LF Michael Brantley

1B Edwin Encarnacion

2B Jose Ramirez
CF Tyler Naquin
3B Yandy Diaz

C Yan Gomes

RF Abraham Almonte

Chicago

LF Cabrera
SS Anderson
1B Abreu
3B Frazier
DH Asche
RF Garcia
2B Sanchez
C Narvaez
CF May

Three keys to a series win:

Indians 1B Edwin Encarnacion

1. Home cooking - The Tribe start the season off playing .500 ball after sweeping the Rangers and getting swept by the Diamondbacks. I think the team needs a little home cooking and there's no better place to get it than at Progressive Field. The AL-champion Indians were an American League best 53-28 at home last season.

2. Find the offense - A quick peak at the stats for the first six games (small sample size, don't freak
out) shows the Tribe have struggled at the plate. The team is hitting just .229 and are scoring about 4.5 runs per game. The Indians were outscored 21-7 over the weekend against the Diamondbacks. The Tribe swept 15 series last season and only were swept three times, so it's interesting to see the early struggles. Can the team bounce back? It's going to start with production from the usual suspects, including Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion. 

3. Get healthy and stay healthy - According to MLB.com reporter Jordan Bastian, Kipnis and Chisenhall started rehab assignments last weekend. Although, Yandy Diaz, Abraham Almonte and Austin Jackson have been formidable replacements, it will be a shot in the arm for the offense to get back the two left-handed sluggers to the lineup.

Players to watch:

1. SS Francisco Lindor - The Tribe lineup is getting a lot of production from Lindor, but he will need to continue his hot-hitting ways to get the Indians back in the win column. Lindor is seven-for-24 this year, with three HR (half of the team's total of six). Lindor also has drawn three walks and posts an on-base percentage of .357.

Indians C Yan Gomes

2. C Yan Gomes - Gomes seems to hit the ball hard, but can't seem to find a gap or a hole in the defense. He's off to a rough start, going one-for-14 (.071) in his first 17 plate appearances. Gomes also brings reliable defense to the team, but after struggling through injuries and poor performances at the plate the last two seasons, it would be nice to see Gomes get back to hitting like he did during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. Gomes hit .294 and .278 in those respective seasons with 33 HR in the two-year period. Gomes has only 21 HR since, playing in 169 games in 2015 and 2016. 

3. 1B Edwin Encarnacion - Encarnacion, like some of his teammates is off to a bit of a slow start at the dish. He's hitting .217 and has only one HR. The slugger has drawn three walks, but it's only a matter of time before he starts to hit his stride at the plate.

Interesting stat of the series: The Indians have won just one of their last eight home openers (2014 they defeated the Twins 7-2). They are 6-11 since 2000 and have an all-time record in home openers of 59-57.