Keys to the game-
1.) Beat the southpaw
While his stats so far this season are not all that impressive (1-2 with a 4.71 ERA, with 11 walks in 21 innings pitched), Daniel Norris has historically dominated the Cleveland Indians offense. In fact, we have never beaten him. He is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts made against the Tribe. It is time to put all of that behind us, our offense is better than that. We need to make sure we are having productive at-bats. Norris is known for walking batters, again- he has walked 11 in 21 innings pitched so far this season. If Norris wants to give us a free pass, take it! Make him throw a lot of pitches, look for mistake pitches left over the plate, and get into their pen. For as much as we have struggled against Norris, we have had great success against the Tigers bullpen. The sooner we get Norris off the mound the better.
While his stats so far this season are not all that impressive (1-2 with a 4.71 ERA, with 11 walks in 21 innings pitched), Daniel Norris has historically dominated the Cleveland Indians offense. In fact, we have never beaten him. He is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in four starts made against the Tribe. It is time to put all of that behind us, our offense is better than that. We need to make sure we are having productive at-bats. Norris is known for walking batters, again- he has walked 11 in 21 innings pitched so far this season. If Norris wants to give us a free pass, take it! Make him throw a lot of pitches, look for mistake pitches left over the plate, and get into their pen. For as much as we have struggled against Norris, we have had great success against the Tigers bullpen. The sooner we get Norris off the mound the better.
2.) No mistake pitches!
If you look at Trevor Bauer’s stats from his last outing against Houston, you would probably think he pitched poorly. He went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8. Not stellar numbers. But in all reality, he pitched a pretty darn good game against a potentially lethal Houston Astros offense. All 4 runs came by way of the long ball. He made a few mistake pitches, and they made him pay. He has never pitched particularly well against Detroit, going 4-4 with a 7.24 ERA. We need him to come out tonight and avoid making mistake pitches, maintain control and keep his emotions in check.
If you look at Trevor Bauer’s stats from his last outing against Houston, you would probably think he pitched poorly. He went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 8. Not stellar numbers. But in all reality, he pitched a pretty darn good game against a potentially lethal Houston Astros offense. All 4 runs came by way of the long ball. He made a few mistake pitches, and they made him pay. He has never pitched particularly well against Detroit, going 4-4 with a 7.24 ERA. We need him to come out tonight and avoid making mistake pitches, maintain control and keep his emotions in check.
3.) Stay focused
We all know that Detroit Manager Brad Ausmus is sideshow distraction. And that is by design. He wants to mess with the pace of the game, get players distracted and make them lose focus. So expect Norris to make a lot of throws to first, the pitching coach to take a lot of walks to the mound, Ausmus to take a lot of needless complaints and conversations with the umps. More then likely this game will take well over 3 hours because that is how Detroit plays, with distractions. Our team needs to stay focused despite the sideshow that Ausmus will be putting on, especially if the Indians are winning. Keep all of that beneath you. Focus on making good plays, playing smart ball and winning series one game at a time.
We all know that Detroit Manager Brad Ausmus is sideshow distraction. And that is by design. He wants to mess with the pace of the game, get players distracted and make them lose focus. So expect Norris to make a lot of throws to first, the pitching coach to take a lot of walks to the mound, Ausmus to take a lot of needless complaints and conversations with the umps. More then likely this game will take well over 3 hours because that is how Detroit plays, with distractions. Our team needs to stay focused despite the sideshow that Ausmus will be putting on, especially if the Indians are winning. Keep all of that beneath you. Focus on making good plays, playing smart ball and winning series one game at a time.
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