Series Preview: Indians vs. Tigers

Alright, you want to be known as the best fans in sports? Well then it’s time to start acting like it. This team has been in first place for over three weeks and there’s still only 9,000 fans in the seats night in and night out. You wanted winning baseball, now you have it. This team is something to get excited about. I know it’s April and it’s chilly on the lakefront but the Tribe has rattled off ten straight at home.  Another series, another sweep. Now it’s on to a Tiger’s team who has been struggling of late. A few more wins and all they have to do is play .500 ball the rest of the way and they will be right there.

April 29-May 1, 2011

Progressive Field

Scouting Report

• Detroit – The Tigers have lost three straight and will have a daunting task at hand when they come to the Jake for a three game series with the Indians, where the Tribe has won ten straight. Run production has been lacking for Detroit, they were outscored 24-6 this past series as they were swept by the Mariners. In their last eight games in Cleveland the Tigers have been outscored 42-18 and they  hold just a 1-8 record. Conversely they are 8-1 at home against the Indians. If Detroit is to end its drought in Cleveland, it must get more production from the top of their order. Leadoff man Austin Jackson is batting just  .167 and No. 3 hitter Magglio Ordonez just .172. That pair, along with slugger Miguel Cabrera, combined to go 0 for 12 in Thursday’s 7-2 loss to Seattle.
• Cleveland –The Indians just nailed down their 10th consecutive home win at Progressive Field on Thursday night, and are showing signs of getting even better. Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana have been showing signs they are busting out of their early season funk, which will be key because they are two important bats in the heart of the Indians lineup that will need to be effective if the Indians want to make something special out of this hot start. Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo each hit their fourth homers Thursday for Cleveland, which has hit 22 of its 29 home runs this season at home.Sizemore is batting .390 in 10 games since his return from knee surgery, while Choo is 8 for 18 with two homers and five RBIs over the last five. Choo is 5 for 9 with a home run against Scherzer. Travis Hafner is 6 for 10 with a homer versus Scherzer, but could miss his second straight game because of right ankle inflammation. He’s hitting .342 with four homers and 11 RBIs.

Pitching Match-up(s)

Game 1- Max Scherzer vs. Jeanmar Gomez

• Max Scherzer  4-0, 3.19 ERA

Max Scherzer looks to continue his strong start Friday night while trying to help the Tigers avoid a fourth straight loss overall and snap an eight-game road skid against the AL Central-leading Indians, winners of 10 straight at Progressive Field. Scherzer has the chance to become the first Tigers pitcher to go 5-0 in April since Frank Tanana in 1988. To do that, though, Scherzer will have to win in Cleveland, where he lost three times in as many outings last season.

• Jeanmar Gomez  0-1, 7.36 ERA

Jeanmar Gomez  takes the ball for the Indians after making an emergency appearance in relief of injured starter Carlos Carrasco on Sunday. Gomez allowed a run and three hits in three innings of the 4-3 loss at Minnesota.The right-hander, who began the season in the minors, allowed five runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss at Kansas City in his first start April 19.Gomez went 1-1 with a 4.50 against the Tigers last season as a rookie.

Game 2- Rick Porcello vs. Alex White

• Rick Porcello  1-2, 4.76 ERA

After being skipped a turn in the Tigers’ rotation because of off-days, Porcello will start on nine days’ rest, trying to recover the momentum of back-to-back solid outings on the West Coast with 12 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

• Alex White  0-0, -.– ERA

The Indians will promote White — a first-round pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft — from Triple-A Columbus to make his Major League debut on Saturday. In four starts for the Clippers this year, White has gone 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA.

Game 3 – Phil Coke vs. Justin Masterson

• Phil Coke  1-4, 4.88 ERA

Coke has struggled in his last two outings, allowing nine earned runs on 14 hits over eight innings in back-to-back meetings with the Mariners. Against everyone else, he has four earned runs on nine hits over 16 innings.

• Justin Masterson  5-0, 2.18 ERA

Masterson continued his strong start on Tuesday, giving up three runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings in a win over the Royals. The righty is the first Indians pitcher to begin a year 5-0 through five starts since Cliff Lee opened 2008 by going 6-0.

Probable Lineups

Detroit

1. CF Austin Jackson

2. 2B Will Rhymes

3. DH Magglio Ordonez

4. 1B Miguel Cabrera

5. RF Brennan Boesch

6. LR Ryan Raburn

7. SS Jhonny Peralta

8.    C Alex Avila

9. 3B Brandon Inge

Cleveland

1. CF Grady Sizemore

2. SS Asdrubal Cabrera

3. RF Shin-Soo Choo

4.    C Carlos Santana

5. DH Shelly Duncan

6. 2B Orlando Cabrera

7. LF Michael Brantley

8. 1B Matt LaPorta

9. 3B Jack Hannahan