Cleveland Indians-Houston Astros Series Preview

Cleveland Indians-Houston Astros Series Preview 5/9-5/11

The Cleveland Indians (15-13) head to Houston to take on the Astros (12-20) in a three-game series. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs and the Tribe’s only visit to Houston. The Indians are coming off a series win against the Kansas City Royals at home while the Astros are coming off series split with the Seattle Mariners.

The Indians will send out Corey Kluber (tonight), Trevor Bauer (tomorrow), and Danny Salazar (Wednesday). The Astros will counter with right-handers Mike Fiers, Chris Devenski, and Doug Fister. The Indians will look to continue their hot play as they are now in second place in the American League Central while the Houston Astros are looking to get out of the West cellar.

More from Away Back Gone

With three righties on the docket, look for Carlos Santana to get more time in the leadoff spot. In nine games there, he’s batting .294 with a .415 OBP and 1.003 OPS. The right-handed starters could also mean we see more of Lonnie Chisenhall in centerfield, or possibly even the debut of Jose Ramirez in centerfield. This series will also see two of the best young players in the game going at it in Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. The two young shortstops were 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year voting last year and continue to battle for title of best shortstop in baseball (according to some)…

Indians are playing the Astros next week. Good chance to see the best shortstop in baseball. Carlos Correa will be there too.
— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) May 4, 2016

Keys to the Series

The Indians won five of their six games on the homestand. The averaged 5.3 runs per game on offense, despite getting shutout in their lone loss. The Tribe will need to keep the offense going as they face an Astros team, that despite struggling in the early going, is averaging 4.6 runs per game at home this year, third best in the American League.

Michael Brantley will look to build on a solid homestand. After struggling in his first few games back where he hit just .118, he hit .389 over the home stand. He got some timely hits too, showing that he’s getting back to his “Dr. Smooth” ways. Brantley is without a doubt the key in the middle of the Tribe lineup and when he’s on, so too is the offense (as seen by the huge offensive outburst this homestand).

The other guy to watch for on offense for the Tribe is catcher Yan Gomes. Against righties this season, Gomes is batting a mere .127 with a dismal .427 OPS. In fact, the only two players on the team that have an OPS within 300 points of Gomes versus right-handed pitching are Brantley and Chisenhall, who have been working their way back from injuries. The Indians do have Chris Gimenez on the bench, but without Roberto Perez look for Gomes to work through his struggles. The Indians will need Gomes to pick it up offensively.

The Indians will look to get more solid pitching out of their starters, who have been solid of late (outside of Cody Anderson). Even the bullpen is starting to pitch better, with only a few hiccups on the homestand. If the pitchers can keep star shortstop Correa in check, look for the Indians to have success on this short road trip.

Anthony Recker Dealt to Braves

In some minor news, the Indians have traded minor league catcher Anthony Recker to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.

Braves Acquire Anthony Recker From Indians https://t.co/ScPQcTwMk5 #indians
— Tim Dierkes (@mlbtrguardians) May 9, 2016

Next: Indians Option Anderson; Recall Naquin

Recker was with the big league club in spring training as a non-roster invitee and had spent the entire season with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. The move cleans up a bit of a roster logjam in Columbus as the Clippers have four catchers around with Adam Moore moving back to the club after clearing waivers and accepting an assignment. The Tribe still has Moore and Guillermo Quiroz on the active roster with Alex Lavisky around as well.

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