Cleveland Indians-Cincinnati Reds Series Preview

The Cleveland Indians (17-17) take on their in-state rivals as the Cincinnati Reds (15-22) come to town for a brief two-game set at Progressive Field. This the first of four straight meetings between the two Ohio clubs. The Indians head into this series looking to get back on the winning ways after dropping two of three to the Minnesota Twins. The Reds snapped a three-game losing streak yesterday afternoon with a victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

More from Away Back Gone

The Indians will send out Cody Anderson (tonight) and Danny Salazar (tomorrow) in the two-game set. The Reds will counter with left-hander John Lamb and right-hander Alfredo Simon. Anderson will be making his first start since a brief stint in the bullpen when he pitched 3 1/3 innings in the Indians’ 16-inning marathon game in Houston last week. After struggling in the rotation, he pitched three perfect innings before allowing the game-winning home run in his fourth inning of work. Despite taking the loss, he looked better than he had at any point this year, and the hope is some of that wears off as he returns to the rotation.

Jason Kipnis is having another outstanding May to this point at the plate. While nothing would compare to the ridiculous May he had last year, he’s hitting .308 with a .838 OPS this month. He’s also added a pair of home runs giving him five on the season in just 150 plate appearances. In the previous two seasons, he hit just 15 home runs in 1196 plate appearances. Rajai Davis will look to break out of his May slump as he should be in the lineup versus the left-handed Lamb. Davis, after a great April, is hitting just .105 with a .260 OPS in the month of May (that is not a typo, that is his OPS this month)…

Keys to the Series

The Indians offense has been a bit bi-polar to this point. They’ll have games like Friday where they’ll score seven and follow it up with games like yesterday where they scored just once late in the game. The Indians are seventh in the American League averaging 4.21 runs per game, just one spot below the Detroit Tigers who are averaging 4.22 runs per game. Overall the Tribe has been pretty average on offense; however, the feast or famine approach is holding them back and keeping them stuck around the .500 mark.

Without outfielder Michael Brantley for at least two weeks, the Indians will need someone to step up in the middle of the lineup to help bring more consistency and so far they are starting to get it. In addition to Kipnis having a hot month, utility man Jose Ramirez has been red-hot this month batting a team-best .333 with a .911 OPS. Ramirez has seen time in left field and third base subbing in for the injured Brantley and the struggling Juan Uribe. While Ramirez is still a “utility man” he’s become more of an everyday player or the proverbial “super-utility man” that Ben Zobrist popularized in Tampa Bay.

In addition to Kipnis and Ramirez, slugger Mike Napoli has really stepped up this month batting .283 with a team-leading .940 OPS. He’s hit a team-best three home runs and leads the team with 11 RBIs this month (the next closest Indian has six). With Brantley out the Indians will need Napoli to take control of the cleanup spot as Carlos Santana figures to get more time in the leadoff spot where he can show off that walk rate and on-base skills.

Next: Indians Lose Game, Brantley to DL

The Indians could also get a small boost with the return of Lonnie Chisenhall. As mentioned yesterday, Chisenhall is expected to be activated from the Bereavement List tomorrow. The Tribe is likely giving him an extra day with the left-handed Lamb on the mound tonight. While Chisenhall’s overall numbers are less than stellar (.255 AVG, .629 OPS), he was starting to warm up at the plate before leaving the team. In his last eight games, Chisenhall is hitting .308 with a .379 OBP and .725 OPS. Given the struggles of Marlon Byrd and Davis, the Tribe needs Chisenhall to step up and take control of right field.

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