Cleveland Indians look to cap off a perfect road trip today

The Cleveland Indians are looking to sweep the Chicago White Sox this afternoon and finish off what would be an undefeated road trip.

The Cleveland Indians are looking for a sixth consecutive win today, one week after finishing off the first homestand of the season with a disappointing loss.

Some fans may have expressed some doubts about the team after last week, but the team has followed that up by sweeping the Minnesota Twins with a chance to sweep the Chicago White Sox as well.

The key to the success has been the starting pitching, as each member of the rotation has pitched on the trip. All five have picked up victories, and the entire pitching staff has only allowed seven runs in five games.

The two games in Chicago have been the most notable, as Corey Kluber‘s complete-game shutout was followed by eight scoreless innings from Carlos Carrasco. It was the type of dominance fans have been waiting to see, although no one should have doubted it would happen.

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The beginning of any season is a time when players get off to slow starts, and is no time for overreaction.

A player like Edwin Encarnacion is a perfect example. He struggled to hit at the start of the year, but has begun slowly raising his average and now has three home runs on the year, which matches his April total from 2016.

Even with his slow start, it is not like he lost all ability and has become a waste of money. He is seeing the ball well at the plate and is sometimes getting unlucky, so just one big game may be enough to get him going.

The same goes for the pitchers, as even the great Corey Kluber had a rocky start to the season. But one complete-game shutout may mean he has found his elite stuff in 2017.

It takes time to settle in to a season as spring training isn’t always enough for some players. Plus, playing carefree exhibition games in Arizona is much different than a competitive game in Chicago when it is so cold you can barely feel your fingers.

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Another win today in Chicago would keep the Indians on the winning track and prove to fans that this team is just as great as a season ago. It may also be enough to shatter the hopes of the White Sox, who have yet to score a run this series.