Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the series win over the White Sox

The Cleveland Indians didn’t end the series well, but were able to pick up two impressive wins over the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

The Cleveland Indians have not had much luck on Sundays in 2017. The team is now 0-3 on the day of rest, but the most recent loss did not spoil what was a great road trip.

The Indians return home Tuesday after going 5-1 on the most recent trip, with a sweep over the Minnesota Twins and a series win over the Chicago White Sox.

It was a nice change of pace after a 2-4 homestand that had some fans worried, but this team is still great and that is easy to see. Let’s now look at a few things that stood out during the most recent series in Chicago.

1. Jason Kipnis slotting in sixth in the order

Jason Kipnis finally made his season debut Friday, and some fans may have been wondering where he would hit in the order.

He hit sixth both Friday and Saturday, and that appears to be a great place for him to remain, at least right now. The top five of the Indians’ lineup seems to be set in stone, as each player fits well in their respective spot.

The only move that may come later is sliding Carlos Santana out of the leadoff spot, but he has been successful there so far, making a move unnecessary any time soon.

2. The starting pitching is settling in

Corey Kluber opened the series with a complete-game shutout, while Carlos Carrasco followed that up with eight scoreless innings of his own in what was another scoreless loss for the White Sox.

And even though Danny Salazar allowed four earned runs on Sunday, a total of four earned runs from the starting pitching in three games is an amazing mark after how the group struggled to start the season.

No one should have been too worried about the top three guys in the rotation, but everyone was still waiting for a string of games like the one seen Friday and Saturday. The focus now shifts to both Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer, as those two could eventually be in danger of losing a job if either struggles and Mike Clevinger continues to dominate in Triple-A.

3. The Sunday blues

As stated earlier, the Indians are now 0-3 on Sundays this season. This is bad news for me, as I have tickets for this Sunday’s game. Let’s hope they can figure things out by then.

The problem in these games has been the offense. The group has scored a combined five runs in three Sunday games, while the pitching has only allowed a total of 13.

Next: Kluber continues streak of great starts

Whether it be the quick turnaround from a night game or just bad luck, the Indians need to play better on Sundays in order to finish off series’ strong, and avoid traveling after a disappointing loss.