Cleveland Indians: Several players could use a big series against Houston

The Cleveland Indians are on a great streak of baseball, but several players on the team are still looking for a signature performance in 2017.

The Cleveland Indians return home tonight and will look to improve upon their disappointing 2-4 record at Progressive Field this season.

The first homestand came when the entire team was struggling, and it appears now that both the starting pitching and the offense have begun to turn it around.

However, there are still a few players who are looking for more than just a flash of success. These three players are looking for a great series to jumpstart their performance for the rest of the season.

1. Edwin Encarnacion

The narrative surrounding Edwin Encarnacion seems to be that he will turn it around at any moment. He is just a swing or two away from hitting that game-changing home run that will endear him to fans and get him on a hot streak.

That has yet to happen, as his 26 strikeouts stand out above all other stats. He did have a nice 2-for-5 day on Saturday, which included a home run, but he went 0-for-3 in the two other games against the Chicago White Sox.

Encarnacion doesn’t need to hit .300, but he must begin to limit the strikeouts a bit and start getting some big hits. He is not known as a fast starter, but the calendar is about to turn to May and it is time for him to have a big series to set up his summer.

2. Yan Gomes

Yan Gomes‘ horrible 2016 season has carried over into 2017. He did pick up five hits on last week’s road trip, but all that did was raise his average to .171. Not ideal.

His job is somewhat secure due to his great defense along with the fact Roberto Perez is not much of a factor at the plate. Now Indians fans see why the front office tried to give up so much to get Jonathan Lucroy.

Yet Gomes is under contract with the Indians through at least 2019, so he will be playing if healthy.

He is not being relied upon for much offense, but he just needs to do something at the bottom of the order to get some momentum going for the top. Even just drawing a walk would be nice, which is something he hasn’t done since April 9.

3. Josh Tomlin

Unlike the two players above, Josh Tomlin only gets to prove himself every five days. But like the other two, he has had a rough start to the season.

He compiled a beautiful 18.47 ERA after his first two starts, but did well enough last week to lower it to the respectable figure of 11.68. That last start saw him go six innings and allow just three runs, which was enough to lead his team to victory.

Next: Series against Astros an October preview

That is the Tomlin fans are hoping to see once again tonight against a great Astros lineup. If he can go out and pitch even with Dallas Keuchel, it would ensure his spot in this rotation and stop any speculation of Mike Clevinger potentially finding a spot in the rotation this summer.