Cleveland Indians: Danny Salazar looking for consistency in his starts

Danny Salazar takes the mound for the Cleveland Indians today and is looking to mirror two earlier starts he had this month.

Danny Salazar has not had a bad start to the 2017 season. He currently holds a 4.37 ERA and has not allowed more than four runs in any of his four outings this season.

But while the numbers are solid, he has gotten off to bad starts in both his first and fourth starts this season.

The fourth start came last week against the Chicago White Sox, when Salazar allowed three runs in the first inning. He made it through five innings with only four earned runs, but these early deficits are tough for the inconsistent offense to overcome.

It doesn’t seem to be a confidence issue, but an early deficit this April is almost a sign of doom for the rest of the game. And a 3-0 deficit before the team comes to bat is not going to result in much success, even with the potential in the lineup.

Salazar takes the mound for the Indians this afternoon, and will be looking to repeat the success he had earlier this month. Here is how the rest of the lineup looks.

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After allowing four earned runs in his first start of the season, Salazar allowed a total of three earned runs in his next two starts, going six innings in each outing.

The Indians only picked up a victory in one of those games, but a combined four runs of run support seems to be a common theme for most of the staff.

So if Salazar can keep his earned run total around one or two, that should be good enough for the offense to wake up and piece together a solid game. There should be some extra motivation after the dud of a game Friday night.

Expecting the starters to be perfect is a lot to ask, but this staff is considered one of the best in the game. So if that is to remain true, the top three pitchers must be dominant in each and every outing.

Next: Carrasco remains the ace in April

It is up to the offense to help, but a great start goes a long way in keeping the game close and maybe adding some extra motivation for the offense.