Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer looking for his first career hit today

Cleveland Indians rookie Bradley Zimmer made his MLB debut last night, but is still looking for his first career hit this afternoon.

The Cleveland Indians are looking to pick up a series victory this afternoon with some day baseball against the Tampa Bay Rays, while Bradley Zimmer is looking for his first career hit.

Zimmer made his MLB debut Tuesday night, striking out three times in three at-bats. His strikeouts are a noted problem with him, but it was his first game in the majors so it is impossible to know the pressure he felt unless one has personally gone through it.

But he has gotten the jitters out of the way and will have the chance to finally pick up that first hit today, as he is back in the lineup and batting eighth.

Zimmer is likely going to be with the team for quite some time, as injuries to both Brandon Guyer and Abraham Almonte are going to keep both outfielders until late June, at least based on the latest timetables given by the team. So now that his debut is out of the way, he must start producing and be a valuable member of the team. But no one should be worried that he won’t live up to his hype.

While Zimmer had a disappointing debut, Edwin Encarnacion broke out of his slump with a two-run home run last night. He finished 2-for-4 and got his average back over the .200 mark, where fans are hoping it will stay for the remainder of the season.

Another highlight from Tuesday was Carlos Santana playing in his 1,000th game with the team. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when the Indians called up the promising catcher back in 2010. He has never been a star player, but he has always been a consistent member of the club who fans can rely on every time he comes to the plate. Even if he can’t get the big hit, he still has one of the best eyes at the plate in all of baseball.

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So now that Zimmer got a taste of MLB pitching on the same night Santana reached his milestone, both can settle in and play relaxed this afternoon against the Rays. A series victory would be nice as the weekend competition happens to be the Houston Astros, aka the best team in baseball.