Five Notes on the Indians' First Month

It all seems to be clicking for the Tribe as we wrap up April, which has traditionally been the month the Indians struggle the most. Ending the month on a high

It all seems to be clicking for the Tribe as we wrap up April, which has traditionally been the month the Indians struggle the most.

Ending the month on a high note, the Indians finished the month 14-10, good for first place in the American League Central. Culminating with a big 12-4 offensive outburst on Sunday to take down the Mariners, the Indians have now claimed its fourth straight series victory and are not scheduled for a 10-game road trip that will keep the team out of Cleveland until mid-May.

Keeping in Games- Facing only one losing skid in the month, the Indians only gave up eight or more runs twice during the entire month. Despite a shaky first couple of weeks by the starting pitchers, the bullpen was the band-aid to all bleeding by maintaining one of the best ERAs in baseball and keeping runs out past the seventh inning. Ranked as the second-best bullpen in baseball, behind the Chicago White Sox, the Indians’ pen as a unit has a 2.25 ERA over 68 innings pitched this season. Now that the starting pitching has come back into its own, the Indians have made the tough climb up and are now in a respectable position going forward.

Where Does the Offense Stand? - Being proactive in the offseason with the signing of Edwin Encarnacion and resigning of several pivotal players like Jose Ramirez, the Indians’ came in as favorites to excel at the plate and they haven’t let us down. Ranked ninth in the league in hitting, as a team the Indians are hitting .253 with 30 home runs with 117 runs. Led in almost every offensive category by Jose Ramirez, the utility man has proved he’s worth every cent of his new deal already with a team best .330 batting average, 21 RBIs, 30 hits and trails Francisco Lindor for the team lead in home runs by one to Lindor’s seven. As Terry Francona said after Sunday’s game, the play of left fielder Michael Brantley has been like adding the best free agent imaginable after he missed almost all of 2016. Hitting another home run on Sunday, Brantley is now hitting .308 on the season with five home runs and 17 RBIs to really make his return felt around the lineup.

Defensive Effort- Right off the bat, the Indians’ fielding was right in sync despite missing Jason Kipnis at second and a new face in Yandy Diaz at third. But even with all of the moves, the Indians looked comfortable and in top form with the season underway. Hitting a bump in the road in late April, the Indians committed a handful of uncharacteristic errors that deflated several situations and caused some concern along the way. Since then, the Indians have become stable on defense and provided some impressive plays as Kipnis has returned and Lonnie Chisenhall has taken over center field duty.

Streaking to End the Month- After dropping six of seven earlier in the season, the Indians have been winners of its last nine of 13 to end the month. Seeing the good and bad of the team, the team seems to be on the same page as we continue. During that stretch, the Indians are averaging almost five runs a game since mid-April while allowing just under three a game on average.

Road Trippin’- Packing up after Sunday’s win, the Indians made the short trip up to Detroit for a four-game series and start of a 10-game road trip. On the road this season, the Indians have been successful posting an 8-4 record away from the friendly confines, compared to 6-6 at Progressive Field this season. After the Detroit series, the Indians will head out to Kansas City to see the struggling Royals for the first time this season. Against AL Central teams this season, the Indians are 7-5 and will be looking for a bit of revenge as they take on the Tigers.