Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from series win over the Texas Rangers

Taking a look at what stood out from a magical season-opening sweep by the Cleveland Indians over the Texas Rangers.

The long wait for the beginning of the 2017 Cleveland Indians season was well worth it.

The team opened up with a dramatic sweep of the Texas Rangers, in a series that saw Texas’ closer finish with two losses after two major collapses. Sorry, Sam Dyson.

The series also gave fans the return of Michael Brantley, who appeared in all three games. He joined a rotating group in the outfield that likely signals another year of an ensemble cast taking up the three positions.

And best of all, the series was capped off with a game-winning grand slam from Francisco Lindor, who became a hero after making an error that could have cost the Indians the sweep.

All three games saw a great team effort from everyone involved, and gave fans an early glimpse of the dominance that is to come in 2017.

The Indians are unfortunately off today, but that does give fans time to reflect on the amazing start to the season. We also want to take a chance to look back on the great start, by highlighting three things that stood out.

The starting pitching did well during the first series, but not great. And that is expected early in the season, as two of the top three starters in the Indians’ rotation are returning to starting action after missing time a year ago.

Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar combined to give up 11 earned runs in the series, but the bullpen was there to help.

All seven members of the bullpen appeared against Texas, combining for two earned runs allowed in 9 2/3 innings of work. Cody Allen racked up two saves, while Andrew Miller and Shawn Armstrong each walked away with wins.

It was a remarkable debut for what is considered to be one of the top bullpens in baseball, yet it was hardly surprising.

Miller and Allen were the focus of the first two games, but it was the rest of the ‘pen who stole the show in the third game. It was great to see the group keep the games close throughout the series, allowing the dynamic offense to take back the lead.

Fans will expect to see Miller and Allen pitch a lot in 2017, and this first series may give a glimpse into how they will be used. They can go on back-to-back nights if needed, but a third day in a row may not be happening, thus allowing the other players to come in and get the job done.

Not every series will feature three close games in which Miller or Allen are needed, but it was nice to see how Terry Francona plans to use the duo this season. But even better than that was seeing the overall success of all seven members against a tough Texas lineup.

Indians fans entered the season excited about the top five of the starting lineup, but the entire lineup saw success in the opening series.

Players like Yandy Diaz, Austin Jackson, Tyler Naquin and Abraham Almonte thrived in the bottom part of the order, helping to generate RBI opportunities for the guys at the top. And with Carlos Santana going 5-for-12 with 4 RBI in the leadoff spot, the bottom of the lineup can have a great impact on the offense’s success all season.

The Indians managed to push across 21 runs in the first three games, with eight of those coming in the ninth inning. This stat is what is sticking in fans’ minds, as the Indians won two of the first three games thanks to big ninth innings.

Related: Three games, three outfield alignments

Monday’s opener saw the offense score three runs in the ninth to take a commanding 8-5 lead, while Wednesday’s game saw the Indians add five, going from a 6-4 deficit to a 9-6 lead in a matter of minutes.

It gives us all the sense that it is never appropriate to turn off a game this season, no matter how many runs the Indians are down. Baseball is the one sport where massive comebacks can be mounted rather quickly, and the Indians have the star power in the lineup to bat around the order and have no one be shocked by it happening.

It becomes easier to do when Sam Dyson is pitching, but I digress. Speaking of Dyson, his season is now directly tied to a great moment from one of the young stars of the game.

Let’s go through Francisco Lindor’s first three games of the season.

He opened up cold at the plate, going 0-for-6 through the first two games.

Then he made a crucial error in the fifth inning of Wednesday night’s game that ultimately resulted in three runs being scored. But he never panicked.

Lindor followed up his mistake with a solo home run in the sixth inning, and followed that up with the best play of the young season.

It was a play that had Indians fans feeling the magic that we all felt during the 2016 postseason, and served as the ultimate redemption for Lindor.

That one swing of the bat in the ninth inning turned a bad series into a great one for him, while also securing a sweep at the expense of Sam Dyson’s job security.

This is only Lindor’s second full season with the Indians, but fans are expecting him to be the face of the team. His mistake in Wednesday’s game was uncharacteristic, but he showed why he is great by making up for it at the plate.

Any thoughts of a slow start were erased, leaving Yan Gomes as the only player fans may be worrying about, but that is a story for another time.

Next: Lindor showcased his greatness

For now, the Indians head to Arizona as one of the hottest teams in baseball, and Thursday’s travel day should help the team stay fresh for the weekend series. And maybe, just maybe, the team can return home undefeated.