Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the series in Detroit

The Cleveland Indians didn’t play great baseball this week against the Detroit Tigers, but were still able to leave town with a win. Here’s what stood out.

The Cleveland Indians had a chance to even the series against the Detroit Tigers today, but the weather had other ideas.

The series thus ended with the Tigers taking two of the three games in what was a tough series to watch for any Indians fans. The team did pick up a win, but the offense continued to struggle throughout.

There were both positives and negatives from the series, so let’s look at three things that stood out.

1. Where are the runs?

The Indians managed to put up a total of six runs in three games against the Tigers. Aside from the fact the team won a game, the only bright spot on offense is that Yan Gomes has begun to work out of his slump, picking up four hits over the final two games of the series.

Edwin Encarnacion continues to struggle driving in runs, but the losses are not solely his fault. Carlos Santana is hitting just .216 out of the leadoff spot, although he does have a .320 on-base percentage. Then there is Jason Kipnis, who is hitting just .132 since he returned.

Fans want to believe it is just a matter of time before the offense turns thing around, and that is really all we can hope for right now.

2. Kluber to the DL

Perhaps the most notable storyline to emerge from this series is that Corey Kluber has been sent to the disabled list. He is only on the 10-day DL right now, but back injuries are tricky.

In his absence, Mike Clevinger figures to step up in the ace’s place and prove why he deserves a spot in this rotation. A good outing or two from Clevinger could set him up to replace either Trevor Bauer or Josh Tomlin if either of the two struggle later on in the year.

3. The bullpen is still elite

The Indians bullpen has exceeded expectations and it is only the first week of May. Cody Allen was named April’s AL Reliever of the Month after striking out half the batters he faced, while he and the rest of the group haven’t allowed an earned run in 12 games.

Unfortunately, a lot of the good work has gone to waste due to the offense losing its comeback ability.

From Nick Goody and Shawn Armstrong to Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, the entire bullpen has given fans something to be happy about after an inconsistent start.

Next: 5 players who surprised in April

The good news is that the Indians are at the top of the AL Central, and should only continue to pull away once the offense wakes up for good.