Cleveland Indians: The final starting lineup of the regular season

The Cleveland Indians are set to finish up what has been an amazing regular season before starting the postseason on Thursday.

While fans of many teams are preparing for one final game in 2017, Cleveland Indians fans are starting to get excited about the second season.

The Indians open the postseason on Thursday at home against either the New York Yankees or Minnesota Twins, but have to play one more game today before we can all solely focus on Thursday.

Today’s lineup features plenty of regulars, but expect some substitutions early on.

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I don’t expect players like Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana to play deep into the game, but having them start is nice for the fans and helps keep them on a regular schedule before the upcoming off-days.

One player to keep an eye on is Michael Brantley, who isn’t starting but could come in for an at-bat after doing so on Saturday and picking up an exciting single. If he can come in and have another solid at-bat, he could find himself on the ALDS roster.

However, the game today will likely not change much when it comes to crafting the entire ALDS roster.

Terry Francona and the front office should have an idea of the composition of the group, with today’s game being nothing more than one last shot for the guys not making the 25-man roster to get some playing time before the postseason begins.

Next: Postseason roster roundtable

The best advice I’d have for watching today’s game is to relax and enjoy it like you would a spring training game. The postseason seeding is set, so there is no need to be stressed about the final result. There will be plenty of time for stress in a few days.