Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from the 2-1 loss to open the season

The Cleveland Indians didn’t have an ideal start to the 2018 season, so let’s look at three things that stood out from the opener.

So that wasn’t exactly the start Cleveland Indians fans were hoping for.

I know, it is only one game but that wasn’t an ideal viewing experience. At least until the very end when Lonnie Chisenhall was involved in yet another questionable hit-by-pitch situation.

The offense managed five hits on a night when Corey Kluber made one big mistake and was the only pitcher to appear for the Indians. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Game 1 of 162.

Kluber remains dominant

Kluber made one mistake and it was the difference in the game. One bad pitch to Nelson Cruz gave the Mariners an early 2-0 lead, which was not able to be overcome by the Indians offense.

The ace finished with eight strikeouts and one walk in eight innings of work, throwing just 91 pitches.

This was what Indians fans expected, and it is up to the offense to be able to score at least two runs to get Kluber off the hook. However, Felix Hernandez and the Mariners bullpen had quite the night.

All eyes on Naquin

Tyler Naquin is in a rough spot right now. He made the roster as the final outfielder while Michael Brantley remains on the disabled list, but it is not in a long-term role in any sense.

Naturally, he was up as the final batter for the Indians with the go-ahead run on second base. He couldn’t get the job done, but he did account for one of the team’s five hits in the game.

Naquin gets unfairly criticized by a lot of fans. He is not expected to be a top player on the team, and is on the roster thanks to having some options available. He is still young and could be a solid player one day, so no one should be making any rash judgements after one game.

His presence on the roster is a classic example of the Opening Day roster not mirroring the roster at the end of the season, but that doesn’t mean he should be given up on just yet.

Not panicking on this pointless day off

There is no reason why the Indians and Mariners should be off today. The stadium has a retractable roof!

Anyway, it is easy to be frustrated after the Opening Day loss. However, I hope no one is too irrational after just one game. Corey Kluber pitched a gem and the offense went up against one of the top pitchers in baseball. Everything will be just fine.

The Indians remain a top contender in all of baseball and the offense will be going up against some weaker pitching the next two days. The same can’t be said for the Mariners offense.

Next: Importance of Kipnis and Brantley’s 2018 spring training

We still have 161 more games to go, so I hope everyone is able to recover both emotionally and physically for Saturday’s game.