Cleveland Indians: Previewing the first home series in 2018

The Cleveland Indians will be returning home this weekend as they look to right the ship against the Kansas City Royals.

If you’re having a feeling of deja-vu from an underwhelming start to the Cleveland Indians season, you aren’t the only one. The Indians are preparing for their home opener with a record of 2-4 after their first road trip.

This is similar to last year when the Tribe opened up at home with a 3-3 record. Should that worry you? Absolutely not. Just ask Francisco Lindor.

If nothing else, at least the Indians have been able to even play  their games. The Kansas City Royals have only played four games this season as two of their other games have been postponed. Weather in Cleveland could play a factor this series as well, with temperatures not going above the 40s and a chance of rain Friday.

The Indians will open up division play this weekend against a team that has lost a lot of star power. The Royals will only field four players from their 2015 World Series team with Salvador Perez still on the DL. With that said let’s take a look at the lineups.

Projected Lineups

Kansas City Royals (1-3) vs Cleveland Indians (2-4)

Kansas City Royals:

DH Jon Jay, 2B Whit Merrifield, 3B Mike Moustakas, 1B Cheslor Cuthbert,vCF Paulo Orlando, RF Jorge Soler, LF Alex Gordon, SS Alcides Escobar, C Cam Gallagher

Cleveland Indians:

SS Francisco Lindor, 2B Jason Kipnis, 3B Jose Ramirez, DH Edwin Encarnacion, RF Brandon Guyer, 1B Yonder Alonso, C Yan Gomes, LF Rajai Davis, CF Bradley Zimmer

We won’t see All-Star catcher Salvador Perez with the Royals for at least six weeks. That means Cam Gallagher and Drew Butera will carry the load until his return. Rotochamp.com has Gallagher as the next projected starter but Butera has started three of the four games.

While he doesn’t appear in the starting lineups, the Royals did claim former Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte off waivers. Another roster note for the Royals is they signed the first professional player with Autism; Tarik El-Abour.

As for the Tribe you can expect to see the continued rotation of outfielders with Brandon Guyer returning to health. He, Lonnie Chisenhall, Davis and Zimmer have all rotated spots in the OF thus far this season.