Cleveland Indians: Series preview vs. the Detroit Tigers

Storylines

Playing well in the division

One big key to a successful season is the exceptional division play. While the AL Central is a bit of a pushover, the Indians still need to take care of business. The Indians come into this series at 9-3 in division play. Last year the Indians dominated the AL Central. They already swept the Tigers once this year. They only dropped two games to the Royals and have yet to play the White Sox.

Worse/Best case

Worse case: 1-2 series loss- There is no good excuse for the Tribe to lose this series. If they do, they need to take a good look at themselves. The Indians should continue to dominate the division starting with the rebuilding Tigers. A series loss is realistic. Josh Tomlin is starting one game and the bullpen can easily blow this. But it shouldn’t happen.

Best case: 3-0 series win- The Indians have won their last 10 games against the Tigers. The odds are that 13 in a row won’t happen. With that being said, this team is good enough to steal three games in Detroit. The Indians lineup looks like it’s coming alive in a big way. They also have Andrew Miller back from the DL. All of this adds up to a winning recipe.

Next: Early look at the bullpen trade market

The series starts tonight at 7:10 pm in Detroit and continues until Wednesday. It is the start of a long eight-game road trip for the Indians.