Cleveland Indians: Previewing the 3 game set against the White Sox

Storylines

Wow the White Sox are really bad

So, the White Sox are really bad. They’re in full blown tank/rebuild mode. They’re 22nd in the league in OBP at .310 and are 27^thin the league in runs scored at 199. What they lack on offense they certainly do not make up for in pitching. Their team ERA of .500 is 28th in the league. They have also struck out the lowest number of hitters in the league at 367. The Indians shouldn’t have a ton of problems with this team but it never seems that easy for the Tribe.

Worst/Best case scenario.

Worst case: 1-2 series loss

It wouldn’t be a huge shocker at this point if the Indians flopped in this series yet again. The Indians have found ways to lose to really bad teams especially in the division (Royals, Tigers, Twins). These losses usually come in some heartbreaking fashion as they’ve been consistently dropping games in the seventh inning and beyond. That is thanks to their abysmal bullpen that can’t hold a lead. We saw that first hand against the Astros and could possibly see it again this week.

Best case: 3-0 series win

If there’s one thing to take away from the poor performance of the bullpen, it’s that it really pisses the lineup off. That was on full display yesterday. After the Indians bullpen gave away another fantastic start from a starting pitcher, the lineup kicked it into a second gear. The Tribe scored 5 runs in the ninth and refused to let the game get away no matter how badly the bullpen tried to blow it. If the lineup could do that against the Astros dominant pitching, they can easily do it against one of the worst pitching units in baseball.

Next: Tribe drops in latest ESPN power rankings

It’s a mid-afternoon game today for Memorial Day, followed by an evening game tomorrow and a Wednesday matinee.