Cleveland Indians: Previewing the weekend series against Baltimore

Storylines

Don’t fall for the trap.

We all know what comes after this series. The fans know, the staff knows, and the team knows. The key for the Cleveland Indians in this series is not to look too far ahead. Focus on the task at had and take care of the Baltimore Orioles before looking ahead to the showdown with the Boston Red Sox.

It may be tempting to overlook the worst team in the league when the best team is right around the corner, but that’s how a team like the O’s can sneak up on you. I have no doubt the Terry Francona will keep his guys loose and prepared for the task at hand, but it’s important to not lose focus on this series.

Worse/Best case scenario

Worse case: 1-2 series loss

Like I just said, the worst thing the Indians can do here is fall for the trap and let the Orioles take this series. That would kill any momentum, the Indians would have going into the series against the Red Sox which is something they need to have.

Best case: 3-0 series win

This could be an easy sweep for the Tribe, marking their second straight sweep. With a pair of young pitchers on the mound it may result in some closer games, but the Indians offense has done a good job of giving their guys run-support recently. If the Tribe offense can stay primed here, they have a good chance for a sweep.

This series follows the usual weekend series formula with start times at 7:10, 4:10, and 1:10 PM EST for each game. This will wrap up the Indians season series with the Orioles as well, let’s hope they can finish it strong.