Ahoy, mateys. We could be in for another pitchers’ duel against the Pirates today as the National League leader in wins, Gerrit Cole (11-3, 2.20 ERA) defends the home seas against Danny Salazar (7-3, 3.80 ERA) and the Tribe.
As great as Salazar has been for most of this season (101 SO, 1.16 WHIP), Cole has been a bit better (108 SO, 1.14 WHIP). Even more foreboding, Cole has limited opponents to a .240 BA overall which drops to .195 with runners in scoring position. Gulp!
But, hey, let’s be optimistic. The Tribe is coming off a blistering week of hitting (at least by this year’s standards) and — what do you know? — SCORING. Even though shut out and held to 3 hits yesterday, the Indians have plated 31 runs over their last 6 games. Plus, Terry Francona has penciled in Carlos Santana and his towering .208 BA for the clean-up spot today. So we’ve got that going for us. (C’mon, Carlos. Shove my smug sarcasm down my throat. Please.)
Here are today’s starting lineups:
| Indians | Pirates | ||
|
2B
|
Jason Kipnis |
RF
|
Josh Harrison |
|
SS
|
Francisco Lindor |
2B
|
Neil Walker |
|
LF
|
Michael Brantley |
CF
|
Andrew McCutchen |
|
1B
|
Carlos Santana |
LF
|
Starling Marte |
|
RF
|
Brandon Moss |
3B
|
Jung Ho Kang |
|
3B
|
Giovanny Urshela |
1B
|
Pedro Alvarez |
|
CF
|
Michael Bourn |
SS
|
Jordy Mercer |
|
C
|
Roberto Perez |
C
|
Chris Stewart |
|
P
|
Danny Salazar |
P
|
Gerrit Cole |