Game 5 Open Thread: Indians @ Tampa Bay Rays

The Cleveland Indians completed their first week of the MLB season with an NBA-esque four games in seven days, no thanks to three postponements due to inclement weather. The inconvenient weather will no longer be an issue—at least for a few days—as the Tribe opens up a 3-game series in the dome against the Tampa Bay Rays. Normally, players dread the harshness of the turf on the knees and body, but in this instance, the Indians have to be just excited to play!

Due to the cancellations last week, the starting rotation has been modified and the Tribe will skip Josh Tomlin’s turn and kick off Tuesday night’s series opener with Corey Kluber on the mound. Despite a rough opening start against Boston (5.1 IP, 4 ER, 9 H), Kluber looked extremely sharp in Spring Training and looks to bounce back against the Rays. Coincidentally, in his last start at Tropicana Field, Kluber pitched eight solid innings and struck out 14.

The Tribe will square off against southpaw Matt Moore, who lasted just five innings against Toronto in his 2016 debut. Francisco Lindor and Rajai Davis boast lifetime batting averages of .333 or higher in limited at bats against Moore, as does Jason Kipnis who has also homered twice off the lefty.

The Wahoos have played well at the Trop in recent contests, defeating Tampa Bay seven of the last eight games in the dome ballpark. With a tough weekend series against the New York Mets forthcoming later this week, it will be important for the Tribe to at least take two of three against the Rays, given that the Indians will send their three top starters (Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar) to the hill in Tampa.

Key to the Game:  Get an early lead for Kluber!  Too often in 2015, Kluber pitched well but did not get the run support he needed in order to succeed.  For the Indians to find excellence in 2016, they need to provide strong offense for their ace pitcher and set the tone early and often this season.

The Prediction:  The new-look 2016 Tribe lineup will do away with the trends of yesteryear and perform well against left-handed starting pitchers.  Look for the Indians lineup to do what they do best and work the pitcher, as Moore struggled to throw strikes in his first outing last week.  Kluber pitches really well–but not great–and the Tribe pulls off a 6-3 win to start the series with a bang.  Marlon Byrd breaks out of his early-season slump with two hits and two RBI.

Here are Tuesday night’s starting lineups: