This is without question the biggest day of the season so far. The Indians are coming off an ugly two-game stretch against the Red Sox, after opening the series with a win. The finale had Danny Salazar not going deep into the game on the eve of a doubleheader. And this doubleheader is important because the Indians are in second place in the AL Central and are facing the first place ball club, the Chicago White Sox. If the Indians sweep the twin-bill, they will be just .5 a game behind Chicago. Conversely, if they lose both, they would be 4.5 back of the Sox, and may find themselves in third place if Kansas City wins.
Mat Latos (5-1, 4.00) starts for Chicago in the first game. Lonnie Chisenhall, Carlos Santana, and Jason Kipnis are the only Indians who have at least 8 at bats against Latos, and all are batting .300 or above against him. Mike Clevinger (0-0, 6.75) makes his second big league start in Game 1. In his first start, he looked solid at first with all his pitches moving. He ran into trouble late, but he absolutely showed some poise and promise. He needs to give the Indians length as starters have gone a combined 9.1 IP in the last two games.
The second game also features a pitcher making their second big league start this season, this time for the White Sox. Erik Johnson (0-1, 7.20) has only faced two Indians, Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli, but only for a combined 5 at bats. Cody Anderson (0-3, 7.99) needs a big start for his confidence and for the team. He has struggled mightily this season as hitters have figured out his fastball and changeup combination.
Here are the lineups for Game 1, and stay tuned for the Game 2 lineups when they come out. There will be one recap for both games when the second game finishes.
Indians | White Sox | ||
RF
|
Rajai Davis |
RF
|
Adam Eaton |
DH
|
Jason Kipnis |
SS
|
Tyler Saladino |
SS
|
Francisco Lindor |
3B
|
Tood Frazier |
1B
|
Carlos Santana |
LF
|
Melky Cabrera |
LF
|
Jose Ramirez |
1B
|
Jose Abreu |
3B
|
Juan Uribe |
2B
|
Brett Lawrie |
RF
|
Lonnie Chisenhall |
C
|
Alex Avila |
C
|
Chris Gimenez |
DH
|
Avisail Garcia |
2B
|
Michael Martinez |
CF
|
Austin Jackson |
SP
|
Cody Anderson |
SP
|
Erik Johnson |