Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Indians' home opener is just a few hours away. Baseball is back Tribe fans!
"The home opener is always special for everybody," manager Terry Francona said. "Our responsibility is not to put everything into running out and getting introduced on the line. Our responsibility is to go find a way to win the game. I think for the fans it's really cool. There's so much pageantry and tradition and things like that, but once the game starts we need to figure out a way to win."
The Indians host the White Sox. Mike Clevinger is on the mound for the Tribe. The 28-year-old is coming off of the best season of his career, finishing with a 3.02 ERA and 207 strikeouts. He'll go up against Ivan Nova, who had a 4.19 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.
The Indians are the worst hitting team in baseball going into today's game. They have the worst average, on base percentage and slugging percentage in baseball. It's a small sample size, but they need their bats to wake up. The Indians enter Monday's game with a 1-2 record.
Francona changed the lineup a bit, moving Tyler Naquin to eighth in the order. You can check out the entire lineup below:
Here's the #Indians' lineup for today's home opener:1. CF Leonys Martin2. 3B Jose Ramirez3. LF Jake Bauers4. 1B Carlos Santana5. DH Hanley Ramirez6. 2B Brad Miller7. C Roberto Perez8. RF Tyler Naquin9. SS Eric StametsMike Clevinger gets his first start of the season
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) April 1, 2019Health Update – Shortstop Francisco Lindor is in Green Bay getting a second opinion on his sprained ankle. The Indians' star suffered the injury in a minor-league game last week while he was rehabbing from a calf strain.
Jason Kipnis ran the bases and continues to progress from a calf injury of his own. It's a good sign for the veteran, who is expected to be healthy enough to play later this month.
Outfielder Bradley Zimmer suffered a setback during his rehab from shoulder surgery. He was progressing well, but felt some pain throwing in the outfield. There's no timetable for Zimmer's return.
CarGo – Carlos Gonzalez is still in Arizona, but he'll join the Columbus Clippers later this week and is expected to play on Thursday. He has an opt out on April 20, so CarGo will have a few weeks to show he belongs in the big leagues.
