The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Tribe undeterred by slow start in 2017 opener
Observations from the Indians’ season opener:
• The Indians will play with confidence even when they’re down, if what they showed April 3 on opening day against the Rangers is a sign of what to expect in the next 161 games.
The Tribe clawed back from a 5-1 deficit to beat the Rangers, 8-5, with some likely heroes and one unlikely one.
The Indians’ bullpen did not allow a run over the last three innings. You’d expect that. Edwin Encarnacion tied the game, 5-5, with a no-doubt home run blast to left. You’d expect that, too.
Last year, the Indians won 94 games because they could depend on everybody, and so it was in the opener when Abraham Almonte drove in Tyler Naquin in the top of the ninth to break a 5-5 tie.
• Corey Kluber is the Indians’ best pitcher, but maybe he isn’t their best pitcher to pitch on opening day. Kluber has opened for the Tribe each of the last three seasons.
He was a hard-luck loser in 2015 when the Indians were shut out, 2-0, by the Astros. He pitched 7 1/3 innings and was charged with both runs while giving up three hits. It was a portent of things to come — Kluber ranked 75th of 78 starting pitchers that season with run support of only 3.324 runs for nine innings.
Bad luck had nothing to do with Kluber losing the 2016 opener to the Red Sox, 6-2. He gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings on a frigid day at Progressive Field.
Kluber gave up three home runs to the Rangers in the first three innings of the 2017 opener, putting the Tribe in a 5-1 hole. He settled down after that and looked to be back in his Cy Young-caliber groove. He did not give up another hit while throwing 113 pitches in six innings, but the Indians couldn’t erase the deficit before Kluber was replaced by Dan Otero.
• Often, what happens in a baseball game is totally out of the manager’s control.
The Indians trailed, 5-3, in the top of the fifth. Rookie Yandy Diaz, batting eighth in the lineup, reached first to start the inning. Almonte walked and leadoff hitter Carlos Santana walked to load the bases.
The next three Indians hitters were Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Encarnacion. Tribe manager Terry Francona could not have drawn it up better, but Lindor hit a bouncer Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish turned into a double play and Brantley grounded out to first to end the threat.
• Yes, Brantley grounded out with the bases loaded, but no one will remember that. What Francona and each player in the Indians’ clubhouse will remember is Brantley was in the opening-day lineup, and that is a promising sign for the long season ahead. He capped his night with an RBI single in the top of the ninth to stretch the lead to 8-5.
Francona was cautiously optimistic about Brantley’s chances throughout the spring, but he never put pressure on Brantley to cut any corners on his rehab from complications from a 2015 shoulder injury. It will take time for Brantley to relocate the stroke that produced a total of 181 RBI in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
• Left-handed reliever Boone Logan made his debut with the Indians with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. After giving up a single to former Indian Shin-Soo Choo, he struck out Nomar Mazara to keep it a one-run game. Then Encarnacion changed that with one swing to make it a 5-5 game.
Andrew Miller and Cody Allen closed it out.