Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from first Royals series

The Cleveland Indians won the first series of the season 2-1 over the Kansas City Royals.

The Cleveland Indians had a strong first series that honestly should’ve been a sweep had it not been for the awful new extra-innings rule. The Cleveland Indians smacked around the royally awful Royals, but still found a way to lose Game 2 on Saturday where the team fell 3-2 in extra innings.

The Indians were able to showcase great pitching and timely hitting in their series with the Royals, hopefully, a trend that lasts throughout the next two months. The Indians’ only real competition in the range of games that they play will be the Minnesota Twins; that is if everyone stays healthy.

With the White Sox now on deck, one of the “dark horse” teams for the AL Central crown, the Indians have a chance to really make a big name for themselves by taking down a preseason favorite.

So what three things did the fans and the league learn from the Royals series?

The pitching is on point.

You won’t have to look too hard to find this one, the pitching for the Tribe looks potent and powerful. Shane Bieber is clearly the ace, and the rest of the rotation is stacked. The bullpen should be fine, as they won’t be overworked in 60 game season, and assuming Terry Francona keeps everything consistent, no one should be gassed by the playoffs.

Jose Rameriz is hungry

Jose Rameriz is looking to eat. The infielder is off to a great start, with five RBI’s to his name already. The only issue to note is that of his 12 at-bats so far, five have been hits, and five have been strikeouts. Rameriz needs to show more patience and not chase after everything. We get it, he wants to feast on opposing hitters, but patience is key.

Francisco Lindor is off to a bad start

For a man who wants over $200 million for his next contract, Francisco Lindor isn’t playing like it. Granted, it’s only one series but that’s a series against the woeful Royals pitching where he had only two hits, and five strikeouts. By no means is this a sign of things to come, hopefully, but since this season is only 60 games, the team and the players can’t afford slow starts.