Cleveland Indians: Michael Brantley caps off a special home opener

The Cleveland Indians struggled on offense all game, but Michael Brantley came up with the big hit to send the fans home happy after the home opener.

The Cleveland Indians didn’t have a great game on offense in Tuesday’s home opener, but Michael Brantley came up with the big hit to get the win, and that’s all that matters.

The Indians are now 4-3 to start the year after Brantley drove in Francisco Lindor in the bottom of the tenth inning on a beautiful swing that took the ball to left field.

It gave the team the win on what was a great day for the pitching staff, but a forgettable one for the offense.

The positives from this game, aside from Brantley’s moment, revolve around the pitching. Carlos Carrasco only allowed one run in seven innings of work, striking out seven White Sox batters. Andrew Miller, Boone Logan, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw combined for three scoreless innings, even though Miller made things interesting in the eighth.

It was great to see Carrasco have a great outing after an up and down spring, and it appears that he and Corey Kluber have found their stuff now that they have started two games.

Another positive was the defense of Yandy Diaz. He bailed out Miller with a great diving stop at third base in the eighth, saving two runs and keeping the game tied at 1-1. Who said he has problems on defense?

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The negatives from this game lie with the offense. Four hitters went 0-for-4, including Edwin Encarnacion who hit into two inning-ending double plays with the bases loaded. It is way too early to be worried about him, but his performance on Tuesday was certainly a downer.

Yan Gomes also went 0-for-4, and is in danger of losing more playing time to Roberto Perez if he continues to be a non-factor at the plate.

The same goes for Tyler Naquin, whose three strikeouts don’t help his case to hold onto his roster spot once Lonnie Chisenhall returns. In a close race between Naquin and Abraham Almonte, production at the plate will be a key factor in the decision-making process.

The good news is that this is only the seventh game of the season, so there is plenty of time to turn things around. In fact, the Indians are back at it again tomorrow night, so the possibility of a quick turnaround is there for those who struggled on Tuesday.

Next: What if Yandy plays too well to sit

The most important part of Tuesday’s game is that the team found a way to win. Winning these types of games makes the difference between making the playoffs and wondering what went wrong, and it is great to see the team persevere and get the victory.