Indians look to get on winning track vs. Cubs
CLEVELAND -- The Chicago Cubs' first trip back to Progressive Field, where the Cubs won Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, will conclude Wednesday night, with the final game of a brief two-game interleague series with the Cleveland Indians.
The Cubs belted four home runs and won the first game 10-3 on Tuesday, snapping the Indians' three-game winning streak. The victory extended a hot streak by Chicago's hitters. The Cubs have won four of their last five games, and in those four wins they have outscored their opponents 43-20.
The pitching matchup for Wednesday night will be Cubs left-hander Jon Lester (2-0, 3.10 ERA) vs. Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer (1-2, 2.67). Lester is coming off an outstanding performance in his last start, an 8-5 win over St. Louis on April 19. In that game, Lester pitched six innings, allowing no earned runs, two hits, with seven strikeouts and one walk.
The 34-year-old Lester has made 15 career starts against Cleveland, and is 7-1, with a 3.03 ERA. He also had two starts and one relief appearance against the Indians in the 2016 World Series and was 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA in those games.
In 42 career starts in interleague games, Lester is 20-12, with a 3.36 ERA.
Bauer's last start was a 3-1 loss to Baltimore on April 20 in which he pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits, with six strikeouts and three walks. Bauer's only career start vs. the Cubs in the regular season was a 6-0 win on June 16, 2015, when he pitched seven scoreless innings on four hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks.
Bauer did make three appearances, two of them starts, against the Cubs in the 2016 World Series, going 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. In those three games, he pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on 12 hits, with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
In 21 career appearances (20 starts) in interleague games, Bauer is 7-5 with a 3.03 ERA.
Whether Bauer will face Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant remains to be seen. Bryant suffered a cut above his left eye when he got hit in the helmet by a pitch during Sunday's game against Colorado. He passed all concussion tests and took batting practice prior to Tuesday's game, but it was decided he needed another day off as a precaution. Tommy La Stella replaced Bryant at third base in Tuesday's game.
Indians left fielder Michael Brantley will return to the lineup Wednesday after being given a day off Tuesday. Brantley, a two-time All-Star who got a late start this season as he completed his rehab from offseason ankle surgery, has been the Indians' best hitter thus far, hitting .320 in 12 games, as manager Terry Francona tries to easy him back into every-day duty.
"Our team is different when he is in the lineup," Francona said. "It's not just his bat, but his steadiness in left field. It's a nice feeling during games when he's out there."
