10 Games In, The Very Early Good and the Bad For the Indians Thus Far

CLEVELAND - It's only 10 games into the 2018 Cleveland Indians season, but there's already been some moments, both good and bad to the Tribe season thus far.

CLEVELAND - It's only 10 games into the 2018 Cleveland Indians season, but there's already been some moments, both good and bad to the Tribe season thus far.

From ace Corey Kluber and his 13 K outing on Monday against the Tigers, to the team getting shutout by 2017 13-game loser Ian Kennedy and the Royals pen, already there's been enough to digest just two weeks into the season.

Here's some good and bad to chew on as the team sitting at 5-5 continues their 10-game homestand against the Tigers Tuesday through Thursday before welcoming in the Blue Jays for a three-game weekend set.

The Good

Kluber's Three Solid Starts

While he's sitting at just 1-1, Corey Kluber is already off to a great start, throwing three solid games including Monday's 8 inning shutout of the Tigers in which he struck out 13 batters.

His command has been great in three starts, and he's got 27 strikeouts (AL High) and just four walks, this despite pitching in sub 30 degrees on Monday night.

He had issues early last season with his back, but seems to be not only healthy this season but also determined to get off to a hot start, which he clearly has.

The Bad

The Offense

The Tribe's offense hasn't exactly been filling up the scoresheets in a good way through the first 10 games, as looking at Tuesday's lineup the highest average is Rajai Davis - who is hitting just .235.

The fact the team has won five games scoring a total of 29 runs (that would be just 2.9 runs per game) is a testament to how good the pitching has been with Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco keeping them in games.

There's no doubt the offense will get going, but thus far it's been painful to watch.

The Good

Edwin's Early Power

While hitting just .171 going into the 11th game of the season, one thing that has been a plus has been the early power surge for Edwin Encarnacion, powering out three homers in the first 10 games.

Last season he didn't hit his 3rd homer till the 17th game of the season, and it just seems like he's more comfortable at the plate in his second year with the team.

Hopefully he can be one of the guys to get the team's offense going in the right direction, and hopefully the power at the plate continues.

The Bad

Early Pen Problems

Everyone knew that getting a new arm to take the place of Bryan Shaw was going to take some time, but early in 2018 it's been a bit of a struggle, as some of the early returns have been tough to swallow.

Dan Otero had his issues against the Mariners in the third game of the year, and his ERA sits at 10.80 (3.1 innings, 4 ER). Zach McAllister allowed a homer to lose the finale against the Angels to Zach Cozart, and Tyler Olsen has allowed two runs in four innings thus far.

Yes again Terry Francona and Carl Willis has to be patient as they fill the huge gap left by Shaw, but the team could really use some shutout outings moving forward from this threesome.