Cruz' First Inning Blast Proves To Be Difference As Indians Fall To Mariners On Opening Night, 2-1; Three Takeaways From The Loss

The Cleveland Indians fell to the Seattle Mariners by a final score of 2-1 on Opening Night Thursday, as the ninth-inning rally for Cleveland couldn't plate the

The Cleveland Indians fell to the Seattle Mariners by a final score of 2-1 on Opening Night Thursday, as the ninth-inning rally for Cleveland couldn't plate the equalizer. Corey Kluber pitched eight scoreless innings in a modified complete game, striking out eight batters while only allowing one walk. The difference in the game was a two-run blast by Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the first inning, as the slugger found a pitch to his liking and sent it to center field over the head of Bradley Zimmer. Felix Hernandez, Kluber's counterpart, had a strong beginning to his 2018 season with 5.1 innings pitched in the victory.

Let's take a look at the three takeaways from this one.

1. Kluber, Hernandez Deliver In Battle Of Aces- It was expected going in that the offenses would have a lot of trouble getting to both Corey Kluber and Felix Hernandez and that narrative held true by the end of the night. Though Hernandez pitched shutout ball in his outing, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner shouldn't hang his head on his performance.

Aside from the two-run blast by Nelson Cruz that was set up by a Robinson Cano single in the at-bat before him, Kluber was excellent in all aspects of his game. He only walked one batter, that being Dee Gordon in the third inning. Besides those two sets of hiccups, Kluber was solid in his outing and allowed the Tribe to have a chance up until the very end.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Kluber's outing was the fact that he completed eight innings of work on only ninety-one pitches. He was quick and efficient, forcing batters to put the ball in play with pitches they weren't always thrilled to see.

2. Cleveland's Offense Starts Season With Clunker- The Tribe finished the 2017 campaign in an offensive rut that ultimately led to their demise to the New York Yankees in the ALDS. The team started the 2018 season in the same manner. The Indians had eight strikeouts at the dish tonight, as Seattle's pitching staff stifled the Indians' hitting throughout the game. The Tribe left nine baserunners aboard the basepaths, including two in the ninth inning. Missed opportunities throughout the game to score a run here and there played a huge factor in the loss tonight.

One of the biggest issues was the fact that the top four of the lineup consisting of Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez, and Yonder Alonso went 1-for-15 batting tonight. A Kipnis single in the third inning was the lone hit for the four players combined, showing that the team will definitely need to shake off the rust early on.

3. A Tribute To Tito Francona- Before the game, the Mariners had their Opening Night festivities just like every other team does. But Seattle did something a little different than most teams in Thursday's opener.

On February 13th, Tito Francona, the father of Indians manager Terry Francona, passed away at the age of 84. In a show of respect, the Mariners paid tribute to the elder Francona before the game in a well-received gesture by Terry and the Indians organization.

It's little things like what took place on Thursday that makes the sport of baseball great, proving to be a true brotherhood.