Preview: Bauer Looks to get The Indians Back in the Win Column Against the Sox

Friday night in Chicago the Indians offense was handcuffed by White Sox lefty Carlos Rondon, and the result was an eventual 1-0 loss with a Sox 9th inning walk

Friday night in Chicago the Indians offense was handcuffed by White Sox lefty Carlos Rondon, and the result was an eventual 1-0 loss with a Sox 9th inning walk off.

The Indians got 5.2 innings from Shane Bieber, but it was Rondon who was the story, as he shut out the Tribe for eight innings.

Daniel Palka’s solo homer to start the 9th off reliever Neil Ramirez was the difference in the Chicago win.

Tonight the Indians get Trevor Bauer on the mound, he’s having a stellar year with an ERA sitting at 2.25.

Here's a look at tonight's game with a quick preview.

Time: 7:10 p.m.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Trevor Bauer (11-6, 2.25) vs. RHP RHP James Shields (4-13, 4.50)

TV: SportsTime Ohio

Online: MLB.TV

Radio: WTAM 1100am, Indians Radio Network

1. Bauer’s Turn

The Tribe will turn to Trevor Bauer, who enters action Saturday With a mark of 11-6 with an awesome 2.25 ERA.

Bauer has faced the Sox twice this season, going 1-1 in back to back starts on June 13th and 18th against them.

In the loss he was still good, going 7.2 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, and five days later at Progressive Field he threw an impressive seven innings of no run ball.

He’s been the most consistent pitcher for the Indians since day one, and in his last start reached a milestone with reaching the 200 strikeout mark for the first time in his growing career.

2. Slam Shields

2018 hasn’t been a very good season for White Sox pitcher James Shields, as he’s 4-13 with an ERA of 4.50 in 24 starts.

While most of those 24 starts have been unimpressive, maybe his best start of 2018 came against - yep, the Indians - back on June 12th in Chicago, when he went seven innings allowing just a run on four hits.

It’s tough to imagine the Indians offense not having a better approach against him tonight, as they hopefully watched plenty of tape of what not to do from their last outing against him.

3. Injuries Mounting Up

The Indians are awaiting word on the results of the test on the left bicep of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, this after the team already lost newly acquired outfielder Leonys Martin for what appears to be an extended amount of time.

The waiver wire is rather bare of any big names right now, so the Tribe might have to fight through these latest injuries with the current names on the roster.

It goes without saying that losing Encarnacion would be a massive blow to this roster, but for now there’s hope it’s not a long term injury.