Preview: Indians and Royals Tangle Again in Game Two Today at Progressive Field

CLEVELAND - The Tribe and Royals meet this afternoon under sunny but cold skies at Progressive Field in game two of their three-game set to wrap up on Sunday.

The Indians are 3-4 after Friday's home opening 3-2 win over KC, a game played in some tough conditions as the wind chill put fans in high 20 degree temps for a good part of the afternoon.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Indians responded with three runs, which oddly enough were the only runs of the day in the Indians one-run win.

Here’s a look at the breakdown for today's second matchup with the Royals.

Date: Saturday, April 7

Time: 4:07 p.m. ET

Location: Progressive Field — Cleveland, OH

Starting Pitchers: KC- Ian Kennedy (0-0, 1.50) vs CLE - Trevor Bauer (0-0, 3.60)

TV Channel: Fox Sports Ohio

Online Stream: MLB.TV

Radio: AM WTAM 1100

Click the next pages for a preview of today's battle at Progressive Field.

1. Back to Bauer

Today it's Trevor Bauer's turn in the rotation, this after a first outing in which he gave up two runs on five hits against the Mariners in Seattle, he walked three and struck out seven.

Bauer has been decent against the Royals in his career, going 2-3 with a 3.36 ERA.

One player sure to be in the lineup for the Royals is Alcides Escobar, as he's hit Bauer well in career, .320 (8-for-25) with one homer and three RBI.

2. A Happy Return for Brantley

Fans gave a great ovation to Michael Brantley when introduced to the crowd at Progressive Field, and he came through in the first inning with a key RBI that was a welcome sight to everyone in the Indians organization.

Brantley is a key part to where this team is headed this season, as a huge reason they invested $12 million into him with the club option is thinking he's going to play more than the just over 100 games he's appeared in the last two seasons.

Terry Francona said on Friday that the team is in a 'wait and see' on how much Brantley is going to play early on, likely two of every three games, so we will see if he's back in the lineup today against the Royals.

#Indians win their home opener in cold conditions then Michael Brantley told @MattLoede on @MLBNetworkRadio how special the day is for him. #RALLYTOGETHER

🎙️LISTEN🎙️ pic.twitter.com/9dnWw2KgMt
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) April 7, 2018

3. Keep Clobbering Kennedy

The Tribe has had some solid success against Royals Saturday starter Ian Kennedy, going 5-2 against the KC hurler and his ERA against the Indians is close to six at 5.90.

He was decent in 2016, but last season wasn't very good, allowing 92 earned runs in 154 innings. He was 5-13 with a 5.38 ERA last year, but is looking to rebound in 2018.

Kennedy is still dangerous at times, as don't forget this was a guy that was fourth in Cy Young voting back in 2011 when with the Diamondbacks he was 21-4 with a 2.88 ERA.

That was a lifetime ago in baseball, and today the Indians will try to keep Kennedy more like he was in 2017 than he was in 2016 when he won 11 games for KC.