Preview: Indians Look to Bounce Back in Game Two Tonight Against the Rays

The Indians lost game one of three to Tampa Bay 6-5 in walk-off fashion. Ji-man Choi hit a two-out two run homer in the bottom of the ninth off of Brad Hand to steal a victory. Tribe Ace Corey Kluber only lasted 1.2 innings giving up four earned runs on five hits which gave the team their sixth loss in their last ten games.

Rookie Shane Bieber will pitch tonight and try to be the Tribe’s fifth starter to reach double digit wins. Here’s three things to pay attention to in tonight’s game.

Here’s a look at the breakdown for today’s Matchup with the Rays

Date: Tuesday, September 11

Time: 7:10 p.m. ET

Location: Tampa, FL

Starting Pitchers: Cleveland - Shane Bieber (9-3, 4.63 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay - Tyler Glasnow (0-3, 5.17 ERA)

TV Channel: SportsTime Ohio

Online Stream: MLB.TV

Radio: ALT 99.1, AM WTAM 1100 and WMMS 100.7

Click the next pages for a preview of tonight’s matchup

1. Activation of Josh Donaldson

The Indians will be getting an explosive bat added to their lineup today. The recently acquired Josh Donaldson will make his Tribe debut at third base and fans should be very excited.

In a rehab assignment with Columbus, Donaldson hit a grand-slam, showing the power he has showcased in the big leagues most of his career.

The addition gives the Tribe five legitimate power hitters and will make them one of the most feared lineups in all of baseball. The former MVP should be motivated to perform well since this arguably will be his best chance to win a World Series.

2. Miller Time

Andrew Miller was activated Monday from this disabled list for the third time this year. The Tribe will need Miller to stay healthy and be his old self in order to help their struggling bullpen.

Miller hasn’t exactly been dominate himself this year either. His ERA is above three (3.24) for the first time since the 2012 season. It was encouraging to see him pitch a perfect inning last night.

He struck out two batters and 10 of his 12 pitches were strikes. All eyes will be on him to see how he responds to last nights outing.

3. Magic Number at Four

The Tribe lost last night’s game but their magic number is now at four. The Yankees defeated the Twins last night 7-2 which helped the Indians.

A win in tonight’s game will be another step towards clinching the division officially. The Tribe currently has a 15.5 game lead over the Twins and getting the Central crown will probably come in the next week and a half.