Preview: Indians Look to Wrap Up the First Half with a 'W' in Finale Against the Yankees

CLEVELAND - The finale of the first half of the 2018 season is upon the Indians, and with it they will look to end the first half with a home win and a series

CLEVELAND - The finale of the first half of the 2018 season is upon the Indians, and with it they will look to end the first half with a home win and a series split against the New York Yankees.

The two teams have battled for three games, with the Yankees winning the first game as well as Saturday night, while the Indians had a one-run win on Friday led by Shane Bieber.

Sunday in the last game before they get a rest, All-Star Trevor Bauer will go for the Indians, looking for his 9th win of the season.

He'll go up against righty Masahiro Tanaka, who is 7-2, but sports an ERA of 4.68, as he's had the benefit of having some solid run support from the pinstripes.

Here's a look at today's 1:10pm game with a quick preview.

Time: 1:10 p.m.

Starting Pitchers: RRHP Masahiro Tanaka (7-2, 4.68) vs. RHP Trevor Bauer (8-6, 2.30)

TV: SportsTime Ohio

Online: MLB.TV

Radio: WTAM 1100am, Indians Radio Network

1. Can Bauer Wrap Up the First Half with a Flurry?

Trevor Bauer has been sensational this season, throwing 129.1 innings allowing 33 earned runs while walking 41 and striking out 168.

In his last start Bauer had a great start in the game that ended up being a disaster for the Tribe.

He went eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits against the Reds as the Tribe built a 4-0 lead heading into the 9th inning.

That's when Cody Allen allowed three runs, and then the infamous OT/OP mistake took place, as Dan Otero came in with the bases loaded and allowed a bases clearing double to Joey Votto to lose the game 7-4.

Nevertheless, Bauer was amazing that night, striking out 12 Reds in the no-decision. He faced the Yankees back on May the 5th, allowing two earned runs in 6 innings of work in a game the Indians lost 3-2.

He struck out eight Yankees that day, and will try to do the same on Sunday allowing the offense some time to get going.

2. Tale of Tanaka

The last time that the Indians saw Masahiro Tanaka, he was blowing balls by the team in the ALDS, as he threw a great game for New York as they battled back in the best-of-five.

That night in Yankee Stadium he threw seven innings, not allowing a run with just three hits, striking out seven Indians, walking one.

The game he threw against the Tribe in game three turned the momentum of the series around, and they used it to win three in a row to stun the Indians.

Tanaka in 2018 is 7-2, sporting an ERA of 4.68. In his last start on July 10th against the Orioles, he gave up three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings, striking out five and walking two.

Nine of his 14 starts have been on the road this season, including his last three starts, so he's use to pitching away from Yankee Stadium and having success.

3. Finishing on a High Note

The Indians will look to wrap up the first half winning 52 games, as they sit right now at 51-43 after their Saturday loss to the Yankees at home.

Those that think the Indians are going nowhere fast will say the team can't win outside of their division (28-13 in the AL Central, and 23-29 against all other teams), and that their awful bullpen is going to cost them in October.

On the bright side, there's plenty of time for the team to revamp said bullpen, and likely they will make at least one if not a couple moves to bring in some arms.

They have six All-Stars, and they've got maybe the two most exciting players in baseball in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, both players that might carry this team into the postseason and hopefully into a deep run.

They turn to one of those All-Stars on Sunday, as they will hope that Trevor Bauer can get the job done to win 52.