Know Your Enemy: Cleveland Buckeyes
Some people are fans of Cleveland. We here at SSHP are not. This is our preview to the first 2020 series, so White Sox fans can know their enemy.
Your team
Cleveland Buckeyes.
Cleveland is having a bit of an identity crisis. After fighting it for years, they finally admitted that Chief Wahoo is maybe not the best mascot and took him off the hat. Then they realized that having a team named the “Indians” in 2020 probably is a bad idea too so now they’re “exploring” a name change. Given how well the fans reacted to the logo of Chief Wahoo being removed starting in 2019, this is going to go well. The only good thing about fans not being allowed in the stadiums in 2020 is that we don’t have to hear that weird yodel, Cleveland fans.
In the same manner that every mascot in Wisconsin is a "Badger," sometimes it feels like every mascot in Ohio is a "Buckeye," so that's how I'm referring to them for the rest of the season. Buckeye is either a plant or a cookie, depending on who you ask. For reasons passing understanding, professional sports teams have to be super serious about team names — but just once I want a "Banana Slug" World Series.
Cleveland LOST the World Series to the Cubs in 2016, managing to blow a 3-1 series lead and making every Sox fan's life a living Hell because now we have to hear about the one time the Cubs won the World Series in our lifetime and as a result, the Cubs are the best. But because this isn't about the Cubs (for now ...) I digress.
“Major League” is just OK. Bob Uecker needed more screen time. Is Cleveland still mad about the corked bat thing?
Enemy manager
Poor Terry Francona. He won the Red Sox their first World Series since 1918, then another one, and then didn’t get his contract renewed so was exiled to Cleveland, where his teams make the playoffs — and lose.
I really like Terry Francona. With the exception of him being the Cleveland manager, I don’t find him an objectionable guy.
Your Enemy’s 2019 record
93-69, second in the AL Central, eight games back from the Twins.
Cleveland didn’t do anything exciting in 2019. Not like the Twins, who hit the ever loving crap out of baseballs. They did dump big dumb asshole Trevor Bauer off on Cincinnati for Yasiel Puig, but didn’t keep Puig because ... reasons, I’m sure. Probably those same reasons that Francisco Lindor isn’t going to stick around once he’s a free agent in 2021.
The Buckeyes found themselves out on their asses in 2019, missing the playoffs after falling three games behind Tampa and missing the second AL Wild Card. Their playoff hopes were dashed after losing to the White Sox a few times in September, so I bet there’s a bone to pick there.
Cleveland went 8-11 against the Sox in 2019, so I expect them to do just as well again this season, if not worse.
Enemy pitchers
Shane Bieber was tapped for Opening Day on Friday and hit a solid 14 strikeouts in Cleveland's 2-0 win. Saturday the team were victims of the automatic runner rule, when they fell to the Royals 3-2 in extras. Mike Clevinger had about as great a first start to 2020 as Giolito, giving up two home runs in the first. Carlos Carrasco was up for the start on Sunday, so odds are that the Sox won't be facing many of the big names during this series.
Aaron Civale, who debuted in June 2019, is the probable for Monday. Civale went 3-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 57 ⅔ IP that only allowed four home runs in 10 starts. One of Civale’s losses was against the Sox, where he gave up a homer to Daniel Palka (one of his two home runs last season was against Civale, the other was in the same game but against some other guy ... good luck in the KBO, Daniel!).
Matching up against Civale is Dylan Cease. Cease went 4-7 with a 5.79 ERA in 73 IP. We’ll see if all the time off makes a difference for Cease (good or bad …).
The potential starter for Tuesday's matchup is Crown Point’s own Zach Plesac, who debuted in Fenway in 2019. If I had to pick a place to debut, Fenway would probably be it. Plesac was 8-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 115 ⅔ IP. He pitched a complete-game shutout against the Angels in September that wasn’t quite enough to propel Cleveland in to the postseason.
Matching up with Plesac is Carlos Rodón, in his first start official since last May, post-surgery. Rodón was looking a little shaky against the Brewers, so this game will be a good indicator if that was just some ring rust or if the Sox truly have something to worry about.
Lucas Giolito is scheduled to go against Shane "Not Justin" Bieber in an Opening Day 2020 matchup. Hopefully Giolito got the cobwebs dusted off last week and starts trending back upwards to the guy we all know and love.
What sucks for the Sox
Cleveland is coming in hot right at the start of 2020, going 2-1 in the series with the Royals. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Franmil Reyes aren’t going to make things easy on the bullpen. Everyone is going to have to be on their game to keep that under control — pitchers can't make mistakes and defense can't make stupid errors. Delino DeShields was added in the offseason as part of the Corey Kluber trade to try and will be bringing some depth to their outfield.
What might not suck for the Sox
The key for Cleveland is to keep their team healthy, especially that starting rotation. Reyes struggled a bit with his offense during Summer Camp, so if the Sox can continue to silence his bat that will go a long way.
The looming question over Cleveland is their outfield. Reyes came out of Summer Camp with bumps and bruises and didn’t get to fully showcase his talent to Francona, missing three days for a COVID test and two after a bad slide. DeShields is coming back slowly for some workouts after about three weeks off from a positive COVID test and he has yet to make a 2020 lineup, so there's still that outfield gap.
Hear it from Sox fans and your friends at SSHP
Janice: The big glaring one is the racist caricature that still pops up on merchandise from time to time
Sam: Thin Lizzy STILL isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Trevor: They kept the Sox out of the World Series in Major League 2
Brett: Cleveland is the brownest town in the U.S. It’s just … blah.
Laura: Why I hate Cleveland: All of their teams that beat the White Sox like a drum couldn't win the World Series. If you're going to beat us every single season, at least take a fucking postseason series, guys.
Kevin: Cleveland has the best mustard in the world.
James: I’m 34. The Indians destroyed my childhood and I hate them.
Husband: I just do. And the Thin Lizzy thing.