Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber. UPI/John Angelillo |
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CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox were ready to begin the 2016 season but Mother Nature was not.
Opening Day in Cleveland was postponed about two hours prior to the 4:10 p.m. ET scheduled start due to a forecast of precipitation and wind chills in the teens.
The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 1:10 p.m., with no change in the scheduled starting pitchers. It will be a matchup of former Cy Young Award winners -- Cleveland's Corey Kluber, who won the award in 2014, and Boston's David Price, who won the award in 2012.
"It's a nice matchup for the fans to watch," Indians manager Terry Francona said, "but Price is a handful, and Kluber can be, too. Kluber can hold his own with anybody."
For the Indians, the postponement delays the start of a season that is much anticipated in Cleveland. The Indians, anchored by one of the best pitching staffs in the American League, are expected to contend for a spot in the postseason, either by winning the Central Division, or as a wild card.
Kluber will be followed in the rotation by Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin. Scoring enough runs to take advantage of their pitching was the priority for the Indians in the offseason. To that end, they signed first baseman Mike Napoli, outfielders Rajai Davis and Marlon Byrd and third baseman Juan Uribe to one-year contracts as free agents.
"We know we've got a great pitching staff that will keep us in games," Napoli said. "We just need to try to score some runs early and then let them do their thing."
The Indians last reached the playoffs in 2013, Francona's first year as manager. Expectations are soaring this year, but Francona said he isn't getting caught up in such predictions.
"The only expectations that are important to me are the ones we set for ourselves," Francona said. "If we let other people's expectations get in the way of what we're trying to do, we're not very good anyway."
NOTES: The Indians and Red Sox will meet on Opening Day for just the fourth time ever, and the first since 1979. ... Indians OF Michael Brantley, on the DL following offseason shoulder surgery, will have his streak of six consecutive appearances in the Indians' Opening Day lineup snapped. ... Boston LHP David Price's will be making his third consecutive Opening Day start for three different teams: the Rays, Tigers, and Red Sox. According to Elias, only two other pitchers have been Opening Day starters in three consecutive years for three different teams: Kevin Brown from 1997-99 for the Marlins, Padres and Dodgers, and Jack Morris from 1990-92 for the Tigers, Twins and Blue Jays. ... The Indians will be the first opposing team to celebrate Red Sox DH David Ortiz's illustrious career in his final season. Ortiz announced his retirement in November on his 40th birthday and he will spend 2016 on a farewell tour.