MLB team experts thread [volunteers wanted]

[Skating Tripods]

Tribe update 5/1:

After a really easy April schedule where they went 11-9, winning 10 of their final 15, the Indians schedule really amps up now. They'll play 21 games in 20 days before having May 21st off, with a day/night doubleheader on May 7 v. the White Sox. In the first two weeks of the month, the Indians will play division rival Chicago seven times, host Texas for a weekend set, and play a four-pack at "The Dump" (Thanks Luke Scott).

The middle of the month calms down for a week with a trip to Minnesota for two, then heading home for a quick two with Seattle and then the first interleague series of the year against the Miami Fish. Followed by a day off, the Indians will play the Tigers for the first time this season in a mid-week three-game set May 22-24, featuring a May 22 game where I will be in a dugout suite telling Miguel Cabrera and Cecil Fielder Jr. how much I hate them.
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The Indians enter this tough part of the schedule not hitting at all. They haven't homered since the 5th inning of the April 17 game against Seattle. Johnny Damon has been added to the active roster and Shin-Soo Choo should be back in the lineup sometime in Chicago. The Damon addition allows the Indians to take pressure off Shelley Duncan who hasn't had a multi-hit game since April 11 and had 16 K to 3 BB from April 18-29.

May or may not have value, but 11 of the 30 games in the month of May will be day games for the Indians, whether they're getaway days, make-up games, or on holidays (Memorial Day).

Justin Masterson continues to be brutal against left handed hitters. Ubaldo continues to be brutal against everybody. Derek Lowe is drastically overachieving so far this year, however, like Masterson, he is susceptible to lefties. Jeanmar Gomez has been brilliant and is a really undervalued pitcher right now.

Masterson and Josh Tomlin will have back-to-back starts against the White Sox while two of Ubaldo Jimenez's next three starts will be against Texas and Boston.

Couple things to watch for: Carlos Santana will need days off during this stretch. I'd expect Manny Acta to work in some days off for Travis Hafner as well, possibly allowing Santana to DH. Santana has already started 17 of the 20 games behind the plate. Hafner has also started 17 games and hasn't played more than 120 games since 2007. Shelley Duncan/Johnny Damon will also be DH options.

The Indians are a scrappy team that regularly puts together good at bats. They're a great live dog against suspect bullpens and I imagine they'll be a dog a lot over the first two weeks of May.