The Indians' season-opening series with the White Sox confirmed what I am expecting to see from the Indians all season: pretty good offense, very questionable starting pitching. Fausto Carmona and Carlos Carrasco, who are supposedly the numbers 1 and 2 starters in the rotation, were hammered for a combined 17 runs in nine innings. Needless to say, that isn't going to cut it if the Indians hope to imnprove in 2011. No.3 starter Justin Masterson pitched very good in the third game of the series.

I'll give Carmona and Carrasco a pass on their two starts. The emotional Carmona tends to be high strung in certain situations, and with this being his first career opening day start, I'm sure his adrenaline was in overdrive that day. He should be much more calm and under control in his next start, Thursday vs. the Red Sox.

This is the first time in his career Carrasco has been in the starting rotation of a big league team. I'm sure he was a little jittery as well in his first start, although after the first two bumpy innings he was pretty good after that.

The offense was very encouraging in the three games, particuarly Travis Hafner, who hit the ball hard, and pulled it, several times in the series. Carlos Santana hit well in the series, as did Orlando Cabrera and Jack Hannahan. Ironically, the Indians' best hitter, Shin-Soo Choo, didn't hit at all. The Indians scored 20 runs in the three games, and I'm sure if you asked Manager Manny Acta if he would take 20 runs per every three games for the rest of the season he would sign up for that in a heartbeat.

He would not, however, sign up for 17 runs given up by his top two starting pitchers.