The Cleveland Indians are starting the month of June with plenty of rest.
Wednesday brought a postponement and the team is off Thursday as well before beginning a weekend series in Baltimore.
Two more off-days follow next week.
But there is plenty of excitement on the schedule once the games actually get underway.
Here are the three series in June that should have fans excited at a time when Progressive Field returns to full capacity.
The late-September showdown between the @Indians and White Sox now becomes a five-game series.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/gBjmrdIVHN
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 2, 2021
3. At St. Louis Cardinals
The Indians have a quick two-game series next Tuesday and Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Playing at a National League park is always fun and the Cardinals will provide a real test for the Indians.
St. Louis enters Thursday with a 31-25 record, even with a minus-10 run differential.
The exciting part for fans is getting to see the likes of Nolan Arenado, Yadier Molina, and Paul Goldschmidt.
These two teams obviously don’t play often so it is rare to see these specific NL stars in action.
Playing at St. Louis also means we can see some Indians pitchers launch home runs, which is always exciting.
2. At Chicago Cubs
Playing at Wrigley Field requires no explanation in terms of why this is notable.
The Indians and Chicago Cubs already played twice in May and Cleveland was victorious both times.
Now the two teams will square off June 21 and 22 in Chicago.
The Cubs are another nice measuring stick for the Indians as they enter play Thursday 1.5 games ahead of the Cardinals to lead the NL Central division.
It remains easy to call this a rivalry because of the 2016 World Series.
But that has more to do with fans, as both teams look much different than they did five years ago.
Still, it is always nice to see the Indians beat a Cubs team that broke so many hearts in 2016.
1. Home vs. Seattle Mariners
.@Indians return to Progressive Field on Friday, June 11 vs the @Mariners
💥💥100% CAPACITY💥💥
💰$1 Dogs💰
🍻$2 Beers🍻
🎇 Postgame fireworks! 🎆Let’s make it a HOME OPENER 2.0 !! pic.twitter.com/0GFLhbHnA1
— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) June 2, 2021
The Indians return home from the current road trip June 11 for a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.
Why is this such a big series?
June 11 will essentially be Opening Day 2.0 as Progressive Field will be at full capacity once again.
That was supposed to be the case Wednesday, but the weather did not cooperate.
The Mariners are a team filled with young talent that is surprisingly hanging around the .500 mark this year.
So the return to full capacity also comes in what should be a fun weekend of baseball.
The month of June is a weird one as the Indians have seven games against the Baltimore Orioles, three against the Pittsburgh Pirates, four against the Minnesota Twins, and three against the Detroit Tigers.
That is quite the easy schedule, on paper, and allows the Indians to potentially overtake the Chicago White Sox in the division.
Of course, they also need to hold their own against the three teams listed above if they want to build positive momentum heading into July.
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