Welcome to your Indians vs. Athletics, part deux (pre)game thread!

To help whet your Monday afternoon baseball appetites, here are some pre-game tidbits, brought to you by the number 10:

The A’s offense is fresh off of a 10-run outburst against Chris "flyball percentage" Young and the Royal pains. The Tribe plated 10 runs of their own in an Easter Sunday shellacking of the Brew Crew. To top it off, the Indians also managed 10 runs against the A's in the only other March matchup between the two clubs. You can read What's on Second's great recap of the A's losing effort in that game, here.

Today, the A’s aim to totally redeem themselves. Danny Salazar will start for visiting Cleveland. Jesse Hahn "Solo," owner of an unshapely 10-plus spring ERA, will take the hill for the Athletics in his second bout with the Tribe. Relievers Sean "Chewbacca" Doolittle, Ryan Madson, and former Indian John Axford also expect to see game action. Cleveland plans to counter with appearances from Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw and Joba "the Hutt" Chamberlain.

Cleveland "Win"dians?

Tito Francona's troop is coming off a somewhat disappointing 81-80 2015 season, preceded by a somewhat less disappointing 85-77 record in 2014, preceded by an improbable 92-70 run in 2013 that ended in one-game playoff heartbreak. (A's fans can relate.) The Tribe’s upward trend in the loss column over the last 3 years has to be a concern, especially considering the strength of the rest of the AL Central this season. For as much talk as we’ve had about the toughness of the 2016 AL West, this year’s AL Central looks robust, as well. This group includes: the World Series champion Royals, a big-spending Detroit Tigers team, an improved White Sox squad, and an up-and-coming Twins lineup ready to take the next step. Still, Cleveland’s starting pitching looks to be enviable this season, and it wouldn’t totally surprise me if they pulled a 2013 out of 2016. In fact, PECOTA predicts the Indians to win (wait for it…) 92 games this year.

More Matters to Mull:

The Indians opening day roster is taking shape, but some decisions remain. Former Athletics Dan Otero and Collin Cowgill just received word that they'll be joining the Tribe's 25-man.

Will Jesse Hahn follow Gravedigger’s lead and hurl his first quality start of the spring? So far this year, A’s starting pitching has left much to be desired, and Susan Slusser has hinted that Hahn's rotation spot is far from a sure thing. It's worth noting, however, that Jesse pitched well in the A's last game against the Tribe.

Warning Track Deep Thoughts:

Yunel Escobar and Daniel Nava have the 2nd and 3rd best batting averages in the Cactus League so far this year. Boo, Slegna! And yay, spring training stats don’t matter!

Today's Lineups:

Today's 9!@Ccowgill12's back in the lineup after smashing a 3-run HR yesterday.

ICYMI: https://t.co/05aaciMWaJ pic.twitter.com/ThRVp7aiPi

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) March 28, 2016

#Athletics vs. #Indians: pic.twitter.com/pt0c517hPA

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) March 28, 2016

There is no TV Coverage for today's contest, though live gameday audio will be available through MLB.com.

Go A's!