It was a week of baby steps for the Cleveland Indians as there were several encouraging signs that the team might be ready to heat up.

Jason Kipnis has been on fire and the second baseman essentially has put the team on his back with an eight-game streak of reaching base at least three times. He’s now hitting .340 with an on-base percentage of .406 and slugging percentage of .507, doing everything a lead-off hitter should do.

Kipnis also set a team record with his on-base streak and all-time only trails the legendary Ty Cobb (10 games, June 1-12, 1925) and Lou Gehrig (nine games, May 27-June 4, 1937) in that category, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

Despite this amazing accomplishment that should put Kipnis into consideration for American League Player of the Month, the Tribe posted a record of only 3-3 this past week. However, it did include consecutive wins and series victory against the Texas Rangers after finishing 1-2 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Corey Kluber also got his name in the team record books with a historic 18-strikeout performance in eight innings on May 13 in a 2-0 win against the Cardinals. He became just the fourth pitcher in history to fan 18 and give up two or fewer hits.

Healthwise, the Indians received some good news that utility man Mike Aviles would join the team on May 18. Look for him to get the bulk of the starts at shortstop as Jose Ramirez continues to struggle both defensively and offensively. Aviles also is a solid hitter against left-handed pitching with a .257 average, although he’s hitting 6 for 17 for a .353 average in limited at-bats against righties.

Catcher Yan Gomes moves closer to rejoining the team as he will play in Columbus on May 18 after finishing up a stint at Class A Lake County. T.J. House also will pitch on May 20 in Columbus for the Clippers after pitching for the Captains.

Nick Swisher also returned to the Indians and provided a little spark and even played a game in right field on May 17. His numbers weren’t spectacular in his return with a .237/.293/.316 slash line, but his presence as a switch-hitter should help, especially against left handers. Swisher has five hits in 13 at-bats against lefties so far in 2015.

The Indians, now 14-22 and in last place in the American League Central, travel to Chicago on May 18 to start a four-game series against the surging White Sox who are 17-17 after winning five in a row. Then, the Tribe returns home to Cleveland for a three game inter-league series against the Cincinnati Reds, losers of three straight and have dipped below .500 with a record of 18-20.

Kluber (1-5, 4.27 ERA) will take the hill against White Sox ace Chris Sale (3-1, 5.09 ERA) for an 8:10 p.m. start at Cellular Field in Chicago. Both pitchers have had lackluster starts to the 2015 season after each finished in the top three in Cy Young voting last year.

However, Sale was effective in his last start giving up two runs and just three hits while striking out 11 in eight innings to earn the victory in his last start on May 12 against Milwaukee.

Trevor Bauer (2-1, 3.67 ERA) looks to continue his solid start to the season after pitching 7.1 innings and giving up only 1 run and four hits in a no-decision on May 14 against the Cardinals. The White Sox have not announced a starter for the 8:10 p.m. May 19 game.

Look for Shaun Marcum to get a spot start May 20 against the White Sox. Marcum takes the place of LHP Bruce Chen, who was designated for assignment after two disappointing starts for the Tribe. The White Sox have not yet announced a starter.

Marcum (0-0, 1.80 ERA) was 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts with Columbus since he was designated for assignment after pitching just five innings in relief against the Detroit Tigers on April 12.

Danny Salazar will start the 8:10 p.m. May 21 game against the White Sox. A starter has not yet been announced for Chicago.

Salazar (4-1, 4.06 ERA) continues to flash signs of dominance such as on May 10 when he gave up only one run, one hit and struck out 11 Minnesota Twins. But then he’ll have a disappointing appearance like on May 16 when he lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up nine hits and five runs while striking out four.

The May 22 game against the Reds will begin at 7:10 p.m. in Progressive Field, followed by a 4:10 p.m. start on May 23, and a 1:10 p.m. start on May 24. Neither team has announced starting pitchers.