When you trade three starting pitchers the caliber of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Mike Clevinger since the middle of the 2019 season, it stands to reason there will be a void in your starting pitching.
That’s where the Cleveland Indians are today.
When the Tribe had that trio in their rotation, along with Shane Bieber, and prospects like Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale in the pipeline, there was a comfort among fans and we would guess the coaching staff. They had a chance to win each and every game.
They thought coming into the 2021 season they had the pieces in place for another good rotation. Triston McKenzie showed promise last season, albeit in a shortened season, and Logan Allen went to Goodyear and won a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
However, remember that McKenzie didn’t pitch at all in the 2019 season, so he is very inexperienced, and Allen was a good prospect, but that’s all. He’s still a rookie.
Allen started out fine, pitching five innings in each of his first two starts, but he couldn’t get out of the third inning in each of his next three starts and was sent to Columbus, where it hasn’t been pretty. He’s pitched 11-2/3 innings, allowing 19 runs in three starts.
McKenzie simply couldn’t throw strikes. He’s walked 30 hitters in 31-1/3 frames with Cleveland this year, and his lack of control comes suddenly. In his last start Friday night before he was send to Columbus, the 23-year-old righty sailed through the first three innings, allowing one run. In the fourth, he started walking everyone in sight.
Outside of his second start, a four inning stint against the White Sox in which he walked two, McKenzie walked three or more in every other start, and he went no more than five innings in any of those outings.
The struggles of the four and five spots in the rotation put a lot of pressure on Bieber, Plesac, and Civale to pitch well and pitch deep into games when they start to keep the Tribe in the race for a post-season spot. They won’t acknowledge that, they will simply say they go out and do their job every fifth day.
So, where does Terry Francona and the front office go from here? Is there another Plesac or Civale, who seemingly comes out of nowhere to fill the last two slots in the rotation?
Young, 24-year-old Sam Hentges has started twice and had extended outings in two others, with mixed results. His first start was a 4-2/3 outing vs. the Cubs, in which he held them off the scoreboard, but walked four, running his pitch count up so he couldn’t complete five innings.
He will get another opportunity against Detroit this week.
Will another rookie, Jean Carlos Mejia get a start this week? He made his major league debut Friday, pitching 2-1/3 innings, striking out five. But, he has pitched just 11 innings over the Class A level in his career, meaning no one knows what he will do when he has to go out there every fifth day.
At Columbus, there is Kirk McCarty, a soon to be 26-year-old southpaw who is 3-0, 2.66 ERA, 14 K’s, 5 walks in 23 innings, but he has also not pitched above Class A before this season.
Eli Morgan is a 25-year-old right-hander who has experience in AA ball, and is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings this season. He has walked eight though, but his minor league career doesn’t indicate wildness.
Another lefty, Scott Moss, has been bandied about over the last two seasons, but left his last start with a hand issue. So, he’s probably not a candidate.
If the Indians are going to stay in the race for a post-season spot, finding someone who can give them quality innings after Bieber, Plesac, and Civale is critical. We would doubt that any kind of deal is coming either, that’s not the organization’s style.
The number of off days is dwindling, so Francona and Carl Willis have to find some answers. The comfort level of knowing you have a chance to win every day is gone.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 