Many Seasons Within A Season For The Tribe.

It is difficult to believe the major league baseball season is 2/3rds over, but it is.

And for the Cleveland Indians, it has kind of been several seasons wrapped into one, and the last third of the 2019 season will probably look like a different one as well.

Here is how the Tribe has stacked up breaking down the campaign so far into 27 game (1/6th of the season) segments:

First 27 games: 15-12
Games 28-54: 12-15
Games 55-81: 17-10
Games 82-108: 19-8

It is clear that Terry Francona’s club has gotten better as the season has progressed, and there is no doubt the roster is very much different than it was on Opening Day in Minnesota.

The beginning of the year had Francona playing Eric Stamets, who was recently designated for assignment, at shortstop with Francisco Lindor injured. Mike Clevinger made two starts and pulled a muscle in his shoulder/back. Leonys Martin was in centerfield, and by the end of that stretch, Carlos Gonzalez was getting everyday playing time.

Thankfully, Carlos Santana started strong and provided pretty much the only hot hitting the Indians had.

On May 1st, Corey Kluber, a 20 game winner last season, suffered a broken arm when hit with a line drive.

The 54th game of the season (May 28th) was the beginning of the turn around. Trailing 5-2 in the ninth at Boston, facing a fourth straight loss, and their eighth loss in nine games, the Indians rallied for five runs in the ninth. A Greg Allen two run homer tied it, and Jordan Luplow’s double provided the difference in the contest.

Since then, the Indians are 36-18.

Jose Ramirez had two hits that night and started showing signs of emerging from his slump, which started in mid August 2018.

Oscar Mercado was called up earlier in May, and was working his way into the everyday starting lineup. Roberto Perez hit his 7th homer to lead off the ninth. He has belted 12 more since that day.

Still, Cleveland lost three of four in Chicago after leaving Boston. Then, Carlos Carrasco couldn’t make a start in the second game of a series at home against the front-running Twins because of illness.

The Indians unified behind the pitcher and started winning ballgames. And a lot of them.

Yes, the schedule was soft, many games against the lower echelon teams in the American League (Tigers, Royals, Orioles, and Blue Jays), but the Tribe did win the series against Minnesota and followed that with the same against the Yankees.

They also won three of four against Cincinnati.

Tyler Naquin and Jordan Luplow have formed a solid platoon in the outfield, Jason Kipnis showed life at the plate and Ramirez got hot, giving the Indians a passable offense.

Clevinger returned, Shane Bieber emerged and made the All Star Game (where he was MVP) and they teamed with Trevor Bauer to make a solid “Big Three”.

At the trading deadline, the Indians transformed from a pitching based team to a formidable offense when they traded Bauer in a three team deal and received Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes.

Suddenly, the Tribe has a solid batting order.

The last third of the season will provide the answer to several questions:

Will the production of the lineup match the potential?

Will the Indians have enough starting pitching with the trade of Bauer?

Can Ramirez’ recent revival at the plate continue?

Will the bullpen hold up, and will reinforcements from the farm system be coming soon?

If these questions are answered positively, a fourth consecutive division title can be achieved. And the rare rebuild while contending may just have been pulled off.

An Eventful Sunday For Tribe

Sunday was an eventful day for the Cleveland Indians, although not all of it was positive.

First, their modest four game winning streak was ended by Kansas City, so the team returns for a nine game home stand after a 5-2 trip.

They come back for a series against the American League’s best team, the Houston Astros, trailing the Minnesota Twins by two games in the Central Division, and leading the wild card standings by three games over Oakland and 3-1/2 over Tampa.

Oh, and one of their starting pitchers threw a conniption fit on pitcher’s mound.

Was it the big deal it became on social media? No, but it wasn’t a good look for Trevor Bauer, who threw a baseball against the screen between the Royals’ dugout and home plate, and fired another one over the centerfield wall.

The right-hander showed remorse almost immediately, apologizing to Terry Francona as he reached the mound, and doing the same in the dugout and after the game issued a statement saying he had no excuse for his actions.

Still, is this any different than a pitcher punching a wall or knocking over the Gatorade cooler after a bad performance? We believe Bauer is being truthful that the frustration was directed at himself and the sport, not at any of his teammates.

We would think everyone in the clubhouse knows Bauer and gets that he cares about performing his best above everything, and he feels he let his team down.

Our guess is this: If you like the competitor in Bauer, you don’t have a huge problem with what he did, and if you dislike him for his off the field beliefs, you think he is the locker room cancer.

And it is doubtful this changed his trade value, other teams know about this personality trait, nor does it change our mind about dealing Bauer. We still wouldn’t unless you can get a legitimate starter in return or in another deal.

Besides the loss and the Bauer stuff, the Indians also made a minor deal, sending Class A OF Ruben Cardenas to Tampa Bay for relief pitcher Hunter Wood and infielder Christian Arroyo.

Wood, who will turn 26 in a couple of weeks, is a righty, and has a lifetime 3.20 ERA in a little over 70 innings pitched with the Rays, and strikeout close to a batter per inning. He will be sent to Columbus for now.

Arroyo is a former top 100 prospect as recently as 2016, while in the Giants organization, but has been plagued by injuries the past three years, playing 59, 68, and 49 games the past three seasons.

He has a 984 OPS in AAA this year, and never struck out more than 73 times in a minor league season.

We look at this move similarly to the move which brought Oscar Mercado here at the trade deadline this time last year.

If he can stay healthy, and he’s on the 60 day injured list right now, he could be in the mix for a big league job next season, particularly because it is doubtful Jason Kipnis will be back.

He just turned 24 years old, and is a right-handed hitter.

It’s not the big move people wanted (they still have time), but it’s the kind of under the radar move the Tribe front office has made in the past.

So, for the last day before the schedule starts to get tougher, it sure was eventful for the Cleveland Indians.

Tribe’s Remaining Schedule Could Get Easier After Trade Deadline

For the last couple of months, we have focused on the soft schedule the Cleveland Indians were facing starting on June 11th, and the opportunity it gave them to get back in the post-season chase.

It doesn’t necessarily mean the Tribe will be facing a brutal schedule once the Houston Astros come to town next Tuesday night to begin a three game series, though.

We understand that between then and August 18th, Cleveland will play three against the Astros, four games at Target Field against the Twins, three home games vs. Boston, and four more at the bandbox called Yankee Stadium.

In between the Houston set and the trip to Minneapolis, there are six home games against the Angels and Rangers.

Of course, those games will be played after the July 31st trade deadline, so what will those teams look like when they arrive at Progressive Field?

Both teams are on the edge of the race right now, 5-1/2 (LA) and 6-1/2 (Texas) games behind Oakland for the second wild card spot.

It’s quite conceivable that one, if not both, organizations will be sellers before the calendar turns to August, meaning their rosters could be weakened by the team the Indians play them.

That’s the state of the American League the past couple of seasons, there are the have’s and have not’s.

The National League has 14 of the 15 teams within 7 games of the second wild card spot, the AL has nine.

What does this have to do with the Indians?

It means that after the Yankee series is done on August 18th, Terry Francona’s crew could go another month where the only contending teams they play are Tampa (August 30th-September 1st) and Minnesota (September 6th-8th in Minneapolis, and September 13th-15th in Cleveland) until the last nine games of the season.

While the Indians have done a remarkable job against the also-rans on the schedule, going 24-7 against the Reds, Rangers, Tigers, Royals, Blue Jays, and Orioles, and they still have six vs. Toronto and Kansas City before Houston arrives, it’s not easy.

Just last week, we witnessed the Twins losing two games to the New York Mets, and heck, the Indians themselves lost a series to the lowly Baltimore squad.

You just can’t take for granted that you will consistently beat the bad teams, so you have to give the Tribe credit for seizing the opportunity to right the ship and put themselves in position to make the post-season.

We don’t care who you are playing, but 29-11 in a 40 game span is very impressive.

Remember the last week of the 2005 season, when the Indians won just one game against a bad Tampa team and a White Sox squad that had the division wrapped up.

It is true the Tribe struggled against the A’s (1-5) and the Rays (1-3 to date) in 2019, but they did split with Houston on the road, and took a three game series against the Red Sox on the road and did the same in Cleveland against New York.

The old saying about beating up the bums, and splitting with the contenders very much applies to the Indians.

It is weird that people are complaining that the Tribe is beating the bad teams. Would they rather they lose to them?

Plus, if it was easy, wouldn’t every good team go on 10-12 game winning streaks all the time?

It isn’t easy, and give the Indians credit for dominating these teams. However, the rest of the schedule isn’t daunting once you get past the middle of August.

If you wanted to experience a pennant race, you will have that opportunity.

Tribe Front Office Shouldn’t Be Satisfied With Recent Winning.

The Cleveland Indians resume play on Friday night, and they go right into the fire with a three game series against the division leading Minnesota Twins.

The Tribe is 5-1/2 games behind the Twins at the All Star break, and while it is a big series to start the second half of the season, unless they get swept, it shouldn’t change what their plans are going into the trading deadline.

Even if Minnesota takes two out of three, the Indians will be 6.5 games out, and will still be very much in the wild card race, and with the following schedule filled with games against Detroit, Kansas City, and Toronto, Terry Francona’s squad should still be in the think of it when the calendar turns to August.

Last season, the top five scoring teams in the AL made the playoffs. Looking at the runs scored in the league right now, the top four teams are squarely in the race, with Seattle being an also ran, ranking fifth.

Tampa Bay and Cleveland rank 9th and 10th, respectively, meaning if history holds true, the Tribe front office should still be looking to improve the hitting.

In our opinion, although the Tribe’s offense has been much better the last 30 days, the front office cannot be complacent or satisfied.

Jason Kipnis had a very good stretch in the middle of the month, but has gone just 4 for his last 23, and is a liability against southpaws right now. He also struggles against power pitchers, hitting just .176 against them.

Jose Ramirez has slashed .353/.514/866 over the last 28 days, but can anyone be convinced he has returned to the guy who finished in the top three of the MVP voting in each of the last two years?

And then you have the young guys, can they hold up after opposing pitchers make adjustements?

Oscar Mercado has been a big boost to the lineup, but he had a rough week going into the break. Is that the beginning of hitting a rookie wall? We can say the same about Jake Bauers, who despite some early patience at the plate, now has a 80:28 strikeout to walk ratio.

That doesn’t bode well down the stretch.

If Mercado slumps, does the lineup have enough length to continue to put up the runs required to win in the AL?

That’s why we would still look to add at least one bat at the deadline. A veteran hitter would be nice, so that if Mercado continues to hit, and Bauers keeps providing some pop, then the added bat can be much needed depth.

We are also worried about the back end of the bullpen, especially with Brad Hand’s struggles (yes, we know he was damned near perfect up to this point) recently.

Nick Wittgren has done a fine job, but over the last month has allowed six runs in nine innings, serving up three of the five home runs he’s allowed this season.

And we still are worried about Tyler Olson’s effectiveness.

Nick Goody has looked good recently, but in today’s game, where the power arm out of the bullpen is king, the Indians don’t really have one. They could use a guy who can pitch the 8th (moving Wittgren to the 7th) who can blow away hitters.

What will the Indians do? We don’t know, but Frankie Lindor did kind of put pressure on the front office to add to the roster.

The point is, the organization shouldn’t and can’t be satisfied. They shouldn’t make a bad move, but they do have some depth at the farm to be able to help the big league club.

Mercado, Perez, and Bieber Key Tribe Resurgence

On May 26th, the Cleveland Indians lost to Tampa Bay, 6-3 at Progressive Field, ending a four game series against the Rays losing three out of four.

Their record was 26-26 and they were floundering, especially on offense. Their lineup that day featured five hitters with OPS under 681.

The starting rotation lost Corey Kluber at the beginning of the month, and Carlos Carrasco would make his (to this point, hopefully) last start four days later in a 10-4 loss to the White Sox. Mike Clevinger was still on the injured list, after making just two starts.

With games coming up against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Twins, it was easy to see the season quickly going down the toilet.

Then something weird happened, the Tribe started winning, going 23-12 since then, helped by playing well against the big boys of the American League (they went 6-3 vs. NY, BOS, and MIN) and taking advantage of a decidedly soft schedule.

Who were the big players in this turn around?

First, Oscar Mercado started getting regular playing time. Mercado received a call up on May 14th, and instantly gave the offense a shot in the arm.

His OPS is 777 and his batting average hasn’t dipped below .259 at any point in that period. He gave Terry Francona another solid hitter to add to Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor.

He has some pop in his bat, slugging .440, and also is not a big swing and miss guy, with 34 strikeouts in 182 plate appearances.

Another huge contribution came from Roberto Perez, who since that date has belted 10 home runs and knocked in 21. Many criticized the veteran early in the season when he was hitting under .200 as late as April 26th, but we always liked Perez’ patience at the plate.

Even when he wasn’t hitting, and he had a .212 lifetime batting average coming into the year, he didn’t swing at a lot of bad pitches. We felt with regular playing time, he would be a better hitter than he had shown.

His emergence gave Francona a fourth bat in the lineup, and with Jason Kipnis’ recent hot streak (he has since cooled, going 3 for his last 23), and Jose Ramirez showing signs of regaining at least some of his old form, the offense suddenly wasn’t anemic.

And the rightfield platoon of Tyler Naquin and Jordan Luplow has been contributing too.

As for the pitching, with the top three in the rotation (Kluber, Carrasco, and Bauer) down to just one, someone had to step up.

Rookie Zach Plesac gave the squad several solid starts, although he has had rookie struggles lately. And another rook not on the radar when spring training began, Aaron Civale pitched in with a solid outing too.

Adam Plutko made seven starts, five of them very good, including a win at home over the Yankees.

But the breakout star, much like Clevinger in 2017, has been Shane Bieber, who was voted to the All Star team this week.

The righty, who made his major league debut just a year ago, is 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA on the season with 141 strikeouts in 112-1/3 innings.

The strikeouts put him 4th in the AL (behind Garret Cole, Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, and Matthew Boyd), while the ERA is 12th in the league.

His batting average against is the league’s 6th best figure.

With Clevinger back, Bieber gives the Tribe a new big three at the top of the rotation with Bauer, who has been the constant.

And if Kluber and Carrasco return this season? That’s a helluva rotation.

Who knows where the Tribe would be without this trio of players? We can be sure the front office would be contemplating who to sell off at the end of July.

That’s how important these three have been to the Cleveland Indians.

Is Winning Exposing Tribe Bullpen A Bit?

With the Cleveland Indians’ recent winning ways, we have seen a return to the way Terry Francona likes to manage a bullpen.

Francona likes to use certain relievers with a lead and others when the Indians are trailing. We saw this with Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen when the Tribe was winning a lot of games in 2016 and 2017.

Yes, the Indians still have the best bullpen ERA in the AL at 3.35, but they are 12th in strikeouts by relievers, but again, they haven’t thrown as many innings as other teams.

Brad Hand has done an outstanding job in the closer role all season long and should make the American League All-Star team, but with all the winning lately, he may be showing a little bit of fatigue.

Hand had given up five runs all season before Tuesday night’s appearance in which he gave up five runs in the ninth inning vs. Kansas City.

It was his fifth appearance in six days, and since a two inning outing against the Reds in a 2-1 win on June 11th, he has struggled just a bit.

He had given up 5 hits in 4-2/3 frames since that outing, after allowing just 14 hits in 29 innings up to that point.

We aren’t blaming Hand at all, but what we are pointing out is the need for another reliable arm in the back of the Cleveland bullpen.

Nick Wittgren has been Francona’s eighth inning guy since he had a two inning save in Seattle on April 17th, and for the most part he has pitched better than he ever had in his major league career to this point.

But his recent appearance have resembled with he was in Miami, a solid reliever, but not someone with a high strikeout rate.

Veteran Tyler Clippard has been solid too, but he’s not a flame thrower either. He throws strikes and keeps the ball in the yard, but he isn’t the type of guy who opponents fear in the 7th or 8th inning.

Francona has started to use Nick Goody more in high leverage situations too, but again, he’s not the kind of reliever who can blow hitters away.

Veteran Oliver Perez has been the most reliable lefty besides Hand, mostly because he throws strikes and holds left-handed hitters to a 471 OPS.

Help could be coming in the form of James Karinchak as soon as he gets healthy from a hamstring pull.

Starting the year in Akron, the righty struck out a mind-boggling 24 hitters in 10 innings, and then went to Columbus and fanned eight in three innings.

Those figures are right, in 13 minor league innings, Karinchak has whiffed 32 batters in 13 innings. In his minor league career (he was drafted in 2017), he struck out 144 in 85 frames.

The Indians have promoted relievers quickly if they show dominance. Allen made a quick leap to the majors, being drafted in 2010, and debuting with the Tribe in 2012.

Kyle Crockett and Perci Garner (remember him) also made surprising rises through the system.

You could also see 22 year old Kyle Nelson, currently at Akron, before the season ends too. Nelson has 154 strikeouts in 104 minor league innings, including 30 in 20 innings (allowing just 9 hits) at AA.

Sidearmer Nick Sandlin, drafted last year, could also be a factor. He had a 1.56 ERA at Akron before being promoted to Columbus.

So, help could be on the way for Francona, and it will be interesting to see what the front office does after the All Star break.

There is potential to add some power arms to the relief corps by the end of this season. Keep an eye on the guys we mentioned.

Is Lack Of Tribe Moves Based On Patience, Stubbornness, Or Fear?

The Cleveland Indians have started to play better baseball now that the schedule has lightened up a bit.

They have won four of their last five, and six of their last eight. They are currently 9-4 in June, and won series against the Twins and Yankees, two of the American League’s better teams.

The offense has been better lately, moving up to 11th in the AL in runs scored and OPS, but the Tribe is still 13th in slugging percentage, ahead of just Toronto and Detroit.

And Terry Francona still writes three hitters in nightly lineup with OPS of under 650: Jason Kipnis, Leonys Martin, and Jose Ramirez.

Despite hitting for the cycle on Friday night, Jake Bauers (.223/.306/.379) isn’t striking fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers.

These guys haven’t hit for awhile and yet, no changes have been made. Ramirez is different because he was one of the best players in baseball in 2017 and 2018, so he has earned and should get the benefit of the doubt.

Although, whether or not he should be hitting fifth is up for debate.

Fans and media alike have asked about the unreal amount of patience given to Kipnis, Martin, and Bauers. However, is it patience or fear?

The Indians sometimes operate as if they are afraid to give young players a chance for a variety of reasons. They worry about how a young player handles failure. They worry about a player they let go going somewhere else and having success.

We operate by a different theory. It’s called the “can’t do any worse” theory.

That takes the fear factor out of the equation.

Take Martin, for example. He’s hitting .204 with a 637 OPS to date this season. His strength was how he hit right-handed pitching, he’s never been a factor against southpaws. But he batting .220 with a 700 OPS vs. RHP thus far.

He’s batting .189 overall since May 1st.

Now, ask this question…could Greg Allen be worse than those numbers? We aren’t saying Allen is the next coming of Willie Mays or Mike Trout, but you have to think he could be better than what Martin has given you over the last six weeks.

Martin is also striking out at a career high rate, so it’s not as though he’s hitting in tough luck. Why not bring up Allen and give him regular playing time?

As for Jason Kipnis, we have heard him finding something in his swing before, so let’s say we are skeptical as to his success for the rest of the season. It’s pretty clear he’s not the same guy he was in 2016, and after two and a half years, that ship has sailed.

So, why not try Mark Mathias, who is hitting .294 with an 827 OPS at Columbus? Yes, we understand those numbers are much better than how he has performed at AA Akron the past two years, but maybe he found something in his swing.

You can also replace Bauers with Bobby Bradley, who is crushing the ball at Columbus.

We wouldn’t give up on Bauers, we think he can still be a productive major league hitter, but right now, he can’t put together any consistency. And that’s the name of the game in baseball.

Would switching out a third of your lineup turn the Tribe’s offensive fortunes around? What we do know is it couldn’t hurt.

It may be just getting over fear of the unknown to make it happen.

The Time To Act For Tribe Is Now

As we wrote about a week ago, the next two weeks will say a lot about how the rest of the baseball season will play out for the Cleveland Indians.

Between now and when the best players in the sport descend on Progressive Field on July 9th, the Tribe plays 23 games against teams with some of the worst records in the game.

Yes, they have four in Texas next week, and two more against Cincinnati right before the All Star Game, but the rest of the slate is filled with contests vs. the Tigers, Royals, and Orioles.

We know baseball is a sport designed around series, so the teams themselves are best served by taking each game as it comes, but we don’t have to do that.

It’s not far-fetched to think the Indians could go 15-8 in those 23 games, which would make their record 48-40 heading into the Midsummer Classic.

Does it make sense to sell at that point?

Then, after the All Star Game, Terry Francona’s squad has three with the Twins at home, followed by more games against Detroit, Kansas City, and Toronto, before ending the month with a series against Houston.

This means with the trade deadline coming at the end of July, Cleveland could be a good way above the .500 mark.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it will be difficult unless the attitude of the front office and Francona changes.

They split with the Reds despite scoring just four runs in the pair of games. The lineup, beyond Carlos Santana hitting in the three hole, is filled with a lot of guys who are very proficient at making outs.

And this is as good a time to change this as there is.

Oscar Mercado’s success, and make no mistake, he hasn’t been great, merely solid, should have Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff, and Francona looking at Columbus for some help.

Since the end of April, Leonys Martin is hitting .193 with 3 HR, 8 RBI, and has drawn seven walks (in 31 games). Usually reliable vs. right-handers, he has a .294 on base percentage and a 696 OPS in 2019.

Jason Kipnis is batting .218 for the season, and .224 since May 1st. His OPS vs. righties? Try 646.

Jake Bauers has hit .148 over the last 28 days with 28 strikeouts in 81 at bats.

It’s time to end this madness.

Greg Allen is eligible to be recalled from Columbus this weekend, and he was hitting a bit the week or so before he was sent down.

Make your outfield rotation Mercado, Allen, Jordan Luplow, and Tyler Naquin, and give them extended opportunities. It’s doubtful they can be worse than Martin and Bauers.

We would bring up Bobby Bradley, even though we have concerns about his strikeout rate. His numbers indicate he is not simply piling up numbers at Huntington Park in Columbus.

As for second base, why not give Mark Mathias an opportunity. He has an 816 OPS at AAA, and gets on base (.354). And he’s been better on the road.

What to do with the others? Bauers can be sent to AAA to relocate his batting stroke. As for Kipnis and Martin, the season is just about half over, so just designated them for assignment. If you have to release them, which is likely, then so be it.

We don’t think they can help the Indians going forward.

We understand it is a very difficult decision. On the other hand, by and large, players know who should be playing, and our guess is there were puzzled looks in the clubhouse last week when Allen was sent out.

This is a critical stretch for this baseball team, and the front office can’t wait any longer to make a tough decision.

Tribe Needs To Cash In Bauer Right Away

The Cleveland Indians are 11-1/2 games behind the Central Division leading Minnesota Twins heading into a three game series against them starting tonight at Progressive Field.

Nobody saw that coming, mostly because no one thought the Twins would have the best record in baseball in the first week of June.

Even though the trail in the division by that huge margin, the Indians are just two games out of the second wild card spot and a chance to be the AL Champs.

The problem is, they can’t accomplish this with the roster they currently have. They need to make a bold move, and do it as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, this front office has never been a group to keep moves to come from behind. In 2016, when the Indians were in first place by around five games after the All Star Game, that’s when they traded for Andrew Miller, and attempted to deal for Jonathan Lucroy.

If the front office and ownership would be willing to salvage the season and get back to the post-season for the fourth straight year, they have one logical move to make, and it would be tremendously bold: Trade Trevor Bauer for some hitting.

This pains us to say it because we have always been a fan of the right-hander, since he arrived in Cleveland after the 2012 season.

In his first year in the organization, he was a spot starter, coming up for doubleheaders and some other spot starts. He progressed to a back of the rotation starter to one of the AL’s best starters in his tenure here.

A contending team should be willing to pay a high price for Bauer, a guy who takes the ball every fifth day, and is eager to pitch on short rest.

He is also under club control through the end of next season, meaning whoever would deal for him has him for a year and a half. And moving him sooner than later may just save the 2019 season for Cleveland, but also allow him to make maybe 12 additional starts for his new team.

If you can get two major league ready hitters for Bauer, which obviously limits who he could be dealt to, we say do it right now. There is no need to wait.

Right now, with Jose Ramirez in his lengthy slump, the legitimate threats in the Indians’ batting order end with Carlos Santana in the #3 hole. Getting two more bats would lengthen the lineup and should result in better results.

And if Ramirez returns to form, and he has shown subtle signs he is starting to, then that’s all the better. Suddenly, we start to resemble a big league offense.

Even without Bauer, your starting rotation is acceptable, assuming Mike Clevinger returns soon. Terry Francona can still trot out Carlos Carrasco, Shane Bieber, Clevinger, Jefry Rodriguez, and Zach Plesac out there on the nightly basis, although we know the latter two are very much unproven.

You have to score runs to make the post-season in baseball, and the AL Central is proof of that. The Twins lead the league in runs scored. The other four teams in the division are in the lower half of the league. That explains the 11-1/2 game lead.

Forget about the talk of the window closing and even that the season is over. If you can pull off a deal soon, you will have a better offense and a solid pitching staff.

And you will be set up for contention again in 2020. The time to act is now.

For All The Talk About Hitting, Tribe Chances Depend On Starters

The Indians unlikely come from behind win over Boston Tuesday signaled the 1/3rd mark of the Major League Baseball season, and the Tribe sits right at .500.

They went 15-12 during the first 27 games of the season, so they reversed that mark over the next 27 contests.

Depending on your perspective, the Indians were either a huge disappointment to this point, or they are extremely fortunate to be at the break even mark considering the state of their offense.

We are well aware of the offensive issues at this point. Cleveland ranks in the bottom three in the American League in most offensive categories, but the most concerning thing might just be the starting pitching staff.

The starters were supposed to be the part of the team that Terry Francona would lean on. The quintet of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, and Shane Bieber were thought to be the best in the game.

Injuries have ravaged the rotation.

Clevinger was the first to go down, making just two starts before going down with an upper back muscle pull.

The bell cow of the staff, Kluber, always good for 200 innings over the last five years, fractured his arm getting hit by a line drive.

That forced Francona to use Jefry Rodriguez for seven starts (the same as Kluber), and Cody Anderson, and Adam Plutko have each received two starts. Zach Plesac, who wasn’t even considered in the big league club’s plans in spring training, made his major league debut on Tuesday.

It hasn’t been just the injuries though. Bauer was dynamite in April, but suffered through a poor May. Carrasco has been prone to the home run ball, allowing 14 on the season.

He has a very good 72 strikeouts to just 10 walks, but he’s allowing more hits than innings pitched, something he hasn’t done since he returned to the starting rotation in 2014. Normally one of the most reliable starting pitchers in the game, he has been anything but that in 2019.

Kluber wasn’t very good before he was injured either. The normally precise righty walked in runs twice this season, something he never did in his career. And he’s allowed more hits than innings pitched as well.

To this point, the guy who was the fifth starter coming into the year, has been the most effective. Bieber has the best ERA at 3.67, has allowed less hits than innings pitched (58 in 68-2/3) and has fanned 85 batters, walking just 17.

He didn’t have great stuff Wednesday night in the 14-9 win over the Red Sox, but still persevered long enough to get the win.

If the Indians are to get back in the race for the division title, and despite what you hear, there is still plenty of time to do just that, they need the April edition of Bauer, and the Carrasco they have seen in over the last four seasons.

Despite the recent offensive explosion in the past few days, we don’t think the Indians, as constituted, will be an offensive juggernaut. They need outstanding starting pitching.

The hitting being what it is, the determining factor on the Indians getting into the divisional title race will be the starting pitching. It simply has to get back to its expected level.