The Cleveland Indians have made some necessary changes to their pitching rotation starting Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.
After placing Carlos Carrasco on the injured list the Cleveland Indians had some changes to make. Their rotation already is without Corey Kluber, Mike Clevinger and Jefry Rodriguez. Now with Carrasco being away for an undetermined amount of time the rotation looks even more different than before.
Against Minnesota
Tyler Clippard is getting the start in a bullpen game Wednesday. Clippard is starting his first game since last season in Toronto. The bullpen approach may benefit the team in the short term. Cleveland’s bullpen has surprisingly been one of the best in baseball this season and may be a better option than calling up an arm who is not ready.
As expected Trevor Bauer gets the start Thursday. Having Bauer go the day after a bullpen game is the best move here. Bauer essentially does not have pitch count and can pitch for as long as is needed. Bullpen games should only occur immediately before or immediately after a Trevor Bauer start.
Against New York
Zach Plesac starts Friday and will have his toughest test yet, the New York Yankees. Plesac has looked good against the Red Sox and White Sox. New York is a much better team than Boston and Chicago.
Adam Plutko is being called upon Saturday to start. This is not the best situation for Plutko. The Yankees can hit with the best of them and Plutko is susceptible to getting hit hard. This may be a short outing for Plutko.
Shane Bieber is getting the start against the Yankees on Sunday and this may be the best chance for a win against New York. Bieber is the best pitcher the Indians will trot out against the Yankees and has the potential to limit their offense. Add in the off day Monday and this makes the most sense as Cleveland can reset their rotation from that point and have a better idea of how to handle their roster moving forward.