Cleveland Baseball Club pitcher Carlos Carrasco has been struggling lately as he has allowed 10 runs in his last three outings.
Through his first three outings this season Carlos Carrasco looked like he was back. Carrasco only allowed 5 runs in 18 innings and opponents had a combined slash line of .188/.268/.375/.643 against him. Unfortunately things have changed for the Cleveland right-hander. Carrasco has not been able to get past the 5th inning in his last three starts and has allowed 10 runs in 13 innings.
Opponents are just teeing off on Carrasco at the moment with a combined slash line of .320/.417/.600/.1.017. Cookie just doesn’t seem to be fooling anyone right now and that has led to his shortened outings. Cleveland really needs Carrasco and Adam Plutko to pitch at a much higher level.
The downtick in performance from Carrasco could not come at a worse time. Cleveland currently has to decide exactly what they are doing with Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac and continued poor pitching performances may lead to a decision being made that may not be the best. Reincorporating one or both unpopular pitchers could cause an issue in the clubhouse. Oliver Perez previously stated that he would opt out if they were brought back. Whether or not he still feels that way is not currently known and it is possible others feel the same.
The best thing that can happen is Carlos Carrasco finding what made him successful earlier this season. This would allow Cleveland to properly navigate the personnel decisions they have to consider. If not, things may get rocky inside the Cleveland clubhouse.
