Examining the pitching performances of the Cleveland Indians starting rotation and their collection of bullpen arms through nine games.
Much like the Indians hitting performances early in the season, the Indians pitching performances have been a mixed bag. Some starters have pitched incredibly well and some not so much. The much maligned bullpen is also a mix of good and poor performances.
The starting rotation
Corey Kluber has not had the best start to the year, allowing eight runs to score (six earned) and an opponent batting average of .279. Although his poor performance against the White Sox can be the result of the one and only Angel Hernandez calling balls and strikes. Kluber has had some good moments, but has not put everything together yet. In time Kluber should regain his two-time Cy Young Award winning form.
Trevor Bauer has been absolutely electric to start the year. Bauer took a no-hitter against Toronto into the seventh before being removed due to a high pitch count. Bauer has allowed one hit and one run and struck out 17 batters in 14 innings so far this year. The only blemish is Bauer has walked seven batters.
Mike Clevinger was a pitcher many thought would take the next step forward and through 12 innings this season he has done just that. Clevinger has only allowed two hits and struck out 22 batters in 22 innings. If Clevinger did not have to leave Sunday’s start against Toronto due to an injury the strikeout number could be much higher.
Carlos Carrasco got absolutely lit up in his first start against he Minnesota Twins but has rebounded nicely. Carrasco has 16 strikeouts in 9.1 innings so far. Although his overall numbers do look less impressive because of his lackluster start against Minnesota. Carrasco currently has an ERA of 7.71 and a .372 batting average against. Like Kluber, things should improve as time goes on.
Shane Bieber has only started one game but has two appearances so far. In eight innings Bieber has allowed three runs on four hits while striking out 11. Opponents are batting .148 against Bieber in his limited time on the mound.
Bullpen
Brad Hand has been getting a lot of work early in the season with four saves in five appearances. Hand has allowed one run on four hits and opponents are batting .211 against the Indians closer.
Dan Otero is doing a surprisingly good job at limiting what opposing hitters can do. The fact that Otero is allowing opposing hitters to hit .333 and is yet to allow a run is quite the feat. Otero needs to either miss more bats or get hitters to hit his pitch much more often or his ERA is bound to skyrocket.
After two bad outings Neil Ramirez has finally settled back down. Ramirez allowed three runs in 1.2 innings against the Twins and White Sox. Since then Ramirez has allowed no runs and no hits in 2.1 innings against Toronto and struck out five batters.
Adam Cimber is becoming a very situational specialist for the Indians. Cimber has appeared in six games but has only 3.1 innings. In those 3.1 innings opponents are hitting .091 off of the submariner and have struck out four times.
Jon Edwards is another arm being used in certain situations. Edwards has pitched three innings over four games. The only run allowed by Edwards is a home run. The only obvious issue is that Edwards is currently walking one batter per inning which is not necessarily a good trend for a reliever.
The Indians young lefty specialist Tyler Olson is doing Tyler Olson things. Olson has only allowed one hit in three innings and has struck out three batters. Opponents currently are hitting .100 off of Olson.
Oliver Perez used to be the lefty specialist for the Tribe, but his role has expanded after the departures of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. Perez has only pitched 2.1 innings across four games. Besides one game where Perez failed to register an out, he has performed quite well. While opponents are batting an even .300 against Perez, this is most likely due to two appearances where Perez only faced three batters in .1 innings. Things should trend in a better direction as the season progresses.
