In front of a sold-out crowd Mike Clevinger enjoyed a career-day in a dramatic 5-3 comeback victory. After on off-day on Tuesday, Corey Kluber made his second start of the season but was uncharacteristically rough in a demoralizing 8-3 loss.
As it was a very brief series, so here is your very brief series recap:
The Good
Over the past two years Mike Clevinger has established himself as my favorite pitcher on this roster. The man they call Sunshine would be a solid number two starter on most rotations, an ace for a handful of clubs, so the Indians can count themselves extraordinarily lucky to have him be their fourth guy. He had the honor of taking the mound for the Tribe's home opener on Monday and was fired up for the occasion. Those new red uniforms helped too!
Clevinger pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing just a single hit, on his way to striking out a career-high 12 batters. Of the 6 games he's recorded 10+ strikeouts in his career, 3 of them have been against the White Sox, so he has a history of success against them.
Watching the game, I was struck by how efficient Clevinger's pace of play was. He would receive the ball from Roberto Perez, reset and throw again within a matter of seconds. Clevinger kept the crowd energized on a cold spring day and the 28 year-old right-hander was really feeling good out there, hitting 97mph on the radar gun.
One moment stood out to me at the end of the seventh inning, when Clevinger struck out Yolmer Sanchez to record his 12th K of the day. Clev and Perez visibly celebrated the punchout as they headed into the dugout together, and it reminded me just how easy it can be to support these guys.
Because as soon as Clevinger exited the game, it was a struggle to maintain that support.
The bullpen trio of Adam Cimber, Oliver Perez and Jon Edwards conspired to put the Tribe in a 3-1 hole, essentially erasing Clevinger's hard work and his chance at the win. Thankfully the lineup responded, and a walk-laden eighth inning saw Cleveland come from behind to win 5-3. Despite the late drama, it was one of the better home openers I've seen in recent memory, and Clevinger's performance was remarkable.
The Bad
The Indians lineup looked considerably weakened in Minnesota and things hardly improved against Chicago. Without Francisco Lindor, the heartbeat of this team, the offense was obviously going to experience a decline, and Jason Kipnis not being available is hurting this squad as well. The fact Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion, Yan Gomes, and Lonnie Chisenhall were not replaced this winter is also a significant factor (not to mention moving Yandy Diaz to the Rays).
So far the outfield situation has been as problematic as advertised, with Terry Francona shuffling through all of his options (bizarrely slotting them third in the lineup, whoever he opts for). Granted, the season is just 5 games old, but when Jake Bauers and his .167 average ranks the highest of all Cleveland's outfielders, it doesn't exactly make for great reading (or viewing).
Safe in the knowledge that the offense wasn't expected to be spectacular in these early days, we could at least console ourselves knowing the vaunted rotation could be relied upon, led by Indians ace Corey Kluber.
Which is why Kluber's performance on Wednesday and the shellacking he received was so disheartening.
The White Sox certainly have some guys that cause concern, like Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada and top prospect Eloy Jimenez. But something is seriously wrong when a team projected to be one of the worst in the league is scattering 8 hits against Kluber over just 3.1 innings, for 6 runs, 4 of them earned. It's not very often you see the two-time Cy Young winner have a day that bad.
I was home in time for first pitch and straight away Kluber didn't look right. He couldn't locate his fastball and his cutter was wild too. By the end of the first inning he was already at 36 pitches, with his team behind 3-0. Kluber looked downright awful, and the White Sox hitters made him appear mortal, finally chasing him from the game in the fourth inning.
Kluber's next start will likely be next Tuesday in Detroit against the Tigers, the start of a nine game road trip for the Indians. Pressure will mount if he can't figure out what's ailing him, so all eyes will be on the veteran against another AL Central foe.
---------------------------
The Tribe remain at home for a four-game set against the Blue Jays. Trevor Bauer will get the start tonight and confidence will be high after his stellar 7 inning, 9 strikeout performance against the Twins last week. His opponent will be Aaron Sanchez, who had a decent game himself last time out, a scoreless 5 inning effort against Detroit.
No comments:
Post a Comment