The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Francona becomes juggler with Tribe staff
A circus performer constantly tossing five humming chainsaws in the air and catching them has nothing on Indians manager Terry Francona trying to juggle his pitching staff.
Francona is trying to balance securing a playoff spot with making sure he keeps his pitchers healthy not just for this season, but for future seasons.
Zach Plesac, the winning pitcher Aug. 23 when the Indians beat the Royals, 4-1, has already pitched 151 innings this season – 63 2/3 innings in the minors with Akron and Columbus plus 87 1/3 innings with the Indians. He is 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 16 starts with the Indians.
Plesac has already exceeded his innings pitched last year when he totaled 144 2/3 innings pitching for Lynchburg and Akron.
With five weeks remaining in the regular season and what the Indians hope is another month of playoff baseball, Plesac figures to pitch in important games down the stretch. Francona will make sure Plesac’s right arm doesn’t become a limp noodle — overworking the rookie now could damage him for the future.
“Even when it’s not convenient, you do the right thing,” Francona said Aug. 24 in his news conference before the Indians and Royals played at Progressive Field. “You have to. It’s really not that hard, because it’s how we feel. You just do the right thing for the player. If you do the right thing for the player, you’re generally doing the right thing for the team. It may not feel like that in the moment, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Help is arriving soon when rosters can be expanded with callups beginning Sept. 1. Carlos Carrasco, who has made two rehab appearances with Akron as he continues his heroic battle with leukemia, will rejoin the Indians on Sept. 1 in Tampa as long as there are no setbacks, Francona said. Relief pitcher Dan Otero, who has missed almost three months with a shoulder injury, will also be activated Sept. 1.
“September, in my opinion, when guys are at more risk when they’re really fighting through and struggling, you don’t have to let that happen because you have numbers,” Francona said.
Carrasco last pitched May 30 for the Indians. He hasn’t worked his way back to being a starter yet, but he and Otero can ease the burden on the bullpen.
The Indians were counting on Corey Kluber rejoining the starting rotation. Those plans are on hold because Kluber strained his interior oblique in a rehab start Aug. 18 pitching for Triple-A Columbus. It was Kluber’s third rehab start since his right forearm was broken by a line drive May 1.
“That was possibly most likely his last start before he pitched for us,” Francona said. “He’s going to get re-evaluated on Tuesday or Wednesday. The reason being they just want to let some of that bleeding hopefully settle or get out of there.”
The Indians have shut Kluber down from throwing until at least Sept. 1. Francona said it is impossible to say how big a setback Kluber’s latest injury is.
“You’re getting way ahead of us here,” Francona said. “What we’ve said was, it would be two weeks and he’d be re-evaluated. That’s all we’ve said about it. That’s what we chose to say, and there’s a reason you say it because you’re trying to be fair to the player.”
There is still time for Kluber to work his way back to being an integral part of a playoff pitching staff.
Where he would fit in is just something else for Francona to ponder.