The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Indians should deal Clevinger for big bat
Deciding whether to bring back Clevinger or Plesac isn’t as simple as deciding who is the better pitcher.
The Indians, 17-11 and 1.5 games behind Minnesota when they opened a three-game series with their rival Aug. 24 at Progressive Field, will hit the halfway point of their 60game season after their game with the Twins on Aug. 25. Shane Bieber, leading the major leagues with a 5-0 record and a 1.11 ERA, will start for the Tribe.
The Indians’ starting pitcher for the Aug. 26 game with Minnesota when the Indians begin the second half of their season has not been announced, but if acting manager Sandy Alomar gets a vote, it will be Mike Clevinger or Zach Plesac. Both right-handers have been at the alternate site at Classic Park in Eastlake since Aug. 14 because they broke team rules and ignored MLB protocols by going out with friends and missing curfew Aug. 8 when the Indians were in Chicago.
A player sent to his team’s alternate site cannot return to the majorleague club for a minimum of 10 days. That means Clevinger and/or Plesac can rejoin the Indians whenever management decides it is the right thing to do because the pair has been in Eastlake 11 days.
“We’d love to have one of those guys pitch if we could, but that’s a decision the (front office) has to make,” Alomar said on a Zoom conference Aug. 24.
The alternative is starting Adam Plutko, who started three games that normally would have gone to Clevinger. Plutko gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings at Detroit on Aug. 16. He pitched three scoreless
innings on Aug. 21 in Pittsburgh and then gave up seven runs in the fourth inning. The Indians beat the Tigers, 8-5, in a no-decision for Plutko. He took the loss when the Pirates defeated the Indians, 10-5.
Deciding whether to bring back Clevinger or Plesac to face the team the Indians are chasing in the AL Central isn’t as simple as deciding who is the better pitcher — Clevinger/ Plesac or Plutko.
Team chemistry and teammate trust is at issue.
Alomar is managing because Terry Francona is home convalescing from surgery to correct a gastrointestinal issue. Though he isn’t in the dugout, Francona is involved and along with team president Chris Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff will decide the fate of
the two pitchers.
It has to gall Francona that Plesac and Clevinger chose to break team rules while he was not with the team. Francona did not make the trip to Chicago earlier this month because of the illness that ultimately required surgery. The mice playing while the cat was away was disrespectful to Francona and Alomar.
Antonetti last week said there will be no need for a team meeting to determine whether to give one or both pitchers a second chance.
“But I do think understanding the team’s readiness to accept them back into the environment is something that we’ll consider,” Antonetti said.
Antonetti could decide to recall Clevinger to start Aug. 26 with the plan to showcase him and deal him for a hitter before the
Aug. 31 trade deadline.
That would mean banking on Bieber, Aaron Civale plus rookie Triston McKenzie — and maybe Plesac — in the postseason. Carlos Carrasco hasn’t made it out of the fourth inning in any of his last three starts.
The Indians went into their game with the Twins 28th in the majors with a .210 batting average. They were 23rd with 113 runs scored, but each team with fewer runs also played fewer games.
Clevinger isn’t helping the Indians at Classic Park. Trading him would help an anemic batting order and rid the team of a player that gave teammates reason not to trust him.