H’wood ending
Incredible movie-like movie like surge won’t last forever
IF YOU peaked inside the Indi-Indians’ locker room during the their incredible 22-game winning streak, there is no doubt you would have seen Terry Francona peeling away portions of clothing from a cardboard cutout of owner Larry Dolan in the clubhouse to motivate the team in a “Major League” style move.
Movie magic was really the only way to describe what happened in the Rock and Roll Capital of the World — especially with their pitchers.
The Indians had seven shutouts during this incredible streak, which is more than 13 teams have for the entire season. Heading into Friday, the staff had posted a 1.58 ERA over its previous 199 innings.
So, now that the streak is over, here is the big question: Should you continue to depend on red-hot Indian hurlers like Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger — three guys who, for the most part, have been streaming options, at best, for most of the season (we’re excluding Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco from this equation, largely because Kluber is a Cy Young front-runner and Carrasco is a pitcher you normally would trust).
Bauer suffered his first lost since July 16 on Friday, but is a ridiculous 9-1 with a 2.83 ERA, 78 strikeouts and a .268 opponent average over his last 12 appearances (11 starts). He is striking out a career-high 10.1 per nine innings, walking less batters than normal (3.1 per nine innings) and maintains a solid strand rate (75.9 percent), but he still has a 4.41 ERA (despite his 3.96 FIP and 3.63 xFIP indicating he has been unlucky), a .343 BABIP (41 points higher than his career average) and an awful HR/FB ratio (16.7 percent). He has upcoming matchups against the Angels, a t eam he has owned throughout his career (4-0, 2.70, 1.227 WHIP) and Twins, a team he has gotten the best of this season (3-1, 3.71) but has a mediocre career mark (4-6, 4.85). With the Angels and Twins fighting for their playoff lives, it may not be easy for Bauer to coast.
Tomlin still is widely available. He doesn’t strikeout a lot of hitters, but he hasn’t lost since June 25. He has gone 5-0 with a 3.18 ERA, 30 strikeouts and just four walks over his past seven starts. If the rotation doesn’t change, he is slated to face the Angels, Twins and White Sox in his final three starts. His last two losses, which came in June, came against the Twins (1-2, 3.66 ERA) and White Sox (0-2, 10.88). He is 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA against the Angels in his career, so continuing to be cautiousus with TTomlin is a smart move.
Clevinger has won four straight decisions — allowing j ust one earned run over his past 232/ innings (0.38 ERA) with 28 3 strikeouts, just eight walks and a .186 opponent average. He has never faced the Mariners, but he has an ERA above 5.50 against the Angels and White Sox in his career, and has a 10.80 ERA against the Angels this season. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
As exciting as the streak was, there is one thought not many fans or fantasy owners are considering: What goes up, must come down. They were going to play this well for only so long. These three pitchers weren’t top- of- theline starters before this streak, nor will they be now that it is over.
Remember, the Indians didn’t win it all in “Major League” because it is impossible to sustain greatness that long. As you head into the semifinals and finals, be mindful of who these players are and always have been.