Clase’s stellar season continues
While James Karinchak remains in Columbus in an effort to work out some issues away from the pressures of a major-league setting, Emmanuel Clase's stellar 2021 season hasn't slowed down — which makes sense for a guy who can hurl a 101-mph cutter.
Entering Tuesday's game, Clase had allowed one earned run in 232⁄3 innings since July 17. In that time, he has struck out 24 batters and walked only one, bringing his season totals to a 1.46 ERA, 2.21 FIP (Field Independent Pitching, which aims to show a pitcher's ERA without defensive variables or luck) and a 0.989 WHIP. Among qualified relievers, Clase's 2.21 FIP this season ranks fourth, behind only Milwaukee closer Josh Hader, Chicago White Sox setup man Craig Kimbrel and Houston closer Ryan Pressly.
Lavarnway allows Cleveland to avoid history it didn’t want
With one out in the sixth inning on Sunday, Cleveland hadn't recorded a hit that day, and it didn't record a hit the day before, either. One day after the Brewers' Corbin Burnes and Hader combined for a no-hitter, Eric Lauer was on his way to starting a second consecutive no-no.
The last time anything like that happened was 1917, when the St. Louis Browns tossed no-hitters against the Chicago White Sox on back-to-back days, though one came in the second game of a doubleheader, so there was technically a game between them.
The hero who saved Cleveland from becoming an offensive futility footnote was Ryan Lavarnway, whose single ended the no-hit bid in that sixth inning.
“Yeah, I think it was about 14 innings [without a hit, which is] is about 13 innings too long for us to go hitless,” Lavarnway said.