Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Indians have several options at the fifth spot in the rotation for the rest of September.
The Cleveland Indians began the year with a great reputation surrounding the starting pitching staff. Certain players had some problems throughout the year, but there was never a glaring issue needing addressed.
That has all changed in the past month, as Josh Tomlin went from a reliable starter to a liability. In his last six starts he has gone 0-5, allowing 10 home runs while only lasting more than 4 2/3 innings once.
The home runs allowed by Tomlin ultimately became his undoing, leading to his scheduled start on Monday being skipped. The job was assumed by eight relievers in what is being declared a “bullpen day.”
That fifth starter spot is scheduled to pitch this Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, but Terry Francona and the front office have yet to announce a decision on what will be done.
That decision could come later today, but until then let’s take a look at four options the Indians can pursue each time that fifth starter spot comes up in the rotation. Once the playoffs begin, and once the Indians hopefully make it, this problem will fade away, but it is important to give the team the best chance to win every five days until then.
“Bullpen Day”
Terry Francona tried something new Monday night, allowing Mike Clevinger to start the game against the Astros with the understanding that he would not pitch for long.
Eight pitchers ended up making an appearance, with Perci Garner having the longest outing at 2 2/3 innings.
The Indians lost the game 6-2, but that is just as much the fault of the offense as it is the pitching. The defense also allowed two costly errors, putting the pitchers at a greater disadvantage.
Some may not like this strategy, but it does go along with how teams pitch during the postseason. If a starter struggles in an elimination game, it is up to the bullpen to come in and get things back on track. This is just not a strategy often seen during the regular season, although it may become more popular once more teams do it and the results prove to be beneficial.
By using eight pitchers, and having one or two log over a complete inning, the relief pitchers get in a day of work while not burning out their arms for the next day.
Corey Kluber is next up in the rotation, so it is fair to assume that the bullpen will get some rest when he pitches. That proved true last night when he logged seven innings, even after allowing four early runs.
Aug 13, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger (52) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Clevinger
Mike Clevinger was tabbed as the starter Monday night, although it was more of a relief appearance than anything. After Monday’s loss, he has now started six games on the season and has appeared in 12 total games.
He has limited experience as a starting pitcher in the MLB, but he seems like a suitable option for the last month of the season.
Clevinger struggled at the beginning of the season, allowing 14 earned runs in his first three starts, but has since settled down and become a go-to pitcher out of the bullpen when Francona needs someone to go more than one inning.
If Clevinger were given the starting job, it could be under similar circumstances to what happened on Monday. He can be the starter, but Francona could just pull him early if he appeared to be struggling, or his pitch count was rising early on in the game.
This would allow the bullpen to save some arms, reducing the pitchers used from eight to around four or five if Clevinger can last at least three or four innings. This of course is on an ideal day, but Clevinger has proved he can be relied on to get through at least a few innings without imploding. At least he has thus far.
Ryan Merritt
While Mike Clevinger has proved he is capable as a starter, he may be more valuable to the Indians coming out of the bullpen. This is where Ryan Merritt could come into play.
Merritt has only made two appearances for the Indians this season, logging a total of 5 1/3 innings, allowing no runs and only one hit.
He has spent the rest of the year with the Columbus Clippers, compiling an 11-8 record with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He has logged 143 1/3 innings as the team’s main starter, helping the Clippers reach the playoffs.
While it would be nice for the Clippers to do well in the playoffs, Merritt would not complain if given a chance to play for the Indians. He can be put into the fifth starter spot with the same restrictions applied to Clevinger on Monday night. If he struggles early, the bullpen can be used as a fallback plan to salvage the game.
Merritt should join the club at some point this month, so the Indians should give the Clippers’ top arm to prove himself, even if only on a one-game trial basis. If he performs poorly, he can also go to the bullpen for the rest of the regular season.
Aug 20, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin (43) pitches in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Josh Tomlin
The easiest option for Terry Francona would be to put Josh Tomlin back on the mound and pray he does not give up three home runs in the first three innings.
Tomlin actually made an appearance in Monday’s game, pitching a scoreless ninth inning. It was on the same day his start was skipped, but allowing him some action in the game keeps him in some sort of throwing rhythm in case Francona wants to give him the start Saturday.
Tomlin had an August to forget, but he wasn’t doing all that bad before that. He was still allowing at least one home run in nearly every start, but he had a 3.73 ERA in July and a 2.60 ERA in June. If the home run is a solo shot, allowing one or two a game will not be too bad, given he can keep the total runs down.
Francona is a manager who puts a lot of faith in his players, so giving Tomlin another chance after allowing him to miss a start may be the likely outcome for Saturday. Once again, the bullpen is there as a fallback plan in case the home run raid begins early, or if Tomlin clearly doesn’t have the confidence he had at the beginning of the season.
More from Wahoo's on First
This article originally appeared on 
