With every win, every strikeout and with an almost robotic efficiency, Corey Kluber has quietly become one of the AL's best pitchers.
And, just maybe, its Cy Young Award winner.
With a cache of devastating pitches, the 27-year-old Kluber has developed into a cold-blooded terminator from 60 feet, 6 inches away. He's among the league's leaders in wins, strikeouts, ERA and virtually all other sabermetrics used by the statistical geeks who look much deeper than win-loss record.
Sooner than anyone - including the Indians - would have predicted, Kluber, who only made his big-league debut in 2011, has arrived.
"It's not smoke and mirrors," manager Terry Francona said. "Everything he's done this year has been so legit."
Kluber will take a 17-9 record and 2.53 ERA into his last start of the season Friday night against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. It's one last chance for him to sway any voters who may be considering Seattle's Felix Hernandez or others.
If his next outing is anything close to his previous two, the Rays are in for a long night.
Kluber has recorded 14 strikeouts in back-to-back starts, becoming the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2004 to do so. The right-hander has a 1.39 ERA while winning his last four starts, and his 258 strikeouts are the most for a Cleveland pitcher since "Sudden" Sam McDowell's 304 in 1970.
Kluber, who struck out nine while allowing two runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 6-3 win over Tampa Bay on May 9, showed promise last season while going 11-5 with a 3.85 ERA in 24 starts. The Indians (83-76) were hoping he could build on that success, and his profile rose when former staff ace Justin Masterson struggled and was traded to St. Louis in July.
As far as Francona's concerned, Kluber's only getting started.
"I don't think his thirst for anything is going to diminish," Francona said. "He's going to continue to want to be better and better."
Kluber's season could be better, but the offensively challenged Indians haven't hit or scored for him. They're averaging just 1.1 runs in his nine losses, forcing him to be nearly perfect every time he takes the mound.
"I was tired of him getting that Felix Hernandez treatment," center fielder Michael Bourn said. "For three years, Hernandez got like no run support and was only giving up like one run a game. As a teammate, you don't want to see that happen, (but) the last four games we've been able to get him some support. He deserves it."
Cleveland scored twice while dropping the first two games of its series with Kansas City before Yan Gomes hit a three-run homer in the first inning of Wednesday's 6-4 victory.
The Indians still have a very slight chance to claim a wild-card spot after Oakland lost to Texas on Thursday. They trail the A's by three games with three to play.
The Rays (76-83) made the postseason three of the last four years, but they'll finish with their first losing season since going 66-96 in 2007 - Joe Maddon's second season as manager.
Tampa Bay has dropped five of seven after falling 11-1 to Boston on Thursday.
Chris Archer will take the hill in this contest, and he's been just as impressive as Kluber recently. Archer (10-8, 3.42) is 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA over his last three starts after allowing two hits in 6 1-3 scoreless innings of a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
"It's definitely up there," Archer said about one of his better outings. "I really wish I could have gone deeper into the game, but we played great defense and that just gives you confidence to keep filling up the strike zone. It was one of those nights where things were going my way."
The right-hander hasn't been nearly as impressive while losing each of his starts against the Indians. He allowed five runs and walked three in four innings of a 5-0 defeat June 1, 2013, then gave up four runs and walked four in five innings of a 6-5 loss May 11.
