Tribe Week in Review: Kluber comparison, lineup shift, Santana's play
CLEVELAND -- After six starts, most of Corey Kluber's key statistics resemble last year's. The only one that doesn't is why most are concerned.
After last Saturday's 11-4 loss to Toronto, Kluber is 0-4, marking only the third time that a reigning American League Cy Young winner hasn't had a victory after six starts.
"A lot of times, your record is dependent on a lot of other things," manager Terry Francona said on Sunday. "I think there's so many things that some may sound like excuses. Sometimes you get the luck of the draw and the weather. Sometimes the lineups, who's hurt. There's so many things that you look at maybe a pitch, a guy fouls back as opposed to hitting a home run. Just a lot of little things.
"That's why you fall back on the consistency because things do happen. but over the course of time, if you're consistent, it'll be good."
In his last three games though, Kluber is 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA. Opponents are batting .397 against the right-hander including two home runs. The loss to Toronto marked the first time in 11 starts that Kluber had gone five innings or less.
When it comes to pitchers at the top of the Tribe rotation, going winless the first month of the season is not uncommon. Justin Masterson was 0-1 last March and April before getting his first victory on May 3, which was his seventh start.
The two do share a common theme -- lack of run support. Kluber's run support average is 2.08, which according to STATS LLC is tied for fourth-lowest in the American League among pitchers who have made five or more starts. Both times the Indians have been shutout has been when Kluber was on the mound and the most they have scored in a game for him is three. In both of Kluber's April wins last year the Indians scored five or more runs.
Pitching coach Mickey Callaway noted that the lack of offense has put pressure on Kluber in the later innings and that it has caught up to him.
"He will get into the sixth and seventh inning of a close game thinking he needs to go one more inning and put up a zero. He's trying to hold them too much instead of worrying about pitching and it catches up to him," Callaway said.
When it comes to Kluber's pitching mechanics, the one thing that stands out is that he is fighting fastball command. Kluber pounds the zone but hitters have been aggressive early in the count, especially when pitches have been up and down the middle.
After last Saturday's start Kluber said that he doesn't think hitters are approaching him different but that he has to do a better job of adjusting.
"I think the biggest thing is probably needing to sequence a little better. Not doing that good of a job keeping guys honest," he said. "For the most part guys are hanging out over the plate. When they're doing that you're kind of eliminating one half of the plate and when you do make a mistake, it's magnified."
SECOND (Fifth Starter Woes): After T.J. House gave up four runs in three-plus innings last Thursday, the left-hander was expected to be taken out of the rotation. He did, but it was because he was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to left shoulder inflammation.
House indicated that the shoulder inflammation popped up after he had an emergency start on April 25 in Detroit after Trevor Bauer was scratched due to food poisoning. House had done a full bullpen session the day before.
It has been a tough season for House, who is 0-4 with a 13.15 ERA in four starts. He has allowed 19 earned runs in 13 innings with 12 walks and seven strikeouts. Francona sounds like he still has confidence in House, but the door is open for Bruce Chen or Shaun Marcum to make an impact. One of the two will be called up to start Saturday against the Twins with the odds favoring Chen. He pitched six innings last Saturday at Syracuse but did not factor into the decision. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 5.74 ERA in five Clippers' starts.
THIRD (Swisher's Return): Nick Swisher was back in the Indians' clubhouse on Sunday after taking part in rehab games for Triple-A Columbus. In six rehab games, Swisher is 9-for-24 with a home run and five RBI. Swisher's return to the lineup this week will also begin one of the more interesting questions from the offseason -- how do you divide playing time between Brandon Moss, David Murphy and Swisher?
CLEANUP (Santana's Diamond Run): Carlos Santana's fielding of Ryan Goins' chopper during Toronto's six-run fourth inning was textbook ... until Santana didn't get rid of the ball.
With Kevin Pillar straying off third, Santana charged toward Pillar on the home-plate side. Instead of throwing to Lonnie Chisenhall at third and starting a rundown, Santana ran from near at the grass at first, across the mound and the infield. As Pillar went back to third, he slid head-first and Santana couldn't apply the tag.
It was the first domino in what would lead to five more runs, including a Devon Travis grand slam.
Said Francona about the Santana play: "Up until he didn't give the ball up, he did it absolutely textbook. He got the ball at first, he thought about going to second and he realized the runner at third was wandering off and he couldn't turn two, so he ran it back and he stayed on the home plate side. He did it textbook, he just didn't give it up, so then the textbook went away."
FIFTH (Lineup Shift): Jason Kipnis and Michael Bourn both had good weeks at the plate in their new spots in the order. Last week Kipnis was 11-for-28 with three home runs and seven RBI while Bourn was 6-for-22 with three RBI.
After not having a home run in 67 games, Kipnis has three in the past five. His home run on Wednesday came a year to the day that he strained his oblique, which ended up hampering the rest of last season.
"Getting base hits has helped me a lot," Kipnis said. "April was rough. Things weren't falling. I had some good at-bats, where guys were making good catches, things like that. In May, they're starting to fall for me now. I'm also putting good swings on and not rolling over stuff and we're having better at-bats now."
SIXTH (Callaway's Talk to Carrasco): After a Kevin Pillar triple gave Toronto a 4-1 lead on Friday, pitching coach Mickey Callaway decided that it was time to remind Carlos Carrasco to return to being the aggressive pitcher that he was last year.
Callaway's "talk" with Carrasco featured a couple pointed fingers to the shoulder and was the most animated we have seen Callaway on the mound, but it got the message across as the Indians rallied to win 9-4.
Said Callaway of his talk to Carrasco: "There are several factors that have been playing into that, but that's what I've been seeing. I was sitting over here yesterday, thinking, 'OK, enough is enough.' Something needs to be done. For the team, we needed Cookie to step up. The guys have been swinging the bats. It's time for us to start pitching well again.
"He's had some other stuff going on, other than throwing a few too many sliders at times. We're trying to balance everything and get aggressive and get him back to that mindset he had when he was in the 'pen last year."
SEVENTH (Unsung Week): Lost amidst the headlines was a solid week of bullpen work for Zach McAllister. In four appearances, the right-hander did not allow a run in 5 2/3 innings and allowed three hits while striking out eight. Ryan Webb, who was called up last Monday, made two appearances and pitched five scoreless innings.
EIGHTH (Minor Matters): Akron pitcher Cody Anderson and Lynchburg outfielder Bradley Zimmer were named the Indians Minor League Players of the Month for April.
Anderson went 2-1 in Double-A Akron and leads the organization with a 1.13 ERA. Zimmer's .313 batting average is second in the organization.
NINTH (Quote of the Week): "I said, 'man, we're (in trouble).' That's not what I thought they were going to bring him. I thought they might bring him something illegal, man. I said, 'Man, did you bring a thermos, too?'" -- Francona, when he saw trainers bring Trevor Bauer a juice box before Tuesday's start against Kansas City. Bauer was still recovering from a bout of food poisoning that happened during the last road trip to Detroit.
