The Cleveland Indians explained
Baseball has been full of surprises this year. Francisco Liriano threw a six-walk no-hitter despite having never thrown a complete game in his career, Manny Ramirez abruptly retired, and after starting the season 0-6, the Tampa Bay Rays sit atop the AL East.
One that nobody saw coming was the Cleveland Indians owning baseball’s best record at any point in the season, let alone a quarter of the way in.
But just how, exactly, have the Indians managed to turn things around this year?
Starting Pitching
Fausto Carmona has continued to be the dependable rotation anchor that he was for the Indians last season, but the main reasons for the Indians’ pitching turnaround this season have been strong starts from right-handers Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin.
Masterson ate innings last season for the Tribe, but managed just a 6-13 record, 4.70 ERA (3.93 FIP), and 140 strikeouts in 34 starts (180 innings). This season, however, the Kingston, Jamaica native has gone 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA in nine starts so far. He pitched seven straight quality starts to open the season, lasting at least six innings in all of them and limiting his opponents to two earned runs or less in six of them.
His strong efforts earned him a win in five straight starts to open the season. Should Masterson continue his breakout performance this season, he could cement himself as the Indians’ number two starter behind Carmona.
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Tomlin, 6-4 with a 4.56 ERA (4.59 FIP) in 12 starts (73 innings) in his first Major League action with the Indians last year, has looked like a veteran so far during his sophomore campaign with the club. While his 5-1 record and 2.56 ERA through eight starts this season certainly look good on paper, his year has been even better. Tomlin has impressively pitched a quality start in every one of his outings, limiting his opponents to a mere six hits or less in every contest. Furthermore, after issuing six walks in his first two starts of the season, Tomlin settled down and allowed just three in his next six starts.
As Masterson and Tomlin continue to gain experience, the 26-year-olds could round out a promising trio with Carmona and finally give the Indians the dependable starting pitching that they’ve longed for in recent years to compete. Add in the fact that Mitch Talbot is set to come off of the disabled list and replace either Carlos Carrasco or Alex White, and things are looking up for a young Indians rotation this season.
Resurgent Offense/Familiar Faces
After suffering through two injury-shortened seasons in 2009 and 2010, Grady Sizemore has returned to the Indians lineup with a vengeance. Even though he’s currently on the 15-day DL with a bruised right knee from a rough slide – not the surgically-repaired left knee that ended his season early last year – he has looked a lot more like the player Indians were used to seeing prior to the 2009 season. In 18 games so far in 2011, Sizemore has managed a .282/.333/.641 line with six home runs and 11 RBIs, including a home run in his first at-bat of the season.
If the Indians are going to continue to make noise in the AL Central, they’re going to be relying on production like that from Sizemore for the rest of the season.
Another familiar face who has reinvented himself this season has been designated hitterTravis Hafner. After signing a four-year/$57 million contract extension in the summer of 2007, Hafner has battled injuries ever since, playing no more than 118 games in a single season from 2008-2010.
This season, however, Hafner looks just fine, and appears to be set on proving his doubters wrong. He leads the Indians in average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, and will need to continue to post strong numbers if the Tribe are interested in making a push for the postseason.
Finally shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, after having a down year at the plate last year, seems poised to be even better at the plate than he was in 2009, currently leading the Indians in triples, home runs, and RBIs, including a grand slam in April.
If Shin-Soo Choo regains his form at the plate, among others, the Indians could be a lot more effective offensively than people had initially thought.
The Bullpen
Closer Chris Perez has been given the reigns from day one this year, as opposed to last season when he received his opportunity when incumbent closer Kerry Wood was traded over halfway into the season. After seizing the opportunity last season and converting 23 of 27 save chances, Perez’s velocity has dipped slightly this season, but he still throws mid-90s and is 10-for-11 in his opportunities.
The Indians have another Perez in their bullpen, only this one is left-handed and is entering his sixth season with the club. Rafael Perez has always been a factor out of the bullpen for the Tribe, and this year is no exception. In 17 appearances (15 innings) this season, Perez has managed a 1.20 ERA (2.66 FIP) and a career-high 57.9 ground ball percentage.
The Indians’ bullpen currently has the third-best ERA in the American League, and while Chris and Rafael Perez are big reasons, there’s still many more bodies that have contributed. WithTony Sipp, Vinnie Pestano and Joe Smith looking better and better, the Indians are shaping up to be just fine when their starters leave the game.
At 26-14, the Indians currently sit atop the AL Central with the best record in baseball even after they were written off at the beginning of the season in favor of the Twins and White Sox.
The recent change in fortune couldn’t be happening to a more deserving fan base, one that has seen superstars like Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia unloaded in trades and hasn’t realistically been in the division race since 2007.
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