Cleveland Indians Won't Survive If Pitching Doesn't Improve

Here’s something I really didn’t expect to say at any point of the Cleveland Indians‘ season – their offense has actually been pretty good. Though nobody is standing out as a hitter opposing pitchers fear, the Tribe has been, for the most part, contributing a solid amount of runs on a nightly basis. Many pegged offense as the Achilles heel of the team, but so far it’s difficult to complain too much about that department.

That said, there’s still one problem – Cleveland has only been mediocre through the first few weeks of the year. Unfortunately, the root of this issue is something many thought would be the reason the Indians could contend this year.

Though it’s still a bit too early to panic, there’s growing concern regarding the struggles Cleveland pitchers have been suffering this year. If things get worse, this season is going to get ugly in a hurry.

I noted the pitching issue three weeks ago, and at the time had to temper the panic a little bit. At that point, the team had just left the starting gate, so it wasn’t something to get overly agitated about.

The issue isn’t the amount of time that’s passed since then, but the fact that the same problems remain. One need look no further than the past series between the Indians and the middling Minnesota Twins for a perfect example of this.

Throughout the three-game set, pitching blunders did the Tribe in. Monday, Danny Salazar was having no trouble mowing through Twins hitters, at least until the fifth inning. It was then that a balk and a questionable call on a pickoff play seemed to shake his confidence. Salazar unraveled and, despite needing just one out to escape the inning, gave up three runs.

Likewise, Tuesday night saw Cody Anderson continue his tumultuous season on the mound. Twice, the Indians came from behind to tie the game, only to watch Anderson give the lead right back to Minnesota the following inning. His struggles ultimately got him sent down to the minors yesterday.

Of course, the Indians aren’t just limiting their problems to starting pitching. In each of the aforementioned games, Cleveland tied the score late. However, the Twins walked off with a win two nights in a row. Both Zach McAllister and closer Cody Allen gave up game-winning RBIs in their respective ninth inning appearances.

Sure, the Indians ended their skid last night with a 6-5 win, but starter Josh Tomlin was touched up for all five runs, ending what had been an impressive start to the year.

Overall, pitching has been way too inconsistent for Cleveland this season. Salazar had been rolling, but is still walking too many batters. Ace Corey Kluber finally got his first win of the year this past Saturday. Carlos Carrasco was pitching well, but is on the DL for the next four to six weeks. Meanwhile, there don’t seem to be enough reliable arms in the bullpen.

While the Indians have been contributing more on offense than initially expected, the team is not going to be much of a contender if the pitching situation isn’t figured out. The front office penny-pinched when it came to adding more power bats, under the assumption the pitching was good enough to overcome a lack of runs. At the moment, this looks like it could potentially backfire.

Cleveland was built to win thanks to its pitching. Right now, it’s winning despite of that. While this is keeping the team afloat now, it’s tough to believe this can last much longer.