How Clevelands pitching propelled club t

Cleveland had one of stranger offseasons in baseball this past winter. The club shipped out longtime ace Corey Kluber to the . The team also signed both second baseman and outfielder to one-year deals. It was the same sort of buy and sell approach the club took at last year's trade deadline.Kluber was recently placed on the after he suffered a tear in his right shoulder, while the main return in the trade, Emmanuel Clase, after testing positive for PEDs. After the coronavirus shutdown resulted in a 60-game season and an expanded 16-team postseason, Cleveland's chances of competing fared better than in a 162-game season. But then again, every club in baseball has a better chance of a playoff run when more than half of the field will get a spot. where Cleveland would finish in the American League Central standings, but the team's chances of making the 16-team postseason were at 99.2 percent as of Friday afternoon, per Sportsline.A big reason why Cleveland has gotten off to a hot start this season? The rotation. Not only have starters been dominant in 2020, they've been historically good. But, this begs the question: Can the Cleveland rotation be enough to make a playoff run? While things Chuba Hubbard Jersey might be impre sive on the mound for Cleveland, the same can't be said for in the batter's box. Here's what things look like for Cleveland's rotation: , RHP, 25 years old (5-0) - 1.11 ERA, 14.39 K/9 , RHP, 33 years old (2-2) - 3.71 ERA, 11.81 K/9 , RHP, 25 years old (2-2) - 2.91 ERA, 10.67 K/9 , RHP, 28 years old (1-1) - 3.95 ERA, 5.27 K/9We've seen some younger arms step up in the aftermath of and . The pair of starters were , and their . To make the situation worse, the pair of pitchers were actually both off to solid starts this season. Clevinger, 29, had a 3.24 ERA (143 ERA+) in three starts while Plesac, 25, posted a 1.29 ERA (359 ERA+) in his three starts.One of those young arms, Bieber, has become Thomas Fletcher Jersey the club's bonafide ace so far this season, and he's leading the league in strikeouts with 65 in his six starts. During his Opening Day start, . So far this season, Bieber's recorded four 10+ strikeout starts, with his other two both reached the eight-K mark. He's had four starts this season where he allowed zero runs and notched 10+ strikeouts. All other pitchers this year have combined for five such starts in 2020. Bieber's whiff rate percentage on the season is an impre sive 46.4 percent. Shane Bieber recorded 11 strikeouts against the Pirates tonight.He has 65 strikeouts through his first 6 starts this season.That's the 4th most strikeouts through a pitcher's first 6 starts in the Modern Era (since 1900). ESPN Stats Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) He trails:Nolan Ryan -- 71 (1978) Pedro Martnez -- 67 (2000)Pedro Martnez -- 66 (2001) ESPN Stats Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) If you ever think your job is hard, remember that people have to try to hit against Shane Bieber for their job. Cleveland Indians (@Indians) Carrasco -- who overcame a Leukemia diagnosis last year -- is considered a high-risk individual for the coronavirus, but he' Royce Freeman Jersey s been able to maintain decent starts in 2020. His outings haven't been very long (none longer than six innings and last two were 4 1/3 innings) and as of late, he's struggled a bit with his control and efficiency. But he still is posting respectable numbers (35 strikeouts acro s 26.2 innings for the season) and serving as the veteran on a young pitching staff. Carlos Carrasco, Wicked 83mph Curveball. Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) Adam Plutko, Pretty 78mph Curveball. Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) Civale, Cleveland's 2016 third-round pick, joined team's rotation last year. He's got good stuff, relying mostly on offspeed pitches, but in his starts, he rarely gets any run support from Cleveland's lineup. Prior to his most recent start against the Tigers in which Cleveland exploded for 10 runs, the offense scored just four runs in his first three starts this year. Aaron Civale, Filthy 95mph Two Seamer. Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) Plutko actually began the season in the bullpen before the club moved him to the rotation to replace Clevinger. The right-hander is a versatile arm for the Cleveland team, and he's been fairly effective as a starter. He got knocked around in his last start against the Tigers that lasted just 2 2/3 innings, but has the stuff to rebound. Plutko's curveball is proving to be one of his most effective pitches this year with a low expected weighted on-base average ( ) of .199. Adam Plutko, Pretty 78mph Curveball. Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) Now, from one extreme to another. While the pitching is great in 2020, the offense... not so much. As a team Aaron Parker Jersey , Cleveland is hitting .202/.309/.328 on the season. In the league, Cleveland ranks 25th in home runs (22), 24th in runs scores (95) and 17th in (94). They have a plus-29 run differential, but that's mostly thanks to the rotation allowing just 62 earned runs, good for second-best in the league. So, this club's in desperate need for offensive boosts, and they could po sibly shop around for helpful additions ahead of this year's Aug. 31 trade deadline. Here's a look at Cleveland's lineup stats as of Thursday: Cesar Hernandez: .267/.365/.356 : .256/.364/.500 : .227/.292/.402 : .197/.402/.342 : .301/.352/.518 : .167/.200/.292Domingo Santana: .170/.302/.321 : .063/.211/.063Delino DeShields Jr.: .269/.367/.269The Projection Model ( on Twitter) thinks Cleveland, now 16-9, is basically a lock for the expanded postseason. We should also remember that Cleveland's 2020 regular-season schedule is the second-easiest 2020 slate behind the Twins. Based on 2019 opponent winning percentage, Cleveland faces clubs with a .451 winning percentage. It won't be a particularly tough slate over the final 35 games.But unle s the offense can turn things around ( Corn Elder Jersey with or without deadline help), Cleveland is going to have to continue relying on its rotation to get them wins. Those arms seem like they will carry the club to October where anything can happen, especially in this very unpredictable 2020 season.