While Corey Kluber has been at his best for the past month, the Cleveland Indians offense and even their usually dominant bullpen seem to be on the exact opposite end of the spectrum when he pitches.
Dating back to June 14, the All-Star right hander has been on an historic run, striking out ten or more in five consecutive starts, a streak which ended Sunday night, when he fanned eight batters in five innings.
Kluber’s latest start against the Detroit Tigers was far from his best, but he still only allowed one run on three hits and issued three walks.
When he left the game, it was tied at one and the Indians managed only three hits off of Tigers All-Star Michael Fulmer in the first five innings.
While the Tribe would have loved to receive a deeper outing from Kluber, he once again put the team in position to win, just like he did in all of his last six starts.
The only problem is that out of those six games, the Tribe went 2 and 4, failing to take advantage of his Cy Young-caliber performances.
Looking back at his last six starts, beginning on June 14, it hasn’t been pretty to see how the bats and bullpen have failed to back up their ace.
June 14: Tribe vs. Dodgers
Kluber allowed two earned runs in seven innings, striking out 10, allowing four hits and walking one.
When he left the game, the scored was tied at two apiece. The bullpen proceeded to give up four runs in the eighth and lost 6-4.
That game surprisingly was lost by Andrew Miller, who had a rough two-game stretch against the Dodgers in that series.
Call it a blip on the radar, but it was the start of both a dominant and frustrating stretch for Kluber.
June 19: Tribe @ Orioles
Cleveland’s offense exploded for 12 runs and Kluber pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and not leaving anything to chance.
That game may have made up for some of the other quiet offensive nights when Kluber pitches, but it also inflates his 2017 season run support, which at its surface of 5.38 runs per start looks good, but the numbers are deceiving because of a couple big nights.
Here’s where things start to get pretty ugly from the offensive side.
June 24: Tribe vs. Twins
Kluber pitched seven innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out 13.
His defense made two costly errors in the first inning, which put the Tribe behind 2-0.
He allowed only three hits on the day.
Kluber exited with the Tribe trailing 2-1 midway through the seventh inning.
Cleveland tied the game at two in the bottom of the seventh.
Minnesota scored a run in the eighth and a run in the ninth, winning 4-2, as the Tribe’s offense once again fell silent.
**Three straight games with 10 or more strikeouts and less than two earned runs allowed…. Indians record: 1-2**
June 29: Tribe vs. Rangers
Kluber was on his A-Game once again when Mike Napoli was in town and worked eight innings, allowing one run and striking out 12.
Fortunately, Cleveland brought the bats to the ballpark and scored five runs. The bullpen didn’t blow it and Kluber picked up the win.
**Four straight starts with 10 or more strikeouts and less than two earned runs allowed… Indians record: 2-2**
July 4: Indians vs. Padres
The only fireworks provided were for the 4th of July celebration downtown, as the Tribe offense gave Kluber and its fans nothing to celebrate.
The Tribe lost 1-0.
Kluber pitched a gem, per usual, allowing one run and striking out 10 over eight innings of work.
The Indians were held scoreless by Padres starting pitcher Trevor Cahill and five relievers most Tribe fans have never heard of.
**Five straight starts with 10 or more strikeouts and less than two earned runs allowed… Indians record 2-3**
Everyone has their bad nights and bad stretches, but it became even more ridiculous on Sunday night.
July 9: Indians vs. Tigers
Kluber’s streak of 10 or more strikeouts came to an end, but eight K’s in five innings would be a stellar outing for 95 percent of the rest of MLB starting pitchers.
More importantly, Kluber only allowed one run on the night.
As soon as he left the game, the bullpen imploded, as Nick Goody (who’s had a spectacular season aside from Sunday night) allowed three earned runs in the top of the sixth and the Tribe found themselves down 4-1.
The Indians offense could not respond in the bottom of the sixth and Otero gave up a run in the top of the seventh.
Jose Ramirez, as he’s done all season, delivered a clutch two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 5-3 game and give the Indians some signs of life.
Cleveland put runners at first and second with nobody out and the go-ahead run at the plate, but failed to capitalize after that and left a pair of runners stranded heading into the eighth.
The Indians loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth and left all three runners stranded, still trailing 5-3 after eight innings of play.
Cleveland was shut down in the ninth, despite a two-out single from Bradley Zimmer and lost 5-3, finishing the night with eight runners left on base, six of which came in the seventh inning or later.
In Kluber’s last six starts, the Indians are 2-4.
He has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of those starts.
If Cleveland’s offense and bullpen played up to their normal standards or even to the standards of any average MLB club, the Tribe could and should have went 6-0 in that stretch and Kluber would enter the All-Star Break with an 11-2 record.
Instead, he’s 7-3 and although the wins and losses aren’t a significant stat next to a pitcher’s name, the end results of these games have been inexcusable for a club with World Series aspirations. The players know that and are well-aware they have it step it up in the second half.
The Tribe (47-40) is not in a bad place heading into the All-Star Break, as they sit atop the American League Central with a 2.5 game lead over the Minnesota Twins, but if this team is going to have any shot of repeating as American League Champions, they’re going to have to stop wasting starts from their Cy Young-winner, especially considering how shaky the rest of the rotation has been all season.
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