Indians' pitching finally struggles, but master World Series plan still in place
For the first time this postseason, Cleveland's pitching let them down
By
Mike Axisa
•
5 min read
CLEVELAND -- Well, it was bound to happen eventually.
After nine postseason games that included eight wins and four shutouts, the Indians finally received a dud from their pitching staff in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday night. Trevor Bauer and various relievers combined to allow five runs on nine hits and eight walks in a 5-1 loss to the Cubs. The series is now tied at a game apiece.
"As a staff in general, we worked behind a lot tonight. A lot more than is helpful," said Indians manager Terry Francona following Game 2. "I think some of their hitters deserve credit for that, also. They didn't chase. They had a lot of deep counts."
Bauer, who had thrown 21 total pitches in the previous 20 days because of the drone-related cut on his pinky and the postseason's built-in off-days, did the one thing you can't do against the Cubs: pitch up in the zone. Check out his pitch locations, via Baseball Savant:
Everything was up. Up in the zone and even up and out of the zone. I put that box in the image for a reason. It's good to pitch down in the zone and Bauer didn't. He threw maybe 10 pitches down there, so the Cubs got a really good look at what he was offering in Game 2.
The cut on Bauer's pinky looked much better in World Series Game 2 than it did in ALCS Game 3, but that doesn't mean it didn't affect him on the mound. Or maybe Bauer was amped up. Or he had trouble getting a feel for the ball. Or maybe he was just wild. He's known to do that. It could be all of the above.
"Once I got a feel for my curveball, I felt like I was able to throw all of them just fine," said Bauer after Game 2. "I don't think the cold necessarily was the reason I didn't have a feel for it (early) ... I just wasn't that sharp for whatever reason."
Whatever the reason, Bauer was all over the place and the Cubs made him pay. They worked him for 87 pitches in only 3 2/3 innings. Cleveland's pitchers averaged 4.36 pitches per batter overall in Game 2, so Chicago's hitters really dug in and battled at the plate. Corey Kluber made it look easy in Game 1. Game 2 was more representative of the Cubs' offense.
Wednesday night was the first time this postseason Indians pitchers allowed more than two runs in the first five innings. That's pretty incredible, especially when you consider Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have been out and Bauer didn't make it out of the first inning in his ALCS start. With pitching like that, it's no wonder the Indians won eight of their first nine postseason games.
A game like this brings out your worst fears as an Indians fans. The team's pitching staff aside from Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen aren't good enough to hold down the Cubs' offense, and unless Roberto Perez turns into Superman and hits two home runs, they can't touch Chicago's pitching staff. That's not true, of course. It just feels that way after Game 2. There are two ways to look at this.
It only gets harder from here
The Indians are now tasked with bouncing back from this disappointing Game 2 and doing it at a raucous Wrigley Field. The Indians bounced back from their ALCS Game 4 loss at an equally raucous Rogers Centre last week, so we know they can do it. They're facing a (much) better team now, though, and they don't have the luxury of a 3-1 series lead. Make no mistake, losing Game 2 is bad. Cleveland's odds of winning the World Series went down Wednesday night.
Hey, it could be worse
Okay, so what's the good news? Well, first of all Miller and Allen didn't pitch, so they'll get two straight days to rest. That means both should be good for 40 or so pitches in Game 3, if necessary. Also, welcome back Danny Salazar! He threw an inning and presumably worked out any kinks and butterflies. The new and improved Josh Tomlin is going in Game 3 on Friday night, too. He has a 1.98 ERA in six starts since he started emphasizing his curveball.
"We're pretty confident about Tomlin. He's a warrior, he'll give his best," catcher Roberto Perez said. "I can't wait for Game 3. We believe in all the guys in here. We have a pretty good team. Guys are stepping up in a big way. We just have to come back in Game 3 and play baseball like the way we've been doing."
Is all that a reach? Sure, but you need to squint to see the positives after a game like this. Prior to the ALCS, Francona said the Indians just need to figure out a way to win four games before the other team. That's still their mindset.
"Win three before they do," said Mike Napoli after Game 2. "We didn't think we were going to come in here and just steamroll the Cubs. They're a great ballclub. We're just sleep this one off, get a good workout tomorrow, and get back out there again."
The Indians did exactly what they had to do in Game 1 and that's win Kluber's start. Their plan is, or should be at least, win every Kluber start and figure out a way to steal another game. Stealing two would be great, but you need to steal one first. Game 2 was their first chance to win a non-Kluber start, and gosh, it went about as poorly as they could have hoped. It was not pretty.
Francona's team is resilient, though. Not too many folks picked them to beat the Red Sox in the ALDS and not many picked them to win the ALCS, either. Even fewer have picked them to win the World Series. (Only one of us did.) That's what happens when you're missing your second and third best starters, and your best all-around hitter (Michael Brantley).
Is winning three games before the Cubs daunting, especially with the next three at Wrigley? Sure. But going into the postseason without Carrasco, Salazar and Brantley was daunting too, yet the Indians are here, three wins away from a championship.
One ugly loss is just that: one ugly loss. The Indians didn't let their ALCS Game 4 defeat snowball into something worse, and they didn't let all those crucial injuries stand in the way of success. They know how to turn the page. The pitching let the Indians down for the first time this postseason in Game 2, and based on their play this month, it's just a flip, not the beginning of the end.
"I think we knew playing the Cubs, we're going to get challenged just because they're really good," said Francona. "The things that have happened, physical things, you just do the best you can and you try to win the game. That's kind of what we always do.
