Cleveland Sports Forum

It’s going to be one of those moments’: Carlos Carrasco’s time is almost here
Zack Meisel Aug 30, 2019 4
DETROIT — As they walked off the field, Carlos Carrasco tapped Logan Ice’s chest protector. Then, he peered up at the fans, at his teammates in the dugout, every person in Canal Park standing and applauding.

Carrasco couldn’t hold back his smile.

He had completed his first game action, for Class AA Akron, since he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia nearly three months earlier. And while him just returning to the mound is impressive enough, the fact he touched 97 mph on the radar gun added another element to his feel-good story.

After that game, nearly two weeks ago, Carrasco texted Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger and relayed to them how hard he threw, plus the message: “I’m really excited. I’m having a great time.”

“That’s really what’s most important,” Bieber said. “Obviously, he’s going to come out on the field and be Cookie and have some incredible stuff and showcase it all, but just given everything, it’s pretty incredible.”

For the next step along the journey, Carrasco will stand atop a major-league mound. The Indians plan to activate him Sunday, when rosters expand. Maybe he’ll pitch at Tropicana Field this weekend (weather permitting). Maybe he’ll pitch in Cleveland next week, before fans who signed a giant, multi-panel Get Well Soon sign for him earlier this summer.

Either way, his teammates can’t wait. Here’s a collection of their thoughts about Carrasco’s return, his journey and what they thought when they learned he was throwing 95-97 mph during his rehab assignment.

On the moment Carrasco jogs to the mound for the first time …
Oscar Mercado: “I think it’ll be something pretty special and surreal, just because as a younger guy, you come up here and you start to think that this is everything. You start to pretty much let this define you. But it’s stuff like that that shows you that there’s more to life than this. There are real-world problems and real stuff that people deal with, especially health-wise. Just seeing everything that he’s overcome and to see him come back and be able to help us, I think it’ll be special and (give us chills).

“Just like he can’t hold back that smile, I don’t think any of us are going to be able to. He’s been so supportive of us, even while he’s been dealing with his issues. He’s a great teammate. He watches every game and is constantly letting us know how much he supports us. We obviously want to reciprocate and support him. We have his back 100 percent and just having him back is going to be pretty special.”

Adam Plutko: “Hopefully it’s at home, because there are no gates in Tampa, you just kind of roll in from the field. Either way, I think everybody in the dugout is going to really feel excited for him. I can only imagine what he’s actually feeling in that moment, because he was the one who went through the treatments, the pain, the suffering, the emotional highs and lows. We can all be there to support him, but only he will truly relish that moment more than any of us can possibly imagine.”

Greg Allen: “That’s an incredible story. I think it speaks to him, his character, his perseverance. It’s funny, sometimes your perspective can be skewed a little bit and you realize how much bigger a lot of things are in life compared to what we do, compared to playing baseball, and the real everyday struggles that people like him and others have had to face, with regard to personal things or health, let alone being able to pursue their passion. The fact that he’s made it through this journey, where he is now, to have the ability to step on the field again and play the game that he loves, the game that has allowed us to do so much, it should be very rewarding. I’m sure it will be for him. I’m sure there will be a lot of emotions going on. I think, for us as a team, we’re excited for him, excited that he’ll have a chance again to put on that jersey, to compete and to play for us.

“We’ll definitely be enjoying it. I’m sure it’ll be emotional for him. What he’s had to overcome and endure, he only really knows. We obviously have been around it and have done our best to give him our support. He’s had the support of his family, friends, fans. But it’s those times when no one’s around and he’s having to push through that that we don’t really know about. More than anything, we’re just excited for him to have that opportunity and it puts things in perspective.”

Nick Wittgren: “It’s going to be really emotional and exciting, more so for him than anyone else, because we’re not the ones going through what he is and he’s put in all the effort and work and has done all of the treatments and everything. For us, it’s going to be quite emotional. It’s going to be one of those moments in baseball.”


(David Maxwell / Getty Images)
On what Carrasco’s presence has meant to the team this season …
Allen: “He’s awesome. He’s a great presence. It’s spectacular. You’d really never realize that he was going through what he was going through, just from the way he went about it, the way he was with the guys. There was never a moment when he was down or feeling bad for himself. He definitely didn’t want us to feel that way. He went into it with a good attitude, knowing it was going to take some effort and it was going to be a fight, but that he could overcome it. As a team, we’d see him and know he’s going through that and still enjoying the passion that he brought, I think it made it easy for us to carry that same attitude and same mentality.”

Wittgren: “That’s how his spirit and his soul are. He’s just uplifting. He brings that every single day to the clubhouse, to people around him. It doesn’t even matter if he’s just walking down the street or coming in for a job. Any way possible, he’s always lifting people up and smiling. Everything he’s gone through to continue to do that and be as happy and as outgoing and amazing as he is is incredible.

“One, he’s just an amazing person in general. His spirit just lifts up the locker room and whenever he’s around is amazing. So just having him around the team in general will be great and then having him down in the bullpen for all nine innings will be fun, too.”

Zach Plesac: “He’s inspirational. You see the adversity he’s had to go through, which is not something small. It’s inspirational. For him to come back and pitch for us, it’s remarkable. It’s crazy. I’m looking forward to it.

“He’s awesome. He’s funny. He’s easy-going, easy to approach. He’s helped me out a lot, just making me feel comfortable being here. He’s been a great role model to me, as a player who’s watched him pitch before I got to the big leagues and just growing up and becoming the pitcher I am now, to be his teammate, it’s an honor.”

On Carrasco throwing hard and helping the bullpen …
Wittgren: “He’s been a weapon for us for a while, but now, coming back to the pen and throwing 96-97 with that changeup and all the other weapons that he has, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Plutko: “Mostly, I want to see him do it. I want to see him do it at the major-league level, not that he won’t. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m excited for him to get back with us. I’m sure he celebrated pretty good that night.”

Allen: “It’s impressive. I think it speaks to the mental tenacity that it takes, more than anything. He’s the caliber of pitcher he is for a reason, but once something affects your body the way that does, you never quite know what those effects will be or how you’ll come back from that. It was nice to see him come back feeling good and, obviously, his arm was feeling good.”

Bieber: “It’s crazy. I’m excited to see it in person, hopefully soon. Obviously there are a lot more important things than baseball, his health in general. But if he’s throwing 97, he’s feeling good and baseball is what makes him happy and takes his mind off of things. I couldn’t be happier for him. I know he’s really excited. It’s really awesome. I’m excited to get him out here.”

Terry Francona: “There was an extra layer [of excitement] already. Just seeing him throwing bullpens, knowing he’s pitching in whether it’s Columbus or Akron, just seeing when he came back to the ballpark, being in the dugout, that was — I already felt that. When he comes back now, it’s to help us win games. And that doesn’t mean we don’t care about his health or his well-being, because we do, but we want to make sure he was ready to help us win, not just have the feel-good story. And he’s going out and proving he’s ready.”

Cleveland Indians’ Jason Kipnis will be examined by hand specialist Monday in Cleveland
Today 12:26 PM
Indians' second baseman Jason Kipnis, shown hitting a home run Tuesday against the Tigers at Comerica Park, was not in Sunday's lineup because of a sore right wrist. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) AP
AP

Indians' second baseman Jason Kipnis, shown hitting a home run Tuesday against the Tigers at Comerica Park, was not in Sunday's lineup because of a sore right wrist. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) AP

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By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

ST. PETERSBURG -- The regular season is down to its final month and the Indians are trying to stay in contention for the postseason. The task seems to get harder every day.

They lost third baseman Jose Ramirez to right hand surgery on Monday. Outfielder Tyler Naquin hit the left field fence at Tropicana Field on Friday night and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Now second baseman Jason Kipnis will have his right wrist examined by Dr. Thomas Graham on Monday before the team opens a four-game series against the White Sox.


Add to that the eight players who are already on the injured list and it’s clear why the Indians added reinforcements Sunday, the first day rosters could be expanded. Right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Dan Otero were activated from the injured list, while right-hander James Hoyt, catcher Eric Haase and utility man Ryan Flaherty were recalled from Class AAA Columbus. Jake Bauers was recalled on Saturday to replace Naquin.

Kipnis started this trip by hitting three homers on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Tigers. He didn’t play Thursday and hasn’t hit the ball hard since.

He left Saturday’s 9-6 loss to the Rays in the seventh inning because of right wrist soreness and was not in the lineup for Sunday’s season finale against the Rays.

“It’s been going on for a few weeks,” said Kipnis after Saturday’s game. "I’m not worried. It just hurts when I swing. That’s pretty much all it is.

“It hurt in Detroit and I had success with it. So I can’t use that as a crutch as to why I haven’t had any hits. It’s been there. I don’t see how it’s anything that could keep me out. In my last at-bat (strikeout in the seventh inning Saturday) it gots me a little bit. I overextended.”


Kipnis did not believe it was a hamate bone injury, the kind of injury that knocked Ramirez out for the season.

“It hurts more when you swing and miss,” said Kipnis. “You step out of the box and get mentally prepared for it to hurt again on the next swing, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”

Kipnis said the medical staff has been doing a good job keeping him on the field.

“They’ve done a good job of getting me out there each time," said Kipnis, hitting .247 ((104-for-421) with 21 doubles, 16 homers with 62 RBI. “I trust them. Whether you up the meds (medication). . .we don’t have time to miss. We’ll just find out the route to take.”

Asked if he was concerned, manager Terry Francona said, “Kip will get looked at Monday by Dr. Graham. That will really give us some guidance into (whether) he can play. We’ll know a lot more.”

To clear space on the 40-man roster for Sunday’s promotions, right-hander Jon Edwards was designated for assignment, while right-hander A.J. Cole, left-hander Tyler Olson and Naquin were moved to the 60-day disabled list.

Welcome back, Cookie’: Carlos Carrasco’s return from leukemia brings joy and a few tears
By Josh Tolentino Sep 1, 2019 2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jason Kipnis told himself he wasn’t going to cry. The plan was to fight all of his emotions and be there like a true friend, supporting his Indians teammate Carlos Carrasco on a day some thought might never arrive.

That day came. To hell with the plan.

On Sunday afternoon, many tears fell from Kipnis’ cheeks when Carrasco took the mound in the seventh inning against the Rays. It was the first time Carrasco pitched in a major-league game since being diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the year. He was activated from the 60-day IL on Sunday.

“I can’t relate to what he’s going through, I can’t even imagine,” Kipnis said. “I know it hasn’t been easy. I talked to him most days during his diagnosis. … I just loved seeing him back out there. I didn’t think I would get like that but I did.”

All the emotions started rushing in for Carrasco, Kipnis and the entire Indians organization in the top of the seventh, when the visitors bullpen phone rang and Carrasco rose from the bench to begin warming up. It meant even more to him that the next chapter of his career would be at Tropicana Field, right outside his hometown of Tampa. It’s also the same mound where he came within one out of throwing a no-hitter in 2015.

When the top of the seventh inning concluded, Carrasco, 32, took a deep breath while standing on the bullpen hill, pounded his chest once and then headed to the mound from left field. Before he could even get there, “Coo-kie!” chants emerged throughout the stadium, which was filled with many Indians fans, including a handful who wore Carrasco’s No. 59 jersey. There also were several “Welcome back, Cookie!” posters sprinkled throughout the stands.


Josh Tolentino
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@JCTSports
And here he is: #Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is back on a major league mound for the first time since being diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year. He’ll pitch the seventh inning against the #Rays.

“Coo-kie!” chants emerged around the Trop when he came out of the pen.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor waited for Carrasco and greeted him with a big hug near the mound.

“You’re my brother,” Lindor told him. “Welcome back, Cookie. This is you right here. We’re behind you, just go out there and throw the ball.”

After tossing a few warmup pitches, the stage was set and Carrasco was ready to go. The Rays and Indians stepped onto the field and saluted and applauded Carrasco before the inning began. He tipped his cap to both dugouts, and a majority of the fans at Tropicana Field rose to their feet and gave him a standing ovation.

It was a special moment for a player who battled back from the one word no one ever wants to hear: cancer.

“It was a great moment,” Carrasco said. “It was really fun. To get back to my teammates and get back to the mound was great. The way they supported me from day one to now has been unbelievable.”

Emotions were high for everyone involved, including Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who also resides in Tampa and has trained with Carrasco in past offseasons.

“Right when you hear the news, you think, ‘Is this guy ever going to be able to take a mound again?'” Kiermaier said. “It was really cool to see. I know him personally and I know how much of an awesome guy he is. To be somewhat part of that moment was great. You tip your hat to a guy like that. He’s such a positive person. I talked to him in BP a little bit yesterday and told him that he was the man. Everyone in baseball is rooting for him.

“That’s what makes this game so great. I wish (the ovation/applause) would’ve lasted longer, he deserved that. Just the support he’s getting all around baseball, he deserves it all. He’s an easy guy to root for.”

Said Indians manager Terry Francona: “The way both teams reacted, I know how both sides feel. I know how (Rays manager Kevin) Cash feels about him and they have so much class. It was nice to get him back … we’ve got to get his legs under him and let him get hot.”

Carrasco pitched the entire seventh inning, allowing two hits and one run. He induced back-to-back groundouts against the first two hitters he faced, Eric Sogard and Austin Meadows, but then he allowed consecutive hits to Tommy Pham and Joey Wendle before getting out of the inning on a Joey Wendle groundout. His fastball velocity reached 96 mph, while he also mixed in several curves and a few changeups.

“He looked nasty,” Kiermaier said. “Guys were saying he’s just the same old, same old. Not really a whole lot of fun to face. But it was awesome seeing him, man.”

When the inning wrapped up, another ovation erupted throughout Tropicana Field and Carrasco’s coaches and teammates welcomed him inside the dugout with big, open arms. Among those was Kipnis, who at this point couldn’t fight back the tears, letting them drop to the ground as he embraced his beloved teammate.


Zack Meisel
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@ZackMeisel
Carlos Carrasco has always been about helping others, and now he’ll have the biggest support system anyone could imagine. https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1147554366116814849 …

Cleveland Indians
✔
@Indians
"This is going to make me stronger than I've ever been." - Carlos Carrasco

Stay #CookieStrong. We you!

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Kipnis reflected on the past four months, remembering moments when he texted Carrasco during his darkest days.

“I’d ask, ‘How’s the body? How’s the head? How’s everything going on?'” he said. “Just to listen and start the conversation to let him know I’m there. I know how tired he gets from the medication or maybe how the first medication didn’t work. It’s just not an easy road and one that you never wish upon anybody. You’ve got to give it to him for how hard he’s worked to get back here.”

With Carrasco back on the mound in a relief role, the Indians lost, 8-2, and were swept by the Rays in three games this weekend, allowing Tampa Bay to take a 1/2-game advantage in the AL wild-card standings.

Regardless of the outcome, Sunday was about Carrasco’s journey and his next steps toward making an impact on the field again. Off the field, he’s already touched the hearts of many around the organization and baseball. Those emotions became evident the moment he put on his Cleveland jersey again.

“I wanted to enjoy it because I know how nervous he is when he goes out there now and puts pressure on himself,” Kipnis said. “He wants to snap back right into things and pick up where he left off. It’s just not that easy sometimes and it’s going to take some time, but he’s going to get there.

“For him to be back on a mound in three months, it’s incredible.”

(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

Will Cleveland Indians keep Corey Kluber? What happened to Trevor Bauer?


Updated Aug 31, 2019; Posted Aug 31, 2019



By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

ABOUT COREY KLUBER

Corey Kluber’s contract has a team option for $17 million in 2020.

I heard some speculation the Indians would not keep Kluber next year. So I checked around.

I was told Kluber is absolutely in the team’s 2020 plans, and they plan to pick up his $17 million option.

The Indians view 2019 Kluber having some lousy luck with a line drive that fractured his right pitching arm. Kluber worked hard to come back, then pulled a lat muscle in his side.


Kluber will turn 34 on April 10, 2020. This is the first time he’s had significant injuries, and it’s not as if he needed Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

Kluber was off to slow start (2-3, 5.80 ERA) when struck by the line drive on May 1. Kluber tends to start seasons slow. The Indians were not alarmed. His career April ERA is 3.91. That is his highest ERA in any month.

From 2014-18, Kluber averaged 219 innings. In some respects, recovering from the broken arm and strengthening his arm could help him in 2020. Some of stress from baseball’s heaviest workload has been relieved.

The Indians also want Kluber as a role model and leader for the young starting staff. Trevor Bauer has been traded to Cincinnati. Carlos Carrasco is making a strong comeback from leukemia and will be in the Tribe bullpen on Sunday.

The starting staff is now led by the wave of youngsters: Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Adam Plutko, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac.

In terms of experience, Clevinger leads that group with only 78 career starts.


Kluber is a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He’s had post-season struggles in 2017 and 2018, but that’s been the only negative in his eight-year Tribe career.

The hope is Carrasco will continue his remarkable recovery and be in the 2020 rotation, but he is battling leukemia. There is a lot unknown.

What this season has shown once again is a team can never have enough pitching.

BREAKING IT DOWN

1. The Indians have found a way to cycle through a dozen different starters, yet lead the American League with a 3.62 ERA. The last time they used as many as 12 different starting pitchers was 2009 when they had a 67-95 record.

2. The Indians have a cerebral pitching staff. They stress “routine" in terms of consistent work between starts. They major in game preparation. They loathe walks. Tribe pitchers have the fewest walks in the American League.

3. The Tribe also leads the league with 13 shutouts, five complete games and the fewest wild pitches thrown.

4. The Indians have the best bullpen in the American League (3.36 ERA), and part of the reason is the strength of the starting rotation. Tribe relievers have thrown the fewest innings, meaning the bullpen has not been worn out.

5. Kluber consistently stayed away from walks and found ways to throw big innings each season until 2019. They believe he is a good bet for a strong bounce-back season in 2020. Last season, Kluber had a 20-7 record and 2.89 ERA, leading the league with 215 innings pitched.


6. The Indians also like to “bet on the person,” as one executive told me after they picked up Michael Brantley’s 2018 player option. Brantley had missed most of the previous two seasons because of shoulder and ankle surgeries. Brantley came back strong in 2018 and made the All-Star team.

7. All the Tribe key pitchers will be back next season and are under team control for years after 2020. Kluber has another team option (this time, $18 million) for 2021.

8. The Indians have built a strong scouting staff, analytics department, medical staff and minor league development staff that has been able to target and produce young starting pitchers. That’s how an organization stays a contender.


ABOUT TREVOR BAUER

Not a big surprise Bauer said: “I miss some of my teammates and stuff, but overall, I don’t really miss a whole lot about Cleveland.”

To be fair to Bauer, after those comments were made public, he tweeted that he wasn’t talking about the fans and the city. “The fans and the great people of Cleveland (have) a special place in my heart.”


Bauer was probably hurt when the Indians traded him to Cincinnati. It was part of a three-way deal, also including San Diego.

In some ways, being traded can initially feel like rejection – especially to younger players. The Indians did acquire Bauer in the 2012 deal with Arizona. Most of his pro baseball life has been spent with the Tribe.

Most fans know how he heaved the ball in anger over the center field wall in Kansas City in his final Tribe start. That upset Manager Terry Francona. The Indians were already seriously working on a deal for Bauer, and this added an exclamation point to their decision to trade him.

Emotions bubbled up. The Indians learned to live with Bauer’s mood swings. For the most part, Bauer was a good and durable starter for them. But the two parties appeared headed for a divorce. I also think the trade rumors bothered Bauer, although he denied it.

The surprising aspect has been Bauer’s struggles since being traded to the Reds. After being shelled for six runs in four innings Saturday, Bauer has a 1-4 record and 8.40 ERA in six starts with the Reds.

In his last four starts covering 18 1/3 innings, he has given up 24 earned runs. Something is really wrong with him.


Bauer leads all of the Majors in walks and hit batters. Some of his control problems look like what he struggled with early in his career. He is throwing a lot of pitches and going into deep counts with hitters. There also are plenty of foul balls, raising his pitch count. Bauer has thrown more pitches than anyone else in the Majors this season.

Bauer has not looked like the pitcher who was an All-Star with a 12-6 record and 2.21 ERA in 2018.

This year, he is 10-12 with a 4.53 ERA.

As for the Indians, they are thrilled with what the trade brought to their lineup. Right-fielder Yasiel Puig and DH Franmil Reyes have supplied power. The young starters have taken over for Bauer in the rotation.

Puig will be gone but Reyes will be around for multiple. Logan Allen has struggled but is Top 100 prospect lefty starter in AAA. Moss is another big lefty starter who has a lower rating but has been very effective in AAA. We even got a 5th player who is way down in the Arizona League, shows promise. Don't think we'll regret the deal even if Trevor gets it all together and wins the Cy Young next year. We know since he announced before that he would not be staying when he becomes eligible for free agency.

"Francona on Carrasco: 'Maybe I rushed into it'

Hmm, maybe so.

CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona had Carlos Carrasco warming in the bullpen when the game was tied at 2.

Was this too soon to throw someone with just one big league inning under his belt since coming back from battling leukemia into a high-leverage situation? That's exactly the question Francona pondered after the Tribe's 6-5 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday night.

Indians catcher Roberto Perez gave Carrasco a little bit of cushion before he entered in the top of the eighth, launching a go-ahead, three-run blast to put the Indians on top, 5-2. Aside from his emotional return to Progressive Field, Carrasco was due to face Leury Garcia, Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu.

"Because the guys who were coming up historically had no success against him," Francona said, when asked of the decision to pitch Carrasco. "I mean there was like a 1-for-18, a 4-for-32, there was like nothing."

But no matter what the stats said, the result didn't go in the Indians' favor. Carrasco gave up back-to-back singles to start the frame, rebounded with two strikeouts, but gave up consecutive home runs to hand the White Sox the lead.

"Maybe I rushed into it a little bit, that's what I was thinking about after the game," Francona said. "But I really think for us to get where we're going, we're gonna need him. So, we got to get him, not that he's going to pitch tonight, get him back out there and get his legs under him."
Carrasco had pitched at Tampa Bay on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits in one inning and averaging 94.8 mph on his fastball. Over four Minor League rehab appearances, he gave up one run on four hits over five frames.

"It's different when you're rehabbing than when you're pitching in a Major League game," Francona said. "That's why I kind of questioned myself last night, like, 'Did I put him in a position that wasn't fair to him?'"

Naquin headed for 2nd opinion
Outfielder Tyler Naquin, who tore his right ACL as he crashed into the left-field wall at Tropicana Field last Friday, will receive a second opinion early next week in Houston on a visit with Dr. Walter Lowe.

what other opinion is possible?

My wife tore her ACL and opted to not have surgery, but for the life of me I can’t imagine a pro athlete going that route. There would be little stability and it would always bother him.

A dangling arm, a toe tap and a field goal attempt: How Mike Clevinger’s unorthodox delivery made him an ace

Zack Meisel 4h ago 5
CLEVELAND — Mike Clevinger leaned back in his leather chair and laughed as he watched a video clip of his pitching motion from three years ago.

“That’s some good leg roll there,” he said.

Earlier this summer, Adam Plutko located a video of Clevinger pitching for Class AA Akron in 2015. Clevinger deemed it “cringeworthy.”

“I looked like I was bowling,” he said.

“People think he’s herky-jerky now,” Shane Bieber said. “They should’ve seen that video of back then.”

Plutko and Clevinger pitched together throughout the minor leagues, including late in 2014, after the Indians acquired Clevinger from the Angels for the remaining fumes in Vinnie Pestano’s right arm. At that point, Clevinger’s right leg would fall to the side of the mound, costing him potential velocity.

“He looked like Mo’ne Davis,” Plutko said, referencing the 2014 Little League World Series sensation. “Honest to God, break it down frame by frame. He and Mo’ne Davis threw the exact same way. His right foot would sweep behind his left foot. That was excess. There was a bunch of stuff that didn’t need to happen. And slowly over the years, he’s created this identity.”

When asked what he changed, Clevinger responded: “Everything.” Now, he dangles his arm while staring at the catcher’s twitchy fingers. He taps the tip of his left cleat until he’s ready to initiate his motion. He launches his left leg into the air until his knee is even with his chin. After he releases the baseball, he sweeps his right leg across the mound as if he’s attempting to kick a football through some imaginary uprights.

Every part is essential to unleashing the perfect pitch with utmost precision and conviction. And every minor detail has been critical in Clevinger’s blossoming into a front-line starting pitcher who boasts a 2.71 ERA, a 2.39 FIP and 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

“Clearly, it works for him,” Bieber said. “He’s an explosive guy, and he has an explosive delivery. We’re two different pitchers with two different styles. I think that’s the beauty of it.”

‘What the hell were you doing?’
Clevinger overhauled his mechanics upon his arrival to the Indians organization in 2014, but he made further enhancements in 2017 and ’18, despite sterling statistics. The most difficult part, he said, was accepting that he needed to make tweaks, even though his results suggested otherwise.

“I didn’t want to change,” he said, “because I was having success. But that’s what’s funny, is looking back, it seems so obvious now. There was so much more in the tank. Like, ‘What the hell were you doing?’ I was just diving toward the plate. Obviously with the wealth of information that I got from the organization and from having (Trevor) Bauer here, outside resources — now it’s obvious. But at the time, it wasn’t common knowledge.”

Clevinger’s average fastball velocity

Year Speed
2016 93.9 mph
2017 92.5 mph
2018 93.6 mph
2019 95.7 mph
Opponents vs. Clevinger’s fastball

Year Avg. Slug
2016 .284 .490
2017 .256 .411
2018 .263 .454
2019 .195 .348
Last winter, Clevinger would set up his phone to capture video as he launched a “max intent crow-hop” to someone standing 300 feet away. He then studied his throwing mechanics from that exercise and tried to replicate them when he tossed a bullpen session.

“That’s the most natural, athletic way you’re gonna throw a ball,” Clevinger said, “and I’ve always thrown really, really hard on flat ground. It’s almost like I was letting the slope (of the mound) dictate my mechanics. So I’d film that and then go to the mound to throw my bullpen and throw a few pitches and compare the two and try to get as close as I can to that and that feeling of being in the outfield and ripping the ball to home plate from center field.”

When Clevinger threw to some hitters at a high school, their radar gun registered his fastballs between 92 and 98 mph. He thought he had been reaching the mid- to upper 90s with nearly every pitch. When he arrived at spring training and regularly clocked in at 96 to 98 mph, he exhaled.

“I was like, ‘OK, it is real. It’s here,’” he said.
(Ken Blaze / USA Today)
‘He kicks field goals after he’s done’
Let’s dive into the distinct parts of Clevinger’s delivery.

The arm dangle

Clevinger: “I just never like to hold the ball in my hand. Whenever I would have my arm down, I didn’t want to just (hold the ball). It would take effort to sit still, so just letting it hang and dangle, it’s just more natural, more comfortable.”

The toe tap

Clevinger: “Rhythm. I couldn’t come straight set. I don’t know how anyone in the world can get their foot to the same exact spot each time, so I was finding it and just really comfortable getting my feet situated and then going.”

Does the number of taps matter?

“No, not at all. It’s until I get comfortable. Sometimes it seems like there’s 10 of them. Sometimes it’s two. It’s like, ‘Oh, I found the spot. That’s the spot.’ It’s like a cat.” (Ray Carlin / USA Today)
The leg lift

Bieber: “He lifts super high, but he also sinks down at the same time and it’s almost like a hitch. But it’s so consistent and it works for him. Some people might call it a hitch. Some people might call it a cue. I think it’s a cue for him to help him sink into his back leg and do what he needs to do. He moves his body really well for being a big dude. He’s athletic, and I think that all shows in his delivery.”

Clevinger: “I idolized watching guys like Pedro (Martinez) and even Francisco Rodriguez. I was obsessed with the way he threw. I thought he got every bit of what he had out of him. In junior college, I used to throw nothing but out of the stretch because I was closing. I’d get hunched over and I’d bring my knee between my legs and then I’d go.”

The throw

Willis: “I look for, immediately after separation, the angle of his torso or hips. And then I look for the height of his lead arm. Those two things are his keys, getting into the same spot in terms of when you get the ball out of your glove and that leads into allowing you to establish the direction, but it all starts with getting the ball out of the glove over the rubber.”

The leg sweep

Clevinger: “When I was coming back from Tommy John (surgery), they were trying to get me to finish by coming over the traditional way. Whether it was hip mobility or whatever the case may be, I could never do that with max intent. Now, the biomechanics behind it — I didn’t know this at the time, it just kind of happened naturally with my body — but it’s a deceleration mechanism. If I put my leg over, I might fall onto my face, so it’s a deceleration mechanism that my body just adapted to so I didn’t fall over, and I was still able to throw with max intent.”

Clevinger completes hip mobility drills every day, with additional emphasis on his start days, to keep him agile and able to repeat the various quirks of his delivery without issue.

Clevinger: “It’s been a long, long process, but now I feel like it’s pretty set. There’s still tinkering back and forth between starts and losing it or coming out of it a little bit, but now I feel like I have the near-finished product.”

Bieber: “The leg kick and the follow-through is what makes him him.”


Rob Friedman
@PitchingNinja
Mike Clevinger, Leg Kick....and curveball.

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Plutko: “You know what’s funny is, I’ve messed around with it and you can tell when you finish a pitch just right, because if you don’t, then you’re going to be all off and wobbling all over the place. But when you do finish the delivery just right, you have the balance to just sweep and kick it through. That’s what he does. He kicks field goals after he’s done. How hard is that?”

Willis: “I couldn’t do that. There are times, more so with the finish, you think, ‘Well that’s a little awkward.’ But when he repeats it over and over and over, you understand that’s his. That’s the one thing we do talk about, is you don’t necessarily want to emulate everyone else’s delivery. You want to find out what your best delivery is and repeat that. That’s what he does so well.”

Has Terry Francona attempted to mimic Clevinger’s leg sweep?

Francona: “No. I would have one more surgery added to the list.”
(Jerome Miron / USA Today)
‘There’s everything flying everywhere’
When he closed games at Seminole Community College, Clevinger never devoted a minute of brainpower to his pitching mechanics. He simply tried to throw as hard as he could.

That’s still a primary focus, as evidenced by his frequent debates with Bauer about who can throw harder. But Clevinger has grown invested in the science behind it — what permits him to rank in the 87th percentile in the league in fastball velocity and the 96th percentile in strikeout rate. That’s how a pitcher winds up rocking his arm back and forth like a pendulum, tapping his toe like Fred Astaire, lifting his leg toward his face like Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and swinging his other leg through the air like a Gramatica brother.

Plutko: “Everyone does it a little bit differently. He definitely gets there. In fact, he gets there better than some, in a lot of different ways. I’d say the finish, the movement at the start and all of that stuff, that makes him him and that makes his delivery his. Does it look a little unconventional, because he doesn’t finish like Greg Maddux on the follow-through? Yeah, totally. But if you were to slow down Greg Maddux’s delivery and his delivery side-by-side, I guarantee you they’d be almost identical. Even Alex Wood, if you truly slow his mechanics down, there’s a lot of stuff happening, but if you slow it down to positions of throwing, it’s the exact same. Same with Joey Lucchesi. He’s funky, he’s all over the place, the leg kick. But when you get to this point, it’s the same as everybody else. It’s just how you get there and then once you’re here, how does that play? That’s the important part of the mechanics, to me.”



Willis: “It’s a different delivery, obviously. It’s one that works well for him. But I think his athleticism allows him to sync it all up. Sometimes there’s a lot of movement prior to the start of his delivery and the tempo may be not one that you’d necessarily teach someone. But for him, it’s what works and allows him to generate the spin and velocity we see.”

Plutko: “From a movement standpoint, how he physically moves, it’s as good as you can get it, really. The way his hip turns, the way his body turns, everything is pretty ideal. It just looks unconventional because there’s a lot going on. There’s hair flying. There are beads in his hair flying. There’s everything flying everywhere. But if you actually break it down and take it frame by frame, there’s so much good in that that creates consistency. So if he was truly out of control, he wouldn’t be able to command the ball like he does, be the same guy every time he takes the mound.

“What I marvel at, really, is just his athleticism and the speed in which he does it. He moves really quickly, but it’s crazy athletic, and you don’t see pitchers that athletic move that quickly very often. I hate to admit this, but I would classify him as more athletic than me, so some of the stuff that he does, I don’t know if I could physically do as well as him. Just like he shouldn’t do some of the stuff that I do, because then he might lose velocity or not command the ball like he does.”

https://youtu.be/JQAONaSByk4

Bieber: “He rubs some people the wrong way, which is kind of his thing sometimes. We were in New York and I was listening to the broadcast in the clubhouse, and the announcers didn’t seem like they were too thrilled about his unorthodox delivery. It really doesn’t matter what they think. He’s going out there and producing and giving us a chance to win every five days, so that’s really all that matters.”

Plutko: “We came up every step of the way together. Ever since ’14 on, we played every year together. I’d say from Double A on, he’s had his delivery. He was going through some stuff in Double A, in terms of his delivery, and toward the back end of that year, he really found it. From then on, it’s just been clicking, clicking, clicking.”

(Top photo: Wendell Cruz / USA Today

Meisel’s Mailbox: Terry Francona’s message, Corey Kluber’s pool party and postseason tiebreaker madness
By Zack Meisel 5h ago

MINNEAPOLIS – Before the Indians’ charter took off for Minneapolis — and after [checks notes] Reynaldo Lopez tossed a one-hit shutout at Progressive Field — Terry Francona delivered a message to his players.

“I told them as honestly as I could,” he said, “‘We’ve got 20 games. After everything we’ve been through from, like, the first week of February until now, all the shit that’s happened, all the challenges, the setbacks — we have 20 days (to decide if) we can go to the playoffs. We either have to catch the Twins or stay ahead of Tampa, Oakland or even Boston.’ I just wanted to say, ‘Don’t leave anything on the field. Don’t go home and be, like, ‘Ah, man,’ because how often does it just come down to maybe one game or one play and you don’t want to have it be, ‘I could’ve done this’ or ‘I could’ve done that.’”

Following their 11th-inning outburst on Friday night, the Indians trimmed the Twins’ division lead to 5.5 games. FanGraphs suggests the Indians have a 2.9 percent chance to win the AL Central. (Go ahead, bust out your Lloyd Christmas impersonation.)

“We know that when we’re playing together, we can be one of the best teams out there,” Oscar Mercado said. “We just felt like it was good to get that breath of fresh air and to hear (Francona’s message) and moving forward, it’s playoff game after playoff game.”

Now, let’s open Meisel’s Mailbox and see what questions you all submitted.

Is there any hope to see Corey Kluber in the rotation heading down the stretch? — Patrick P.

Kluber is still limited to aquatic exercise, and since baseball is played on a field and not in a body of water, he’s essentially swimming upstream at this point. So, the starting ship has sailed. His best-case scenario would probably be to return as a reliever, and that could likely only happen if the Indians made an extended playoff run. The typical throwing program for a recovering pitcher includes long toss, simulated games, live batting practice and some bullpen sessions. And by the time he completes all of those checkpoints, there will be nowhere to make a formal rehab appearance. Sorry if this news sends you off the deep end.

Considering the farce that is the Tribe’s first month of the 2020 season: Do teams get any input into the schedule and/or a draft of the schedule on which to comment before it is released? Who thought this was a good idea? — Robert R.

The Indians have known since last year that they would open the 2020 campaign at home in late March, so they’ve had time to stock up on long underwear. If the Indians could choose, they would spend the majority of their March/April away from Progressive Field. Early home games do no favors to their attendance figures. They last hosted their season opener in 2016; before that, 2012. The league prefers to have division rivals square off so it’s easier to make up postponed games — though, that’s also the reason for the off-day that follows the opener.

Consider some of the season-opening matchups for 2020:

Rangers @ Mariners … What form of frosty beverages were flowing in the conference room when the schedule makers decided the Rangers (who are unveiling a new ballpark, by the way) should start somewhere other than Texas?

Angels @ Astros … You know what they say about the weather in Orange County in late March: It’s close, but just not quite perfect.

Braves @ Diamondbacks … Instead of the Braves hosting either the Nationals or Mets, Washington will travel to Queens. Just brilliant.

The Indians, meanwhile will play their first 30 games in the following cities not known for tropical springs: Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Boston, New York.

Is Danny Salazar done for good with the Tribe or can he still save his career as a new version of “El pequeño vaquero?” — Tim D.

Odds are, Danny Salazar’s final pitch as a member of the Indians was an 80-mph changeup to Josh Reddick — not to be confused with Salazar’s average fastball velocity of 86.5 mph from his lone start in the last two years. Salazar was battling a sore groin on that bizarre evening, but even after he recovered, his heater never did. He hit the 80s during his recent cameos with Class AA Akron, and he pulled himself out of his final outing. He told his coaches he didn’t feel like he could handle a second inning, but when he left the ballpark later that night, “he said he felt pretty good,” according to Francona.

“Then, he goes: ‘I just need a little time away,’” Francona said.

The Indians obliged. Francona said Salazar returned to his home in Tampa, and the Indians shifted him to the 60-day injured list on Friday, putting an official end to his regular season. (I think we can safely rule him out for any postseason action, too.)

Why not completely sever ties with Salazar now? Chris Antonetti has probably already printed out the paperwork for non-tendering Salazar in November. But they do technically control him for next season, on the off chance they want to pursue some no-risk, minor-league pact.

Do you think the Franimal will hit clean up next year? Will we still have Slamtana? — Andrew S.

Yes and yes. It remains to be seen what John Sherman’s departure will mean for the payroll (we have top minds looking into it), but it seems as though everyone in the organization wants Carlos Santana to remain a member of the Indians, even though he stands to earn nearly $21 million next season. Now, where would that leave Bobby Bradley and Jake Bauers, since Reyes figures to occupy the designated hitter role and Santana would play first base? Someone should be trade bait. It won’t be Reyes. Bauers would be a sell-low endeavor. Bradley or Santana would make more sense. But given what Santana has meant to the clubhouse — not to mention, uh, the lineup, which he has anchored all season — it would be surprising (and probably a disappointment to fans) if he played elsewhere next year.
(Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Is there any talk of an innings limit for Shane Bieber? — James A.

Bieber logged 194 1/3 innings last year, split between Class AA Akron, Class AAA Columbus and Cleveland. He could eclipse that total when he pitches in his home state early next week. He has topped the 100-pitch mark in 15 of his last 16 starts and has registered six or more innings in nine straight starts, but that says as much about his consistency and effectiveness as it does Francona’s reliance on him. It doesn’t appear as though there are any restrictions, as evidenced by his 114 pitches against the White Sox on Wednesday night.

Bieber’s average fastball velocity would suggest his arm is holding up just fine:

April: 93.0 mph
May: 93.3 mph
June: 93.1 mph
July 92.8 mph
August: 93.3 mph

Considering the 40-man situation, have you gotten any idea if James Karinchak and Cam Hill will be making their debuts in Cleveland for September call-ups? Furthermore, will Daniel Johnson be given some exposure to major-league pitching given how he has been mashing in AAA? — Zachary A.

I asked Francona if the Indians still planned to make their September additions in waves. Initially, the Indians planned to make their final promotions once Class AAA Columbus wrapped up its playoff run.

“Some of these guys are young,” Francona said, “and the more they pitch, especially in a playoff situation, is really good for them. So we’re trying to balance that out.”

They added Jefry Rodriguez on Friday. It’s been tough to get a read on how they’ll approach the prospects. I’ve been calling for Karinchak for months.

Here’s what Francona had to say about Johnson and Karinchak on Friday:

On the reports he’s received about Johnson: “Physically, that he’s really, really taken off. And that he’s still learning how to play the game. Inexperience. I think everybody down there thinks that with some experience, this kid’s got a chance to be an everyday major-league player. You can’t really say that about everybody. We got to look at him in spring training. It was kind of brief, but we loved what we saw. It’s nice when you see it carry over through the whole year. He’s basically carried it from Double-A to Triple-A, the entire season.”

On Karinchak: “Early on, it kind of jumped out because he was striking everybody out in Double-A. Then he got hurt, so that knocked out about six weeks of his season. His stuff is undoubtedly really good. Sometimes when young pitchers have stuff that’s that good, some of the other parts of their game come later: holding runners, fielding their position. I mean, it’s not necessarily their fault. There haven’t been a whole lot of runners. But those are things we know when he gets here, whenever that may be, that’s something that’s gonna have to get better.”

(It might just be me, but I’d prefer that the guy with the .472 opponent OPS and the 22.0 K/9 rate attempt to aid a scuffling bullpen – at least, until Friday night – during a playoff race. In an ideal world, he probably would’ve been promoted long enough ago to learn how to better hold runners and field his position. The injuries certainly didn’t help matters.)

What’s going on with the script Indians sign above the scoreboard? Any chance they fix it before the end of the 2025 season? — Brian A.

An Indians official told me: “Still sourcing parts for a 26-year-old system.” But enough about Bradley Zimmer.

So, basically, we are playing for the Wild Card. I was wondering, what is the tie breaker for the Wild Card game if we do happen to end up tied with Tampa or the A’s? — Richard S.

Ah, an answer for those who prefer to watch the world burn.

If two teams are tied for the best record among non-division winners, those two clubs will settle the Wild Card game at the ballpark of the team with the better head-to-head record. The same goes for if two teams are tied for the second Wild Card spot, only the tiebreaker game would determine the opponent for the occupant of the first Wild Card spot.

OK, but what if, say, the Indians, Rays and Athletics all wind up with the same record?

The teams would choose specific assignments: A, B and C. Oakland would have first selection, since it amassed the best record against the other two clubs in consideration. Tampa would choose next. Cleveland, 2-11 against the Rays and A’s this year, would receive the leftover designation.

Team A would host Team B. The winner advances to the Wild Card game. Team C then hosts the loser to determine the second Wild Card participant. Oh, and then there would be the actual Wild Card game. Meanwhile, the top seed would be relaxing by the pool and sorting out its pitching plan. Got all that? Bring on the chaos.

(Top photo: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)

Easy solution for the 1 year, $21 million left on Santana's contract.

He very, very obviously wants to stay. Extend him out for, say, 3 years with less annual salary. Just as an example, 3 years totaling $40 million. He gets more money overall, and we keep payroll down.

He's not that old really, plays 1B, so 3 years is quite reasonable. I think odds are crazy good something like that happens.

I second that; especially since it's not my money

Good news.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Michael Pineda has been suspended 60 games without pay after testing positive for Hydrochlorothiazid, in violation of MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program.

Pineda originally was suspended for 80 games, but the ban was reduced to 60 on appeal, as a compelling case was made that the banned diuretic he used was not a masking agent for performance-enhancing drugs, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Pineda made 26 starts this season, going 11-5 with a 4.01 ERA.

That can only help. Those numbers are deceiving as Pineda had pitched really well the last couple months.

My wife takes that drug. Is she suspended?