CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians are back in town for a big series with the Detroit Tigers.
And it’s September.
And I’m still not sure how this happened, how the Tribe is in contention for anything in September.
But they were only 3 1/2 games behind Kansas City in the Central Division heading into Monday’s 4:05 p.m. game with Detroit.
These are not the Indians of 2013, the team that won 92 games and secured a wild card playoff berth.
Or are they?
Heading into September last season, the Tribe was 71-64 — and 7 1/2 games behind the Tigers in the Central Division.
No one saw a 21-6 record in the final month of the season. And the exclamation point — make that TEN EXCLAMATION POINTS — was the 10-game winning streak to end the season.
In the name of T.J. House and Zach Walters, can they do that again — or at least something like that?
Corey Kluber is the ace of the staff, and he has only 64 career starts. THE STARTERS
Consider that only two members of the current starting rotation had the same job this time a year ago.
That’s Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar.
Gone are Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson and Scott Kazmir.
Three veterans. Three starters who have been replaced by the following: Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and House.
That would seem to be a sign of trouble, but nothing is quite exactly what it seems with these Indians.
No one in the current rotation has had that job for more than two years.
Consider the career starts:
- Kluber — 64
- Carrasco — 48
- Bauer — 29
- Salazar — 25
- House — 14
That list of pitchers looks too young, too inexperienced to carry a team into contention. But the Indians were 17-9 in August and had baseball’s best ERA of 2.40. The highest ERA on the team in August was 4.02 by Josh Tomlin.
This team is pitching driven.
And this rotation has two guys (House and Bauer) who opened the season in Class AAA.
And one guy (Carrasco) who began in the rotation and ended up in the bullpen, before returning to the rotation.
And another guy (Salazar) who opened in the rotation, was sent to the minors and then returned.
And then there’s been Corey Kluber, the only one to make every start.
This shouldn’t be happening.
After warming up in the bullpen, Cleveland Indians starter Trevor Bauer walked in with catcher Roberto Perez and pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Give Callaway a lot of credit for helping the Tribe build a young, effective rotation. THE OLD GUYS, THE NEW GUYS
Masterson was supposed to be the ace of the staff. But he was a mess with the Tribe, and has been worse since traded to St. Louis at the end of July. The 2013 All-Star is 2-3 with a 7.90 ERA for the Cardinals, who appear ready to take him out of the rotation.
Jimenez signed a four-year, $50-million contract with Baltimore. He’s 4-9 with a 4.96 ERA and the Orioles have put him in the bullpen.
Kazmir signed a two-year, $22-million deal with Oakland. He made the All-Star team (11-3, 2.38). But since then, the lefty has been wearing down as he’s 3-4 with a 6.21 ERA in the second half. We’ll see if Kazmir is just going through a tough stretch, or if he is having physical problems — something the Tribe feared when they decided not to offer him more than a one-year contract.
But those thee guys combined for 37 victories last season. How could the Tribe replace that, especially without signing a veteran starter?
The farm system supplied House and Salazar, both signed and developed by the Indians. Bauer came in the Tribe steal of a deal with Arizona, which also supplied Bryan Shaw. Other players were involved, the main one traded from Cleveland was Shin-Soo Choo.
Manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have rebuilt the rotation. The Indians also credit bullpen coach Kevin Cash with helping to put back together the pieces of Carrasco, turning him into a starter.
In August, Carrasco was 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA. He is modeling himself after Kluber — Throw Strike One, Don’t Walk Anyone!
What has happened to the rotation is remarkable.
Early in the season, Salazar and Carrasco were monumental flops. Both lost their jobs and confidence. Both are now throwing 95-97 mph, Salazar with a 2-2 record and 2.77 ERA in August.
A year ago, Bauer was where Masterson is today — so confused, he was pitching the entire game from the stretch. Bauer now looks like a veteran starter with a reconstructed windup and a baseball soul that has found some peace in Cleveland.
The bullpen has been outstanding, the second best in the American League since the All-Star break. Cody Allen is 18-of-20 in saves. Shaw leads the league in appearances. The Indians are 55-3 when they have a lead after six innings (compared to 67-6 last year).
For a young team such as the Tribe, pitching is the great eraser. Pitching is how Tampa Bay and Oakland stayed in contention for years with low payrolls, and it’s how the Tribe is doing it now.
Zach Walters hit six homers in August. THE LINEUP
The Indians were 17-9 in August with a team batting average of .251. They were 17-9 averaging only 3.7 runs per game.
Their leading home run hitter in August? That’s right, Zach Walters. He has six. He also is batting .175.
Chris Dickerson batted 47 times in August without driving in a run. His average was .147.
Nick Swisher and David Murphy are injured. Michael Bourn came back from his hamstring problems in the middle of August. The Tribe was 10-4 with him in the lineup. He batted only .269 last month, but at least he is an experienced player.
Carrying the team offense have been Yan Gomes (.310, 3 HR, 9 RBI), Jose Ramirez (.304) and Michael Brantley (.290, 3 HR, 18 RBI) in August.
At the end of spring training, who would have guessed that Ramirez would stabilize the shortstop position? Or that Brantley would be the team’s top run-producer? Or that some nights, the lineup would contain the names of Tyler Holt, Roberto Perez, Walters and Dickerson?
THE MANAGER
Terry Francona was the American League Manager of the Year in 2013, and he deserved it.
He may be doing even a better job this season.
The veteran manager stands in the dugout, rocking back and forth — shoving piece after piece of bubblegum in his mouth. It’s the only sign of nerves.
Francona’s strength is in how he treats people. His players trust him. He works with General Manager Chris Antonetti to shift pitchers between Cleveland and Class AAA Columbus to keep fresh arms in the bullpen.
Some of Antonetti’s recent moves have really paid off: Esmil Rodgers for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes remains a very underrated deal forgotten by many fans.
In his two years here, Francona has never had a public spat with a player. His emphasis on relationships — with his bosses and his players — is his strength.
Who knows what will happen in September. Maybe the pitching will fade. If it does, so will the Indians.
Or maybe not.
But this much is certain: It’s September. And for the second September in a row, Francona has delivered meaningful baseball to Tribe fans.