Cleveland Indians: Corey Kluber to Start Game Four of World Series
The Cleveland Indians will turn to ace Corey Kluber to start game four of the World Series on just three days of rest.
Down two starting pitchers, the Cleveland Indians will turn to Corey Kluber to start the fourth game of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs, tweets Jeff Passan. The move, while not entirely unexpected, is somewhat risky given that he will be working on just three days of rest. Given last night’s 5-1 loss setting the match at one win a piece, game four looks like a must-win if the Indians want to return home with a decent chance of winning the series.
Although Kluber will be operating on short rest, he has yet to pitch deep into any games. This fact, probably in an attempt to save him for a case like this, could be a boon to the Cleveland Indians. He has averaged six innings during his starts so far, and combining five or six solid innings with the Tribe’s elite bullpen could be all it takes to keep the Indians’ dreams alive.
Perhaps just as noteworthy, Kluber could potentially return in a game seven situation. This start would also come on three days’ rest, but it would be the best option that the Cleveland Indians have. Both Bauer and Tomlin would have pitched even more recently, and Danny Salazar is probably not ready for such a high-stakes situation.
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Furthermore, Corey Kluber has pitched brilliantly for the Tribe this postseason. Through four starts, he has allowed just two runs. Perhaps more impressive are the 29 batters he has struck out in just 24.1 innings of work. He has matched this with his typical dosage of limiting baserunners to be one of the most effective starting pitchers this October.
His October greatness has been more or less reflected this season. The former Cy Young Award winner owns a 3.14 earned run average this year and an MLB-best 3.26 fielding independent pitching. Not only has he excelled at preventing runs, but he has thrived at inducing strikeouts and groundballs.
What remains to be seen is if the Chicago Cubs will be more prepared for Corey Kluber the second, or third, time around. The right-hander pitched with a similarly short rest for the fourth game of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Jays did manage to win that game. Kluber allowed two runs in just five innings of work, although he still looked dominant and whiffed seven batters.
Next: Corey Kluber: Pitching Backwards Confused the Cubs
Despite this marginally worse performance, Kluber has played as one of the Tribe’s better pitchers for some time now. Ultimately, pitching him on short rest is the best way forward for the Cleveland Indians if they want to win the World Series.