Word Series Storylines: Kyle Schwarber and the Indians Bullpen

The World Series is tied up at a game apiece after the Chicago Cubs impressive 5-1 victory over the Indians in Cleveland. The biggest difference between games one and two was that Corey Kluber was not on the mound, and the Cubs showcased their depth behind Game 1 starter Jon Lester.

After missing nearly the entire regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs Kyle Schwarber has arguably been the Cubs most fearsome hitter through the first two games of the World Series, going 3-for-7 with a pair of RBI. The big question moving forward for Chicago will be whether or not Schwarber, who was added to the 25-man roster to be the team’s DH, will be manning left field for Game 3.

Or if he is even medically cleared to do so.

If the doctors keep Schwarber out of left in Wrigley, that could actually be a blessing in disguise of sorts for the Cubs, who could instead play Albert Almora Jr. (not the blessing) and his solid defense in the outfield (there it is) while being able to implement Schwarber as a pinch-hitter when the team could use a big bopper in a key RBI spot. After Schwarber takes his hacks, he could be replaced in the field by Jason Heyward (or Almora) for defensive purposes.

With the beast of a 23-year-old in the lineup and roaming the outfield, the Indians could always choose to walk him if the threat of his bat became too much, while also benefitting from his slightly below average defense in left–something Cleveland would surely do with their base running skills and Schwarber still recovering from surgery. With Schwarber pinch-hitting at a key time, pitching around him may not be an answer that Cleveland is able to use.

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The other big storyline in this World Series, and the entire playoffs, really, has been Terry Francona‘s bullpen usage this postseason. With a weapon like Andrew Miller, it shortens the game quite a bit and is making it possible for Corey Kluber to start games one, four and seven (if necessary) without having to throw 130+ pitches every time out. Miller backing him up will keep his arm fresh. Unless…

Behind Kluber in the rotation are some average arms, but nothing of the quality that the Cubs will be tossing out there on a nightly basis. With a maximum of five games left in each team’s season, every bullet will be fired, and Francona will be quick to go to his bullpen if the situation calls for it. After Miller tossed 46 pitches in Game 1, he was unlikely to have a similar outing in Game 2, even if the Indians held the lead.

In Game 3, with two day’s rest, we can expect to see Miller warming up as early as he’s needed, and while a pitch limit won’t be in play, if he is managing his pitch count more effectively than in Game 1, the volume of innings certainly shouldn’t be a determining factor. The job will be to get the ball to Cody Allen in either the 8th or 9th, and whether it’s Miller that takes them all the way there, or Chris Shaw and Dan Otero need to act as a bridge to get them there, the situation will be the determining factor.

Game 3 starter Josh Tomlin has good numbers the first time through the order as a starter, posting a 3.67 ERA, but his splits definitely favor right-handed bats as they have hit .295 against him (.227 against lefties) while slugging .522 (.438). With Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist both being switch hitters, it will be intriguing to see which side of the plate they line up on.

If the Indians can grab an early lead, Miller could be coming in as early as the 4th inning if there is any sign of trouble with Tomlin. At this point, the games that Cleveland has the best shot at victory  are the ones that Kluber is starting, and in the others, the bullpen should be on high alert to try and steal one.

With that in mind, the bullpen’s usage will be high in any of the games that Kluber doesn’t touch the ball, which will mean that he will likely have to be out on the mound a little bit longer than his six inning, 88 pitch Game 1 performance. If he gets hit around and the Indians can’t turn to their bullpen, it won’t necessarily matter if they can’t pick up any victories with another starter.

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Maximizing the bullpen and perhaps pairing Kluber with Danny Salazar in Games 4 and 7 could be the recipe for success in Cleveland. That said, they’ll have to grab an early lead and start scoring runs from the 7th inning on, which they have done once this postseason (Game 1).