MLB: Who to Root For This Postseason if Your Team is Eliminated
By Jason Burke
Cleveland Indians: 92-67
Last World Series: Defeated the Boston Braves in 1948
For a few years now fans have been awaiting the arrival of the Indians pitching staff, and for them to stay healthy for an entire season. While the health of the rotation was ultimately good enough to get them a playoff spot, Cleveland is now looking at a depleted rotation that has a lot of question marks as we enter October.
Corey Kluber is the lone man standing at this point in time, and even the headlines involving his name are centered around the coaching staff being “confident he will be ready” for the ALDS. If he were to be delayed until later in their series, the Indians would likely role with Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin in games one and two.
Danny Salazar could potentially be available out of the bullpen during the postseason, but his timetable is still very much up in the air. Whether that means available for the ALDS, or later, could play a big role in the team’s playoff fate.
Manager Terry Francona has been taking an interesting approach to how he uses players, particularly his arms in the bullpen, and specifically trade deadline acquisition Andrew Miller. The lefty can come on in the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, and is likely going to be available for multiple innings most of the nights he toes the rubber. How extreme Francona gets with his bullpen usage (will he use Miller in the fourth if the opposition is threatening?) could be most intriguing in Cleveland’s playoff run.
If you’re looking for an underdog story, or are a fan of thinking outside of the box, this may be the team for you. They will have a date with the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS.