There’s no sugar-coating this game, the Red Sox getting a three-run home run in the 10th inning from slugger and notorious Cleveland masher J.D. Martinez was a back breaker.
Before looking at some of the negatives from this game, the overwhelming positive was Indians starting pitcher Cal Quantrill, who pitched very well in seven innings. He allowed just two runs (one earned), six hits, two walks, and fanned six Boston hitters.
Quantrill finished off an impressive month of August with a 2-0 record and a 1.42 ERA, while striking out 40 opponents in 38 innings pitched. His improvement was noticed by Indians catcher and longtime teammate Austin Hedges.
When asked about the difference in Quantrill’s improvement, Hedges told reporters, “A big thing is confidence. I think [Quantrill] goes out there every single day knowing that he can get anyone out at any time. … When you have confidence in your stuff, that helps a lot.”
Quantrill initially was the long reliever for the bullpen out of Spring Training after left-hander Logan Allen won the fifth starter role. Following injuries to ace Shane Bieber, as well as other great young starting pitchers Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale, Quantrill’s role grew exponentially.
To say that Quantrill has stepped up to the plate is a drastic understatement. While he struggled early on as he stretched out his pitch count, giving up 13 runs in his first five starts for Cleveland this year, he has rebounded nicely, only allowing nine earned runs in his last nine starts. Of those nine starts, he has pitched all but two of them for at least 6 innings.
“The one thing that’s been clicking for him is that he’s always been a two-seam [fastball] pitcher and added a four-seam [fastball]. That’s been really nice, and it’s been a weapon,” Hedges added about Quantrill’s growth and what it allows them to do against opponents. “He’s tightened up his slider, and he has elite command with that [pitch]. … We can throw every one of his pitches to both sides of the plate, to [left-handed or right-handed] hitters. It allows us … to read the hitter, whatever they want to give us, we [can] counter that.”
Despite all of the injuries to the starting pitching in Cleveland in 2021, the biggest advantage is that it allowed the club to evaluate many different players in a difficult situation.
To quote the book and movie Moneyball, “Adapt or die.”
Young players like Quantrill and Triston McKenzie, who was placed on the 10-day Injured List earlier this week, have taken great strides, showing resilience by bouncing back after rocky starts to their seasons.
Their reward? Pole positioning for the final two spots in the starting rotation in 2022.
Both have pitched phenomenally in the month of August and are as close to a lock as you can get to being in the rotation. While young pitchers Eli Morgan, Sam Hentges, JC Mejia, and Logan Allen all have shown flashes, it has been clear that they need some more seasoning with Cleveland’s development staff this offseason to help with their consistency for the future.
While Quantrill shined on Saturday afternoon, there were definitely some clouds that tried to cover up his shine…
About that timely hitting…
For the Indians, the team had plenty of opportunities to take the lead in this ballgame.
The club left 13 runners stranded on base, including at least one in scoring position in the 6th, 7th and 8th inning.
The 7th in particular was extremely frustrating for the Indians. Both outfielder Oscar Mercado and infielder Andres Gimenez were able to get on base to lead off the inning, but following a pop-up bunt by centerfielder Myles Straw and groundout by shortstop Amed Rosario, that advantage was quickly erased.
Wanting to move over runners makes sense, but when the bottom two hitters are able to get on and a contact hitter like Straw is coming to the plate, there has to be an opportunity for him to get on base. Pair that with a poor at-bat from Rosario and it was easy to see how the Indians dropped this contest.
Is it the end of the world for this team? No, but it isn’t encouraging when you see poor at-bats and situational baseball in a game that was won in extra innings that could have been avoided.
Bullpen Questions
Following giving up a three run home run and getting the loss on Friday night, Indians reliever James Karinchak was sent down to Triple-A Columbus. While he has had his struggles, he isn’t the only question mark surrounding the bullpen.
Indians reliever Nick Wittgren, 30, has had a good month of August, only allowing seven runs (four earned) and three home runs, however two of those three home runs have been in his last two relief appearances.
Add to the mix that Indians reliever Bryan Shaw is 33 years-old and will be a free agent at the end of the season, there are many veterans that have been serviceable but concerning when looking at the future for this bullpen.
Young relievers like Alex Young, Trevor Stephan, and Justin Garza all have shown flashes, but none that have stood out enough to guarantee a spot for the bullpen next season.
Indians closer Emmanuel Clase has been dominant as of late with his slider-cutter combination and will certainly be locked into his role next year. The rest? There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered over the next month and change.
What’s next?
The Indians will look to avoid the sweep against the Boston Red Sox tomorrow at Progressive Field at 1:10pm. On the mound for the Tribe will be right-hander Eli Morgan (2-6, 5.98). For Boston, it will be right-hander Tanner Houck (0-3, 3.43) taking the hill.