The Cleveland Indians 2021 season has been all about growing pains and stepping up, even when players might need more development.
Friday night’s 10-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers proved to be that and then some.
Indians starting pitcher Eli Morgan has shown flashes as a starter this year with his array of off-speed pitches coupled with his fastball. The tough part about his game is that he has to be on point with his location, or else he will run into issues.
On Friday night, Morgan’s off-speed pitches were flat and the Brewers were able to take advantage, scoring eight runs (seven earned) off the young right-hander.
Reminiscent of former Indian Josh Tomlin, Morgan is someone who could have long-term success in the back end of the rotation, but just needs to work on his consistency and location. He is definitely someone worth being patient on his development, especially given the fact that he likely would have had a longer stint in Columbus, if not for the barrage of injuries to the rotation this season.
Indians interim manager DeMarlo Hale then decided to take out Morgan to bring in reliever Sam Hentges. The big southpaw is another young starting pitcher who was called into action early in the season due to injuries.
Hentges, 25, is also someone who likely could have used more seasoning in Columbus, however, as the saying goes, “Next man up…”
He came into the ballgame in a less than ideal situation, with the bases loaded and surrendered not one, but two home runs in his 1 ⅔ innings pitched on Friday.
For the left-hander, he has shown an ability to make batters miss with his breaking balls, but just wasn’t able to get the ball in the right spots on Friday night.
While Hentges has struggled as a starter this season, as a reliever, he actually has had success as of late. Prior to Friday night, he did not allow a run in his previous six relief appearances.
The moral of the story here is that the young players are going to have their ups and downs, especially in a season like this one, so there will be growing pains. Friday night was just a part of that.
I’ve got a need… A need for speed…
With the way the Indians have been stealing bases, you would expect to see burnout marks on the basepaths…
The Tribe stole their 35th consecutive base without being caught, including a MLB season-high six as a team on Friday night.
Cleveland has always been a team that has prided itself on smart baserunning, and this definitely has been a feather in the cap to the way this team has handled themselves.
Leading the charge has been trade deadline acquisition outfielder Myles Straw, who stole three bases on Friday night alone and 27 on the season. Straw’s speed at the top of the lineup has really had an impact on opposing pitchers, which gives an advantage to hitters like shortstop Amed Rosario, who has been one of if not the best hitter for the team since the trade deadline.
In addition to Straw, outfielder Bradley Zimmer has flashed his wheels around the diamond, as he nabbed his 13th stolen base of the season. Between Straw’s speed at the top of the order and Zimmer’s speed in the back half, they constantly are a headache for opposing pitchers, and are always threats to score.
What’s Next?
The Indians will look to tie up the series against the Brewers on Saturday at 6:10 pm from Progressive Field. Toeing the rubber for the Tribe will be right-hander Zach Plesac (10-4, 4.53). For the Brew Crew, they will be trotting out their ace, right-hander Corbin Burnes (9-4, 2.38).