What are Indians going to do when Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale arent pitching?
ST. LOUIS -- The Indians have been through this before with their starting rotation. During the stretch run to the World Series in 2016, they lost starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar to injuries. They made it through the end of the regular season with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Josh Tomlin and some well placed bullpen games. Early in the 2019 season, they lost Kluber and Clevinger to injuries and Carrasco to illness. The 2016 draft class of Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac came to the rescue. This year has a different feel to it. The 2016 draft class is down to Bieber (6-3, 3.08) and Civale (8-2, 3.49) because of Plesacs broken right thumb. The veteran core of the rotation -- Carrasco, Kluber, Clevinger and Bauer -- has systematically been traded away starting with Bauer being sent to Cincinnati at the deadline in 2019. The safety net starters, guys like Ryan Merritt, who pitched so well in 2016, have not emerged. Logan Allen won the fifth spot with a great spring training, but lasted just five starts before being optioned to Class AAA Columbus. The offense, one of the weakest in the big leagues, has offered little if any relief. Fortunately, the same cannot be said for the bullpen, one of the best in the big leagues when it comes to slamming the door. Triston McKenzies status captures the state of the rotation at the moment. McKenzie opened the season with the Indians. In eight appearances, including seven starts, he went 1-3 with 6.89 ERA before being optioned to Columbus. The Indians wanted him to get his bearings and find the strike zone after leading the AL in walks upon his departure. A funny thing happened to McKenzie on his way to taking a deep breath at Columbus. His next two starts were with the Indians because of Plesacs broken thumb and a doubleheader. He pitched much better in those two starts than in most of his previous seven, but he was optioned to Columbus after both games. On Sunday, McKenzie finally made his first career start at Triple-AAA, throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out four, walking two and allowing two hits. When the Indians return to Cleveland after Wednesdays game against the Cardinals, it is likely McKenzie will be recalled again. This time it will probably be to take a regular turn in the rotation because hes their best option. The rotation, including McKenzie, could look like this: Bieber, Civale, J.C. Mejia, Cal Quantrill/Sam Hentges and McKenzie. The Indians will need a fifth starter because on Friday the schedule calls for them to play 30 games in 31 days. A trade could alleviate the stress on the rotation, but thats unlikely. Not only have the Indians been cutting payroll for the last four years, but throughout the big leagues teams are looking for starting pitching because of the large number of injuries this season. The Cardinals, for instance, are down three starters in Jack Flaherty, Kwang Hyun Kim and Miles Mikolas. For the time being, the Indians are going to have to shuffle through their own players. Theyve already tested Allen, who has a sore left elbow. Eli Morgan was almost blown off the mound when he pitched in a rain-shortened game against Toronto. Perhaps hell get another chance. Scott Moss has been slowed by neck and back problems since spring training. A layer below prospects such as Ethan Hankins and Carlos Vargas needed Tommy John surgery coming out of spring training. There was some question as to whether Bieber should have started Sunday against the Orioles instead of Quantrill, who lasted 1 1/3 innings in an 18-5 loss. The Indians wanted to give Bieber, who will start Tuesday night against St. Louis, extra rest to reset himself because of the long stretch of games awaiting them. Regarding Plesacs status, the Indians will know more after hes examined by Dr. Thomas Graham on Tuesday in Dayton. If his thumb shows improvement, he could start a throwing program in the near future. When hed be ready to rejoin the rotation is unknown. A pessimist would look at the current rotation and say the Indians have a chance to win only when Bieber or Civale start. An optimist would look at it and appreciate the experience and development the other three inexperienced pitchers are gaining. Either option does not bode well for the Indians won-loss record. A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)  New Indians face masks for sale: Heres where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity. Hey, Hoynsie  Indians pitchers warned about a sticky subject: The week in baseball  Threading the needle with Bobby Bradley. Podcast  Indians considering more than 1,100 options for name change