Cleveland Indians aligning rotation for postseason

The Cleveland Indians are preparing the rotation for postseason ball.

The Cleveland Indians are maneuvering their starting rotation in order to lineup their pitchers for the postseason.

Per The ABJ’s Ryan Lewis, Cal Quantrill will start a bullpen game for the Tribe on Tuesday, with Shane Bieber starting Wednesday. Zach Plesac will be bumped to Thursday, making a one-two punch of Bieber-Plesac the likely combination of hurlers the Tribe will roll out come playoff time.

Nothing’s been disclosed yet, but my guess is Carlos Carrasco will be the Game 3 starter. Carrasco’s just been better than Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie down the stretch.

1. A recent Twitter post indicated Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes suggested the Indians hold off on starting Bieber in Game 1 in a potential series against the White Sox.

The White Sox would assuredly start ace Lucas Giolito, and the train of thought centers around staggering Bieber from Gioltio so when Bieber does pitch, the Indians have a better chance of winning.

The Tribe’s recent move indicates they won’t do this, and that’s a good thing. Bieber gives Cleveland their best shot to win. Make whomever plays the Tribe beat Bieber.

2. It was concerning to read about the dip in Triston McKenzie’s velocity. The rookie saw his average fastball drop from 94.5 mph in his first start, to 90.6 last Saturday in Detroit.

The Indians have been strict in keeping McKenzie on an 85-pitch limit, as he’s battled injuries throughout his minor-league career, especially the last two seasons.

He’s slated to make one more start in 2020. After that, we’ll have to see. The bullpen could be a nice option for McKenzie during the postseason. There’s only two guys I trust in Brad Hand and James Karinchak. I kind of trust Nick Witgren.

Everyone else? Good luck.

Having McKenzie back there would bring much needed help, but only if he’s able to bring some heat. We’ll soon see what the Indians are comfortable with regarding this decision.