Indians Top Three in the Rotation Set; Does the Team Go With Five or Six Starters to Begin Season?

The Indians are getting closer to the regular season, and the team seems to have a lock on who their first three pitchers will be out of the gate. Manager Terry Francona and the staff have to decide on two things, one being if the club will go with a five or six-man rotation to start the year, and just who those pitchers may be to take the hill for the club.

With eight days to go before the start of the regular season for the Cleveland Indians, one thing that seems already set is the top three in the team’s pitching rotation.

Thursday it was Carlos Carrasco, who appears to be a lock for the three spot in the rotation, pitching for the “home” team in the club’s intersquad scrimmage at Progressive Field.

Shane Bieber, who is on pace to start the opener Friday July 24th against the Royals, will be the number one in the rotation, with Mike Clevinger being in the two spot.

Indians manager Terry Francona confirmed on Thursday that the rotation of Bieber, Clevinger then Carrasco seems to be a lock.

“Unless something happens,” Francona said when asked about the top three in the rotation. “You don’t want to move things around.”

While spots one through three seem set, that still leaves two or possibly even three openings in the back end of the rotation depending on if the team goes with a five-man or six-man rotation out of the gate.

With 17 straight to start the season, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the team could start the season with a six-man rotation.

Francona admitted Thursday that the rest of the rotation isn’t set just yet, nor the number of pitchers the team will go with six to start the season.

“We’re sorting through that,” Francona said. “Do we go with six out of the gate, we are mulling over with what puts us in the best position.”

The options for two or more starters for the Indians won’t likely be an issue, as the team has a number of young starters who could take the mound in a starting capacity.

Among those include Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Adam Plutko.

One name that saw a number of starts during the team’s first spring training back in March but has been shut down during the latest “Summer Camp” is Jefry Rodriguez, who the team acquired in November of 2018 in the deal that sent Yan Gomes to the Washington Nationals.

Rodriguez was 0-3 in March in spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, but during the latest camp he has yet to throw.

The 26-year-old, who was 1-5 last season with a 4.63 ERA for the Indians, has been dealing with a back issue since spring training was shut down March 13.

“He’s doing okay,” Francona said. “He’s been dealing with a low back out of spring training, from his account he’s doing better.

“We’re trying to use good judgement there with him.”

Last season Plesac as a rookie started 21 games going 8-6 with a 3.81 ERA. Civale got 10 starts and went 3-4 with a solid 2.34 ERA.

Plutko went back and forth between a starting role and the pen, and in 20 starts went 7-5 with an ERA of 5.28.