7:10 PM EST – Money Line: Indians -240, Run Line: 8
Marquez continues to impress in his Rookie campaign, going undefeated in his last six starts, while racking up 38 Strikeouts.
Playoff hopefuls clash tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, as the Cleveland Indians host the Colorado Rockies in the first leg of a brief two-game Interleague set, with both teams looking to rally back from defeats. In any other season, the Rockies (64-48, 2nd in NL West) would in all likelihood be leading the way in their division, but the unfortunate truth of this campaign is that despite owning the third-best record in the National League, Bud Black’s charges remain a staggering 15.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. As a result, Colorado has found themselves fighting for their postseason lives in possession of the first Wild card in the National League, leading their closest competition, division rival Arizona, by only a half-game. Fresh off of taking two out of three games against the struggling Phillies, the Rockies dropped the final third of that series despite virtually leading the contest from start to finish. Leading 2-1 in the Top of the Ninth, Closer Greg Holland (1.96 ERA, 34 SV) blew an opportunity to secure his thirty-fifth Save of the term, only to serve up the go-ahead two-run Double to Cameron Rupp, which his teammates proved unable to overcome in the back end of the frame. The collapse spoiled a solid performance from Jeff Hoffman (6-3, 5.03 ERA), who owned the Phillies throughout his seven innings of labor, allowing one run on four hits, while racking up eight strikeouts in comparison to just one walk. Taking the mound tonight for Black will be German Marquez (9-4, 4.11 ERA), who like many of the young arms that have had to be broken into the Rockies’ Rotation this season, has fared very well, and may just turn out to be the best of the bunch. Unlike many rookies who start to wear down as the season plods along, the 22-year old has reversed script and gotten better; he’s undefeated in his last six starts, earning four victories in those opportunities, with Colorado triumphing in each of his last five starts. When last we saw him, the Venezuelan International came back down to earth a bit in what would ultimately be a No-Decision in a 5-4 win over the New York Mets, yielding three earned runs on six hits over six innings, with five strikeouts in comparison to three walks. However, in the four starts that preceded last Thursday’s contest, Marquez dominated the likes of the Nationals, Pirates, Padres, and White Sox, yielding no more than three runs, while striking out a staggering thirty-three batters while issuing only four walks. That’s a ridiculous 8.25 K/BB Ratio, folks, which means that this dude has really been dealing. Then again, that really shouldn’t come as a surprise, for the Righthander has been by far and away the most prolific of Black’s Starters in that regard, leading the Rotation with 100 total Strikeouts, 8.7 Strikeouts per Nine Innings, and a 3.03 K/BB Ratio. With that said, equally impressive is the fact that he’s also been arguably the team’s most disciplined Starter, averaging just 2.9 Walks per Nine Innings, the fewest figure permitted by the members of the young Rotation. For a team fending off competition for one of the Wild Cards in the National League, having an arm that can overpower opposing hitters is a luxury not to be overstated.
Kluber has been white-hot in his last ten starts, striking out 113 batters, while posting a miniscule 1.70 ERA.
Meanwhile, despite their torrid stretch since the All-Star Break, the Indians (59-50, 1st in AL Central) have come back down to Earth a bit of late, losing five of their last seven outings after a winning nine straight games at one point. Splitting a four-game set with the New York Yankees, Terry Francona’s charges fell apart after taking the first two games of the series, as they were outscored 10-2 over the latter two meetings, including 8-1 in their most recent affair. Simply put, it was not a good day from the mound for the Tribe, as Carlos Carrasco (10-5, 4.06 ERA), who despite a strong initial five innings of work, was eventually charged for five runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work, as the Bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding, with promising youngster Mike Clevinger (5-4, 4.00 ERA) getting tagged for three runs on a pair of hits, including a three-run homer to Aaron Judge. From the Plate, Cleveland couldn’t solve the riddle of Luis Severino, who rendered them largely inert, permitting only a pair of hits, while striking out nine Indians. With the exception a Michael Brantley (.300 BA, 9 HR, 52 RBI) Solo Home Run to open things up in the First Inning, the hosts were a painstakingly miserable 1-for-29 with bat in hand. Taking the mound tonight for Francona and Co. is Corey Kluber (9-3, 2.77 ERA), who despite registering just four wins in his last ten starts, has been so damn good that the Indians must be considered a legitimate candidate to return to the World Series for a second consecutive year. In his last ten appearances, the 2014 Cy Young winner has racked up at least ten strikeouts nine times, totaling a whopping 113 Strikeouts in comparison to a scant twelve Walks. If you thought his counterpart tonight was impressive, Kluber’s 9.42 K/BB Ratio over twice as long a span is down right outrageous. Furthermore, he’s become only the third pitcher in Major League History to strike out at least eight batters in twelve consecutive starts, with the other two aces being Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan. ‘Nuff Said. When last we saw the veteran Righthander, he was busy eviscerating the Yankees’ powerful Lineup, relegating the Bronx Bombers to one lone run on three hits, with eleven strikeouts and a walk in the Complete Game 5-1 victory. Saturday’s masterpiece marked the third time this season in which had gone the distance. The 31-year old is making an overpowering case for more hardware, ranking third in the American League in Strikeouts (172), ERA (2.77), and Win Percentage (.750), and second in WHIP (0.954) and Complete Games (three). In fact, there’s plenty of evidence that would support his current campaign being even better than his award-winning tour in 2014; though he’s unlikely to reach eighteen victories as he did before, he’s on pace for fewer losses, while setting career-highs in WHIP, Strikeouts per Nine Innings (12.5), K/BB Ratio (6.14). Furthermore, he’s only allowing 6.5 Hits per Nine Innings, his fewest in seven years as a professional, and the first time he’s been under seven. Tonight’s meeting should be something to watch, for Kluber will have his work cut out for him; the Rockies lead the National League in Team Batting Average (.276) and Runs per Game (5.3). Something else to keep in mind tonight is the fact that few teams have been as unfortunate in Interleague Play as these Indians, who are currently an American League-worst 5-13 in such meetings. Could it be a World Series hangover? Perhaps…
