Please Plesac Me

You have to marvel at the Cleveland Indians' rotation. Just when you thought it was set in stone, and the Kluber-Carrasco-Bauer-Salazar-Clevinger thing was the depths it could go to...you blink and there's a completely different awesome rotation conquering the division.

Granted, the original rotation's fragments are beginning to return- Carlos Carrasco will be returning soon, though probably as a bullpen piece. Kluber should be back mid-September. And Salazar...well, he's trying. But we now have 4 guys filling the holes left by those three and Bauer who are definitely up to the task.

First of all, Shane Bieber's one hell of an ace. He's just...been on fire this whole year, and if Kluber is done in Cleveland after this year, they'll be fine with Bieber as the No. 1 guy. Zach Plesac has been a nice surprise since coming up in May, with a 7-4 record and a 3.60 ERA in 16 starts. He's not the showiest starter out there, but he's been solid for the Indians. You also have Mike Clevinger with 10 wins and 123 strikeouts, Aaron Civale with a 1.93 ERA over 6 starts, and Adam Plutko, with a still-solid 6-3 record. Even if Kluber and Carrasco aren't here, that is still a solid rotation I'd be fine with bringing into a potential playoff scenario.

The lineup has been working as well. Granted, Franmil Reyes' average is down again, but Yasiel Puig is hitting .275 with 12 RBIs, and fitting right in with that lineup. And yes, Jose Ramirez will be missing an extended period of time, but...we have Mike Freeman, and he's pretty damn good, even if he's no Ramirez. You still have Santana, Lindor and Naquin all on, and Oscar Mercado's having a nice rookie year. So even if they're more suited to an eventual Wild Card matchup, this is still a pretty solid team.

Now...I look at the Twins, and I see...kind of the opposite of this team. Modest pitching, obnoxious home-run hitting. The Indians have awesome pitching and a quieter, but still solid, battle. So going into the last month of the division race, these two are pretty evenly matched...which should make for a fun finish.

Coming Tonight (?)- The J-Hey...30-year-old...