Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals
Sunday, May 7, 2017. 2:15 p.m. ET. Kauffman Stadium
TV: STO, FS1
Radio: WTAM
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Some of you might be under the impression that Trevor Bauer is a bum, Josh Tomlin is a bum, and Mike Clevinger is Greg Maddux with a mid-nineties fastball. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but in a sci-fi movie they would throw you out the airlock for being a lunatic.
I'm looking forward to Clevinger's start today, nonetheless. My expectations are reasonably tempered, I think; a six-inning start with three or fewer runs allowed would be fantastic. Also fantastic: a perfect game. I mean... the Royals are really bad right now. Why not?
Note that Clevinger adjusted his mechanics since last year. He used to throw across his body, and the Indians worked with him on bringing it back so that he no longer whips across. As part of this process, Clevinger has actually only reached the fifth inning on average. The Club doesn't want to push him too hard when it comes to pitch counts as he gets used to the new release point.
Also fun: Yan Gomes has the lowest strikeout rate and highest walk rate of his career right now. I'm not quite ready to bust out "RonPaulItsHappening.gif", but it looks like Gomes is back on the right track after years in the wilderness.