The Cleveland Indians needed a starter for Monday’s second game against the Chicago White Sox and opted to go with Cal Quantrill.
But it was less of a true start and more of an “opener” situation for the pitcher who has spent the season in the bullpen.
Quantrill went 3.2 innings and had five strikeouts on 60 pitches.
He allowed one run.
His fellow bullpen running mates then came in, prevented any runs from scoring, and allowed the Indians to hold on for the 3-1 victory.
So does this mean Quantrill will land a spot in the rotation?
"The reliever routine works for me, so why change anything?"
Cal Quantrill prepared for his start tonight the same way he prepares for when he comes out of the bullpen.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/hlTSYMVHtn
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 1, 2021
His Role In 2021
It appears Terry Francona likes having Quantrill out in the bullpen.
One benefit of that is him being able to “piggyback” someone like Triston McKenzie, which he did on May 26 in Detroit.
McKenzie lasted five innings and Quantrill came out to pitch the next three.
He is a long reliever, but not one pitching just to eat up innings in a big loss.
Instead, his work is part of the larger plan in place.
Quantrill routinely logs more than an inning of work in every appearance and has a combined 6.2 innings in his last two outings.
There is no need to change a good thing and leaving Quantrill in the bullpen allows him to pitch more often.
That is nice considering his 2.08 ERA on the year.
He has shown enough to be a fixture on the staff and can always jump into the rotation if needed.
Terry Francona is very pleased with Cal Quantrill's start tonight, and praised the bullpen for their support.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/JHShYf4CgX
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 1, 2021
Others Getting A Shot To Start
Right now the Indians have Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale as the two regulars in the rotation.
That leaves McKenzie, Sam Hentges, and Eli Morgan all fighting for the other jobs while Zach Plesac recovers and Logan Allen remains in Triple-A.
McKenzie had a great day Monday and should keep his job.
Hentges has struggled, but the Indians appear set on developing him further as a starter.
As for Morgan, his first start came in a monsoon so he needs at least one more to prove what he can actually do.
Meanwhile, Quantrill is out in the bullpen ready to step in if needed.
The obvious hope is for several young pitchers to fit in nicely and become long-term pieces.
Plesac can hopefully return without any issues this summer and that would leave two spots open.
As long as he keeps the walks down, McKenzie should fit in one of those.
The team can get creative with the fifth spot and the front office should not rule out a trade either as the Indians continue to hang tight in the division race.
But stretching out Quantrill recently, and seeing him do so well in an actual start, could mean he is already in the plans as a starter and is just being brought along at a slow pace.
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