• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cleveland Daily

Cleveland Sports News, Rumors & Highlights

  • Home
  • Guardians News
  • Cavs News
  • Browns News
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About

3 Indians Pitchers Living Up To Expectations In 2021

By Steven Kubitza May 31, 2021 @kubitzawrites

Cleveland Indians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) delivers a pitch to the plate during the eighth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians on April 7, 2021, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.
(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

 

The Cleveland Indians are known for their pitching.

That is not a new storyline, but remains an important one given the up-and-down state of the offense in 2021.

But several pitchers are standing out above the rest as they live up to high expectations this season.

Here are three in particular.

 

3. Shane Bieber

We start with the most obvious of all.

Shane Bieber remains a favorite to win another American League Cy Young Award after a hot start to the season.

He has 110 strikeouts through 11 starts and is sporting a 3.13 ERA.

That is the best in the rotation just ahead of Aaron Civale.

Bieber’s work speaks for himself.

Shane Bieber is the fastest in franchise history to reach 600 strikeouts.

For the record, that's a franchise that includes Bob Feller, Sam McDowell, Corey Kluber … etc.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/g3rVT2j8tv

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 28, 2021

His ERA is not the best in the league, but 3.13 is well above average.

The offense should be capable of scoring at least three or four runs on any given night.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case with Bieber on the mound this year.

The good news is the Indians have one of the best pitchers in baseball on the mound every five days.

 

2. Emmanuel Clase

The Indians acquired Emmanuel Clase in the Corey Kluber trade and didn’t see him last year due to a PED suspension.

Emmanuel Clase stealing Hamilton's soul. ☠️🪦 pic.twitter.com/O1RGxjrG7A

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 1, 2021

But his absence did not matter too much given the state of the 2020 season.

Clase has shown up this year looking absolutely dominant.

He has a 1.19 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning through two months of the season.

The most fun part of any Clase outing is him routinely throwing over 100 miles per hour.

The problem with him can be walks.

When Clase is on, he is on.

But he can lose control quickly and try to fix it just by throwing hard.

Overall, he appears to be a true steal from the Texas Rangers in the Kluber trade.

 

1. James Karinchak

Most of the talk this year is about Clase.

James Karinchak has pitched the same amount of innings and has double the strikeouts with 42, through Monday’s first game.

His 16.7 K/9 mark is almost unheard of and he stands with Clase as two legitimate closing options in the bullpen.

Add in Bryan Shaw and the Indians have a legitimate lethal trio in the back-end of the bullpen.

Karinchak made his debut in 2019 and proved himself to be a worthy option as closer.

But as Indians fans know, talented relievers on a Terry Francona coached team don’t necessarily need to be saved for the ninth inning.

It worked for Andrew Miller and it can work for Karinchak.

The Indians would be a total disaster if not for the great trio in the bullpen.

The same is true for Bieber and Civale in the rotation.

Hopefully, the other arms on the staff can step up as well and exceed expectations.

    Get ALL the latest Cleveland sports news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Cleveland daily newsletter here!    

Filed Under: Cleveland Guardians Rumors And News (Updated Daily), Cleveland Indians News And Rumors (Updated Daily) Tagged With: cleveland indians, Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak, Shane Bieber

About Steven Kubitza

Steven has been an Indians fan since the day he was born. Lucky enough to not remember the World Series losses in the 90s, he will never forget the magic and the heartbreak of Game 7 in 2016. He wore the No. 13 playing baseball growing up because of Omar and still rocks a Cody Allen jersey for good luck.

Reader Interactions

Follow Cleveland Daily!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Cleveland Indians,Emmanuel Clase,James Karinchak,Shane Bieber News

Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan addresses the crowd prior to the Opening Day Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians on April 11, 2017, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland defeated Chicago 2-1 in ten innings.

Should Paul Dolan Sell The Cleveland Indians?

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) singles to drive in a run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Philidelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians on September 21, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Carlos Santana, Kansas City Royals Reach 2-Year Deal

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Philidelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians on September 20, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Report: Indians To 'Aggressively' Listen To Offers For Francisco Lindor

2 years ago

A general view of Progressive Field during the Cleveland Indians Summer Camp in preparation for a shortened MLB season during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on July 19, 2020, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Cleveland Indians Draft Trevor Stephan In Rule 5 Draft

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on August 7, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Shane Bieber, Jose Ramirez, Brad Hand Named To All-MLB team

2 years ago

A general view of the Progressive Field scoreboard during the Cleveland Indians Summer Camp in preparation for a shortened MLB season during the coronavirus

Cleveland Indians Top 3 Prospects Of 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers a pitch to the plate during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians on August 4, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Top 3 Cornerstone Cleveland Indians Players Of The Future

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians pitcher Jefry Rodriguez (68) delivers a pitch to the plate during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians on May 22, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Cleveland Indians Parts Ways With Pitcher Jefry Rodriguez

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians center fielder Oscar Mercado (35) motions towards the Indians dugout as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians on September 17, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

2 Indians Players Who Could Have Breakout Seasons In 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field during the ninth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on September 9, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA.

2 Prospects The Indians Must Get From Mets In Lindor Trade

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians left fielder Jordan Luplow (8) is congratulated by Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez (55) after scoring a run during the third inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians on July 16, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

3 Indians Players With Something To Prove In 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (77) looks to the dugout as he makes a pitching change after Cleveland Indians pitcher Hunter Wood (54) hit by a ball off the bat of Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland (18) during the sixth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians on August 12, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Is It Time For The Indians To Begin Rebuilding For The Future?

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado (35) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians on September 15, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

3 Bold Predictions For The Cleveland Indians In 2021

2 years ago

indians logo

3 Indians Players To Watch During Spring Training

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) in the dugout after scoring on a Yasiel Puig (66) single in the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on September 9, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA.

Who Will Replace Francisco Lindor At Shortstop For The Indians?

2 years ago

A Realistic 2021 Plan For Indians Prospect Nolan Jones

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians designated hitter Francisco Lindor (12) hits a solo home run during a Major League Baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals on July 27, 2019, at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO.

Grading The Cleveland Indians Francisco Lindor Trade

2 years ago

cleveland indians fireworks

3 Reasons To Believe In The Indians In 2021

2 years ago

progressive field

A Look At The Top 3 Indians Prospects In Their System

2 years ago

indians logo

Cleveland Indians Sign Billy Hamilton And Ben Gamel

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) before an MLB game between the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals on September 1, 2020 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO.

3 Trade Possibilities If The Indians Deal Jose Ramirez

2 years ago

Mitch Moreland (18) of the Red Sox waits on deck during the MLB regular season game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on April 21, 2019, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Should The Indians Pursue Mitch Moreland In 2021?

2 years ago

Indians flag

3 Potential Free Agent Targets For The Indians

2 years ago

Phillies RP Blake Parker (53) pitches in the fifth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies on August 30, 2020 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.

Reliever Blake Parker Gets Chance With Indians In 2021

2 years ago

Primary Sidebar

Search Cleveland Daily

Follow Cleveland Daily!

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms And Conditions

Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - ClevelandDaily.com is not affiliated with the Cleveland Indians or Major League Baseball.