The Cleveland Indians had two days to prepare for Friday and ended up scoring a single run against the Baltimore Orioles.
A 3-1 loss was not exactly what fans had in mind.
It is easy to scroll Twitter and find plenty of overreactions to another ugly Indians loss.
However, there are several reasons why no one should panic and everyone should just move on to the next one.
Not our night.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/Y94pkCDUbG
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) June 5, 2021
2. The Pitching Was Just Fine
The Indians will be in real trouble the day the pitching staff has long-term problems.
That is still not the case.
Friday saw Jean Carlos Mejia make his first start and log three scoreless innings.
Even the go-ahead home run for the Orioles came in controversial fashion featuring some fan interference that ultimately was not called.
"It's our job to keep the game where it's at."
Bryan Shaw says it doesn't matter how many bullpen pitchers are called out, they need to be able to hold the game.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/H6dtEzY0lr
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) June 5, 2021
Phil Maton and Nick Sandlin combined for three scoreless innings and the staff allowed a total of three earned runs.
That is an amount that is good enough to win most games.
James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase were not even needed in this one, proving the depth of this staff.
The Indians are carrying extra relievers and it has proven to be good for everyone out there in the bullpen.
It remains painfully obvious the offense is the problem.
1. Bad Teams Win Sometimes Too
This seems like a recurring point that must be brought up throughout any MLB season.
Bad teams are still going to win around 60-70 games and good teams will lose around 60-70 games.
So the Indians dropping to 30-25 on the year with one loss against the Orioles is not some sign of doom.
Remember, the Indians have already lost 25 games and that puts them among the best teams in baseball.
They could finish with 72 losses and that should put them right in the mix for a postseason berth.
The fact remains that bad teams are going to win too.
The problem is if the Indians drop two or three games to a bad Orioles team this weekend.
Then fans can begin questioning things like motivation and true talent, mostly on offense.
Having concerns is absolutely fair after watching a game in which Owen Miller, Austin Hedges, and Bradley Zimmer all filled in near the bottom of the order.
Will any trades be made to improve the offense?
Or is the front office just praying Franmil Reyes comes back soon and that Eddie Rosario returns to his normal levels of play?
Losing causes problems and Friday’s loss is no different.
The focus now shifts to Saturday with Aaron Civale on the mound.
He usually provides a calming presence, but once again the focus will be on the offense.
Yet even if the Indians lose again, no one should get too angry on social media.
The season is too long to do that in June when the team has a winning record.
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