In three days, the Cleveland Indians will reach the two-month mark since Carlos Carrasco last threw a live pitch. Two days later, it will have been three months since Corey Kluber stood on the mound. Mike Clevinger missed most of April, all of May, and half of June.
I’m something of an eternal optimist, but even I would have been skeptical if you had told me eight weeks ago that on July 27, the Tribe’s starting rotation would have the third-best ERA in baseball since June 1. I’d have had an even more difficult time believing that the Indians wouldn’t be in the market for starting pitching depth at the trade deadline, and I’d have outright dismissed the idea that Trevor Bauer’s name would still be surfacing in trade rumors.