David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

How the Indians' postseason rotation may line up

The immediate effect of the Cleveland Indians losing Carlos Carrasco with a broken hand last weekend is more work for rookie right-hander Mike Clevinger, who has good stuff but has walked 25 batters in 45 1/3 innings, and Cody Anderson, who was pounded in April and May when he began the season in the rotation. With a seven-game lead over the Tigers, the division title isn't in jeopardy, so the big picture outlook is how the Indians will line up a playoff rotation that will be minus Carrasco and Danny Salazar for at least the Division Series and probably longer.

Pitching coach Mickey Callaway hinted after Carrasco's injury that the Indians could use Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer on three days' rest. "The good thing is Kluber and Bauer can probably pitch every fourth day, or whenever you need them to," Callaway said. "Bauer's arm never hurts and Kluber's just a beast."

Here's how a potential Indians rotation could look in the postseason if every series goes the maximum distance:

ALDS Game 1, Oct. 6: Kluber

ALDS Game 2, Oct. 7: Bauer

ALDS Game 3, Oct. 9: Josh Tomlin

ALDS Game 4, Oct. 10: Kluber (3 days)

ALDS Game 5, Oct 12: Bauer

ALCS Game 1, Oct. 14: Kluber (3 days)

ALCS Game 2, Oct. 15: Tomlin

ALCS Game 3, Oct. 17: Bauer

ALCS Game 4, Oct. 18: Kluber (3 days)

ALCS Game 5, Oct. 19: Clevinger

ALCS Game 6, Oct. 21: Bauer (3 days)

ALCS Game 7, Oct. 22: Kluber (3 days)

WS Game 1, Oct. 25: Tomlin

WS Game 2, Oct. 26: Kluber (3 days)

WS Game 3, Oct. 28: Bauer

WS Game 4, Oct. 29: Clevinger

WS Game 5, Oct. 30: Tomlin

WS Game 6, Nov. 1: Kluber

WS Game 7, Nov. 2: Bauer

This schedule would require Kluber to start five times on short rest and gives him six postseason starts. Kluber has never started on three days' rest in his career, so this plan would seem unlikely, even if he is a beast. Madison Bumgarner did start six times in the 2014 postseason and made that five-inning relief appearance in Game 7 of the World Series on two days' rest, but that run included the wild-card game. Each of Bumgarner's starts came on four days of rest.

The last starter to start even twice on three days' rest in one postseason was Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals, he started Game 2 of the NLDS on three days' rest from his regular season finale and then started (and won) Game 7 of the World Series on short. The last starter to starter to twice WITHIN a postseason on short rest was CC Sabathia for the Yankees in 2009. He started Game 4 of the ALCS and Game 4 of the World Series on three days' rest, but in-between started Game 1 of the World Series with seven days of rest. The last starter to start consecutive postseason games with three days of rest was Curt Schilling in Games 4 and 7 of the 2001 World Series. In other words, Terry Francona would be severely bucking recent trends if he pushed Kluber out there on three days of rest throughout the postseason.

So let's try this rotation, where Kluber starts on three days' rest unless it would be consecutive outings doing so, in which case we push him back to regular rest:

ALDS Game 1, Oct. 6: Kluber

ALDS Game 2, Oct. 7: Bauer

ALDS Game 3, Oct. 9: Tomlin

ALDS Game 4, Oct. 10: Kluber (3 days)

ALDS Game 5, Oct 12: Bauer

ALCS Game 1, Oct. 14: Tomlin

ALCS Game 2, Oct. 15: Kluber

ALCS Game 3, Oct. 17: Bauer

ALCS Game 4, Oct. 18: Clevinger

ALCS Game 5, Oct. 19: Kluber (3 days)

ALCS Game 6, Oct. 21: Tomlin

ALCS Game 7, Oct. 22: Bauer

WS Game 1, Oct. 25: Kluber

WS Game 2, Oct. 26: Bauer (3 days)

WS Game 3, Oct. 28: Tomlin

WS Game 4, Oct. 29: Kluber (3 days)

WS Game 5, Oct. 30: Clevinger

WS Game 6, Nov. 1: Bauer

WS Game 7, Nov. 2: Tomlin

Of course, in that scenario, you'd have to consider Kluber in Game 7 of the World Series, even if it would be back-to-back short rest. Kluber versus Jon Lester or Jake Arrieta, perhaps, with 176 years of title drought on the line?

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