CLEVELAND — Until the Indians can consistently stop wasting the work of a starting rotation deeper than a Sam Elliott voice-over, post season plans are hardly certain.
But Monday’s home opener brought hope as home openers should, especially in climates where the only fan guarantee is leaving with chapped lips.
Not hope that the 2019 Indians will suddenly support their starters on a nightly basis. More that the AL Central could be ripe for plundering regardless.
Not playing Minnesota might’ve been the saving grace of Monday’s 2019 debut, allowing as it did for the White Sox Traveling Show to stop by and put up its circus tent.
Indians 5, White Sox 3 was a parting gift from a Chicago bullpen that walked in two Indians runs in the eighth and a Chicago defense that allowed another.
“Maybe it bodes well,” manager Terry Francona said of overcoming a 3-1 Chicago lead built after Mike Clevinger's brilliant seven innings, “because we are going to have to fight for everything we get.”
Truer words were never spoken. Unless it was when Paul Dolan said Indians fans should enjoy Francisco Lindor while they can.
The immediate problem with doing that, is Lindor is rehabbing an injury and spent the opener getting a dreaded second opinion on his ankle.
His was not the only name missing. Bold new red jerseys — “Indians” on the front, names on the back — introduced the home team to a sellout crowd.
Something had to, after all.
So there was no “Brantley,” “Encarnacion,” “Alonso,” “Gomes,” “Miller,” “Allen.” Not even a “Kipnis” on the field.. But, hey, I’m pretty sure that was Bob Feller’s ghost disguised as Clevinger, so that was something.
Opening Day ought to be for suspending pessimism, or at least downgrading it to skepticism. It’s only right. And the late Indians rally allowed for that to happen.
Even though an additional means of identification would’ve helped on some jerseys — a button that read, “Hello, my name is …(Max or Brad or Eric),” fact is this is still a team with Cy Young and MVP candidates (plural).
In that race, Indians pitchers are ahead of Indians hitters. In an old familiar fable, so, too, would the tortoise be ahead of Indians hitters.
Five of Clevinger’s first six recorded outs were Ks, four swinging. He finished with a career high 12 strikeouts against the free swinging White Sox, while allowing just one hit.
“The fans definitely brought it today,” Clevinger said. “It was as loud as the last time we were here.”
Even accounting for late afternoon shadows, Clevinger showed once again he’s under employed as the Indians No. 4 starter.
The takeaway from Monday is the same as the takeaway from the opening series in Minnesota, despite the better result.
All this pitching really would be a terrible thing to waste, which is the concern that followed the Indians through offseason payroll cuts.
So would the prime Cleveland years of Lindor be a terrible thing to waste. Dolan made the media rounds Monday at Progressive Field assuring everyone the Indians would love to sign the shortstop long term while acknowledging the “challenge” involved.
That’s putting it mildly. Signing Lindor to the dollars he will command is a fantasy. But Dolan’s problem in his interview with The Athletic was his dual messaging:
Probably can’t sign Lindor, so enjoy him while you can. But also can’t afford to field the same team they did last year or the year before that.
The measure for the 2019 Indians is the kind of teams Dolan managed to employ in 2016-18, teams that went to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, won 22 straight, finished with 102 wins.
You’ll hear the Indians must win early and often this year or lose the city to the Browns now that Berea roll calls include a real NFL quarterback and star power at other positions.
Cleveland’s sports appetite should be voracious enough for more than one team at a time, especially when one of them has been to three consecutive postseasons and is favored to go to a fourth.
If Monday’s Odell Beckham flyby in Berea kept you from watching or enjoying the opening of the baseball season, that’t not an Indians problem. That’s a you problem.
The same goes for training camp when the daily drum beat for an actual winning Browns season will grow loud.
That’s a long way off. The Indians will succeed or fail or their own merit. And as Francona said Monday, they’ll have to fight for everything they get until Lindor returns and/or ownership adds more punch to the lineup.
It won't be easy. But fighting down to the AL Central weight class can only help.
