Cleveland Indians: Should Josh Tomlin be Replaced?

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin has struggled in 2016 and may be the odd man out as the team fights for a playoff berth.

The Cleveland Indians are playing at an elite level for the first time since 2007, which is partially due to the dominance of the starting pitching staff. That is, most of the staff.

While Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco have put the Indians in a position to win the team’s first AL Central title since 2007, Josh Tomlin has become a liability each time he steps on the mound.

His record and ERA may deceive some fans, as he is currently 11-7 with a 4.39 ERA, but wins aren’t always a great measurement of success and ERA hides current struggles after some success early in the season.

The major problem for Tomlin all season has been giving up home runs. He has allowed a league-worst 32 home runs in 2016, most recently giving up three Saturday night in a 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tomlin was never expected to be a dominant strikeout pitcher, but the home runs, and the runs in general, are becoming a major concern. He has started four games in August, allowing seven home runs and 23 total runs, picking up a loss in all four starts.

He began the year as a reliable option and has logged the second-most innings this season behind Kluber, but his recent struggles may have no place on a team competing for a playoff berth.

The only thing giving Tomlin job security is the fact there is not a viable replacement ready to step into the role. Some will point to Mike Clevinger and say he deserves the fifth starter spot, but he is still inexperienced in the MLB.

Clevinger may also be more valuable in the bullpen, which is something he has been proving as of late. The first proof of this came last Thursday, when Clevinger provided four innings of relief in a game when Salazar returned and only got through one inning before being pulled. He gave up a run, but his four innings of relief kept the Indians in the game, which they ultimately won on the first of Tyler Naquin‘s amazing walk-offs.

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He then appeared in Sunday’s win over the Blue Jays, pitching 1.1 innings of relief and picking up the win after Jose Ramirez hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. This involved coming into the game with the bases loaded, and striking out Edwin Encarnacion to keep the Indians down one run.

His work out of the bullpen is limited, but his recent success shows he is more of a weapon there, where he can pitch in strategic situations and still provide that ability to go more than an inning or two if needed.

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Clevinger’s inexperience as a starter should mean Tomlin is safe, at least for now. That will all change if Tomlin gives up three more home runs in his next start, so this discussion may have to be revisited after every start. No matter how he does the rest of the season, he will not likely be a part of the postseason rotation, given the Indians are playing in October.