Cleveland Indians: One Month Doesn’t Define Josh Tomlin

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin has been able to get back to having success after a dismal August on the mound.

The 2016 Cleveland Indians are a team known for having great starting pitching, and Josh Tomlin has been a key reason for that reputation for much of this season.

Tomlin had a great outing Tuesday night, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and striking out three batters. His great performance allowed the team to remain in the game, ultimately winning in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the ninth. It was his second great start in a row, following up on last Wednesday’s 6-1 win over the Chicago White Sox when he allowed one run in five innings of work.

These two performances are generally being looked at as surprising, given how bad Tomlin pitched in August. It was so bad, he was removed from the rotation and was written off as someone who may be relegated to the bullpen, or even left off the active roster in the postseason after an August in which he went 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA.

But it is unfair to judge Tomlin solely on his dismal outings in August, as he was a solid part of the rotation before the month began.

He entered August with a 3.43 ERA, allowing over four earned runs in just one start. He only had two starts in which he did not complete at least five innings and was a reliable starter for the Indians. There was just one problem. He allowed way too many home runs.

Tomlin has given up 35 home runs this season, third-worst in the MLB behind James Shields and Jered Weaver. The 10 he allowed in August was the main focus of his awful month, with fans just waiting for opposing hitters to take him deep and kill any momentum the Indians had in any game he started.

Yet even though he allowed an alarming number of home runs, the fact he entered August having only allowed more than four earned runs just one time proved the home run total wasn’t as bad as it sounded. It just got to a breaking point and became the statistic under focus.

Before August, Tomlin allowed three home runs on two occasions. The first time, a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins, the three home runs combined for a total of four runs, which were all Tomlin allowed in the game. In the second instance, he allowed three solo home runs to the Detroit Tigers in a 9-3 win for the Indians, a game that saw Tomlin complete eight innings of work.

So while the home run total is a bit high, it has not hurt his results throughout the season. And when it comes to the playoffs, one or two solo home runs each game would be just fine if he could limit the scoring aside from the long ball.

And while some are still worrying about Tomlin being a liability in the playoffs, it must be remembered that in the playoffs, a pitcher is immediately pulled if he begins to struggle. Tomlin is not going to be allowed to stay in the game if he gives up a three runs in the first inning. Playoff baseball features creative uses of the pitchers by the managers, so if Tomlin gives up an early home run and puts a few runners on base, expect to see the bullpen get up and ready. The same goes for Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber in their starts.

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So while Tomlin still has the potential to fall back into his August habits, just remember the same thing won’t be allowed to happen in the postseason. And for now, enjoy how well he is pitching. Baseball is supposed to be fun. Let it be.