Cleveland Indians: Mike Clevinger might be the No. 5 starter before May 1

Mike Clevinger has dominated Triple-A in two outings. Josh Tomlin has been a disaster. Might we see a quick change?

In two starts in Triple-A Columbus, Mike Clevinger is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA. He has thrown 13 innings, allowed one run, and struck out 17. He has also walked four. Conversely, Josh Tomlin has been a disaster with the Cleveland Indians.

In his first start, he threw less than five innings, allowing six runs. In his second start, he allowed another seven runs in less than two full innings of work.

Why Terry Francona may pull a quick trigger

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Terry Francona does not hesitate. If he sees something going poorly, he will pull the trigger as fast as possible. Tomlin is and always will be a question mark because he relies so heavily on his command. If Tomlin is throwing his 88 mph fastball down the middle of the plate, he will not get major league hitters out.

With the Tribe a disappointing 4-5, there is a chance that Francona could skip Tomlin’s next start, bump up Bauer, and with an off day, bring Clevinger back into the rotation for the last week of April. If Clevinger can get 1-2 more quality Triple-A starts under his belt, he might be ready for another shot at the big leagues.

Clevinger is ready

Mike Clevinger is a very good starting pitcher and a quality long-relief pitcher. Josh Tomlin is a very below-average pitcher. Clevinger has a mid-90s fastball and a nasty cutter.

He has strange mechanics that suit his wild hair and personality. He went 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA in Triple-A last year. He averages about a 9.0 K/9 over his Indians career from 2015 to present.

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If the team is going to make a move, there is no better time than the present. Tomlin has been known to have really good first halves. If Tomlin is having a bad first half, he might be on his way out.