3 takeaways from the series victory over Kansas City

The Cleveland Indians didn’t do much on offense over the weekend, but were still able to pick up a series victory over the Kansas City Royals.

If you’re a Cleveland Indians fan who also loves great pitching, this weekend’s series against the Kansas City Royals was for you.

The Indians managed to put up a total of five runs, but the Royals only put up four as the Indians picked up a series victory before heading to Canada to take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was frustrating for fans to watch the team on offense, but the great pitching and the two wins should help keep everyone calm before tonight’s game.

The Indians are still in first place in the AL Central, so all is well as the Indians are in Toronto to build off the momentum built up by the Cavaliers. But before tonight’s game, let’s take a look at what stood out from the series in Kansas City.

1. Mike Clevinger made a strong case for a full-time job

Corey Kluber‘s injury opened the door for Mike Clevinger, and the young pitcher did not disappoint. In fact, he put together one of the team’s best outings of the year.

Clevinger went 5.2 innings in his 2017 debut, allowing one hit and no runs in what ended up being a 1-0 victory.

Related: Clevinger made a statement in his 2017 debut

The team may need to see more from Clevinger before calling him up on a full-time basis, but it is hard to do much better than he did on Sunday. And it is not like teams don’t have tape on Clevinger, as he made 10 starts a season ago.

His job status likely depends on how Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin pitch throughout the rest of May. If either consistently struggles, don’t expect Clevinger to remain in Triple-A for long.

2. Doing just enough on offense

With the way the pitching staff is performing, fans cannot help but get frustrated when the offense is struggling to put up more than one run per game.

The Indians put up one run in both the first and third games of the series, making the three runs scored in Saturday’s game seem like a major feat.

Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor both picked up one hit apiece in the series, but others began to see some success.

Edwin Encarnacion had a hit in all three games, Carlos Santana had five hits combined in the final two games, and Jason Kipnis had a combined four hits in the first two games. The hits are nice, but the problem has been getting hits with runners on base to actually score runs.

Play like this will suffice against the struggling Royals, but it is hard to expect the pitching staff to be this dominant on a consistent basis against top contenders.

3. The bullpen is unreal

The bullpen is doing so well right now that the single run allowed Friday night was a shocking sight.

Even with that one run allowed, the group was once again elite. In the three games, the bullpen combined to pitch 8.2 innings, allowing just that one run on three hits.

Cody Allen picked up two clutch saves in the process, while Andrew Miller went a combined two innings without allowing a hit.

We all knew this bullpen was going to be great, but they are to thank for the team being in first place at a time when offense and starting rotation haven’t been as great as expected.

Next: Remaining hopeful with Brantley

But that is the beauty of playing a team sport. When some players falter, others are there to pick them up and help out the team. It is why the Indians are great, and why they keep us fans cheering for them every night.