Cleveland Indians: Danny Salazar continues to pitch at an elite level

The Cleveland Indians got Danny Salazar back on July 22 and he has been pitching at an elite level since his return from injury.

Danny Salazar‘s status as a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians was in doubt just one month ago. He has now emerged as his old self and someone capable of starting a postseason game with the full confidence of his manager and the fans.

He continued his dominant ways Tuesday night with seven innings of one-run baseball in a 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Salazar struck out 10 batters and only allowed three hits in what was his fifth start since returning to the rotation on a night when the Indians hit five home runs and picked up a fifth straight win.

Let’s take a quick look at his numbers in those five starts.

July 22: 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 8 K

July 28: 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 8 K

August 5: 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 12 K

August 10: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 8 K

August 15: 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 10 K

Salazar’s resurgence mirrors that of Corey Kluber, who came off the DL on June 1 and has pitched like he deserves the Cy Young Award. Salazar has even built up his own streak of starts with at least eight strikeouts, although he has a long way to go before catching Kluber.

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Five starts are enough for fans to see that Salazar is back to being a key piece in this rotation. In fact, there isn’t one player currently in the rotation that stands out as a weak link.

Mike Clevinger has the least experience so he may not have the full confidence of fans right now, but his numbers show he is more than worthy of being a part of the group, even when Josh Tomlin does return.

When deciding upon a postseason rotation, Salazar seems to be the clear option for the number three spot.

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It seems clear that his early struggles this year were due to a nagging injury, and the 2016 All-Star is elite when healthy, as he is right now. The key now is to remain healthy, so keep praying to Jobu and hope for the best. With the pitching staff doing as well as it is right now, this team looks to be a legitimate title contender once again.