Cleveland Indians’ 2015 Season: By the Numbers

Sep 6, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) receives congratulations from teammates after scoring in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Indians: By the Numbers

Baseball is a game of numbers, and quite frankly, it can be a lot to keep track of at times. The Cleveland Indians have had both good and bad numbers this season, although they’ve leaned more towards good over the last several weeks.

Both traditional and advanced metrics can both provide lots of insight into both player and team success, but instead, let’s take a look at eight numbers that aren’t necessarily statistics, but do provide an overview of the Cleveland Indians’ season:

Five

The Cleveland Indians’ currently have a 592-586 run differential, which means they have scored exactly five more runs than they have allowed. Using the Pythagorean W-L record, which is calculated using run differential instead of wins and losses, the Tribe should be at 73-71.

What does that mean for the Tribe? It means, according to the amount of runs they’ve earned and given up, they have almost the exact record they deserve. The Indians aren’t running into bad luck, or playing particularly better or worse than the stats say they should be. That’s pretty fascinating, given how good the rotation is and how “weak” the offense is accused of being. At 72-72, they only have one more loss than their run differential says they should have. Perhaps they quite the runaway winner that everyone projected them to be.

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Ten

The Cleveland Indians have tossed ten complete games this season. That’s pretty impressive, considering the next team on the list is the Toronto Blue Jays, who have only gone the distance seven times.

Cleveland certainly has cornered the market on effective starters. Corey Kluber is tied with Mark Buehrle and Madison Bumgarner for the lead, with four complete games each. But Carlos Carrasco and Josh Tomlin each have a pair of them, and Cody Anderson and Trevor Bauer have notched one apiece. Considering how few starts Tomlin and Anderson have made, that’s extra impressive.

Of course, throwing a complete game doesn’t necessarily translate to a win – as Tomlin saw in his nine-inning effort Tuesday night – but it does give the team a very good chance. If the Indians can add some run support, the Tribe’s rotation can carry the team to the postseason.

Next: By the Numbers: 25 and 41

May 15, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Bruce Chen (52) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

25

The Indians have used 25 different pitchers this season – technically, they’ve used 27 but two of them were position players Ryan Raburn and David Murphy. This includes 11 different starters, even though they’ve had no major injuries to their first four pitchers.

The fifth starter role has been filled by Cody Anderson, Josh Tomlin, Shaun Marcum, T.J. House, and Zach McAllister. Also, remember when Bruce Chen posted a 12.79 ERA over his first two starts, and ended up retiring? How about the very-brief debut of Toru Murata (who, incidentally, just picked up a playoff win for the Clippers on Wednesday night)?

Certainly, Tomlin and Anderson have pitched the best out of the seven fifth starter candidates, which is probably why they’re still in the rotation.

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41

Francisco Lindor has knocked in 41 RBIs this season, which is especially good when considering he’s only played in 82 games. The Tribe’s hot-hitting shortstop was not expected to perform as well offensively as he has since his debut, but he’s certainly proved doubters wrong. Lindor is batting .317/.357/.478, with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. In addition to playing spectacular defense this season, he’s really shown that his bat can hold up at the major league level as well.

Thirty-one of his 102 hits have gone for extra-bases, and he’s walked 22 times. Sure, Lindor’s .352 BABIP is a bit high – but not so high that the rookie phenom is certain to cool down over the final two weeks. If he can keep up his success at the plate, Lindor will be hard to beat for American League MVP considerations.

Next: By the Numbers: 268 and .325

Aug 21, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Cleveland Indians left fielder Michael Brantley (23) bats against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

268

The Tribe has knocked in 269 doubles this season, which is the second-highest total in the league (behind only the Toronto Blue Jays, who are ahead of everyone in nearly every category). That shouldn’t be a surprise – Michael leads all of baseball with 44 doubles, and Kipnis has 38 of his own – tied for fifth in the league. The Cleveland Indians are doubles-machines this season, in large part thanks to the top of their order.

With all of those extra-base hits, it seems like more runs would have been scored, but in the first half the Tribe couldn’t buy a run with runners in scoring position. Over the last month or so, the team has really come around thanks to the young players and trade deadline acquisitions. In the process, they’ve managed to turn those doubles into runs, which has had an obvious impact on their season.

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.325

The Indians have one of the highest team on-base percentages in the game. Tribe hitters are getting on base at a clip of .325 – putting them sixth in baseball and fourth in the AL on the leaderboards. Again, this speaks to several individuals stepping up and impressing with their on-base skills.

In the American League, Brantley is ranked third, with a .385 OBP, and Kipnis isn’t far behind in a three-way tie for seventh place at .371. Carlos Santana also cracks the Top-20, as he is tied with David Ortiz at .361. Together with output from rookies like Lindor, whose partial season doesn’t qualify for the individual leaderboard, the Indians have done a phenomenal job of getting on base. If only they could find a way to knock those runs in.

Next: By the Numbers: 1255 and Four

Aug 29, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) delivers in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

1255

Indians pitching has struck out 1266 batters this season – the most in the American League, and all of baseball. The Cubs are close behind the Tribe, trailing by just three strikeouts, but as of Thursday Cleveland was in the lead. Meanwhile, the Indians have a dominant lead over the second-place AL team, as the New York Yankees have 30 fewer strikeouts.

Why is the Tribe so good? Four of their pitchers crack the AL Top-10 list in strikeouts, and that puts them in the Top 25 in the entire league. In the AL, Corey Kluber is third with 219, and Carlos Carrasco is sixth with 187 punch outs. Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer rank eighth and ninth, with 182 and 165, respectively. Those are some quality totals. Reliever Cody Allen has also tacked on 92, while Zach McAllister has struck out 76.

No other team has that many individuals at the top of the list. The Tribe has one of the most lethal rotations in baseball, and they send many a batter back to the dugout without ever making contact.

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Four

The Cleveland Indians are four games back in their quest for a Wild Card berth. Can they do it?

The numbers don’t lie: it will be hard for them to make up the difference, because they’re not controlling their own destiny. Instead, they’re counting on teams like New York, Texas, Houston and Minnesota to falter and give the Indians a chance to catch up in the standings.

However,  the Tribe has looked so good that it’s impossible for fans not to feel just a little hopefully that another Wild Card game is in their future. They’ve gone 24-18 since the start of August, posting a .571 winning percentage. Before the All-Star break, they were 42-46 – not even at .500. It will take some luck, but the Indians have played themselves back into contention, and the last two weeks of the season should be fun to watch.