Cleveland Indians Look to Shrink Magic Number and Knock Out Defending Champs

Numbers to Know

15

There are 15 teams in the American League, and in a number of offensive categories, Kansas City ranks 15th, dead last, or very close to it. The Royals are at the bottom of the barrel in home runs, runs batted in, and OPS+, while ranking in the bottom three of the AL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Those numbers are not terribly surprising when viewed in the context of the injuries the team has endured this season. Mike Moustakas was limited to 27 games before a season-ending injury, Lorenzo Cain has missed nearly two months and has appeared in just one game since August 30th, and Alex Gordon missed a month as well. Gordon has not been his usual self since returning to the lineup.

While Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and Kendrys Morales have all been solid, and rookie Cheslor Cuthbert has filled in admirably for Moustakas, Kansas City just hasn’t had the same kind of never-say-die firepower this season that had propelled them on the playoff runs the past two years.

5.79

During the Royals’ run of championship contention, there have been few relievers in all of baseball as dominant as Wade Davis. Since transitioning to the bullpen in 2014, Davis has a 1.17 earned run average, a .159/.237/.212 opponents’ slash line, a 0.88 WHIP, and nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

But two trips to the disabled list with a right forearm strain caused the 31-year old to miss the first half of July and the entire month of August, and he hasn’t been the same. Since returning from the first stint on the DL on July 16th, Davis has appeared in 10 games, allowing five runs and an opposition slash line of .286/.375/.343 in nine innings of work.

He came back from his second DL stint on September 2nd, and it’s only gotten worse. His ERA for the month sits at 5.79, with three runs allowed in 4.2 innings, and opposing hitters are teeing off on him at a .316/.381/.421 rate that he’s never experienced as a reliever.

193

Despite Davis’ health issues, the Kansas City pitching staff as a whole has been above league average in most statistical categories. The one area the club’s hurlers struggle in, though, is in giving up the longball.

The Royals have yielded 193 home runs in 2016 as a staff, which is fifth-most in the AL at a rate of 1.3 per game. Two of the starters that will face Cleveland in this series have given up 21 or more, in Edinson Volquez and Ian Kennedy. Kennedy is tied for third-most in the league with 31, right behind the Indians’ Josh Tomlin (35).

Despite being second in the AL in runs scored, the Tribe is just 10th in hitting homers, with 177 for the season as a team. But both Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana have eclipsed the 30-dinger mark, and several others in the lineup have set career-highs, making this a story to watch in the series.