Cleveland Indians: Corey Kluber officially sent to the DL

Apr 15, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Indians are looking to pick up a win in Detroit, and bad news came out earlier today regarding Corey Kluber’s health.

The Cleveland Indians will rock a nine-man bullpen tonight in Detroit as Corey Kluber has been sent to the disabled list. Joe Colon is up to take his place.

Colon will likely head back down soon, as the team will need another starter, Mike Clevinger, this weekend. But expect Terry Francona to have fun with his bullpen while it lasts.

Kluber heading to the disabled list is frustrating, but the rest will hopefully help with his back problem. It was a smart move and one that will allow fans to see Clevinger, who has been dominating down in Columbus, waiting for another shot in the big leagues.

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Kluber is on the new 10-day disabled list, but if he is still feeling any bit of pain he should be put on it once again after the 10 days pass. Clevinger is more than capable of holding his own for a few starts, and the Indians need a healthy Kluber throughout the summer.

Right now, the team needs to wake up on offense to improve the 1-4 record against the Detroit Tigers this season. The potential is there, but the consistency is not.

If the offense continues to play poorly, it doesn’t matter who is on the mound. While the starting pitching has been a bit inconsistent, the bullpen has been great in relief.

The only problem is that the bullpen staff is managing deficits instead of holding leads. Changing that is up to the offense.

Kluber’s injury is unfortunate, but it doesn’t seem to be anything major. Some time away will hopefully mean a full recovery, and some wins from his team will make the DL stint forgotten about later in the season.

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The team needs to win though, especially against the Tigers. Holding divisional tiebreakers are important, but hearing Tigers fans brag about beating the Indians is unbearable.

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