Cleveland Indians: Ryan Merritt looking to build off legendary debut

Cleveland Indians pitcher Ryan Merritt will start Game 1 of today’s doubleheader, and is looking to build his legend that began last October.

Ryan Merritt became a hero for Cleveland Indians fans eight months ago, but his legend has not faded as the time has passed.

Merritt’s performance in Game 5 of last year’s ALCS helped his Indians team pick up a win and silence an entire country. Isn’t it crazy it has already been eight months?

Merritt has the chance to continue to build his legend this afternoon as he is starting the first game of today’s doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.

One day after the Indians played perhaps their most complete game of the season, Merritt must be great to keep up the momentum.

The start is also a chance for the young pitcher to prove he deserves a full-time spot in this inconsistent rotation. The team essentially has seven guys, with Merritt and Mike Clevinger, looking to fill five spots. And if players like Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer continue to be inconsistent, there must be changes made.

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The season is beginning to shift from the “it’s still early” portion to the time when a team must decide to go all in or realize the playoffs are out of reach. And this Indians team is firmly in the “all in” category, meaning time will run out for those players who aren’t playing at a high level.

But the only way for changes to be made are for players like Merritt and Clevinger to outplay the mainstays, similar to what Bradley Zimmer and perhaps even Daniel Robertson have done. It is a great problem for the organization to have, and it will be fun to see how it all plays out.

We as fans have the luxury of speculating, but the players just play one game at a time. Those who fade and can’t handle the pressure are replaced, but Merritt seems to have the nerves to handle any moment. Making his second career start in front of a hostile crowd in one of the most important games in franchise history is good to have on the resume.

Next: 2017 Indians draft recap

Now he must continue his success in an era of peacetime, although the stakes aren’t low by any means.