Cleveland Indians: Ryan Merritt adds some intrigue to the starting rotation

Cleveland Indians fans saw Ryan Merritt have a career night on Friday, putting his name into the conversation when it comes to the starting rotation.

Ryan Merritt will always be remembered for his great outing in the 2016 ALCS, but Cleveland Indians fans are hoping for a title in 2017. And with the way he pitched Friday night, Merritt could be called upon to help this team chase that goal in October.

Merritt went a career-high 6.2 innings in a 4-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, allowing no runs on seven hits and striking out three batters.

His longest start before last night came on September 30 of last year, when he went five innings in a victory against the Royals. However, he only threw 62 pitches in that outing.

Friday night was the first time Indians fans saw Merritt be let loose by Terry Francona, free to pitch in a game without any restrictions. His success was not too surprising given how well he has done when he has started games for the Indians, but Francona allowing him to reach 97 pitches show that there is no more holding him back.

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With Danny Salazar on the disabled list and Josh Tomlin on his way back, the rotation remains a fluid situation. Injuries sometimes linger and players like Merritt must remain ready, which was made quite evident in last year’s ALCS.

Francona also knows this and allowing Merritt to pitch on Friday night like any other starter in the rotation shows that the manager has trust in the pitcher. He was also mowing down the Royals, so that helped too.

With the health problems surrounding Salazar and Tomlin, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Merritt get a few more starts in September, especially if the Indians are able to wrap up the division before the final few days of the season.

Allowing Merritt to get some action, perhaps in a return to the six-man rotation, could also give the rest of the rotation some rest heading into the postseason.

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Having too much talent is always a great problem, and it was awesome to see Merritt show up in a big way at a time when injuries have struck this team hard. But just as he proved last October, there is no moment too big for Ryan Merritt.