Cleveland Indians: The bullpen day makes a victorious return

Danny Salazar didn’t make it out of the first inning on Tuesday night, but the Cleveland Indians picked up a 13th straight win thanks to the work of the bullpen.

The focus of Tuesday’s game was supposed to be the triumphant return of Danny Salazar, but Cleveland Indians fans saw that dream fade fast.

Salazar didn’t make it out of the first inning and could barely throw strikes, but his velocity was at its normal levels so the hope is the command will come.

After a first inning that saw the Indians score three and the White Sox score four, it was up to the Indians bullpen to hold the score.

Seven bullpen pitchers logged a combined 8.1 scoreless innings for the Indians on Tuesday, allowing nine hits while striking out nine batters. Most teams may panic after such a short outing from the starter, but these bullpen days are nothing new to Terry Francona and his team.

Fans may have gotten flashbacks to last year’s ALCS when the bullpen day burst onto the scene, becoming something Indians fans aren’t too worried about. It is rare that a team will use so many bullpen pitchers in a win, but that is what makes this team so special.

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Dan Otero went a full two innings on Tuesday, ultimately picking up the win, while Tyler Olson and Zach McAllister each logged over an inning.

Olson has to be one of the biggest surprises of the entire season, as he has filled in during the absence of Andrew Miller to become a go-to threat out of the bullpen, whether it be for one left-handed hitter or for an entire inning of work. He has yet to allow a run in 12 innings this year.

There have been some hot takes thrown on social media about the bullpen in 2017, but this is clearly a great group, that is doing this well without its best player.

Winning 13 straight games obviously has optimism high, but the performance of the bullpen all season is a main reason why the team is so far ahead in the division.

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Bullpen days like the one seen Tuesday night can’t be done often, but it is great to know this Indians team has a group of pitchers in the bullpen that can bail out the starter. We expect greatness from the rotation, but having solid backup in the bullpen makes this team that much stronger if one of the starters falters.