Cleveland Indians: Three things that went right in May

High strikeout numbers

While the starting rotation for the Cleveland Indians has had some inconsistencies, one thing that has been a constant no matter who is toeing the rubber has been strikeouts. During the month of May the Tribe logged a total of 278 strikeouts, the third-most in the MLB. Only the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers who had 279 and 286, respectively.

While in the past the strikeout numbers have been heavily taken on by a couple arms, Shane Bieber was the only Cleveland pitcher to break the top 25 in the MLB for strikeouts in May. Bieber ended up being tied for ninth with 42. The pitching staff as a whole has just been solid when it comes to striking out batters, and that’s a credit to not only the pitching staff but the coaches and catchers as well.

Despite the “down month” Bieber is still leading the majors in strikeouts with 117 if you include his start on June 1. He’s one of just two pitchers with 100+ strikeouts this season with the other being Tyler Glasnow who still trails Bieber by 11 K’s. It’s a similar story for the team as a whole, clocking in at eighth in the league for strikeouts with 521 over the course of the season.

If you’re interested in what needs to be corrected and went wrong in May, those three points can be found here.