If you haven’t heard yet, the Indians are putting starter Danny Salazar in the bullpen. You might be sharing the same thought as MLB Network’s host of Intentional Talk, Chris Rose, that it’s just not going to work. However, it might be the perfect adjustment needed to throw him back into the mix of top pitchers in baseball.
Salazar’s year has been far less successful than what was expected. He’s struggled with command, he’s struggled with velocity, resulting in giving up the long ball. It has become an added weight on the offense, even after doing their job of giving him a lead to work with.
Through Danny’s first ten starts on the year, he is 3-5 with a 5.50 ERA, and has given up 11 home runs on 55 hits. At this point last year, his record was flipped at 5-3 with just three HRs on 41 hits. Not surprising, his earned runs have doubled to 32 as a result.
His biggest struggle seems to be using his fastball as a way of getting out of an at bat he’s fallen behind in. His HR/9 when behind in the count tops out at a 3.00 when he’s 2-0, and when ahead it dips below a 1.00, his lowest, 0.00 when he’s 0-2. It seems in a desperate attempt to get ahead, he loses focus on where he needs to put the ball, and leaves a FB hanging in the sweet spot.
Over Danny’s last three starts in May, they have progressively gotten better, stretching deeper into games, giving up less hits, less runs and interestingly enough, less strikeouts.
For example, Salazar’s last start against Kansas City, going 5.1 innings and finished with four runs on six hits, three earned, five walks and just four strikeouts. You’re probably wondering how a start like that would show any progress, but the numbers are actually quite deceiving. Two of the hits and three of the runs actually came off the bullpen, however they inherited the runners on base, leaving them to fall on Danny’s line.
The biggest indicator of progress, by far, was that he didn’t give up a home run. Since his April 23rd start against Seattle, Danny has given up at least one home run in every start leading up to his last against the Royals. In that game, Danny pitched his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the first inning, and only let a single run get in.
Even though it looks like Salazar is on track to getting his groove back, Terry Francona and the Indians felt at this point the perfect move is a move to the ‘pen, which also makes way for the return of Ace Corey Kluber, and an extended opportunity for Mike Clevinger. It should not be seen as a demotion, but as a tool that has worked for Cleveland in the past.
When going from starting five to back nine, a few things change, as stated by minor league starter-turned-reliever Kieran Lovegrove. “The biggest difference is being confident in all your pitches from the get go, since you may not have time to ‘find’ them.” He continued in saying that going from one to the other, you have to be ready at any moment. “A reliever is more likely to stick to his strengths as opposed to trying to expose a hitter.”
Danny should be set to come out in a relief appearance by Wednesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
Who really knows how this will play out for Salazar? The Indians have given him the tools to push forward rather than just give up, putting it on his shoulders to use the opportunity as a positive one.
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