If it seems like the team just can’t quite get a hit in the clutch, there’s a simple stat they proves it’s true.

The Indians lead the Major Leagues in an unwanted category – runners left on base at 7.57 per game. Meanwhile, the Tribe ranks 21st in total runs scored.

A lack of clutch hitting has reared its ugly head quite frequently as the Indians have wasted many nights of good pitching. Just ask Corey Kluber who has pitched fairly well this season, but is the owner of a 3-9 record in large part to a lack of run support.

A major culprit of late has been Carlos Santana who is now hitting just .211 overall and .111 in his last 10 games with only four hits in his last 36 at-bats. He’s also been moved out of the number two spot in the lineup with the call up of Francisco Lindor from Columbus. Lindor has assumed that spot in the lineup for the time being.

Many argue that Santana’s batting average isn’t that important because he walks and gets base at a fairly high rate, but that hasn’t been the case either as his on-base percentage is only .220 in his last 10 games and has drawn just five walks during that span. He also has just five RBI in his last 12 games including four in the June 16th game against the Chicago Cubs.

For the season, Santana has a solid .357 OBP, only slightly under his career average of .366. But what has been troubling is his slugging percentage has dipped tremendously as he is slugging only .372 so far this year, way below his career average of .436.

The Indians offensive woes aren’t only to blame on Santana because outside of Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and part-time players David Murphy and Ryan Raburn, no one else on the team is hitting very well this season.

In the last week the Tribe finished with a 3-3 record, taking two of three from the Cubs and one of three against Tampa. In those six games, the Indians scored 13 runs including six of that total during a 6-0 win against Chicago on June 15. That means the Tribe scored seven runs in the other five games, but still managed to win two and lose three. Imagine if the hitting would come around.

It’s highly unlikely that Manager Terry Francona is going to be fired this season, but if I’m hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, I would be getting my resume together. When teams aren’t hitting on a consistent basis, the hitting coach is usually the first to go. Just ask former Seattle Mariners hitting coach Howard Johnson, who was replaced last week by Edgar Martinez.

The bats will need to wake up quickly if the Indians plan to have any success this week as their nemesis – the Detroit Tigers who come into Cleveland for a three-game series from June 22-24.

After a day off June 25, the Indians will then hit the road for a three-game set against Baltimore from June 26-28.

Trevor Bauer (6-3, 3.22 ERA) takes the mound at 7:10 p.m. June 22 against Detroit’s Kyle Ryan (1-1, 3.26 ERA).

Ryan was called up from the minors on May 27 and has pitched in 19.1 innings in stints as a starter and out of the bullpen. In his last appearance, a start on June 16 against Cincinnati, Ryan took the loss while pitching 6.1 innings and giving up four runs.

Danny Salazar (6-2, 3.56 ERA) makes the start at 7:10 p.m. June 23 against lefty David Price (6-2, 2.50 ERA), who likely will be among the candidates for the Cy Young award in 2016.

Salazar should be fresh for this game has hit pitched only 4.2 innings against the Cubs on June 18 before a rain delay ended his appearance.

Price pitched five innings in his last start on June 17 against the Reds and gave up two runs in a no-decision.

Carlos Carrasco (8-6, 4.35 ERA) will battle at 12:10 p.m on June 24 against Justin Verlander (0-1, 6.17 ERA).

Verlander looks to rebound after his June 19 start against the New York Yankees when he gave up six runs in 6.2 innings to take the loss.

Meanwhile, Carrasco hopes to improve on his last start when he took the loss against Tampa on June 19 when he gave up three runs in 6.2 innings.

Games against Baltimore are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. June 26, 7:15 p.m. June 27, and 1:35 p.m. on June 28. Neither team had announced starting pitchers.

Who’s Hot – Who’s Not

Jason Kipnis continues to be on fire and now leads the American League in hitting with a .345 batting average. He also has a 16-game hitting streak overall, plus a 25-game home hitting streak, the longest in Progressive Field history. In addition, he has a slash line of .423/.509/.923. At this point, it would be a shame if he’s not named a starter in the all-star game.

Cody Anderson likely earned another shot to nail down the fifth spot in the starting rotation after pitching 7.2 innings of scoreless ball on June 21 against Tampa.

According to the Cleveland Indians radio network, Anderson is the first Indians pitcher in franchise history to pitch that many innings in his Major League debut at home in Cleveland without giving up a run. Pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

Brandon Moss hasn’t had a hit in a six-game spanning 19 at-bats. The streaky hitter is batting .233 and leads the team with 11 home runs, but he hasn’t been getting the job done lately at the plate.

Yan Gomes also is struggling at the plate in his last 10 games with only seven hits in his last 34 at-bats. For the season, Gomes is hitting just .204 and has only two home runs for the season in 93 ABs.