Indians Bump up Mike Clevinger's Start in Brilliant Strategy to Prepare for Twins

Major League Baseball might be rapidly morphing into an analytically-driven league, but that doesn't mean the game's managers are incapable of displaying a little bit of brilliance on their own.

The Cleveland Indians sit just 3.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, and though they currently hold the first Wild Card position, there's no doubting the Tribe would much rather prefer a division title.

Starting on Sept.6, the Indians play six of nine against Minny, a slate of games that will determine definitive clarity on their playoff position. And to prep for that stretch, Terry Francona and Co. have smartly flexed Mike Clevinger to start on Thursday, thereby putting the stud right-hander on track to have a say in two of the impending pivotal showdowns against the Twins.

It might not seem like much to most, but this maneuver could prove HUGE for the Indians and their playoff push. The 28-year-old Clevinger has been Cleveland's most competent arm in 2019. A back injury held him out for two months earlier in the year, but he's recently returned with a profound bang.

Across 14 starts (78 innings), the Seminole Community College product has logged a 9-2 record to go with a 3.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 113 strikeouts.

As that mind-boggling curve displays, Clevinger has been deploying utter filth on the bump every five days for the Tribe since being activated from the IL. Francona bumping him up to face the Twins twice in one week is nothing short of managing preeminence.