The Cleveland Indians' pitching staff has emerged as one of baseball's elite units in 2021, with a team ERA of 3.38 (7th in MLB) through 34 games. Here's why they deserve consideration among MLB's best:

Elite Starting Rotation

• Shane Bieber (Ace):

  • League-leading 85 strikeouts in 55 innings
  • 13.9 K/9 rate with only 18 walks
  • ERA just under 3.00

• Aaron Civale:

  • Team-best 2.91 ERA among qualified starters
  • Outstanding 1.04 WHIP
  • Inducing weak contact consistently

• Zach Plesac:

  • 3.83 ERA and 1.03 WHIP
  • Only 7 walks in 40 innings
  • Multiple 8+ inning outings recently

Dominant Bullpen

• Emmanuel Clase (Closer):

  • 1.10 ERA
  • 7 saves
  • 17 strikeouts in 16+ innings

• James Karinchak (Setup):

  • 0.52 ERA and 0.46 WHIP
  • 33 strikeouts in 17.1 innings
  • Elite 17.1 K/9 rate

Additional reliable bullpen arms include Nick Wittgren and Bryan Shaw, providing crucial depth.

While teams like the Dodgers, White Sox, and Padres may have more complete pitching staffs overall, Cleveland's combination of elite starters and shutdown relievers puts them in the conversation for baseball's best pitching unit in 2021.

The Indians' continued success (20-14 record, winning 8 of last 10) stems largely from this pitching excellence, even as the offense remains inconsistent.

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