ALDS 2016: 5 reasons Indians will win

1. Starting Pitching

The Indians’ greatest strength is their starting rotation. Their staff FIP of 4.05 leads all American League teams. Cleveland’s starters accumulated 13.8 WAR, the third highest mark in the American League. Only the Tampa Bay Rays struck out more hitters per nine innings than Cleveland. Whichever pitching metric you prefer, Cleveland likely leads the American League in it or are at worst very close to doing so.

Corey Kluber is Cleveland’s ace. He is a legitimate Cy Young contender with a 3.14 ERA and a 3.26 FIP. Even with Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar injured, the Indians have solid rotation depth. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin must step up, but they have been showing encouraging signs lately. The Indians will have a deep bullpen, which should help offset the losses of Carrasco and Salazar.

Next: 27 MLB Records That Will Never Be Broken

Even if Bauer and Tomlin don’t come through, Cleveland still has a darn good lineup. And they’ll have Kluber pitching in Game 2 and Game 5 if needed. They will also have home-field advantage.
While one could argue Tomlin should be starting in Cleveland for Game One since Bauer does better on the road, Bauer should be able to hold his own for at least three to five innings. And it’s worth noting Tomlin has a 1.69 ERA since September 1.