MLB Team's Unorthodox Pitching Rotations Seem to Be Working

No team has gotten more innings from its starting pitchers this season than the Cleveland Indians. No team has gotten fewer than the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yet the Indians and Rays have ended up in a similar spot.

Cleveland’s team ERA is 3.84. Tampa Bay’s is 3.82.

The Rays’ solid defense hasn’t hurt either.

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— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 10, 2018

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The Rays have been unorthodox in their approach, eschewing a normal starting rotation in favor of a system in which one of their usual relievers might take the mound at the beginning of a game.

Right now, Tampa Bay’s depth chart on MLB.com only lists three pitchers in the rotation — yet the Rays are 60-58 and have a chance for their first winning season since 2013.

Tampa Bay has tried using an “opener” at the start of games.

One of the team’s relievers might start the game and pitch an inning or two. Then another pitcher — who might normally have been the starter — comes in and pitches through the middle innings, perhaps. If his outing begins in the third, for example, he may benefit from not having to face the top hitters as often.

The result is that the Rays’ stats are significantly skewed.

Tampa Bay’s starters have thrown only 485 1/3 innings in 118 games.

Cleveland, led by its stellar foursome of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger, has gotten 737 1/3 innings from its starters.

📂 Cy Young Candidates
└📁 2018
└📁 Trevor Bauer
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— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 12, 2018

The Indians are atop the AL Central, but the Rays are comparable in terms of run prevention.

The starting pitchers for the 2012 Colorado Rockies threw only 765 innings, and according to the database at Baseball-Reference.com, that’s the lowest total since at least 1908 in any season that wasn’t shortened by a work stoppage.

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The Rays appear well on their way to finishing below 700.

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