CLEVELAND — Between injuries, roster moves and inconsistent performances, the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen faced plenty of challenges during the 2018 regular season.
But while other pitchers were posting earned run averages well above their previous single-season highs, left-hander Oliver Perez was a bright spot, as he registered a career-low ERA and matched a personal best for home runs allowed.
“At a time last year where we were having our ups and downs, man, he came in and his numbers are stating the obvious,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
“He’s a really stabilizing force in the bullpen. He’s a great guy. Guys look up to him. He takes the ball every day. It’s a really professional pitcher. He gave everybody fits last year, but he can be dominant, especially against lefties.”
In 2018, his first season in Cleveland, Perez posted a 1-1 record with a 1.39 ERA over 32.1 innings of work in 51 appearances. Perez allowed just five earned runs, one home run and seven walks against 43 strikeouts while limiting hitters to a .155 batting average.
Over his 1,399 innings pitched in 603 career games, Perez has a 70-87 record with a 4.39 ERA with 1,479 strikeouts against 742 walks allowed while holding opposing hitters to a .242 batting average.
“With Oliver, guys like Oliver, I think you start them out with lefties and build them into a role where you can create confidence every year, not just say, ‘You’re going to do this,’” Francona said. “I think you can help them along with their confidence.”
Perez has the ability to keep hitters off-balance by utilizing unique arm angles, which forces his catchers to be on high alert, too.
“That’s what (Yan) Gomes used to tell me,” Francona said. “‘How are these guys hitting him when I can barely catch him?’
“There’s a rhyme and reason. He’ll remember if he faces a guy before, if he came to a stop or if he held or if he didn’t, so he’s got a pretty good idea of what he’s doing.”
Perez is not the only relief pitcher Francona is expecting good things from in 2019.
Over 8.2 innings of work in nine appearances for the Indians last season, right-handed veteran Jon Edwards registered a 3.12 earned run average and 10 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .182 batting average.
With Edwards having a chance to carve out a bigger role in a bullpen that lost left-hander Andrew Miller (St. Louis Cardinals) and former closer Cody Allen (Los Angeles Angels), Francona anticipates seeing more good things out of the veteran reliever.
“I would be surprised if he doesn’t do really well,” Francona said. “You don’t want to go out and proclaim too much, but I think it was my first year and I said, ‘I think Corey Kluber is situated to have a pretty good year.’ Well, you know what? He was.
“I think Jon Edwards, from where he’s been, the way he works, the way he acts, the way he conducts himself, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t do pretty well.”
