Clevinger for 5, then ‘pen a postseason preview?

CLEVELAND — The handshake might have arrived earlier than Mike Clevinger wanted, but the Indians rookie had no issue with handing the ball to the bullpen. Given the way Cleveland’s relief corps has operated of late, the qualifications for a quality start might as well be reduced to five innings for the Tribe.

On Thursday night, Clevinger provided an effective five-inning performance for the Indians in a 5-2 victory over the Royals, helping Cleveland complete a sweep of the three-game set and trim its magic number to four for clinching the American League Central. Dan Otero, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen handled the last four frames, keeping Kansas City in check en route to a fifth win in six games.

This may have been an October preview for an Indians club that has seen its rotation decimated by injuries.

“We have the best shut-down bullpen in the league,” said Clevinger, when asked about exiting the game after only 80 pitches. “I wasn’t sad or mad about it.”

One night earlier, Indians ace Corey Kluber left the game after 102 pitches, even though he easily could have logged a few more in his outing. After that win on Wednesday, Kluber said, “There’s no second-guessing,” because the Indians’ bullpen has been so good of late. With so many weapons at his disposal, manager Terry Francona suddenly has the ability to shorten games.

Leaning heavily on a talented bullpen has worked in postseasons past. Last year, the Royals had seven playoff games in which their starter lasted five or fewer innings, and Kansas City won the World Series. One fall earlier, the Giants had Madison Bumgarner powering their staff, but San Francisco also had six games of …

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