Velocity not Kluber’s biggest problem

CLEVELAND — In examining Corey Kluber’s first three starts of the season, Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway has not found the pitcher’s diminished velocity to be the biggest issue.

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Mariners, Callaway said that he feels Kluber’s pitch usage early in games is an area that could be improved. The pitching coach also believes that the early-inning approach so far — few breaking pitches out of the gate — has contributed to some mechanical issues, which in turn have played a role in the drop in pitch speed.

“He might be a little more side to side before he starts breaking out his curveball in a game,” Callaway explained. “You saw that [against the Mets on Sunday]. He was a little side to side with his mechanics. Then, he started throwing his breaking ball, and all of a sudden, he was driving pitches down in the zone, getting that depth he wanted and probably throwing a little harder.”

During Sunday’s 6-0 loss to New York, Kluber allowed six runs on seven hits in the first two innings and then no runs on two hits for the next four frames. Granted, defensive missteps in the second paved the way for three runs for the Mets, but Kluber was not at his best to that point, either. New York attacked his fastball, which was coming in …

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