Francona: Tomlin deserves help, not demotion

ARLINGTON — Indians manager Terry Francona has never been one to make a rash decision in the immediate aftermath of a demoralizing defeat. After the latest setback for starter Josh Tomlin, and with a spot on the October stage at stake, Cleveland might be close to considering its alternatives.

Following Thursday’s 9-0 loss to the Rangers, Francona came to Tomlin’s defense rather than hint at any warnings of rotation shuffling to come. There might not be a more revered teammate than Tomlin in Cleveland’s clubhouse, and his status as the longest-tenured member of the organization speaks to his work ethic. Those characteristics have earned Francona’s trust, even now.

“When guys have a tough time, I don’t think we want to run from them,” Francona said. “We want to help them through it. And, if anybody in that room is going to give you everything they have, it’s J.T. That’s just kind of how I feel about it.”

Inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Globe Life Park, Tomlin made no excuses.

“We take pride in trying to be the backbone of the team,” he said of the starters. “Right now, the past few turns I’ve been out there, I haven’t really given our team a chance to win. That’s something where I’ve got to go back to the drawing board, try to get better and try to help …

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