Plenty of Cleveland Indians fans likely began their Saturday watching Ohio State fall to Oregon.
But at least there was some baseball to take in, right?
Any hope of a fun night was ruined as the Indians were no-hit by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Usually, a no-hitter is still a fun event to take in, however, this is not a new sight for Indians fans in 2021.
If you count a seven-inning no-no, the Indians have been no-hit four times in 2021.
Even get rid of the shortened game and the Indians are the first team to be no-hit three times in a season.
And we still have a month to go.
One Common Theme
The bizarre thing about this trend is the fact Zach Plesac seems to be the common thread.
He has made 22 starts on the year and three times his offense has totally disappeared.
There is no logical reason for that other than acknowledging the front office has not put a legitimate lineup on the field all season.
If Jose Ramirez or Franmil Reyes have an off night, the team is doomed.
The frustrating thing for fans is that the team is still only 69-71 on the season.
So even with the spurts of historically bad offense, the team could be in the playoff hunt if a handful of games went the other way.
One or two more proper bats in the lineup could have made all the difference and this is a year where the team had a starting rotation of all rookies for a stretch of time.
A Needed Rebrand
The Indians are truly limping to the finish line in 2021 before rebranding to the Guardians following the season.
Perhaps those on the fence about the new name can find some positives in the team making the switch after bottoming out so bad on offense this season.
The entire team needs a fresh start.
They are still without manager Terry Francona and his future in baseball remains in question given all his health issues.
Shane Bieber continues to work back from an injury and likely won’t be back to his normal self until the start of 2022.
So the team can just finish out the year and everyone can start over and chase the postseason again as the Guardians.
But one thing is clear for the front office.
They must add some legitimate starting bats into the lineup if they want people to show up to games next year.
Not having proper offense also wastes the performances from pitchers like Plesac, Bieber, and Aaron Civale.
Some pitchers never have to deal with a no-hitter in their entire career.
Plesac is now taking the mound wondering if what he does even matters.
More must-reads: