Puskas: Indians arm selves to end skid

What a difference a week — and some pitching — can make.

Seven days ago, the Indians were losing both games of a day-night doubleheader at Baltimore’s Camden Yards as the Orioles finished a weekend sweep.

It was a double dip of historical proportions. Until those 4-0 and 8-0 losses to Baltimore, the Indians had gone 40 years without being shut out in both games of a doubleheader.

At 33-41 (.446), the Indians were at their lowest point all season, save for twice being nine games under .500 (11-20 and 12-21) briefly in mid-May.

The feeling in northeastern Ohio?

When does Browns camp start?

Indians manager Terry Francona called a team meeting on Monday before the road trip continued with a series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.

I’m not sure what Francona said, but let’s hope someone recorded his words in case the Indians reach a point at which they need to hear them again.

Right-handers Cody Anderson, Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco each took a perfect game into the sixth inning in the first three games of the series as the Indians won, 7-1, 6-2 and 8-1. On Wednesday night, Carrasco was one strike from pitching Cleveland’s first no-hitter since Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981.

On Thursday, Corey Kluber — the reigning American League Cy Young winner — gave up two runs in the first inning and two more in the sixth against Tampa Bay, but the Indians won, 5-4, on Mike Aviles’ solo home run in the 10th.

Kluber gave a up a few runs, but was hardly the slacker of the bunch the Indians threw at the Rays. He struck out 14 in eight innings as Tampa Bay fanned a club-record 19 times that day.

The brilliant pitching continued Friday when the Indians got to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park as Trevor Bauer beat the Pirates, 5-2.

And in perhaps the most entertaining walk ever drawn, he imitated the batting stances of teammates Aviles, Jason Kipnis and Ryan Raburn as he battled back from an 0-2 count. How loose is Bauer to be able to do that less than a week after the Indians looked like a team on the verge of packing it in for the summer?

That’s what good pitching can do. The Indians got even more Saturday as Anderson made his third consecutive brilliant start since being called from Class AAA Columbus. The Pirates won, 1-0, but Anderson allowed just that run and six hits in eight innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

The Tribe still needs a hitter or two, as Saturday’s game showed, but the rotation was very good even with the marginal Shawn Marcum in the No. 5 spot. If Anderson’s strong start (1-1, 0.76 ERA in three starts) isn’t a mirage, the Indians’ rotation might be the best in the AL.

It figures to keep them in games and, with a little help from the bats, might just get them above .500 and into the playoff chase.

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.