CLEVELAND -- For the fourth time in his last five starts, Cal Quantrill turned in a quality outing -- but the Indians still walked away with a loss. If nothing else, the 26-year-old righty is proving just how valuable he can be in the Indians’ rotation. 

Despite the right-hander’s efforts, getting charged with two runs in six-plus innings, Cleveland’s bullpen couldn’t pick him up as the Indians fell, 6-3, to Oakland on Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

“He had them hitting the ball on the ground, five, six punchouts,” Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale said. “Just a good effort. That’s what good starting pitching does, keep you in the game and give you a chance to win.”

Quantrill kept his team in the game as long as he could. He cruised through his first six frames, allowing just two infield hits while keeping the A’s off the scoreboard. But after a leadoff walk and a base hit to start the seventh, Quantrill was pulled and reliever Bryan Shaw was unable to prevent the two runners from crossing the plate.

While he’s been showing he can be trusted to keep his team in a close game each time he takes the ball, Quantrill is hoping he can soon be depended on to work out of a jam like the seventh, as well.

“I want to get to the point where it's no question that I'm going to stay in there,” Quantrill said. “That being said, a leadoff walk isn't going to make your manager too excited to leave you in. I trust DeMarlo. Hopefully we can get to the point where he wants me to be that guy right there. But that's OK. It was a good battle today.”

Even though he didn’t stay in on Wednesday, Quantrill is certainly building a convincing résumé to handle whatever situation is thrown at him. Since July 17 against the A’s, he’s been nearly untouchable. In those six starts, he hasn’t allowed more than four hits -- the first time a Cleveland hurler has done so in a single season since Mike Clevinger allowed four or fewer hits in seven straight starts in 2018 -- and has owned a 1.25 ERA.

“[Quantrill] has been really good,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Look at his last five games. He’s been as good as anybody in the American League.” 

Melvin isn’t exaggerating. Since the conclusion of the All-Star break, only Jameson Taillon of the Yankees has owned a better ERA (0.89) than Quantrill’s 1.25 among all Major League hurlers who have started at least five games. Although Quantrill hasn’t picked up many wins in this stretch, he also hasn’t been on the losing end of the decision since June 6 against Baltimore, going 3-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 12 starts over that span.

Quantrill was a reliable option for Cleveland out of the ‘pen at the beginning of the season when he didn’t break camp in the rotation. However, as he made his transition to being a starter by the end of May, he wasn’t nearly as sharp. From May 31 through July 10, Quantrill owned a 5.91 ERA in eight starts, as opposing hitters recorded a .287 average with an .804 OPS against him. But when he returned from the All-Star break, he was a different pitcher. 

“Yeah, I mean, I was transitioning, right?” Quantrill said. “I was trying to become a starter. Trying to build up a pitch count. It's pretty hard to succeed with 60 pitches. There's really no winning there. It's either you go three innings and people say you did OK or you lose.” 

So, how did he get to where he is today? It didn’t need to be some magic adjustment in his mechanics. All Quantrill needed was time. He had to get in the rhythm of being a starter again and, most importantly, he needed the comfort of knowing he was in the rotation permanently. And after the performances he’s had, there’s no question he’ll be part of the team’s long-term starting plans. 

“I think a big part of it is kind of getting full rein,” Quantrill said. “And then some of it, too, is pitching better. Attacking hitters better, executing better. Better game plan. I think we've kind of approached each cycle through the start a little better. Probably a combination of a lot of things, but honestly the biggest thing for me is just knowing that I'm a starter and I'm going to stay here and I'm going to have 100 pitches every time out.”