CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If the Indians opt to address the crack in their foundation, Josh Tomlin doesn't mind calling the handyman himself.

Manager Terry Francona and the front office have a decision to make regarding the struggling starting pitcher, who posted an eye-popping 11.48 ERA in six August outings.

"Whatever moves he makes, I understand," Tomlin said after he lasted only 1 2/3 innings on Tuesday. "It's not like I'm going out there and throwing eight shutout [innings] every time right now. I'm struggling, and I know I'm struggling. I take full ownership of that. It's my fault."

Tomlin's first offering of the game on Tuesday landed in the left-field bleachers, as Brian Dozier ambushed him for the fifth first-pitch leadoff homer in Progressive Field history. Tomlin has served up at least one homer in 15 consecutive starts.

The right-hander's August numbers are not pleasing to the naked eye:

26 2/3 innings, 46 hits, 34 earned runs, 10 home runs

Perhaps most perplexing of all, Tomlin has no inkling as to what is ailing him.

"It's very confusing for me," Tomlin said. "I went back and looked back at a lot of stuff. I don't see a trend. I don't see a trend anywhere. The stuff is not ticking down at all. I feel like it's actually a little better now than it was earlier in the year. My cutter is harder, which I went back and looked at it to see if it was flatter. Maybe it was just kind of chasing barrels a little bit, but it's not really doing that.

"Then, after the All-Star break early on, it was about executing pitches out of the stretch. I wasn't executing pitches, and now I am. They're just putting good at-bats on them, putting the barrel on it and they're finding holes. It's definitely a tough stretch and it's frustrating, but I can't hang my head down. I've got to come back and get back to work and try to figure this thing out and get better."

Following Tuesday's game -- one salvaged by the Tribe bullpen -- Francona hinted that the Indians could push back or skip Tomlin's next start. The Indians have an off-day on Thursday, so they could go without a fifth starter until Tuesday.

If Tomlin doesn't make that start, then who might?

The convenient answer would be Mike Clevinger, who has pitched in relief for the Tribe over the last few weeks. Francona, however, indicated on Tuesday afternoon that Clevinger would remain in the bullpen.

"I don't think so. If we need help, we can get bodies," Francona said, when asked if Clevinger could lend a hand to the rotation at some point in September. "We think Clev can help us in the bullpen this year. In no way am I saying he's not going to be a starter [next year and beyond]. Just right now, I think he's helping us in the bullpen."

Clevinger hasn't logged more than two innings since Aug. 18, when he tossed four frames in relief. Still, by the time the Indians might need a fifth starter, their bullpen might be bolstered by an infusion of relievers from Triple-A. Teams can expand their big-league rosters to 40 players on Thursday. So, even if Clevinger wouldn't be conditioned to pitch into the seventh or eighth, the club would have reinforcements at the ready.

If Francona keeps Clevinger in the bullpen, the Indians could promote a starting pitcher from Triple-A, though that might be a daunting task for an unproven hurler, given the team's standing.

The rotation at Triple-A Columbus is comprised of Adam Plutko, Ryan Merritt, Shawn Morimando, Toru Murata and Shawn Haviland. Cody Anderson and TJ House have pitched primarily out of the bullpen.

No matter the route the Indians choose, the club could use a quick fix. Tomlin admitted he "is not giving [the team] a chance to win."

"It's putting them in a hole early," he said. "They're having to fight back a lot of the times that I go out there and pitch these last couple outings.

"We're in a playoff hunt. We're trying to get to October and play deep into October. Doing that right now is not putting us in a good position to do that. It's more frustrating on my end, because I'm not being able to help the team win and go deep into games, and kind of taxing the bullpen. I'm putting the guys in a hole. It's tough for me to go out there and put up starts like that."