Trevor Bauer spun on the mound, pumped his right fist and then pounded his glove. The crowd at Progressive Field roared along with the Indians pitching prospect, who had just struck out Yasmani Grandal to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning on Wednesday.
“I’m a competitor, so I was just kind of in the moment,” Bauer said. “I got a big out and was kind of pumped up about it.”
Finally, after all the hype, after all the discussion of retooled mechanics and detailed video sessions, Bauer showed Cleveland his potential in a spot start in the second game of a traditional doubleheader with the Padres. This day was what Indians fans have waited for since the Tribe pried Bauer from the D-backs two winters ago.
The Indians were on the unfortunate end of a 2-1 loss in the final game of this three-game Interleague set with San Diego, but Cleveland took the series two games to one. In the second half of the twin bill on Wednesday, an instant-replay review in the first inning and a subdued Tribe offense spoiled an otherwise promising evening for Bauer.
Cleveland promoted Bauer from Triple-A Columbus prior to the game to serve as the roster’s 26th man, but the young right-hander will surely have fans calling for him to stick around.
“I thought he was really good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He threw all his pitches the first time through the order. He worked ahead. The second time through the order, he fell behind a few times, but he pitched himself back in the count. With his stuff and the way he’s trying to attack the zone, his progress is going to come quick.”
A year ago, Bauer labored from Spring Training through the end of the Minor League season, providing the Indians with four enigmatic spot starts along the way. Both Bauer and the Indians made it clear that the pitcher was undergoing drastic changes to his delivery with the hope of avoiding the kind of lower-half injuries that hindered him with Arizona in 2012.
Bauer’s violent motion looked more controlled this past spring, when he also flashed a considerable improvement with his pitch velocity. That continued on Wednesday against the Padres, who had to deal with a fastball from Bauer that sat around 95-96 mph for much of the game. The righty established a career high with eight strikeouts and turned in six impressive innings.
Bauer scattered four hits, allowed two runs (one earned) and issued two walks in the 99-pitch effort. Combined with his Opening Day start for Columbus on Friday, Bauer has piled up 17 strikeouts against four walks with just two earned runs allowed in 12 innings this season.
This marked Bauer’s ninth start in the Majors, but he said Wednesday was the most comfortable he has felt in that environment.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
