The Cleveland Indians had a rock solid team in the field when they moved into Jacobs Field in 1994.  But, they lacked starting pitching, which led to them signing the then 39-year old righty Dennis Martinez to head the rotation.  Martinez was solid in 1994, but 1995 was his best year with the Tribe.  Martinez pitched in 28 games (all starts) for the Indians in 1995 and he was 12-5 with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.  He made the A.L. All-Star team in 1995 for the Tribe.  Martinez also pitched in 5 games (all starts) in the playoffs and World Series for the Indians in 1995 and he was 1-2 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.  Martinez pitched in 72 games (all starts) in his three years with the Tribe and he was 32-17 with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.  He was only with the Indians for three short years, but he made his mark in Cleveland.

The Indians have called up 22-year old righty starting pitcher Trevor Bauer to start Game #2 of today’s double header against the Yankees.  Bauer was the jewel of the Shin-Soo Choo deal over the winter.  He came into 2013 as the Diamondbacks’ #2 prospect according to Baseball America.  Bauer has pitched in 2 games (both starts) for the Indians so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP.  Bauer has outstanding stuff, but he has lacked control so far this year.  He has only given up 3 hits while walking 13 batters and whiffing 7 of them in his first 10 innings with the Indians!  Bauer has also pitched in 4 games (all starts) in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.  If he pitches well today, I think the Indians should keep him in the rotation.  They should consider moving 27-year old righty Corey Kluber to the bullpen, where his stuff might work a little better.  Kluber has pitched in 5 games (3 starts) for the Indians so far this year and he is 2-2 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 20 games (15 starts) in his first three years with the Indians and he is 4-7 with a 5.42 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.

The Indians have called up 28-year old lefty reliever/starter David Huff to replace Lonnie Chisenhall (demoted to AAA) on the active roster.  Huff will likely work as the long man out of the pen for the Tribe.  Huff pitched in 9 games (2 starts) in AAA-ball so far this year and he was 3-1 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  Huff has pitched in 55 games (52 starts) in his first four years with the Indians and he is 18-26 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.  Huff is likely running out of chances with the Indians, so it would be smart of him to impress them this time around.

The Cleveland Indians have sent 24-year old lefty swinging 3B Lonnie Chisenhall to AAA.  He has played in 26 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 20 for 94 (.213 avg, .604 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 11 RBIs.  He only walked 3 times while whiffing 22 times for the Tribe this year as he was literally swinging at everything.  Chisenhall has played in 135 games in his first three years with the Indians and he is 112 of 448 (.250 avg, .692 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  Chisenhall is going to have to hit the heck out of the ball in AAA before he gets another chance with the Tribe.

The Indians have designated 23-year old switch-hitting 1B Michael McDade for assignment.  McDade played in 21 games in AAA-ball for the Indians this year and he was 17 for 74 (.230 avg, .597 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 0 homers and 7 RBIs.  McDade has now played in 651 games in his first seven years in the minors and he is 643 of 2,438 (.264 avg, .739 OPS) with 281 runs scored, 76 homers, 332 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  The Indians needed McDade’s roster spot for outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who they recently claimed off waivers from the Phillies.

UPDATE:  (5/7/2013) – The Indians have lost Michael McDade on waivers to the White Sox.