27-year old lefty swinging 2B Jason Kipnis had a slow start in April, but he is killing the ball so far in May.  Kipnis has played in 20 games for the Tribe so far in May and he is 24 of 83 (.289 avg, .974 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 6 homers, 20 RBIs and 4 stolen bases.  He has now played in 37 games overall this year for the Tribe and he is 38 for 153 (.248 avg, .782 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 7 homers, 24 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.  The Indians hope that Kipnis keeps rolling as he has been giving them a nice jump start near the top of the lineup.

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.

UPDATE:  (5/23/2013) – The Indians have designated David Huff for assignment.  Huff pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the Indians this year and he was 0-0 with a 15.00 ERA and a 2.67 WHIP.  The Indians have recalled 25-year old lefty reliever Scott Barnes to replace him in the bullpen.  Barnes pitched in 3 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Tribe and he was 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP.

With the demotion of 3B Lonnie Chisenhall to AAA, the Indians have opened up more ABs for 32-year old righty swinging Mike Aviles, 32-year old righty swinging Ryan Raburn and 42-year old lefty swinging DH Jason Giambi.  Mark Reynolds will also likely play more at 3B than he has so far this year for the Indians.  When Reynolds is at 3B, Giambi will likely get to DH.  Giambi has played in 12 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 9 for 40 (.225 avg, .754 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 11 RBIs.  When Reynolds DHs, Aviles or Raburn will likely play 3B.  Aviles has played in 22 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 16 for 56 (.286 avg, .735 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Raburn has played in 23 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 24 of 75 (.320 avg, .938 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 4 homers and 11 RBIs.  With the demotion of Chisenhall, the Indians have amped up the offense even more…..as Giambi, Aviles and Raburn are all hitting the ball well so far this year.