Bauer hopes to curb walks as Indians host White Sox
Trevor Bauer was fairly blunt when describing his last start, a 7-4 victory at Miami.
"I walked two in the second," the Cleveland Indians right-hander told MLB.com. "But I guess that's fairly normal for me this season. I suck right now, so I've gotta figure it out."
Bauer (4-1, 2.45 ERA) is scheduled to make his eighth start of the season when the Indians open a four-game series with the visiting Chicago White Sox on Monday at Progressive Field.
Against the Marlins, Bauer allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in seven innings and matched a season-high with 10 strikeouts.
It seems Bauer was mostly miffed by the walks.
In his previous start, he walked six but allowed only one run on four hits in eight innings of a 2-1 victory against Houston.
"I'm giving guys five, six free baserunners every game. No one hits me. I gave up four hits (at Miami). I gave up (four) in Houston. ... All the messes I'm in are because I'm putting guys on base for free."
Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who joined the Indians this season, said Bauer wants everything to be perfect.
"I've never seen Trevor Bauer struggle," Gonzalez told MLB.com. "For the first time I'm playing on his side, but every time I see the guy on the highlights, he's always doing his thing. He's a great guy. He wants the ball every time."
With right-hander Corey Kluber suffering a broken bone in his forearm last week after being hit with a line drive, Indians manager Terry Francona moved Bauer's start back a day to Monday. In 18 career appearances against the White Sox, including 16 starts, Bauer is 8-3 with a 3.21 ERA.
Right-hander Cody Anderson started Sunday and didn't get out of the first inning in a 10-0 loss to Seattle, in which the Indians managed just two hits.
With Kluber sidelined and fellow right-handers Mike Clevinger (upper-back strain) and Danny Salazar (right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis) both on the 60-day injured list, the Indians' rotation is short-handed.
Anderson made his first start of the season Sunday, and Jefry Rodriguez is scheduled to start Tuesday.
"So we bumped Trevor back a day to split up Cody and Jefry," Francona said. "Just because Cody's not altogether stretched out yet, and we don't want to beat up our bullpen, either."
After winning the opener of a four-game series at home against Boston, the White Sox lost the last three by a combined score of 30-5. That included a 9-2 defeat Sunday.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria seems more concerned with the process than the results.
"I look at all the other stuff," he said. "If we do everything we're supposed to on a consistent basis, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win a ballgame on a daily basis, and it's very difficult to win a major league ballgame."
Right-hander Ivan Nova (0-3, 8.33) is set to start the opener for the White Sox. He's 2-1 with a 3.70 ERA in four career starts against the Indians.
--Field Level Media