CLEVELAND _ Injuries to Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco being diagnosed with a blood disorder have forced the Indians to showcase the strength of their farm system.
Development of young starting pitchers has become their calling card, allowing them to continue to contend despite a small market payroll.
On Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field, right-hander Aaron Civale became the second Indians pitcher to make his major league debut this season, joining Zach Plesac. Civale's brother came from Hilo, Hawaii, his family from Connecticut for the important day and Civale did not disappoint.
Making a spot start so Clevinger could rehab his sprained left ankle on the 10-day injured list, Civale shut out the Tigers through six innings, allowing two hits with six strikeouts, and picked up the victory in the Indians' 2-0 triumph.
The Indians (41-35) climbed to six games above .500 for the first time this season. Winning for the seventh time in the last nine games and the 12th time in the last 17, the Indians improved to 13-6 in June. Entering the day, they held the best winning percentage in the American League this month.
Civale, 24, had made seven starts this season for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, going 5-0 with a 2.85 ERA in 41 innings. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder was a third-round draft choice out of Northeastern University in 2016.
Civale was the first starter to make his Indians' major league debut at home since Cody Anderson on June 21, 2015, against Tampa Bay. Entering the 2019 season, Civale was voted to have the best control in the Tribe organization by Baseball America.
He walked three _ two in the sixth _ but induced Brandon Dixon to pop out to first base to escape trouble. Civale threw 87 pitches, 46 of them for strikes.
In the first inning, Civale needed 19 pitches to strike out the side, getting JaCoby Jones looking and Christin Stewart and Nicholas Castellanos swinging.
"Strike thrower. Breaking ball heavy," manager Terry Francona said of Civale Friday. "Doesn't have a lot of Triple-A experience, like Plesac. Doesn't mean he can't help us win. One of the biggest things we, as a group, try to figure out is does a spot start help or hinder somebody's development? And we ask the player development people, because they're the ones that know."
Plesac (2-2 for the Indians) was a 12th-round selection out of Ball State in 2016, a member of Civale's draft class. Francona said there is satisfaction seeing young pitchers develop, despite the circumstances.
"I can't imagine it's not (unless) you're somebody in Double-A pitching or whatever, thinking 'Jeez, I just roomed with this kid two weeks ago,' " Francona said.
Playing in bright sunshine with a breeze blowing in, the Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Jason Kipnis led off with a single to center and Jose Ramirez hit behind the runner perfectly, tripling to the right field corner.
Two baserunning gaffes ended any further threat. With none out, Tyler Naquin grounded into a fielder's choice and Ramirez was caught off the bag at third. On a Roberto Perez strikeout, Naquin was caught stealing.
The Indians added a run in the third on Oscar Mercado's bloop single to short center. That scored Mike Freeman, who had singled, recorded his first major league stolen base and reached third on Francisco Lindor's grounder to first.
The Tigers threatened in the eighth when Jones doubled to the left field corner off Oliver Perez, but the best bullpen in the majors stiffened. Perez got Stewart to fly out to right. Adam Cimber came on to retire Castellanos on a groundout to third and Miguel Cabrera on a groundout to second. Brad Hand pitched the ninth and allowed two one-out singles before retiring John Hicks and Daniel Lugo to record his 22nd save.
Naquin followed up his game-saving, ninth-inning catch Friday night with another spectacular defensive play. Jones led off the sixth with a fly ball to short right that Naquin charged and dove to grab.
Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected in the fourth inning, his sixth time tossed this season.
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