Indians notes: Scouts in attendance to watch Trevor Bauer pitch against Tigers

CLEVELAND — Indians and Tigers fans weren't the only ones in attendance Thursday night at Progressive Field.With Trevor Bauer on the mound, a number of scouts were in Cleveland to watch the right-hander, who has reportedly drawn interest from contending teams — most notably the Yankees — as the July 31 trade deadline approaches.Manager Terry Francona said team president Chris Antonetti spoke to Bauer on the subject."I thought it was extremely respectful. Chris said (Bauer) was terrific," Francona said. "Chris brought it up to me and I said, 'I think it's a great idea.' You don't want to do something well-meaning and then mess it up. And (Antonetti) said he was glad he did."Bauer, who has won arbitration cases against the Indians the past two seasons and is making $13 million this year, has spent all but four games of his major league career in Cleveland after being acquired in a trade with Arizona in 2012."I think he likes to pitch. I hope he likes to pitch here. I think he does. I mean, I hope he does," Francona said. "We know how good he is. We respect ... we've gone through about seven years now with him. We've got to know him pretty good and the one thing you know is on the day he pitches, you're gonna get a guy that goes out there and is not gonna back down and there's a pretty good chance the last pitch he throws that night is gonna be the best pitch of his night. There's a lot to like about the way he pitches."On the mendFrancona said two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber's first bullpen session went well Wednesday at Progressive Field. Kluber (right forearm fracture) is scheduled to throw off the mound again Sunday."The next time through (after Sunday) will be a day less in between (bullpen sessions)," Francona said. "We're still at the point where we're starting to build up his arm strength."Right-hander Dan Otero (right shoulder) made his second rehab appearance Thursday, this time at Double-A Akron. He is scheduled to make another for the RubberDucks on Saturday.We like MikeIt was another productive day for utility infielder Mike Freeman, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in a 7-2 win over Detroit on Wednesday.Despite playing sporadically, Freeman, 31, has been consistent, batting .299 with four doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .396 in 38 games."It's something you don't really get used to," Freeman said of the bench role. "I haven't had a lot of success in the past doing it just because like people say, it's one of the hardest things to do in baseball. I was fortunate to see some guys have success doing it. I remember in 2017 (with the Cubs), watching Albert Almora Jr. come off the bench and just get big hits for them whenever they needed it. I was just super impressed. It's nice to see somebody have success so you know it's possible."I've kind of taken that with me. If you put your head down and find ways to create games within games in practice to keep yourself fresh, it's helped me out so far and hopefully I can help the team win some more games when I'm in the lineup."Next upThe Indians wrap up the homestand with a three-game series against Kansas City that begins tonight at 7:10.Shane Bieber (8-3, 3.49 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing LHP Mike Montgomery (1-2, 5.67), while Adam Plutko (3-1, 5.40) starts Saturday (7:10 p.m) against RHP Jakob Junis (5-8, 5.08).Zach Plesac (3-3, 3.56) goes for the Indians in the series finale Sunday (1:10 p.m.) while the Royals counter with RHP Glenn Sparkman (3-5, 4.54).Tito's timeFrancona picked up his 600th victory Thursday, joining Lou Boudreau (728), Mike Hargrove (721) and Tris Speaker (617) as the only Indians managers to reach the milestone. With 1,065 games as Cleveland's manager, he is the fastest to the mark, surpassing Hargrove (1,103).Francona, who had 772 wins as manager of the Boston Red Sox, is one of six managers to reach 600 or more wins with two teams, joining Tony LaRussa (Oakland and St. Louis), Sparky Anderson (Cincinnati and Detroit), Bruce Bochy (San Diego and San Francisco), Jim Leyland (Pittsburgh and Detroit) and Leo Durocher (Brooklyn and N.Y. Giants).Roundin' thirdJose Ramirez has hit safely in 22 of his last 26 games after his home run in the sixth inning Thursday night. He is batting .347 (25-for-72) with seven doubles, a triple, four homers and 15 RBIs over his last 19 games. He entered Thursday with doubles in each of his last four games, and has hit extra-base hits in six straight.The Indians have homered in 11 straight games and 23 times over the span.Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @CAwesomeheimer.