Scott Lewis Recalled to AAA, Struggles In First Start

Scott Lewis made the rotation out of spring training, and it was hoped he might pick up where he finished last season—in four September starts Lewis went 4-0, working 24.0 innings and allowing only seven earned runs (2.63 ERA) while striking out 15 and walking only six. Lewis made the start in the home opener for the Tribe on April 10th of this year. 4.1 innings of seven-hit (including 2 homers), 4-run ball later (8.31 ERA), Lewis ended up on the DL with a “mild forearm strain” that turned into a visit to Dr. James Andrews, which for a pitcher is like getting a phone call from the IRS that your return came up on the “audit” list.

Lewis was activated on August 17th from the 60-day DL after a rehab stint, and sent to Columbus. He made his first start for the Clippers last night, and sadly it was not one for the memory box, as the Mud Hens routed the Clippers 10-1. Lewis only survived two innings after getting touched up for four runs in the second on four hits and a walk, including a three-run homer by Toledo’s Dusty Ryan (if only that weren’t his real name). Lewis needed 55 pitches to get through two innings, and while 33 were for strikes (60%), that was part of the problem as the Mud Hens hitters zeroed in on him early on.

Lewis was replaced by Mike Gosling, which is usually like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. The very first Mud Hens hitter Gosling faced greeted him with a bomb to right field. But, Gosling deserves some credit: he took a big one for the team, working 4.1 innings after Lewis’s outing was shorter than hoped for. The first four innings after the homer were solid for Gosling; the issue was that once the seventh inning started, things went downhill in a hurry. After a leadoff single, Gosling struck out the next batter. However, the next five hitters all reached on base hits, scoring four runs. The rout was on.

Other News

The news wasn’t all bad for the Clippers last night, as the Clippers set a franchise record for season attendance with 588,559 fans at Huntington Park for the 2009 season (previous record: 584,010, 1990). And, considering there are eight more home dates this season, it looks like the record will be set pretty high for future clubs. From Joe Santry with the Clippers (from yesterday):

Columbus currently leads all of Minor League Baseball with an average of 9,501 fans per game, 410 more than 2nd place, Lehigh Valley. Keeping up the current pace over the last nine games, Huntington Park will see over 665,000 fans in its first year as the home of the Clippers, a nearly 14% increase over the previous record.

Photo Credit: Tony Lastoria, Indians Prospect Insider