All-Star Bauer on mound for Indians vs. Reds (Jul 09, 2018)

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians had five players selected to the American League All-Star team, and one of them will be on the mound Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

First-time All-Star Trevor Bauer will make his 19th start of the season, as he faces the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a three-game series. The Indians' other four All-Stars are third baseman Jose Ramirez, shortstop Francisco Lindor, pitcher Corey Kluber and outfielder Michael Brantley.

Lindor, Kluber and Brantley are each three-time All-Stars and Ramirez has been the AL starter at third base in each of the last two years.

"All five guys are really good, and they have done it the right way. They're great people," said Indians manager Terry Francona. "And they aren't one and done guys. They are (All-Star) repeaters. The fact that we have five All-Stars, do the math, not every team gets five. So that's pretty cool."

This is the second consecutive year the Indians have had five players selected for the All-Star game, and of this year's group only Bauer is going for the first time. But the 27-year-old right-hander has earned it.

Bauer is 8-6 and ranks fifth in the American League with a 2.45 ERA. He's also third in the AL with 156 strikeouts and fifth in innings pitched with 121. Bauer's 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings also ranks fifth in the league.

His last start was a 3-2 victory over Kansas City on July 4, a game in which he pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. In his last 10 starts overall, Bauer is 6-3 with a 2.05 ERA while averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings and holding opposing batters to a .210 batting average.

His last start against the Reds came on May 24 of last year, a 4-3 Cleveland loss in which Bauer did not figure in the decision. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs.

In four career starts against Cincinnati, Bauer is 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA. He has made 23 appearances in interleague games and is 9-5 with a 2.81 ERA.

Bauer is 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA in eight starts this year at Progressive Field. Despite having lost their last three in a row at home since the 2017 All-Star break, the Indians have the best home record in the majors: 56-24 (.700).

Bauer's mound opponent on Tuesday will be 6-5, 270-pound right-hander Sal Romano (5-8, 5.40). The 24-year-old Romano will be making his first career appearance against the Indians.

Romano's last start was a 7-4 win over the White Sox on July 4. In that game he pitched five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, with six strikeouts and no walks.

Romano has pitched well of late. In his last four starts, he is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Tuesday will be Romano's fifth start in an interleague game this season. In the first four, he was 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA. In five career interleague starts, he is 2-2 with a 3.77 ERA.

Overall this year, the Reds are 9-2 in interleague play while the Indians are 7-5. In the all-time series between Ohio's two major league teams, the Indians hold a 56-48 advantage.

The Reds had five players selected to the National League All-Star team, first baseman Joey Votto, second baseman Scooter Gennett and third baseman Eugenio Suarez.