Indians scratch reigning AL Cy Young winner from Friday start

By foxsports
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The Indians have scratched ace Corey Kluber from his scheduled start Friday against the Tigers because of a strained right hamstring.

Terry Francona said that Kluber, last season's AL Cy Young winner, is expected to miss at least two starts.

"We'll pitch him again when's ready," Francona said.

His absence will make it even tougher for Cleveland to gain ground in the wild-card race.

Kluber last pitched on Aug. 29 at home, pitching six innings with no health problems, but injured himself during a bullpen session in Toronto.

Josh Tomlin will replace Kluber and start the series opener at Comerica Park. Danny Salazar will pitch Saturday, and Cory Anderson is scheduled to start the series finale on Sunday.

Kluber is 8-13 with a 3.41 ERA, but the right-hander has pitched much better than his record indicates as Cleveland's offense hasn't given him much run support. He leads the league with 200 1/3 innings and is third with 219 strikeouts.

Kluber's replacement could be Carlos Carrasco, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. Francona said that if he gets through a bullpen session on Saturday, he could start as soon as Tuesday in Chicago.