Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians designate Swarzak, call up Chen; pitching coaches; Tribe loses

The Cleveland Indians designated Anthony Swarzak for assignment and called up Chen, selected a new temporary Triple-A pitching coach, and lost to the Twins.

Yesterday was a busy day on the Tribe front. The Boston Red Sox hired former Triple-A Columbus pitching coach Carl Willis as their new major league pitching coach, and the Indians replaced him for the next two days with Tim Belcher, although it appears that Julio Rangel will be an interim pitching coach after that.

In another transaction, that Indians designated Anthony Swarzak for assignment. The right-hander made the bullpen out of Spring Training, and has posted a solid 3.38 ERA, 8.8 strikeouts per nine, and 2.7 walks per nine. The Cleveland Indians sent Swarzak down to make room for the veteran southpaw Bruce Chen, who started tonight’s game.

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Whether or not another team will claim Swarzak will be an interesting development, as he is only 29 years old. He has, however, struggled greatly in the Twins’ starting rotation, and he only really pitched well in the Twins’ bullpen in 2013, when he pitched 96 innings to the tune of a 2.91 ERA and 3.81 xFIP. This season is the first time that he has shown the ability to strikeout batters, with his 8.78 strikeouts per nine this season being much higher than his 5.56 career average.

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Cleveland Indians 7-4 yesterday. Struggling greatly, Bruce Chen made his debut with the Tribe. He allowed six runs and 11 base runners across four innings. Swisher and Kipnis both played well, combining to hit 7-for-9. Click here for more in-depth analysis of the Tribe’s loss.

More from around the AL Central

Cleveland Indians Fight Back, But Twins Over Power in 7-4 Loss – Wahoo’s on First

Chicago White Sox Bullpen the Bright Spot of Struggles – Southside Showdown

Fantasy Baseball: Five Hottest Pitchers in the AL Central – Motor City Bengals

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