Left-hander Scott Lewis, who was outstanding in a September call-up to the Indians last year, has moved to the front of the pack of candidates for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
Lewis separated himself from the competition with an outstanding outing March 20 against Oakland in which he pitched five scoreless innings. After the game, manager Eric Wedge said Lewis "has had as good a camp as any starter we have."
The 25-year-old Lewis is competing with Aaron Laffey and Zach Jackson for the fifth spot in the rotation. In his outing against Oakland, Lewis displayed the same characteristics he showed when he went 4-0 in four September starts.
Two other candidates for the job, left-hander Jeremy Sowers and right-hander Kirk Saarloos, were taken out of consideration on March 24. Sowers (4.91 ERA this spring) was optioned to Class AAA Columbus, while Saarloos (9.58) was reassigned to the Indians' minor league camp.
Lewis is a strike-thrower who consistently gets ahead in the count and is unfazed by the big-league atmosphere. His poise on the mound is especially impressive given his limited major league experience.
Lewis picked a good time to make a move in the competition for that opening in the rotation. With less than two weeks left in training camp, time is running short for the other candidates to make an impression.
Indians officials will likely have to make a decision soon on that No. 5 spot. With the clock winding down on decision time, it looks as if it could be Lewis' job to lose.
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