Left-hander Scott Lewis, who was outstanding in a September call-up to the Indians last year, will be the Indians' fourth starter, manager Eric Wedge announced March 25.
Right-hander Anthony Reyes, recovered from a 2008 elbow injury, will hold the fifth starting role. Lefty Aaron Laffey was optioned to Class AAA Columbus to open the season. Lewis, 25, separated himself from the competition with an outstanding outing March 20 against Oakland in which he pitched five scoreless innings.
After the game, Wedge said Lewis "has had as good a camp as any starter we have."
In his outing against Oakland, Lewis displayed the same characteristics he showed when he went 4-0 in four September starts. Through March 25, he had a 3.52 ERA this spring.
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 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.
Reyes had allowed just one run in 12 innings this spring through March 25. Laffey allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in 13 Cactus League innings.
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