Kluber fine in Indians loss to Diamondbacks

Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.

Cleveland ace Corey Kluber tuned up for the regular season, striking out nine over six effective innings Friday in the Indians’ 3-2 loss to Josh Collmenter and the split-squad Arizona Diamondbacks.

In a matchup between pitchers set to start on opening day, Kluber gave up one run and six hits. The AL Cy Young Award winner walked two.

“I feel like I’m getting stronger each time out, and I was able to get the pitch count up to where I wanted it today,” Kluber said after throwing 107 pitches. “I’m getting sharper and as long as that continues, we’re in a good place.”

Collmenter threw three-hit ball in seven shutout innings. He struck out three and walked two.

“I was able to make pitches when I needed to, and that was key,” Collmenter said, adding that he enjoyed going against one of the game’s best pitchers.

“It’s fun having those matchups because you can see everybody at their best,” he said. “It might make you play to a little higher level.”

Arizona scored off Kluber in the first inning on doubles by Chris Owings and David Peralta.

Owings also tripled. Jake Lamb hit two doubles for the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale hopes to have his major league roster figured out by next Friday, three days before they open the season.

“We’ll make a cut on Sunday,” Hale said.

Hale said he’s leaning toward going with two long relievers, and limiting Daniel Hudson’s inning if he’s in the starting rotation. Hudson came back from Tommy John surgery late last season.

“Anybody that doesn’t start could be in that mix,” Hale said of the candidates for those spots. If Hudson is a starter, only one more rotation spot remains and there are several pitchers being considered, including Randall Delgado, Vidal Nuno, Andrew Chaffin, Robbie Ray, Allen Webster and A.J. Schugel.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley (lower back soreness) will miss the next few games for precautionary reasons. ... Nick Swisher, coming off knee surgery, is running and doing agility drills and was expected to be OK to play in a minor league game.