Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer bounced back and shut down the Detroit Tigers Sunday for his first career complete game shutout.
Trevor Bauer pitching like Trevor Bauer was a good sight to see. Bauer has struggled over his past few starts but that was not the case Sunday. The Cleveland right-hander absolutely dominated on the mound en route to his first career complete game shutout.
It was only a matter of time before two things happened.
1. Trevor Bauer returning to form.
2. Trevor Bauer pitching a complete game shutout.
The fact that Bauer did not have a performance like this previously is quite surprising. Especially when you consider just how dominant Bauer was last season.
Over the course of nine innings Bauer allowed four hits and struck out eight batters. The fact that Bauer did not walk a batter is an encouraging sign that he is turning the corner. Walks have been an issue all season long and this was Bauer’s first zero walk performance this season.
Granted the 2019 Detroit Tigers are not an offensive juggernaut by any means, but this could be just what Bauer needed to get things going. Even though Miguel Cabrera is not longer the former MVP he once was, his absence from the lineup still makes a difference. This allowed Bauer a much easier path to the type of game he pitched.
Now if Bauer can use this as a springboard to returning to his form last year remains to be seen. For a pitcher who is as talented as Bauer is, sometimes all it takes is just one good start to get going. The Cleveland Indians are hoping that either for their run the rest of the season or if they do intend to trade him (and others) that these type of performances are more common.
