Bauer in total control against Tigers in 2018

Trevor Bauer might as well claim ownership over the Tigers at this point after another dominant performance for the Indians against a division rival in this campaign, writes John Kampf.

Generally speaking, the more times a batting order sees a certain pitcher during a season, the hitters have an advantage.

The more of a scouting report — and in-game experience — a team has against a pitcher, the more odds of success sway toward the hitters.

Then there’s the anomaly. Trevor Bauer.

The Tigers have 29 1/3 innings worth of experience this year against the 27-year-old Indians righthander, and they’re just as clueless now as to how to succeed against him as they were when the season opened.

Bauer gave up one run in 6 1/3 innings of work June 23 at Progressive Field, driving the Indians to a 4-1 win over the visiting Tigers in front of a sellout crowd of 34,435.

The uniforms the Tigers wore June 23 at Progressive Field had the word “Detroit” scripted across the chest.

The way things have gone this season, they might as well have had the words, “Property of Trevor Bauer” there instead.

“I think he’s pitched really good against them,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, “but I think he has pitched pretty well against everyone.” The numbers back it up. With the win over Detroit on June 23, Bauer improved his record to 7-5 with a 2.44 ERA.

His ledger this year against the Tigers is even more silly than that. He is now 4-0 against Detroit this season with a 1.23 ERA (four earned runs in 29 1/3 innings).

How dominating has Bauer been against Detroit this year?

He gave up one earned run June 23 — and his season ERA against the Tigers went up.

How hasn’t Detroit caught up to Bauer this year? His stuff has been that good.

Known so well for his fastball that sits in the mid-90s, as well as a kneebuckling curveball that many observers consider his “out” pitch, Bauer has improved exponentially on his changeup and said he is getting back a two-seamer that he has lost control of at times this year.

Trevor Bauer with a full arsenal is scary dangerous. Just ask the Tigers. “There are a lot of things I can go to,” Bauer said.

He wasn’t at his sharpest in his fourth goaround with the Tigers, but he had more than enough. He gutted through a sketchy first two innings, throwing 47 pitches and wiggling out of a pair of jams.

“Most guys, you’re in a panic,” Francona said of any starter with 47 pitches through two innings. By the end of his evening of work, Bauer was still popping 94 mph on the radar gun and buckling the knees of batters with his breaking ball, including a bender to end the fifth inning with a caught-looking strikeout of Victor Martinez — who along with Miguel Cabrera batted around a combined .950 against the Indians during a recent stretch when Detroit pounded Cleveland on a yearly basis for kicks and giggles.

He has hit double figures in strikeouts seven times this season alone — and 16 times in his career.

“Yeah, I take pride in that,” Bauer said. “That’s what I enjoy doing most — punching guys out. I wish it hadn’t rained the last game or it would have been six in a row. I’ll start a new streak this time.”

Bauer and Francona praised catcher Roberto Perez for his work June 23. Bauer’s curve was biting so hard that a number of times, Perez was called on to block balls in the dirt.

In fact, the only run Detroit scored on Bauer was on a wild pitch.

“It’s a testament to Berto,” Bauer said. “He blocked some really tough ones. He did a really good job back there for me.”

Because of Bauer’s dominance, the Indians are enjoying a banner season against a Detroit team that for one stretch not long ago controlled the Indians as if they had them under hypnosis.

Over a seven-year span from 2009-2015, Detroit went 57-35 (.620) against the Indians, including a 15-4 mark in 2013 and a 12-6 ledger in 2011.

With the Indians’ win in the second of the three-game set June 23, the Fighting Braves of the Cuyahoga are 9-3 against Detroit.

Bauer is a big reason why.

The Indians face the Tigers seven more times this season. No one knows for sure how the rotation will set up between now and then.

But it’s safe to say that if the Tigers can avoid seeing Bauer again, they’ll be pretty happy.

After all, they have had 29 1/3 innings this year to figure him out, and haven’t come close yet.

“With Trevor, you know he’s going to hold his stuff, find a way and pitch into the seventh.”