CLEVELAND -- Each time the Indians’ starting rotation has suffered a blow this season, the club has been able to quickly find an answer. Not only have the responses been enough to patch the gaping holes left by Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, but the young arms they’ve called upon have flourished on the biggest stage.

The Tribe got their first look at Jefry Rodriguez when Clevinger strained his upper back in April. Then, Zach Plesac made his first Major League start after Kluber fractured his right arm. But this time, it was 24-year-old Aaron Civale’s chance to soak in the spotlight, as he led the Indians to a 2-0 victory over the Tigers in his big league debut on Saturday at Progressive Field.

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“[The results were] just a testament to all the work I’ve put into everything, everyone around me,” Civale said. “It’s not just me out there, I’m trying to get the job done for everyone around me. It’s a great group up here. [I'm] happy to be a part of it.”

It took little time for the right-hander to settle in, as he struck out the side in the first inning on his way to retiring the first eight batters he faced. Civale allowed just two hits -- both infield singles -- walked three and struck out six through six innings while notching his first career win in front of friends and family from all across the country. Some came from his hometown in Connecticut, his girlfriend came from Boston, his aunt and uncle drove from Oklahoma, his host family from Mahoning Valley made the trip and his brother, Nic, flew in from Hawaii.

“I thought the first time through, I thought fortunately, they chased some balls out of the zone,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “The second time through, I thought he really commanded the strike zone a lot better...But man, I’ll tell you what, to the kid’s credit, he had a ton of poise, he competed like crazy. First time through, he used the breaking ball, the second time through, he used some fastballs when I think they weren’t expecting it. He did a heck of a job.”

Back-to-back walks with two outs in the sixth put Civale in a bit of a jam, but he was able to escape unscathed, forcing Brandon Dixon to pop out to first baseman Carlos Santana in foul territory. Civale became just the seventh Indians starter since 1908 to allow two or fewer hits in his MLB debut.

“That’s the one thing that I’ve been impressed with, with everybody that’s come up, is they seem to have poise,” Francona said. “That’s not easy to do under today’s circumstances for that kid. You can say all you want, ‘Hey, relax. Have fun.’ This is the kid’s first Major League start. I’m sure it’s going fast, but he did a terrific job.”

“Once I’m out there, it’s nothing I haven’t done my whole life,” Civale said. “It’s been 60 feet 6 inches since high school, so once I get out there, it’s just another game.”

The Indians' 2016 MLB Draft Class has already started to make an impact at the highest level. Civale was selected in the third round, Shane Bieber was taken in the fourth round and Zach Plesac was the club’s 12th-round pick, all of whom were promoted from Double-A to Triple-A to the big leagues within a month in their respective careers.

“They did a pretty good job with that one,” Civale said of the Draft.

Francona said prior to Civale’s outing that he would make just this one start for the Tribe, with Clevinger expected to miss one turn in the rotation with a left ankle sprain. And while he may not be here for a long time, he’s given the organization yet another reason to be excited for the future.

“These are the days where I think the player development people should be like bursting at the seams,” Francona said. “They should be proud because of their hard work. I think we’re 11 starters deep [this season]. It doesn’t guarantee that guys are going to [always] pitch [well], but they know how to act and they know how to compete.”