Tribe chooses Tomlin to fill fifth rotation spot

CLEVELAND -- Josh Tomlin's bringing his scoreless-innings streak to the Majors.

Tribe manager Terry Francona announced that Tomlin would have the ball Tuesday against the Twins.

The No. 5 spot in Cleveland's rotation has been open since Carlos Carrasco was moved to the bullpen Monday, and Tomlin's 20-inning run of scoreless innings at Triple-A was too much for Francona and the front office to ignore.

"Josh's last two outings have been pretty good," Francona said. "We wanted to keep our [other starters] on their day. He pitched so well in Spring Training. He'll help us, I think, to win."

Tomlin threw a three-hit shutout on Thursday for Triple-A Columbus. He struck out 10 batters in that outing. He has not allowed a run in 20 innings, dating back to April 18.

Francona also considered Trevor Bauer and T.J. House for the start.

"There's about three guys [in Triple-A] throwing the ball well, which is nice," Francona said. "You know going through the season, you're going to need guys. Fortunately, that's a nice thing to have."