CLEVELAND -- Matthew Boyd and Trevor Bauer got to know each other in college as Pac-12 rivals -- Boyd at Oregon State, Bauer at UCLA. They were both early adopters of the Driveline Baseball program, which played a role in the development of Boyd’s now-devastating slider and Bauer’s two-seam fastball, and the two see each other at the Seattle facility every offseason.

“The way we developed a few pitches, we worked a lot the same way,” Boyd said last month. “We did a lot of similar things. His repertoire's a little different than mine obviously, but we did similar things.”

Once Boyd emerged as a front-line starter in Detroit, he and Bauer became division rivals in the American League Central. Now, with the Tigers firmly in rebuild mode and the Indians facing some difficult decisions as their roster matures, Boyd and Bauer both find themselves on the potential trade block.

That makes Thursday’s Tigers-Indians series finale at Progressive Field potentially their last matchup against each other before their paths finally part. Whether or not fans are paying attention, a fair number of scouts will.

Though Bauer has 18 starts against Detroit since 2014, and Boyd has nine starts against Cleveland since '17, they didn’t start in the same game until this season. Their April 10 matchup at Comerica Park saw the Tigers rough up Bauer for four runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, including a Niko Goodrum two-run homer. Boyd tossed six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts in the 4-1 win, Detroit’s lone victory against Cleveland so far this season.

Neither Bauer nor Boyd fared well in their rematch June 21 at Progressive Field. Indians batters belted three home runs off Boyd, accounting for four of his five runs over six innings despite six strikeouts. Boyd actually outlasted Bauer, who gave up five runs on 10 hits over four-plus innings. Both pitchers took a no-decision in the 9-8 Tribe win.

“Unfortunately I let them back in the game when our offense did a great job against a really good pitcher to get the lead,” Boyd said at the time. “That's on me.”

Thursday’s result could have an impact on Bauer’s future. While Cleveland entered Wednesday having won nine of its last 11 to work back into the AL Wild Card race, it could still end up dealing Bauer to bring in young talent to help retool on the fly in the future. That decision would become easier if the Indians fall back in the race.

If Bauer hits the market, he could be the best pitcher available to win right now, as an AL Cy Young Award candidate last year and a top-five pitcher in terms of Wins Above Replacement. He’s still in his prime at age 28, and he has one more year of arbitration before he’s eligible for free agency after the 2020 season.

By contrast, Boyd -- also 28 -- could have more appeal to teams looking at a longer window of contention. The AL leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio, Boyd has three more years of team control after this season before he’s eligible for free agency, though that control also makes Detroit more likely to hold onto him if the team doesn’t get its ideal trade offer in terms of prospects.

The Tigers and Indians play six more times after Thursday, with three games each in Detroit and Cleveland, but they don’t play again until the end of August. Whether either pitcher is around for that series at Comerica Park remains to be seen, which makes Thursday’s matchup all the more intriguing.

Stewart signs for youngster hit in stands
The first thing Christin Stewart’s mom wanted to know after the Tigers’ win on Sunday in Kansas City was how the little girl hit by the foul ball was doing. So, too, did Stewart.

He had seen the line drive head into the stands and hit the young fan. He had seen such incidents on foul balls off the bats of other players, but this was the first time he had hit one such ball. As much as he tried to focus on his at-bat, it clearly lingered with him.

“You’re trying to focus, but you know you just injured someone by hitting a foul ball,” he said. “It’s something you can’t really control, but it sucks because you obviously have that feeling. It’s not a good feeling. But you still have to try to focus on the at-bat and get the job done. It was a huge relief to know that she was OK.”

Stewart learned the good news quickly. The young fan was transported to a local hospital and kept overnight, according to the Royals, but was released afterwards.

Stewart joined several Royals players in signing a ball for the youngster with a get-well-soon message.

“It was pretty crazy,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t a good feeling at all. I’m just glad she’s all right. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Royals plan to extend the protective netting down the foul lines at Kauffman Stadium, according to MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, joining the White Sox, Nationals, Pirates and Orioles. The move reportedly could take place by season’s end. The Tigers have one more visit to Kansas City in early September.

Stewart is in favor of it. As he pointed out, as fans in nearby seats turned their attention to the girl hit by the foul ball, their backs were to the field too.

“Everything happens so fast,” he said. “It’s hard to get out of the way either way, if you’re not paying attention or catch it late. You have to be really paying attention if you’re not behind that net, for sure.”

Quick hits
• Shortstop Niko Goodrum was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup after he took a ground ball off his right pinkie in batting practice. Brandon Dixon replaced him in the lineup, playing first base, with Harold Castro moving to shortstop.

• Right-hander Kyle Funkhouser, the Tigers’ No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings Wednesday afternoon for Double-A Erie. It was Funkhouser’s first outing since being demoted from Triple-A Toledo on Monday.