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Young hurlers square off at the Trop

Apr 6, 2013 - 2:07 PM (Sports Network) - Former No. 3 overall pick Trevor Bauer makes his American League debut for the Cleveland Indians Saturday when they visit Tropicana Field for the second test of a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 22-year-old was selected in 2011 by the Arizona Diamondbacks and made four starts in the NL last season before a three-team Dec. 11 trade in which he went to the Indians with two other players.

He was 1-2 with Arizona with a 6.06 earned run average while allowing 14 hits and 13 runs in 16 1/3 innings and a .230 opposition batting average.

Bauer made 22 starts in the minors in the Diamondbacks' organization last season, going 7-1 at Double-A Mobile and 5-1 at Triple-A Reno.

The Rays will counter with third-year righty Alex Cobb, who faces the Indians for the third time in his 33rd big-league outing.

Cobb, a fourth-round draft choice in 2006, reached the big leagues with Tampa Bay in 2011 and was 3-2 in nine starts. He became a mainstay in the rotation last season and was 11-9 with a 4.03 ERA in 136 1/3 innings.

In two starts against Cleveland, he's split a pair of decisions while allowing six runs on 11 hits in 9 1/3 innings.

Cleveland batters have touched him for a .324 batting average, 73 points higher than his career mark of .251.

Cobb was 6-6 in 12 home starts last season and 8-7 in 18 night starts.

On Friday, Matt Moore threw six dominant innings in his first start of the season, while Ben Zobrist knocked in three runs on a pair of doubles to help the Rays notch a 4-0 victory over the Indians.

Moore (1-0) yielded just two hits and a pair of walks while striking out eight batters before giving way to the Tampa bullpen, with Jake McGee, Brandon Gomes and Joel Peralta combining for three perfect frames to finish off the shutout.

The Indians didn't record a hit after Michael Bourn's double in the third inning. The Cleveland leadoff batter also singled in the first to account for the team's only other hit.

"I think their guy had something to do with that," said Cleveland manager Terry Francona.

Sam Fuld scored on both of Zobrist's two-baggers as part of a 2-for-4 night, with Jose Lobaton also collecting a pair of hits in the win.

Zach McAllister (0-1) was reached for four runs -- only two of which were earned -- over six innings of work for Cleveland, which has now dropped two straight following a 2-0 beginning to the young season.

The teams split eight games in 2012, including four at Tropicana Field.