CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber's first start after the All-Star break will be anything but routine. He will be on the mound Monday night at Progressive Field as the Cleveland Indians host the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.
Kluber (12-5, 2.76 ERA) was given extended rest before and after the break to accommodate his right knee, which received an injection after his last start, an ugly 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees on July 12.
Before the injection, Kluber's knee was bothering him for, in his words, "a few weeks," and his performance seemed to reflect that.