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UPDATE 7:00 p.m. ET: The Indians have confirmed that Scott Kazmir will not make his scheduled start on Saturday, sending the southpaw back to Cleveland to undergo an MRI on his right side, reports Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
Kazmir threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday and reported feeling no pain in his side, but the Tribe elected to go the cautious route and send him for further testing anyway.
No decision has been made about who will fill in for Kazmir on Saturday, but the Indians certainly have plenty of guys to choose from at Triple-A. Trevor Bauer, Corey Kluber, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joe Martinez, and David Huff are all in the running to get a call-up over the weekend.
ORIGINAL: Cleveland Indians left-handed starting pitcher Scott Kazmir could miss his first start of the regular season due to a strained abdominal muscle, the team has announced.
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Kazmir sustained his injury during a workout on Monday. The strain could require a trip to the disabled list -- which would be back dated -- and the Indians would have to recall a replacement starter. Kazmir was slated to make his 2013 regular season debut on Saturday against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
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After struggling with injury and ineffectiveness over the past few seasons, Kazmir signed a minor league contract with the Indians this winter. He impressed Cleveland over the exhibition season, posting an ERA of 3.46 with one walk and 13 strikeouts over 13 innings. His strong spring won him a spot in the Indians' starting rotation.
From 2005-08, Kazmir was one of the top young starters in the game. However, he struggled mightily at the beginning of the 2009 season before the Rays traded him to the Los Angeles Angels. He showed some signs of promise for LA following the acquisition, but his struggles continued in 2010. Since then, he's only appeared in one game at the major league level.
