The Cleveland Indians gave Jim Brower a chance to make their rotation last season. He failed. In a roundabout way, the Indians will give him a chance to make another rotation this weekend.

        Brower has been moved back into the Reds' rotation temporarily. The right-hander will start Saturday against the Indians, an outing that will decide whether he remains in the rotation for long.

        “It's a huge opportunity,” Brower said. “I'm not going to have a lot of opportunities in my situation — I'm not 23, I'm 28 — so my opportunity for starting probably isn't the best.”

        The Indians gave him 11 opportunities last season, when they were desperate to assemble a rotation as injuries devastated the staff. He was called up to replace Jaret Wright in May and was inconsistent in two stints with Cleveland.

        Overall, Brower was 2-3 with a 6.24 ERA in 11 starts and six relief appearances. Fortunately, he got a chance to impress the Reds, who acquired him last November as part of the trade for catcher Eddie Taubensee.

        “Cleveland gave me every opportunity,” he said. “They gave me the opportunity to get to the big leagues. I would have never gotten here unless I was able to pitch against Cincinnati last year. I beat them once, and I think that helped me out. It helped me get here and try to start my career.”

        Brower has established career highs in appearances, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts, going 4-6 with a 3.62 ERA. He went 2-1 with a 7.64 ERA in four starts, then was moved to the bullpen for 17 consecutive relief appearances.

        He's still fond of the Indians and is delighted that his return to the rotation comes against the AL's top-hitting team.

        “Oh, it's great,” he said, his eyes beaming. “I'm excited. They have a great team. That's the way you judge starters — how you do against the best teams. That's how I want to be judged.

        “They've beaten a lot of people bad. I'm excited. The thought of doing well against the Indians and their great lineup sounds like fun to me.”
       

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