clevinger k's 9, but bats struggle vs. rangers by william...

Clevinger K's 9, but bats struggle vs. Rangers By William Kosileski and Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 12:35 AM ET + 34 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Adrian Beltre's 450th home run could not have come at a better time, as the third baseman's solo shot off Indians closer Cody Allen in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference in the Rangers' 2-1 win on Tuesday at Progressive Field. Beltre's 103-mph home run traveled a projected 401 feet per Statcast™ and broke a 1-1 tie that had held since the fifth inning. It was the second time in four days Allen had allowed a go-ahead home run, with the first coming from Twins second baseman Brian Dozier. The long ball marked the third consecutive game that Beltre has homered. He now is one of three active players with 450 career home runs, joining Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera and Angels designated hitter Albert Pujols. "I think that is just another piece of the legend of Adrian Beltre," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "What he is able to do, especially late in a game, we saw it so much pretty much for two years. Last year, coming back from the injury like he never missed an at-bat, or a game, to be able to swing the bat the way he has been able to do since then is incredible. Professional hitter, a big-time clutch hitter." The Indians scored the game's first run in the second inning on an RBI single to center from right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall. The Rangers tied the game in the top of the fifth on Robinson Chirinos' 11th homer of the the season. Indians starter Mike Clevinger spun one of his strongest outings of the season, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out a career-high nine in six frames. He also established a career best with 20 swinging strikes, per Statcast™. "He pitched unbelievable," Allen said. "He did everything he could. Unfortunately, we weren't able to hold it down there at the end. That's baseball. Their guy threw the ball pretty well, too." Rangers starter Tyson Ross -- who made just his fourth start since Opening Day 2016 -- battled Clevinger for six innings. He held the Indians to one run on two hits, walked two and struck out five. He retired the final 12 batters he faced. "He looked more like the 2015 Tyson Ross," Banister said. "I thought as the game progressed, he was much sharper, much cleaner, [had] more direction on the mound. It was his best outing thus far." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Escaping the eighth: The Indians threatened to take the lead in the eighth, when Carlos Santana was hit by a pitch on the right foot from Jose Leclerc to open the inning. After Santana hopped around in pain for a few moments, he took his base and then stole second on a Bradley Zimmer strikeout from Leclerc's replacement, Keone Kela. Kela did not let Santana get any farther, inducing a groundout off the bat of Yan Gomes and a flyout to center from Jason Kipnis. "We sent Leclerc back out there [for the eighth inning]," Banister said. "He hit the first batter and then felt like it was time to go to Kela, and Kela made some good pitches. He used the fastball-curveball combo [to get out of the inning]." Chirinos' game-tying shot: Clevinger cruised through the first two batters of the fifth inning. After falling behind against Chirinos, 2-1, though, Clevinger fired a slider that caught too much of the plate. Texas' catcher yanked the pitch on a line to left field, where it cleared Progressive Field's 19-foot wall. The blast, which had a 33 percent hit probability per Statcast™, was Chirinos' 11th of the season. "I was trying to throw the same slider I was throwing all game," Clevinger said. "That one just kind of backed up on me. Not a good time for it." "I can't say enough about Robinson Chirinos," Banister said. "Clevinger seemed to be able to keep us off balance; we weren't getting much off of him. Another big home run for [Chirinos]. He continues to swing the bat really well." QUOTABLE "I felt like it was a pretty good pitch, kind of what we were trying to do to him there. [Beltre] got me. He took a good swing. It wasn't a bad pitch. He was just ready for it, didn't' miss it. He's done it quite a few times." -- Allen SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Dating back to Monday's game, the Indians had their leadoff hitter reach in 11 consecutive innings. According to STATS LLC, it was the longest such run for an American League team since 1993 (11, Twins) and only the fifth time since at least 1974 that a team's leadoff hitter reached in at least 11 consecutive innings. Others on the list include the 1991 Expos (13 innings), 1990 Reds (12) and 2011 Phillies (11). WHAT'S NEXT Rangers: Yu Darvish will take the ball for the Rangers in Wednesday's 6:10 p.m. CT matchup against the Indians at Progressive Field. The right-hander is coming off of one of his strongest starts of the season, when he went seven scoreless frames against the Yankees on Friday, allowing two hits and striking out 10. Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer is scheduled to start for the Tribe at 7:10 p.m. ET against Texas. Bauer has a 4.35 ERA in three career starts (20 2/3 innings) against the Rangers, and is 3-2 with a 5.18 ERA at home this season. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Allen laments not preserving Clevinger's gem By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:00 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Cody Allen was waiting at his locker when the clubhouse opened on Tuesday night, as is the case whenever things go awry in the late innings with the closer on the mound. Accountability has never been an issue for Allen and he again stood to face the music after a tough 2-1 loss to the Rangers. In the ninth inning, Cleveland's closer surrendered a two-out, go-ahead home run to Adrian Beltre, who drilled an elevated fastball into the left-field seats to hush the Progressive Field crowd. Allen's lament was not the pitch -- Beltre has been beaten plenty on the specific offering in question -- but rather that the storyline shifted away from a promising start from Mike Clevinger. "He pitched unbelievable. He did everything he could," Allen said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to hold it down there at the end." As for the pitch to Beltre, Allen felt it was a Hall of Fame-caliber hitter doing what he has done to many pitchers over the years. The closer simply lost the battle.

With two outs and the game caught in a 1-1 deadlock, Indians bench coach Brad Mills -- filling in for manager Terry Francona -- handed the ball to Allen. One night earlier, the closer worked a drama-free eighth inning, fanning the three Texas batters he faced. It was a solid bounce-back outing for Allen after he allowed a game-changing home run to Minnesota's Brian Dozier in the eighth on Saturday. Dozier and Beltre crushed similar pitches: Four-seam fastballs high and inside the strike zone. There was a big difference between the two situations, though: Per Statcast™, Dozier has a .778 slugging percentage on right-hander four-seamers to that area of the zone over the past three seasons combined. Beltre, on the other hand, entered Tuesday with a .300 slugging percentage on similar pitches. "I felt like it was a pretty good pitch, kind of what we were trying to do to him there," said Allen, who has a 2.40 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 30 innings this year. "He got me. He took a good swing. It wasn't a bad pitch. He was just ready for it -- didn't miss it. He's done it quite a few times." In fact, Beltre's home run marked No. 450 in his career, putting him in sole possession of 39th on baseball's all-time list. "Fastball got elevated on him and he was able to get it there," Mills said. "Sometimes you've got to tip your hat. At the same time, he threw the ball so well last night, obviously, and was throwing the ball [well] tonight as well. Just one pitch got up and got hit." And that one pitch pushed Clevinger's strong start out of the spotlight. The right-hander limited the Rangers to one run over six innings, piling up a career-high nine strikeouts and generating another personal best in swinging strikes (20). His lone setback came in the fifth, when Robinson Chirinos drilled a game-tying home run. The long ball combined lack of offense to bring Allen to the mound with a tie game in the ninth. "You're out there to get three outs, help the team try to win a ballgame," Allen said. "I just flat-out got beat tonight. So just tip your cap, come back tomorrow and try to get them." Indians place Jackson on DL with quad strain By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 27th, 2017 + 10 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- One day after it looked like the Indians had their outfield back in order, another setback struck a group that has been hit with plenty through this season's first three months. Prior to Tuesday's game against the Rangers, Cleveland placed outfielder Austin Jackson on the 10-day disabled list with a left quad strain. The Indians had hoped that the issue was not serious, but Jackson underwent an MRI exam on Monday and the damage was bad enough to keep him out of big league games for at least the next few weeks. "The MRI revealed a mild strain," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "I think our best guess at this point before he's back into Major League games is probably three to four weeks. He'll be back on a rehab assignment sooner than that, hopefully." With Jackson removed from the roster, the Indians recalled reliever Shawn Armstrong from Triple-A Columbus. The development with Jackson comes 24 hours after the Tribe activated both Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer from the 10-day DL. Now that Jackson is temporarily out of the mix, rookie Bradley Zimmer figures to get the everyday role in center after platooning with the veteran. Through 37 games this season, Jackson is hitting .304 with three homers, nine doubles, one triple and 15 RBIs in his first tour with the Tribe, while playing mostly against left-handed pitching. He sustained the quad injury while running the bases during Sunday's loss to the Twins. This marks the fifth stint in the big leagues this season for Armstrong, who has turned in a 5.02 ERA with 14 strikeouts, six walks and a .222 opponents' average in 14 1/3 innings with the Indians. He gives Cleveland an eight-man bullpen for now. Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major Antonetti speaks on Salazar, others during Q&A By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 27th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- With Indians manager Terry Francona at home resting on Tuesday following a health episode one night earlier, Chris Antonetti, the team's president of baseball operations, met with reporters before the Tribe's game against the Rangers at Progressive Field. Here are some of the highlights of Antonetti's question-and-answer session: On Danny Salazar "We've had two primary goals with Danny. First and foremost is to get him healthy. The second is making sure he's got consistent mechanics and consistent intensity every time he picks up a baseball. If we can do that, and help him get back to those places and being healthy and in a good spot mechanically, hopefully that'll translate into success as a starter. We're going to condition him back as a starter." On Corey Kluber's strong return from the disabled list "While the injury itself may not have been debilitating, it was clearly affecting his performance. And we wanted to take kind of the longer view and, rather than him try to scuffle through it and pitch with it, we wanted to give him the time off. Corey being the competitor that he is, it took him a while to kind of buy into that, because he always wants to be there for the team and contributing. But I think we've now seen the benefit of giving him that time, and that he's come back and pitched like he's capable of pitching, which is to be among the best starting pitchers in all of baseball." On how the next few weeks can impact approach at the Trade Deadline "It will help clarify maybe some things a little bit more than as we sit here today. ... With the way our team has taken shape this year there's a pretty high bar for the guys that we have internally, and what we feel they're capable of producing. So, going out externally to the trade market to try to acquire players, it's a high threshold to clear, because we do feel like we have some quality alternatives internally." On Francisco Lindor's offensive ups and downs "Very few players are going to go through their careers where they don't have a dip in something in their performance. With Frankie, I think we all saw certainly in the first part of the season what he was capable of doing when he's locked in, consistently using the middle of the field. He's one of those players where the power comes as a result of him making consistent, hard contact. When he tries to generate it, that's when sometimes he can fall into bad habits."

On catching prospect Francisco Mejia "He continues to make great strides in his development. He only has half a season at Double-A at this point, and he has some things he continues to work through developmentally and is continuing to work on. Hopefully he can continue on the path, because if he is, he's on the path to being a very good Major League player. But, it's not as easy as calling a guy up and expecting him to perform at the Major Leagues the same as he is in the Minor Leagues." Morimando fans 12 for Columbus • No. 82 overall prospect Bobby Bradley (Indians' No. 4) homered in his final three at-bats, in three consecutive innings, on three consecutive pitches, to finish 3-for-5 with a season-high seven RBIs in Double-A Akron's 10-4 victory over Erie. The performance comes near the end of a month that's seen him hit .301 with seven home runs with 22 RBIs in 23 games. • Indians' No. 16 prospect Shawn Morimando set a career high with 12 strikeouts as he recorded his second five-hit shutout in three starts for Triple-A Columbus. He faced the minimum 27 batters in the performance thanks to a pair of ground-ball double plays as well as two outfield assists, all while throwing 74 of his 106 pitches for strikes. After a shaky start to his season, the left-hander rebounded to go 4-0 with a 1.43 ERA in 37 2/3 innings (five starts) in June. Bauer ready for rebound against Rangers By William Kosileski / MLB.com | June 27th, 2017 + 8 COMMENTS Rangers ace Yu Darvish is set to square off against Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer in the third game of four between the two clubs on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. Darvish is coming off one of his strongest outings of the season, during which he battled with Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka for seven frames before leaving the game with tightness in his right triceps on Friday. Darvish took a no-decision after throwing seven scoreless innings of two-hit, no-walk ball with 10 strikeouts. "For the triceps, I think it's going to be fine," Darvish said on Tuesday. "As far as my last outing, I would like to just pitch [on Wednesday] the same as I did in my last time. But it is a totally different lineup. So I'll have to make adjustments in the game." Darvish has been the Rangers' most consistent starter, ringing in 11 quality starts -- he has allowed three runs or less in 13 of his 16 outings -- with a 3.12 ERA in 101 innings. He will make his second start of the season against the Indians. The first came on Opening Day, when he allowed four runs on four hits and five walks in 6 1/3 innings. He is 1-2 with a 3.62 ERA in five career starts against the Tribe. Bauer will oppose Darvish and look to bounce back after a rough turn his last time out. Bauer took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) to the Twins on eight hits and one walk while striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. He will make his fourth career start against the Rangers, against whom he has posted a 4.35 ERA with no decisions in 20 2/3 career innings. Bauer has been susceptible to giving up the long ball this season, allowing at least one homer in 10 of his 15 starts -- 13 total. He will face off against a Rangers lineup that, entering Tuesday, was third in the American League with 118 home runs. Three things to know about this game • Bauer has relied heavily on his breaking ball recently, as it has been one of his strongest pitches so far this season. Per Statcast -- combining his curveball and his knuckle-curve statistics -- Bauer has thrown his hook 480 times. Only 31 of those pitches have been put into play, and only 20 others have resulted in hits. Bauer has recorded 32 strikeouts with his curve, and has registered 52 whiffs with the pitch. • On the other side, Darvish has found plenty of success with his slider. Per Statcast, the righty has thrown the pitch 448 times and recorded 43 punchouts (33 swinging, 10 looking) with it. Opponents are hitting .148 with a .261 slugging percentage against Darvish's slider. In hits last start, Darvish racked up 17 swinging strikes. Nine of those came on sliders, tied for his third-highest single-game total since the start of 2014. • Indians designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion has hit well against Darvish in his career. In 19 career at-bats against Darvish, Encarnacion has hit .316 with two homers, four RBIs, three walks and a 1.066 OPS. Covering the Bases: Game 76 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: For a while there on Tuesday, it looked like Mike Clevinger would be the story of the night. Amidst rotation concerns, and with about a month left until the Trade Deadline, the young righty turned in a gem. Then, Adrian Beltre happened. More on that in a bit. Let’s take a moment first to appreciate how well Clevinger pitched. The efficiency still wasn’t as good as you’d want it to be 102 pitches in six innings but he was more effective. Each of Clevinger’s pitches were working well, as evidenced by the breakdown of his career-best 20 swinging strikes: Changeup: Eight Slider: Seven Fastball: Three Curveball: Two This marked the sixth time this season that an Indians pitcher ended the day with at least 20 swinging strikes. Clevinger joined Corey Kluber (24 on June 1, 22 on June 14 and 20 on June 19) and Danny Salazar (21 on April 5 and 20 on May 5) in that grouping. “He was very good,” said Indians bench coach Brad Mills, who was managing in place of Terry Francona (illness). “I think the first couple [innings], he threw a lot of pitches. And then he started feeling more confident with his stuff and started really throwing all of his pitches. Kind of attacking the zone is probably the word I can use there, and really did a good job.”

Mills said pitching coach Mickey Callaway had a quick chat with Clevinger after the pitcher logged 38 pitches through the first two frames. The message was about trusting his stuff and not being afraid to be aggressive in the strike zone. “He did trust his stuff,” Mills said. “He kind of went after hitters a little bit more after the second inning and attacking the zone and it really gave us a lift.” Added Clevinger: “I mean, pitching 0–1 is a hell of a lot easier than 1–0. [It’s] just trying to get the advantage and play the percentages more in my favor. It’s almost like they found a barrel last start. I started nitpicking the corners and getting away from my game plan.” SECOND: If Clevinger is starting to turn a corner, that would be a tremendous development for Cleveland’s pitching staff. Corey Kluber has been on an incredible run since coming back from the disabled list. Carlos Carrasco has been solid all season, but laid an egg (eight runs in 3.1 innings) on Monday. Trevor Bauer has been strong in spurts, while Josh Tomlin has searched for some semblance of consistency all year, too. And then, there’s Salazar. At the moment, Salazar is back in Double-A while on the DL with a shoulder issue working to get his arm and mechanics in order. He has a Minor League rehab outing slated for Saturday, if his week of rehab work goes well. What isn’t clear is when Salazar will rejoin the rotation, or how effective he will be when he does. Cleveland has been dreaming on that arm for years and there have been moments when Salazar has lived up to the ace potential. If he can return with a clean bill of health, his confidence restored and his delivery in order, that could be as good (or maybe better) than any mid-season trade addition. The Indians know they can’t just count on that. Know that the team’s front office is scouring its external alternatives, too. “He’s had periods of time where he’s been among the best pitchers in baseball,” said Chris Antonetti, the Indians’ president of baseball operations. “If we can get him back at the level he’s capable of pitching, that would be a huge boost for our team. But, this is the time of year when you’re looking at all alternatives both internal alternatives and external alternatives. “Hopefully, Danny can be one of those boosts among our internal alternatives.” In the meantime, the Indians will hope that Clevinger continues to take steps forward like he did on Tuesday night. “It’s always trying to take the positives and the negatives and see where you go from there each start,” said Clevinger, who struck out nine and allowed one run on two hits in his no-decision. “[I’m] trying to do the same here. “[My] intensity was just a lot more controlled. I’ve got to use my intensity to my advantage when need be.” THIRD: When a closer enters a tie game and gives up the decisive blow, it is uncanny how fans run to their keyboards and set social media on fire. It happened again on Tuesday when Cody Allen gave up Beltre’s homer. Thanks to some quick research by Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel, you should know that Allen actually has a better ERA in non-save situations (2.23) than in save situations (2.68) in the last two years. Entering Tuesday, his career ERA in non-saves was 2.56, compared to 2.60 in save situations. He’s been the same pitcher regardless of situation. Allen said there is no difference in his mind, either. “You’re out there to get three outs, help the team try to win a ballgame,” Allen said. “I felt like I had pretty good stuff, making some good pitches. I just flat-out got beat tonight. So, just tip your cap.” Allen is right in this case. Beltre beat him. Plain and simple. On Saturday, when Brian Dozier crushed a high-and-tight fastball from Allen for a go-ahead homer, Allen missed his spot. The ball went into a zone in which Dozier has slugged .778 over the past three years combined (vs. right-handed four-seamers). On Tuesday, Allen sent virtually the same pitch to the same location to Beltre. The difference here was that this four-seamer hit its intended zone. Over the past three years, Beltre has slugged .300 vs. right-handed four-seamers to that area of the strike zone, per Statcast. That slugging goes up to .333 for four-seamers overall.

Beltre just went up and got it, and he now had 450 homers in his career. https://medium.com/media/f75d7f91e5f4f1f38461df9fb2f2f7df/href HOME: Allen found himself under the microscope for one glaring reason: Cleveland’s offense did zilch in this loss. Jose Ramirez didn’t get a hit, but he did draw a walk to open the second before stealing second to set up an RBI single for Lonnie Chisenhall. That was the end of that. The Indians went on an 0-for-21 run after Chisenhall’s hit and were 1-for-24 over the remainder of the game. That was the real issue on Tuesday not Allen’s ill-fated pitch to Beltre. One night earlier, Cleveland scored 13 unanswered runs after being down 9–2 to complete a miraculous comeback. One day later, the offense hit the mute button. Outside of the 15-run outburst on Monday, the Tribe has scored only three runs total in the four losses on the current homestand. “We’ve seen glimpses of what we feel we’re capable of.” by Jordan Bastian Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Rangers, Chris Antonetti, the Indians’ president of baseball operations, met with reporters for a wide-ranging Q&A that lasting nearly 20 minutes. Here are the highlights from the session. Update on manager Terry Francona: “He’s back at his apartment now resting. He was seen at the Clinic last night and this morning. He went through a battery of tests that have ruled out any sense of major health issue, which is obviously a big relief to all of us. Now, it’s a question of him being monitored over the next couple of weeks to try to get a better understanding of what might be causing some of the things he’s been experiencing. I’m not sure I can provide a ton more detail than that.” On the concern level, given Francona has left two games within the past two weeks due to similar health issues: “As a friend, you’re always concerned anytime anyone has to [leave like that]. Especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance. For him to leave a game raises a flag. Thankfully we’ve got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the clinic. They’ve done every test they can possible imagine. They’ve all come back clean. They’re now working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well. “Tito wanted me to share that the working diagnosis is an allergy to Millsy. I’ll make sure I pass that along.” Asked if Francona will return on Wednesday: “Tito actually wanted to come back to the ballpark today. I told him he can’t come back to the ballpark today. He only got a couple hours of sleep last night, so, despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best that he gets some rest tonight and just come back tomorrow. His plan when he was getting released from the hospital was to come over here. I don’t think he was exceedingly happy with me. That’s OK.” On the job the coaching staff did Monday night without Francona: “Obviously, we were working through a lot of things last night, but when the dust settled, that was one of the things Millsy highlighted, was just how cool it was to see everybody come together. From the coaching staff to the players, to pick each other up. That’s what we try to be about organizationally, to be about that collective group and working together to try to accomplish something. There was a lot going on last night a lot of adversity. To see our coaches and players respond the way they did was really encouraging and cool to see.” Update on Austin Jackson: “It’s a mild strain. The MRI revealed a mild strain. He’ll be out a few weeks. I think our best guess at this point before he’s back into Major League games is probably three-to-four weeks. He’ll be back on a rehab assignment sooner than that, hopefully.” Update on Danny Salazar: “Danny threw a sim game yesterday. Threw really well. Felt good today reporting to the park. The next step for him will be a rehab game on [Saturday]. That’s the plan.” On if Salazar might come back as a reliever: “Not right now. We’ve had two primary goals with Danny. First and foremost is to get him healthy. The second is making sure he’s got consistent mechanics and consistent intensity every time he picks up a baseball. If we can do that and help him get back to those places and being healthy and in a good spot mechanically, hopefully that’ll translate into success as a starter. We’re going to condition him back as a starter.”

On the team’s play so far this season: “I think we’ve seen glimpses of what we feel we’re capable of. We had that stretch on the road trip where we played really well and were clicking on all cylinders, but there were other times where we haven’t been as consistent. I’m hopeful that we’ll find our stride and run off more wins than losses here in the next couple weeks.” On the importance of the rotation to improving the team’s play: “It is. For us, all aspects o the team are important. I think we’ve had different stretches where the rotation has pitched well and maybe other aspects of the team haven’t, and then there have been times where the rotation has faltered while other parts have clicked well. I think what we’re trying to do is what we experienced over the course of the last road trip, where the rotation was doing a good job, the bullpen did a great job of closing out games, the offense was, as Tito likes to say, keeping the line moving, creating opportunities and capitalizing on those opportunities. We feel we have a team that’s capable of doing that and capable of performing in all those areas. And when we do, we’ve proven to be a good team but we, to date, have maybe not been as consistent as we’d like to be.” On whether getting a healthy Salazar back can be just as good or better than adding as starter via trade: “I think what we’ve seen with Danny specifically, what he’s capable of doing when he’s healthy and pitching the way he’s capable of, he made the All-Star team in the first half of last year. And he’s pitched in a very meaningful playoff game for us in 2013 and was dominant in that stretch there. So, he’s had periods of time where he’s been among the best pitchers in baseball. So, if we can get him back at the level he’s capable of pitching, that would be a huge boost for our team. But, this is the time of year when you’re looking at all alternatives both internal alternatives and external alternatives. Hopefully, Danny can be one of those boosts among our internal alternatives.” On Corey Kluber’s strong return from the DL: “I don’t think we had any doubt that if Corey’s healthy he was going to be effective. So, I think that’s what led to the decision to ultimately place him on the DL. While the injury itself may not have been debilitating, it was clearly affecting his performance. And we wanted to take kind of the longer view and rather than him try to scuffle through it and pitch with it, we wanted to give him the time off. Corey being the competitor that he is, it took him a while to kind of buy into that, because he always wants to be there for the team and contributing. But I think we’ve now seen the benefit of giving him that time, and that he’s come back and pitched like he’s capable of pitching, which is to be among the best starting pitchers in all of baseball.” On the time off potentially being a blessing in disguise: “Absolutely, yeah. We asked a lot of Corey last year. He threw close to 250 innings, I think, over the course of the season, including the postseason. That’s a lot to ask of anyone. Not only did he pitch that volume, but towards the end he was doing it on short rest consistently.” On Josh Tomlin’s troubles this season: “I think with Josh it’s a question of execution. We’ve seen those days where he’s had his best command and executed pitches in good sequences and has been really effective. But there’s other times when he’s maybe not executing quite as consistently and, when he’s off a little bit, other teams have hit him. He’s a guy that never beats himself. I know he walked a couple of guys the other day, but even that’s atypical. So, you’re going to have to hit him to beat him. He’s had sometimes over the last few starts where he maybe hasn’t executed his pitches the way he usually does.” On the impact the next few weeks can have on planning for Trade Deadline: “I think we try to take maybe a little bit of a longer view, and not react to anything over a short timeframe. But, it will help clarify maybe some things a little bit more than as we sit here today. We’ve talked about it before. There have been different periods and different trade deadlines, where there may be an obvious need for our team, where you can go and maybe it’s getting a particular player at a particular position or a particular spot. I think with the way our team has taken shape this year is there’s a pretty high bar for the guys that we have internally and what we feel they’re capable of producing. So, going out externally to the trade market to try to acquire players, it’s a high threshold to clear, because we do feel like we have some quality alternatives internally.” On the success on the road and troubles at home: “If you could figure it out, please tell me. Last year, I think we were the reverse of that. And this last year, with largely the same group, it’s been the opposite. So, I’m not sure we can read too much into that. We’ve talked a lot about it, but it’s hard to come up with any sort of concrete explanation.” On Jose Ramirez’s strong season: “It’s been a lot of fun to see Jose’s continued progression, his development. It’s funny to think about that he’s now an All-Star caliber third baseman when he hadn’t play third base at all until he arrived at the Major Leagues. We’ve asked a lot of him and his career hasn’t been that smooth arc of a guy that just came to the Major Leagues, had success and ran with it. He had some adversity, bounced back and forth, up and

down in the Minor Leagues, switched positions, multiple positions a couple times. For him to get through all that and solidify himself as one of the better third baseman in the American League, I think is a testament to his mindset and his work.” On Bradley Zimmer’s transition to the Majors: “Bradley’s done a really good job of acclimating himself to the Major League level. I think he’s tried to stay consistent with some of the adjustments he made back in the Arizona Fall League that he carried forward in Spring Training and stayed consistent with those. Stayed consistent with his routines, offensively and defensively. I think we’re seeing the benefit of that, of all the work he’s put in because he’s found a way to contribute in all facets of the game. Both offensively, defensively, base running. He’s really impacted the team in a variety of ways and we’ve needed it.” On Francisco Lindor’s inconsistent season offensively: “I think very few players are going to go through their careers where they don’t have a dip in something in their performance. With Frankie, I think we all saw certainly in the first part of the season what he was capable of doing when he’s locked in, consistently using the middle of the field. He’s one of those players where the power comes as a result of him making consistent, hard contact. When he tries to generate it, that’s when sometimes he can fall into bad habits. I know Tito referenced it, I think he used ‘when he can get pull-conscious’ or ‘pull-happy.’ That’s when he’s no longer using the middle of the field, which for Frankie, is one of his keys to having success. When he’s line-drive oriented, middle of the field, make hard contact, that’s when he has consistently good at-bats and that’s actually when some of the power comes as well.” On Trevor Bauer’s season: “I think Trevor has actually pitched better than maybe his surface numbers show. I think he’s talked about that a few times. I think you guys may have written about it once or twice. But I actually, to some extent, I do agree with some of those. Maybe not in every instance, but I think on balance, he has pitched better than his ERA might reflect. He is that guy that is constantly searching and thinking about ways that can get better. If he was 10–3 with a 3.20 ERA, he would still be thinking about, ‘Hey, how can I get better in the second half than I am right now.’ That thirst, that desire to improve, and the work he is willing to put in to make that happen, I think is one of Trevor’s strong points. What we’re hopeful [of] is that that all that work will translate into some consistency in performance, and hopefully that is right around the corner.” On some Indians fans crying for catching prospect Francisco Mejia to be called up from Double-A every time Yan Gomes and/or Roberto Perez go into an offensive slump: “We’re all emotional. We all react to the games that happen and what happens in those moments in games, when guys have success and when they may not. I think to make decisions based on those emotional decisions, that’s not the best way to have long-term success. As Tito said, players more often than not find ways to get to their level, and when you give them enough time, they’ll play and perform to the level that you would expect most of the time. I think that’s where the danger is in reacting to any short-term things. “I think what we’ve seen with Yan and Roberto, they’re both very capable Major League catchers. Yan has been a Silver Slugger, and elite defender. Roberto led us to Game 7 of the World Series last year, so he did a pretty good job with that. This year both guys continue to do a great job defensively. They continue to lead the pitching staff. They continue to control the running game exceedingly well, control the strike zone well. They still do all of those things well, though their batting averages or their offensive output may not be where they hope or where we think they might be at the end of the year. “With respect to Francisco [Mejia] specifically, he continues to make great strides in his development. He only has a half season at Double-A at this point, and he has some things he continues to work through developmentally and is continuing to work on. Hopefully he can continue on the path, because if he is, he’s on the path to being a very good Major League player. But, it is not as easy as calling a guy up and expecting him to perform at the Major Leagues the same as he is in the Minor Leagues.” On Indians fans booing Jonathan Lucroy on Monday night: “I actually didn’t hear a lot of it, because we had a few things going on. That’s one thing I don’t get too caught up with. However our fans choose to respond to players is really up to them. I don’t think anything that I say about it would really influence it one way or the other. I’m not sure I have much reaction to it.” On presenting Mike Napoli with his AL championship ring: “That was a cool moment with Nap. I think that we’ve talked about it, he made an incredible contribution and lasting contribution to the organization, to the team, and in fact, a lot of our players carry forward a lot of those things they learned from Nap last year. “I think maybe the best part might have been when I turned around and looked at our dugout and see all of our players outside of the dugout tipping their caps to Nap. I think that says all that needs to be said about the impact that he had, because it’s clear the universal respect he had from everyone in the organization.

“I mean, we had in the dugout last night, I’m not sure if you guys could see, but our chefs were out there, our clubhouse staff was out there. Everybody related to our team and organization that could find a way onto the field was out there to watch Nap get a well-deserved ring.” Bradley blasts trio of homers for Akron By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | June 27th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS Bobby Bradley showcased his prodigious power on Tuesday as he homered in his final three at-bats, in three consecutive innings, to finish 3-for-5 with a season-high seven RBIs in Double-A Akron's 10-4 victory over Erie. The Indians' No. 4 prospect (No. 82 overall) was held hitless in his first two trips to the plate before connecting on a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, which at the time trimmed the RubberDucks' deficit, 4-2. But Bradley was just getting started, as the 21-year-old first baseman put Akron ahead, 5-4, with a three-run shot in the following frame before adding another three-run blast in the eighth. "He's been working really hard with [hitting coach] Johnny Narron and [bench coach] Omir Santos in the batting cage," RubberDucks manager Mark Budzinski told MiLB.com. "He's developing a solid routine, which has helped him get on time and ready to hit. That's helped him see the ball better and put good swings on the balls he wants to it. It's exciting to see." It was the first three-homer game of Bradley's career and the first by a RubberDucks' player since Matt McBride accomplished the feat on July 1, 2010. Bradley pushed his home run total to 14 with the multi-homer game -- the sixth of his career and his second this season. Overall, he's hit .254 with an .840 OPS through 67 games, all while reducing his strikeout rate to 23.4 percent after he whiffed at a 29.7 percent clip in 2016. What's more, Bradley's big performance comes near the end of what's been his best month in the Eastern League. In 23 June contests, he's hitting .301 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs. Francona to rest for day after hospitalization By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 27th, 2017 + 22 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Following a health scare on Monday night, Indians manager Terry Francona will remain at his residence during his team's game against the Rangers on Tuesday night. His longtime bench coach, Brad Mills, will handle managerial duties for the day. The Indians announced Tuesday that Francona -- who left Monday's 15-9 win within the early innings due to feeling ill -- underwent a series of tests at the Cleveland Clinic overnight and into Tuesday morning. Doctors ruled out any major health issues, but Francona will continue to be monitored over the next several weeks to determine the nature of his recent symptoms, which also came up during the Tribe's June 13 game against the Dodgers. "He's back at his apartment now resting," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "As a friend, you're always concerned. Anytime anyone has to [leave like that]. Especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance. For him to leave a game raises a flag. "Thankfully we've got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the [Cleveland] Clinic. They've done every test they can possibly imagine. They've all come back clean. They're now working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well." Within the Indians' official update for reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Francona showed that his sense of humor was fully intact: "Mr. Francona also wanted to express that medical personnel have not yet ruled out an allergy to bench coach Brad Mills." Antonetti noted that Francona was expected to return to his normal duties for Wednesday's home game against Texas. "Tito actually wanted to come back to the ballpark today," Antonetti said. "I told him he can't come back to the ballpark today. He only got a couple hours of sleep last night, so, despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best that he gets some rest tonight and just come back tomorrow. His plan when he was getting released from the hospital was to come over here. "I don't think he was exceedingly happy with me. That's OK." The Indians indicated Francona experienced similar symptoms during the team's game on June 13, when the manager dealt with light-headedness, exited after the eighth inning and was taken to a local hospital. That incident stemmed from dehydration, and the manager received fluids intravenously and returned to the dugout one day later. Mills managed in place of Francona during that episode as well. Last season, Francona experienced chest discomfort during a pregame interview with reporters and missed Cleveland's Aug. 9 game against the Nationals. After Mills filled in for that game, Francona returned the following day after passing a series of tests. Francona experienced a similar issue while managing the Red Sox on April 6, 2005, and was taken to a hospital in New York after what was described as "stiffness" in his chest. Mills, Francona's bench coach in Boston, filled in that time as well. Francona also dealt with chest pains in the fall of 2002, when he was hospitalized for four days after suffering a pulmonary embolism in each lung. That health incident resulted in permanent damage to Francona's circulation. "We always want to have him at the helm there," Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall said. "I know he's watching somehow and he's proud of what we were doing. You always want him to feel good. Unfortunately, it's happened back-to-back [homestands], or close together. His health is the most important thing." Humor never too far from Terry Francona-Brad Mills friendship even in serious situations by T.J. Zuppe CLEVELAND — Find someone who busts your balls like Terry Francona and Brad Mills bust each other's — even during the most serious and concerning situations — and call them friend.

“I wish he'd get sick when we have a lead or something,” Mills joked after Francona left the bench early during in the stunning 15-9 comeback over the Rangers on Monday at Progressive Field. It was the second time in the past two weeks that Francona was forced to exit a game early due to not feeling well. Mills was able to be playful after learning Francona had checked out OK with medical personnel after a battery of tests at the Cleveland Clinic. On Tuesday, however, it was announced Francona would not manage the second game against the Rangers, an order passed along from the club's president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, despite Francona's desire to return to the ballpark after his stay at the hospital. “I don’t think he was exceedingly happy with me,” Antonetti said. “That’s OK.” In the team's afternoon update on their manager, Francona responded to his bench coach: “Mr. Francona also wanted to express that medical personnel have not yet ruled out an allergy to bench coach Brad Mills.” They just can't help themselves. On a serious note Antonetti met with reporters before the game Tuesday to offer more details on Francona. “[Doctors] have ruled out any sense of major health issue, which is obviously a big relief to all of us,” Antonetti said. “Now, it’s a question of him being monitored over the next couple of weeks to try to get a better understanding of what might be causing some of the things he’s been experiencing.” Francona, who was said to be dealing with dehydration during his previous early exit July 13, will spend the rest of the day at his apartment and is expected to return Wednesday. “As a friend, you’re always concerned,” Antonetti said. “Especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance. For him to leave a game raises a flag. Thankfully we’ve got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the clinic. They’ve done every test they can possible imagine. They’ve all come back clean. They’re working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well.” To the organization's credit, without their manager in place, the coaching staff was able to piece together one of their most impressive wins of the season, overcoming a seven-run deficit to win by six runs. Of course, a lot of that is due to the players demonstrating a quality synonymous with last year's club — a willingness to battle through adversity. That sort of galvanized effort is part of what has seemed absent at times this season. “When the dust settled, that was one of the things Millsy highlighted,” Antontti said, “just how cool it was to see everybody come together. From the coaching staff to the players, to pick each other up, that’s what we try to be about organizationally, to be about that collective group and working together to try to accomplish something. There was a lot going on last night – a lot of adversity. “To see our coaches and players respond the way they did was really encouraging and cool to see.” JACKSON TO DL The Indians was hopeful that Austin Jackson's recent injury to his left quad wasn't anything more than a cramp, but he will likely miss the next few weeks after being placed on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday. “The MRI revealed a mild strain,” Antonetti said. “He’ll be out a few weeks. I think our best guess at this point before he’s back into major-league games is probably three-four weeks. He’ll be back on a rehab assignment sooner than that, hopefully.” The injury, one which occurred while running the bases Sunday, couldn't come at a worse time for Jackson. He was slashing .354/.466/.521 in his past 17 games. He missed most of May with a toe injury. Reliever Shawn Armstrong was promoted to replace Jackson on the roster. SIM CITY Danny Salazar, on the 10-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, threw a simulated game at Double-A Akron on Monday. Antonetti said the session went well. ‘[Salazar] felt good today reporting to the park,” Antonetti said. “The next step for him will be a rehab game on [July 1]. That’s the plan.” They are still working through where Salazar will make that start, but it will likely be Akron. Antonetti said the team hasn't considered bringing him back as a full-time reliever.

“We've had two primary goals with Danny,” he said. “First and foremost is to get him healthy. The second is making sure he’s got consistent mechanics and consistent intensity every time he picks up a baseball. If we can do that and help him get back to those places and being healthy and in a good spot mechanically, hopefully that’ll translate into success as a starter. We’re going to condition him back as a starter.” Got him: Cody Allen victimized by tiebreaking homer, but can we end this silly non-save narrative? by T.J. Zuppe, 6 hours ago CLEVELAND — Stop. No, seriously. Stop it. I already know what you're about to tweet. Put down the phone. Walk away from the computer. Please. I beg you. Why are you still typing? Don't do it. Don't hit send. Don't hit se–you did it, didn't you? *Sigh* OK. Can we talk for a minute. Or two. Or as long as it takes. We need to get on the same page when it comes to the silly narrative about closers not pitching in non-save situations. Because, really, it's not a smart take. I know it's easy to feel that way on a night where Indians reliever Cody Allen gave up a solo homer to a future Hall of Famer. Adrian Beltre's shot to the bleachers eventually led to a 2-1 loss to the Rangers on Tuesday night. But the 94 mph fastball elevated up and in to the right-handed hitter, and his eventual deposit of the Allen pitch into the left-field stands, had nothing to do with some misguided perception about not using your closer with a tied score. It had everything to do with a good player beating another good player by doing a great thing. And sometimes, it's necessary to just tip your cap. “I felt like it was a pretty good pitch, kind of what we were trying to do to him there,” Allen said. “He got me. He took a good swing. It wasn’t a bad pitch. He was just ready for it, didn't miss it. He’s done it quite a few times.” We'll get to the execution of that pitch and the numbers behind it momentarily, but first, let's attack the narrative at hand. Why in the world would any manager — in this case, it was bench coach Brad Mills filling in for Terry Francona on Tuesday night — opt to use anyone other than his best pitchers to attempt to preserve a tie? Getting beat with your third-, fourth- or fifth-best pitch seems suboptimal, so wouldn't the usage of your best relievers operate in a similar way? By now, it seems many have wised up to the fact that saves are just the statistical byproduct of a certain reliever pitching the ninth. And as Andrew Miller has proven on several occasions since his arrival in Cleveland last year, sometimes the biggest outs in the game happen much earlier than the final inning. The goal every night should be to maximize the use of your best relievers, at least to the extent of not greatly reducing their chances to pitch over the next week or so. With a tie score, every late inning holds the same amount of weight. The end game is to hold the opposition at bay long enough for your offense to finally push a run across. The order of the zeros don't matter, just as long as you get them. Like it or not — I'm guessing most of you do — that means utilizing your best pitchers after the starter leaves the game. Waiting for a save situation might mean never using one of your most talented arms. And remember, they don't occur after the ninth inning in home games. Remember the tremendously talented Zach Britton? He's still waiting in the bullpen in some alternate reality, hoping for the Orioles to use him in last year's Wild Card loss to the Blue Jays. In that case, manager Buck Showalter was waiting for a save situation that never came. The Jays walked off on an Edwin Encarnacion homer. The rest is history. The more appropriate argument worth having is the existence of a stat like the save and its necessity. It might tell us a little more than a pitching win might, but many of the old school thoughts tied to it could be eliminated if we just never focused on save totals. Rewarding a pitcher for getting three outs with the bases clean in the ninth hardly seems fair, especially when the pitcher two innings before cleaned up a traffic-filled mess left by the starter. And if you only pitched your closer for one inning in opportunities specific to saves, you'd only get 40-45 innings out of one of your best relief arms. How is that smart? Most teams would prefer to approach double that work load. But this isn't a new thought, and my guess is the angry tweets being fired into the interweb are just a small percentage of a smart, understanding fanbase. My hope is many know the reason why Allen still needs to pitch with tied scores and non-save situations. And if not, I dream of a world where that thought is the accepted practice, not just the mindless ramblings of a beat writer scared to open the mentions tab on his Twitter app. By the numbers .300: Beltre's slugging percentage on up-and-in, four-seam fastballs since the start of the 2015 season. Here's a look at the pitch location of his bleacher blast, the 450th home run of his career.

To get on top of that pitch, Beltre had to be hunting fastballs. That in itself is interesting, given that seven of the 10 pitches thrown before his plate appearance were breaking balls. Allen actually started the first two hitters of the ninth off with his knuckle-curve, which means Beltre happened to guess right on the fastball despite having reasons to believe something else was coming. That's what good hitters can do. They occasional beat really good pitching. “He threw the ball so well last night, obviously,” Mills said, “was throwing the ball [well] tonight as well. Just one pitch got up and got hit.” 2.56: Allen's career ERA in non-save situations entering Tuesday, which is actually slightly lower than his overall career ERA. The reason why every run allowed in a non-save situation stands out is simple. The ones that come with tied scores are likely to lead to losses. Those will always be highlighted more in your mind than every time he quietly retires the side, which based on his career ERA, is the norm. The goal of the reliever never changes. “You’re out there to get three outs, help the team try to win a ballgame,” Allen said. “Tonight was one of those nights, I felt like I had pretty good stuff, making some good pitches. I just flat-out got beat tonight. So just tip your cap, come back tomorrow and try to get them. 1: The Indians' run total Tuesday night. Don't let Beltre's homer off the talented Allen distract you from the fact that they managed to put just one run on the board, a soft RBI single to center field by Lonnie Chisenhall in the bottom of the second. But unlike this past weekend — a stretch of three games where they stranded 30 (!!) runners — they didn't have nearly the amount of scoring chances. After earning 28 at-bats with runners in scoring position in Monday's 15-9 comeback win, they got just three RISP chances in Tuesday's loss. That's to be expected when you manage just five total base-runners. Hats off to Ranger starter Tyson Ross, who pitched incredibly well in six innings. “His ball moves all over the place,” Mills said. “And I think he had a tough time finding the zone early. And then he was able to find enough strikes a little bit later to stay in the count and not get too far behind … We just weren’t able to square anything up.” 20: Career-high swinging-strikes collected by Mike Clevinger in a tremendous outing. It's a shame that his six-inning, one-run performance gets lost, but it was truly one of his better outings in some time. He attributed his performance to a “controlled intensity” and “aggressiveness” in the strike zone. “I mean, pitching 0-1 is a hell of a lot easier than 1-0,” he said. “Just trying to get the advantage and play the percentages more in my favor. It’s almost like if they found a barrel last start, I started nitpicking the corners and getting away from my game plan.” Clevinger threw first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 21 batters he faced. As a result, he was able to use his secondary stuff to his advantage, collecting 17 of his swings and misses with pitches other than his four-seam fastball. The right-hander has been at his best when he's been able to get ahead by attacking and utilize his curve, slider and changeup off the fastball. His stuff is good enough to play in the majors. Clevinger just has to consistently believe it. “I think [pitching coach Mickey Callaway] kind of talked to him about that a little bit after the second inning,” Mills said. “He did trust his stuff. He kind of went after hitters a little bit more after the second inning and [was] attacking the zone. It really gave us a lift, being able to go all the way through like he did.” 0: Words spoken on the record by Bradley Zimmer to reporters. In addition to his stunning on-field ability, Zimmer is already using his speed off the field like a crafty veteran. A handful of us wanted to chat with him prior to the game about his third-place ranking in MLB Statcast's new sprint speed leaderboard, but after revealing he had some pregame activities to accomplish, he was out the clubhouse door faster than the blink of an eye. Well played. Cody Anderson is literally counting down the days until he can throw a baseball again by T.J. Zuppe, 2 hours ago CLEVELAND — Six weeks and six days. But who's counting? Indians pitcher Cody Anderson could rattle that number off the top of his head like it was nothing. Why is it significant? It's the amount of time until he will be able to throw a baseball again. Right now, it's the most important set of numbers in Anderson's life. After a disappointing followup to a surprising rookie campaign in 2015, he underwent Tommy John surgery March 26, and since then, he's been counting down the days to finally being able to resume the most simple of activities. But it's not one he's taking for granted.

“I couldn't be happier than I am right now as far as how it feels,” Anderson said. “It feels better than it has in a long time. And that's only [after] 13 weeks.” Anderson is still in the process of building strength and regaining flexibility in the arm. The fact that he's a little ahead of schedule has helped motivate him to work even harder through the recovery. But sometimes he has to remind himself how lengthy the process after the major procedure can be. “You don't want to get to the point where you're expecting to be back sooner than you are,” he said. “So you have to check yourself once in a while. Even though you pass a milestone, you can't jump too far ahead … You just have to take a deep breath and keep tackling the same thing.” But the realities of his situation extend beyond his baseball life. That's the obvious part. The surgery has forced him to change the way he goes about normal activities around the house. Even the most simple tasks have been impacted in ways he never thought of. He's been forced to reprogram and adjust his lifestyle with the goal of eventually making it back to a big league mound. “I go outside and I'm barbecuing, and I can't open the sliding door with my right hand,” he said. “That movement is strenuous. So you have to switch your hands around and pull it to the left. Picking up a box, I can't really pick up a box. I'm not supposed to.” I'm not sure how much box lifting he's been doing since the surgery — if the doctors ask, say none — but in the time not spent carrying them around for fun, the majority of his focus has been locked in at the Reds' complex in Goodyear, Arizona. The Tribe's side of things is being renovated, so it's led to some awkward situations in the opposing weight room. “Especially being older than everyone there,” he said. “You get that sense of, ‘You're on your own.' But our training staff down there is awesome.” That's who he spends most of his daytime with. It's all part of his current (and monotonous) routine. Every day he drives to the ballpark. After his rehab work with the medical staff, he drives home and looks for things to do in Arizona. It's been this way in the past six weeks. Like “Groundhog Day” without Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. And certainly with no guarantee of a happy ending. “Oh yeah. It's boring,” Anderson said. “But at the same time, [my arm] feels so good and so strong. I'm just really excited to be back to throwing.” Anderson was granted a reprieve this week, traveling to Cleveland to escape the desert heat and meet with Mark Schickendantz, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, for a checkup on his right arm. At his size, the only thing more noticeable than his presence in the locker room is the smile he can't help but flash upon greeting several of his teammates over the past two days. The surgery has forced him to watch from the sidelines. That part has been maddening for Anderson, tuning in night after night with no ability to impact what's happening on the field. So, an opportunity to be around the clubhouse and set up at his locker this week is a great feeling. “Sitting in your living room 1,000 miles away, it's really, really tough not being able to help or at least be there for depth,” Anderson said. “That part is really a struggle. Even if it's mopping up a few innings here and there. Other than that, I just have to keep focusing and hopefully help them next year.” Knowing he won't be ready to throw again until August, that's all he can do. Still, he never wavered on his decision to undergo the surgery this spring. Not being the version of himself he hoped for, he was at peace with it then, and he feels even better about the choice now. Feeling stronger than he ever has, he remains focused on the steady reduction of days that stand between him and picking up a baseball once again. “I try not to look too far ahead, but I am counting down backwards,” Anderson said. “It's the middle of August. From the middle of August until the end of the year, I'll be throwing. I'm really excited.” Major health issues ruled out for Indians manager Terry Francona; Expected to return Wednesday

By RYAN LEWIS Published: June 27, 2017

CLEVELAND: Manager Terry Francona was evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic Monday night and Tuesday morning and was cleared of any major health issues, the Indians said in a statement.

Francona left Monday’s game prior to the fourth inning with similar symptoms that forced his exit from a game on June 13. That night, he reported dehydration and an elevated heartbeat. Per the club, Francona will continue to be monitored over the next several weeks to “determine the nature of his symptoms.”

“As a friend, you’re always concerned anytime anyone has to – especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “For him to leave a game raises a flag. Thankfully we’ve got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the clinic. They’ve done every test they can possible imagine. They’ve all come back clean. They’re not working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well.”

According to Antonetti, Francona wanted to return to the team on Tuesday after spending the night at the Cleveland Clinic, but Antonetti declined. Francona is expected to return to the club on Wednesday.

“I don’t think he was exceedingly happy with me. That’s OK,” Antonetti said. “He only got a couple hours of sleep last night, so, despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best that he gets some rest tonight and just come back [Wednesday].”

Though, Francona’s funny bone certainly wasn’t broken. He made sure the club included the message, “Mr. Francona also wanted to express that medical personnel have not yet ruled out an allergy to bench coach Brad Mills.”

Mills managed the rest of Monday’s game, which the Indians went on to win 15-9, and acted as manger Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.

It wouldn’t be a complete day without an Indians’ roster move in the outfield. On Tuesday, Austin Jackson was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a mild left quad strain. Relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong was recalled from Triple-A about 24 hours after being optioned to make room for Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer.

Per Antonetti, Jackson is expected to return to major-league activity in 3-to-4 weeks.

Pitcher Danny Salazar responded well in his 35-pitch sim game in Akron on Monday night. He is next slated to appear in a rehab assignment on Saturday. That will most likely take place in Akron, though the location hasn’t yet been determined.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.28.2017

Rangers 2, Indians 1: 19 Walk-Off Thoughts on Cody Allen’s one bad pitch, the Save, Mike Clevinger


1. Cody Allen entered in the ninth and attempted to power a fastball up in the zone past Adrian Beltre, who instead crushed a solo home run that ended up being the game-winner. It’s Allen’s second loss in a week.

2. Closers pitching in non-save situations is one of the elements of the game that has been molded a bit during this analytical wave. At the very least, how managers view closers and how many think a club’s top reliever should be used has been altered. Some have gotten away from the mindset of, “We have to wait until we lead by no more than three runs to go to our best reliever.” The Indians have the luxury of having relievers of a particular caliber in both Andrew Miller and Allen, so they have some rare flexibility.

3. Analyzing individual decisions and situations about which reliever should enter and when is difficult to do in the context of a 162-game season. Not every game can be pitched like it’s Game 7. If Allen, or Miller, or Shaw have pitched 2-3 nights in a row, they might not be able to enter the next game, even if it’s the right situation for them. There’s a usage balance that has to be maintained while trying to win each night, which has to be one of the tougher lines a manager has to walk. It’s why some pitchers are unavailable on some nights and why on others, a pitcher might enter a game solely because he needs work, so whether the club is leading might be irrelevant.

4. It won’t always be ideal. In October, we all saw how aggressive Terry Francona can get with Miller and Allen. But as Francona has said multiple times, if he treated the regular season like that, the bullpen would be completely shot by the midway point.

5. It’s all to show that relievers will enter outside of their ideal situations eventually. It’s also all to show that the mindset has changed a bit. Allen entering in the ninth Tuesday night was an attempt to use the club’s best remaining reliever to extend the game, still tied, to the bottom of the ninth. And, since it was a home game, the Indians can’t just wait to use Allen in a save situation.

6. So, as the thinking goes, why should teams at home just sit their best relievers because it isn’t a save situation? And, in a season-long view, if there stretches with not enough save situations to get regular work, why should a club let its top reliever throw fewer innings?

7. There’s added flexibility in that the Indians have Miller and Allen and that both pitchers have indicated before that they’re fine pitching in different roles. As Zack Meisel of cleveland.com pointed out, Allen’s ERA in save situations the past two seasons is 2.68. In non-save situations? 2.23. There’s a long-held belief closers can only throw in save situations. The numbers don’t aways add up.

8. Allen: “You’re out there to get three outs, help the team try to win a ballgame. Tonight was one of those nights, I felt like I had pretty good stuff, making some good pitches. I just flat-out got beat tonight. So just tip your cap, come back tomorrow and try to get them.”

9. The evolution of bullpens has been one of the more interesting facets to the recent changes around the game, and the theories that run it. The Indians could have effectively given Allen the night off, or waited until something like the 14th to use him. But if his usage in terms of balancing a long season line up, there is some validity to the thought that he can pitch an inning as the reliever with the best chance to get to the bottom of the ninth.

10. At the very least, that’s the thinking. It’s a fun debate. It didn’t work out Tuesday night.

11. As for the pitch, Allen didn’t mind the location, up-and-in. It’s just that a future Hall-of-Famer turned on it and sent it to the bleacher seats in left field.

12. Allen: “Yeah I felt like it was a pretty good pitch, kind of what we were trying to do to him there. He got me. He took a good swing. It wasn’t a bad pitch. He was just ready for it, didn't’ miss it. He’s done it quite a few times.”

13. Mills: “Fastball got elevated on him and he was able to get it there. Sometimes you got to tip your hat. At the same time, he threw the ball so well last night obviously, (and) was throwing the ball tonight as well. Just one pitch got up and got hit.”

14. Mike Clevinger delivered a strong outing, allowing one run on two hits and two walks and striking out a career-high nine batters. The Indians have talked before about his aggressiveness, and attacking the zone. That’s what the Indians liked on Tuesday.

15. Mills: “I mean, he was very good. I think the first couple, he threw a lot of pitches. And then he started feeling more confident with his stuff and started really throwing all of his pitches. Kind of attacking the zone is probably the word I can use there. And really did a good job. His pitch count kind of leveled off and came down and he really did a good job. Anytime he goes with a pretty good hitting ball club and do what he does… I’m sure he’d like to have a 1-2, two-out breaking ball back. But at the same time, he threw the ball extremely well. It’s something that he can really hang his hat on. I’m really proud of the way he threw the ball.”

16. Clevinger: “I mean, pitching 0-1 is a hell of a lot easier than 1-0. Just trying to get the advantage and play the percentages more in my favor. It’s almost like if they found a barrel last start, I started nitpicking the corners and getting away from my game plan.”

17. The Indians have been searching for stability with their starting rotation. Corey Kluber has been dominant since his return from the DL. Carlos Carrasco has been pretty consistent, save for his last start, which required a seven-run comeback to salvage. After those two, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin have had up-and-down seasons, at many times more of the latter. Clevinger might not have as much time left in the big leagues assuming the current four stay healthy and Salazar continues to progress and re-enters the starting rotation. But he does have a say as the Indians try to find the kind of gear they only briefly discovered on this recent road trip, when they went 7-1.

18. Clevinger has had an up-and-down career in the big leagues. Sporadic might be the right word. Their hope is that he finds enough performances on which to build.

19. Clevinger: “Yeah, I mean it’s always trying to take the positives and the negatives and see where you go from there each start. Trying to do the same here.”

Rangers 2, Indians 1: Cody Allen gives up game-winning home run to Adrian Beltre with two outs in ninth

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Adrian Beltre will be in the hall of fame soon enough. But for now, he’s still putting up a strong 2017 season. And on Monday night, he sent Indians fans home unhappy.

In the top of the ninth inning with two outs and the score tied 1-1, Beltre blasted a solo home run to left field off Indians closer Cody Allen to lift the Rangers to a 2-1 win Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

For Beltre, it was his 450th career home run, ranking him 39th on baseball’s all-time list. For Allen (0-4), who for the second time in three appearances entered with a tie score, it was his second loss in the past week. One batter earlier, Elvis Andrus sent a ball to the warning track in center field, but it fell harmlessly into Bradley Zimmer’s glove for an out. Beltre’s, however, was a no-doubt, 401-foot shot on a fastball up in the zone, and another notch to his hall of fame resume.

It was the Indians’ fourth loss in their past five games after a 7-1 road trip. It also dropped their home record to 16-21. They are now 4-1 against the Rangers this season, which includes a season-opening sweep in Texas in April.

Manager Terry Francona was not in the dugout after spending Monday night being evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic. Francona left Monday’s game with symptoms similar to when he had to leave a game June 13, later diagnosed with dehydration and an elevated heartbeat. He was cleared of any major health issues and will continue to be monitored. He’s expected to return Wednesday. Bench coach Brad Mills served as manager Tuesday night.

Indians starter Mike Clevinger turned in one of his best outings in the big leagues, allowing one run on two hits and two walks and striking out a career-high nine batters. It was Clevinger’s best outing since throwing seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on May 20.

Clevinger cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit, before Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos drilled a solo home run to left field, tying the score 1-1.

One night after their offensive explosion in a 15-9 win over the Rangers (39-38), which included a seven-run comeback and 13 unanswered runs, the Indians’ lineup was again quiet for most of the night.

They did take the lead in the second inning against Rangers starting pitcher Tyson Ross. Jose Ramirez walked, stole second base and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI single to center field. But that was all the Indians (40-36) could muster.


Indians, Cody Allen downed by Adrian Beltre’s ninth-inning home run in 2-1 loss to Texas Rangers


CLEVELAND: Adrian Beltre will be in the Hall-of-Fame soon, but for now, he’s still putting up a strong 2017 season. And on Monday night, he sent Indians fans home unhappy.

In the top of the ninth with the score still tied, Beltre blasted a solo home run to left field off of Indians closer Cody Allen, as the Indians (40-36) fell to the Texas Rangers 2-1 Tuesday night at Progressive Field.

For Beltre, it was his 450th career home run, ranking him 39th on baseball’s all-time home runs list. For Allen (0-4), who for the second time in three appearances entered with a tied score, it was his second loss in the last week. Elvis Andrus one batter prior sent a ball to the warning track in center field, but it fell harmlessly into Bradley Zimmer’s glove for an out. Beltre’s, however, was a no-doubt, 401-foot shot on a fastball up in the zone, and another notch to his Hall-of-Fame resume.

It was the Indians’ fourth loss in their last five games after a 7-1 road trip. It was also dropped their home record this season to 16-21. They are now 4-1 against the Rangers this season, which includes their season-opening sweep in Texas in April.

Manager Terry Francona was not in the dugout Tuesday night after he spent Monday night being evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic. Francona left Monday’s game with similar symptoms as when he had to exit the dugout on June 13, when he reported dehydration and an elevated heartbeat. He was cleared of any major health issues and will continue to be monitored. He’s expected to return on Wednesday. Bench coach Brad Mills served as manager.

Mike Clevinger turned in one of his best outings in the big leagues, allowing one run on only two hits and two walks and striking out a career-high nine batters. It was Clevinger’s best outing since throwing seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win against the Houston Astros on May 20.

Clevinger cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit, before Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos drilled a solo home run to left field, tying it 1-1.

One night after their 15-run explosion in their 15-9 win against the Rangers (39-38) Monday night, which included a seven-run comeback and 13 unanswered runs, the Indians’ lineup was again quiet for the most of the night.

They did take an early lead in the second inning against Rangers starting pitcher Tyson Ross, when Jose Ramirez walked, stole second base and then scored on Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI-single into center field. But that was all the Indians’ offense could muster, making the Rangers’ two home runs enough.


Indians notebook: Major health issues ruled out for manager Terry Francona; expected to return to club Wednesday

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Manager Terry Francona was evaluated at the Cleveland Clinic on Monday night and Tuesday morning and was cleared of any major health issues, the Indians said in a statement.

Francona left Monday’s game before the fourth inning with similar symptoms that forced his exit from a game on June 13. That night, he reported dehydration and an elevated heartbeat. Francona will continue to be monitored over the next several weeks to “determine the nature of his symptoms,” according to the club.

“As a friend, you’re always concerned anytime anyone has to — especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “For him to leave a game raises a flag. Thankfully we’ve got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the clinic. They’ve done every test they can possibly imagine. They’ve all come back clean. They’re working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well.”

According to Antonetti, Francona wanted to return to the team on Tuesday after spending the night at the Cleveland Clinic, but Antonetti declined. Francona is expected to return to the club on Wednesday.

“I don’t think he was exceedingly happy with me. That’s OK,” Antonetti said. “He only got a couple hours of sleep last night, so, despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best that he gets some rest tonight and just come back [Wednesday].”

Despite the scare, Francona’s funny bone certainly isn’t broken. He made sure the club included the message, “Mr. Francona also wanted to express that medical personnel have not yet ruled out an allergy to bench coach Brad Mills.”

Mills managed the rest of Monday’s game, which the Indians went on to win 15-9, and acted as manager Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.

It wouldn’t be a complete day without an Indians roster move in the outfield. On Tuesday, Austin Jackson was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a mild left quad strain. Relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong was recalled from Triple-A about 24 hours after being optioned, along with Daniel Robertson, to make room for Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer.

Jackson is expected to return to major-league activity in three to four weeks, Antonetti said.

Pitcher Danny Salazar responded well in his 35-pitch simulated game in Akron on Monday night. He is next slated to appear in a rehab assignment Saturday. That will most likely take place in Akron, though the site hasn’t been determined.

Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona denied plan to go from hospital to dugout for Tuesday's game

BY PAUL HOYNES, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected]

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Terry Francona, after spending the Monday night at Cleveland Clinic, planned on returning Progressive Field in time to manage the Indians on Tuesday night. Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said no way.

"Tito wanted to come back to the ballpark today," Antonetti told reporters before Tuesday's game against Texas. "I told him he can't come back to the ballpark today. He only got a couple hours of sleep last night and despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best for him to get some rest and come back Wednesday.

"I don't think he was exceedingly happy with me, but that's OK."

Francona was admitted to the Clinic on Monday night after leaving the Indians' 15-9 victory over the Rangers at about 8:30 p.m. It's the second game Francona has been forced to leave this month because of a rapid heart rate and lightheadedness.

He also missed a game last year in August against the Nationals in Washington, D.C. because of chest pains.

"As a friend you're always concerned, especially with someone like Tito who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance," said Antonetti. "For him to leave a game it raises a flag. Thankfully, we've got some great doctors coordinating his care at the Clinic. They've done every test you can possible imagine and they've all come back clean.

"They are now working to try and figure out what are some of the things that are causing him not to feel so well."

After being released from the hospital on Tuesday, Francona returned to his downtown apartment. Bench coach Brad Mills managed the Tribe on Tuesday as he did Monday night after Francona left.

Monday was an unusual night at Progressive Field. Texas jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead and then Francona left the dugout and was taken to the hospital. The Indians, however, rallied for a 15-9 victory by scoring 13 unanswered runs.

"We were working through a lot of things Monday night," said Antonetti, "but when the dust settled Millsie highlighted one thing - how cool it was to see that everyone came together from the coaching staff to the players to pick each other up. That's what we try to be about organizationally ... about that collective group and working together to try and accomplish something."

Antonetti said there would be no additions to the coaching staff for Tuesday night.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.28.2017

Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona will not manage Tuesday night's game vs. Texas


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians manager Terry Francona will not be in the dugout on Tuesday night against Texas at Progressive Field.

A statement from the team said Francona was evaluated by doctors at Cleveland Clinic on Monday night and Tuesday morning. The tests have ruled out any major health concerns, but Francona will continued to be monitored to determine the nature of his recent symptoms.

Francona, after being released from the hospital, has been advised to stay at home Tuesday after leaving Monday night's game with what the team called an "illness." It's the second time since mid-June that Francona has been forced to leave the dugout because he wasn't feeling well.

On June 13, he was taken to Cleveland Clinic after experiencing a rapid heart rate and dizziness while managing against the Dodgers. A team spokesman said Francona, 58, experienced similar symptoms on Monday night.

After the June 13 game, he was treated at Cleveland Clinic for dehydration and released.

Bench coach Brad Mills will manage the team in Francona's absence.

This is the third time in the last two years Francona has had to leave a game because of health concerns. Last season he left a game on Aug. 9 against Washington with chest pains, but returned the next day.

Francona is in his fifth year of managing the Indians. He led them to a wild-card appearance in 2013, his first year on the job. Last year they won the pennant and reached Game 7 of the World Series under him.

After the Indians lost to the Cubs in Game 7 of the World Series last year, Francona had his right hip replaced. He also has two artificial knees.


Cleveland Indians place Austin Jackson on DL; recall RHP Shawn Armstrong


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have placed veteran outfielder Austin Jackson on the 10-day disabled list with a strained left quad muscle. He suffered the injury Sunday running the bases against the Twins.

Right-hander Shawn Armstrong was recalled from Class AAA Columbus to take Jackson's spot on the roster. Armstrong was optioned Monday when the Indians activated outfielders Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer from the disabled list.

Jackson hits the disabled list for the second time this season. He was shutdown the first time with a hyper-extended big toe.

"The MRI revealed a mild strain of the quadriceps," said Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations. "He'll be out a few weeks. Our best guess before he's back in Major League games is three to four weeks.

"Hopefully, he'll be on a rehab assignment before that."

Jackson goes on the DL in the middle of a hot streak which has boosted his batting average to .304 (31-for-102) with nine doubles, three homers and 15 RBI in 37 games.

This will be Armstrong's fifth tour with the Tribe this year. He's 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA (eight earned runs in 14 1/3 innings). He's struck out 14 and walked six, while limiting the opposition to a .222 batting average.


Closer Cody Allen burned again as Texas beats Cleveland Indians, 2-1, on Adrian Beltre's 9th-inning homer


CLEVELAND, Ohio - The last time Mike Clevinger started a game it took him 59 pitches to get through the first two innings. He was pitching in the sauna called Camden Yards and sweated through three game jerseys.

Somehow he made it through five innings to earn the win as the Indians beat Baltimore. Tuesday night it was 69 degrees at Progressive Field. No muss, no fuss and no sweat. Clevinger pitched like it, too, allowing one run on two hits in six innings.

But there was no win waiting for him at the end of the line. Just a no decision.

A day after the Indians scored 15 runs on 19 hits, their offense was silenced in a 2-1 loss to Texas. Adrian Beltre won it with a two-out homer off Cody Allen in the ninth.

It was the second tie-breaking homer Allen (0-4) has allowed in the last four games. Beltre crushed Allen's first pitch, a shoulder-high fastball, sending a high arching shot into the left field bleachers for the 450th homer of his career and second of the series. The homer moved him in 39th place on the all-time home run list.

In Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Twins, Allen allowed a leadoff homer to Brian Dozier to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.

"I felt like it was pretty good pitch," said Allen. "It was what we were trying to do to him right there. He got me.

"He took a good swing. It wasn't a bad pitch. He was ready for it. He's done it quite a few times."

Clevinger and Texas starter Tyson Ross did a nice job against two offenses that combined for 24 runs and 28 hits on Tuesday. Clevinger struck out a career-high nine batters with two walks in six innings.

"He was very good," said bench coach Brad Mills, who managed the Indians in the absence of Terry Francona, who missed the game because of illness. "He threw a lot of pitches the first couple of innings. Then he started feeling more confident with all his pitches and started attacking the zone.

"He really did a good job. His pitch count leveled out. It's something he can really hang his hat on."

Ross, in just his third start of the season, allowed one run on two hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.

Clevinger threw his four-seam fastball 51 times. It topped out at 95.7 mph, according to baseballsavant.com. The slowest pitch he threw was a 73.8 mph curve.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second. Jose Ramirez started the inning with a walk, stole second and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall's single to center. It was Chisenhall's 17th RBI since June 15 and his 41st of the season.

Clevinger took the 1-0 lead into the fifth. He struck out Mike Napoli and retired Rouglas Odor on a grounder to first, but catcher Robinson Chirinos tied it with a homer to left on a 2-1 pitch. The Rangers are a home-run hitting team and Chirinos is a home-run hitting catcher.

Chirinos has hit six homers in his last nine games. The Rangers have hit 20 homers in their last eight. They've homered in 20 of the last 21 games.

"I was trying to throw the same slider to Chirinos that I was throwing all game," said Clevinger. "That one just kind of backed up on me. Not a good time for it."

Keone Kela (4-1) pitched the eighth for the win. Matt Bush earned his 10th save in the ninth. He allowed a one-out single to Michael Brantley, but he never advanced.

The Indians are 9-2 against teams from Texas this season - 4-1 against Texas and 5-1 against Houston.

The two teams combined for just six hits -- three each -- after nine innings of batting practice on Monday.

Clevinger threw 102 pitches, 61 (60 percent) for strikes. Ross threw 98 pitches, 56 (57 percent) for strikes.

The Rangers and Indians drew 19,348 fans to Progressive Field on Tuesday night. First pitch was at 7:10 with a temperature of 69 degrees.

The Indians will send Trevor Bauer (6-6, 5.53) to the mound Wednesday night to face the Rangers. Texas will counter with right-hander Yu Darvish (6-5, 3.12). Game time is 7:10 p.m. with SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 carrying the game.

Bauer is coming off a 5-0 loss to the Twins. This will be his fourth start against the Rangers. He's posted a 4.35 ERA against them, but doesn't have a win or a loss.

Darvish is coming off a no-decision against the Yankees in which he pitched seven scoreless innings. Darvish pitched the season opener against the Indians on April 3. He allowed four runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision.


What will Danny Salazar add to the Cleveland Indians when he returns from disabled list?

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Remember Danny Salazar?

He threw a simulated game at Class AA Akron on Monday and is scheduled to throw a rehab game on Saturday. Salazar has not pitched in the big leagues since June 3 because of a sore right shoulder.

There has been speculation that when Salazar does rejoin the Indians it could be as a reliever, but Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, said that’s not so.

“We’ve had two primary goals with Danny,” said Antonetti. “First we want to get him healthy. The second is on making sure he has consistent mechanics and consistent intensity every time he picks up a baseball.

“If we can do that, and help him get back to being healthy and in a good spot mechanically, hopefully that will translate into success for him as a starter. We are going to condition him as a starter.”

Salazar is 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 12 games, including 10 starts. He’s struck out 77, walked 28 and allowed 33 earned runs in 37 innings. He has not started in the big leagues since May 27.

If Salazar rejoins the Indians and proves to be healthy and effective, it could save them from having to make a deadline deal to improve their lukewarm rotation.

“Danny has had periods of time where he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball,” said Antonetti. “If we can get him back at the level he’s capable of pitching at, it would be a huge boost to our team. But this is the time of year you’re looking at all alternatives – internal and external.

“Hopefully, Danny can be one of those boosts among our internal alternatives.”

The Indians’ rotation is improving thanks to a consistent first half by Carlos Carrasco and the return of Corey Kluber from the disabled list. Collectively the rotation has moved from last place in the AL in ERA to ninth.

But it’s still a long way from what the expectations were at the start of the season. Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer have been inconsistent. Mike Clevinger is still trying to establish himself in the big leagues, while Salazar has pretty much been lost in the wilderness since opening day.

So do the Indians have to add a starter by the July 31 trade deadline?

“We try not react to anything over a short time frame,” said Antonetti, when asked if the next few weeks would determine his course of action. “It will help clarify some things a little bit more. There have been different periods, and different trade deadlines, where there have been obvious needs for our team.

“With the way our team has taken shape this year, there’s a pretty high bar for the guys we have internally and what we feel they’re capable of producing. So going out to the trade market to acquire players. ... It’s a high threshold to clear because we do have some quality alternatives internally.”

Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin has allowed 109 hits, including 15 homers, in 81 1/3 innings so far this year.

What about Josh Tomlin, Trevor Bauer?

The Indians wouldn’t have to do a thing to the rotation if they could get more consistent starts from Tomlin and Bauer. Tomlin is 4-9 with a 6.09 ERA in 15 starts. Bauer is 6-6 with a 5.53 ERA in 15 starts.

“With Josh it’s a question of execution,” said Antonetti. “With Josh we’ve seen those days where he had his best command, executed pitches in good sequences and been very effective. But there have been other times where he might not be executing quite as consistently, and when he’s off a little bit, and other teams have hit him.”

The opposition is hitting .321 against Tomlin.

Regarding Bauer, Antonetti said, “I think Trevor has actually pitched better than his surface numbers show. I know he’s talked about it a few times. I know you guys have written about it once or twice, but on balance I do think he has pitched better than his ERA might reflect.

“He is that guy who is constantly searching and thinking about ways he can get better. If he was 10-3 with a 3.20 ERA, he would still be thinking about how I can be better in the second half. “

The bottom has fallen out of Francisco Lindor’s batting average, but his slugging percentage is .473 and he’s posted a .789 OPS. Nonetheless, the Indians would like to keep the focus of Lindor’s offense on the middle of the field.

“With Frankie we saw what he’s capable of doing in the first part of the season when he’s locked in and using the middle of the field,” said Antonetti. “He’s one of those players where the power comes as the result of him making consistent hard contact. When he tries to generate it sometimes, he can fall into bad habits.

“Tito (Terry Francona) referenced it when he said he gets pull conscious or pull happy. That’s when Frankie is no longer using the middle of the field.”

Lindor hit .309 (29-for-94) with seven homers and 17 RBI in April. He went into Tuesday night’s game hitting .253 (75-for-296) with 14 homers and 36 RBI.

The Indians added former No. 1 pick Bradley Zimmer to their outfield on May 16. No one knew if he arrived for a quick look or an extended stay, but that didn't bother Zimmer.

He entered Tuesday's game hitting .298 (31-for-104) with eight doubles, four homers and 22 RBI. He's stolen seven bases in eight attempts, scored 13 runs and played a strong center field.

"Bradley has done a really good job of acclimating himself to the major league level," said Antonetti. "He's tried to stay consistent with some of the adjustments he made (with his swing and defense) in the Arizona Fall League and spring training.

"We're seeing the benefit of all the work he's put in. He's found a way to contribute to all facets of the game -- offensively, defensively, base running. He's really impacted the team in a variety of ways. And we've need it."


How does Francisco Mejia fit into the Cleveland Indians' plans? Going Deep BY ZACK MEISEL, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Welcome to another installment of Going Deep, a regular series in which we'll take a deep dive into a reader-proposed topic. To have your question or comment covered (or, at least, to have it read), send an email to [email protected]. Include your first name and city. This has been a popular question among Tribe fans who have grown tired of watching Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez take their hacks. First, let's sift through some numbers. Here are the offensive statistics for the three catchers entering Tuesday's action. Gomes: .224/.306/.360 slash line, four home runs, 19 RBI, 10 doubles, 8.3 percent walk rate, 26.5 percent strikeout rate Perez: .184/.270/.265 slash line, one home run, 15 RBI, five doubles, 10.8 percent walk rate, 27.0 percent strikeout rate Francisco Mejia, of course, is playing at Double-A Akron, so place these statistics in the proper context. Mejia: .349/.392/.594 slash line, nine home runs, 30 RBI, 16 doubles, 7.1 percent walk rate, 15.1 percent strikeout rate Mejia, 21, played in his 51st game for Akron on Tuesday evening. He split last season between Class A Lake County and High-A Lynchburg. Along the way he produced a 50-game hitting streak that placed him on the public radar. Before the season, Baseball America pegged Mejia as the No. 28 prospect in baseball. Baseball Prospectus had him at No. 34 and MLB.com ranked him as the No. 40 prospect. So, many have asked, why not vault him to the major-league roster in place of Gomes or Perez? Sandy Alomar Jr. has as valuable of a perspective on this situation as anyone. The longtime catcher -- and current Indians first-base coach -- worked with Mejia during spring training. Alomar also followed a similar track. He hit .307 at Double-A Wichita in 1987, but the Padres kept him at Triple-A Las Vegas for two years (there are worse places to spend extra time).

"I spent six years in the minor leagues," Alomar told cleveland.com. "As a player, you think you're ready, but it was very beneficial for me to spend those two years in Triple-A. "Catching is not a position you want to rush. It's a position [in which] you want to make sure you are completely developed behind the dish and unless you have an emergency or something like that, it's always good to have those developmental stages." This probably wouldn't qualify as an emergency. The Indians advanced to the World Series last year with even less offensive production from their crop of catchers. And Gomes and Perez certainly provide a defensive element and a rapport with the pitching staff that Mejia simply can't at this point. That means something, even if it can't always be quantified on the back of a baseball card. ADVERTISING "He only has half a season at Double-A at this point," said Tribe president Chris Antonetti, "and he has some things he continues to work through developmentally and is continuing to work on. Hopefully he can continue on the path, because if he is, he's on the path to being a very good major-league player. But it is not as easy as calling a guy up and expecting him to perform at the major leagues the same as he is in the minor leagues." Chris Antonetti on Francisco Mejia's progress So, don't expect the Indians to nominate Mejia as the club's savior in 2017. "We're all emotional," Antonetti said. "We all react to the games. ... I think to make decisions based on those emotional decisions, that's not the best way to have long-term success." Gomes has nabbed nearly half of the runners who have attempted to steal while he has crouched behind the plate. Perez has thrown out one-third of potential base-stealers. The league average rate is 28 percent. Could Mejia eventually develop into a skilled defender who wields a potent bat? Here's Alomar's scouting report. "He has a great arm. His transfer needs some work, but his arm is a plus. You can tell he's quick behind the plate, blocking-wise. His mechanics are good. Catchers can get laid-back a little bit when anticipating balls in the dirt, especially breaking balls. "Going through spring training helps tremendously. You get familiarized with the pitchers who are here and you're catching a lot of 'pens, which is very important. He did that, so he has an idea about our guys. But [going through] the season and calling games, it just takes time. You have to know the ins and outs of each pitcher. When you start asking a pitcher to do something, you better have a reason you're doing it. You want to be on the same page. The more you catch a guy in the 'pen and the more you see and experience the minor leagues, it makes it a lot easier when you get here." For now, the Indians should be more concerned with the offensive output -- or lack thereof -- from Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana. Mejia's time will come. Said Alomar: "I can see why he's very intriguing." SPORTS Indians notes: Team president Chris Antonetti wants to see consistent good play, not mere 'glimpses' Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on June 27, 2017 | Updated 7:11 a. m. CLEVELAND -- Team president Chris Antonetti met with reporters prior to Tuesday’s game against Texas and gave his assessment of the Indians, who entered the night leading the Central Division by a half-game at 40-35. “I think we’ve seen glimpses of what we feel we’re capable of,” Antonetti said. “We had that stretch on the road trip (7-1 in Minnesota and Baltimore from June 16-22) where we played really well and were clicking on all cylinders, but there were other times where we haven’t been as consistent. I’m hopeful that we’ll find our stride and run off more wins than losses here in the next couple weeks. “I think what we’re trying to do is what we experienced over the course of the last road trip, where the rotation was doing a good job, the bullpen did a great job of closing out games, the offense was, as Tito likes to say, keeping the line moving, creating opportunities and capitalizing on those opportunities. We feel we have a team that’s capable of doing that and capable of performing in all those areas. And when we do, we’ve proven to be a good team but we, to date, have maybe not been as consistent as we’d like to be.” Cleveland’s woes at Progressive Field have been well-documented. The Indians, one of the majors’ best teams at home last year, are one of its worst this season at 16-20 through Monday. “Last year, I think we were the reverse of that,” Antonetti said. “And this year, with largely the same group, it’s been the opposite. So,I’m not sure we can read too much into that. We’ve talked a lot about it, but it’s hard to come up with any sort of concrete explanation.” Man down

Outfielder Austin Jackson was placed on the disabled list with a left quad strain. Reliever Shawn Armstrong was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to fill his roster spot. “It’s a mild strain,” Antonetti said. “He’ll be out a few weeks. I think our best guess at this point before he’s back into major league games is probably three-to-four weeks. He’ll be back on a rehab assignment sooner than that, hopefully.” Salazar saga Right-hander Danny Salazar (right shoulder soreness) threw a simulated game Monday at Double-A Akron and is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday, most likely with the RubberDucks. Though a struggling Salazar (3-5, 5.40 ERA in 12 games/10 starts) was removed from the rotation and sent to the bullpen prior to the injury, Antonetti said the right-hander would return as a starter. “We’ve had two primary goals with Danny, first and foremost is to get him healthy,” Antonetti said. “The second is making sure he’s got consistent mechanics and consistent intensity every time he picks up a baseball. If we can do that and help him get back to those places and being healthy and in a good spot mechanically, hopefully that’ll translate into success as a starter.” Memory lane Antonetti joined manager Terry Francona and general manager Mike Chernoff to present Texas’ Mike Napoli with his American League championship ring prior to Monday’s series opener. “That was a cool moment with Nap,” Antonetti said. “I think that we’ve talked about it, he made an incredible contribution and lasting contribution to the organization, to the team, and in fact, a lot of our players carry forward a lot of those things they learned from Nap last year. “I think maybe the best part might have been when I turned around and looked at our dugout and see all of our players outside of the dugout tipping their caps to Nap. I think that says all that needs to be said about the impact that he had because it’s clear the universal respect he had from everyone in the organization. “I mean we had in the dugout (Monday) night, I’m not sure if you guys could see, but our chefs were out there, our clubhouse staff was out there. Everybody related to our team and organization that could find a way onto the field was out there to watch Nap get a well-deserved ring.” Roundin’ third Left fielder Michael Brantley was in the lineup Tuesday after being activated from the disabled list Monday. The Indians went 11-for-28 with runners in scoring position Monday. Since the statistic was first tracked in 1974, it marked Cleveland’s most hits and at-bats with runners in scoring position in any game. The Indians entered Tuesday owning a 14-3 record against AL West opponents, outscoring them 105-65. Rangers' Adrian Beltre belts Indians with two-out home run off Cody Allen in ninth inning Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on June 27, 2017 | Updated 7:09 a. m. CLEVELAND — Terry Francona did not manage Tuesday night after leaving the game prematurely Monday with a medical concern for the second time in two weeks. According to Indians team president Chris Antonetti, Francona spent the night at the Cleveland Clinic and was released Tuesday morning. “He went through a battery of tests that have ruled out any sense of major health issue, which is obviously a big relief to all of us,” Antonetti said prior to Tuesday’s game against Texas. “Now it’s a question of him being monitored over the next couple of weeks to try to get a better understanding of what might be causing some of the things he’s been experiencing. I’m not sure I can provide a ton more detail than that.” Francona, 58, is expected to return tonight, but his health will obviously be a concern moving forward, especially for Antonetti, who is close with the manager. “As a friend, you’re always concerned,” Antonetti said. “Anytime anyone has to — especially someone like Tito, who has an exceedingly high pain tolerance — for him to leave a game raises a flag. Thankfully we’ve got some great doctors that are coordinating his care at the clinic. They’ve done every test they can possibly imagine. They’ve all come back clean. They’re now working to try to figure out what are some of those things that are causing him to not feel so well.” Antonetti said it was his decision for Francona to take Tuesday night off. “Tito actually wanted to come back to the ballpark. I told him he can’t come back to the ballpark,” Antonetti said. “He only got a couple hours of sleep (Monday) night, so, despite his desire to want to be here, I thought it was best that he gets some rest and just come back (today). “His plan when he was getting released from the hospital was to come over here. I don’t think he was exceedingly happy with me. That’s OK.”

Francona left in the fourth inning Monday when the Indians rallied for their biggest comeback win of the season behind bench coach Brad Mills, who handled the managing duties again Tuesday. “Obviously, we were working through a lot of things (Monday) night, but when the dust settled, that was one of the things Millsy highlighted was just how cool it was to see everybody come together,” Antonetti said. “From the coaching staff to the players, to pick each other up, that’s what we try to be about organizationally — to be about that collective group and working together to try to accomplish something. There was a lot going on (Monday) night, a lot of adversity. To see our coaches and players respond the way they did was really encouraging and cool to see.” Francona left a game against the Dodgers on June 13 with similar symptoms. He also missed a game in Washington last year with a medical issue involving his heart. SPORTS Rangers' Adrian Beltre belts Indians with two-out home run off Cody Allen in ninth inning Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on June 27, 2017 | Updated 2:30 a. m. CLEVELAND — A night after combining for 24 runs, the Indians and Rangers managed just three Tuesday at Progressive Field. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Texas had two of them. With the game tied at 1 and two out in the ninth inning, Cody Allen surrendered a solo home run to Adrian Beltre that lifted the Rangers to a series-tying 2-1 victory. Allen retired the first two batters with relative ease before Beltre belted his first pitch out to left field for the 450th homer of his career. “I felt like it was a pretty good pitch,” Allen said of the up-and-in fastball. “It was kind of what we were trying to do to him right there, and he got me. He took a good swing. It wasn’t a bad pitch. He was just ready for it, didn’t miss it. He’s done it quite a few times.” Allen, who fell to 0-4 with a 2.40 ERA, didn’t allow a homer over his first 15 appearances, but has surrendered four over his last 15. The right-hander was on in a non-save situation, but said it didn’t affect his performance, and the statistics back him up. Allen has posted a 2.68 ERA in save situations this season and a 2.23 ERA in non-save situations. “You’re out there trying to get three outs and help your team try to win a ballgame,” he said. “Tonight was one of those nights I felt like I had pretty good stuff, making some good pitches. I just flat out got beat tonight, so tip your cap and come back tomorrow and try to get them.” The Indians wasted Mike Clevinger’s best outing of the season. The right-hander allowed just a run on two hits while striking out a career-high nine over six innings. “The first couple innings, he threw a lot of pitches and then he started feeling more confident with his stuff and started really throwing all his pitches and kind of attacking the zone,” said bench coach Brad Mills, who filled in for manager Terry Francona, who was still out after leaving Monday’s game because he didn’t feel well. “His pitch count kind of leveled out and came down and he really did a good job. He threw the ball extremely well. It’s something that he can really hang his hat on.” “It was unbelievable,” Allen said of Clevinger’s effort. “He did everything he could. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold it down at the end, but it’s baseball. Their guy threw the ball pretty well, too.” Clevinger shut out Texas on one hit over the first four innings before allowing a game-tying homer to Robinson Chirinos with two outs in the fifth. “I was trying to throw the same slider I was throwing the whole game and that one just kind of backed up on me,” Clevinger said. “It wasn’t a good time for it.” Indians hitters scored 13 unanswered runs in a 15-9 win in the series opener Monday, but did little against Rangers starter Tyson Ross, who entered his third start of the season having allowed nine runs over his first two (8 2 3 innings). Ross limited Cleveland to a run on two hits while striking out five over six innings. “His ball moves all over the place,” Mills said of Ross. “I think he had a tough time finding the zone early and then he was able to find enough strikes a little bit later to stay in the count and not get too far behind. The biggest thing was that his ball was moving and we just weren’t able to square any up.” The Indians scored their lone run in the second inning on a single from Lonnie Chisenhall, who extended his hitting streak to five games. It was also his team-high 19th RBI in June. Michael Brantley returned to the lineup for the first time since June 14, going 1-for-4 with a single in the ninth inning.

Clippers 5, Knights 0 | Morimando’s gem fuels Clippers’ win Shawn Morimando pitched a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts to lead the visiting Clippers to a 5-0 victory over the Charlotte Knights on Tuesday night before 7,671 at BB&T Ballpark. Morimando (7-5), who didn’t allow a walk, threw 106 pitches, 76 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 3.72. He was backed by solo homers from Ronnie Rodriguez and Nellie Rodrioguez as the Clippers won their fourth straight game and 10th in their last 12. Ronny Rodriguez helped stymie a scoring threat by the Knights in the second inning. After Rymer Liriano doubled, Rodriguez threw him out at the plate from right field as he tried to score on a single by Grant Green. Morimando struck out the next two batters to end the inning. Morimando then struck out the side in the third and fanned Jacob May to lead off the fourth, giving him a run of six straight strikeouts. The Clippers also had double plays in the fifth and seventh innings. Ronnie Rodriguez went deep in the fourth off Lucas Giolito (2-7) to make it 2-0, and Nellie Rodriguez’s homer came in the seventh for a 3-0 lead. Lake County Captains 4, Great Lakes 3: Brady Aiken’s up-and-down season continues By David Glasier, The News-Herald Brady Aiken’s numbers against the Great Lakes (Mich.) Loons on June 27 spoke to why this has been a log of a season for the Captains starting pitcher and 2015 No. 1 draft choice of the Indians. The 20-year-old left-hander lasted four innings in what ended as a 4-3 victory for the Captains. Aiken, who didn’t figure in the decision, now is 1-8 with a 4.58 ERA. As was the case in most of his previous 14 starts, Aiken struggled with control and allowed too much traffic on the basepaths. He faced 20 batters and threw 95 pitches, 48 for strikes and 47 for balls. The trouble began in the top of the first inning when Aiken issued a free pass to Great Lakes leadoff batter Darien Tubbs. Gavin Lux, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first-round pick in the 2016 draft, followed with a home run to right-center field to stake the Loons to a 2-0 lead. Although he righted himself after Lux’s round-tripper, Aiken pitched himself back into trouble in the top of the second inning by issuing three more bases on balls. Lux came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded, but Aiken got the better of him by inducing a routine grounder to second base for the final out. The top of the third was relatively uneventful for Aiken beyond a two-out walk by Brendon Davis. Great Lakes mounted another threat in the top of the fourth on a leadoff walk to Mitchell Hansen and a one-out single by Brayan Morales. Aiken buckled down to retire Tubbs and Lux on routing fly balls. In 15 starts covering 72 2/3 innings, Aiken has given up 74 hits and 48 runs (37 earned) with 49 strikeouts and 53 walks. Before the game, Captains pitching coach Jason Blanton said Aiken is showing signs of progress on the mound despite his statistical struggles and continuing recovery from Tommy John surgery two years ago. The Captains used the long ball to overcome the early 2-0 deficit against the Loons. Logan Ice slammed a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to make it 2-1. Emmanuel Tapia connected for a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth to put the Captains in front, 3-2. It was Tapia’s Midwest League-leading 16th home run. He also has a team-high 45 RBI. After the Loons scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to pull even at 3-3, the Captains scored what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth when former Mayfield High School and Ohio University standout Mitch Longo raced home on a double-play grounder. Relief pitcher Henry Martinez (4-2, 4.02 ERA) earned the victory for the Captains, who improved to 5-1 in the second half. Great Lakes slipped to 3-3 with a second straight loss at Classic Park. Rangers 2, Cleveland Indians 1: Adrian Beltre’s ninth-inning home run sinks Tribe By Steve Herrick, The Associated Press Adrian Beltre had an extra reason to celebrate moving up the all-time home run list. This latest shot also won a game. Beltre hit his 450th career homer, a solo drive in the ninth inning off Cody Allen that sent the Texas Rangers over the Cleveland Indians 2-1. “Obviously it’s a good milestone, but I don’t want to get caught up on thinking about that right now,” he said. “Hopefully I can accumulate some more.” Beltre drove the first pitch from Allen (0-4) into the left field bleachers, and moved into sole possession of 39th place on the career chart.

“That’s just another piece of the legend of Adrian Beltre, really, and just what he’s able to do, especially late in the game,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister. Beltre has been limited to 24 games because of a right calf injury, but has 13 RBIs in his last nine games, including a three-run homer Monday. “He got me,” Allen said. “He was ready for it. Didn’t miss it. He’s done it quite a few times.” Keone Kela (4-1) stranded a runner in the eighth. Matt Bush allowed Michael Brantley’s one-out single in the ninth while getting his 10th save. Indians manager Terry Francona missed the game after his second trip to the hospital this month. He left Monday night’s game because he wasn’t feeling well and spent several hours at Cleveland Clinic undergoing tests. Bench coach Brad Mills filled in for Francona, who is expected to return Wednesday. Both teams managed to get only three hits. The pitcher’s duel came one night after the Indians rallied from a 9-2 deficit for a 15-9 win Monday. The Rangers hit four home runs while the Indians scored a season high in runs. A night after striking out 17 times, Texas hitters fanned 16 times in the win. “We weren’t happy with the way we lost the game yesterday,” Beltre said. “We were up by seven runs and found a way to lose. We put our minds to winning the series. The first step was to win today.” Allen also gave up a go-ahead home run to Minnesota’s Brian Dozier in the eighth inning Saturday in another non-save situation. “I’m out there to get three outs, help the team try to win a ballgame,” Allen said. “I just flat-out got beat.” Robinson Chirinos hit a solo home run in the Texas fifth to make it 1-all. He has hit 11 home runs this season and connected in six of his last nine games. Lonnie Chisenhall’s RBI single in the second gave Cleveland the lead. Mike Clevinger held the Rangers to one run and two hits, striking out a career-high nine in six innings. Tyson Ross, making his third start of the season for Texas, also gave up one run and two hits in six innings. He retired his last 12 hitters. Ross is coming from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery in October. He made only one start for San Diego on opening day last season because of a sore right shoulder. HE’S BACK Brantley, playing for the first time since June 14, was 1 for 4 with a strikeout. He was placed on the paternity list June 16 and moved to the 10-day disabled list three days later because of a sprained left ankle. BLANKED Elvis Andrus was hitless in four at-bats, marking only the second time in 33 career games at Progressive Field that he hasn’t gotten a hit. The Rangers shortstop is still batting .409 (52 for 127) in Cleveland’s ballpark. TRAINER’S ROOM Rangers>> OF Carlos Gomez (sore back) wasn’t in the lineup. He was pulled in the eighth inning June 26. Indians>> OF Austin Jackson (strained left quad) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and is expected to miss three to four weeks. UP NEXT Rangers>> RHP Yu Darvish pitched seven shutout innings in his last start, giving up two hits, striking 10 and walking none at Yankee Stadium, but exited as a precaution with tightness in his triceps. Indians>> RHP Trevor Bauer allowed five runs in 6 2/3 innings and got the loss against Minnesota on June 23. Instant Replay: Adrian Beltre's ninth-inning homer sends Rangers to victory in Cleveland

By Evan Grant , Staff Writer Contact Evan Granton Twitter:@Evan_P_Grant

Instant replay and observations from the Rangers' 2-1 win over Cleveland Tuesday at Progressive Field in Cleveland:

What you need to know: After losing their first seven one-run games on the road this season, the Rangers have now won consecutive one-run road games. They held on to beat New York Sunday, then got a tie-breaking home run from Adrian Beltre Tuesday to lift them over Cleveland. It pushed the Rangers back above .500 to 39-38.

Dude of the day: Adrian Beltre gave the Rangers a 2-1 ninth inning lead with a two-out home run. It was his third consecutive game with a homer. He now has 450 homers for his career, all alone in 39th place after breaking a tie with Jeff Bagwell and Vladimir Guerrero. Next up: Carl Yastrzemski at 452. Beltre's current hit total: 2,969.

Rotation report: Tyson Ross got his timing back and smothered Cleveland. He retired the last 12 batters he faced, including all five of his strikeouts. One thing Ross did not do was get a tremendous number of ground balls, something that is usually quite common for him. Only five of his 18 outs came on ground balls (including one double play). So far this year, Ross' ground balls (16) to fly balls (14) rate is almost 1-to-1. For his career it is 2.5 to 1.

Did you know? Adrian Beltre is reaching the pinnacle for run-producing among third basemen. His RBI on Tuesday gave him 1,592, just three behind Mike Schmidt and four behind George Brett. The only other guy still higher on the list who spent the majority of his career at third base is Chipper Jones (1,623).

OTHER STUFF

Chiri-news: Robinson Chirinos tied the game with a two-out homer in the fifth inning. It was his 11th homer of the season in just 97 at-bats, giving him an average of a homer every 8.8 at-bats, the best rate in the majors among guys with at least 10 homers. Chirinos has homered in six of his last nine starts. The Rangers have won five of the six games in which he has homered.

On strike: Mike Napoli did get his AL Championship ring upon his return to Cleveland Monday, but hasn't had much else go his way. He has struck out six times in seven at-bats in the first two games and has eight strikeouts in his last 11 at-bats with two pop-ups and a single. Napoli's season batting average has fallen to .191.

Running a 10-K: The Rangers struck out 16 times Tuesday, the 33rd time this season they have reached double figures in strikeouts. The club record of 43 games was set in 2009. They will almost certainly shatter that mark. Last year, the Rangers had 38 games in which they reached double figures in strikeouts. Oh, and if you ramp up the total to at least 15 strikeouts, they've had eight, already a club record - by three games.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.28.2017

Rangers notebook: Carlos Gomez held out of lineup vs. Cleveland with back soreness

By Evan Grant , Staff Writer Contact Evan Granton Twitter:@Evan_P_Grant

Texas Rangers news and notes from Tuesday...

-- CF Carlos Gomez was out of the lineup Tuesday, because of back soreness. Gomez had a wrap on his back before the game. He missed a month with hamstring problems.

-- RHP Andrew Cashner's bullpen session Monday went well, and he is scheduled to return to the rotation Thursday after missing two weeks with an oblique muscle strain.

-- In his first appearance since transitioning to full-time pitching, RHP Jairo Beras threw 14 of 18 pitches for strikes in a scoreless inning for Class A Hickory, registering 94-98 mph. He struck out two. One of those reached base on a wild pitch.

-- In his first two games as a pro, 17th-round pick 3B Tyler Ratliff of Marshall went 8 for 9 with three doubles and five RBIs and no strikeouts in the Arizona Rookie League. It slightly overshadowed the nice start of first-round pick Bubba Thompson, who was 3 for 8 with a pair of walks.

Dallas Morning News LOADED: 06.28.2017

Beltre, young relievers send Rangers past Indians

BY JEFF WILSON

The lack of innings at the back of the Texas Rangers’ current bullpen mix is fairly startling.

Closer Matt Bush entered Tuesday with, including the minors, 178 career innings. Bush, Keone Kela, Jose Leclerc and Alex Claudio have combined for 367 2/3 MLB innings.

Those four relievers, call them the Final Four, combined to record the final nine outs of the Rangers’ victory Sunday over the New York Yankees.

Only Claudio was available Monday, and he pitched earlier than the new normal on a bad night for the bullpen in a lost to the Cleveland Indians.

He was the only member of the Final Four not available Tuesday, when right-hander Tyson Ross rebounded with six strong innings but left with the game tied.

If the Rangers were going to win, they needed zeroes from the inexperienced bullpen and something from the most experienced player in baseball.

They received both.

Leclerc, Kela and Bush combined on three scoreless innings of relief, and Adrian Beltre connected for career homer No. 450, a solo shot in the ninth inning, as the Rangers edged the Indians 2-1.

All four knew that they could do nothing about Monday and just work on the task at hand. For Bush, that’s the biggest thing he is attempting to learn as a first-time closer.

“You can’t savor the good because you might get a little carried away or you might lose a little humbleness,” he said. “I have to remember, and I’m trying to train my mind, on what got me here. Last year it was competing and showing everyone that I deserve to be here.

“I can’t look at it as I had a bad outing or I gave up a run or I blew a save. Those are thoughts that were going through my mind. So I had to step back, and say, ‘What was I doing before?’ My mindset was I was going to come in a game, shut everyone down, and prove that I’m a great pitcher. That’s it, to prove I’m a great pitcher.”

He had to retire two batters who represented the potential go-ahead run. The first was Edwin Encarnacion, who took Bush deep in the eighth inning Opening Night in what proved to be the beginning of a rough season for the bullpen.

But the relievers have learned that there’s no basking in the limelight of a strong performance, sulking after a lousy one or allowing their minds to stray when they don’t pitch.

Each game needs to be immediately left in the past because being a reliever demands that they will have to be at their best the very next day.

That can be difficult to learn.

“There has to be a way to train my mind, good and bad, of what to be thinking and what to focus on,” Bush said. “If I focus on the bad or if I focus too much on, ‘That was so much fun. That was great. I’m the man,’ then I might lose focus.

“Mentally, for me, I’m trying to learn to keep the same mindset. I’m trying to learn as fast as I can.”

Take a closer look at the career workloads of the Final Four:

Bush has logged 90 1/3 innings in the majors after a month a Double A Frisco last year that was preceded by some four years out of the game.

Kela flat skipped Triple A, and missed much of his second big-league season in 2016.

Leclerc has logged 36 2/3 big-league innings.

Claudio feels like a veteran, having debuted in the majors in 2014, but has only 118 2/3 MLB innings, 6 1/3 fewer than Kela.

Without a veteran like Joe Nathan out there to offer guidance, the youngsters are leaning on relievers they consider to be veterans — Ernesto Frieri and Tanner Scheppers — as well as starters for advice.

They do have talent, though.

“It’s a young bullpen, but the talent it there,” Beltre said. “I think sometimes the talent takes over no matter what your age is. There’s no doubt this bullpen is a little inexperienced, but they have talent to be really good. Hopefully they can learn quick because if that’s the case and they stay healthy, this bullpen can be intact for a long time.”

But positive results are worth hanging onto, manager Jeff Banister said. Bush shouldn’t forget his save Sunday, when he stared down the same group of hitters that beat him Friday night.

He applied some of the good Tuesday and might have even drawn back to the at-bat with Encarnacion on April 3.

“This is an ever-growing experience for him that is shaping and growing and molding into a closer,” Banister said. “You don’t just show up and one day say, ‘Oh, I’m a closer.’ It’s a different atmosphere when you’re in there to get the 27th out.”

Bush had a save opportunity thanks to Beltre, who ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Cody Allen. Beltre also singled in the second inning, giving him 2,969 career hits.

Robinson Chirinos erased the Indians’ 1-0 lead in the fifth with a solo shot during a stretch in which Ross was retiring the final 12 batters he faced one start after lasting only three innings and allowing seven runs to Toronto.

“I found a nice rhythm and was able to hold them at one,” Ross said. “I did a decent job tonight. You just build off of every start. Every time I’m on the mound I’m trying to get better.”

The same can be said for the Rangers’ Final Four in the bullpen.

Jeff Wilson: 817-390-7760, @JeffWilson_FWST

Star-Telegram LOADED: 06.28.2017

clevinger k's 9, but bats struggle vs. rangers by william...

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