Offensive struggles don't bother Tribe, yet By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | May 13th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- If there are any worries about the Indians' offense within the team's clubhouse, it was hard to tell on Saturday night. Shortstop Francisco Lindor even flashed a smile while discussing the struggles that have overtaken the lineup for the past two weeks. "Everybody here knows what we're capable of," Lindor said after the Tribe's 4-1 loss to the Twins at Progressive Field. "It's just a matter of putting hits together." Hits have been hard to come by of late for the Indians, who were blanked by Ervin Santana on Friday and handcuffed by Jose Berrios on Saturday. In nine of the past 11 games, Cleveland has scored three runs or fewer. Five games in that stretch have featured one or zero runs. There has been plenty of praise directed at opposing pitchers in the wake of losses through the season's first six weeks, but the tone was different in the aftermath of this defeat. Indians manager Terry Francona did pay Berrios a compliment for his work against the Tribe in his season debut, but he was quick to note the offensive missteps that played a role. "We're certainly not doing what we want to do," Francona said. "We just talk so much about trying to get the line moving and keep it moving. We're not really getting it moving to start. We're getting in that mode where everyone's trying to do more, when we just need baserunners and to go first-to-third. When guys start popping up, they're trying to do more." With their latest showing, the Indians are now batting .237/.319/.385 collectively with 144 runs scored (4.1 runs per game). The team's 95 Weighted Runs Created Plus indicates that the offense has been 5 percent below league average to this point. The issues have been especially glaring with runners in scoring position. Cleveland has hit .209 as a team in such situations. The problems have been widespread, too. Lindor and Jose Ramirez, who carried the offense in April, have hit .231 and .233, respectively, in their past 20 games. Jason Kipnis has hit at a .155 clip in 19 games since coming off the disabled list. Carlos Santana, who blossomed as a leadoff man last year, has hit .227 out of the gate. Edwin Encarnacion -- signed to the largest free-agent contract in franchise history over the winter -- is batting .213 with five homers and 11 RBIs. "I'm never going to feel frustration," Encarnacion said. "I know what I can do. It's a long season. I'm going to keep my head up and keep working and working hard." Encarnacion did, however, display some frustration in the ninth inning, when it appeared he drew a one-out walk against Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, with Michael Brantley on first. Encarnacion took a step toward first base, but home-plate umpire CB Bucknor called the outside pitch a strike. The Indians slugger spun around and threw his arms in the air. "I just want to try to get on base no matter what," Encarnacion said. "That way, we can have the tying run at the plate, if I get on first base. But, it didn't happen." When it rains, it pours. Francona remains confident his team can right the ship. "Everybody's a little frustrated -- it's stating the obvious," said the manager. "Sometimes it's hard to believe, but I do, I really do. I know these guys are going to be OK. It's not been the funnest 10 days. The best way I know to turn it around is to remember all the things we believe in." Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Bauer looks for Mother's Day bounceback By William Kosileski / MLB.com | 5:16 AM ET In the final game of a three-game set between two of the top teams in the American League Central division, Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer will face off against Twins left-hander Hector Santiago in a Mother's Day showdown. Minnesota is eyeing a series sweep and a fifth straight win overall. Santiago has gotten off to a solid start, as the left-hander has gone 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts, striking out 31 in just over 42 innings of work. He is coming off his fourth win, as he went 6 2/3 innings and held the White Sox to two runs on three hits. Santiago has not allowed more than three runs in any of his starts this season. He will face an Indians team that has struggled against left-handed starters this season, going 6-9 with a team slash line of .215/.299/.326 and an OPS of .625 with 128 strikeouts. In his career against the Indians, Santiago has gone 2-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 54 2/3 innings pitched. "I'm not worried about who is up there, I'm just worried about throwing strikes and location," Santiago said. "I'm not really worried about who is coming up and what they can do. I think if I can hit my location and put the ball where I want, I will have a good chance." Bauer will pitch opposite of Santiago, and will make his seventh start of the season. His rough start to the season continued in his last start, as the right-hander allowed four runs on six hits in six innings against the Blue Jays, suffering his fourth loss of the season. In his career against the Twins, Bauer is 2-5 with 5.09 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. Three things to know about this game • Twins first baseman Joe Mauer and designated hitter Kennys Vargas have both found success against Bauer in their careers. Mauer has gone 11-for-31 with seven doubles, one home run, six RBIs and an OPS of 1.071 against Bauer, while Vargas has gone 7-for-13 with two doubles, one homer and four RBIs. • Although he has gotten off to a slow start this season, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis will welcome the opportunity to step into the batter's box against Santiago. In 26 career at-bats against the left-hander, Kipnis has hit .346 with a double, a homer and four RBIs. • Despite the Indians' struggles against left-handed starters this season, things could be trending in the right direction. In their last matchup against a left-handed starter on Wednesday, the Tribe scored seven runs on five hits and ran Toronto's Francisco Liriano out of the game after two innings. Tribe manages just 3 hits in loss By William Kosileski and Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | May 13th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- There has been a lot of hype around Twins right-handed starter Jose Berrios, and the 22-year-old showed why he was one of the club's most coveted prospects in his season debut on Saturday at Progressive Field. Berrios pitched a career-high 7 2/3 stellar innings and

retired 13 batters in a row between the third and the seventh to lead the Twins to a 4-1 win over the Indians. It was the fourth win in a row for the Twins. Berrios was called up from Triple-A Rochester after the Twins defeated the Indians, 1-0, on Friday behind a strong outing from Ervin Santana. Berrios followed up Santana's start with astrong performance of his own, allowing only one run on two hits with four strikeouts to pick up the win. "[It was impressive] for him to come up and just kind of blend right in and give us the outing he did," Twins manager Paul Moitor said. "He attacked. I thought he used his offspeed pitches efficiently, although he threw a lot of fastballs. He had a good fastball today. He limited the damage, and we were able to capitalize on the few opportunities we had to score enough runs to win." The only run the right-hander allowed came in the third, when Indians first baseman Carlos Santana crossed home on a wild pitch. Relievers Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler recorded the final four outs of the game, and Kintzler picked up his 10th save. "We're certainly not doing what we want to do," said Indians manager Terry Francona, referring to his offense. "But, pretty consistently all day, [Berrios] got past our barrel. Not necessarily striking out, but just a lot of balls in the air, pop-ups. A couple balls we did hit good. We better not hit it to center field. That kid [center fielder Byron Buxton] is impressive." The Twins provided Berrios with plenty of run support, as they scored three in the fourth inning off Indians starter Mike Clevinger, capped off by an RBI single from Jorge Polanco. Max Kepler added a solo homer in the sixth off Indians reliever Dan Otero. In his second start of the season, Clevinger lasted only 4 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with five strikeouts. The right-hander issued five walks and threw two wild pitches. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Twins score three in fourth: After Clevinger walked Robbie Grossman and Miguel Sano to start the fourth inning, Joe Mauer laid down a bunt. Clevinger was the first to the ball, but he made a wild throw to first which allowed Grossman to score and Sano to advance to third. Kennys Vargas drove in Sano with an RBI ground out to give the Twins the lead, and Polanco drove in Mauer with an RBI single to left to make it 3-1. "[Mauer] got it in a really good spot, and in some ways the biggest play of the game is a well-placed bunt," Molitor said. "That kind of changed the momentum and allowed us to get a couple runs. In Polanco's at-bat, dumping that changeup out there to left field was a big insurance run." "It was a really good bunt," Clevinger said. "I knew I wasn't going to have too much time no matter who was running. I was trying to get rid of it fast, pulled it." Kepler provides insurance: Otero replaced Clevinger in the fifth inning and sat down the first four batters he faced. But with two outs in the sixth, the right-hander left a 1-2 four-seam fastball middle-in to Kepler. The Twins right fielder drove it 351 feet down the right-field line and into the stands for his third homer of the season. Per Statcast™, the home run had an exit velocity of 98 mph combined with a launch angle of 21 degrees. QUOTABLE "He's always been a guy that can come back quickly and throw consecutive days. You're always a little more careful in today's game than 20 years ago or whatever. He went out this morning, did his routine, and said he felt fine for an inning. He made good pitches. I don't think he'll pitch tomorrow." -- Molitor, on Kintzler pitching in his third straight game SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Kepler's sixth-inning home run, the Twins have homered in 14 straight games for the first time since the club achieved the same feat in August 1988. During that stretch, the Twins have combined to hit 24 total homers, directly leading to 36 runs. In addition, Kepler now has seven career home runs against the Indians, all of which have come since the beginning of last season. Six of those seven home runs have come at Progressive Field. "Yeah, I guess it is a coincidence," Kepler said of his six home runs at Progressive Field. "A good one." UPON FURTHER REVIEW With two outs in the third inning, Brian Dozier sprinted for second on an 0-1 pitch to Grossman. Indians catcher Yan Gomes fired a quick throw from his knees for what looked like a clear caught-stealing. Dozier was initially ruled safe, but the Indians challenged and the call was overturned after a replay review lasting 51 seconds. Replays showed shortstop Francisco Lindor applying the tag on Dozier's arm before he reached the base. On the year, Gomes has cut down 50 percent (9-of-18) of would-be basestealers. In the home half of the third, Santana drilled a pitch from Berrios to deep center, where Buxton made a leaping catch attempt. The ball struck his glove near the top of the wall, but fell back into play, giving Santana a triple. A crew-chief review was used to confirm that the hit was not a home run. One batter later, a wild pitch from Berrios allowed Santana to score. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins in the series finale with the Indians on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. CT. The left-hander is coming off his fourth win of the season, where he allowed two runs on three hits in 6 2/3 innings against the White Sox. Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer (2-4, 7.36 ERA) is scheduled to take the ball for the Indians in the finale of this three-game set with the Twins. Bauer has allowed 10 earned runs in 11 innings at home this year. He held Minnesota to two runs in 6 1/3 innings on April 20. Diaz living one dream, but hoping for another By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | May 13th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- Yandy Diaz would have loved nothing more than to have his mom in the stands for his Major League debut. After all the sacrifices made in order for him to pursue his dream, the person who pushed Diaz to play baseball in the first place could not watch the game. So, while Diaz took the field for the Indians on Opening Day in Texas, two staff members of the team recorded videos on their phones. Another person on the broadcast crew also pieced together a highlight package. Those clips were later sent to Diaz, who was able to pass them along to his mom, Elsa María Fernández, back home in Cuba. Fernández got to see Diaz make a diving catch to rob Nomar Mazara of a hit, and then watched her son double into the right-field corner against Yu Darvish.

"It was really hard for me to not be there in that moment by his side supporting him," said Fernández, who spoke via phone from Cuba in a conversation with MLB.com and Anna Bolton, the Indians' team translator. "It was really hard for me, because I was always there for all of his baseball career, and to not be there in such a beautiful moment was very difficult. "But at the same time, I was really happy. In that moment, I felt that I was the proudest mom in the whole world." After spending a couple weeks back with Triple-A Columbus, Diaz was called back to the Majors by Cleveland on Monday -- one day after his mom's birthday. The Indians rookie makes a point to call her about three times each week. He is looking forward to the day they can speak in person again. For now, every call requires a credit card payment that allows 15 minutes to talk for $10. Asked how important his mom is to him, Diaz didn't hesitate. "Todo. Todo. Todo," he said. Everything. For Fernández, her weekly talks with her son bring a mixture of emotions. "It's been almost five years that I haven't seen my boy," said Fernández, fighting back tears. "There are moments that I can't even talk to him and he tells me, 'Mamá, don't cry. Don't cry.' But, I feel a lot of excitement and pain at the same time." When Diaz -- an only child -- was young, he would often hang around with older kids. He typically had some sort of ball in tow, though he was mostly drawn to soccer and basketball. As Diaz got older, Fernández steered him toward baseball. His father, Jorge, had been a baseball star in Cuba. Fernández thought Diaz could follow in his footsteps. He listened to his mom, began playing for his school's team when he was around eight years old and quickly fell in love with the sport. "I didn't even like baseball at the beginning," Diaz said with a smile. "She's the one who convinced me to start playing baseball, and it's my whole life now." As is the case for many Cuban kids, that passion for baseball led to a difficult decision. Diaz knew he would need to leave his country -- and his mom -- in order to pursue his dream of playing in the big leagues. He tried to flee twice, but was caught and jailed for 21 days each time. In 2013, when Diaz was 21, he attempted a third escape. His mom was supportive. The last time Diaz saw his mom was in a Cuban hospital, at the side of his grandmother, who passed away a couple weeks later following a battle with cancer. "It was really hard," Diaz said. "At first, she didn't agree with my decision, because I'm the only child and she didn't want to be alone. She said that she was going to miss me. But, over time, she kind of changed her mind and agreed with me and supported me about my decision." On the third try, the group Diaz joined -- including his friend and current Indians Minor Leaguer Leandro Linares -- was successful. They used a motorized raft to travel from Cuba's eastern coast to Monte Cristi in the Dominican Republic. After the 12-hour journey, which included sharks appearing near the raft, one of the people who helped Diaz got his mom on the phone. "He gave me his phone to talk to her," Diaz said. Asked if it was an emotional discussion, Diaz only nodded. That call was a moment Fernández will never forget. "He's my life. My reason for living. Everything I do is for him," she said. "When he got to land in the Dominican, I felt a great relief, because he was alive and he made it. But, the pain. There was pain. There was excitement. I don't have words to explain this moment in Yandy's and my life. I don't have words, because it was all of this combined." Diaz is looking forward to the day when that pain goes away, a day when he can embrace his mom again. "Little by little, I'm trying to bring her here," he said. "I need her. I need her by my side." Francona trying to find at-bats for Diaz By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | May 13th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- The idea was not for Yandy Diaz to sit on the bench. When Cleveland called him back up from Triple-A Columbus on Monday, the team wanted to find a way to work Diaz into the lineup on a regular basis. Indians manager Terry Francona is still sorting through that puzzle. With left fielder Michael Brantley back from a minor ankle injury and outfielder Abraham Almonte recovered from a small shoulder issue, Francona has a crowded outfield situation on his hands. The Cleveland manager is still working through how to open up more at-bats for Diaz. "It's something we've kind of talked about a lot. The early answer is I'm not sure," Francona said prior to Saturday's game against the Twins. "One thing we don't want to do is just have him sitting here. So, it's something we've kind of been talking about and we'll probably talk about it a little bit more. "Things do have a way of changing, where one day you look up and you're like, 'Man, how's this guy going to get at-bats?' And then all of a sudden, he's playing every day. But, it's a good point and it's something we continue to talk about." Diaz began this season with the Indians as their regular third baseman, filling in at the hot corner while Jose Ramirez handled second with Jason Kipnis on the disabled list in early April. When Kipnis returned, Ramirez moved back to third and Diaz was optioned to Triple-A on April 21. In 12 games back in the Minors, Diaz hit .395 with a 1.067 OPS for Columbus. The Indians recalled Diaz on Monday, while Brantley was sidelined with a sprained right ankle. That allowed Diaz to play left field for three games, but Brantley has since returned, leaving little room for the rookie. Right field could be an option, but Francona also has Almonte and Brandon Guyer for that spot. When Diaz was called back up, Francona floated the concept of playing Carlos Santana in right field on occasion. That approach would put Edwin Encarnacion at first base and open up at-bats in the designated hitter role. On Saturday, Francona said that was among things still under discussion. "It's something we've talked about," Francona said. "But, you're trying to balance everything, putting the best team you think out there that can win. And, when you're moving guys around to accommodate, to try to get a bat in there, you want to make sure you've got your best hitters, too. "He's not in the middle of [a hot streak]. His swings haven't been probably what they will be, so when you start moving guys, you want to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons." Jordan Bastian has covered t

Covering the Bases: Game 35 Major League Bastian - Medium by Jordan Bastian FIRST: There is one aspect of Edwin Encarnacion’s game that would seem to indicate that he isn’t completely lost at the plate. The slugging isn’t there, yet. The average is down. The strikeouts are up. The walk rate is where you can point to find evidence that his eye is still good, and hope that the other areas will soon fall more in line with his career. Heading into Saturday, Encarnacion’s walk rate was a career-best 16.9 percent. “I’m never going to feel frustration,” Encarnacion said of his struggles. “I know what I can do. It’s a long season. I’m going to keep my head up and keep working and working hard.” After another frustrating day at the plate Encarnacion grounded out in the first and fourth and popped out in the seventh it looked like the slugger drew a critical walk. Facing closer Brandon Kintzler, Encarnacion fell behind, 0–2, before working the count full. The seventh pitch was a two-seamer away, and it popped into the mitt of catcher Jason Castro outside. With one out and Michael Brantley on first, Encarnacion’s patience looked like it paid off. He took a step toward first, which would’ve brought the tying run (Jason Kipnis) to the plate. Then, home-plate ump CB Bucknor pumped his fist, calling the pitch strike three. Encarnacion threw his arms in the air and spun around in frustration. Here is a look at the pitch ( 7) that resulted in Encarnacion’s strikeout: “As frustrating as the day is,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, “you’re trying to get that tying run to the plate. We’ve seen it before. I think both teams were probably chirping a little bit them early and maybe us late.” Here is a look at the called strikes for Saturday’s game: Encarnacion did not criticize the call. Here’s what he had to say about that at-bat: “In that situation, I just want to try to get on base no matter what causes me to get on base. That way, we can have the tying run at the plate, if I get on first base. But, it didn’t happen.” After Encarnacion’s strikeout, Kintzler induced an inning-ending lineout to right off the bat of Kipnis. SECOND: Pointing to that costly call in the ninth inning is not meant to excuse Cleveland’s continued offensive issues. The lineup has labored of late and that continued against Twins righty Jose Berrios. On this night, Francona praised the young pitcher, but also pointed to the Indians’ lineup issues. You can only tip your cap so many times. “I think [it was] probably a little bit of both,” Francona said. “We’re certainly not doing what we want to do. But pretty consistently all day, he got past our barrel. Not necessarily striking out, but just a lot of balls in the air, pop-ups. … We just talk so much about trying to get the line moving and keep it moving. We’re not really getting it moving to start. “We’re getting in that mode where everyone’s trying to do more, when we just need base runners and to go first-to-third. When guys start popping up, they’re trying to do more.” The Indians are batting .237 as a team with a .209 mark with runners in scoring position. This was the ninth time in the past 11 games that Cleveland has managed three runs or fewer. Guys like Encarnacion (.213), Kipnis (.155) and Carlos Santana (.227) have been slow out of the chute. Over their past 20 games each, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez have hit .231 and .233, respectively, as well. This is a team-wide slump. “Everybody here knows what we’re capable of,” Lindor said. “It’s just a matter of putting hits together. We’re not putting hits together. Brantley gets a couple of hits and we don’t hit. Santana gets a couple of hits. [Yan Gomes] gets on base. Santana walks. I don’t get a hit or I roll over. It’s just timely hitting. “It has to be a thing that we’re getting in a couple games where we push each other, get one hit here, one hit there and next thing we know, we score five, six, seven runs. It could be tomorrow. It could be Monday. “It’s just a matter of continuing to play the game the right way and backing each other up. The bullpen is doing a great job. So is the pitching staff. It’s May. We have a long way to go.” THIRD: Hitting the ball to center field is a bad idea against the Twins. Even sending line drives into the gaps isn’t too wise. Byron Buxton has shown over the past two games that he can run down most anything. “He’s awesome. He’s as advertised,” Lindor said. “You hit a ball up in the air, you better hope it’s nowhere near him, because he’s going to get it. If it’s somewhere far away from him, he has a chance at catching the ball.” It happened to Yan Gomes on a liner to left-center on Friday night. On Saturday, it was a 101-mph liner to right-center off Abraham Almonte’s bat in the fifth. Buxton cruised through the grass and ran the ball down like it was nothing. Per Statcast, it had a catch probability of 44 percent. That gave Buxton an MLB-leading eight four-star catches on the year. Cleveland’s only run on the day came on a play nearly made by Buxton. In the third, Santana crushed a pitch to deep center, where Buxton made a leaping attempt at the wall. The ball struck his glove, but fell back into to play for a triple. Santana then scored on a wild pitch. “We better not hit it to center field. That kid’s impressive,” Francona said. “I don’t mean we start aiming the ball, but he almost caught Santana’s. And Abe looked to me like he should have had a good day, a productive day, and comes out of it empty. That kid goes left and right as good as you’re going to see.” HOME: In his second outing of the season, Mike Clevinger was once again hard to hit. His average exit velocity against was 77.1 mph. Berrios, who went a career-high 7.2 innings, allowed an average of 84.3 mph off the bat. Clevinger only lasted 4.1 innings, though, because he shot himself in the foot a few times in a rough fourth inning. That frame went like this: Walk. Wild pitch. Bunt single. Throwing error. Run. Wild pitch. Groundout. Run. Strikeout.

RBI single. Strikeout. “Fortunately, he’s not giving up a lot of hits,” Francona said. “There’s still traffic and he’s really only giving up three, four hits that’s not a lot.” In the end, Clevinger was charged with three runs on three hits with as many walks (five) as strikeouts. The young starter said he got away from his aggressive approach in the fourth, and then struggled to keep the ball down. “I talked to [pitching coach Mickey Callaway] after I came out,” Clevinger said, “and that’s kind of what we talked about. I’m doing a good job of keeping it down and eliminating hard contact. Once I get out of my aggressive mode, that’s when I kind of dug my own grave today.” EXTRAS: There was a four-and-a-half minute squirrel delay in the sixth inning. With Brantley batting, a squirrel ran through the outfield, into the infield and continued zigzagging around the mound, home plate and in foul ground. Eventually, it was led down the left-field line, where it escaped into the stands. “I thought it was kind of funny,” Lindor said. “I saw it coming and I was like, ‘Here we go. Rally squirrel.’ The guys behind home plate got scared. They didn’t want to open the door for the squirrel. It’s cool.” Twins 4, Indians 1: One bad inning, lackluster hitting doom Mike Clevinger, Indians

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Even an appearance by a “rally squirrel” wasn’t enough to jump-start the Indians’ recently struggling lineup in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday at Progressive Field.

Twins starting pitcher Jose Berrios (1-0), called up from Triple-A for Saturday’s game, held the Indians to just two hits in 7 innings, and they finished with three hits for the second consecutive game.

The Indians (18-17) momentarily held a 1-0 lead in the third. Carlos Santana hit a ball to the top of the wall that Twins center fielder Byron Buxton nearly caught, but the ball bounced out of his glove, giving Santana a triple. He then scored on a wild pitch by Berrios.

The next half-inning unraveled on Indians starter Mike Clevinger (1-1), who began the game on a strong note before things quickly fell apart. Clevinger walked the first two batters of the inning before Joe Mauer laid down a bunt that Clevinger fielded in front of third baseman Jose Ramirez. Clevinger’s throw to first was errant, allowing the Twins to tie it 1-1.

Kennys Vargas put the Twins (19-14) on top 2-1 with a groundout to shortstop, and Clevinger’s second wild pitch of the inning moved Mauer to second base. Jorge Polanco then singled to left to score Mauer and make it 3-1.

In all, Clevinger’s fourth inning included two walks, two wild pitches, one hit allowed and an error, resulting in three runs allowed.

Max Kepler added a solo home run against Dan Otero in the sixth, pushing the Twins’ lead to 4-1.

Indians hitters never had an answer, even with the support of a curious squirrel. In the sixth inning, Michael Brantley’s at-bat was interrupted when a squirrel darted across the infield from shallow right field. Fans cheered as the squirrel turned toward home and, after Brantley stepped into the box again, ran back onto the field before team personnel chased it down the left-field line and out of the ballpark.

In all, it was roughly a four-minute, 30-second delay that brought the Indians no offensive luck.

“Those types of things are funnier when you’re ahead,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Francona added he thinks his players might be trying to do too much at the plate. Before Friday’s 1-0 loss and Saturday’s setback, the Indians hadn’t been held to three or fewer hits in back-to-back games since June 2014.

The Indians are averaging just 2.45 runs in 11 games in May.

“I think everybody’s a little frustrated. It’s stating the obvious,” Francona said. “I think it’s human nature. It doesn’t help, though. I think sometimes guys get caught up in some of the frustration.

“I think as a staff, we need to do better with getting them to understand, ‘Hey, we just gotta try to win today.’ ”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 05.14.2017

Indians, Mike Clevinger fall to Minnesota Twins 4-1 via unraveled fourth inning, lackluster offense

By RYAN LEWIS Published: May 13, 2017

CLEVELAND: Even an appearance from the rally squirrel wasn’t enough to jumpstart the Indians’ recently struggling lineup in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday at Progressive Field.

Twins (19-14) starting pitcher Jose Berrios (1-0), called up from Triple-A for Saturday’s game, held the Indians to just two hits in 7 2/3 innings pitched. It’s the second straight game the Indians totaled three hits.

The Indians (18-17) momentarily held a 1-0 lead in the third. Carlos Santana hit a ball to the top of the wall that Twins center fielder Byron Buxton nearly caught, but the ball bounced out of his glove, giving Santana a triple. He then scored on a wild pitch by Berrios.

The next half-inning unraveled on Mike Clevinger (1-1), who started on a strong note before things quickly fell apart. Clevinger walked the first two batters of the inning. Joe Mauer laid down a bunt that Clevinger fielded in front of third baseman Jose Ramirez. Clevinger’s throw to first was errant, allowing the Twins to tie it 1-1. Kennys Vargas put the Twins on top 2-1 with a groundout to shortstop.

In part thanks to Clevinger’s second wild pitch of the inning, which put Mauer on second base, Jorge Polanco later made it 3-1 with a single to left. In all, Clevinger’s fourth inning included two walks, two wild pitches, one hit and an error, resulting in three runs allowed.

Max Kepler added a solo home run against Dan Otero in the sixth, pushing the Twins’ lead to 4-1.

The Indians’ offense never had an answer, even with the support of a curious squirrel. Michael Brantley in the sixth inning had his at-bat interrupted when a squirrel darted across the infield from shallow right field. It then turned toward home and after Brantley stepped into the box

again, ran back onto the field before being chased down the left-field line and out of the ballpark by team personnel. In all, it was roughy a four-minute, 30-second delay that brought the Indians no offensive luck.

“Those types of things are funnier when you’re ahead,” Indians manager Terry Francona said after the game.

Francona also said he thinks the Indians’ struggling lineup might be trying to do too much at the plate. The Indians hadn’t been held to three-or-fewer hits in back-to-back games since June of 2014 prior to Friday and Saturday’s losses. In 11 May games this year, the Indians are averaging just 2.45 runs per game.

“I think everybody’s a little frustrated. It’s stating the obvious,” Francona said. “I think it’s human nature. It doesn’t help, though. I think sometimes guys get caught up in some of the frustration. I think as a staff, we need to do better with getting them to understand, ‘Hey, we just gotta try to win today.’”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 05.14.2017

Indians notebook: Team searching for at-bats for Yandy Diaz; Josh Tomlin showing positive signs

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: The Indians have had something of a merry-go-round in the outfield lately, with Michael Brantley, Abraham Almonte and Austin Jackson all, at one point and with different levels of severity, getting injured.

Jackson remains on the 10-day disabled list with a hyperextended toe, but Brantley (ankle) and Almonte (shoulder/biceps) were each able to return for this weekend’s series against the Minnesota Twins.

It’s put Yandy Diaz, who was called up to cover for Brantley and Almonte’s omission from the lineup for a few days, in an odd spot. The Indians could use the depth he provides as a third baseman/corner outfielder, but the club would also rather see him getting everyday at-bats in Triple-A as opposed to sitting the bench most days in Cleveland.

“It’s something we’ve kind of talked about a lot,” Indians manager Terry Francona said on how the club might handle Diaz’s playing time. “The early answer is I’m not sure. One thing we don’t want to do is just have him sitting here. So, it’s something we’ve kind of been talking about and we’ll probably talk about it a little bit more.

“Things do have a way of changing, where one day you look up and you’re like, ‘Man, how’s this guy going to get at-bats?’ And then all of a sudden he’s playing every day.”

Diaz this season is hitting .203 with the Indians. In 12 games in Triple-A Columbus, he hit .395 with a .509 on-base percentage.

Josh Tomlin took the loss in Friday night’s 1-0 defeat against the Twins, though he turned in a strong performance in which he struck out seven and allowed just one run in eight innings.

That was Tomlin’s best outing thus far this season and — coming on the heels of a seven-inning, one-run performance against the Kansas City Royals on May 6 — suggests he may be righting the ship after a rough start to the season.

After struggling mightily with an 8.87 ERA in April, Tomlin’s two starts in May have been more like his first half last season, arguably the best stretch in his career.

Tomlin is a pitcher who works around the strike zone so much that he’s bound to give up a home run every now and then. Because he relies less on pure stuff, the key for Tomlin is that when he misses he has to miss in the “right” areas. That’s been part of the difference for Tomlin between his last two starts and the rest of his 2017 season thus far.

“I think it’s the execution of pitches,” he said. “The ball’s not leaking back as much. And, if it does, it’s started off the plate and it leaks back to the plate. It’s something I was trying to kind of find early on and it was kind of elusive to me, I guess, without knowing a different term for it.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 05.14.2017

Indians revamping Danny Salazar’s pregame routine, eliminating weighted balls in effort to fix first-inning issues

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Danny Salazar hasn’t been the same pitcher in the first inning of starts this season.

He has often been hammered in the first before cruising through the later innings after the damage has already been done.

Through seven starts this season, Salazar has a 14.14 ERA in the first inning — and a 3.07 ERA after that. Salazar and Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway think they might have identified the reason why Salazar can’t seem to escape the first inning unharmed, and are revamping his pregame routine accordingly.

The possible reason for it all? Weighted baseballs. After Salazar went through some arm injuries around last year’s All-Star Game, he began throwing weighted balls as part of his rehab. When the 2017 season began, he continued to incorporate it into his pregame routine, throwing weighted balls close to first pitch. Salazar feels good with the exercise, and it allows him to quickly warm up.

But the unintended result is Salazar’s upper body feels looser than his lower half. And that imbalance, which has thrown off the mechanics of his delivery early in starts, has led to Salazar not being able to drive his fastball down in the zone.

Instead, he’s left that pitch up in the zone and over the plate more often, and he’s paid for it. Fastball location has been his biggest issue in the first inning, and the weighted balls could be the biggest variable causing it.

“It’s been tough to bring my fastball down. I think that’s been the problem,” Salazar said. “Sometimes I can throw a strike throwing hard, but it’ll be up in the zone, and that’s when I get damaged. I try to slow down a little bit to bring the ball down, but it’s still the same thing — fastball up.”

Throwing weighted balls has become more popular among pitchers across the league as part of their warm-up and/or off-day routine. Salazar, though, might have been throwing them too close to his first pitch times.

In terms of his pregame routine, that’s the one variable that’s changed from early last season, when Salazar was named an All-Star and was mentioned as a Cy Young candidate through the first half of the season.

Thus, the Indians are eliminating the weighted balls immediately before his starts to try to get his upper and lower halves in sync earlier in his starts.

“When I’m ready to throw a ball hard, I feel ready in my upper body, but then my lower body is in a different place,” Salazar said. “When you throw a ball, it’s one movement, everything goes together in rhythm. Right now, I just don’t feel like that. I feel like my arm is doing something and my lower body is doing something different. … I’m not giving excuses, like I’m sure it’s that, but that’s the only thing I’m doing differently, so I’m trying to eliminate it.”

The fastball command issues have also had a secondary negative effect on top of those pitches being hit hard. It’s led to Salazar throwing his devastating split-change less early in starts. The poor fastball command has caused him to fall behind in more counts, which in turn makes it harder to throw the split-change, a pitch with terrific movement but one that is more difficult to consistently throw for a strike.

Callaway is taking part of the blame for Salazar’s struggles early this season. Salazar’s pure stuff — meaning velocity and movement — have been so good in his career that Callaway said he might have let Salazar go off on his own too much in the past, instead of reinforcing some aspects in his mechanics.

Callaway took advantage of the Indians’ recent off-day to take a deeper look at Salazar’s routines and outlined a new plan.

“I feel like I’ve probably been failing him a little bit since last All-Star break and probably haven’t been stressing the right things to him,” Callaway said. “I really went home and re-evaluated everything we’re doing.

“We’re going to start implementing some things. I think we need to get back on the right track. A lot of times these guys start having success and as a coach you want to let them continue to coach themselves and build off that success. I probably haven’t done a great job of stressing the right things to keep him going in the right direction.”

In addition to doing away with the weighted balls, Callaway also wants to reinforce Salazar throwing down in the zone between his starts.

“Some other things that we had done in the past with the catcher, when he’s playing catch every day, the catcher is down, just to stress him getting through the ball and finishing,” Callaway said. “He doesn’t finish great, so we’re trying to reinforce that again. Little things like that.”

Salazar’s next start will be Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Weighted balls just before the first pitch will not be part of it.

And, the Indians hope, neither will be Salazar’s first-inning blues.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 05.14.2017

Cleveland Indians' conga line of slumping hitters has scored one run in 24 innings

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The survival trip has turned into the survival home stand.

The Indians just finished a 4-5 trip through Detroit, Kansas City and Toronto. They won four of the nine games despite averaging fewer than three runs a game.

Home cooking has not cured what ails manager Terry Francona's team. The Twins beat them, 1-0, on a three-hitter Friday. On Saturday, the Indians lost, 4-1, and once again were held to three hits.

It's the first time they've been held to three or fewer hits in consecutive games by the same team since a doubleheader against Boston on April 12, 1992. The Indians won Game 1, 2-1, despite Boston's Matt Young throwing an eight-inning no-hitter.

"It has not been the best 10 days (or so)," said manager Terry Francona.

The Indians have lost seven of their last 11 games. In those 11 games, they're averaing 2.5 runs per game. They have been held to one run in the last 24 innings.

Francona said the Tribe's hitters are trying to do too much. He pointed to the six pop ups they had Saturday.

"We talk so much about trying to get the line moving and keep it moving," said Francona. "We're not even getting it moving to start with. We're getting in that mode where everyone is trying to do more.

"We need base runners and guys who go first to third. When guys start popping up they're trying to do more."

Saturday's loss dropped the Indians two games behind the first-place Twins in the AL Central.

Asked if it was time for a team meeting, shortstop Francisco Lindor said, "No, no, no. We're in May. We've got a long way to go. We just have to continue to play the game the right way, continue to back each other up and see what happens."

Lindor says it's a matter of bunching hits together.

"Everybody here knows what we're capable of," he said. "We're not putting hits together. Brantley gets a couple of hits and no one hits. (Yan) Gomes walks, Carlos Santana gets a hit and I don't get a hit. It's all about timely hitting.

"We're going to have a game where we push each other and get one hit here, one hit there and all of a sudden we score five or six runs. It could be Sunday. It could be Monday."

Center of attention: Francona complimented Twins center fielder Byron Buxton after Saturday's game.

"That kid is impressive," said Francona. "He almost caught (Carlos) Santana's ball. I thought Abe (Almonte) should have had a productive day, but he came out of it empty. That kid goes left and right as good as you're going to see."

Santana tripled off the top of the center field wall in the third inning as Buxton just missed making a great catch. Almonte, the batter before Santana, drove a ball to left center that Buxton caught. In the fifth, Almonte lined another ball to right center that Buxton tracked down.

"He's as advertised," said Lindor. "You hit a ball in the air you better hope it's nowhere near him because he's going to get it."

Indians manager Terry Francona on lack of offense and Twins starter Jose Berrios.

Stop in the name of Yan: Catcher Yan Gomes threw out Minnesota's Brian Dozier twice on attempted steals of second base Saturday. Gomes caught Dozier in the third and the seventh innings. Each time Dozier was the third out.

Gomes is 9-for-18 (50 percent) throwing out base runners this season. Gomes and Roberto Perez are a combined 9-for-10 throwing out runners at Progressive Field this year.

Indians' catchers, according to InsideEdge, lead the big leagues in the percentage of base runners they're thrown out since the start of the 2016 season. Tribe catchers are 41-for-107 (38.3 percent) in that span.

Rally Squirrel: In the sixth inning, The Rally Squirrel made a rare appearance at Progressive Field. He came running onto the field from right field and delayed the game for 4:30.

"I thought it was kind of funny. I saw it coming and I was like, "The Rally Squirrel,'" said Lindor. "Then the guys behind home plate got scared and wouldn't open the door for the squirrel. It's cool. It's part of the game. It was a family atmosphere. Everybody enjoyed it.

"If we were winning, I bet someone would have jumped out of the dugout and tried to chase it down."

The squirrel was herded down the left field line. He jumped into the stands a disappeared over the Home Run Plaza.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 05.14.2017

Cleveland Indians stymied by Minnesota Twins, 4-1, for second straight game

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - How bad are the Indians going? So bad that even a rare appearance by the Rally Squirrel couldn't save them.

Right-hander Jose Berrios, recalled from Class AAA Rochester before the game, pitched the Twins past the Indians, 4-1, on Saturday afternoon with 7 2/3 strong innings at Progressive Field. The Indians have scored one run over the last 24 innings.

Mike Clevinger (1-1, 2.70), who pitched so well in his first start as Corey Kluber's replacement, fell prey to one bad inning and his own wildness. The Indians have lost four of their last five, while the Twins have won nine of their last 12.

Berrios, 1-2 with a 7.82 ERA as a rookie against the Indians in 2016, allowed one run on two hits Saturday. He struck out four and walked one in his first big league start of the season.

The Twins took a 3-1 lead in the fourth. Clevinger hurt himself with two walks, two wild pitches and a throwing error.

Clevinger walked Robbie Grossman to start the inning. He moved him to second on a wild pitch and walked Miguel Sano. Joe Mauer bunted to the third-base side of the mound. Clevinger and third baseman Jose Ramirez arrived at about the same time. Clevinger fielded the ball and made an errant throw to first.

Grossman scored, Sano went to third and Mauer reached on a bunt single. Clevinger's second wild pitch moved Mauer to second. A ground out by Kenny Vargas scored Sano to make it 2-1. Clevinger struck out Max Kepler, but Jorge Polanco singled to left to make it 3-1.

Clevinger said he tried to slow the inning down so much that he lost his aggressiveness.

"The nit-picking kind of bit me in the butt," he said.

Clevinger allowed three runs on two hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. He's walked nine batters in 10 innings since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus.

The Twins made it 4-1 in the sixth as Kepler homered down the right field line off Dan Otero. It was the second homer in as many appearances that Otero has allowed. He's allowed four homers this season. Last season he allowed two homers for the year.

The Indians took a brief 1-0 lead in the third when Carlos Santana tripled off the top of the center field wall. He scored on a wild pitch by Berrios with Francisco Lindor at the plate.

On Friday, the Indians were shut out on three-hits in a 1-0 loss to the Twins. In Saturday's 4-1 loss, they managed just three hits, including two by Michael Brantley.

Indians manager Terry Francona on lack of offense and Twins starter Jose Berrios.

"We talk so much about getting the line (lineup) moving and keeping it moving," said manager Terry Francona. "We're not even getting it moving to start with. We're getting in that mode where everyone is trying to do more when we just need barerunners.

"When guys pop up, they're trying to do more. Sometimes they get caught up in the frustration."

In their last 11 games, the Indians have have gone 4-7, while averaging 2.5 runs per game.

"We need timely hitting," said shortstop Francisco Lindor. "We need to hit with guys on base. You're going go through times when you struggle. I'm struggling, most of the team is.

"You don't like to see this happen, but it's part of the game. The question is how long to you let it go on."

The Rally Squirrel, who appears once every few years, leaped onto the field from the right field corner with two out in the sixth and Brantley batting. He delayed play for an estimated 4:30 before jumping into the stands in the left field corner and disappearing beyond the home run porch.

"Those types of things are funnier when you're ahead," said Francona. "I think that was part of the (clubhouse) spread we just had in Toronto. Maybe that's what got Gomer (Yan Gomes) sick."

Gomes left Wednesday's game at Rogers Centre after eating something that didn't agree with him.

Oh, those walks.

Clevinger, on May 7, walked four batters, but none scored as he helped beat Kansas City, 1-0, with 5 2/3 scoreless innings. On Saturday, he walked five and two of those walks turned into runs.

Clevinger threw 89 pitches, 49 (57 percent) for strikes. Berrios threw 104 pitches, 71 (68 percent) for strikes.

The Twins and Indians drew 28,379 Saturday afternoon to Progressive Field. First pitch was at 4:11 p.m. with a temperature of 61 degrees.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 05.14.2017

Sputtering Cleveland Indians still searching for their top gear in 2017: Rant of the week

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Nobody is happy with the way the Indians are playing right now. Not the manager, coaching staff, players and front office.

They just finished a 4-5 trip in which they averaged fewer than three runs a game. Manager Terry Francona in describing the trip said, "Well, it could have been 2-7."

On Friday night, their first game back home, they were shut out by the Twins, 1-0. Ace Corey Kluber and platoon-outfielder Austin Jackson are on the disabled list. But mostly this team has been hurt by ragged and inconsistent play.

Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin have combined to make 20 starts and lose 11 games. They have a combined ERA of 6.10 and Tomlin is the only one who has shown signs of improving.

Edwin Encarnacion isn't hitting in the middle of the lineup. Francisco Lindor is hitting .214 (9-for-42) in May. Jose Ramirez, who hit .355 with runners in scoring position last year, is hitting .267 this year. Jason Kipnis is still trying to find his swing after missing most of spring training with a right shoulder injury. Leadoff hitter Carlos Santana, who hit 34 homers last year, has three so far.

Michael Brantley is back after missing the Toronto series, but the rest of the outfield is far from stable. Lonnie Chisenhall is still learning the finer points of center field. Abraham Almonte is back after injuring his right shoulder, but he's in a 1-for-24 slump. Brandon Guyer still isn't hitting left-handers (.174).

Right now the Indians have two things going for them. They're surviving in the AL Central and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball. They are 7-5 in games decided by one run and 6-1 in games decided in the seventh inning or later. The pen is 4-1 with 10 saves an AL-best 1.90 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings.

Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Nick Goody have combined for a .094 ERA (six earned runs in 57 2/3 innings) out of the bullpen. Miller has yet to allow a run in 16 2/3 innings.

In April an observation was made saying that the Indians were playing like the team that won the World Series last year instead of the team that lost it. Was the hunger to get back and win what they lost on Nov. 2 there or not?

I sensed something different. I felt this was a team still trying to make all the pieces fit. In April, they were without Kipnis and Chisenhall when the season began. Brantley wasn't playing every day as manager Terry Francona rested him against certain lefties. Catcher Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez weren't doing anything at the plate.

When Francona is asked about the struggles of Encarnacion, he keeps saying that he's going to hit. When he does, said Francona, he's going to give the Indians another gear.

That's what the Indians look like to me, a team that's missing its top gear.

Will they find it and is it in any way connected to this year's team finding its own personality? Last year the Indians showed a relentless streak with 38 come-from-behind wins. They had 11 walk-off wins.

That DNA is still inside this year's team. They have come from behind to win seven of their 18 games, including one walk-off win. They have outscored the opposition, 24-4, in the ninth inning.

But that's not enough to get where this team is expected to go. The 25 players in the locker room should know that better than anyone.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 05.14.2017

There's no more leg-shaking or uncontrollable sweating when Mike Clevinger takes the mound

By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Mike Clevinger received the call, he turned to his suitcase.

He didn't know how long he would remain a member of the Indians' big-league roster. That can make packing difficult. He stuffed a couple weeks' worth of clothes in his luggage and joined the club.

He'll make his second start with the Tribe on Saturday, and he figures to stick around a bit longer while Corey Kluber continues to work his way back from a lower back strain.

"Hopefully, best-case scenario," Clevinger said, "I'm driving back to pick [all of my clothes] up."

For now, much of his wardrobe remains in Columbus, where he breezed through six starts earlier this season (1.50 ERA). He held Kansas City scoreless over 5 2/3 innings last Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

Pitching at the major-league level is never a simple task, but for Clevinger, some World Series experience can go a long way. This is the guy who Tribe manager Terry Francona said looked like he was ready to tackle Game 7 of the Fall Classic before a spring training outing, because of his frantic pacing.

Clevinger is much calmer and more at ease now.

"I still get that same kind of good anxiety before a start," he said, "but it's nothing compared to last year, where my legs were shaking and I didn't know how to stop my legs from shaking, and the sweating was uncontrollable and I couldn't even feel my fingers because there was so much sweat.

"I'm pretty sure that World Series knocked all of that off. I've never heard anything that loud in my life."

The surroundings are familiar. He has pitched at Progressive Field. He recognizes the other faces in the clubhouse. He has a bit of a big-league track record. He has studied up on or faced many of the hitters.

He can finally breathe.

"I do think it's been really beneficial for [Clevinger]," Francona said. "He knows what to expect. Until you go through it, I'm not sure how you really are. I think he's positioned better to be able to compete better now that he does have the experience."

And, maybe, if he sticks around long enough, he'll have a full ensemble of outfits.

"Now it feels like I'm just going and taking starts," he said. "I'm taking the hill like I would in Columbus or in spring training.

"No shaking. The sweat is being controlled."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 05.14.2017

Indians honorary bat girl Julie Everett refuses to let breast cancer keep her away from the ballpark

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Julie Everett was not about to let a breast cancer diagnosis in August 2011 stop her from attending the Cleveland Indians' home opener the following season, or any season after that.

"I haven't missed one in 25 years, nor would I," Everett said. "Sleet, snow, rain -- whatever comes my way, I'm sitting through it. And I've been through all of it."

Dedication like that, and Everett's outspoken advocacy for other women facing their own battles with breast cancer, led to Major League Baseball selecting her as the Indians' Honorary Bat Girl for 2017. Everett, a Newbury, Ohio, resident, will be on the field for the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday's Indians vs. Twins game at Progressive Field.

MLB's Honorary Bat Girl program has recognized one breast cancer survivor per team on Mother's Day since 2009. Honorees are selected based on their personal connection to breast cancer and their demonstrated commitment to battling the disease. Winners receive game tickets and MLB pink-ribbon merchandise, including an engraved Louisville Slugger bat.

The reward is especially satisfying for Everett, who endured a double mastectomy, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation six years ago. Surgeries to remove her thyroid, cervix, uterus and ovaries followed.

After her initial treatment, Everett became a champion for other breast cancer patients. She advocated for the AreYouDense organization, which lobbies to require doctors to notify a patient if they have dense breast tissue and offer further testing.

"I could remain silent, but I choose to put myself out there because I need to end this madness for my sister and my nieces and my daughter and my granddaughter," Everett said. "We just have to find a cure."

Everett, who had three family members lose their own cancer battles before the age of 58, has helped to organize a $3,000 fundraiser for the Stefanie Spielman Fund, and continues to counsel friends and strangers who are dealing with breast cancer.

"I do this in memory of them, and I really feel like they're still with me, pushing me through this," Everett said. "I have lived longer than any of them did after their diagnosis. We're making progress, but we have a long way to go."

Everett said she wants all Indians bat girl nominees to know how honored she is to stand among them. But that won't make Sunday's first pitch any less nerve-wrecking. She had surgery two weeks ago to remove the implants she received after her mastectomy because her body reacted negatively to them, all these years later.

Everett's husband, Bill, who nominated her for the award, will stand by her side and deliver Sunday's first pitch. Everett says it's appropriate, because Bill "has been by my side through all of this and has been my caregiver."

Everett says she will continue to push for breast cancer screening, research and awareness until the disease is eradicated. She said her recent surgery will likely lead her to advocate for educating women about what implants can do, and the kinds of complications they can cause.

"Nothing's going to change if I sit quiet," she said. "We have voices and we have to make sure we educate and put ourselves out there to educate women about all different things like dense breast tissue and proper screening and breast self examination and a million other things."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 05.14.2017

Would Cleveland Indians' Edwin Encarnacion hit better if he played more first base? Hey, Hoynsie Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio - Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie. Hey, Hoynsie: Any chance Edwin Encarnacion's slow start with the Indians is because he's being used more at DH than he was in Toronto. I wonder what his starts were in Toronto at first base compared to DH? - Marty Rogers, Erie, Pa. Hey, Marty: There doesn't seem to be a big difference, but you can decide for yourself.

Through Friday's game against the Twins, Encarnacion was hitting .226 (7-for-31) with one homer and one RBI while playing first base and .218 (19-for-87) with four homers and 10 RBI at DH this season. Last year in Toronto, Encarnacion hit .281 (80-for-285) with 22 homers and 68 RBI at first base. He hit .247 (78-for-316) with 20 homers and 59 RBI at DH. For his career, he's a .270 hitter (391-for-1450) with 103 homers and 293 RBI at first base. At DH, he's at .274 (451-for-1648) with 105 homers and 308 RBI. Hey, Hoynsie: I'm a bit concerned about Tyler Naquin's status. It smells like he's in the Tribe's doghouse. - Jim Milicia, Westfield Center. Hey, Jim: Haven't heard anything like that. Right now Naquin is on the disabled list at Class AAA Columbus. In spring training, manager Terry Francona spoke glowingly about him. After Naquin got sent down when Lonnie Chisenhall came off the disabled list on April 13, he was hitting .394 (21-for-53) before he was injured. It doesn't sound like he was pouting. @hoynsie What is wrong with Jason Kipnis??? Hey, Douglas: There's nothing wrong with Kipnis that another 100 to 150 at-bats won't cure. He's trying to play catch up in the big leagues and that's a difficult thing to do. Hey, Hoynsie: Seeing Michael Martinez pitch mop-up duty recently, reminded me of one of the most entertaining Tribe moments I've ever seen. Hard-hittin' Mark Whiten pitching in Oakland in 1998 for the Tribe put up quite the interesting stat line. What are some of the most entertaining things you've seen? - Mark Lasher, Bangor, Pa. Hey, Mark: I remember that game. The Indians lost 12-2 and Whiten, an outfielder, pitched the eighth inning. He threw 29 pitches, allowed one run, one hit (a Jason Giambi double), walked two, hit a batter and struck out the side. One of his strikeout victims was future AL MVP Miguel Tejeda. One of my favorite memories covering the Tribe was manager Pat Corrales charging Oakland pitcher Dave Stewart after Stewart threw up and in at Julio Franco. Corrales tried to derail Stewart with a karate kick that missed. Stewart knocked him down with a right hand to the chin. As you can imagine, a brawl followed. First and last time I've ever seen a manager charge the mound. @hoynsie Hey Hoynsie, assume it's pitching call, but why does the team wear the alt blue Unis so often? Chris Scranton, PA. Hey, Chris: It is the starting pitcher's call on what uniform the team wears. If you remember, they wore the blue tops through most of the postseason last year. Hey, Hoynsie: I just don't see why the Indians like Trevor Bauer. He's been mediocre at best his whole career. Handing him the ball to start Game 5 of the World Series with a 3-1 lead was conceding a loss. Besides his durability, which the Indians apparently love, what has he done to earn a starting job? - Bruce Allen, Lake O Lake, Fla. Hey, Bruce: Remember the struggles of Carlos Carrasco? Do you remember how close the Indians, fans and media were to giving up on him? It takes a long time to figure out how to pitch and win in the big leagues. Bauer has a great arm and a good array of pitches, but he's inconsistent. I think the Indians are trying to be patient with him. As for Game 5 of the World Series, the Indians lost, 3-2. Bauer retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. He allowed three runs in the fourth as the Cubs won, 3-2. But the offense went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. There was a lot of blame to go around. @hoynsie just tried a cricket batting cage for 1st time. Does the Tribe do creative scouting globally for cricket players? Dom in Mumbai Hey, Dom: Can't some cricket matches last for days? I don't think that fits into Rob Manfred's pace of play plans. From what I've been told, the Indians do not scout cricket players. Hey, Hoynsie: Some pitchers have trouble getting into a game, give up runs early before settling in. Would it be plausible to use a reliever to take care of the usually better hitters near the top of the order and then bring in the starting pitcher so he could settle in to the game? - Kyle V. Fertig, Akron. Hey, Kyle: A version of your theory has been tested a few times. Tony La Russatried it when he was managing Oakland. The first pitcher would go two or three innings, followed by another pitcher scheduled to go two or three innings before he got to the backend of the bullpen. You run the risk of wearing out, or injuring, your entire pitching staff. @hoynsie If the trade deadline were next week, what areas would the team be looking for upgrades in? Hey, Jason: If the Indians are confident Corey Kluber can return at full strength, I'd be looking for a starting outfielder. Hey, Hoynsie: Manager Terry Francona likes to use his closer on the road in the ninth inning in a tie game. It seems like Cody Allen gives up the game in a lot of those cases. With the Tribe's good bullpen depth, maybe he should consider pitching other guys and save Allen when they get a lead. - Bill, Erie, Pa. Hey, Bill: On Wednesday night in Toronto, Francona used Allen in the ninth with the score tied, 7-7. Allen lost the game, 8-7, but you have to consider that starter Danny Salazar pitched only 2 2/3 innings and Francona had already used Dan Otero, Nick Goody, Boone Logan and Bryan Shaw to get to the ninth. Last year I found three road games in which Allen pitched in the final inning with the score tied. He lost all three. It's a calculated risk by the manager to use his closer in that manner. Do you use your best bullpen arm once the game reaches the ninth inning or beyond with the score tied, knowing that all the home team has to do is score in the bottom of any inning to win the game? Or do you save your closer for when you take the lead with the risk of not getting him into the game? It's a tough call. Just ask Buck Showalter. @hoynsie Jim (Spokane,Wa). Do we need to go get another top starter? Hey, Jim: I don't see the Indians paying in terms of dollars and/or prospects what it could cost to acquire a top-line starter. They're going to have to rely on Kluber getting healthy. Bauer and Danny Salazar getting straightened out and Carlos Carrasco and Josh Tomlin to continue to pitch well. If Mike Clevinger can perform well in Kluber's absence, so much the better. Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the front office is concerned about the lack of attendance so far this year? How will this affect the Indians' ability to sign long-term contracts with Francona Lindor and Jose Ramirez? - Roger Niese, Holland, Ohio. Hey, Roger: I don't think attendance is going to play a role in negotiations for certain players. The Indians signed Ramirez to a five-year $26 million extension in spring training. They made a substantial offer to Lindor - Sports Illustrated said it was in the $100 million range - and he turned it down.

As for overall attendance, remember, the Indians have played the fewest home games in the American League. Friday night was just their 13th game at Progressive Field this year. Hey, Hoynsie: Triston McKenzie looks like the real deal down in Class A Lynchburg. Do you think he makes his way to Class AAA Columbus by season's end? When will he arrive in Cleveland? - Shawn Marshall, Garfield Heights. Hey, Shawn: There's no reason for the Indians to push McKenzie to Columbus this year. If he was a reliever, maybe. The did it with Allen in 2012. But it takes longer for a starter to develop. It's been a while since the Indians drafted, developed and brought a high school starter such as McKenzie to the big leagues. They did it with CC Sabathia, who made it to the big leagues in three years and never pitched at the Triple-A level. I don't see the Indians putting McKenzie on that kind of track. There's not a pressing need at the big-league level and there are other pitchers in front of him. Former Indians exec Derek Falvey living the busy life of an MLB boss with Minnesota Twins Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When he wasn't elbow-deep in World Series preparation last fall, Derek Falvey was studying up on the Twins' organization. How could he implement a new culture at Target Field? How could the Twins boost their defense and enrich their farm system? But most importantly at the time, how could the Indians stymie a vaunted Cubs lineup and how could the Tribe expose whatever minimal flaws Chicago possessed? It was an exhausting, yet thrilling ride for Falvey, who was named the Twins' chief baseball officer at the end of last regular season, following a stint in the Indians' front office. He continued in his role as assistant general manager of the Tribe through the end of the club's postseason run. Falvey had held a variety of roles with the Indians over the course of nearly a decade, starting as an intern. In recent years, he had a hand in breaking down scouting reports of opposing pitchers and he assisted with transactions and planning. The 34-year-old now oversees the Twins' entire baseball operation. A little more than 24 hours after the Indians dropped Game 7 of the Fall Classic, Falvey jetted to Minnesota. A couple days later, he was introduced as the face of the Twins' front office. Falvey finally took some time off around Christmas. He said the truncated off-season and expanded workload will probably hit him this off-season. On Friday afternoon, Falvey received his American League championship ring in Terry Francona's office, with Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff also in the room. Antonetti started the brief ceremony by joking that most individuals received a ring for actually providing some sort of contribution to the team's run, but that in this instance, they happened to have an extra ring lying around. The truth is, Falvey did a ton. "He has a special way of communicating and connecting with people," Francona said. "I know with me and the coaches, he earned every bit of the trust and then took it and ran with it. He's really special." Terry Francona says Indians miss Derek Falvey Falvey still chats with Antonetti and Chernoff about once a week. He picks their brains for advice on how to manage a major operation, how to lead a front office. It's quite an adjustment. But those who know him best believe he'll excel in his new role. "For a guy to get a job of that magnitude at age 34, you have to be pretty special," Francona said. "We all miss him. We're thrilled for him. That outweighs it, but we miss him a lot. He's just a valuable person in the organization." Indians ponder ways to get Yandy Diaz consistent MLB at-bats by T.J. Zuppe, Yesterday When the Indians sent rookie Yandy Diaz back to Columbus in late April, it was with the intention of allowing the right-handed hitter opportunity to collect regular at-bats. The organization has always believed the best thing for any young player’s development was to play nearly every day — not necessarily sitting the bench for prolonged periods of time. Things are a little more complicated now. Needing an extra position player earlier this week, the Tribe recalled Diaz to help cover for some banged up players. But now that Michael Brantley has returned from his brief ankle issue and Abraham Almonte is apparently over his right shoulder/bicep problem, playing time is tough, once again, for Diaz to find. It’s something the organization is currently working through. “It’s something we’ve kind of talked about a lot,” manager Terry Francona said prior to Saturday’s game. “The early answer is I’m not sure.” Diaz is hitless in nine at-bats since his recall, unable to yet build on the impressive .395/.509/.558 slash line he posted in 12 games at Triple-A following his demotion. The 25-year-old hit just .236 (13-for-55) in his first stint in the majors earlier this season, but his consistent hard contact was something that gave the organization hope. Despite the results, he averaged an exit velocity of 92.5 mph over that stretch, the highest mark on the team. So far, he hasn’t been quite the same in the three games played since his return, averaging 89.9 mph on the six balls put in play. Now, that sample size is far from enough read much into — and that exit velocity still above league average — but from the always dangerous prospective of the eye test, he doesn’t appear quite as comfortable. That, along with the returning players from injury, makes finding him playing time more challenging. Francona has considered playing Carlos Santana a little in right field — something he proved capable of doing in the second series of the season — to open up the DH slot by placing Edwin Encarnacion at first. But to move guys around unconventionally, he has to feel good about the shifting. Weakening the defensive alignment can only be a net gain if it’s with the intention of putting the best bats in the lineup. If those sticks don’t produce, then what’s the point? “He’s not in the middle of [a hot streak],” Francona said of Diaz. “His swings haven’t been probably what they will be, so when you start moving guys, you want to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.”

That’s the issue any organization faces when trying to win games but develop talent. Not all teams can afford the patience needed to allow a young player to build experience and work through any growing pains. Some of Diaz’s recent miscues in the outfield — a position he’s still learning as a way to get his bat in the lineup — serve as an example of those difficulties. He needs the big-league playing time to get better, but is that something the Indians, seeking to establish their own footing early this year, can consistently offer? But sending him back to Triple-A might not be the answer, because if his talented bat heats up — and based on his profile, it’s probably more of a question of when — he can certainly become a major asset to a team looking for some added offensive firepower. That’s all part of the balance Francona must find. “One thing we don’t want to do is just have him sitting here,” he said. “So, it’s something we’ve kind of been talking about and we’ll probably talk about it a little bit more. Things do have a way of changing, where one day you look up and you’re like, ‘Man, how’s this guy going to get at-bats?’ And then all of a sudden he’s playing every day. But, it’s a good point and it’s something we continue to talk about.” Indians offense guilty of ‘trying to do more’ and lack of results becoming a little frustrating T.J. Zuppe, 9 hours ago Notes, quotes and observations from the 4-1 loss to the Twins on Saturday at Progressive Field. ‘Trying to do more’ When you’ve scored just one run and collected six hits over the past two games, a loose squirrel running wild on the field becomes the highlight of your afternoon. And while the bushy-tailed animal’s near five-minute delay was enough to provide a light moment for all in attendance, it couldn’t make up for another tough night at the ballpark for the Indians’ offense. But it’s not just as simple as a poor two-game stretch. And for as much credit as Twins starters Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios are due for their back-to-back performances, the offensive woes extend back to earlier in the season and became more pronounced on their recent nine-game road trip. Over the past 11 games, the Tribe has averaged just 2.45 runs per game. Overall, they’ve fallen five percent below league average in run creation (wRC+) and own a batting average of .237 (22nd) and now rank 24th in run scored. “We just talk so much about trying to get the line moving and keep it moving,” manager Terry Francona said. “We’re not really getting it moving to start. We’re getting in that mode where everyone’s trying to do more, when we just need base runners and to go first-to-third. When guys start popping up, they’re trying to do more.” For those expecting Francona to go into the locker room and start throwing things and screaming at the top of his lungs, that’s not exactly how this works. Yelling at players to perform better probably isn’t going to snap the offense out of their struggles. In fact, it would probably have the opposite effect. The Indians have a clubhouse full of talented hitters with proven track records. Sometimes, as Francona has said, they just need to be reminded of that. “I think it’s human nature,” he said of his hitters pressing. “It doesn’t help, though. I think sometimes guys get caught up in some of the frustration. I think as a staff, we need to do better with getting them to understand, hey, we just gotta try to win today.” The team’s frigid sticks have even impacted Francisco Lindor, who is now 6-for-33 over the past eight games. The talented shortstop didn’t look like a man panicked over the recent scuffles when the media gathered around his locker — he even managed a smile when talking about Saturday’s squirrel appearance — but he also knows what they’re currently doing isn’t getting it done. “Everybody here knows what we’re capable of,” he said. “It’s just a matter of putting hits together. We’re not putting hits together. “It has to be a thing that — we’re getting in a couple games where we push each other. Get one hit here, one hit there, and next thing we know, we score five, six, seven runs. It could be tomorrow. It could be Monday. It’s just a matter of continuing to play the game the right way and backing each other up.” The steadying hand of Francona helps. Despite whatever he’s feeling internally, he always manages to outwardly display a calm exterior. He doesn’t needlessly shift his lineup at the first sign of an issue. He shows far more patience than any of us could hope to have when a player is slumping. He chooses to believe his players are capable of emerging from the challenges they face. And honestly, what choice does he have? The Indians don’t stand a chance to live up to expectations if their best players don’t perform as their talent and track record suggest they should. They’re now a veteran club. Players know what is expected of them. It’s ultimately up to them to produce. “I think everybody’s a little frustrated,” Francona said. “It’s stating the obvious. Sometimes it’s hard to believe, but I do, I really do. I know these guys are going to be OK. It’s not been the funnest 10 days. The best way I know to turn it around is to remember all the things we believe in. Because it’s not a given that you get hot tomorrow. But if you kind of go back to basics and show up and just try to be one run better, things have a way of [working out]. You’re not just concentrating on your struggles, it’s, ‘Hey, how am I going to help us win a game?’” ‘Never going to feel frustration’ Edwin Encarnacion doesn’t need any help piling up frustrating moments through the first six weeks of the season. But C.B. Bucknor wasn’t afraid to add to the list in the ninth inning on Saturday. Thinking the right-handed slugger had worked a walk — a sequence which would have brought the tying run to the plate — Encarnacion began to take his base. But Bucknor disagreed with the hitter’s assessment, declaring the pitch a called third strike for the second out of the inning. Encarnacion threw up his arms in disbelief. And based on the pitch placement courtesy of Baseball Savant, it’s easy to see why. Edwin Encarnacion was called out on strikes on the seventh pitch of this at-bat (Baseball Savant) “As frustrating as the day is, you’re trying to get that tying run to the plate,” Francona said. “We’ve seen it before. I think both teams were probably chirping a little bit—them early and maybe us late.” For as upset as Encarnacion appeared following the call — and as maddening as the early part of his Indians career has been — the veteran DH continues to insist he isn’t being effected by the slow start that’s extended into May. High walk totals, however, have been what has kept hope alive throughout his scuffles. Bucknor took away what was otherwise a good at-bat in a key spot.

“I’m never going to feel frustration,” he said. “Because I know what I can do. It’s a long season. I’m going to keep my head up and keep working and working hard.” ‘Dug my own grave’ Indians starter Mike Clevinger held the Twins hitless over the first three innings, but a walk in each of the frames meant the righty had to work through some traffic. Thankfully, a pick off and caught stealing helped limit the damage, but Clevinger’s command really deserted him in the fourth. A pair of walks, a bunt single and a throwing error opened the door for two runs, and an RBI single by Jorge Polanco gave the Twins their third run of the inning. The 26-year-old hurler was eventually lifted in the fifth, exiting after allowing three runs on three hits and walking five. One quick check of his pitch chart in the fourth reveals some of his issues with the strike zone. As you can see, Clevinger’s fastball was controlled, but he had a big problem commanding anything offspeed and breaking. For the second outing in a row, he kept the opposition from piling up the hits, but he also felt like he was his own worst enemy on Saturday night, victimized by the walks and his own “nitpicking” around the zone. “I talked to [pitching coach Mickey Callaway] after I came out, and that’s kind of what we talked about,” Clevinger said. “I’m doing a good job of keeping it down and eliminating hard contact. Once I got out of my aggressive mode, that’s when I kind of dug my own grave today.” You again Max Kepler extended the Twins’ lead to 4-1 with a solo homer down the right field line in the sixth off reliever Dan Otero. The solo bomb was the left-handed hitter’s sixth career home run at Progressive Field in 10 games. In comparison, Kepler has just nine career homers in 78 games at Target Field, his home park. You again, again For the second consecutive night, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton showed off his tremendous range, nearly robbing Carlos Santana of an extra-base hit at the center field wall in the third inning and tracking down Abraham Almonte’s drive to the right-center field gap in the fifth. Almonte’s deep fly out, according to MLB Statcast, had a catch probability (determined by a combination of distance needed and hang time) of just 44 percent. Don’t tell that to Buxton, who has made difficult catches look easy all season. The fifth-inning snag was Buxton’s eighth four-star catch of the season. He’s now a perfect 8-for-8 in those scenarios. “He’s awesome,” Lindor said. “He’s as advertised. You hit a ball up in the air, you better hope it’s nowhere near him, because he’s going to get it. If it’s somewhere far away from him, he has a chance at catching the ball.” On deck The Indians (18-17) will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon. Trevor Bauer (2-4, 7.36) will take on lefty Hector Santiago (4-1, 2.76) in the series finale. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Lake County Captains: Players, staff focused on development By Nate Barnes, The News-Herald Victories are important. At the Single-A level, development is equally vital. To balance each aspect of minor-league baseball is manager Larry Day’s job. Players like Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar, Jose Ramirez and Cody Allen began finding that success — in competition and growth — at Lake County. ADVERTISING Their current performance in Cleveland is the model for those in the farm system. Although Micah Miniard took a loss in Lake County’s 5-4 loss to Wisconsin on May 13, how he competed while working with an adjusted delivery may be of higher interest to Day and the Indians organization. Advertisement “We want (the players) to make those adjustments to make them play and work and perform at the big-league level,” Day said. “Not just get through and have success in the Midwest League but to do things that are major-league caliber, have major-league caliber deliveries, have major-league caliber moves within their swings.” Miniard (1-3) allowed five runs — four earned — and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings while walking five and striking out two. After Miniard departed, Alsis Herrera, Michael Letkewicz and Henry Martinez held the Timber Rattlers hitless for the remaining 5 1/3 innings. Day said the bullpen’s relief work maintained the dugout’s resolve despite an early deficit. Wisconsin sent eight men to the plate in the second and scored four runs. A passed ball pushed the game’s first run home before RBI-singles by Mario Feliciano and Tucker Neuhaus. Conner Capel put the Captains on the board with a sacrifice fly in the home second after Todd Isaacs’ one-out triple. Lake County fell behind, 5-1, in the fourth when Feliciano drove in his third run. The Captains pulled within one, 5-4, via a three-run fifth keyed by Li-Jen Chu’s two-run double. Wisconsin left-hander Cameron Roegner allowed four runs and 10 hits in five innings. Roegner (3-1) walked one and struck out three. A two-out double by Captains first baseman Jose Vicente put the tying run in scoring position in the eighth inning. Isaacs struck out looking to strand Vicente. Wisconsin’s Parker Berberet, a converted catcher, worked a clean ninth for his first save. Mayfield’s Mitch Longo recorded his first hit with the Captains in the first inning on an opposite-field single to left. The inning ended on the play when Li-Jen Chu was caught between second and third. Longo went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts. As Lake County nearly completed a rally from a four-run deficit, Day was encouraged by the Captains’ spirit through the ninth. “They didn’t just quit when we went down early,” Day said. “They came back with aggressive at-bats, which is something we’ve been talking about here lately, and just playing aggressively in general.” Twins 4, Cleveland Indians 1: Tribe drops its third in a row By Steve Herrick, The Associated Press Jose Berrios had no problem handling the Cleveland hitters. Waiting for a squirrel to scram, now that took patience.

Berrios pitched neatly into the eighth inning in his first start of the season and the Twins beat the Indians, 4-1, on May 13 in a game delayed several minutes when a squirrel ran around the field. “It was fun because I’ve seen that before on TV, but never right in front of me,” Berrios said. The squirrel appeared from right field with Michael Brantley batting in the Cleveland sixth. Play was halted as the critter cut across the infield, angled past the mound and ran around the home plate area, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd at Progressive Field. Advertisement Twins manager Paul Molitor left the dugout to speak with plate umpire CB Bucknor, and Berrios threw up his arms in frustration. “I still can’t figure that out, how long they were going to let that guy run around out there before someone got him,” Molitor said. Eventually chased toward right field by members of the grounds crew, the squirrel hopped into the stands and play continued, with Berrios retiring Brantley on a flyball. “I felt sorry for Berrios because he was throwing a great game and had to wait, but it was fun to watch,” said Twins right fielder Max Kepler, who homered. “That guy crawled down the wall right past me.” The home fans had little else to holler about as Cleveland was held to three hits for the second straight game by Minnesota. “Those type of things are funnier when you’re ahead,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. Kepler connected earlier in the sixth. The Twins have hit a home run in 14 straight games, their longest streak since 1988. Berrios and the AL Central leaders handed Cleveland its third straight loss. Called up from Triple-A Rochester on May 12, Berrios (1-0) gave up one run and two hits in 7 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one. The right-hander was 3-0 and led the International League with a 1.13 ERA in six starts at Rochester. He 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts for Minnesota last season. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his 10th save and third in three games. Cleveland broke a 17-inning scoreless stretch on Berrios’ wild pitch in the third. Minnesota won the series opener 1-0 Friday night. The Twins’ output in the fourth consisted of two walks, two wild pitches, a bunt hit, a throwing error by pitcher Mike Clevinger (1-1), a run-scoring groundout and Jorge Polanco’s RBI single. Minnesota has won 11 of 15 overall and is 11-4 on the road. Clevinger allowed three runs and three hits while walking five in 4 1/3 innings. Carlos Santana tripled in the third with two out on a drive to the center field wall. Byron Buxton leaped and got a glove on the ball, which bounced toward the field as Santana reached third. “You’ve got to be excited about what we saw out of Jose,” Molitor said. “He knows he had to fight to get back up here, and he attacked their hitters and limited the damage.” KEEP WORKING Edwin Encarnacion was 0 for 4 with a strikeout in the ninth inning, dropping his average to .213. “I’m never going to feel frustration because I know what I can do,” the slugger said. “It’s a long season. I’m going to keep my head up and keep working hard.” Encarnacion, who signed a three-year, $60 million contract, has five homers and 11 RBI. TRAINER’S ROOM Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall remained in the game after being hit on the right hand by a pitch in the eighth. UP NEXT Twins: LHP Hector Santiago seeks his first win over the Indians since Oct. 1, 2012. He has pitched against Cleveland 15 times in his career, posting a 2-3 record with a 4.77 ERA. Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer allowed four runs in six innings in his last outing, taking a 4-2 loss at Toronto on May 8. He is 1-1 with an 8.18 ERA in two home starts this season. Cleveland Indians: Terry Francona says patience required for Edwin Encarnacion, others in lineup By David Glasier, The News-Herald Indians manager Terry Francona pointed to the struggles of clean-up hitter Edwin Encarnacion and other every day players as a root cause of the Indians’ up-and-down form since the start of the 2017 season. “Sometimes, winning is easier than other times,” Francona said. “The way we’re swinging right now, we’re playing a lot of close games. There are going to be times when Edwin puts us on his shoulders. That will happen. It’s not happening right now. So we have to figure out ways to win games. “On the road trip we were 4-5, but it wasn’t 2-9,” Francona added. “We really weren’t scoring very much. You’ve got to keep fighting through it and resist the urge to feel sorry for yourself because it will turn. It will turn faster if you do it the right way.” PATIENCE REQUIRED Encarnacion came into the middle game of the series batting .220 overall and .103 with runners in scoring position. In 34 games and 18 at-bats, he had five home runs, 11 RBI, 42 strikeouts and 25 walks. It isn’t the start the Indians and their fans expected from a veteran slugger who signed as a free agent for $60 million over three years after averaging 38 home runs and 110 RBI the previous five seasons with Toronto. “When you have a tough first month, you’re not going to get it all back in a week,” Francona said. “Sometimes guys get into it bit by bit. Sometimes guys have one swing and find it. He’s still taking his walks, which is good. He’s probably not completely locked in, you can tell, but he’s still really dangerous.

“With Edwin, you keep running him out there because you know it’s going to happen. When it does happen, it will give us a different gear.” LOOKING AHEAD After finishing the series against the Twins on May 13, the Tampa Bay Rays will come to Progressive Field for a three-game series. First pitches are scheduled at 6:10 p.m. May 14 and 15. The series finale on May 16 is one of seven weekday day games remaining on the schedule. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. Birthday alert Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway turned 42 on May 13. Left fielder Michael Brantley will turn 30 on May 15. Cleveland Indians: Terry Francona stays in the moment (again) as Tribe struggles By David Glasier, The News-Herald One year ago, on the second weekend in May, the Indians and Minnesota Twins played a three-game series at Progressive Field. On this second weekend in May, the same two teams are back at it in a three-game series in downtown Cleveland. The Twins came into the middle game of this year’s series at 18-14, good for a one-game lead over the second-place Indians in the American League Central Division. Last season, the Twins started 0-9 and never recovered. They were 9-26 and mired in last place in the AL Central after winning the middle game of that series in Cleveland. Advertisement The Twins finished the 2016 season at 59-103, by far the worst record in the big leagues. In terms of won-lost record and place in the AL Central standings, the Indians are in almost the identical place this season as last. Going into the middle game of this series against Minnesota, the Indians were 18-16. Last season, they stood at 17-16 after losing the middle game of the series and were five games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox. Although they moved onto first place in the AL Central last year on June 4 and stayed there through the balance of the regular season, it wasn’t until the Indians embarked on a franchise-record 14-game winning streak in the middle of June that they established the momentum that would carry them to a 91-70 finish and the AL Central title. Then came the memorable postseason run that extended to the 10th inning of Game 7 of the World Series before dropping a heartbreaker to the Chicago Cubs. Indians manager Terry Francona was asked May 13 if he had faith the Indians could chart a similar course this season. “I don’t know how to sit here and tell you we’re going to win 14 in a row,” Francona said. “I don’t have a crystal ball. We are very close to where we were last year. That was last year. Other than experience, last year means nothing anymore.” Francona said he “doesn’t get too caught up” in thinking about where his team will sit in the standing six weeks down the road. “The best way to go about that is try to figure out a way to beat Minnesota today,” he said. “That’s kind of what we did during that streak. We showed up and we played good enough to win. “You keep doing that and it gets kind of contagious. Then people are saying, ‘Wow, you’re on a pretty good streak’ as opposed to talking about a streak before you get there. There’s a way to do it.” Nick Cafardo / SUNDAY BASEBALL NOTES / These bullpens are saving — and sinking — some seasons

By Nick Cafardo

If the season comes down to how well your bullpen performs, there are teams that can feel good and others that are in big trouble.

We’ve learned from the successes of the Royals in 2015 and the Cubs and Indians last season that dominant bullpens win pennants. That’s because it’s become harder for starting pitchers to go deep into games in the postseason. It’s just the way it is.

“It’s 100 percent the most important aspect of the game. How the bullpen is managed is extremely important,” said J.P. Ricciardi, a special assistant to Mets general manager Sandy Alderson.

The Nationals seem to be an outlier. They are pretty much entrenched atop the National League East, but their bullpen had an NL-worst 5.40 ERA entering Friday. Matt Albers (0.69 ERA), the 34-year-old former Red Sox, has served as closer recently, and Jacob Turner, a failed prospect on his fifth organization, has been one of Washington’s top relievers with a 3.07 ERA.

The Nats are successful because their starting pitchers work deep and their offense is nails, but if their bullpen continues to struggle we fully expect president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo to spring into action and bring in an experienced closer.

You can’t blame Rizzo for trying homegrown closers first. Blake Treinen (8.10 ERA, 10 walks in 16 innings) was removed after four save chances. Shawn Kelley, Enny Romero, and Koda Glover all have blown a save opportunity. Rizzo wouldn’t trade prospects for White Sox closer David Robertson in the offseason, but there may come a time when he’ll have to rethink that.

We saw how important the bullpen was to the Indians’ success last season. And nothing’s changed for Cleveland. Indians relievers have a 1.92 ERA, best in the majors.

Andrew Miller has yet to give up a run this year and has a scoreless streak of 29 regular-season innings dating to Sept. 7. Cody Allen recently went 10 straight appearances without giving up a run, has a 1.32 ERA, and is 9 for 9 in save chances. Nick Goody is unscored upon in nine appearances, four of which lasted more than one inning.

There are other troubling bullpen trends around the league. Francisco Rodriguez blew four of his 11 save chances, his ERA ballooning to 8.49, before he was replaced as Tigers closer by lefty Justin Wilson.

“The bullpen is not only one of the most important aspects of managing, but it’s also the topic you hear most about from the media and the fans,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. “I think since we put Wilson in there we’ve stabilized things, so we’ll keep going with it.”

The Yankees’ bullpen has a 2.49 ERA (third best in the majors), while setup man Dellin Betances has thrown 10 consecutive scoreless innings. The Yankees have had an unexpected strong start fueled by rookie sensation Aaron Judge, but the key to sustaining that success is keeping their bullpen healthy and intact.

The Astros (2.93 bullpen ERA, seventh in MLB) have ridden the coattails of Chris Devenski, who has 42 strikeouts in 23 innings, or 16.4 per nine innings.

The Red Sox have the fourth-best bullpen ERA in baseball (2.51). Doesn’t feel that way, does it? The major reason is the incredible start of Craig Kimbrel, who has been used to stop major threats in the eighth inning recently. Obviously the Red Sox can’t keep calling on him to do that, but for now Kimbrel is automatic.

The Red Sox are relying on hard throwers Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, and lefties Robbie Ross Jr., Fernando Abad, and Robby Scott to fill in the rest. At some point they’d love to see Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg have significant roles, but that seems in the distance. The Red Sox would likely move Abad if they could get something decent in return.

The Red Sox have also managed their bullpen workload very well — 104 innings, seventh fewest in baseball — and that’s with losing two innings-eaters in the starting rotation in David Price and Steven Wright. Conversely, the Cubs have logged the second-most bullpen innings, 132 , behind the Reds (135 ).

The Orioles’ bullpen has held up without Zach Britton, who has been injured most of the season. Buck Showalter is considered a master at using his bullpen, and he’ll be tested until Britton returns in 1-2 months.

ASSESSING QUINTANA

To ex-teammate, lefty is an easy sell

There’s a great chance White Sox lefthander Jose Quintana will become the No. 1 target of teams seeking front-end starting pitching before the trading deadline.

Former teammate Chris Sale thinks Quintana can handle any situation in any city.

“He’s not a guy who lets outside factors bother him,” said the Red Sox ace. “I keep saying it, but it’s that consistency where the time, the effort, the work ethic, everything that goes into his process to pitch makes him not worry about that stuff and he has the confidence to do what he needs to do.

“I think he’ll be comfortable everywhere he goes because people are going to love him. You just cannot not like the guy.”

What makes Quintana so good?

“When you look at his body of work, you can count on him a pretty good chunk of the game being pretty darn good,” Sale said. “Beyond that work ethic, it’s his dedication to his craft. If you ask anyone who plays with him, he prepares as well and as diligent as anybody you’ve ever seen. Four of five days between his starts he just puts in a lot of work. On top of that, he’s just a good guy.”

Sale said he and Quintana were always discussing ideas about pitching while together in Chicago.

“We had pretty different pitching styles,” Sale said. “I think like with any teammate who’s that good, we just kind of fed off each other. He went through some pretty adverse situations.

“I think his middle name was ‘No-Decision,’ and how he handled himself through those times where he went out there seven innings, gave up two runs, and had nothing to show for it, never altered his attitude or his work ethic. And seeing that was impressive. That can be tough on you at times and he never let it get to him and he never showed it.”

Unlike Sale, Quintana, who has 59 no-decisions among 159 career starts, “doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve quite as much, but he’s competitive,” Sale said. “I don’t think he would be as good as he is if he wasn’t. I think he’s got a couple of techniques to keep things under wrap. That’s part of what makes him good. That ability where you can go to one of his starts and erase the scoreboard because he’s the same no matter what the score.”

Apropos of nothing

1. Mookie Betts, who is an excellent 10-pin bowler, said he tried candlepin bowling only once. “It was hard,” Betts said. “Got 60 or 70, pretty bad. A lot different.”

2. Travis Shaw raves about Miller Park in Milwaukee as a place to hit. “Incredible place for a lefthanded hitter,” said the Brewers third baseman. “The ball really carries, especially when the roof is closed.” The Brewers entered Friday with 55 homers, tied with Washington for the major league lead.

3. I enjoy seeing exit velocity and pitch speed numbers, but in terms of their significance, I see none. The harder a pitcher throws, the harder the ball is hit.

4. Folks in the Phillies organization rave about the trades Ruben Amaro Jr. made before he was unceremoniously bounced and became Boston’s first base coach last season. Amaro’s young pickups are starting to blossom in Philadelphia. The humble Stanford grad has said very little about his success in Philly and the great recommendations made by his scouting staff.

5. There were a few complaints about the lighting at Miller Park during the Red Sox-Brewers series, but it’s almost become an advantage for the home team.

6. The 10-day disabled list has allowed teams to manipulate their rosters and recall fresh players from the minors. But roster changes need to be made. I still promote deactivating the four starting pitchers who won’t pitch that game and using those 25-man roster spots on relievers or positional players.

7. I never understood the hoopla surrounding the Mike Aviles incident in spring training in 2012. If you were there, you saw Bobby Valentine telling the team on the popup drill that the guy coming in makes the call and the guy going out keeps his mouth shut. Seems clear and simple, right? Aviles kept going out and making the call. After three times, Valentine threw out a few profanities and admonished Aviles. Sox veterans

were put out by it and asked Valentine to apologize to Aviles. A manager can’t get mad when a player screws up? Football coaches dress down players in every practice. David Ortiz details the incident in his new book, and as Valentine appropriately said on CBS Radio, when did Ortiz become an expert on defense? You could blame Valentine for a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.

8. Dana LeVangie is one of the more underrated Red Sox coaches. Look at the job he’s done with the catchers and look at the job he does with the bullpen. He also did a good job as Torey Lovullo’s bench coach during John Farrell’s absence two years ago.

9. Overheard, David Price to Kyle Kendrick: “Hey, do you ever face Kyle Hendricks? Kyle Kendrick vs. Kyle Hendricks.”

Updates on nine

1. Khris Davis, LF, Atheltics — Davis had struck out in 21 straight games heading into the weekend, a franchise record for a position player. Davis was batting .164 (12 of 73) with 33 strikeouts in that span.

2. Jose Bautista, RF, Blue Jays — Bautista’s approach and setup have been very good, but his rhythm remains off. One scout won’t buy into the belief that Bautista’s bat has slowed. “Not from what I saw,” said the scout. “His swing is so tied into his timing mechanism and I think that’s what’s off.” Bautista leads the majors in pitches per at-bat (4.58).

3. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Phillies — Phillies personnel have made it known they’ll listen on Hellickson in trade talks. Philadelphia re-signed Hellickson (4-1, 3.49 ERA) with the idea of using him to acquire more prospects before the trading deadline.

4. Nick Francona, former Dodgers executive — This was one of the more shocking stories of the week. Terry Francona’s son worked in baseball operations for the Dodgers, was fired, and is now suing the team for discrimination on the grounds that the Dodgers dismissed him based on Francona seeking help as a result of his war duty in Afghanistan, where the former Marine sniper served. Nick has turned down two settlement offers. It’s reported that Nick had a falling out with Dodgers farm director Gabe Kapler, who played under Terry Francona in Boston. The Dodgers deny the claim.

5. Sam Travis, 1B, Red Sox — We’re wondering whether we’ll see Travis soon if Hanley Ramirez’s shoulder issues persist. If Ramirez can’t play first base, then Mitch Moreland has to play there every game, and that’s not what John Farrell intended. Travis has come on after a slow start at Triple A Pawtucket, and his righthanded bat could be needed soon in Boston.

6. Jharel Cotton, RHP, Athletics — He was sent back to Triple A Nashville for more seasoning, but the A’s really believe they have a future front-line starter after acquiring Cotton from the Dodgers last season in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick deal. In five starts last season he had a 2.15 ERA. Cotton allowed five homers in his last two starts before he was demoted last week. With Sean Manaea (shoulder) coming off the DL soon, Cotton was the obvious roster move.

7. Jordan Humphreys, RHP, Mets — Don’t look now, but the Mets have another pitching prospect wowing everyone. Humphreys, an 18th-round pick by New York in 2015, was 6-0 in his first six starts this year for Single A Columbia (S.C.), with 49 strikeouts in 38 innings to lead the South Atlantic League. He really knows how to pitch and has refined his curveball.

8. Ron Gardenhire, bench coach, Diamondbacks — It’ll be a big day Sunday when Gardenhire returns to the team after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Manager Torey Lovullo said the team will work out a transitional plan for Gardenhire, who had been replaced by Jerry Narron.

9. Will Middlebrooks, 3B, Rangers — Middlebrooks remains in a holding pattern after breaking his left hand April 17 when he was hit by a pitch. He was looking like the player he was in his first year with the Red Sox, hitting .313 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 48 at-bats with Triple A Round Rock. Middlebrooks, 28, hopes to return by mid- to late June.

Extra innings

From the Bill Chuck files — “White Sox pitchers have held the opposition to a .095 average (2 of 21) with the bases loaded.” . . . Also, “From 2013-17, there have been 213 batters who have had a minimum 750 plate appearances while playing away from home. Danny Espinosa, hitting .198, has the lowest road batting average, followed by Jackie Bradley Jr. at .208.” . . . Happy birthday, Tony Perez (75).

Sticking it to ’em

The Nationals have opened a big lead in the NL East behind an explosive offense led by its dynamic duo of Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper. Where the Nationals and their two big bats rank in the majors entering play Friday, including the margin over the team that’s second in the category.

Boston Globe LOADED: 05.14.2017

More days off mean MLB schedule tweaks in 2018

By Phil Miller

It will be Beatles Night in Chicago when the Twins and White Sox make up Wednesday’s rainout as part of an Aug. 21 doubleheader, and that’s appropriate. Both teams have a lot of hard day’s nights ahead of them.

For Minnesota, it means a stretch of 41 days, from Aug. 1 to Sept. 10, will be packed with 40 scheduled games. And Chicago has it even worse; adding a makeup game gives them 34 games in a stretch of 34 days, and a grueling 57 in 59.

No wonder that, while negotiating new rules about luxury taxes and draft-pick compensation, the players union also fought for one notable concession in the collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last winter. Beginning in 2018, the major league season will be 187 days long, not 183, giving players an extra four days off scattered throughout the season.

It might not seem like much over the course of six months, but those off days are treasured by players, a group of workers who don’t have a weekend off from February through September or October. It might help prevent injuries, too, with players less prone to wear down during those long stretches without a day off.

Just one problem: Finding four more days on the calendar. With a postseason schedule three rounds long, and the addition of a wild-card game at the start, baseball’s playoffs now routinely extend into the first few days of November, and MLB is reluctant to go much further. No team is

willing to schedule doubleheaders, so the apparent solution is to open the season four days earlier, making it a weekend event. Opening Day 2018 is tentatively set for Thursday, March 29.

Get your parka ready, Twins fans.

“We certainly have some concerns about that. We talked to Commissioner [Rob] Manfred about it last week,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said. “But it’s only four days. And MLB has been very sensitive about allowing us to open on the road in most seasons. We feel the impact won’t be too significant.”

He also likes the notion, if adopted, of a weekend opening, especially since the second and third games of a season are normally the least-attended; moving them to Saturday and Sunday might attract a few more fans willing to brave the weather.

The change will impact spring training as well, forcing games to begin almost as soon as players arrive. Players also won a two-day reduction in the length of spring training, 43 days instead of 45 for pitchers and catchers, 38 days instead of 40 for position players. The Twins played games on 34 days last spring, and spring-host cities that invested millions in providing fancy new facilities don’t figure to allow the number of games to be reduced. Tentatively, the Twins are planning a Grapefruit League opener Feb. 23, or about four days after the full squad reports.

Once the season begins, fans might notice another change, though probably not as much at Target Field as in other cities. Teams will be required to start the final game of a series earlier than 7 p.m. if one of the teams has a long flight ahead that night. The Twins already schedule most midweek “getaway” games during the day — 10 of them this season, most beginning at 12:10 p.m. — but some teams, notably the Red Sox and Angels, do not.

“We’ve earned a reputation for being fair on midweek day games,” St. Peter said. “Some teams have taken a similar approach, some have not. But ultimately, anything that helps alleviate some of those more difficult schedule stretches will be a positive for us and the game.”

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

Closers have made plenty of headlines in the AL Central recently. Here’s a team-by-team look:

Indians: Cody Allen’s streak of 11 scoreless innings was broken Wednesday by Toronto, when he gave up a ninth-inning run to lose 8-7.

Allen’s 1.32 ERA and nine saves in as many opportunities attests to his fast start. But he’s still not Cleveland’s best in the pen: Lefty Andrew Miller, who draws the most difficult assignments, has yet to give up a run in 16 innings.

Royals: Kelvin Herrera didn’t give up a home run until June last year, and had only six all year. The righthander gave up four in his first 13 innings this season, his first as Kansas City’s full-time closer. Herrera attributes the slip-ups to trying to mix in more sliders, and manager Ned Yost said he is not worried. “He’ll get sharper with more work,” Yost said.

Tigers: Another year, another closer controversy in Detroit. This time, it’s Francisco Rodriguez, 35, the major leagues’ active saves leader with 437. After blowing back-to-back games last weekend at Oakland, K-Rod lost his job, which went to lefthander Justin Wilson instead. “It may not be permanent,” manager Brad Ausmus hedged.

White Sox: David Robertson was 5-for-6 in save chances, but he hadn’t been handed a lead in the first 12 days of May. That’s why WSCR-AM 670 in Chicago reported that Nationals scouts were evaluating the righthander, in hopes of reigniting trade talks that weren’t consummated last January.

The White Sox might be willing to listen this time.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Boston’s 10-run inning last Sunday was the ninth double-digit inning surrendered by the Twins in franchise history, and the first since Oakland scored 10 in the fourth inning of an 18-3 victory at Target Field on Sept. 11, 2013. Five of the nine 10-run innings have occurred since 2003; in their first 21 seasons in Minnesota, the Twins allowed a double-digit inning only once, in 1967.

According to Baseball Reference, the worst inning in Twins history came on June 17, 2003, in Kansas City, where the Royals scored 12 runs in the sixth inning en route to a 14-7 victory.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.14.2017

After three consecutive saves, Brandon Kintzler eager to go again for Twins

By La Velle E. Neal III

CLEVELAND – Brandon Kintzler just wants a chance to play catch Sunday.

Kintzler’s routine is to play catch a few hours before games to gauge how his arm feels.

“I can never tell until I play catch,” he said. “Sometimes you wake up and feel like absolute crap and then all of a sudden you play catch and it is not that bad.”

After collecting saves Thursday and Friday, Kintzler tested his arm Saturday and told the Twins coaching staff he was available again. He then went out and picked up his third save in as many days as his team beat Cleveland 4-1.

Kintzler’s 10 saves are second in the American League to Boston’s Craig Kimbrel, who recorded his 11th Saturday.

“He’s always been a guy who can come back quickly and throw consecutive days,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Kintzler. “You are more careful in today’s game than 20 years ago. He went out this morning and did his routine and said he felt fine. And he made good pitches.

“I don’t think he will pitch [Sunday].”

Kintzler wants a shot, however.

“They are trying to tell me I’m down,” he said, “but I said, ‘Can I at least play catch?’ I don’t know if they are going to give me the opportunity.”

Pressly back in form

Ryan Pressly has given up runs in five of his 16 outings this season. While he made some adjustments to help his control, the real adjustment is regaining his confidence.

He might have had the outing that turned things around for him Thursday against the White Sox when he struck out the side in the seventh inning. That including blowing a 98 miles-per-hour fastball by Jose Abreu for strike three then using his curveball to finish off Avisail Garcia.

Pressly pumped his fist after the Garcia strikeout. Pressly still has a 8.03 ERA, which shows how much he struggled early this season and how far he has to go to get the number down to something respectable.

“The results haven’t been there,” Pressly said. “That’s when you start thinking and trying to do too much. That’s when you kind of get out of whack.”

But it appears that he got a confidence boost at Chicago, because Pressly believes the results are coming.

“That was the biggest thing, trying to establish confidence,” he said. “That’s really hard to do in this game. It will humble you real quick.”

Who gets the start?

Now that Jose Berrios is up, the Twins don’t have any rotation decisions to make … for a few days, at least.

Assuming no more rainouts, they will need a fifth starter Saturday against Kansas City. So the monitoring or arms at Rochester will begin. Righthander Kyle Gibson is the top candidate, with Gibson scheduled to pitch Sunday at Pawtucket opposite of Red Sox star David Price, who is making a rehabilitation start.

That would put Gibson in line to start Saturday. Adalberto Mejia is scheduled to start for Rochester on Tuesday. If he does, he would have to come back on day less rest to start Saturday, though the lefthander could emerge as an option if he has a short outing Tuesday.

Lefthander Adam Wilk, claimed off waivers from the Mets on Wednesday, could be a factor, but the Twins prefer to use him out of the bullpen. He hasn’t pitched since Sunday, and Molitor said he would like to use Wilk in a game just to see what he’s got.

Etc.

CB Bucknor was the plate umpire Saturday. The last time he was behind the plate for a Twins game was April 28 at Kansas City, when Bucknor took a foul ball by Miguel Sano off the mask and had to leave the game. He missed the rest of the series because of a concussion.

Eddie Rosario did not start Saturday because Molitor preferred Robbie Grossman and Kennys Vargas in the lineup against Cleveland righthander Mike Clevinger.

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.14.2017

Twins starter Jose Berrios shines in first start of the season, 4-1 victory over Indians

By La Velle E. Neal III

CLEVELAND – This time, Jose Berrios attacked.

Hitters were challenged. Strikes were thrown with conviction. Rally squirrels were ignored. Berrios pitched like someone who didn't want to throw another pitch in the minor leagues.

Berrios delivered the best major league performance of his young career in his 2017 Twins debut, going 7 innings and propelling the Twins to a 4-1 victory over Cleveland on Saturday at Progressive Field.

The outing enabled the AL Central-leading Twins, winners of four in a row and a season-best five games over .500, to imagine what every fifth day could look like with their top pitching prospect on the mound.

"You have to be excited about the performance we received from him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "The kid got a lot of attention. One, about his potential and, two, the difficulty he's had making the transition up here."

Berrios held the Indians to one run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts thanks to a come-and-get-me fastball around 93-95 miles per hour that hitters could not handle.

Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer, center, scores as Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes, right, waits for the ball in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, May 13, 2017, in Cleveland. Home plate umpire CB Bucknor, left, watches the play.

He mixed in a breaking balls and changeups when he needed to. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 27 batters he faced.

"That was the plan," Berrios said. "Attack the hitters with my fastball every time, then use my secondary pitches."

Cleveland had one runner reach scoring position over the first seven innings, when Carlos Santana hit a two-out triple in the third on a ball that Byron Buxton nearly caught while ramming into the center-field wall. Santana scored on Berrios' wild pitch for the game's first run.

Berrios walked Francisco Lindor but struck out Michael Brantley to end the inning. That was the first of 13 consecutive batters retired by Berrios, who averaged 17.3 pitches over the first three innings but used only 12 in the fourth, 12 in the fifth, eight in the sixth and nine in the seventh.

"That was my best fastball command," Berrios said. "I learned from the bad outings last year, and the good outings I got confidence from."

The Twins had no hits against Cleveland righthander Mike Clevinger until the fourth, when they scored three runs to take the lead. Max Kepler made it 4-1 in the sixth with a home run. The Twins have homered in 14 consecutive games, their longest streak since 1988 and two shy of the club record.

The bottom of the sixth was delayed about five minutes when a squirrel entered from right field with two outs, ran across the diamond, moved behind home plate, then sat just inside the third base line as fans roared.

"I still can't figure out how long they were going to let that thing roam around out there before someone tried to do something," said Molitor, who asked umpire CB Bucknor to get someone on the case.

Finally, grounds crew members chased the squirrel into the stands. Berrios got Brantley to pop out to end the inning. He followed with a 1-2-3 seventh and came out for the eighth, hitting a batter before getting two outs and giving way to Taylor Rogers for the final out. Brandon Kintzler pitched the ninth for his 10th save and third in as many days.

It was the Berrios that many Twins have seen in the minors, not the one who was 3-7 with a 8.02 ERA in 14 starts last season in the major leagues.

"It was just a matter of time," Kepler said. "He's got some of the best stuff. I have faced him and he is electric. It's all about the mentality and how confident you are."

Star Tribune LOADED: 05.14.2017