Would Tito be comfortable with only 7 in the pen? His starters are solid enough that the second class relievers [Chamberlin, Detwiler and that other guy whose name I forget] rarely getting any work.

When Brantley comes back I would bat Kipnis leadoff Lindor second and Brantley 3rd. Move Davis to 9th to give us some speed at top and bottom. Davis also can platoon with whoever remains in OF and you are not constantly changing the lineup.

I'd expect 1-2-3 to be as you propose. 4-5-6 are pretty much set, too. That leaves our 3rd baseman and 2 OFs for the bottom three. When Jose Ramirez has been in the lineup he's usually been hitting 9th for some speed at the bottom; Davis could hit anywhere but your suggestion makes sense.

Regrettably Chisenhall will be in there somewhere too

Speak of the Devil:


By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 2:23 PM ET
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4 COMMENTS


CLEVELAND -- Prior to Wednesday's game against the Mariners, Cleveland activated right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the 15-day disabled list. In order to clear a spot on the active roster, the Indians optioned outfielder Collin Cowgill to Triple-A Columbus.

Hooray.

So how're the OF positions going to be shared? We know Tito will mix and match based on matchups and ballparks and make sure everyone gets at bats. He'll want to keep Ramirez in the OF mix I assume since he's got a good bat and adds speed.

When Brantley's back, he'll play nearly everyday although perhaps DH once a week and a day off once a week to start with.
Ramirez is probably only considered a LF. Will he play twice a week out there?
Davis and Naquin could split center.
Byrd and Chisenhall could split right.
But that leaves Davis and Byrd on the bench too often.

the Indians optioned outfielder Collin Cowgill to Triple-A Columbus

Didn't realize Cowgirl had an option left.

Chisenhall did not strike out once yesterday. Hit just as well as he did for Columbus.

As much as I like him, Gomes has to be moved down in the lineup. He does not make enough contact. We need more run production not air conditioning.

I was counting Gomes to come back after his injury-plagued 2015. Disappointed so far.

was someone asking for Gomes to start hitting? 1st inning RBI single; 3rd inning 3 run homer;

I must have given him the "kiss of life"!!! All kinds of contact and 5RBI today.Sure hope he keeps it up.

To take something positive out of Carrasco injury,if they DL him Brantley can be added without sending anyone down for awhile? Or is it a roster thing?

Is what a roster thing?

Do you think Francona is willing to live with only 7 men in the pen? He might have to use Joba and Otero more than once a week. OF course with Bauer in the rotation he will need more innings from the pen regardless of how many are out there.

From the Cleveland site:

. A trip to the DL for Carrasco would clear a roster spot for Brantley's activation.

Don Surber (@donsurber):

Detroit is the cleanest city in America
Cleveland swept it twice this weekend.