Cleveland Sports Forum

‘I want him to win the Rookie of the Year Award I didn’t win’: Francisco Lindor’s advice fuels Oscar Mercado’s walk-off


By Zack Meisel Jun 11, 2019 2

CLEVELAND — Before the blue Gatorade bath and the jersey yanking, before the dash toward the line of coaches and the postgame interview tour, before the wave of texts and tweets flooded his phone, Oscar Mercado stared at Francisco Lindor from the on-deck circle.

He didn’t say a word to the shortstop, but his eyes screamed.

How do I do this?!

Cincinnati’s Raisel Iglesias intentionally walked Lindor to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the 10th. As Lindor ditched his bat and shin guard, he locked eyes with Mercado, who knew a proficient approach could vault the Indians to their fifth win in seven games on their homestand.

So what did Lindor tell the rookie?

“Take your time. Relax,” Lindor told The Athletic. “It’s going to be a win-win situation.”

He cycled through the potential outcomes with Mercado.

“You roll it over, you’re going to be safe at first.”

Mercado possesses the speed to beat out a double play. The Reds’ infielders played in on the edge of the grass, ready to throw to the plate on any reachable grounder.

“You hit a fly ball, you win the game.”

The Reds’ outfielders played in as well, so any moderately struck fly ball would force a pinpoint heave to prevent a sacrifice fly.

“Line drive, you win the game. Base hit, you win the game.”

Really, anything but a strikeout or a pop-up would spark a roar from the crowd and cause “Cleveland Rocks” to blare from the ballpark speakers.

Lindor could understand Mercado’s jitters. It hasn’t been long since his days as a novice big-leaguer.

“I would’ve looked at somebody in the dugout to help me out,” he said. “I probably would’ve swung at everything.”

Mercado instead peered directly at Lindor.

“Knowing Lindor from the time I’ve been here,” Mercado said, “he’s one of the most selfless guys I’ve been around. And he immediately looked at me and he started walking me through some things to do, like breathe, calm down, slow everything down.”

The pep talk continued throughout the at-bat. Mercado couldn’t keep from offering at a slider outside of the zone on the first pitch. As first-base umpire Lance Barrett ruled that Mercado went around, the teammates again connected.

Come to me. Just relax. Calm down.

“I like to lock it in,” Mercado said, “but I felt like it could help me. It could also distract me from being in the moment and thinking too much. I’m glad I did.”

Iglesias missed with a slider, and then Mercado fouled off an elevated slider. Trailing in the count, Mercado pulled a fourth consecutive slider to left field for a walk-off single. When he rounded first base, he tossed his helmet, located his tour guide and jumped into Lindor’s arms.

Mercado’s teammates spilled out of the dugout and sprinted toward second base to douse him in liquid and tug at his jersey top. When the chaos simmered, Mercado broke free from the mob and dashed toward the dugout to high-five his coaches.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mercado said. “I was like, ‘What’s going to happen here? Am I going to get soaked with water?’ (Mike) Freeman came up to me and was like, ‘Dude, how tight do you tie your belt?’ They were trying to, like, rip my jersey. They couldn’t get it. I was like, ‘You know, it always comes untucked from diving, so I always made sure it was tight.’ But I thought that was funny. It was special. It was definitely my most special moment in my career.”

The Indians corralled the baseball for Mercado to keep. When he returned to his locker after the game, following a couple of postgame interview sessions, Mercado watched the replay on his phone and marveled at the number of messages piling up. He said he received nearly as many for earning a promotion to the majors last month.

“I’ve never actually felt such high emotions before,” Mercado said. “I think getting called up was right up there. … The biggest thing is just breathing during those at-bats, but it’s tough. You know, game’s on the line.”

And, fortunately for Mercado, Lindor was there to lend a hand.

“At the end of the day, I can’t keep everything I’ve learned,” said Lindor, who mentioned Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion and Mike Napoli as having similar influences on him. “Pass it on and make someone else better.”

Mercado has posted a .288/.345/.450 slash line, with a 111 wRC+, in his first four weeks in the big leagues. He has held down the No. 2 spot in Terry Francona’s batting order, sandwiched between skilled switch-hitters Lindor and Carlos Santana. That sort of responsibility stems in part from the Indians’ lack of reliable hitting. But there’s also a widespread belief that he can handle that daunting of a task.

“To expect Oscar to be able to do that right off the bat is not fair,” Francona said. “But he’ll grow into it. He might grow into hitting third. But (we) just try not to put too much on his plate, because I’m sure the game is going pretty fast as it is. But he’s holding his own pretty damn good.”

Lindor has taken notice.

“He wants to learn,” Lindor said. “He pays attention to details. He learns sequences from the catchers and pitchers. Every one of us, we’ve made mistakes. Sometimes we get a little carried away. But he’s done an outstanding job.

He paused and smiled.

“I want him to win the Rookie of the Year Award that I didn’t win.”

Great read.

Thanks Peter C. Try this one:

Rosenthal: Trade talk takes a common-sense turn


By Ken Rosenthal Jun 12, 2019 70
We begin today with a trade idea, not one based on actual information, just common sense.

Trevor Bauer to the Twins.

What, you say? Can’t trade within the division? Can’t allow Bauer to haunt the Indians not only this season but also the next?

To quote a certain former Angels manager, “poppycock.”

Today’s executives, no longer bound by the conventions of the past, are evolving on all fronts, including trades. Almost all execs are more concerned with how a deal might benefit their own club than how it might benefit their partner. Get the best possible return, they reason, knowing the risk of such a deal works both ways.

For two divisional contenders – say, the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East – making trades remains difficult, if not impossible. But for divisional teams in different competitive positions – say, the Yankees and Blue Jays – such deals are increasingly common.

Just last July, the Yankees acquired left-hander J.A. Happ from the Jays for infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney. The teams might line up before this year’s non-waiver deadline as well – right-hander Marcus Stroman, a native of Long Island, would be a perfect fit for the Yankees, and because he is under control through 2020, the Jays could land a better package for him than they did for Happ, who was a potential free agent.

The Indians operate with a similar mindset – if they decide to move established talent, they will not rule out trading within the AL Central, sources say. They made such a deal as a buyer at last year’s deadline, acquiring outfielder Leonys Martin from the Tigers in a deal that cost them switch-hitting shortstop Willi Castro, who is batting .320 with an .871 OPS at Triple A.

Bauer, who like Stroman is under control through ‘20, had been slumping of late, his ERA increasing from 3.02 to 3.93 over five starts before his impressive 7 2/3 innings against the Reds on Tuesday night. The Indians, 10 1/2 games behind the Twins, are not declared sellers. And even when the Indians are willing to act, their front office rarely makes trades that they do not judge as wins.

Derek Falvey, the Twins’ chief baseball officer, thinks similarly – he worked for the Indians from 2007 to ‘16, rising to assistant GM. Executives with likeminded approaches often value players similarly, making a Bauer deal between the Indians and Twins even more of a longshot. But the close relationship between Falvey and Bauer, dating to their days together with the Indians, creates an added layer of intrigue.

In their new book, “The MVP Machine,” authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik describe how Falvey and Bauer hit it off when Indians officials visited Bauer at the Texas Baseball Ranch after acquiring him from the Diamondbacks in a three-team trade in December 2012.

Lindbergh and Sawchik explain that the Indians officials were searching for ideas that might help them revamp their player-development program, but add, “the primary reason for their visit was to learn more about the subversive, iconoclastic Bauer.”

From the book: “They took Bauer to lunch. . . Bauer offered Falvey a ride in his sports car. As they drove to their lunch destination, they made an immediate connection. ‘We’re pitching nerds,’ Falvey says. ‘From there, I got to see his workouts. I got to see what he was doing. Better development. At the core of it, that’s what Trevor is trying to do.’ It was the beginning of a productive relationship and what Falvey describes today as a friendship.”

Falvey, like most of today’s execs, prides himself on staying rational and not growing obsessed. The Twins might view their bullpen as a bigger priority than their rotation – they were more interested in signing free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel than left-hander Dallas Keuchel. But while they are fifth in the American League in rotation ERA, their ranking stems largely from the performances of Jake Odorizzi and Jose Berrios. Kyle Gibson is less consistent, and Martín Pérez might be starting to fade.

A rotation led by Berrios, Odorizzi and Bauer would be formidable in a postseason series. And if the Indians can acquire the right prospects from a Twins farm system ranked seventh by Baseball America – outbidding, among others, the team with the top-rated system, the Padres – playing in the same division shouldn’t prevent a trade from taking place.

How the Indians’ bullpen — Brad Hand & the Funky Bunch — has recorded the league’s best ERA

Zack Meisel 3h ago 3

DETROIT — They don’t throw hard. They spend the early innings of games playing “Would you rather …” or debating some current-event topic. They no longer feature household names like Andrew Miller or Cody Allen.

And yet the Indians’ bullpen, essentially Brad Hand and the Funky Bunch, ranks first in the majors in ERA.

Who are these guys? And how are they doing this?

The guy at the end
Over the past two months, Hand has made 23 appearances, during which he has registered a 0.39 ERA with five walks and 35 strikeouts in 23 innings. Opponents — those poor, hapless souls required to stand in the batter’s box — have posted a .107/.173/.173 slash line.

Those in the Indians’ clubhouse the past few years had the privilege of watching Miller force hitters to drop to a knee while offering a clumsy swing. He had stretches in which his strikeout total soared while his walk and runs allowed totals remained nonexistent.

That’s exactly what Hand has done this season, as he owns a 0.91 ERA with 19 saves in 19 chances. His strikeout rate ranks in the league’s 99th percentile. Adam Cimber didn’t want to discuss Hand’s results in too much detail out of fear of jinxing him.

Cimber: I’ve seen him for a while. He has great stuff and a great mentality. He’s nails.

Terry Francona: He’s tremendous. He’s unflappable. There have been some situations since he’s come here where he’s lost the strike zone temporarily or gotten himself into a bind. His heart rate never changes. Ours might, but his never does. He’s the real deal.

Dan Otero: You can never tell what he’s thinking. He has a poker face on the whole time. I don’t know if he knows what he’s thinking half the time. It’s his personality. He just goes about it, lives that island life when he plays baseball.

Cimber: I think there’s a balance there where you don’t want to be too mellow and just go out there and throw the ball over the plate. You have to have some sort of butterflies, something that drives you. But I think a guy like that comes in in the ninth, and his job is to get the last three outs, which are the toughest ones to get. He does a good job of hiding if he feels anything at all.

Otero: I don’t think any situation is going to faze him. He doesn’t seem to be overwhelmed by anything. His resting heart rate is, like, 50, and then when he gets guys on base, I think it goes down, like, to 48. It’s like, “Brad, wake up!” He’s definitely competitive. I’ve seen that side of him, too.

What …

… is a batter …

… to do?

The guy before the guy at the end
Admit it: You didn’t know much about Nick Wittgren at the start of the season, aside from his dental situation. The Indians acquired him from the Marlins in a nondescript early February deal. He produced solid, unspectacular numbers with Miami the past few years, and he didn’t make Cleveland’s Opening Day roster.

And then he joined the Indians on their first lengthy road trip of the season. And then he tallied four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings in his first appearance. And then he capped the three-city swing with two perfect innings of relief to close out a 1-0 victory in Seattle and a sweep of the previously scorching-hot Mariners. He received a beer shower for his efforts, which clinched a cheery, cross-country flight home.

About halfway through spring training, Roberto Pérez told Otero: “We need that guy. We need him.”

Otero asked why, and Pérez replied that Wittgren possessed, in similar terms, a lot of guts.

“He got here and he’s been (key) since Day 1,” Otero said. “Whether it was a chip on his shoulder or whatever, he goes out there and competes his butt off. You can’t teach that. And he has three really good pitches. He has a good head on his shoulders, so I think he can sustain it.”

Wittgren walked one batter in his first 16 outings. Overall, he has totaled four walks and 25 strikeouts to go along with a 2.22 ERA.

The early results — he logged six scoreless innings on that aforementioned road trip — lifted his confidence.

Wittgren: I think that’s how it goes for anyone — a hitter or pitcher. As long as you go out there and get those first few outings out of the way, that first hit out of the way, the first play in the field out of the way, it’s like, “OK, it’s just another game. Go out there and do the same stuff we’ve been doing for years on end.”

Were you surprised Miami let you go after your best season (2.94 ERA, 3.13 FIP)?

Wittgren: Oh, yeah. I was definitely surprised. It caught me extremely off guard. It’s the nature of the game, though. It happens. And it usually happens to everyone at some point down the road. But I couldn’t be happier here.

Did you simply tell yourself, ‘Hey, at least the Indians actually want me, since they’re trading for me’?

Wittgren: It’s always nice to go somewhere and feel wanted. With that feeling alone, you have a little less tension in you and it makes you relax a little bit more. That’s what they told me: “Just go out there and be you. Don’t try to be anyone else.” I’ve shown them: “This is who I am.”
(Gregory J. Fisher / USA Today)

The guys before the guy before the guy at the end
Cimber’s fastball velocity ranks in the 0th percentile, per Baseball Savant. His heater and sinker regularly clock in around the 83-85 mph range, and his knuckles nearly scrape the dirt when he reaches down during the height — err, low point — of his delivery. The unconventional style produces plenty of weak contact, though.

Carl Willis: I think the deception is key. It’s such a different slot. He has the ability to elevate, and I think when he does that, he gets sneaky. I think it surprises hitters because their eyes are so trained down here, and when he comes up here at 87, it seems a lot firmer than what the radar guns say.

Oliver Pérez’s delivery is like a snowflake: no two windups are the same. There was a time when Pérez was a young, erratic (he once walked 105 batters in a season), left-handed starter. Now, he’s a seasoned (like his salt-and-pepper hair) reliever who relies on deception and command to silence hitters. He has issued only three walks this season compared to 26 strikeouts. His xwOBA — expected weighted on-base average — ranks in the league’s 96th percentile. If that sounds like a complex algebra equation, just know his strikeout rate ranks in the 87th percentile, and his age (he’ll be 38 in August) ranks near the top of the league as well.

Francona has gone out of his way to note the significance of Otero’s leadership this season, especially given the turnover. Tyler Clippard, A.J. Cole, Nick Goody and Josh Smith have joined the mix over the past six weeks. Only Cole throws in the mid-to-upper 90s.

And yet the group ranks first in the majors with a 3.28 ERA, with a decent advantage on second-ranked Houston’s 3.45 ERA. They rank second in walk rate, behind only the Padres and with a sizable lead on the third-ranked Dodgers.

Wittgren: We’re breaking the mentality of “Bullpens have to have guys who throw 98-99.” We’re showing people that you can just pitch and get outs.

Clippard: It’s just a variety of pitching styles, but I think, more importantly, hitters aren’t really comfortable in there against what we have, because it’s a group of guys who know what they’re doing on the mound. Everyone has three or four different pitches and can throw them all for strikes. It’s a lot of different looks. When you piece all of that together, regardless of not having those guys who are throwing 100, that’s not always the formula. There are a lot of teams out there that have guys who throw hard, but the hitters, all they have to do is respect the heater and that’s it, because they can’t throw the other pitches for strikes. That’s what I love about this group is: It’s guys who can pitch.

Pérez: We don’t have the power bullpen like other teams. You see a lot of bullpens on other teams with guys who throw 95-100 (mph). We don’t have those guys. But we compete.

Francona: In a period of the game where missing bats is becoming fashionable, guys come out of the bullpen throwing maybe two pitches, throwing fastballs as hard as they can up here and then some off-speed. We really don’t have a lot of that. I mean, Cole throws pretty good, but we have guys that maybe pitch to contact more or at least miss bats differently. And that’s what we try to utilize. I think, “OK, we have who we have,” so let’s maximize their strengths and — not that you’re limiting what they can’t do — but if you have somebody else (with) a strength, well, then bring him in next.

(Photo: David Maxwell / Getty Images)

A meeting and then a cycle: Jake Bauers and the response of all responses

Zack Meisel Jun 14, 2019 8

DETROIT — Jake Bauers wanted to capitalize on the gap on the left side of the infield. He had no intention of swinging for the fences, record books be damned.

And then Shane Bieber buzzed in his ear.

“Dude, your approach is great. I love your approach,” Bieber told him. “But you have to let it eat.”

One mighty whack of an 86-mph fastball signaled that Bauers listened.

“It didn’t take much convincing, obviously,” Bieber said.

As the bruised baseball sailed over the right-field wall at Comerica Park, securing Bauers the ninth cycle in franchise history, he pointed to Bieber and Zach Plesac, the instigators who pleaded for power. Bauers failed to keep a smile from creeping across his face as he trotted around the bases in the eighth inning, having notched the second four-hit game of his career.

“How can you not smile?” Bauers said. “That’s a moment you have to enjoy.”

Rewind six hours.

Terry Francona summoned Bauers into his office Friday afternoon. The two talked at length about the 23-year-old’s struggles this season. Bauers deemed it a productive, “much-needed” conversation, and he appreciated his manager’s support and candor.

“A lot of pressure goes into playing this game,” Bauers said, “especially at the highest level, so any time you hear that from someone like him, it’s very reassuring.”

Before his outburst Friday, Bauers had submitted a .155/.248/.309 slash line over his previous 28 games. Among American League hitters, only José Ramírez logged a worse wRC+ during that timeframe.

Lowest wRC+, May 11 through June 13, AL hitters
Player wRC+
1. José Ramírez 44
2. Jake Bauers 46
3. Leonys Martín 50
3. Nicky Lopez 50
“It’s been frustrating,” Bauers said. “It’s been up and down. But at the end of the day, that’s baseball. And I have to find a way to keep going.”

That sort of stretch can certainly wear on a player. So, the gist of Francona’s message to Bauers: Relax and stop thinking so much.

“At the end of the day,” Bauers said, “this is a game I’ve been playing for a long time. When you overthink things, nothing’s easy, so I really just tried not to worry about anything, use the middle of the field, stay left-center and let everything take care of itself.”
(Raj Mehta / USA Today)
Fast-forward an hour.

At some point, Bobby Bradley, who slugged his 19th and 20th home runs of the season Friday night, figures to earn a promotion to the majors. There are a handful of ways the Indians could create a roster opening for him.

One of those would be for Bauers to trek south on I-71 to clear his head at Triple-A Columbus for a bit. After Francona met with Bauers, the manager explained to a few reporters why the Indians aren’t ready to resort to that decision.

“I wanted to make sure he understood that we’re kind in all of this together,” Francona said. “And young guys are gonna struggle. That’s part of the game. I just want to make sure that he’s going about it the most productive way he can. That way, we all go through it together. And I just wanted to reinforce that with him because this is a game of results. We all understand that. He understands that.

“But, you know, we just feel like he’s got the tools to do it. I just think that we’re not at that point.”

And so, what sorts of determining factors would persuade a team to give a player a minor-league reprieve?

“It’s different for every player,” Francona said. “You’re thinking about your team, you’re thinking about the player. It’s never just one reason. I think that you’re trying to accomplish a lot of things. It’s never just one. You’re not just putting some kid in the penalty box because he didn’t hit or he didn’t pitch. You’re trying to have a plan in place for, when a kid goes down, what’s his plan? It’s easy for us to sit here and go, ‘Hey, you’ve got to do better.’ Well, how? So we try to think things through so kids don’t feel like they’re on an island because that would be hard.”

Fast-forward six hours.

The Indians and Tigers were attempting to track down Bauers’ home run ball, but Bauers didn’t even care about the souvenir.

“That’s something I never thought about — hitting for the cycle,” he said, “so to do it … I don’t know. I don’t know what to say about it. Pretty speechless.”

Bauers totaled four hits in his previous eight games. And then he matched that output in one tidy 13-4 thumping of the Tigers. He recorded the first cycle by a Cleveland hitter since Rajai Davis, who accomplished the feat on July 2, 2016, the day the Indians’ 14-game winning streak ended in Toronto.

That’s one way to ease his conscience, if only for a day.

“I’m sure every negative thought that you can think of is running through pretty much everyone’s head in the clubhouse at some point,” Bauers said. “This game is extremely pressure-filled, so you do the best you can to show up every day with a good attitude and work hard. That’s it.”

That mentality fueled a game Bauers will never forget. And it allowed Francona to reiterate afterward that Bauers isn’t destined for Columbus.

“No,” Francona said, smiling. “We’re not there yet.”

This is just me! But to me, this is why Tito is genius. He just gets it:

And so, what sorts of determining factors would persuade a team to give a player a minor-league reprieve?

“It’s different for every player,” Francona said. “You’re thinking about your team, you’re thinking about the player. It’s never just one reason. I think that you’re trying to accomplish a lot of things. It’s never just one. You’re not just putting some kid in the penalty box because he didn’t hit or he didn’t pitch. You’re trying to have a plan in place for, when a kid goes down, what’s his plan? It’s easy for us to sit here and go, ‘Hey, you’ve got to do better.’ Well, how? So we try to think things through so kids don’t feel like they’re on an island because that would be hard.”

By the way, I think you can ALSO see in the Tito quote including "we are not contending this year so we need to give these kids extra leash and we like Bauers though he needs time"

‘Dad knows best’: Francisco Lindor reflects on how his father steered him toward a big-league career

Zack Meisel 5h ago 6
DETROIT — A few times each week, Francisco Lindor will stumble upon a scouting report in his text messages.

Sometimes, it’s a simple suggestion for how to approach a certain starting pitcher or a motivational missive. Other times, it’s a synopsis of the latest scuttlebutt about the Indians shortstop.

Coaches and teammates offer Lindor plenty of advice. Lindor also has one other consistent source of guidance.

“He’s strict,” Lindor said, smiling. “My dad is very strict.”

Miguel Lindor spearheaded his son’s relocation to the Orlando area from their native Puerto Rico, backing the 12-year-old’s vision to one day play professional baseball on TV. A fellow baseball coach, making a similar decision, pitched the idea to Miguel, who brought it to his family for a discussion.

Such a move would supply Lindor’s younger stepsister, who has cerebral palsy, better medical care. It would also provide Lindor with a clearer path toward a baseball career. Lindor could learn the culture and language, receive a better education and play against stiffer competition.

It wasn’t a simple choice, though.

“He sacrificed a lot,” Lindor said. “I mean, he left his other children in Puerto Rico. He left his comfort, left his home.”

Miguel helped launch Lindor’s baseball campaign. When he wasn’t working in communications for the Puerto Rican government, Miguel coached his children’s teams in Caguas.

“Everybody knew him,” Lindor said.

As one of Lindor’s favorite tales goes, Miguel would stand atop a hill in their hometown and sock grounder after grounder to his son, who had to develop quick reflexes and steady hands to prevent the rubber balls from zipping past him, bouncing down the hill and disappearing into the shrubbery below. Cows would roam the other side of the brush, and Lindor had no desire to confront them.

Lindor credits that drill for improving his reaction time and his first step, pivotal skills for any shortstop. And in his first full big-league season, 2016, Lindor captured a Gold Glove Award.

“I owe it to him,” Lindor said. “My skills, all that stuff. It was him. It was all him.”

Miguel suffers from anxiety and occasional panic attacks, so he rarely travels and he retired early. When the Indians travel to Florida, Miguel will trek to the ballpark. Otherwise, he tunes in to Lindor’s games on TV. During the offseason, father and son see each other nearly every day. They live about 10 minutes apart.

During the season, they chat a few times each week. Lindor joked that it would be every day, but Miguel always wants to talk baseball and, well, sometimes Lindor needs a break.

“He’s very passionate, and he wants the best for me,” Lindor said. “He wants to make sure I play at my best on a daily basis. He gives me scouting reports on pitchers. He gives me scouting reports on what (writers and broadcasters) have been saying, what I can or can’t do, and he’ll send them to me and he’ll let me know, ‘Hey, this is probably how they’re going to pitch you, because apparently you’re not doing this right now.’”

Lindor listens. He appreciates the support. He knows his dad monitors every one of his at-bats. And he knows his ascent to becoming one of the premier players in the league started on a hill with the man who planted the seeds.

“He knows my swing better than anybody else,” Lindor said. “He taught me. Everything I know, it’s from him. When it comes to reactions and swinging and stuff, Dad knows best.”

Meisel’s Musings: Jason Kipnis’ reintroduction, Bobby Bradley’s power and Trevor Bauer trade thoughts


By Zack Meisel 3h ago 4
DETROIT — Jason Kipnis extended his hand to each reporter.

“Jason.”

It’s been a while since Kipnis held court after a productive day at the plate, so the second baseman jokingly introduced himself to the reporters who approached him after the Indians completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers on Sunday. As Kipnis’ career has unfolded, he has mastered the art of self-deprecation.

He also excels at providing candid self-analysis. Every time he walks toward the batter’s box, he sees his unsightly statistics stretched across the scoreboard in a skyscraper-sized font. His slash line (.218/.271/.321) leaves plenty to be desired, especially for a team that has been hurting for reliable offensive contributions. And he knows the reality of his situation; he’s likely headed to free agency this winter, a 32-year-old who hasn’t registered gaudy numbers since 2016.

But Kipnis collected three hits Sunday, including an opposite-field double and a two-run homer, and maybe — just maybe — he’s on to something.

Here’s Kipnis, on his offensive outlook:

“It is a good sign. I credit it back to (Saturday) night’s game in the last at-bat, when I found something. It was a strikeout, but I found something with my hands. So I went to bed (Saturday) night with at least some hope for today. And you get through the tough times and the shitty games to get to these good ones, I think. So I came today with what I found (Saturday) night and went right back to where I was happy about it and you saw, when the hands align, it moves my contact point back, which means it’s going to be fewer rollovers, fewer ground balls to the right side. I know everybody’s going to be thrilled about that if that were to stop. I think you’re just seeing the hitter that I used to be and can be. It’s still in there. So I’m excited to see where we go from here. This is day one. I want to see where we go now because I’m excited.”

On what a three-hit day does for his confidence, considering he unearthed a potentially helpful mechanical tweak:

“It takes out where you’re not thinking about negative things. You’re not thinking about, ‘Hey, let me do anything I can to just not hit it over to the right side.’ That creates bad habits as well. They shift me, they pitch me in and they throw off-speed. They’re trying to get me to hit it to the right side, so it’s hard when you say, ‘Hey, just hit it over there.’ They’re pitching against that as is. When I feel good, like I did today, everything just falls in line, where I was like, ‘Oh, it makes so much more sense now how to hit it back that way, like it used to.’ It just releases the tension and relaxes you and allows you to get back to doing damage on a pitch instead of just worrying where it’s going.”

On the message it sends him to still be batting fourth:

“If (Terry Francona) still has trust and belief in me, then I should still have belief in myself, too. Sometimes, a lot of these guys believe in me more than I even believe in myself. That comes with being in a rut and you start to lose a little bit of that confidence. But I have to realize that I’m still very capable, they’re still relying on me and to not give up and keep pushing, because games like this will come if I keep at it.”

Homeward bound
Terry Francona had witnessed only one straight steal of home in his career. Jacoby Ellsbury accomplished the feat in 2009, and Francona told him: “Hey, good play. You better always be safe.”

Francona said he had a much better view of Leonys Martín’s scamper on Saturday night. Martín took a sizable lead since Tigers third baseman Dawel Lugo was playing so far off the bag.

On Victor Alcantara’s second offering to Carlos Santana, Martín faked as if he were headed down the line. But Alcantara never noticed. He dropped his head as he came set. So on the next pitch to Santana, Martín bolted for the plate.

“As soon as he put the head down,” Martín said, “that was the right time to (break). I was waiting for that moment.”



Detroit bench coach Steve Liddle — subbing for ejected manager Ron Gardenhire — referred to the Tigers’ lack of awareness as “a Little League play.” Martín said he couldn’t remember ever running faster. It was the first straight steal of home by an Indians player since 2005.

“I know it wasn’t a good idea if I was out,” Martín said, laughing, “but I was safe.”


Leonys Martín (Raj Mehta / USA Today)
Quote to note
“That’s what you shoot for.” — Francona, on Gardenhire’s notching his 82nd career managerial ejection Saturday night

Final Thoughts
1. The Yankees’ acquisition of Edwin Encarnación all but clinched the fact that Clint Frazier would be an odd man out once Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton returned from the injured list, and the Yankees optioned the 24-year-old to Triple A on Sunday. Of course, assuming the team will avoid any new injuries is a foolish practice.

Frazier owns a .283/.330/.513 slash line this season (119 wRC+), with 11 home runs and some hideous defensive metrics. He’s under team control through the 2023 season.

The Indians certainly know Frazier well, given that they selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft. The Yankees need starting pitching. The Indians would probably want more than just Frazier if they were to ship Trevor Bauer to the Big Apple, but the two sides seem like a sensible match, should the Indians opt to dangle the durable right-hander. The Padres would jump into the conversation, too, as they have maintained interest in Bauer since the winter.

2. Bobby Bradley slugged two more home runs on Sunday for Triple-A Columbus to boost his season total to 22. He has clubbed 19 of those long balls in his past 38 games.

The knock on Bradley is his strikeout rate (87 in 267 plate appearances), but everyone save for Michael Brantley strikes out a lot these days. And Bradley is batting .287 with a .975 OPS, so who cares about the method in which he makes his outs?

Bradley’s easiest path to the Indians’ roster would have been to replace Jake Bauers or Martín, but Francona stressed this weekend that Bauers isn’t going anywhere — and Bauers responded with the ninth cycle in team history on Friday night. Martín has posted a .637 OPS (68 wRC+). If the Indians were to eventually designate him for assignment — he’ll be a free agent in a few months — they could shift Oscar Mercado to center field.

3. With José Ramírez, the Indians are searching for any possible signs of life. Ramírez totaled four hits and two walks in the series against Detroit, and Francona was encouraged by a handful of hard-hit outs, including a fly ball that Harold Castro hauled in while standing beside the 420-foot sign in center field.

“His solid contact, he’s been pulling foul,” Francona said. “The last couple nights, he’s kept four or five balls fair. I thought that was a good sign. … He’s dying for something.”

Ramírez seemed to be in better spirits after Saturday’s game, as he playfully chirped at a couple of reporters and shouted Santana’s name as he conducted an interview.

“It’s hard for him,” Francona said. “This guy’s been one of the elite players in the game. He’s had a rough go of it. … I believe in him.”

4. During Gardenhire’s brief temper tantrum Saturday, he kicked up some dirt near the batter’s box and near Mercado. He apologized to the rookie, who responded with a thumbs-up. That had Francona and Brad Mills laughing in the visitors’ dugout.

“I hate to laugh,” Francona told Gardenhire on Sunday morning, “but I couldn’t help it.”

5. Francona’s daughters connected with the clubhouse attendants to send him chocolates for Father’s Day. He stored them in the refrigerator in the visiting manager’s office at Comerica Park on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m going to take them on the flight,” Francona said. “I’m guessing they won’t make it to Texas.”

Do I have to say it? Get Leonys outta here and get Bradley up here!


“It’s hard for him,” Francona said. “This guy’s been one of the elite players in the game. He’s had a rough go of it. … I believe in him.”

I swear we have the most patient manager in baseball. Ramirez has pretty much sucked all year and Tito feels bad for HIM! If you can't play for this guy....

Grover Redux!!!

No manager publicly berates his players. They all blow smoke.

Grover Redux!!!

“Starters are starters for a reason!”

Hillbilly wrote:Grover Redux!!!

“Starters are starters for a reason!”

Well said Grover, I mean Hillbilly!

Lloyd: The Indians were fortunate to get Mike Clevinger back this quickly. How much will that matter before July 31?


By Jason Lloyd 3h ago 6
ARLINGTON, Texas — Twelve pitches into his comeback, Mike Clevinger collapsed on the infield grass Monday, and suddenly a miserable season of pitching injuries somehow looked even worse. He took a hop step, went down to his knees and eventually rolled onto his back in pain while Terry Francona emerged from the dugout, fearing the worst.

“It was hard not to,” Francona said. “It didn’t look good. … I think he scared himself and us.”

The Indians need Clevinger if they have any hope of gaining significant ground on the Twins or hanging around in this wild-card chase. With trade-deadline decisions looming, it’s fair to wonder what kind of impact a healthy and effective Clevinger can have on the front office’s thinking over the next six weeks.

His final line was far from great — five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in the 7-2 loss to the Rangers — but the fact he stuck around beyond those first 12 pitches was at least temporarily a season-salvaging sigh of relief.

Clevinger is fine. The X-rays after he left the game confirmed it. His foot got stuck in the dirt when he was trying to get off the mound on Asdrúbal Cabrera’s groundball to first, and Clevinger simply tweaked his ankle. It’ll probably be a little sore Tuesday, but it shouldn’t be anything more.

For now, we’ll ignore the fact Clevinger initially believed his April back injury was nothing serious, either. He left Progressive Field intent on making his next start, only to learn he had strained his teres major muscle and would have to miss more than two months.

Clevinger and the Indians have spent that time trying to piece together how all this even occurred. They’re not alone. Plenty of teams are still researching the injury. Teres major muscle injuries are most common in rock climbing, Clevinger has learned, but rare in this sport.

All things considered, the Indians are fortunate to have him back this quickly.

There isn’t much information on teres major injuries as they relate to pitchers, at least according to a 2016 study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and therefore no consensus on treatment. The center identified 30 pitchers who suffered the injury. Only one required surgery. The 29 who did not instead received “conservative treatment” and returned to pitching in an average of 100 days.

Clevinger, whose strain was considered “high grade,” made it back in 71 days.

Noah Syndergaard, who suffered a Grade 2 latissimus dorsi strain in 2017, missed 146 days. The latissimus dorsi is next to the teres major, and the two injuries are considered very similar. The Yankees are still trying to figure out how Luis Severino and Dellin Betances suffered lat strains while rehabbing other injuries. Clevinger was told his diagnosis is the reason the Yankees took a deeper dive into Severino when he wasn’t progressing and that’s how they found the injury.

It has been 70 days since Severino was diagnosed with the lat strain, and he isn’t even throwing off a mound yet.

Clevinger, however, feels terrific. He was already throwing harder than ever this year, and three of his pitches on Monday were faster than any he made in his two starts prior to the injury. He topped out at 98.1 in the second inning, and his average fastball velocity was faster than either of his first two starts. He has no fear that throwing this hard will lead to more problems.

“Once I figured all this stuff out, I knew there was no way it had anything to do with my throwing or effort level,” Clevinger said. “So there was no need to hold that back.”

Modifications to his weight-training program might come eventually. The Indians are still working through all of that. For now, he just needs to get back into the rhythm of how to attack hitters.

All three of his walks Monday came with two outs, and all three eventually scored. Ronald Guzmán doubled on an 0-2 curveball Clevinger left up in the zone when he meant to throw it in the dirt, then Shin-Soo Choo doubled him home on a changeup when Clevinger knew Choo couldn’t catch up to his fastball. He allowed only three hits. Now he needs to find the rhythm of the game again.

“That’s the only thing I’m missing right now,” he said. “My body is moving even better than it was, just mechanically moving more sound. But just getting used to that flow of the game. I was letting it speed back up on me a little bit like I did when I was a little bit younger.”

His rhythm will presumably improve in his next start; his stuff is obviously already there.

How that will impact the rest of the season remains to be seen. The Indians didn’t lose any more ground on the Twins, but they remain 10 back with the clock constantly ticking. They’re 1 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot.

I asked Clevinger what kind of impact his return could have on the Indians’ thinking between now and July 31 and if his return could change how much — or even if — the team chooses to sell.

“I don’t think that’s even going through anybody’s head in here,” he said. “We’re playing good baseball the last month, month and a half. Right now, our heads are down and we’re trying to (close) that gap. We have the guys … if everyone does their job here, we can do special things.”

That’s debatable. The Indians opened the series against the Rangers with their Nos. 4 and 5 batters — Jason Kipnis and José Ramírez — hitting .218 and .203, respectively. They have combined for 42 RBIs. Seventeen hitters in the American League have more.

After this series, however, the Indians will play 26 of their final 33 games before the trade deadline against the four worst teams in the American League. There is also the three-game series at home against the Twins coming out of the All-Star break. If they’re going to close the gap, now is the time to do it. Clevinger will certainly help the cause.

Too bad he doesn’t hit.