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Can't stand inter league play ! That's what the World Series is for ..

and how some of the matchups are SO bad (I remember being bored and turning on an MLB game late at night ... and it was the freaking Rays vs Diamondbacks)

Sadly, the networks have to show SOMETHING when the Yankees and Red Sox are off.

Antonetti: “It was life-threatening.”...It’s not communicable.

Bauer to DL with small stress fracture in right ankle.

https://twitter.com/hoynsie?lang=en

Bauer to DL with small stress fracture in right ankle.

https://twitter.com/hoynsie?lang=en

Bauer to DL with small stress fracture in right ankle.

https://twitter.com/hoynsie?lang=en

and Cards/Cubs

Very true, that is option B.. followed by option C, the Dodgers..

Highlights of Indians manager Terry Francona’s pregame Q&A on Wednesday.

Q: Is there anything new on Trevor Bauer’s timetable?

Francona: “No. I’d bet you Friday we’ll have more. And we may not even have clarity, because it’s going to heal when it heals. I do think we’ll probably have more information Friday, just because he’s seen some doctors and things like that. But, I think the biggest thing — like with setting a timetable — is I don’t think we want to put Trevor in that spot, because we all know he’s going to pitch the minute he can. And these things heal kind of when they [heal]. I think you get my point, but we should have more information I’d bet you Friday after he gets a few more opinions and things, on maybe things we can do to hopefully hasten up the healing process.”

Q: Is Bauer in a boot or a soft cast or…

Francona: “I believe he’s in a boot right now.”

Q: Do you get the sense that Bauer will be back this year?

Francona: “Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Well, I hope. Like I said, now I just said that and…”

Q: It’s too late now.

(laughter)

Q: What’s Lonnie Chisenhall’s activity level right now?

Francona: “He’s doing some ground-based running — not full speed. He’s doing, like when we’re home, he’s on an alterG [treadmill]. Here, he’s out and throwing to bases and hitting and doing all that stuff. He’s got a little ways to go, though. The good part is he doesn’t feel anything, but he hasn’t progressed to where he’s all-out, either.”

Q: What’s the next step for Josh Tomlin?

Francona: “He pitched Monday. I believe Saturday he pitches, I think it’s sin Triple-A.”

Q: Will Tomlin be stretched out a little more than four innings?

Francona: “I think we probably will a little bit this time, yeah. It depends on innings, volume, things like that.”

Q: Is there anything new with Leonys Martin in the past 48 hours?

Francona: “Yeah. He’s out of the ICU, which is good. We’re trying to respect [their family]. I don’t know how much the family wants out. I know you know that, but I think they were getting inundated, so they wanted us to [give an update]. But, I think he’s making progress, which is really good. I don’t know if you guys saw it, but the Reds did something for him. That was very nice. I don’t know who was responsible for that, but that was very nice.”

Q: Is it tough to remain patient with the bullpen when you have the pieces to have a dominant group, but guys are still working through some things?

Francona: “I think that’s our best way to have the bullpen we need to win, is to be patient. Yeah, everybody wants to have it yesterday or last week. I think, being realistic with Andrew, the best way to get him [on a roll] is we have to be patient, so we will be. He’s worth it. I don’t know how many games we’re going to win, but if we’re short a few of where we were last year, but we have a bullpen that’s on a roll, we could still be dangerous. So, that’s the idea. I mean, we’ve all seen. There’s no givens. You can end a year with 102 wins and guys are a little beat up, or you can end at 88 or 90 and being feeling great. So, that’s why you just play the game right and do what you think is right. You can’t tell guys to be careful. That doesn’t work.”

Q: How do you think Tyler Olson has handled the ups and downs this year? He obviously can see the makeup of the bullpen, but he was a big piece last year and has had to deal with going back to the Minors this year.

Francona: “You know what? Yeah, I think he was pissed. And I don’t blame him. I kind of expect that. But, he’s a great kid and he’s very professional. Shoot, man, I mean, when you’re in our shoes, that’s all you can [ask for]. Guys being respectful and polite and professional. We understand that they’re not going to be thrilled about it. Shoot, I know that better than anybody.”

Q: Without the DH under National League rules, what do you think about the pitcher batting in the eighth spot?

Francona: “Honestly, for us, it means that that seventh hitter has a chance to not get pitched to. I don’t know how I’d feel about it if we were doing it all the time and had guys that were used to doing it. I know now, like I told you guys yesterday, I want to back those guys up as far as I can. I’d hit ’em 10th if we were allowed. (laughter) I know there are some statistics that say [it’s a good idea]. I’d just be worried about taking the bat out of your seven-hole hitter’s hands.”

Q: Unlike some prospects around baseball, Shane Bieber stepped right into a situation where the focus is on winning now, but he’s surrounded by experienced pitchers at the same time. Can that be beneficial for a young player?

Francona: “Regardless of what situation he came into, it’s our objective or our challenge to make it work right. Like you said, he’s coming up to a group that’s really talented, really hard working, and he can learn. On the flip side, we’re also a team [that is] trying to win. For the young guys, you don’t always have that three-month [period where it’s], ‘Let’s just see if he sinks or swims.’ We need to win. It probably evens out a little bit. You have to come up and perform because we’re not rebuilding.”

Q: How much of a benefit do you think it has been for Bieber to have the other starters here as a resource?

Francona: “I think they all do a good job regardless of their age. They all go out and watch each other’s sides. I think there’s a lot of value to that. One, I think it keep the guy throwing his side maybe on the day he doesn’t feel like it, he knows there are four other guys standing there. And they talk about stuff with [pitching coach Carl Willis] and they interject things. I’ve had a number of people come up to me and say, ‘I see your guys doing that. I wish I could get our guys to do it.’ I think that’s valuable.”

Q: What have you thought of Corey Kluber’s approach this season? His strikeout rate is down, but he’s still having success.

Francona: “I think he’s a really smart pitcher. I think he sees what’s going on in a game. Different teams do different things, but you’re seeing a lot of teams that want to make contact early. He’s taking advantage of that. If they’re going to swing early rather than go out of the zone, I mean, we’ve seen Trevor do it. He’ll have 12 strikeouts in six innings. Kluber is staying off the barrel for the most part and getting early contact and having really quick innings. I think he probably prefers that. The only thing is he has to answer questions about his strikeouts. I know when he has a nine-pitch inning, he looks happy as hell to me. I would say that if he needed it, he could go back and get a strikeout. You saw last night. He needed a strikeout, he’d go get it.”

Q: Before the Trade Deadline, there was discussion about possibly moving Jason Kipnis to the outfield. In light of the Martin situation, is that under discussion at all again or is that off the table?

Francona: “No. No. We talked about it. But, I just think that, no, we’re just going to keep him right where he is. I mean last year was so different. He was coming back off of an injury. We had our infield set. We didn’t have an outfielder. So, it’s different circumstances.”

https://bastian.mlblogs.com/titos-pregame-minutiae-aug-15-617470491386

Jose Ramirez's 37th homer of the season is a two-run shot to right. Ties J.D. Martinez for most in MLB. Ramirez leads the Majors with 13 first-inning homers this year. Next in the AL is Mike Trout (9).

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1030596519806857218