That's great news. Hopefully he completely recovers.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
We get an early taste of playoff atmosphere with a trip to Fenway Park over the next 4 days. Its amazing to me that its August 19 and we still haven't played Boston this year. Anyway, here's the pitching matchups:
Monday - Kluber (15-6) vs Porcello (15-5) 7PM Tuesday - Bieber (6-2) vs Eovaldi (5-4) 7PM Wednesday - Carrasco (15-6) vs Johnson (4-3) 7PM Thursday - Plutko (4-3) vs Price (13-6) 1PM
I'd be happy with a split, but I can't help wishing we had Bauer going against Price instead of Plutko.
Report: Indians can have 3B Josh Donaldson and OF Andrew McCutchen Fall in Their Lap By End of August
By Payton Vince August 18, 2018
On Saturday night, news came out that the Cleveland Indians can potentially grab Toronto Blue Jays third baseman, Josh Donaldson and San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen by the end of August, according to Bob Nightengale of MLB Network.
Verified account @BNightengale
The #SFGiants are in a mini-free fall, which could leave Cleveland grabbing 3B Josh Donaldson and OF Andrew McCutchen by end of month
As of right now, the Cleveland Indians are looking for any help with Leonys Martin out with a bacterial infection and Edwin Encarnacion out with a bruised hand and bicep soreness.
For the 2018 season, McCutchen has batted .257/.355/.417 in 119 games, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs, 53 RBIs, 10 stolen bases (6 caught stealing), and has struck out 112 times.
McCutchen is a 5-time All-Star and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 2013.
As for Donaldson, he has been out the majority of the season with a left calf injury. In the 36 games he has played in he has batted .234/.333/.423, had 11 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBIs, walked 21 times, and struck out 44 times.
The Blue Jays third baseman is a 3-time All-Star and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 2015.
Both players would become free agents for the 2019 season.
I would love to see McCutchen in an Indians uniform. He was always a class act for the Pirates and plays the game the right way. It would be nice to sign him for a couple of years on top of it.
The biggest question would be: Who sits if these guys come in to play here?
The biggest question would be: Who sits if these guys come in to play here?
I assume Jason Kipnis and Greg Allen would take a seat. Donaldson to 3B lets you play Jose Ramirez at 2B. McCutcheon has played RF in San Fran this year, but he played CF last year, and I would think that's where he'd play here. Although I suppose its possible they'd bench Melky Cabrera in RF and play McCutcheon there. Indians lineup would be formidable with Donalson and McCutcheon added to it. Solid 1 through 9
I know he came back and all, but Vizquel deserved a statue and a number retiring more than Thome.
I'm glad this weekend is finally over. Enough fawning over a guy who skipped town as soon as the money got bigger.
His speech in Chicago sounded a lot like the one he gave in Cleveland.
Thome got $85M over 6 years from Philly, while getting a $60M, 5 year PR-face-saving offer from the Indians. The Indians disingenuously claimed Thome left over a measly $1-2M per year, when they had, in fact, low-balled him, expecting a "hometown discount". How many of us would turn our back on $25M?
I take a massive pay cut working in Alaska. Cost of living basically makes my salary less than what I could earn in any of the other 48 states. Hawaii is pretty bad for teachers, too.
With Sale and Bauer out, not sure it means a lot. Both teams are essentially in the same spot they'll be in at the end of the season (though, we may be able to catch the #2 seed, but we're still playing the AL West winner).
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Mike Clevinger has joined Bauer, Kluber and Carrasco as the fourth @Indians pitcher with 150 strikeouts this season. 2015 & 2016 are the only other seasons in club history in which the Tribe had four such pitchers.
Games needed to turn the trick: 2018: 123 2015: 127 2016: 149
Upon further review, there have been 36 teams in MLB history to have four pitchers with 150+ strikeouts. The 2018 @Indians have achieved the feat faster than any of their predecessors.
By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com phoynes@cleveland.com
BOSTON -- Edwin Encarnacion is eligible to be activated Tuesday. Manager Terry Francona said the Indians may wait a couple of more days, but the move is coming sometime this week.
The most likely player to be optioned to Class AAA Columbus to make room for Encarnacion is the same one who visited manager Terry Francona a couple of days ago -- Yandy Diaz. Francisco Lindor accompanied Diaz and served as interpreter.
The last time Diaz was sent down, he was hitting .500 (7-for-14). This time around he joined the Indians on Aug. 12 when Encarnacion was placed on the disabled list with a sore right hand and strained left biceps. Diaz went into Monday's game against the Red Sox batting cleanup and hitting .419 (13-for-31) with seven RBI.
"He and Frankie came in together and it really impressed me," said Francona. "It impressed me that he cared enough to want to articulate how he was feeling. It impressed me that Frankie took the time and was thoughtful enough to (do that). It meant a lot to me."
Diaz, who defected from Cuba to play baseball, speaks limited English. Lindor, from Puerto Rico, is bilingual.
"It gave me a chance to say some things to Yandy through Frankie that I hope were meaningful, because sometimes young guys don't understand," said Francona. "They just see black and white: I'm either here or I'm not. So, I hope it helped."
Francona said recently that Diaz could be hitting in the middle of the Tribe's lineup in the future. But right now he's behind Jose Ramirez at third, Encarnacion at DH and Yonder Alonso at first. Diaz has played mostly third at Columbus this season, while seeing some time at first.
"He's a heck of a hitter for a younger guy and he's going to get better," said Francona. "And we're just trying to make him understand how important it is to play every aspect of the game. Hopefully, I think he's starting to get it more and more, because as he does, it's going to get exciting."
Diaz turned 27 on Aug. 8. He signed with the Indians as a free agent in 2013 after playing three years in Cuba.
There was nothing subtle behind the reason for Diaz's visit to the manager's office.
"He just wanted to kind of know how he could stay (in the big leagues)," said Francona. "I get it. But it gave me a chance to talk to him, which was good. And Frankie did such a good job of articulating things. It really ended up being fun."
Big league rosters expand on Sept. 1. Francona was asked if that made it easier to sell Diaz on a possible demotion?
"We didn't even get that far," said Frsancona. "We just kind of said, 'Just do your thing and if we need to talk to you, we will and we'll be honest with you. And, if we don't, we'll see how it goes.' You never know."
Francona said he was impressed with the leadership Lindor showed.
"I was so thrilled. I was so proud of him," said Francona. "We hadn't even played the game that day and I was strutting around. I told Chris (Antonetti, president of baseball operations), 'My day is already good.'"
First things first: Francona said outfielder Leonys Martin would love to play again this season, but the organization is concerned about his health at the moment.
Martin was released from Cleveland Clinic on Sunday. He was hospitalized with a bacterial infection that threatened his life.
"I know he would love to (play this season)," said Francona. "I think out of respect to him, we're just trying to allow him to get healthy again. I mean, that's the best way to go about it."
Kluber's not Kluber tonight. I hope his knee is all right. Still, its 3-3 in the 6th, so its not like he's getting hammered. But they are putting some good swings on his pitches.
Tribe starts a key series against the team with the best record at 1-0.
It was tough, but playing a great team is often tough. It was tougher for the Red Sox tonight.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Doc Edwards, who spent parts of his 57 years in professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians, died Monday at age 81.
Howard Rodney "Doc" Edwards managed parts of three seasons for Cleveland from 1987-89. He was first signed by the club as a catcher in 1958 before going on to play for the Kansas City A's, Yankees and Phillies. Edwards was a career .238 hitter, with 15 homers and 87 RBIs in 317 games.
Edwards began his coaching career with the Phillies organization and later came back to the Indians, eventually taking over as manager for Pat Corrales in 1987. The Tribe finished sixth in the American League East division in 1988 with a 78-84 record, but four of Edwards' players on that 1988 squad went on to become Major League managers, including current Indians skipper Terry Francona.
Edwards was dismissed late in the 1989 campaign after going 65-78. John Hart, then a scout with the club, replaced Edwards at the helm for Cleveland before eventually becoming the team's general manager.
Edwards posted an overall 173-207 record as a big league manager. He also coached the Mets and in the minor leagues with the Yankees, Cubs and Expos.
His last job in pro baseball was in 2014 with the independent San Angelo Colts.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
Highlights from Tribe manager Terry Francona’s pregame Q&A on Tuesday.
Q: What’s the latest on Edwin Encarnacion?
Francona: “He’s doing good. I don’t think we will activate him tomorrow, but Thursday seems like a real possibility. We’ll just take it day by day. He’s doing so good that we just want to do the right thing. Everything’s going good. The bicep, he doesn’t feel. And the hand gets better every day. When you watch him hit, he looks like Edwin, which is good.”
Q: Adam Cimber has pitched in three of the past four games. Have you been happy to get him some more consistent work?
Francona: “You don’t want to kill him, but I think it’s been good for him. I think he’s feeling a little more comfortable. I thought last night was important, getting him into the game. I want him to know that we trust him. And, you’re going to give up runs sometimes, but we’re not going to run away.”
Q: How much was acquiring Cimber about getting a good matchup guy to face some of the tough righties on some of the potential postseason teams?
Francona: “Well, you know what, Chris [Antonetti, president of baseball operations] may say that. To me, it was getting a reliever that we could have for the next five or six years and hopefully control some right-handers. A guy that you can depend on, because we may be losing some of that.”
Q: Have you felt better about your outfield lately, given the play of Greg Allen and Melky Cabrera?
Francona: “I really like our team. I don’t think that means that you always have the perfect team. I’m not sure that you have to. Melky’s done a really good job of — since he’s come back — clutch hitting and hitting, but being a full-fledged member of our team. Sometimes, that’s hard to do when you’re new. Guys love him. I love him. He cares. Greg’s come back and done a really good job. When we lost Leonys, that was a huge hit for us. And Greg’s come up and done, man, he has just filled in and looks like he belongs here. It makes it fun. When you have young kids that you see getting better, it’s fun. There will be some hiccups and we know that, but it’s fun to watch them get better. Like last night in this atmosphere, you watch Greg, you watch Cimber, it was fun. I think we all enjoyed it.”
Q: Not just with your team, but there are young players playing well all around baseball right now. Do you think sometimes it’s just hard for younger guys to get the opportunity to show they can play at the Major League level?
Francona: “I think it’s different for every team. If you’re a contender, sometimes it’s hard to go with a kid sink or swim. Sometimes, if you’re out of it, you can let guys play. But, when you’re a contender, you need to sometimes hit now. Not everybody’s ready to do that, so sometimes they have to go back. But, I think eventually, if you can play, it’ll show.”
Q: How hard is it to tell is a young player is ready to be given that chance?
Francona: “Sometimes I think you know, sometimes you don’t know. Sometimes it comes down to how the rest of your team is doing — if you can carry them. Like, I remember Pedroia that first year, he was doing so bad, but he seemed to handle it and we were doing so well that we could carry him. And then he broke out of it. So, sometimes it’s other circumstances — not just how a guy’s doing.”
Q: Allen seems like a mature kid, like he wouldn’t be too overwhelmed during a slump…
Francona: “I think he was a little hard on himself maybe early on, but he’s a smart kid. He’s a mature kid.”
Update on Nick Goody…
Francona: “Nick Goody is going to go get another [opinion]. He’s going to go see [Dr. Keith] Meister on Thursday. He felt it again when he was throwing. So, he’s going to go see Meister and [Dr. James] Andrews is going to be consulted also to try to figure out what’s going on there. He was getting ready to go into like sim games and he’s just feeling it again. So, we’ll have more news on him in a couple days. Hopefully, it’s not something that big, but you start to worry.”
Q: Is Cody Anderson still inching towards pitching in games?
Francona: “Yeah, he’s getting close to pitching in games. We’re trying to figure out [how to do it]. By the end of the month is probably close to when he’s able to pitch in games. Supposedly, his bullpens have been really good. It’s just going to be a little hard. Say there’s a week left in somebody’s season… Bringing him here, that would make you a little nervous, a guy coming and pitching in a Major League environment. So, we’re going to have to figure something out.”
Q: You mentioned Lonnie Chisenhall moved his rehab to Arizona. Has he been able to ramp up his running at all?
Francona: “He just didn’t feel like he was ready to make the next step. So, we thought if he went to Arizona, he could get more hands-on stuff [done], especially when we’re traveling here. We’ll see how it goes. He’s probably not as close as we had hoped.”
Q: You and the Cleveland reporters here have watched Jose Ramirez all season. But, for those of us who don’t get to see him every day, what’s been the main key to him improving so much?
Francona: “I think he’s smarter now. By that, I mean he knows the league. He watches what teams are trying to do to him. He sees the field so well. He’s just a really good baseball player. He’s a great hitter, but he’s not just that. He plays the game. He takes the extra base. He backs up a play. He just plays the game, like, always. His motor never stops.”
Q: Could you see that attitude from him right from the start?
Francona: “We knew the attitude, yeah. I don’t know that we knew that he was going to be this good. I wish I could say that, but no. He kind of looked like he owned the field when he first came up. He was fearless — almost to the point where he thought he was invisible. Remember that? His first time he stole, he was leading off and he was like 20 feet off the bag. Get back!”
Q: Do you feel like Ramirez and Francisco Lindor kind of embody your team’s style of play? They don’t strike out a ton. They both can hit the ball out of the park. They steal bases. Those are all things you do well as a team overall…
Francona: “But, I think you try to take what you have and use your strengths. If guys can’t run, you don’t ask them to run. But, if guys can run, you let them. If guys don’t strikeout, you can put other guys in motion. If your other guys are striking out, it’s hard to do that all the time. But, you can be a little more liberal, like, with Brantley or Ramirez, because you know they’re going to hit the ball.”
Q: Is it fun to manage a team built like that?
Francona: “Very. Oh yeah. Oh sure. Everybody wants to be aggressive, but if it doesn’t make sense… If you have a bunch of guys that are hitting three-run home runs and you’re asking them to hit and run, that doesn’t make much sense.”
All I know is that this huge series is starting out 2-0, Good Guys.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
"First down inside the 10. A score here will put us in the Super Bowl. Cooper is far to the left as Njoku settles into the slot. Moore is flanked out wide to the right. Chubb and Ford are split in the backfield as Watson takes the snap ... Here we go."
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