Marcum provides bright spot in return to bigs

Transcription

1 Marcum provides bright spot in return to bigs By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com 6:30 PM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- The long road back to the Majors for Shaun Marcum wasn't complete until a car ride on two final long roads -- about 120 miles of I-70 E, and another 130 miles on I-71 N. Five hours after leaving Indianapolis -- where the Triple-A Columbus Clippers had been playing -- Marcum arrived in Cleveland. It was 3:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. Less than 12 hours later, Marcum came on in relief in the fifth inning of an 8-5 loss to Detroit. It was the first time Marcum had appeared in a big league game since July 6, 2013, after dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome in his throwing shoulder. "It was nice to get back out there and not have it be a rehab game in Spring Training or anything like that," Marcum said. "The main thing was to go out there and try to get some innings and try to let that bullpen rest." Marcum tossed five innings against a potent Tigers lineup that knocked around Indians' pitching all weekend. Marcum allowed one run -- a solo homer to J.D. Martinez in the ninth -- and three hits. He struck out four and walked three. "I thought Marcum did a terrific job," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He's used to going against some of those types of lineups. I thought he showed the veteran way he handles himself -- you can't run on him, he fields his position, he changed speeds." Marcum admitted he was a bit anxious. His first three pitches went for balls. The second was a cutter in the dirt. Conveniently, that pitch in the dirt encouraged Nick Castellanos -- standing on second at the time -- to break for third. Catcher Roberto Perez threw him out, and, after nearly two years, Marcum had finally recorded a Major League out. Well, sort of. "That was huge," Marcum said. "I was rushing a little bit with mechanics, a little excitement, bouncing fastballs. So to have that play happen kind of settled me down." After that, Marcum pretty much cruised through the final five innings. It was his scheduled day to start for Columbus, so the Indians had no problem letting him throw 69 pitches. He threw 80 in his final Spring Training tuneup. "He's worked so hard," Francona said. "To see him out there, heck yeah, I wish we had an eight-run lead and we could have enjoyed it more. He really did a good job -- not just today, but the last year to get back to this point." Gomes to miss 6-8 weeks with moderate MCL sprain With catcher sidelined, righties Marcum, Adams promoted from Triple-A, lefty Crockett optioned By Jordan Bastian / 6:37 PM ET + 85 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Losing catcher Yan Gomes for any length of time is a devastating blow for an Indians club hoping to contend this season. Cleveland placed Gomes on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with a right knee injury and is expecting him to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. "In the really big picture, it could've been worse," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It's a difficult loss, but he's going to be OK. And anybody that's been around Gomer for five seconds knows he'll work, he'll overwork, and he'll be back the minute he can be." For the time being, Roberto Perez will fill in as the starter behind the plate for the Tribe. "Losing Gomes, man, that can be a season killer," Francona said. "But Perez can handle this. He's strong enough to catch every day." An MRI exam confirmed that Gomes sustained a moderate sprain of the MCL (medial collateral ligament) during Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Tigers. In the ninth inning, Gomes sustained what Cleveland initially described as a sprained right knee. The catcher had his right foot planted on the plate on a force play and Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis slid into Gomes' foot on the play. Gomes had to be helped off the field by two members of Cleveland's medical staff. For Sunday's game, first baseman Carlos Santana doubled as the Tribe's backup catcher. Francona noted that Santana, who was Cleveland's primary catcher from , volunteered to be the reserve option but the manager indicated that Brett Hayes will join the team on Tuesday to be the backup catcher going forward. The Indians will need to make a 40-man roster move into order to add Hayes to the mix. "Brett Hayes will be here," Francona said. "For today, for a number of reasons, having Carlos saves us a roster spot where we could add two pitchers. Just with the state of what's happened the last two days, I think we felt more comfortable getting two arms here." Along those lines, the Indians recalled right-hander Austin Adams and selected the contract of righty Shaun Marcum from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday. In order to clear room on the active roster for Adams, the Indians optioned lefty Kyle Crockett to Triple-A. Cleveland released Minor League pitcher Charles Brewer to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Marcum's arrival. Francona said Crockett was the odd man out strictly because he has Minor League options. "We got in a little bit of a bind," Francona said. "We can send him down and our plans are not to have him pitch in Triple-A. When he comes back, you can't ever make promises that you don't know, but we don't want him to be a Triple-A pitcher. We want him to help us win Major League games." Indians unable to overcome shaky House vs. Tigers By Jason Beck and Jordan Bastian / MLB.com 7:00 PM ET COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Miguel Cabrera has tormented the Tribe throughout his career and that did not change during Cleveland's home-opening set against the rival Tigers. Cabrera launched two home runs, collected four hits and powered Detroit to an 8-5 victory over the Indians on Sunday at Progressive Field.

2 Cabrera's four-hit, four-rbi outpouring capped off an 11-for-14 showing in the three-game sweep of the Tribe, as the Tigers improved to 6-0 on the season. That marks the most hits the Tigers' first baseman has produced in a three-game series in his career. In the process, Cabrera's season average skyrocketed to.520 from.182 over the past three games. "I feel very good," Cabrera said. "I feel like I'm seeing the ball very good, try to get my pitches and try to put a good swing on the ball." Carlos Santana delivered an RBI single in the first inning and Ryan Raburn contributed a two-run double in the third, but that was not enough to erase the damage done by Indians starter TJ House (1 1/3 innings). That was all the damage Cleveland managed against Tigers lefty Kyle Lobstein in his five innings of work. "I actually think this is kind of our time to shine," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Losing three in a row to these guys hurts, and the way we lost, they beat us around pretty good. But I feel really strongly that this group we have will find a way to pick each other up and we'll come through this." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED House of pain: The Tigers went 6-for-10 with three walks against House in the lefty's first start of the season. Cabrera punctuated a three-run first inning with two-run homer that rocketed out to left field. In a three-run second, J.D. Martinez chased House from the game with a two-run single. It took House 28 pitches to record his first out in the first inning. "I just didn't think he had a very good feel," Francona said. "TJ's got to throw strikes and throw strikes down and work ahead. Just right from the very beginning, it seemed like it was tough. He was leaving some balls up arm side and falling behind." More > Cabreraland Rocks: While Cleveland celebrated the opening of Progressive Field's right-field social area this weekend, Cabrera claimed the rest of the ballpark as his own. He homered twice onto the left-field plaza -- a 410-foot drive for a two-run homer in the opening inning, then a 415-foot solo shot in the fourth. Add in a double off the center-field wall and an RBI single, and Cabrera posted his second straight four-hit game to go with four RBIs and three runs scored. "He does it everywhere," teammate Justin Verlander said. "We just happen to play here a lot. I don't know what it is, man. He's a freak anywhere we go. Nothing surprises me." More > Yan's gone: In his first start after the loss of catcher Yan Gomes (out six to eight weeks with a right knee sprain), catcher Roberto Perez was put to the test by Detroit. Rajai Davis and Ian Kinsler pulled off a double steal in the first inning and Perez made a throwing error to third on the play, allowing a run to score. Detroit ended with three thefts on the day. In the fifth, Perez did cut down Nick Castellanos, who tried to advance to third on a ball in the dirt. At the plate, Perez contributed a sac fly as part of a two-run eighth inning for the Tribe. "Perez has a very good arm. He's very capable," Kinsler said. "I think Yan has a little more experience. He's able to control the game a little bit better, but Perez has a great arm. That's something we have to respect." More > Francona on his new backstop Francona on his new backstop 4/12/15: Terry Francona believes that Roberto Perez is ready to be the Indians backstop after Yan Gomes' trip to the disabled list Be-Lobbered start: Lobstein, wearing specs for the first time, had to labor to see his way through five innings in his fill-in start for injured Justin Verlander. Six of the 10 baserunners off the left-hander were left-handed hitters, including Michael Bourn and Brandon Moss twice, as Lobstein struggled to locate his breaking ball. Yet he avoided disaster when he needed an out, stranding seven runners on base and allowing just two hits with runners in scoring position over five innings of three-run ball. "It was a battle," Lobstein said. "Hard-fought early, but I felt like I settled down. And so getting the win was just kind of icing on the cake." QUOTABLE "I don't know what went through his mind. I don't understand why I would want to hit someone after going to 0-2 and not get him out. It just shocked me. When he came to the mound, he told me that I did it on purpose. I just said, 'OK, well, I don't know why I wasted those two pitches. I might as well have got it out of the way the first time.'" -- House, on being issued a warning by home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna after hitting Victor Martinez with a pitch in the first inning "I'll put it into perspective: It's the first week of the season, and I'm not ready to throw any parties." -- Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, on the Tigers' 6-0 start, their best since More > SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Cabrera leads all active players with 37 career home runs against the Indians. Torii Hunter and Alex Rodriguez rank second with 32 long balls apiece against Cleveland. Cabrera's 23 homers at Progressive Field are the most all time among players (retired or active) with no more than 100 games played at the ballpark. WELCOME BACK Prior to Sunday's game, Cleveland purchased the contract of veteran right-hander Shaun Marcum from Triple-A Columbus. When he took the mound in the fifth inning for the Indians, it marked the 33-year-old's first Major League appearance since July 6, Marcum spent the bulk of the past two seasons coming back from surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome. He returned with five solid innings, in which the lone hiccup was an eighth-inning leadoff home run to J.D. Martinez. "It was nice to get back out there," Marcum said, "and not have it be a rehab game in Spring Training or anything like that. The main thing was to go out there and try to get some innings and try to let that bullpen rest." More > WHAT'S NEXT Tigers: The Tigers will take part in their third home opener, this one belonging to Pittsburgh, with a 1:35 p.m. ET matchup against the Pirates on Monday at PNC Park. Anibal Sanchez, who tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Twins last Wednesday in Detroit, has held Pirates hitters to a.204 average for his career, largely from his Marlins days. Indians: Following an off-day on Monday, the Indians will host the White Sox in another American League Central clash on Tuesday. For the opener of the two-game set, right-hander Carlos Carrasco will take the ball for the Tribe. In his last outing, Carrasco struck out 10 and spun 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston. Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.

3 Murphy's Law in effect in rough weekend for Tribe By Jordan Bastian / 6:22 PM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- A fitting image to sum up this home-opening series against the Tigers was found on the field before Sunday's game. Indians catcher Yan Gomes came out on crutches, joining All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley for the presentation of the Silver Slugger Awards they both won last season. Gomes could be sidelined for two months with a sprained right knee. Brantley was out of the lineup for the past two games with a balky back issue that has been bothersome since early in Spring Training. Those two losses were discouraging enough. Then, Detroit dealt Cleveland an 8-5 defeat that sealed a series sweep of the Tribe in their first meeting of the year. "You can't look back on it and not say that it wasn't tough," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said of this weekend. "I don't know which is worse -- losing the three games or losing the two players we did. I actually do know which one is worse, but it's part of the season. Every team is going to go through stuff." It just seemed like what could go wrong, did go wrong against the Tigers. Aside from the 6 1/3 strong innings provided by reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber on Saturday, Cleveland's pitching staff was bruised and beaten by the Tigers' bats. Leading the charge was a familiar foe. Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera -- long a thorn in the Tribe's side -- had two home runs and four hits on Sunday, giving him 11 hits over the three-game series. Cleveland's fourth and fifth starters -- Zach McAllister and TJ House -- combined to allow 11 runs on 19 hits in 5 1/3 innings in their respective outings on Friday and Sunday. In the middle game, the Tribe's bullpen coughed up seven runs after Kluber's exit. On the whole, the Indians' pitching staff posted a 7.67 ERA in the three games against Detroit after having a 1.04 ERA over the first three games in Houston. "Some things have gone wrong," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "I actually think this is kind of our time to shine. As a team and as an organization, I think we'll figure out how to win games. Losing three in a row to these guys hurts, and the way we lost, they beat us around pretty good. "But I feel really strongly that this group we have will find a way to pick each other up and we'll come through this." Heading into the season, the Indians received a lot of preseason hype from national publications. Sports Illustrated went as far as placing the team on a regional cover and predicting that the Indians would win the World Series. The Tigers, who have won the past four AL Central titles, issued a reminder this weekend that the road to the division crown runs through the Motor City. Over those past four years, Detroit boasts a record against Cleveland. That includes a mark over the past two seasons against Francona's Indians. The Tribe's players are not going to worry too much about three days within a long season, though. "It's been a tough homestand," utility man Ryan Raburn said. "In the opening series, we lose Yan and Brant's been hurt. That's definitely tough. We played our tails off. We just couldn't quite catch them this series.... We've got 156 left. These three games aren't going to make or break it. It definitely could've been nicer to take a couple, if not all of them, but we've just got to put it behind us and get ready to move on." Brantley still dealing with lower back stiffness Veteran Swisher, utility man Walters progressing in respective rehabs By August Fagerstrom / 12:33 PM ET + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley was held out of the Indians' lineup for a second consecutive day on Sunday, as he continues to deal with lower back stiffness. "He feels slightly better today," Indians manager Terry Francona said before Sunday's finale vs. the Tigers. "I think with the day off tomorrow, if we could just give him today off, I think we'll have a ton more information after this off-day." It was an issue Brantley dealt with throughout Spring Training, but the move is still considered more of a precautionary measure, as a trip to the disabled list has not yet been seriously considered. "I think the trainers just want to get a little better handle on this, talking to some other medical people that maybe have a little more expertise in that area just so we make good decisions," Francona said. Some more updates from Sunday morning: First baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher is coming along in his recovery from last August's double knee surgery. Reports out of the team's facilities in Arizona are that Swisher is swinging the bat well and that he's seen time in the outfield. He was placed on the 15-day DL on April 2. Utility man Zach Walters is also progressing in in-game activity at the team complex in Arizona as he rehabs a strained right oblique suffered in Spring Training. He'll be sent to Triple-A Columbus once he ramps up to a nine-inning workload. Walters has already played five positions in limited time at the Major League level, but Francona mentioned that the team will likely keep him at just one position in the early stages of his rehab as he focuses on his health. Zach McAllister, who won the Indians' fifth-starter job out of Spring Training, will be available out of the bullpen starting Tuesday. Due to offdays on Monday and Thursday, the Indians don't need a full five-man rotation for the time being. Carlos Carrasco is scheduled to pitch Tuesday, with Trevor Bauer on Wednesday. After that, the team is sorting through possibilities of how the rotation will unfold moving forward. Francona: Gomes injury 'a baseball play' By Jordan Bastian / 1:00 PM ET + 22 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- One day after Indians catcher Yan Gomes was injured on a play at the plate, no one inside Cleveland's clubhouse took issue with the slide that did the damage. In the ninth inning of Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Tigers, Rajai Davis slid through home plate, striking Gomes' right foot and jarring the catcher's knee. The Indians placed Gomes on the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday's game, but understood that Davis found himself in a tough spot. "It was just a baseball play," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He just clipped his heel. I watched it live. That was just baseball."

4 With the bases loaded, Detroit's J.D. Martinez chopped a pitch to first baseman Carlos Santana, who gloved the ball and quickly fired it to Gomes at home. The catcher had his right foot positioned in the middle of the plate and was stretched out in a similar manner as a first baseman. Davis had little choice but to slide through the plate. "What can you do?" Davis told reporters. "We were both there at the same time. I don't know how you avoid that. It just is what it is." Indians first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., who spent 20 years in the Majors as a catcher, said Gomes' technique on the play was good. "He started going forward," Alomar explained. "He started from the back [of the plate] in case the throw goes to the lateral side, you can cover the back side. It's a forceout play. It's one of those plays that is very dangerous play for the catcher, because you expose your leg. You're stretched out. You normally go with your toe in case you get clipped, it goes. "What made it difficult was the speed of the runner. Davis is fast. He's going to put a lot of torque into that leg. If it was a slower runner, maybe it wouldn't happen, but the fact that he planted it completely, that may have had something to do with it. But then again, if you go on your toes, it might've been worse. Who knows? It's not an easy play for a catcher." Alomar added that while the end result was unfortunate for the Indians, it was a clean play. "He just went to tag home plate and Gomer's leg was there," Alomar said. "He went through the base. He wasn't trying to hurt anybody." Tigers manager Brad Ausmus echoed that response. "He didn't try to hit him. He was just trying to beat the play," Ausmus told reporters. "It's just unfortunate that Gomes would get injured on the play. Gomes didn't do anything wrong, either. He was just trying to keep his foot on the plate and catch the ball." White Sox, Indians set to renew acquaintances By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com 7:02 PM ET + 0 COMMENTS The White Sox and Indians continue their journey through the American League Central, beginning a quick two-game series in Cleveland on Tuesday. The White Sox open the season with 25 of their first 28 games against the AL Central, including 18 straight. The Indians open with 20 of 27 against the Central, including 17 straight. Lefty Jose Quintana gets the start on Tuesday for Chicago. Carlos Carrasco will toe the rubber for Cleveland. Three things to know about this game: Quintana is 3-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 career games (nine starts) and 58 1/3 innings pitched against the Indians. He has a 1.52 ERA over 23 2/3 innings at Progressive Field, and has also recorded 40 no-decisions overall since 2012, the most in baseball. After learning during Sunday's game that Indians catcher Yan Gomes will miss six to eight weeks with a moderate sprain of the MCL in his right knee, the Roberto Perez era in Cleveland officially begins. Perez caught Carrasco seven times last year, and in those seven starts, Carrasco posted a 1.07 ERA. The White Sox finished 9-10 against the Indians during the 2014 season. They lost seven of their last nine head-to-head matchups after winning seven of the first 10. In 2013, Cleveland held a 17-2 advantage over the South Siders that helped fuel the Indians' playoff push. Indians report: Catcher Yan Gomes to miss 6-8 weeks, but Tribe thankful knee injury wasn t worse By Marla Ridenour CLEVELAND: For any other team five games into a season, losing a starting catcher for perhaps two months would be a devastating blow. Indians manager Terry Francona hopes that is not the case. Yan Gomes suffered a moderate sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in Saturday night s loss to the Detroit Tigers and will miss six to eight weeks, the Indians announced Sunday. Gomes underwent an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic on Sunday morning, then came to Progressive Field to receive his 2014 Silver Slugger Award in a pregame ceremony. Gomes hobbled onto the field on crutches to join teammate Michael Brantley, sidelined for the fourth time in five games with lower back stiffness. We re very fortunate. Losing Gomes, man, that can be a season-killer. But [Roberto] Perez can handle this, Francona said before the game. Afterward, Francona was thankful Gomes won t miss more time. Any time you lose him for any amount of time it s not good, Francona said. In the really big picture, it could have been worse. This is about what we thought after talking to the trainers last night. It s a difficult loss but he s going to be OK. Anyone who has been around Gomer for five seconds knows he ll overwork and he ll be back the minute he can be. The timetable for Gomes return would put him back at the earliest around May 25. Eight weeks would mean about June 9. Gomes was injured on a force play at the plate in the ninth inning. He was stretched out like a first baseman to receive a ground ball from Carlos Santana when sliding runner Rajai Davis clipped Gomes in the heel, causing his knee to bend awkwardly. Francona, who has knee problems himself, will not watch the replay. It was just a baseball play, Francona said. That kid s so fast, that was bang bang. Gomer was stretched out. The hard thing is there s no first base. When you re stretching you re on a flat plate. Roberto Perez, who has played in 32 major-league games, filled in for Gomes last year when he was on the disabled list with a concussion. Perez s strength is in calling a game and on defense. It wasn t until last season that Perez showed improvement at the plate, hitting.271 in 29 games for the Indians.

5 Santana volunteered to serve as the Indians backup catcher Sunday, but Francona said Brett Hayes will be called up from Triple-A Columbus before Tuesday s start of a two-game home series against the Chicago White Sox. The Indians are off Monday. Gomes was considered an All-Star candidate this season after becoming the first Indians catcher to win a Silver Slugger outright. (Victor Martinez shared it in 2004). In 135 games last season, Gomes hit.278 with 21 homers, 74 RBI and 25 doubles. In five games this season he was batting.150. Any time you lose somebody it s tough. Especially when he s kind of the quarterback out there so to speak, Indians right-hander Corey Kluber said. Yan being the catcher, he s kind of the captain on the field and he s been that way for a couple years now, Indians closer Cody Allen said. He really takes charge behind the plate. He s helped me out tremendously in my own career. He s very good at communicating. Asked if he can be a leader like Gomes, Perez said: I think I can. I always come ready to play even though I m a backup. I m always going for scouting reports and all that. My defense is there. Supposedly I call a good game. I m not trying to do too much. I m prepared and hopefully I do the job. Several times this spring, Francona used the word indispensable in reference to Gomes. I think that s a pretty big compliment to Gomer. But saying that, we re so fortunate we have Roberto, Francona said. Every single pitcher on the staff... they love throwing to him. He s strong enough to catch every day. We re not going to hit him fifth like we hit Gomes. But the game won t get altered by the way the guys pitch and that s a big compliment to Roberto. Roster moves Right-handers Shaun Marcum and Austin Adams were recalled from Columbus and left-hander Kyle Crockett was optioned to Triple-A. Righthander Charles Brewer was released. Francona said Crockett had pitched three consecutive days and is not expected to see action with the Clippers. Marcum pitched five innings and allowed just one run on three hits Sunday, while Adams worked 2 and gave up one run on two hits. Brantley update Francona said the training staff will use the off day to gather more information on Brantley s problem. The trainers just want to get a little better handle on this, talking to some other medical people that have a little more expertise just so we make good decisions, Francona said. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Miguel Cabrera wreaks havoc with Tribe pitching as Tigers sweep Indians By Marla RidenourPublished: April 12, :13 PM Updated: April 12, :13 PM CLEVELAND: Perhaps it was the sight of the Indians unofficial captain, catcher Yan Gomes, on crutches before the game. Perhaps it was just a bad day for left-hander T.J. House. But even without all that negativity, it may not have mattered against Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers sizzling offense. Cabrera went 4-for-4 with two homers and four RBI as the Tigers cruised past the Indians 8-5 Sunday at Progressive Field. The four-time American League Central Division champion Tigers (6-0) swept the three-game series and improved to 9-1 against the Indians since Sept. 1. Cabrera is hitting.357 in his career against the Tribe with 31 doubles, 37 home runs and 118 RBI in 133 games. It marked the 31st career multi-homer game for Cabrera. In 14 at-bats in the series, Cabrera totaled 11 hits, his most in a three-game set. He also recorded the first back-to-back four-hit games of his career. Cabrera came in hitting.182 and left with a.520 average. I don t think it s just our pitching, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. I said it to maybe [Ian] Kinsler, I m glad we got to lock him back in and he s like, You think you re the only team that locks him back in? He s just a special hitter. If you miss anywhere up over the plate, that s exactly what he s looking for. You re happy when he singles to right. Cabrera was intentionally walked only once, in the eighth inning Sunday. When you look back there were just no situations to do that, Indians manager Terry Francona said. He s that good a hitter and when he feels that good at the plate, that s a bad feeling. Roberto Perez took over at catcher for Gomes, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee Saturday that will sideline him six to eight weeks. The Tigers stole three bases, including a double steal in the first inning, before Perez threw out Nick Castellanos trying to go from second to third in the fifth inning. House (0-1, 40.50) lasted just 1 innings, his shortest outing in the majors, and matched a career-high with six runs allowed. He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out two. Cabrera hit a solo homer, his first of two onto the porch in left, during a three-run first. Didn t keep it down, wasn t throwing strikes, House said. It s frustrating. I don t want to give up all those runs and not pitch deep into a ballgame and put our pitching staff in a position that s not comfortable right now. House was warned after hitting Victor Martinez in the first inning after Cabrera s home run and admitted it may have made him pitch more tentatively.

6 I don t know what was going through his mind, House said of home plate umpire Dan Iassogna. I don t understand why I would want to hit someone after going 0-2 and not getting an out. That just shocked me when he came to the mound and told me I did it on purpose. I just said, OK, I don t know why I wasted those two pitches, I might as well have got it out of the way the first time. It s hard. Now you know that if you hit somebody I m getting thrown out of the game for something I didn t do intentionally. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Tigers 8, Indians 5: Marla Ridenour's one last thing on Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley By Marla Ridenour Published: April 12, 2015 The scene at Progressive Field on Sunday was sad, ironic and didn't bode well for the rest of the season. In a pre-game ceremony, Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley received their 2014 Silver Slugger Awards. Gomes was on crutches, Brantley sidelined for the fourth game in five days with lower back stiffness. Catcher Gomes will miss six to eight weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee suffered Saturday. Gomes is the Indians' quarterback on the field and one of their best clubhouse leaders. He's the one who teaches the young players to put team-first, if a clubhouse retort I saw to Trevor Bauer last year was any indication. He's a true professional and all business, at least during the time we're allowed an inside look. He seemed headed for the All-Star Game this year. Left fielder Brantley has a back problem that has bothered him since spring training. Manager Terry Francona admitted that the Tribe's training staff would use Monday's off day to get more information from outside specialists about Brantley's issue. Brantley downplayed the problem before the Indians' home opener Friday, yet Francona said Saturday he regretted letting Brantley play. I've thought for three years that Brantley was the player who makes the Indians' offense go. Brantley had a breakout season in 2014, making the All-Star Game and finishing third in the AL MVP voting. After the Tigers swept the three-game series, I wasn't the only one concerned about the two injuries. "You can't look back on it and say it wasn't tough," second baseman Jason Kipnis said of the series. "I don't know what was worse, losing three games or losing the two players we did. I actually do know which one's worse, but it's part of the season, every team's going to go through stuff where some players are going to get nicked up or put on the shelf for a couple days. "I think we've got some guys who are more than qualified to step in and take up their roles. But it's hard to replace two Silver Sluggers and two leaders of this team, but I think we're going to do a pretty good job of trying." Roberto Perez should be able to handle the catching job defensively, but until last season there were questions about his bat. He's no Gomes. The Indians would seem to have plenty of outfielders -- Michael Bourn, Brandon Moss, David Murphy, Ryan Raburn, Jerry Sands, utility man Mike Aviles and Nick Swisher when he returns from the disabled list after two August knee surgeries. But I'm not sure I see a catalyst like Brantley on that list unless it's Moss. Kipnis thought Monday's off day comes at a good time. "The first one we didn't really need right after opening day," he said of April 7 in Houston. "This one kind of with the way the opening series went and losing two guys, the reset button's not the worst thing in the world right now." The Indians are 2-4 and manager Terry Francona has already had to go to his rally-the-troops speech, at least to the media. "Some things have gone wrong, but... we have a day off to kind of gather ourselves and I actually think that this is kind of our time to shine. As a team and as an organization, I think we'll figure out how to win games. "Losing three in a row hurts, and the way we lost, they beat us around pretty good. But I feel really strongly that this group will find a way to pick each other up and we'll go through it together and we'll come through this." Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians' catcher Yan Gomes to miss 6-8 weeks with MCL sprain By Marla Ridenour Published: April 12, 2015 Indians catcher Yan Gomes will miss six to eight weeks with a moderate sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the team announced. Gomes was injured on a force play at the plate in the ninth inning of Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. The timetable for Gomes' return would put him back at the earliest around May 25, the start of a three-game home series against the Texas Rangers. Eight weeks would mean about June 9, the beginning of a three-game home series against the Seattle Mariners. Before facing the Tigers in the season finale Sunday, the Indians put Gomes on the 15-day disabled list. In his pre-game press conference, manager Terry Francona hinted the Indians would be without Gomes for a lot longer than that. "We're very fortunate. Losing Gomes, man, that can be a season-killer. But (Roberto) Perez can handle this," Francona said. Gomes underwent an MRI Sunday morning at the Cleveland Clinic. He later joined the team at the ballpark, where he received his 2014 Silver Slugger Award, joining fellow winner Michael Brantley in a pre-game ceremony. Gomes hobbled onto the field on crutches. Carlos Santana volunteered to serve as the backup catcher behind Roberto Perez Sunday, but Francona said Brett Hayes will be called up from Triple-A Columbus before Tuesday's two-game home series against the Chicago White Sox. The Indians are off Monday.

7 In other roster moves, right-handers Shaun Marcum and Austin Adams were recalled from Triple-A Columbus and left-hander Kyle Crockett was optioned to Columbus. Right-hander Charles Brewer was released. Francona said Crockett had pitched three consecutive days and he is not expected to see action with the Clippers. Gomes was considered an All-Star candidate this season after becoming the first Indians catcher to win an American League Silver Slugger Award outright last year. He's also the Indians' quarterback on the field and one of their most valuable clubhouse leaders. "I think I used the word with Gomer a lot of times this spring where you like your catcher to be indispensible. I think that's a pretty big compliment to Gomer," Francona said. "But saying that, we're so fortunate we have Roberto. I don't know how many teams can say that man, you lose your guy, but you have a catcher that... I would say the biggest thing is that every single pitcher on the staff has not one single issue throwing with Roberto. "He has a little bit less experience less than Gomes, not a ton, but some. But they all love throwing to him. We told him this spring, 'Prepare like you're going to be an everyday guy because you're always one injury away from being an everyday guy. Unfortunately that happened. The good side for us it that he can handle this. This is Gomes' second time on the major league disabled list. He was sidelined Aug llast year with a concussion. In five games, he hit 3 for 20 with a double and two runs scored. Considered a strong defensive catcher, Perez filled in for Gomes last season and has developed a good relationship with the pitching staff. "He's strong enough to catch every day," Francona said. "He's been an everyday catcher. We're not going to hit him fifth like we hit Gomes. But the game won't get altered by the way the guys pitch and that's a big compliment to Roberto." Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: What Cleveland Indians said after 8-5 loss to Detroit Tigers on Sunday Paul Hoynes, on April 12, 2015 at 7:43 PM, updated April 12, 2015 at 7:44 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's what manager Terry Francona and the Indians had to say following Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Tigers at Progressive Field. Why didn't you walk Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, who went 11-for-14 in the series, more? "If you look back at the situations, it's hard to walk him with the bases loaded or with runners on first and second with nobody out. That's no disrespect to Victor Martinez (who hits behind Cabrera). "Anytime we thought we could walk him we were going to...even if there was a runner on first. If you look back, there were not situations to do that. When he's that good a hitter, and he feels that good at the plate, that's a bad feeling." On catcher Yan Gomes being lost for six to eight weeks with a sprained Medical Collateral Ligament in his right knee. "Anytime you lose Yan Gomes for any amount of time it's not good. But in the really big picture, it could have been worse. I think this is about what we thought after talking to the trainers on Saturday night. "It's a difficult loss, but he's going to be OK. Anybody who has been around Gomer for five seconds knows he'll work and be back the minute he can be." What does losing three straight to the Tigers mean? "Losing three in a row to these guys hurts. They beat us around pretty good. But I feel really strongly that this group will find a way to pick each other up and we'll come through this." On TJ House allowing six runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings against the Tigers. "TJ has to throw strikes and throw strikes down and work ahead. Right from the very beginning it seemed like it was tough. The ball was up and he was falling behind. "We wanted to give him a chance to reel it in, but at the same time it looked like we had a chance to score some runs. I didn't want it to get to a point where it got out of hand and we didn't have any chance to win." On Austin Adams (2 2/3 innings) and Shaun Marcum (five innings) pitching well after being promoted from Class AAA Columbus on Sunday. "Austin came in and did a really good job. He's not a long guy so he was probably starting to get a little tired. "I thought Marcum did a terrific job. He's used to going through that type of a lineup. He's a veteran and he showed that -- you can't run on him, he fields his position, he changes speeds." On plate umpire Dan Iassogna warning House after he hit Victor Martinez in the first inning? "Yeah, I was surprise. I think the Tigers were too. That's the last thing we need to do right now is hit somebody and have an early exit. We didn't have a whole lot of pitching out there." House On what happened vs. Tigers. "The ball was up a little bit. I didn't keep it down. I wasn't throwing strikes." On being warned after hitting Martinez. "I don't understand why I would want to hit someone after going 0-2 on him. It shocked me when he came to the mound. He told me I did it on purpose. I said, "OK, I don't know why I wasted those two pitches. I might as well have got it out of the way the first time.'"

8 On being affected after the warning. "It's hard. Now you know if you hit somebody you're getting thrown out of the game for something I didn't do intentionally. It was just a tough situation right there." Jason Kipnis, 1-for-5. On losing three straight to the Tigers, while losing Yan Gomes to an injury and Michael Brantley deals with back spasms? "You can't look back on it and say it wasn't tough. I don't know what's worse, losing three games or the two players we lost. Actually I do know what's worse. "Every team is going to go through a part of the season where players get nicked up and some guys get put on the shelf. But I think we have guys who are more than qualified to step in take up their roles. "But it's hard to replace two Silver Sluggers and leaders on this team. But I think we're going to do a pretty good job of trying." What can the Indians do to stop Miguel Cabrera? "It's not just our pitching. I told Ian Kinsler on second base, "I'm glad we got him locked back in.' Kinsler said, "Do you think you're the only team that locks him in?' He's just a special hitter...you're happy when he takes his singles to right field." On whether Cabrera's home run trot -- which can be timed by a sundial, not to mention the stutter steps and chirping to the fans -- can be irritating to the opposition. "No, no, no. He's not chirping. He's not saying anything. He's hit enough of them and he's not exactly a fast human being as is. He can take his time. He's hit enough of them. He knows what he's doing." Ryan Raburn, 2-for-4, two RBI. On Cabrera. "He's just a professional hitter. I don't know if he gets as much credit as he should because he's so talented at the plate. He's very smart. He knows how to keep his bat in the zone and if you make a mistake it doesn't take him a lot to do some damage with it because he's so strong. "He knows what he's doing in the box. He has a good idea of what that pitcher is trying to do to him." On Cabrera's home run trot "It irritates me only because I'm with Cleveland and I want to beat those guys. I don't play with those guys anymore. It's definitely irritating for me because I want to beat them. "They're one of the best teams in baseball and to be the best you have to beat the best. "But he's a special hitter. He's been doing it for a long time. He's fun to watch, but he's a pain in the butt to watch if you know what I mean." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Miguel Cabrera's monster day helps Detroit Tigers sweep Cleveland Indians: DMan's Report, Game 6 Dennis Manoloff CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Miguel Cabrera went 4-for-4 with one double, two homers, four RBI, three runs and an intentional walk as the Tigers defeated the Indians, 8-5, Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Here is a capsule look at the game after a dvr review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: Broom service: The Tigers, who are 6-0 for the first time since 1985, swept the three-game series. They out-hit the Indians, 43-27, and outscored them, They went 16-for-39 (.410) with runners in scoring position. They walked 16 times. Underscoring their professional-hitting clinic: 33 of the 43 hits were singles. They willingly worked with what the pitcher provided instead of trying to muscle up and/or pull everything. Cabrera was 11-for-14 with one double, two homers, six RBI, four runs and one steal (of third). He became the first Tiger since Marty McManus in 1929 with 11-plus hits in a three-game series and the first Indians opponent since at least 1914 to do so. No mas: The Indians (2-4) have lost nine of their past 10 against Detroit at Progressive Field dating to last season. Total score: Early toll: The Tribe staff threw a combined 533 pitches in the series. Seventeen pitchers were used (includes multiple appearances). And the Tribe was coming off a series finale in Houston on Thursday in which four pitchers combined on a one-hitter but needed 163 pitches. 63-pitch mess: What had the potential to be a difficult matchup for Cleveland -- a finesse lefty, T.J. House, against a potent lineup that is locked in -- played out as such. House needed to be near-flawless with his execution; he was nowhere close. He didn't keep batters off-balance and didn't locate. House, making his season's debut and first career appearance against the Tigers, allowed six runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two. House gave up three runs in the first inning and three in the second. He exited with two on base, both of whom were stranded by righty reliever Austin Adams. Other than Yoenis Cespedes and Nick Castellanos, Detroit's all-right-handed lineup was unfazed by House's repertoire of high-80s fastball, slider and changeup. In back-to-back plate appearances, Cespedes struck out swinging at a slider down and in and Castellanos was caught looking at a fastball on the inside corner. The other outs against House came on a fielder's choice by No. 8 James McCann and groundout by No. 9 Jose Iglesias.

9 The first batter of the game served as a portent: House threw six straight fastballs and walked Rajai Davis away, 88 away, 86 called strike (inner half), 87 foul, 88 low (barely), 88 (low and inside). No. 2 batter Ian Kinsler punched a 2-2 fastball (89) to right field for a single. Kinsler notched his seventh hit of the series and Detroit's 24th that traveled to the opposite field or up the middle. On the first pitch to Cabrera, Davis and Kinsler stole. Davis scored when catcher Roberto Perez's throw sailed into left field. Cabrera blasted a 1-1 changeup onto the home-run porch, and just like that it was 3-0. Detroit's other hit in the first was J.D. Martinez's single off a 2-1 fastball (90). In the second inning, Davis punched a decent 2-1 fastball down and away (87) for a single to right-center. After Kinsler walked, Cabrera shot a 1-2 slider (83) to left for an RBI single. After Victor Martinez walked, J.D. Martinez ripped a 3-0 fastball over the plate (87) for a two-run single. Enter Adams. Gettin' Miggy Wid It: Cabrera, the best hitter of his generation, entered with fabulous career numbers against the Indians (132 games, 35 homers, 114 RBI,.352 average, OPS) and at Progressive Field (68 games, 21 homers, 69 RBI,.347 average, OPS). As expected, Cabrera's barrel marks are all over Detroit's 9-1 run at Progressive Field dating to last season. Here are his performances: June for-4, two runs (W, 6-4). June for-5, two double, RBI, run (W, 5-4). June for-4, homer, three RBI, two runs (W, 10-4). Sept for-5, two homers, three RBI, four runs (W, 12-1). Sept for-5, double (W, 4-2). Sept for-3 (L, 7-0). Sept for-5, double (W, 11-4). April for-5, RBI, steal (W, 8-4). April for-5, RBI, run (W, 9-6). April for-4, double, two homers, four RBI, three runs (W, 8-5). Totals: 26-for-45 (.578), five doubles, five homers, 13 RBI, 13 runs, steal. Here is a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Miggy's at-bats Sunday: First inning vs. House (runner on third, one out) fastball, called strike (double steal, throwing error by Perez, run in); 81 slider, low; 81 changeup, two-run homer to left. Skinny: House threw three different pitches, which makes sense when facing Miggy, but guided the changeup. It floated over the plate and stayed up, amounting to a batting practice pitch for a hitter of Miggy's caliber. Second inning vs. House (runners on first and second, one out) slider, called strike (over plate at knees); 82 slider, ball; 81 slider, swinging strike (down and in), 83 slider, RBI single to left. Skinny: It is dangerous to double-up to Miggy, let alone quadruple-up, but House attempted to throw four straight sliders and get away with it. In one sense, though, House had put himself in a box: His fastball likely was not going to work against Miggy, and the changeup already had been hammered. Truth is, House's fourth slider was not a terrible pitch, on the inside corner at the knees. Miggy simply took what was given to him and settled for a sharp grounder into the hole past shortstop Mike Aviles. Fourth inning vs. Adams (none on, none out) changeup, called strike; 87 changeup, homer to left. Skinny: Why Adams and Perez doubled-up with a changeup to begin the AB mystified SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning, who said: "They started him off with a changeup. They tried to come back with a second one. They just gave him a good look at it. You can't give him the same pitch twice. This one had a little bit more of the plate than the first one -- this one comes middle in. "He hadn't had an opportunity to see his fastball yet. At least take him off that changeup.'' Sixth inning vs. Shaun Marcum (none on, two outs) off-speed, down and away; 84 off-speed, foul; 72 curve, down and away; 84 off-speed, double to center. Skinny: The 84-mph pitches appeared to be breaking pitches, but they could have been changeups because Marcum's changeup has been charted with a different type of movement. In any case, the one that Miggy hit was down but not far enough away. Miggy stayed compact -- and nearly hit the ball out; it one-hopped the wall. Manning said: "How easy does he make it look?'' Eighth inning vs. Marcum (runner on first, two outs). Intentional walk. Skinny: Wise choice -- even with a runner on base, in a 7-3 game, with Victor Martinez on deck. (Martinez grounded to second.) Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED:

10 Yan Gomes on DL, Brett Hayes on way: Cleveland Indians quick hits Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio - First things first: Yan Gomes is out for six to eight weeks with a sprained Medial Collateral Ligament in his right knee. Reserve catcher Roberto Perez is going to get a chance to play, but Carlos Santana's days as an emergency catcher will be short lived. "Carlos volunteered to catch for today," said manager Terry Francona before Sunday's game. "He will not stay the backup catcher. We've got an off day Monday, but Brett Hayes will be here. He's going to be one of our catchers." Hayes opened the season at Class AAA Columbus. He is expected to join the Indians on Tuesday when they open a two-game series against the White Sox. The Indians signed Hayes to a minor league in December and invited him to big league camp. He stayed with the big league club until they left Arizona on April 4, hitting.333 (9-for-27) with three homers and seven RBI. He's played in the big leagues with Kansas City and Miami. Santana, by volunteering to fill his old job for a day, allowed the Indians to promote right-handers Austin Adams and Shaun Marcum to help a bullpen that has been hit hard by the Tigers over the first two games of this three-game series. Adams and Marcum both pitched Sunday. "By having Carlos (available for Sunday) saves us a roster spot and allows us to bring up two pitchers," said Francona. "With the state of what has happened in the last two days, we felt more comfortable getting two arms here." In the first two games the Tigers outscored the Indians, 17-10, and outhit them, The bullpen absorbed much of the damage, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits in 7 2/3 innings. To get Adams and Marcum to Cleveland, Kyle Crockett was option to Columbus and Charles Brewer was released from the 40-man roster to create a spot for Marcum. "Crockett had pitched three days in a row," said Francona. "We told him it was not an indictment on his pitching. He's a smart kid. He knows we got into a bind. "We can send him down, but our plans are not to have him pitch in Triple-A. You can't make promises, but we want him to help us win major league games." Musical chairs: Trevor Bauer, scheduled to start Wednesday against the White Sox, has spent Saturday and Sunday in the bullpen just in case the Indians needed an extra arm. "He's raring to go," said Francona. Bauer threw six hitless and scoreless innings Thursday against Houston in his first start of the season. Despite having a no-hitter in progress, he was removed after the sixth because he'd thrown 111 pitches. After the game Bauer said he understood, but Jason Kipnis wasn't sure. "If you know the kid, he thinks his pitch count is around 222," said Kipnis with a laugh. Another option: When the Indians open their two-game series against the White Sox on Tuesday, starter Zach McAllister will be in the bullpen. The Indians won't need him as a starter until April 22. "He's going to be a big help," said Francona. Slow go: Left fielder Michael Brantley missed his second straight game with back spasms. The Indians have played six games this season and Brantley has missed four with back pain. He has been bothered by the problem since the start of spring training. "He feels slightly better today (Sunday)," said Francona. "If we can give him today off, along with the off day Monday, we'll have a ton more information afterward. " Francona said if Brantley has to miss "four or five games' they would have to consider putting him on the disabled list. "But that's not the plan right now, but if it needs to be we would," said Francona. Francona said Tribe trainers are talking to other experts to see if they can determine what is cause Brantley's problems. Injury updates: Nick Swisher (knees) and Zach Walters (right oblique) are playing games in extended spring training. When they're ready they could start rehab assignments at Columbus. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: April Apocalypse? Yan Gomes' knee, Miguel Cabrera's bat cap a forgettable weekend for the Cleveland Indians Zack Meisel, on April 12, 2015 at 4:28 PM, updated April 12, 2015 at 5:39 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco made it out alive and well. "The Corner" bar didn't run out of draft beer. Even the sun peeked out from behind the clouds for all three games.