Yandy dandy with bat in 4-hit, 4-run effort Indians tag Sale for 7 runs, pad Central lead

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1 Yandy dandy with bat in 4-hit, 4-run effort By Jordan Bastian / 12:44 AM ET + 6 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The swing that the Indians have been dreaming about arrived Thursday night. That it showed up against a fastball from Red Sox ace Chris Sale was remarkable, though Yandy Diaz has dropped jaws enough as a prospect to know that it was not an impossibility. In a 13-6 romp over Boston, the version of Diaz that the Indians have always felt was inside that muscular frame finally emerged. Serving as the designated hitter with Carlos Santana dealing with back tightness, Diaz stepped up and played pepper with Progressive Field's right-field wall in the greatest game of his career to date. "Boy, it's amazing what confidence will do," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Things started to slow down for him. Nice to see for him." Diaz was hardly alone in dismantling Boston's pitching, but his performance stood out. He ended the game with four hits, four runs scored, two RBIs, two doubles, one triple and a walk. In the long, storied history of the Indians, Hall of Famer Tris Speaker is the only other player to have a four-hit, four-run game with two doubles and a triple. Speaker did that back in What was promising about Diaz's breakout showing was that all three of his extra-base hits ricocheted off the wall in right. That is not by accident. Hitting balls the opposite way is one of Diaz's skills, but one that got him in trouble more often that not in his first taste of the Majors in April and May. In the first two months, Diaz's hard-hit shots were typically line drives that fell too quickly, or divot-making choppers. "He did the exact same thing he did in the first month. He did it today," Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said. "He just put the ball a little bit higher. In the first month, he was doing the exact same thing, hitting it the other way or pulling the ball, but on the ground or a line drive right at guys. Today, he was hitting it off the wall. And it's tough to catch it when it's going 110 [mph] off the wall." To Lindor's point, Diaz had an average launch angle of negative 3.5 degrees over the season's first two months. That was the lowest among all Major League hitters with at least 40 balls in play. In that same sample of batters, though, Diaz ranked 17th in baseball (and first on the Indians) with an average exit velocity of 92 mph, per Statcast. When Diaz was shipped back to Triple-A Columbus in May, he set out to work on that issue. "I tried to develop a better routine, a new routine, and to hit the ball to the opposite field," Diaz said through team translator, Anna Bolton. "The work I have been doing in Columbus has been to try to have [fewer] ground balls and it has been nice to see results come from that." Diaz hit.458 in 20 Cactus League games to win a spot on the Opening Day roster. In 85 games at Triple-A Columbus, he has posted a.350/.454/.460 slash line with 23 extra-base hits and more walks (60) than strikeouts (56). Even with all that success, his Major League production consists of a.230 average in 21 games for Cleveland. The swing the Indians have been waiting for finally showed up. "I feel really happy," Diaz said. "The last time I was here I didn't have the opportunity to connect, to have so many hits. Thank goodness I had success today." Indians tag Sale for 7 runs, pad Central lead By William Kosileski and Ian Browne / MLB.com August 24th, COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Tribe's injury-riddled lineup broke out in a big way in Thursday's series finale against Chris Sale. Cleveland scored seven runs in three innings against Boston's ace en route to 13-6 victory at Progressive Field, earning a split of a four-game set between a pair of American League division leaders. The bottom third of the Tribe's order -- Yandy Diaz, Roberto Perez and Giovanny Urshela -- combined to go 9-for-13 with eight RBIs. Urshela (aka "Gio" for Players Weekend) drove in a career-high four RBIs, Diaz collected career highs with four hits and two RBIs, and Perez drove in two runs. Francisco Lindor (aka "Mr. Smile") and Jay Bruce (aka "Bruuuce") each mashed a solo homer. "Urshela, obviously Yandy, I mean, my goodness," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Roberto with a huge hit early, the two-out base hit. We really did a good job offensively. We really made one of the best pitchers work hard and we got some runs." The Indians now hold a 5 1/2-game lead in the American League Central after the Twins lost to the White Sox. With the Yankees' loss to the Tigers, Boston maintained its 4 1/2-game lead in the AL East. Sale (aka "Stickman") was handed his sixth loss after allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and three walks. The left-hander has a 5.19 ERA in 18 career starts (104 innings) against the Indians. Dating back to last season, Sale has allowed 20 runs (19 earned) in his past three starts against Cleveland, with 14 coming between two starts this season. "I wish I knew what it was. I'd try to fix it," said Sale. "I clearly haven't had my luck against this team, so back to the drawing board and see what we can get tomorrow." Sale's history against the Tribe is a timely storyline given the fact the Red Sox and Indians are on pace to meet in the AL Division Series for the second straight season. Cleveland swept Boston last fall. "It's a matter of being able to throw your fastball to both sides of the plate for strikes and slow them down in certain counts," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. Sale's counterpart, Indians starter Trevor Bauer (aka "Bauer Outage"), picked up his team-high 13th win. The right-hander went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out eight. "The walks led to scoring for them," Francona said of Bauer. "He had some counts where it was 0-2, he'd fight back, lose a count, go 3-2 and then if he didn't make a pitch he got hurt. But his stuff was good and he competed. He gives up runs, he doesn't wilt. He stays out there and keeps going." Mitch Moreland (aka "2-Bags") launched two homers -- Nos. 16 and and added an RBI single to finish with four RBIs for Boston. Xander Bogaerts (aka "X") drove in two with a triple off the wall in left in the fourth. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Gio's insurance runs: The Indians continued to pour it on Sale in the third, sending seven men to the plate to score three more runs. After Diaz delivered a one-out RBI double off the wall in right, Urshela stepped up with runners on second and third. He connected a 1-0 fastball that Sale

2 left over the plate and grounded it right back up the middle, scoring both runs to make it a 7-1 ballgame. That would prove to be key, as the Red Sox followed with a three-run fourth. "We've all got talent to play," Urshela said. "We come here to win a game, to fight. And we don't feel frustration or anything like that.... I come to swing the bat and have confidence to be able to help the team." Bauer escapes jam: After the Red Sox cut the Tribe's lead in half in the fourth, they looked to be back in business in the fifth. Bauer issued a leadoff walk and allowed a two-out single to Andrew Benintendi (aka "Benny"), putting runners on the corners for Hanley Ramirez. Representing the tying run, Ramirez (aka "El Trece") got ahead in the count and lined a 3-0 fastball to deep right. But Bruce tracked the ball down and made the catch to end the inning. "Didn't feel great," Bauer said. "Didn't feel bad. Just kind of a struggle, like my last one was, too. I wasn't sharp and didn't command the ball real well. But obviously the team picked me up, both defensively and at the plate. It was a good night." QUOTABLE "I would love it. I would absolutely love it. This is obviously a pretty good little rivalry, even though we're not in the division or anything like that. But given what happened last year and the series that we've had against each other this year, they've been phenomenal. But we've got to get there first. That's at the top of the list." -- Sale, on the potential of a Boston-Cleveland ALDS rematch SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Thursday marked only the second time in Sale's career that he's allowed at least seven runs in no more than three innings. The first came on April 30, 2015, against the Twins as a member of the White Sox. "I guarantee you, our guys aren't, 'Oh good, Sale's pitching,'" Francona said. "And he's had his way with us like all good pitchers do. I think we've done probably better than most teams against him. But boy, he's good. We've done a fairly good job against him." BETTS EXITS EARLY Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts slammed into the wall on Diaz's triple in the sixth and then landed hard on a leaping attempt to prevent Jose Ramirez's double in the seventh. With the Indians winning in blowout fashion, Betts left the game in the seventh. The Red Sox later announced that Betts has a bruised right knee and is day to day. "I think initially it was going back when I ran into the wall. I kind of hit it there," said Betts. "I was fine and able to play through it. When I jumped on that ball going back, I came down and landed on that same spot. That's when it got pretty tough. It felt pretty tender." More > As a result of Betts' exit, Rajai Davis (aka "Raj") -- acquired in a trade with Oakland on Wednesday -- replaced Betts and made his Red Sox debut. When Davis' name was announced, the Progressive Field crowd gave the former Indians outfielder and fan favorite a standing ovation. "I thought it was cool," Francona said. "It didn't surprise me at all. I think Raj grew on us, on everybody. It wasn't just us in the clubhouse, it was the fans and probably you guys. He's a great kid." UNDER REVIEW With the bases loaded and two down in the bottom of the seventh, Diaz collected his fourth hit with a double to right, scoring two more runs. After the smoke cleared, the Red Sox challenged the play, claiming that Diaz overran the second-base bag and was tagged out by Bogaerts. Boston proved to be correct, as a review overturned the call. Diaz was out at second and the Indians were only credited with one run on the play. WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Right-hander Rick Porcello (aka "Veintidos" for Players Weekend) will try to win his fifth straight start when he takes the ball for Friday's 7:10 p.m. ET opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park against the Orioles. It will be a brief stop at home for the Red Sox, who head to Toronto and New York for a seven-game road trip next week. Indians:The Indians will recall left-hander Ryan Merritt (0-0, 3.12 ERA) from Triple-A Columbus to start Friday's 7:10 p.m. ET series opener against the Royals at Progressive Field. Merritt's last start came Aug. 17 in the second game of a doubleheader with the Twins. He took a nodecision after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Tribe proving to be Sox ace Sale's nemesis By Ian Browne / 12:18 AM ET + 22 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Red Sox ace Chris Sale didn't go so far as to call the Indians his daddy, as Pedro Martinez infamously referred to the Yankees back in But the lefty fully admitted the depth of his recent woes against the Tribe after Thursday's 13-6 loss, and he realizes it's on him to change this trend with the postseason looming. The Red Sox and Indians haven't locked anything up yet. Boston is up by 4 1/2 games in the American League East and Cleveland leads the AL Central by 5 1/2 games, and if those leads hold, there's a strong chance they will have an AL Division Series rematch. Sale would pitch Game 1 of that series, no matter how much he has struggled against Cleveland. In Thursday's finale of a four-game set, Sale was belted around to the tune of seven hits and seven runs (six earned) over three innings, which marked his shortest start as a member of the Red Sox. "I wish I knew what it was," said Sale. "I'd try to fix it. I clearly haven't had my luck against this team, so back to the drawing board and see what we can get tomorrow." The loss dropped Sale to 14-6 with a 2.88 ERA this season. In two starts against Cleveland this season, Sale is 0-1 with a ERA. How does this happen against a pitcher with the elite stuff that Sale possesses? "I think that's something you might want to ask them," said Sale. "If I knew why they were having so much success, I'd certainly change it. I just stunk. If you look at the pitches they hit, over the plate, everything was up out over. I just [stunk], quite honestly." One of the reasons the Yankees started to catch up to Martinez by 2004 was the fact he constantly pitched against them. Some of that could be in play with Sale, who spent his entire career in the AL Central before this season. In 18 career starts against the Indians, Sale is 5-8 with a 5.19 ERA. Of the 12 times Sale has allowed six earned runs or more in his 174 career starts, five have been against Cleveland.

3 "But still, it comes down to consistent execution," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "Both Cleveland and Minnesota are two very good fastball-hitting teams. They're the two who have swung the bat the best against him. It's a matter of being able to throw your fastball to both sides of the plate for strikes and slow them down in certain counts." The Red Sox will do all they can to aid Sale in his quest to improve his level of success against the Tribe. "That's where we've got to go back and look at not only the two starts this year, but maybe over the course of a bigger time period where there might be other starts that we really comb through some video, to see if there's any common thread throughout these," said Farrell. "We know there are certain guys in that lineup that have had good success against him. We may have to look a little bit more explicitly at how we devise a game plan against him." If the Indians do know why they are performing well against Sale, it's highly doubtful they're going to share it to the public. "When you figure this game out, you can tell me," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We really did a good job offensively. We really made one of the best pitchers work hard and we got some runs." But it isn't like the Indians will be racing to the bat rack to take swings against Sale should the sides meet again in October. "I guarantee you, our guys aren't [like], 'Oh good, Sale's pitching.' And he's had his way with us like all good pitchers do." said Francona. "I think we've done probably better than most teams against him. But boy, he's good. We've done a fairly good job against him." Despite the way things have gone, Sale badly wants a chance to pitch against the Indians again in 2017 because it would mean he is in the postseason for the first time in his career. "I would love it. I would absolutely love it," said Sale. "This is obviously a pretty good little rivalry, even though we're not in the division or anything like that. But given what happened last year and the series that we've had against each other this year, they've been phenomenal. But we've got to get there first. That's at the top of the list." Deja vu: With Salazar out, Tribe turns to Tomlin By Jordan Bastian / August 24th, COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- History is repeating itself for the Indians. A year ago, Danny Salazar landed on the shelf with an arm injury and Josh Tomlin came up big in his absence, helping shore up the rotation for Cleveland's run to the playoffs. Once again, the Tribe is counting on Tomlin with Salazar sidelined. On Friday, Tomlin is scheduled to pitch for Class A Short-Season Mahoning Valley in a rehab game before being activated from the 10-day disabled list and rejoining the Indians' rotation. Salazar (also on the DL) is in a shut-down period from throwing due to inflammation in his right elbow, but a recent MRI exam showed no structural damage. Full Game Coverage "I've been very pleased with how the progress has gone so far," Tomlin said of his rehab from a left hamstring injury. "That's the one thing you can really ask for is to feel good. You come in every day feeling better and ready to make that next step. I've been able to do that. It's been a good process so far." While Salazar's timetable is unclear, Cleveland has Tomlin in line to start Wednesday against the Yankees in New York. For Friday's game against the Royals, lefty Ryan Merritt will be promoted from Triple-A Columbus to make a spot start. Tomlin (7-9, 5.38 ERA) sustained his hamstring injury July 30, when he logged four no-hit innings against the White Sox. That performance came at the end of a strong stretch for the right-hander, who went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA and 22 strikeouts against one walk in the four starts (24 1/3 innings) before landing on the shelf. "The main thing is it wasn't an arm injury," said Tomlin, who will look to throw five or six innings Friday. "That's the most positive thing you can take out of it, is it wasn't an arm injury, so you're not going to have to be testing it when you get back." Other injury updates The Indians are in the process of gathering as much information as they can about the knee ailment that is affecting left-hander Andrew Miller (10-day DL). Miller met with Dr. Richard Parker (the Cavaliers' head team physician) on Wednesday because the injury is more common among NBA players. "We're getting some other opinions," manager Terry Francona said. "We're trying to see if we can be more aggressive with some things, but we don't want to be aggressive without doing our due diligence on everything. So, we're in the midst of getting a few more opinions." First baseman Carlos Santana (back tightness) was out of the starting lineup Thursday for the third straight game. Francona said Santana was improving and was scheduled to take batting practice before Thursday's game. Barring any setbacks, Santana might be cleared to return to the lineup Friday. Merritt, Tribe open pivotal series with Royals By Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com 12:16 AM ET + 9 COMMENTS KANSAS CITY -- Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield (aka "Whit Bird" for Players Weekend) admits he can't resist doing some scoreboard watching these days. "I probably do it more because I'm new and I've never been to the playoffs like these guys have," Merrifield said. "I'm eager to get there." At least Merrifield won't have to strain his neck this weekend: Merrifield and the Royals will meet head-on with the team they're chasing in the American League Central, the first-place Indians, for a weekend series starting Friday night at Progressive Field. Kansas City's loss on Thursday dropped it to six games behind Cleveland. The Twins are a half-game ahead of the Royals. "We know the magnitude of these games," Merrifield said. Added Royals manager Ned Yost, "Every game is important but especially [these games with Cleveland] -- it's like a two-game swing with each one." Left-hander Jason Vargas (aka "Vargy" for Players Weekend), who is 14-7 with a 3.59 ERA, will get the nod for the Royals on Friday.

4 Left-hander Ryan Merritt (0-0, 3.12 ERA) will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take the mound for the Tribe. He will pitch in only his fourth game of the season, with Friday being his third start. Merritt last pitched in the second game of a doubleheader against the Twins on Aug. 17. In that outing, he got a no-decision after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Three things to know about this game When Vargas faced the Indians on Aug. 19, his swinging-strike rate of 14.6 percent nearly doubled his combined 7.6-percent mark against Cleveland from their first three matchups this season. However, when the Tribe made contact against Vargas, their average exit velocity (93.8 mph) and rate of hard-hit balls (53.9 percent) also rose significantly in that most recent outing. Merritt has faced the Royals once in his career, starting against them in the final regular-season weekend on 2016, going five innings while giving up three hits and one run. Indians catcher Yan Gomes (aka "Gomer" for Players Weekend) is 6-for-18 (.333) career against Vargas with a home run. Francisco Lindor (aka "Mr. Smile), though, is just 2-for-14 (.143) off Vargas. Covering the Bases: Game 126 FIRST: There are a little more than five weeks left in the regular season. That will not only determine the American League playoff field, but serve as the stretch run for the league s Cy Young race. As things currently stand, this looks like a two-horse event between Cleveland s Corey Kluber and Boston s Chris Sale. There s also a increasingly strong chance that those aces will square off in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. Then again, maybe the Red Sox will stun the baseball world (but not Indians fans) by handing the ball to Doug Fister*. He has, after all, owned the Tribe over years. Sale? Cleveland s had his number. I guarantee you, Indians manager Terry Francona said, our guys aren t, Oh good, Sale s pitching. Francisco Lindor confirmed as much. No, no, no, Lindor said with a laugh. It s Sale out there. It s, Go out there and compete, boys. He s going to be a tough one. On Thursday night, Sale lasted only three innings and was charged with seven runs (six earned). It marked only the second time in his career that he gave up at least seven runs in three innings or fewer. It was the fifth time in his career that Cleveland scored at least six earned runs off the lefty. In two outings against the Indians this year, Sale has now allowed 14 runs (13 earned) in eight innings. That means he s turned in a ERA against the Tribe, and a 2.32 ERA in innings vs. everyone else. With 20 runs (19 earned) allowed to Cleveland in his last 11.1 innings against the team, Sale now has a 5.19 ERA in 18 career starts against the Tribe. Against a great pitcher like Sale, Lindor said, it s just a matter of getting a good pitch to hit and swinging. Beat his mistakes. The damage done on Thursday shot his ERA up to 2.88 from 2.62 on the season. Just like that, the gap between Sale and Kluber closed a little more. The lefty still has the edge based on volume, given that the Indians ace missed a month due to a back issue early in the year. Even with that month missed, though, Kluber is right there with Sale. And, if you were so inclined, you wouldn t really be out of line if you thought the right-hander was the favorite for the Cy Young Award at the moment. It s a close call. Here s a look at where the numbers stand as of this writing: These next five weeks are going to be fun to monitor. *I don t actually think Boston would do that SECOND: Yandy Diaz was promoted from Triple-A Columbus a few days ago after Carlos Santana came down with a bad bout of back tightness. With Santana still down Thursday, Diaz was given the nod as the DH against Sale. Now, what Diaz did on Thursday may have had its roots in his past two games. On Tuesday, Diaz flew out to right field and, one night later, his final plate appearance results in a walk. Those two moments laid some groundwork for a breakout showing. He got the flyout to end the game [on Tuesday], Francona said. But he hit it good. It s nice to see him do that. Against Sale, Diaz drew a walk in a four-run second and then drilled an RBI double off the right-field wall in the third. He later added a single up the middle (fifth) and two more extra-base hits off the wall in right (triple in the sixth and RBI double in the seventh). Fun fact: Diaz and Tris Speaker (Sept. 12, 1926) are the only batters in Cleveland history to have a four-hit, four-run game that includes at least two doubles and a triple. Now, as you may recall, the buzz phrase during Diaz s initial stay in the Majors was launch angle, as it s been around baseball this year amidst the air-ball revolution. Diaz was a unique case study early on. His -3.5 degree L.A. ranked last in MLB among hitters with at least 40 balls put in play over April and May, and yet his exit velocity ranked first on the Indians and 17th overall in baseball over that same span (and in that same sample). In Spring Training, Diaz hit.458 in 20 games. At Triple-A, he s posted a.350/.454/.460 slash line in 85 games. And yet, going into Thursday s game, his 20-game MLB career showing consisted of a.200 average and.488 OPS. Back in Columbus for the past three months, this was Diaz s goal (relayed via team translator Anna Bolton): I tried to develop a better routine, a new routine, and to hit the ball to the opposite field. The work I have been doing in Columbus has been to try to have [fewer] ground balls. Diaz s extra-base hits broke down this way on Thursday: Third-inning double: 101 mph, 19-degree L.A Sixth-inning triple: 96 mph, 24-degree L.A. Seventh-inning double: 106 mph, 16-degree L.A. He did the exact same thing he did in the first month, Lindor said. He just put the ball a little bit higher. In the first month, he was doing the exact same thing, hitting it the other way or pulling the ball, but on the ground or a line drive right at guys. Today, he was hitting it off the wall. And it s tough to catch it when it s going 110 off the wall. THIRD: Over the previous two nights, the Indians lineup went a combined 2-for-54 outside of the solo home runs provided by Lindor (Tuesday) and Edwin Encarnacion (Wednesday). So, naturally, Cleveland churned out 13 runs on 18 runs in a game started by Sale.

5 The Nos. 7 9 hitters (Diaz, Roberto Perez and Gio Urshela) were especially productive: 9-for-13 with three doubles, one triple, two walks, five runs and eight RBI. We really did a good job offensively, Francona said. We really made one of the best pitchers work hard and we got some runs. Lindor had two hits, two RBI and a homer. Bradley Zimmer came off the bench, singled and scored. Jose Ramirez snapped an 0-for-17 funk with a single in the first and ended with a steal and added a double. Encarnacion walked three times and scored twice. Jay Bruce homered, singled and had two hits. Brandon Guyer had a hit, walk, sac fly and two runs scored. It s great to see them come through, Indians starter Trevor Bauer said. We re banged up and those guys are stepping in and doing a good job for us. We all know that they are capable of doing that. It s just a matter of getting comfortable up here and having the confidence to do it. HOME: Perez delivered a run-scoring single in the second and came through with an RBI double in the sixth, continuing his odd offensive season. Overall, the Cleveland catcher is batting.195/.286/.292 in 51 games. Nothing special there. With runners in scoring position, though, Perez is batting.327 with a.490 slugging percentage in 49 at-bats. Where he s struggled is in all other scenarios:.133 with a.200 SLG in 105 ABs. When you figure this game out, you can tell me, Francona said. Stay tuned for more Indians batter Sale, Red Sox 13-6 as 1st-place teams meet The Associated Press CLEVELAND (AP) -- Chris Sale pitching against Cleveland's injury-riddled lineup looked like a mismatch Thursday night. Mismatch, indeed. Boston's ace was battered while matching the shortest start of his career, and rookie Yandy Diaz got four hits as the Indians beat the Red Sox 13-6 in a matchup of division leaders. Sale (14-6) was tagged for seven runs on seven hits and three walks in just three innings. The Indians, held to a combined four hits by the Red Sox in the previous two games, erupted against one of the top contenders for the AL Cy Young Award and roughed up Boston's bullpen. The Indians scored four times in the second inning and added three more in the second as Sale's problems against Cleveland continued. The All-Star lefty is 5-8 with a 4.87 ERA in 29 career appearances vs. the Indians. Finding an explanation for these numbers was elusive following the game. ''If I knew why they are having so much success, I'd change it,'' Sale said. Said Indians manager Terry Francona: ''When you figure this game out, you can tell me.'' ''I don't know, because I guarantee you, our guys aren't, 'Oh good, Sale's pitching,''' he said. Diaz was 4 for 4 and fell a home run short of the cycle and Giovanny Urshela drove in a career-high four runs. Jay Bruce and Francisco Lindor homered as the Indians had 18 hits, one short of their season high. Sale gave up six earned runs in this loss, the fourth time he'd ever gone only three innings. He yielded a season-high seven earned runs in five innings against the Indians on Aug. 1 at Fenway Park. ''You saw the pitches they hit, they were center-cut, everything was right there,'' Sale said. ''I do feel good, so I should be getting better results.'' Trevor Bauer (13-8) allowed four runs in 5 1/3 innings and won his sixth straight decision. Mitch Moreland homered twice for Boston and drove in four runs in the 11th multihomer game of his career. Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts exited in the seventh inning with a bruised right knee after a diving attempt for Jose Ramirez's double. ''I initially hit the wall on the triple (by Diaz in sixth), then I landed on the same spot,'' Betts said. ''There was no twisting or anything, just impact. It just kind of swelled up.'' Indians first baseman Carlos Santana missed his third straight game because of back tightness. Cleveland is also playing without second baseman Jason Kipnis (strained right hamstring), and outfielders Michael Brantley (sprained right ankle) and Lonnie Chisenhall (strained right calf). The Indians were held to one hit by Boston's Doug Fister on Tuesday - a leadoff home run by Lindor. Cleveland had three hits Wednesday, with the only run coming on Edwin Encarnacion's homer. Sale also had to dodge a piece of a broken bat that sailed past the mound in the second. Urshela's bat shattered while hitting a grounder up the middle, causing Sale to lean out of the way.

6 INSIDE PITCH Red Sox manager John Farrell didn't mince words when asked about Indians ace Corey Kluber hitting Eduardo Nunez with an eighth-inning pitch Wednesday. ''With his pinpoint control, I think that was a fairly obvious message,'' Farrell said. Kluber retired the first two hitters in the inning that began with Boston leading 1-0. Brock Holt walked and Nunez was hit by a 3-1 pitch. Betts followed with an RBI single and Kluber was pulled. SLUMP BUSTER Ramirez broke an 0-for-17 skid with a first-inning single and added a double in the seventh. TRAINER'S ROOM Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia (left knee inflammation) will take infield practice Friday at Fenway Park, marking his first outdoor work since going on the disabled list on Aug. 9. Indians: Francona said the team is working through a rehab plan for LHP Andrew Miller (right knee tendinitis). The ace reliever is on the DL for the second time this month with the injury. UP NEXT Red Sox: RHP Rick Porcello opens a three-game home series with Baltimore. He has won a season-high four straight starts, striking out 23 over 24 1/3 innings with a 4.07 ERA. Indians: LHP Ryan Merritt begins a three-game set against Kansas City. He will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make his first career start at Progressive Field. Get Jose Ramirez a coffee to go and three other things to ponder about the Cleveland Indians By Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio - Jose Ramirez, in early July, was in a streak where he kept making outs at third base and home. When asked about it, he said he'd been drinking too much coffee. Not just any coffee, but his own brand of coffee. He said he had to go caffeine free to get his mind and body on the same page. The way Ramirez has been hitting since the All-Star break, he may need to make another such adjustment. It's either more caffeine or go cold turkey because whatever is going on right now isn't working. In the first half, on the way to being the starting third baseman for the AL All-Star team in Miami, Ramirez hit.332 (109-for-328) with 17 homers and 48 RBI. The package included 27 doubles, five triples, 62 runs and an.988 OPS. Since the break Ramirez is hitting.218 (31-for-142) with one homer and 11 RBI. His extra base power has taken a dive - 12 doubles, no triples, one homer and 11 RBI. His OPS is.598. Coffee has Jose Ramirez running too wild on the bases Ramirez takes a 0-for-17 skid into Thursday night's game against Boston and is hitting.176 with no homers and four RBI in August. Overall, the switch-hitting Ramirez is still hitting.298 (140-for-470) with 80 runs, 39 doubles, 18 homers and 59 RBI. "Other than Jose Altuve, everybody in the league comes back at some point," said manager Terry Francona. "Altuve doesn't seem to do that. Jose has been in a little bit of a rough stretch. Sometimes you just don't see the ball as well as others. "He's taking some pitches that he thinks are balls and they're strikes. There have been pitches where he's got to hit that he's peeled off a little bit. Instead of rifling it into the gap, he's hitting a fly ball. The good part with Josie is that he's a known (quality). He's a very good hitter. "He'll get hot again." Francona was talking about a hot bat, not a hot cup of Joe. No. 1. How about a curtain call for Rajai Davis? The last time Raja Davis was at Progressive Field, he received his AL championship ring at home plate, while wearing the green and gold of the Oakland Athletics. The Indians showed a highlight video of Davis' 2016 season and, surprise, the one moment that will forever link Davis to the franchise played a prominent role. That would be Davis' two-run, game-tying, eighth-inning homer off Aroldis Chapman to tie Game 7 of the World Series at 6-6. Rajai Davis home run crowd reaction in Game 7 of the World Series, Indians vs. Cubs Well, Davis is back. The Red Sox acquired him from the A's on Wednesday evening and he should be in uniform Thursday night at Progressive Field for the regular season finale with the Indians. Dave Dombrowski, Boston's president of baseball operations, knows Davis well from their days together with the Tigers. "He's a tremendous individual," said Dombrowski told reporters. "We think the world of him."

7 The Red Sox were down an outfielder after putting Jackie Bradley Jr. on the disabled list with an injured thumb on Wednesday. Bradley injured the thumb Tuesday night on a slide at the plate. Speed is a big part of Davis' game. He led the AL in steals last year for the Tribe. He has 26 steals this year. Davis gives manager John Farrell another option on an already talented roster as the postseason draws near. "It's important for a club to add every little dimension that it can," said Dombrowski. One more thought, what are the chances the Indians see the Red Sox and Davis again in the postseason? No.3. Eduardo Nunez, the one that got away. No wonder the Indians tried so hard to get Eduardo Nunez from the Giants. The Red Sox beat them to Nunez, but there is no faulting the Tribe's talent evaluation. Nunez homered and drove in five runs against them in Tuesday in a 9-1 win. In Wednesday's 6-1 win, he hit a two-run homer. Nunez is hitting the Indians like he's mad at them, batting.410 (16-for-39) with two homers and 14 RBI this season. No. 4. The name is Corey Kluber with a K (lots and lots of Ks). Corey Kluber would rather win than strike out batters. That's not to say he doesn't enjoy the strikeouts because he's had a lot of them over the last four years. Some numbers to digest: * Wednesday night Kluber struck out Xander Bogaerts to end the second inning and give him four straight seasons of 200 or more strikeouts. He is one of three pitchers in team history to have four seasons of 200 or more strikeouts. Hall of Famer Bob Feller did it from Sudden Sam McDowell did it for six straight years from * Kluber, who missed a month on the disabled list, reached 200 strikeouts in 147 innings. That's the fastest any pitcher in team history has accomplished it. * Kluber struck out 12 on Wednesday night. It was the 13th time this season that he's struck out 10 or more batters in a game. It tied him with McDowell for the second most double-digit strikeout games in a season in club history. McDowell did it in 1968 and set the club record of 17 such games in * Kluber's 13 double-digit strikeout games tie him with Washington's Max Scherzer for the second most this year. Chris Sale, who faces the Indians on Thursday night, leads with 16. * Kluber has struck out eight or more batters in 14 home straight home starts going back to last year. It's the second longest streak in history, tying Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and Nolan Ryan. Sandy Koufax, another Hall of Famer, holds the record with 15 straight games. * Wednesday was Kluber's 16th quality start (three or fewer runs in six or more innings), a team high. Asked how much weight, in light of the Indians' 6-1 loss on Wednesday, that four straight seasons of 200 or more strikeouts carried with him, Kluber smiled and said, "None." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals series preview, pitching matchups By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's a look at the three-game series between the Royals and Indians that starts Friday night. Where: Progressive Field, Friday through Sunday. TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM Pitching matchup: LHP Jason Vargas (14-7, 3.59) vs. LHP Ryan Merritt (0-0, 3.12) Friday at 7:10 p.m.; RHP Jason Hammel (6-9, 4.73) vs. RHP Mike Clevinger (6-5, 3.97) Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and LHP Danny Duffy (8-8, 3.78) vs. RHP Carlos Carrasco (12-6, 3.95) Sunday at 1:10 p.m. Series: The Indians and Royals have split 12 games this season. The Indians lead, , overall. Team updates: The Indians entered Thursday night's game against the Red Sox having lost two straight. Last weekend they went 2-1 against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Jay Bruce is hitting.358 (35-for-13) with two homers and six RBI against the Royals since joining the Indians earlier this month. The Royals had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 3-2 loss to the Rockies on Thursday. They have still won seven of their last 11 games, while staying in contention the AL Central and wild card races. Hammel is 3-0 against the Indians this season. Injuries: Royals -- RHP Miguel Almonte (right rotator cuff), RHP Trevor Cahill (right shoulder), RHP Neftali Felix (right elbow), RHP Nate Karns (right), RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique) are on the disabled list. RHP Kelvin Herrera (right forearm) is day to day. Indians - LHP Andrew Miller (right knee), RHP Danny Salazar (right elbow) OF Abraham Almonte (left hamstring), LF Michael Brantley (right ankle), RHP Josh Tomlin (left hamstring), LHP Boone Logan (left lat), RF Lonnie Chisenhall (right calf) and RHP Cody Anderson (right elbow) are on the disabled list. 1B Carlos Santana (back) is day to day. Next: The Indians open a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians do it again to Chris Sale in 13-6 win over Boston Red Sox By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio - When Chris Sale faces the Indians, strange things happen to MLB's strikeout leader.

8 Giovanny Urshela not only drove in a career-high four runs on Wednesday night, he almost did serious harm to the 6-6 Sale with a broken bat that helicoptered past the head of the Boston left-hander. Urshela, it should be noted, had exactly three RBI in his first 32 games this season before facing Sale. Then there was Yandy Diaz, facing Sale for the first time. He walked, doubled and scored two runs in his first two plate appearances against Sale. It ignited the biggest game of his young career as Diaz went 4-for-4 with a single, two doubles, a triple, four runs and two RBI. But here is the kicker. After the Indians put the final touches on their 13-6 win over the Red Sox on a cool August night at Progressive Field, one thing was hard to argue with. The Indians are one of the few teams in the big leagues that not only can hit Sale, but beat him. In two starts this season, they've scored 13 runs on 15 hits in eight innings against the pitcher many consider to be the best in the game. It's not just a one-year thing either. Sale is 5-8 with a 4.72 ERA in his career against the Indians. It goes all the way back to his rookie days with the White Sox, covering 18 starts and 11 relief appearances. Terry Francona on why Indians have done well vs Chris Sale. "When you figure this game out, you can tell me," said manager Terry Francona. "Urshela, Yandy, Roberto with a huge hit early. We really did a good job offensively. We really made one of the best pitchers work hard and we got some runs." As for the Tribe's success against Sale, Francona said, "I guarantee you our guys aren't like, 'Oh, good, Sale is pitching.' He's had his way with us as all good pitchers do. We have probably done better than most teams against him, but boy, he's good. We've just done a fairly good job against him." The Indians wasted no time Wednesday. They took a 4-0 lead in the second. Jay Bruce and Brandon Guyer hit consecutive singles and Diaz walked to load the bases. Roberto Perez singled home Bruce for a 1-0 lead. Urshela followed with his broken bat grounder to short. As a shard of the bat whizzed by Sale's head - he made a nice move to get out of the way - Perez was forced at second, but Guyer scored and Diaz went to third as Urshela ran his way out of a potential double play. "That was close," said Urshela. "I saw the bat go right by him." Francisco Lindor's single made it 3-0 and Urshela scored when third baseman Rafael Devers threw wildly past second to try and force Lindor on Austin Jackson's grounder. The four-run second doubled the Indians' offensive output on Tuesday and Wednesday when they lost by a combined score of The Indians added three more runs in the third against Sale (14-6, 2.88). Urshela, who entered the game hitting.193, accounted for two with a single to center. Trevor Bauer (13-8, 4.50) went 5 1/3 innings for the win. He is 6-0 in his last eight starts and the Tribe's first 13-game winner of the season. He wasn't at his best, throwing only 57 percent of his pitches for strikes, but he didn't have to be on this night. Sale was replaced after three innings, his shortest start of the season, but the Indians kept scoring. Bruce homered in the sixth. It was his fourth since joining the Indians on Aug. 9 and his 33rd overall. Trevor Bauer, Terry Francona on Bauer's start vs. Boston Lindor homered in the seventh to start another three-run inning. It was Lindor 22nd of the season and sixth in August. He leads all MLB shortstops in homers. The Indians finished with 18 hits, including four by Diaz and three by Lindor. What it means The Indians finished their regular season series against the Red Sox at 3-4. They are against the AL East. The win pushed the Indians lead in the AL Central to 5 1/2 games over the Twins and six games over the Royals. The Twins lost to White Sox, while the Royals lost to Colorado. The pitches Bauer threw 104 pitches, 59 (57 percent) for strikes. Sale threw 67 pitches, 44 (67 percent) for strikes. Good moment Rajai Davis replaced Mookie Betts (knee) in left field during a pitching change in the seventh inning. The Progressive Field crowd gave Davis, the former Indian, a standing ovation. Davis tipped his cap in appreciation. The Red Sox acquired Davis from Oakland on Wednesday night. "I thought it was cool," said Francona. "It didn't surprise me at all. I think Rajai grew on everybody last year. It wasn't just us in the clubhouse. It was the fans and probably you guys (reporters). He's a great guy." Thanks for coming The Red Sox and Indians drew 21,643 to Progressive Field on a windy Thursday night. First pitch was at 7:10 p.m. with a temperature of 67 degrees. The four-game series drew 97,980. Next The Royals arrive for a three-game series starting Friday night at Progressive Field. LHP Ryan Merritt (0-0, 3.12), filling in for injured Danny Salazar, will face veteran lefty Jason Vargas (14-7, 3.59) at 7:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS will carry the game.

9 Merritt made a spot start with the Indians on Aug. 17, pitching the second game of a doubleheader against the Twins. He allowed one run on six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss. Vargas lost on Saturday to the Tribe at Kauffman Stadium, 5-0. Vargas is still 6-2 against the Tribe as a member of the Royals. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Carlos Santana may rejoin Cleveland Indians' lineup on Friday against Royals Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com The Red Sox were not happy that Corey Kluber hit leadoff hitter Eduardo Nunez with two out in the eighth inning Wednesday. When asked about it on Thursday, Boston manager John Farrell told reporters, "With his pinpoint control, I think it was obviously a message." Nunez is hitting.410 (16-for-39) with two homers and 14 RBI against the Indians this season. He hit a three-run homer off Shawn Armstrong on Tuesday and a two-run homer off Bryan Shaw on Wednesday. After being hit, Nunez stared at Kluber as he walked to first base. Kluber, following Wednesday's loss, had little to say after reaching 200 strikeouts for the fourth straight season. Francona was asked what it means to a manager and a team to have that kind of consistency from a pitcher. "What I think the biggest thing is that when you back up the consistency of being good, that s one of the biggest compliments I think you can give to a player," said Francona. "I remember when he won the Cy Young (2014), I kept saying the only thing he hasn t done is to do it from year to year to year, which wasn t his fault because he hadn t played. "And now he s in the midst of doing that and that s hard to do because the players in this league, the coaches, the managers, everybody s watching... scouting. And so to do it over and over again, my goodness. I m sure the Red Sox feel that way about Chris Sale, like regardless of who s pitching for the other team, you feel like you have a chance to win that game. And there are not a lot of those guys out there." Bob Feller, Sam McDowell and Kluber are the only Indians to record 200 or more strikeouts for four straight years. McDowell did it in six straight seasons. "What makes it so special is because it s come from hard work," said Francona. "He s made himself into one of the best pitchers in the game. He didn t just show up and it was there. "He got after it and he continues to get after it and that s very reassuring for us. I think that s part of why his tank never looks like it s on empty. Maybe the last game last year (Game 7 of the World Series), but we pushed him. Francona said there will be no set pitch count on Josh Tomlin, who is scheduled to make a rehab start on Friday for Class A Mahoning Valley. Tomlin, recovering from a strained left hamstring, has not started a game since July 30 against the White Sox. Tomin left that game after four innings after fielding a ball. If all goes well Friday, Tomlin's next start will be with the Indians as he takes Salazar's spot in the rotation. So what's wrong with Jose Ramirez, the Indians' All-Star third baseman? He went into Thursday night's game against Boston in a season-high 0-for-17 skid. Since the All-Star break, he's hitting.218 (31-for-142) with one homer and 11 RBI. "These are things that happen in the game," said Ramirez, through interpreter Anna Bolton. "You can't control it. The only thing you can do is keep moving forward." Ramirez was hit on the right forearm by a pitch in the first game of a doubleheader against the Twins on Aug. 17. Initially the Indians thought he may have broken his wrist, but tests show it was only a bruise. "I don't think that has been a problem," said Ramirez. "It hasn't bothered me at all. I'm just not being as successful right now." Ramirez said pitchers have not attacked him any differently than in the first half of the season. "They're throwing me the same stuff I've been hitting almost the entire season," said Ramirez. "I don't know if it has something to do with focus or concentration, but I'm seeing the same pitches I've always seen." Ramirez singled in his first at-bat Thursday to end his skid. Finally: Wednesday night was Terry Francona Bobblehead night. Farrell, one of Francona's dearest friends, told Boston reporters the image of Francona made him "look like a professor." When told that, Francona laughed and said, "How am I going to even respond to that? I thought they were very kind. The took a little bit off the nose and a little bit off the gut. I thought it was OK." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer gets 6th straight win, even without his best command By Joe Noga, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Trevor Bauer admitted that he struggled in Thursday's 13-6 Indians win against Boston. He didn't feel great. He didn't feel bad. But he was never totally in control. Sometimes that can be a big problem for the 26-year-old righty. But not on a night when Cleveland's offense banged out 18 hits and went 8-for- 19 with runners in scoring position. "I wasn't sharp and didn't command the ball real well," Bauer said. "But obviously the team picked me up, both defensively and at the plate. It was a good night."

10 Bauer allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings. He walked three batters and struck out eight. He's struck out at least six batters 17 different times across his 25 starts this year. On Thursday, he picked up his team-high 13th win of the season, tying him for third in the American League. It helped that the bottom third of the Indians lineup went 9-for-13 with eight RBIs in a game started by AL Cy Young frontrunner Chris Sale. When asked about the Indians' early offensive success against Sale, Bauer said it allowed him to focus on throwing strikes. "It gives me a little more leeway to try to be aggressive in the zone," Bauer said. "I didn't really do a good job of that tonight, but mentality wise, it frees you up to do that." Trevor Bauer, Terry Francona on Bauer's start vs. Boston Manager Terry Francona liked the way Bauer competed in his second start against the Red Sox in the last 10 days. Francona said Bauer got ahead in a count and then allowed hitters to fight back. If he didn't execute after that, he'd get hurt. "But his stuff was good and he competed," Francona said. "He gives up runs, he doesn't wilt. He stays out there and keeps going." In 12 innings against the Red Sox this season, Bauer has allowed seven earned runs, but owns a 2-0 record. The righty won his sixth consecutive decision across his last eight starts. That's the longest winning streak of the season for an Indians pitcher. Longer than staff ace Corey Kluber. Longer than steady Carlos Carrasco. Even longer than Danny Salazar between stints on the disabled list. Bauer is 6-1 since the All-Star break with a 3.28 ERA. That's tied with Yankees righty Luis Severino for the most second-half wins in MLB this season. Pantoja s home run carries Captains past TinCaps, 2-1 By David Glasier, The News-Herald In some baseball games, less is more. On the face of it, there wasn t much excitement on Aug. 24 when the Captains beat the Fort Wayne (Ind.) TinCaps, 2-1, at Classic Park. Fort Wayne finished with six hits and tallied its only run in the top of the second inning when Kyle Overstreet smacked a leadoff home run off Lake County starter Zach Plesac. The Captains managed only four hits. They mustered all their run production in what felt like the wink of an eye. Logan Ice coaxed a walk off Fort Wayne starter Adrian Morejon to open the bottom of the fifth inning. Alexis Pantoja followed with a two-run home run to right field. That was all she wrote for run production on a cool night when pitchers dominated and the hitters tried to capitalize on their few mistakes. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Captains, who improved to in the second half. This was a good game, a well-played game, Captains manager Larry Day said. Plesac gave up that one run on four hits before he hit his pitch limit with two outs in the fifth inning. The 22-year-old right-hander from Indiana was selected by the Indians in the 12th round of the June 2016 draft out of Ball State. The Indians took the nephew of former big-league pitcher Dan Plesac knowing he d be in recovery mode after having Tommy John surgery in April Called up to Lake County on Aug. 7, Plesac is 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA. In four starts covering 17 2/3 innings, he has given up two runs on nine hits. He s notched 13 strikeouts while yielding only one walk. Justin Garza (4-6, 5.44 ERA), splitting starts with Plesac on a piggyback basis, blanked the TinCaps on two hits over the remaining 4 1/3 innings to earn the victory. The 23-year-old right-hander is finishing strong. In his last three appearances covering 12 1/3 innings, he s given up one run on eight hits with 20 strikeouts and three walks. Zach and Justin pitched great and we played great defense behind them. That happens when the pitching is so good, Day said. Pantoja also is finishing the season with a flourish. He s batting.245 overall and.362 in 14 games in August.