Lindor rethinks bunt, delivers clutch triple Anderson, Tribe gain ground by blanking Tigers

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1 Lindor rethinks bunt, delivers clutch triple By Jordan Bastian / + 3 COMMENTS DETROIT -- A break in the action helped the Indians catch a break on Sunday afternoon. When Tigers manager Brad Ausmus headed to the mound in the sixth inning to discuss Detroit's defensive alignment, Indians manager Terry Francona hollered at rookie Francisco Lindor. Standing in the batter's box, Lindor was planning on bunting. "I just yelled at him," Francona said after the Indians' 4-0 victory over the Tigers at Comerica Park. "He turned around and I yelled at him to go ahead and hit." Lindor did more than just hit. With runners on first and second base and no outs, Lindor drilled a 92-mph fastball from Tigers starter Justin Verlander to deep center for a game-changing triple. Two runs scored, igniting a three-run inning that was sufficient in supporting a solid seveninning outing from Indians rookie right-hander Cody Anderson. The bunt has become a staple of Lindor's style. In only 73 Major League games, the 21-year-old switch-hitter has climbed to the top of the American League leaderboard with 11 sacrifice bunts this season. At times, Lindor has taken it upon himself to move runners over in that manner. On other occasions, it has been Francona calling the shots. Lindor pays no attention to fans or critics who want him to swing away every single time. "I'm playing my game," said Lindor, who is batting.351 in the second half. "I'm playing for the Indians to win. I'm not playing because the fans tell me to go and hit. I don't play for that. I play to help this team win." While Lindor did not bunt in the sixth, the threat of bunting helped lead to his hit. After five one-hit innings from Verlander, the sixth began with a hit from Michael Martinez and continued with an infield single by Jason Kipnis. The Tigers attempted to turn a double play on Kipnis' hit, but came up short at both bases. Martinez slid in just ahead of a flip from second baseman Andrew Romine to shortstop Dixon Machado, and Kipnis beat the relay to first base. Kipnis was initially ruled out, but a managerial challenge by Francona led to an overturned call, setting up Lindor's critical meeting with Verlander. "That was a big one," Francona said of the challenge. "Kip hustles down the line every time, and it got him a hit." Verlander started Lindor off with a 91-mph fastball, which the rookie bunted foul. "I was trying to bunt it hard to the shortstop," Lindor said. "Everybody was moving. The shortstop was going to third base, the third baseman was coming in, the pitcher was coming in, the first baseman was coming out. That's why I missed the first bunt. I was trying to bunt it hard." Verlander thought Lindor might swing on the second pitch and fired another fastball, which the shortstop squared around on, but took for a ball. "I was cognizant of him swinging," said the pitcher. "That's why I threw in on him the second pitch, just thinking, 'Maybe if he's swinging, he'll look for something out over the plate.' Maybe jam him, get a double play." At that juncture, Ausmus saw that Detroit's infielders had run two different bunt-defense plays, so the manager headed to the mound to straighten things out with his players. "I'm actually glad he came out," Verlander said. "Two different pitches and there were two different things, three different things going on. We needed to get everybody on the same page. Obviously, it's a big part of the game." That is when Francona got Lindor's attention. "We actually took the bunt off after the first pitch," Francona said. "But, Frankie, a lot of times, will continue to bunt. He's done that before.... I think a lot of times with young players, they want to do the right thing, which is good. But, right there, with the infield crashing and them trying to straighten out their bunt plays, to let him swing seemed to make sense." Lindor changed his approach and delivered his triple to center field. "He gave me some freedom for me to go hit," Lindor said. "And that's what I did." Verlander was expecting another bunt attempt. "You have to tip your cap to Lindor there, and to Tito," Verlander said. "Tito gave him the green light, and he executed it, when the whole world thought he was bunting." Had it not been for Detroit's mound visit, Lindor might have squared around again. "We actually kind of probably caught a break," Francona said. Anderson, Tribe gain ground by blanking Tigers By Jordan Bastian and Jason Beck / MLB.com + 49 COMMENTS DETROIT -- Cody Anderson went pitch-for-pitch with Justin Verlander and won a pitchers' duel, shutting down the Tigers' offense long enough for Francisco Lindor's two-run triple to send the Indians on their way to a 4-0 win in the rubber game of the series Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. "He was tremendous," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Anderson. "He kept his poise. I thought it was a tight strike zone at times today, but he kept competing and I thought he was very good." The win ended a six-series losing streak for Cleveland in the rivalry. The Indians hadn't taken a series from the Tigers since winning three of four here last July. Cleveland also gained a game on Texas, which lost 7-0 to the Angels on Sunday, to move within five games of the American League's second Wild Card. The pitching matchup strongly favored the Tigers keeping that streak intact. Verlander held Cleveland hitless for 4 2/3 innings with one fly ball after another another, but back-to-back ground-ball singles set up Lindor for the game-changing hit out of Anthony Gose's reach in center. Carlos Santana added an RBI single two batters later. Meanwhile, Anderson, over seven innings, held Detroit to a Dixon Machado bunt single in the fourth and a Victor Martinez double leading off the fifth. Both hits were paired with walks to put runners at first and second with nobody out, but Anderson erased both chances with doubleplay grounders.

2 "He did a nice job," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "We hit some balls decent, barreled some balls. Ball didn't seem to be traveling for us. You have to tip your cap to him." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Show and tell: With runners on first and second base and no outs in the sixth, Lindor squared around to bunt and fouled off a pitch from Verlander. The rookie shortstop showed bunt again, taking a second pitch for a ball. Verlander followed with a 92-mph fastball over the heart of the plate, but Lindor swung away, sending the ball to deep center for a two-run triple. "They knew I was going to bunt," Lindor said. "There was a big chance of me bunting right there. It was just a matter of me executing, and I missed it. I missed the first pitch and, after that, it was time to hit, because they were coming in to catch the ball." More > Machado in the middle: Verlander didn't allow a ground ball for the first 4 1/3 innings, but the first one he allowed was a test for rookie shortstop Machado. He ranged up the middle to run down Yan Gomes' grounder behind second base, then fired to first just in time for the out. It not only saved a hit, but may have saved a run as Abraham Almonte followed with a triple. Anderson's escape: A leadoff double by Victor Martinez, followed by a walk by Nick Castellanos (on a questionable full-count call), put Detroit in an opportunistic situation to start the fifth. Anderson then fell behind in the count, 2-0, to Tyler Collins before fighting back and striking him out on with an elevated, full-count heater. Anderson then induced a double play off the bat of James McCann to avoid any damage in the inning. "He didn't ever let something bother him to the point where it was going to affect the game," Francona said. "You could see he thought it was a strike [to Castellanos], but then he gathered himself and was like, 'OK, let's go.' That's been a trademark of his early on. Even with his youth, man, everybody here knows that he's a tough kid." Last chance in eighth: The Tigers had one more chance to get back in the game in the eighth inning once Anderson left. Bryan Shaw gave up a one-hit single to Collins, prompting Ausmus to take his chances with Ian Kinsler pinch-hitting for Andrew Romine with two out. Shaw fell behind, but got Kinsler to swing under a 3-0 cutter up in the zone, popping out with the potential tying run on deck. "If he pops a home run, you make it a one-run game," Ausmus said. QUOTABLE "We actually kind of probably caught a break, because I just yelled at him. He turned around and I yelled at him to go ahead and hit. I think a lot of times with young players, they want to do the right thing, which is good. But, right there, with the infield crashing and them trying to straighten out their bunt plays, to let him swing seemed to make sense." -- Francona, on telling Lindor to swing away in the sixth inning. UPON FURTHER REVIEW Francona challenged an out call at first base in the sixth inning and had the initial ruling on the field overturned, following a replay review lasting 1 minute and 27 seconds. Jason Kipnis sent a grounder up the middle, where Romine, the second baseman, flipped the ball to Machado in an attempt to turn a double play. Cleveland's Michael Martinez was ruled safe at second, but first-base umpire Doug Eddings called Kipnis out after Machado's throw. Replays showed that Kipnis beat the throw by a step and the call was reversed accordingly. Lindor followed with a tworun triple to break a scoreless tie. WHAT'S NEXT Indians: Cleveland heads to Chicago on Monday for a 2:10 p.m. ET tilt against the White Sox to begin a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field. Right-hander Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.56 ERA) is scheduled to take the ball for the Indians, opposite lefty Chris Sale. Tigers: Detroit welcomes former Tiger Drew Smyly and his Tampa Bay Rays to town for a three-game series beginning with a Labor Day matinee. Randy Wolf gets the start for the Detroiters in the 1:08 p.m. ET opener at Comerica Park. Francona looking forward to evaluating Soto Rookie retired Collins on 1 pitch in MLB debut on Saturday vs. Tigers By Jordan Bastian / DETROIT -- Giovanni Soto's first taste of the big leagues only lasted a few seconds on Saturday night. The rookie lefty took the mound in the fifth inning for the Indians, threw one fastball and induced a groundout off the bat of Detroit's Tyler Collins. On Sunday morning, Indians manager Terry Francona was asked if Soto was available to pitch. "We're going to probably keep an eye on him," Francona said with a hearty laugh before Sunday's 4-0 win over the Tigers. "My guess is he'll be able to bounce back." The one-pitch, one-out Major League debut in Saturday's 6-0 loss to the Tigers was the beginning of Soto's September audition for the Tribe. Prior to promoting the 24-year-old lefty from Triple-A Columbus on Friday, Cleveland had been operating with only one lefty (Kyle Crockett) in the bullpen. As the Indians begin planning for 2016, evaluating Soto as a potential bullpen option will be one of the team's priorities for the remainder of this season. "In three weeks or four weeks, you're probably not going to find out all that you want," Francona said. "But, I'd be willing to bet we'll find out more than if we wouldn't have called him up. It'll also take the burden off [Crockett]." In 46 appearances at Triple-A this season, Soto posted a 2.68 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 29 walks in 53 2/3 innings. He was not strictly a lefton-left reliever, either. Soto held right-handed batters to a.162 average (.497 OPS) in 111 at-bats and lefties to a.221 (.596 OPS) in 77 at-bats this year in the Minors. Cleveland wants to see if that success will carry over against Major League hitters. "That's what we'll see," Francona said. "Can he get the breaking ball down by their ankles to the right-handers? He's got that sweeping breaking ball that should be tough against left-handers, and that's probably more of the first thing you want to find out. Is he able to pitch in the strike zone, and then go out of the strike zone when he gets ahead?" Worth noting Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (on the 15-day disabled list since Aug. 26 with right shoulder inflammation) felt fine on Sunday morning, following a bullpen session on Saturday in Detroit. Francona said Carrasco remains on target to be activated from the DL on Tuesday for a start against the White Sox.

3 "We'll keep an eye on his pitch count, because he was down for a couple of weeks," Francona said. "We just wanted to knock that out of there and we did, and he's fine." Indians catcher Roberto Perez underwent a precautionary X-ray following Saturday's game after being hit on the right forearm by a foul tip early in the game. Francona said everything checked out fine with Perez, who had a scheduled day off for Sunday's afternoon game against the Tigers. "He's OK," Francona said. "Our concern was kind of obvious. Even though he wasn't playing today, you don't want to have your backup catcher all of a sudden show up the next day and be hurting, when it's September and you could've had somebody here [from the Minors]." Bauer leads Tribe in Labor Day showdown with Sale, White Sox By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com The Indians have worked with Trevor Bauer this week on focusing on the bottom half of the strike zone. The young strater has endured a turbulent second half and will have a chance on Monday to implement some adjustments in an outing against the White Sox and Chris Sale. Cleveland pitching coach Mickey Callaway felt he saw progress in Bauer's most recent mound session. "He looked really good," Callaway said. "We had a pretty good conversation [on Friday] about pitching down in the zone. [His bullpen session on Saturday] was probably the first time that I saw that he valued that. He went out there and when he missed, he missed down in the 'pen. "If you're pitching up, and you have to go down into the zone, youre coming right through the hitting zone. Where, if you miss down, and you work your way up, you're never in a danger spot." In a divisional clash with Chicago, Bauer (10-11, 4.56 ERA) will be opposed by Sale (12-7, 3.29 ERA). With Chicago giving September callup Erik Johnson the start on Sunday, the 26-year-old Sale will be working with an extra day of rest against the Tribe. Sale, who is 31 strikeouts shy of breaking Ed Walsh's 1908 single-season club record of 269 strikeouts, has gone 3-0 with a 2.34 ERA, 53 strikeouts and eight walks in his past five starts (34 2/3 innings). In the two outings prior to that strong stretch, the left-hander had allowed 14 earned runs on 18 hits in 10 1/3 innings from July 30-Aug. 4. Things to know about this game In his past five turns for the Tribe, Bauer has posted a 7.84 ERA and an.894 opponents' OPS in 20 2/3 innings, and has lasted fewer than four innings three times. He has a 5.85 ERA in his last 16 turns. In the 11 starts prior to that, Bauer had a 2.94 ERA for Cleveland. Indians outfielder Michael Brantley, who has more walks (56) than strikeouts (44) this season, has 12 career strikeouts compared to only one walk in his career against Sale. The White Sox southpaw has held Brantley to a.138 (4-for-29) average. Veteran utility man Ryan Raburn has two career homers against Sale, representing the only homers off the pitcher by any current Indians batter. White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez has gone 17-for-33 over his last eight games. The veteran shortstop had six RBIs and 10 runs scored during that time. Starting Monday, the White Sox have 27 games left this season. Sixteen of those contests will be played at U.S. Cellular, with an 11-game road trip to Cleveland, Detroit and New York mixed in between. Francisco Lindor, Cody Anderson carry Indians past Tigers Filed on September 7, 2015 by Associated Press DETROIT Terry Francona was one step ahead of Tigers manager Brad Ausmus for one pitch Sunday. As it turned out, that was all the Indians needed. Francisco Lindor broke a scoreless tie with a two-run triple in the sixth inning, and Cleveland went on to win 4-0 win behind seven strong innings from Cody Anderson. The Indians put their first two batters on in the sixth to bring up Lindor, who leads the American League in sacrifice bunts despite arriving in the majors June 15. No surprise, he squared away on the first two pitches, missing the first and taking the second for a ball. Ausmus went to the mound and Francona knew why the Tigers had messed up their bunt defense on each of the first two pitches. When Brad went out there, I knew they were trying to fix their bunt play, so I yelled from the dugout until I got Frankie s attention and told him to swing, Francona said. I knew he was going to get a good pitch to hit. Sure enough, Justin Verlander threw a high fastball a tough pitch to bunt. The 21-year-old Lindor, though, is a.307 hitter with gap power, and he knew what was coming. He drilled the pitch into right-center for a triple and a 2-0 lead. Carlos Santana drove Lindor home with a single and, with Anderson shutting down Detroit s offense, the Indians were in control. You just have to tip your cap to Lindor and Tito there, Verlander said. Tito gave him the green light, and with the whole world thinking he was bunting, he put a good swing on it. Anderson (3-3) entered with a ERA in two starts against AL Central opposition, but barely broke a sweat in his first shot at the Tigers. He gave up only two hits, walked two and struck out three. Cody was tremendous out there, Francona said. He s out there battling Verlander in a game where neither team could get anything going, and he made outstanding pitches every time he needed one.

4 The Indians won for the eighth time in 11 games. They began the day six games behind Texas for the second AL wild card, though there are three teams between them. Detroit (62-74) has dropped 13 of 16 and matched a season worst at 12 games below.500. Verlander (3-7) allowed three runs and seven hits with two walks in seven innings, but was done in yet again by a lack of run support. The Tigers are averaging only 2.8 runs per nine innings with Verlander on the mound, as opposed to 4.46 runs with anyone else pitching. Neither team had a hit until Dixon Machado s bunt single off Anderson in the fourth. Verlander, who took a no-hit bid into the ninth two starts ago, lost this one with two outs in the fifth when Abraham Almonte tripled over Anthony Gose s head in center field. The Tigers had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth and fifth, but Miguel Cabrera and James McCann hit into rally-killing double plays. Cleveland s sixth-inning rally started when Michael Martinez singled and Jason Kipnis hit a grounder up the middle that second baseman Andrew Romine tried to turn into a double play. Martinez beat the flip to second and, after a short review, Kipnis was ruled to have beaten the relay to first, putting two on with none out. That s when Lindor struck, and the Tigers managed just one baserunner in the last four innings. Martinez drove in the final run with an RBI single in the ninth. Trainer s room Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (shoulder) didn t report any soreness following his bullpen session Saturday, so he remains scheduled to start Tuesday in Chicago. Carrasco, out since Aug. 22, will replace Corey Kluber (hamstring) in the rotation. Tigers: 2B Ian Kinsler, who had played in 133 of Detroit s first 135 games, was scheduled for a day off. Kinsler, though, pinch-hit for Romine in the eighth. * J.D. Martinez, hit on the left triceps by a pitch Saturday, was in the lineup after reporting no ill effects. Up next Indians: Cleveland opens a three-game series in Chicago with a holiday afternoon game against the White Sox. Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.56 ERA) is scheduled to face White Sox ace Chris Sale (12-7, 3.29), who has a 3.86 ERA in 23 games against the Indians his highest vs. any AL Central opponent. Tigers: Detroit remains home for a Labor Day afternoon game against Tampa Bay to open a three-game series. Randy Wolf (0-3, 6.11) will pitch against Rays LHP Drew Smyly (2-2, 3.11), sent from Detroit to Tampa Bay last season as part of the David Price trade. Smyly will be facing his former teammates for the first time. Carlos Carrasco to return from disabled list Tuesday; Roberto Perez fine after foul tip; Giovanni Soto throws one-pitch debut By Ryan LewisPublished: September 6, :42 PM DETROIT: Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco is slated to return from the disabled list and take the mound Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Carrasco has been on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Aug. 22 with shoulder inflammation after he felt sorer than normal following his Aug. 21 start against New York. He received a cortisone shot and ultimately needed a couple weeks off. He s in pretty good shape to start on Tuesday, Indians manager Terry Francona said. We ll certainly see how he shows up [Sunday] and everything, but I think he s in pretty good shape. The hope was, when we put him on the disabled list and gave him the injection, that he d be raring to go. And I think he is. It comes at a much-needed time for the Indians, as the staff s ace, Corey Kluber, will likely miss at least two to three starts with a strained right hamstring. The Indians entered Sunday six games back of Texas for the second wild-card spot, and time is running out. I didn t like it, Carrasco said of being on the DL. I didn t like it when I went to the DL because you know what, right now we are really fighting. You never know what s going to happen. With Kluber sidelined, starting Tuesday the rotation will be Carrasco, Josh Tomlin, Danny Salazar, Cody Anderson and Trevor Bauer, who will take the mound Monday in Chicago. Just a bruise Catcher Roberto Perez took a foul tip off of his right forearm in the Indians 6-0 loss to Detroit on Saturday night. The Indians had Perez take a precautionary X-ray, though it appears he is fine. He s OK, Francona said. Just our concern is obvious, even though he wasn t playing today, you don t want to have your backup catcher all of a sudden show up the next day and be hurting when it s September and you could have had somebody here. He s stiff, but he s fine. Solo pitch Soto Rookie left-handed relief pitcher Giovanni Soto made his major-league debut Saturday night, recording one out on one pitch and then exiting the game.

5 It was a quick, but efficient debut. When asked if he d be available after his one pitch, Francona joked Sunday morning the Indians would have to keep an eye on him. Soto, who was acquired for shortstop Jhonny Peralta, took some time in the Indians organization to get his footing. He had struggled above Double-A until this season, when he posted a 2.68 ERA in 53 innings pitched for Triple-A Columbus. Now, the Indians will try to see at least a bit of what they have in Soto, who s still only 24. In three or four weeks, you re probably not going to find out all that you want, but I d be willing to bet we ll find out more than if we wouldn t have called him up, Francona said. [Earlier in his career] he just kind of started to not go in the direction we thought. It seems by all accounts [through] his work ethic, he made a commitment and stuck to it. And the results on the field were much improved. Obviously you like to see that because you love when guys try to figure out the work part and then it transfers to the field. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Led by Cody Anderson, Indians break through to beat Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers 4-0 By Ryan Lewis DETROIT: For most of the day Sunday, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander looked like his old self again against the Indians. Verlander took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and looked to be barely breaking a sweat even as the temperature neared 90 degrees. Eventually the Indians offense unlike so many times in the past finally got to him and did enough to support Cody Anderson, who turned in a strong performance of his own, to beat the Detroit Tigers 4-0 at Comerica Park. Abraham Almonte broke up Verlander s no-hit bid in the fifth with a triple to dead center field that was almost reeled in by Tigers center fielder Anthony Gose. An inning later, the Indians did some damage. Michael Martinez, getting the start in left field while Michael Brantley acted as the designated hitter, singled to left and Jason Kipnis followed with a single on a play that was nearly a double play. Kipnis hit a hard ground ball to Tigers (62-74) second baseman Andrew Romine, who flipped it to shortstop Dixon Machado. Martinez had taken off on the pitch and slid into second just before the ball got to Machado. On his throw to first, then, Kipnis was originally called out in a bang-bang play but had the call overturned after the Indians (66-69) challenged the play. Instead of two outs, the Indians had none and two runners on. Francisco Lindor squared around to bunt in an effort to put two runners in scoring position on a day in which runners were hard to come by. He fouled off one pitch, failing to get it down and then squared around a second time but pulled it back for a ball. Indians manager Terry Francona yelled from the dugout for Lindor to swing freely. He made it count, ripping a triple to right-center field and giving the Indians a 2-0 lead. I looked to the dugout and he told me to hit, Lindor said. [Francona] gave me some freedom for me to go hit, and that s what I did. Two batters later, Carlos Santana made it 3-0 with a single to center field. Martinez (3-for-4) added an insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI single up the middle off of Tigers relief pitcher Neftali Feliz, making it 4-0. Anderson (3-3) had his best outing since his first four after being called up, throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out three. He also twice worked out of a no-out situation with two runners on, both times inducing a ground ball to escape trouble with one of them coming with the always dangerous Miguel Cabrera at the plate. Oh man, I loved it, Francona said of Anderson s outing. They had a couple chances. Anytime you have first and second and nobody out and Miggy is coming to the plate, that s a formula where they really hurt you. He made some really good pitches and he threw the ball down in the zone where he induced the ground balls where our guys could turn double plays. I thought he was tremendous. The Indians have talked about Anderson needing to keep the ball down, something he hasn t done when he s struggled. I think anybody s capable of doing this when they keep the ball down, Anderson said. It s just a matter of how many times you can do it. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen worked scoreless innings to close out the game and the series. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians break through to beat Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers 4-0 By Ryan Lewis Published: September 6, 2015 For most of the day Sunday, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander looked like his old self again against the Indians. Verlander took a no-hitter into fifth inning and looked to be barely breaking a sweat even as the temperature neared 90 degrees. Eventually the Indians offense unlike so many times in the past finally got to him and did enough to support Cody Anderson, who turned in a strong performance of his own, to beat the Detroit Tigers 4-0 Sunday at Comerica Park. Abraham Almonte broke up Verlander s no-hit bid in the fifth with a triple to dead center field that was almost reeled in by Tigers center fielder Anthony Gose. An inning later, the Indians did some damage. Michael Martinez, getting the start in left field while Michael Brantley acted as the designated hitter, singled to left and Jason Kipnis followed with a single on a play that was nearly a double play. Kipnis hit a hard ground ball to Tigers (62-74) second baseman Andrew Romine, who flipped it to shortstop Dixon Machado. Martinez had taken off on the pitch and slid into second just before the ball got to Machado. On his throw to first, then, Kipnis was originally called out in a bang-bang play but had the call overturned after the Indians (66-69) challenged the play. Instead of two outs, the Indians had none and two runners on. Francisco Lindor squared around to bunt in an effort to put two runners in scoring position on a day in which runners were hard to come by. He fouled off one pitch, failing to get it down. Then he swung freely and made it count, ripping a triple to right-center field and giving the Indians a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Carlos Santana made it 3-0 with a single to center field.

6 Martinez added an insurance run in the top of the ninth with an RBI single up the middle off of Tigers relief pitcher Neftali Feliz, making it 4-0. Anderson (3-3) had his best outing since his first four after being called up, throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out three. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen worked scoreless innings to close out the game and the series. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Cleveland Indians rookies Francisco Lindor, Cody Anderson combine forces to beat Tigers Paul Hoynes, DETROIT Sunday was a good day for two rookies who helped the Indians beat a team they almost never beat. Right-hander Cody Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings and shortstop Francisco Lindor drove in the only two runs the Indians needed in a 4-0 victory over Detroit at Comerica Park. Lindor was at the plate in the sixth inning with Michael Martinez on second and Jason Kipnis on first. There was no score, no outs and Justin Verlander was on the mound. Manager Terry Francona gave Lindor the bunt sign. Lindor has played only 73 games in the big leagues, but he already leads the AL with 11 sacrifice bunts. Lindor fouled off the first bunt attempt and Francona took the bunt sign off because it looked like Tigers infielders were confused about what bunt defense they were in. "They were moving all over," said Lindor. On Verlander's second pitch, Lindor turned to bunt, but didn't offer at the ball. Manager Brad Ausmus went to the mound to get his bunt defense in order. Francona picked that time to yell to Lindor. "When the Tigers went to the mound, we caught a break," said Francona. "Frankie turned around (toward the Tribe bench) and I yelled to him to go ahead and hit." Francona wasn't surprised that Lindor tried to bunt a second time after he took it off after Verlander's first pitch. "Frankie has done that before," he said. "A lot of times with young players, they want to do the right thing which is good. But right there, with the infield crashing, and them trying to straighten out their bunt plays, it seemed to make sense to let him swing. Francisco Lindor hits two-run triple instead of sac-bunt Francisco Lindor, in the sixth inning Sunday, tried to bunt until manager Terry Francona told him to swing away. A game-breaking two-run triple against Detroit was the result. Lindor hit Verlander's next pitch for a two-run triple to the wall in right center. The Indians added two more insurance runs. "They knew I was going to bunt," said Lindor, who has hit safely in 54 of his 73 games with the Indians. "It was just a matter of me executing and I missed it. After that it was time to hit because they were coming to catch the ball." "Anytime you can score on a guy like Verlander it's big," said Lindor. "Especially when Cody was pitching a helluva game. We just needed one or two runs to help him out." Lindor is hitting.306 (89-for-291) with 16 doubles, one triple, seven homers and 33 RBI. In Anderson's last two starts, he's faced two of the most dangerous lineups in the big leagues Detroit and Toronto and has allowed two runs on five hits in 13 innings. "He was tremendous," said Francona, after Sunday's game. In the fourth and fifth innings, Detroit's first two batters reached base. Anderson pitched his way out of trouble each time. Terry Francona on Cody Anderson beating Detroit Manager Terry Francona was impressed with rookie Cody's Anderson poise and ability to keep the ball down in the strike zone in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Detroit. In the fourth, he threw a two-seam fastball that Miguel Cabrera turned into a double play. Then he retired J.D. Martinez on a fly ball to center. Victor Martinez started the fifth with a double. Anderson (3-3, 3.72) thought he struck out Nick Castellanos, the next batter, but plate umpire Tony Randazzo called his 3-2 pitch a ball to put runners on first and second. "He didn't let anything bother him to the point that it was going to affect the game," said Francona. "You could see that he thought it was a strike. But then he gathered himself and it was like "OK, let's go.' That's been a trademark of his early on. Even with his youth, everyone around here knows he's a tough kid." Anderson thought he had Castellanos struck out. "You want to get every call you can get, but sometimes they're not perfect either," he said. "I thought it might have been a strike, but maybe I didn't see it right. You can't let that affect the rest of the game so you just have to move onto the next batter." Here's what happened to the next two batters: Tyler Collins struck out and James McCann hit into a double play to end the threat. Anderson threw only 92 pitches, but was removed after seven innings because he was cramping in the Detroit heat. The temperature at first pitch was 86 degrees. Finally: Utility man Michael Martinez, just promoted from Class AAA Columbus, started in left field Sunday. He went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Defensively, he made a nice catch and he was also thrown out trying to steal second base...before Sunday's game, Francona made it official that Carlos Carrasco (sore right shoulder) would be activated and start Tuesday night against the White Sox... Victor Martinez's son, Victor Jose, stopped in Francona's office to say hello Sunday morning before the game. "When Victor played for me in Boston, I told Victor

7 Jose, "You can come in here anytime you want, but you've got to stop in and visit me every day."...catcher Yan Gomes took a foul tip off his right knee Sunday, but stayed in the game. Backup catcher Roberto Perez took a foul tip off his right arm on Friday night. Cody Anderson, Francisco Lindor help Cleveland Indians win series at Detroit Tigers: DMan's Report, Game 135 Dennis Manoloff, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Cody Anderson pitched superbly for seven innings and Francisco Lindor hit a two-run triple as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park in Detroit. Tribe No. 9 batter Michael Martinez went 3- for-4 with one RBI and one run. The Indians won the series, 2-1. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: Clutch performance: In as close to a must-win as they have faced this season, the Indians delivered. And they defeated a longtime nemesis, Justin Verlander, who had been good-to-great in his previous five starts and seven of eight. Verlander was good again (7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3ER, 2 BB, 4 K), but the Tribe managed to prevail because Anderson was better (7 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K). At the conclusion of their game, the Indians (66-69) had pulled with 5.5 games of the Texas Rangers for the second AL wild card spot. Later in the day, the deficit became 5.0 when the Rangers lost to the Angels, 7-0, in Anaheim, Calif. Of the three teams between the Rangers and Indians, the Tribe gained on two (Minnesota Twins, 70-66; and Tampa Bay Rays, 67-69) and kept pace with the other (Angels, 69-67). The Tigers are The power of the beard: For the second consecutive start, Anderson responded to a big-time road challenge when his team absolutely needed him. On Sept. 1 at Toronto, he allowed two runs on three hits in six innings of a no-decision; the Blue Jays won, 5-3. Anderson controlled the Tigers using primarily a fastball/changeup combination. He sprinkled in cutters and breaking balls. Anderson (3-3, 3.72 ERA) kept most of his pitches out of the middle of the plate, and plenty featured all-important late movement. He consistently stayed on top of the ball at release and finished his delivery with good extension, which enabled him to throw downhill and increase the likelihood that Detroit batters would not make solid contact. Anderson proved that a pitcher doesn't always need to throw a high percentage of strikes in order to be successful; he was 58-of-92 for 63 percent. Yes, Anderson missed with a number of pitches that he wanted to throw for strikes. But he also periodically missed just out of the zone on-purpose, the objective being to get the batter to chase or to set up the next pitch. Money time: Anderson escaped jams in the fourth and fifth in order to keep the game scoreless. Anthony Gose led off the fourth with a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on Dixon Machado's bunt single to first. Miguel Cabrera, the best hitter of his generation, grounded into a double play and J.D. Martinez, who entered with 35 homers and 89 RBI, lined to center. Victor Martinez led off the fifth with a double to right. Nick Castellanos walked after being down in the count, 1-2. Tyler Collins struck out swinging (3-2 fastball with juice) and James McCann grounded into a double play (1-1 cutter off outside corner). Bryan Shaw gave up one hit in the eighth and Cody Allen pitched a perfect ninth. Waiting him out: Verlander (3-7, 3.43) did not allow a hit until Abraham Almonte tripled with two outs in the fifth. Almonte smoked a 2-2 fastball to center for his fifth triple in 27 games as an Indian. Jose Ramirez grounded to short to end the threat. The Tribe erupted for three runs in the sixth. Here is a batter-by-batter breakdown: (L) Michael Martinez curve (80), single to center. Skinny: Indians' first leadoff runner. Verlander got too cute for his own good, opting for 0-2 curve against the No. 9 batter instead of a heater. Martinez had struck out swinging at a 2-2 fastball in the third inning. (L) Jason Kipnis changeup (84), single to second. Skinny: Second baseman Andrew Romine made a good play up the middle and flipped to shortstop Machado. Martinez, who had been on the move, beat it. The relay was not in time, either -- although first-base umpire Doug Eddings initially called Kipnis out. The Indians won the replay challenge; if they had not, there would have been an investigation. Indians manager Terry Francona having started Martinez proved enormous. Otherwise, the Tribe would have had a runner on first and one out. (L) Francisco Lindor fastball bunt foul; 92 fastball down and in; (Verlander fakes pickoff to second; Tigers call timeout and gather at mound with manager Brad Ausmus to discuss their defensive strategy; Lindor talks with third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh); 92 fastball, triple to rightcenter. Skinny: At-bat of game for Tribe offense. Lindor, the American League leader in sacrifice bunts (11), did not show bunt in the 1-1 count. It paid off in a two-run hit -- Lindor's first career triple. Lindor and the Indians simply outfoxed Verlander, who threw a fastball that was designed for a bunt. Fox SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning said: "How about that? You think he's going to bunt, you throw him a nice fastball. Lindor juiced it into right field. Verlander can't believe it. I think everybody in the ballpark thought the bunt was going to be on.'' (L) Michael Brantley fastball (93), pop to center.

8 (L) Carlos Santana fastball (97), RBI single to center. Skinny: Santana handled a crisp fastball that was up. (L) Lonnie Chisenhall changeup (85), fly to center. (R) Yan Gomes curve (80), bloop single to center. (L) Abraham Almonte changeup, pop to left. Mr. 800: Left fielder Martinez put on a show in his third game with the Indians since his promotion from Class AAA Columbus. In his season/career with the Tribe, he is batting.800 (4-for-5) with an.800 on-base percentage and.800 slugging percentage. All three of his hits were singles up the middle. One came using a modified butcher-boy approach -- show bunt, pull back, swing. Another drove in a run in the ninth. Martinez also contributed with the glove. He made a running, full-extension catch near the corner to deny Romine extra bases leading off the Detroit sixth. Spotlight on...miguel Cabrera: Miggy, who entered with a.357 average, 17 homers and 68 RBI, went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter. Here is a breakdown of his ABs: First inning vs. Anderson (none on, two outs) fastball swinging strike (low); 85 changeup called strike; 93 fastball, grounder to third (down and in). Skinny: Miggy attempted to ambush Anderson, but the first pitch wasn't a get-me-over. Third baseman Ramirez fielded the grounder well behind the bag and threw from foul territory. First baseman Santana handled a long hop. Fourth inning vs. Anderson (runners on first and second, none out) fastball low; 90 fastball called strike; 91 fastball inside (barely); 85 changeup swinging strike (down and in); 93 fastball, GIDP Skinny: At-bat of the game for Detroit offense. The 2-1 changeup, which featured superb late action, was the key to the AB. Cabrera, guarding against another changeup, was surprised by the fastball thigh-high and over the plate. It normally is a pitch Cabrera swats to right for damage. Seventh inning vs. Anderson (none on, none out) cutter outside; 91 fastball down and in (barely); 87 changeup, grounder to third. Ninth inning vs. Allen (none on, two outs) fastball, foul fly to right. Skinny: Chisenhall made catch on track in corner. Miggy finished 1-for-11 in the series. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians beat Detroit behind Cody Anderson's arm, Francisco Lindor's bat Paul Hoynes, on September 06, 2015 at 4:04 PM, updated September 07, 2015 at 1:57 AM DETROIT -- Francisco Lindor was trying to bunt in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park. Hey, he's been in the big leagues for seemingly a week and he already leads the AL with 11 sacrifice bunts. So he's good at it. Lindor fouled off a bunt attempt on the first pitch. He showed bunt again on the next pitch, but did not offer. On the next pitch, the rookie shortstop hit a two-run triple to the wall in right center field to lead the Indians past Justin Verlander and the Tigers in a 4-0 victory. The bunt giveth and the bunt taketh away. The Indians three-run sixth was put in motion by the Indians' successful challenge of an out call at first base against Jason Kipnis. Utlity man Michael Martinez, making his first start for the Indians since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus on Friday, opened the inning with a single to center. It was just the second hit of the game for the Tribe. The first belonged to Abraham Almonte, who tripled with two out in the fifth. Kipnis followed with grounder behind second. Andrew Romine grabbed it and flipped to shortstop Dixon Machado at second, but Martinez was safe at second. On Dixon's relay to first, umpire Doug Eddings called Kipnis out. Kipnis immediately signaled to the bench to challenge the call. The review took 1:27 and Kipnis was called safe and credited with a single. That's when Lindor took over. After Lindor's triple, Carlos Santana made it 3-0 with a single to center. Lindor entered the game leading AL rookies with a.307 batting average and.346 on base percentage. Francisco Lindor hits two-run triple instead of sac-bunt Francisco Lindor, in the sixth inning Sunday, tried to bunt until manager Terry Francona told him to swing away. A game-breaking two-run triple against Detroit was the result. Cody Anderson, another rookie, went seven innings for the win. Anderson (3-3, 3.72) held the Tigers scoreless on two hits. In his last two starts on this trip, he's allowed two runs in 13 innings against Toronto and Detroit. Anderson, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen combined on the three-hit shutout. Verlander (3-7, 3.43) allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. It was his 42nd start against the Indians. He's against the Tribe. The Indians added an insurance run in the ninth on Martinez's RBI single. Martinez went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Defensively, he robbed Romine of an extra base catch with a nice running catch in left field in the sixth inning. What it means

9 The Indians (66-69) improved to 3-3 on this nine-game trip and 5-10 against the Tigers. They finished the season series at Comerica Park at 4-5. The Tigers (62-74) have lost 13 of their last 16 games. Replay this The Tribe's successful challenge in the fifth inning made manager Terry Francona 10-for-21 in challenges this season. It's safe to say it had to be one of the biggest of the season considering how the inning turned out. My best friend Two double plays extracted Anderson from threatening innings. Andrew Gose opened the fourth inning with a walk. Machado followed with a perfect bunt single to first base to put Anderson in a jam because Miguel Cabrera was at the plate. Anderson unjammed himself on a 2-2 pitch that Cabrera turned into a double play as Gose went to third. The inning ended when J.D. Martinez flied out to center with Gose on third. In the fifth, Victor Martinez doubled into the right field corner to start the inning. Nick Castellanos followed with a walk, but Anderson struck out Tyler Collins and induced a double play from James McCann. Thanks for coming The Indians and Tigers drew 28,964 fans to Comerica Park on Sunday. The three-game series drew 84,291 fans. What's next? The Indians conclude this nine-game trip with a three-game series against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. RHP Trevor Bauer (10-11, 4.56) will face Chicago lefty Chris Sale (12-7, 3.29) Monday night at 8:10 p.m. In Bauer's last start, he lasted just 1 1/3 innings against Toronto. He allowed five runs on six hits. Bauer is 2-1 in four starts against the White Sox this season. Sale is 3-0 in his last five starts. He's 1-0 in two starts against the Tribe this season. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Anthony Santander hits two home runs in Lake County Captains' victory over South Bend Cubs By David Glasier, The News-Herald In this season s extraordinarily late stage, Anthony Santander is the proverbial next man up for the Lake County. Santander, a 20-year-old outfielder, connected for two solo home runs Sept. 6 as the Captains beat the South Bend (Ind.) Cubs, 3-0, at Classic Park. They were the ninth and 10th round trippers for the switch-hitting Venezuelan who had a solid second half batting third in front of power-hitting first baseman Bobby Bradley. Bradley and his 27 home runs are in Lynchburg, Va., after his promotion two days ago to the advanced Single-A Hillcats. Even though only three games remained after Bradley s promotion, it fell to Santander to continue taking care of business in the three hole. He connected in the bottom of the fourth inning against South Bens starter and eventual loser Tommy Thorpe (5-7, 3.08 ERA). In the bottom of the seventh, Santander jumped on a fastball from reliever Corbin Hoffner. Anthony has had a good season offensively and defensively, Captains manager Shaun Larkin said. Center fielder Silento Sayles RBI fly out in the bottom of the fifth accounted for the other Captains run. Lake County starter Thomas Pannone (7-6, 4.02 ERA) ended his promising season in fine fashion, blanking the Cubs on three runs over six efficient innings. The 21-year-old left-hander notched six strikeouts while not yielding a walk. In 27 starts covering 132 innings, Pannone piled up 120 strikeouts while giving up only 37 walks. It s been a great year for Pannone, along with our other starters, Larkin said. The Captains improved to in the second half and overall. They finish the season Sept. 7 against the Cubs at Classic Park. Mazel tov!!! On Jewish Heritage Night, a spirited version of Take Me Out to the Ballgame, sung partially in Yiddish, earned a rousing ovation from the crowed. No radio The 2015 season finale will not be broadcast on WINT-AM 1330 or WFUN-AM 970 ESPN. Both stations have contractual obligations to satisfy during the day.

10 Go to captainsbaseball.com for a live internet broadcast. Baseball Clippers can claim West with finale win By Jim MassieThe Columbus Dispatch Monday September 7, :01 AM A regular season that began for the Clippers on April 9 with a road game against the Indianapolis Indians will end this afternoon at Huntington Park with the same two teams tied for first place in the International League West Division. Both are headed to the IL playoffs, one as the division champion and the other as the wild card. The difference matters to the Clippers, who own the tiebreaker by virtue of an edge in the season series. Absolutely, you want to win your division, Columbus catcher Adam Moore said. You know you have to start (the playoffs) on the road, which is weird. But at least you get to come home for three. To reach the finale in a tie, the Clippers defeated the Toledo Mud Hens 2-1 in front of a crowd of 9,777 on Sunday night. Toru Murata (15-4) pitched seven shutout innings, and closer Carlos Marmol extricated himself from a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the ninth to earn his 13th save. Indianapolis, meanwhile, fashioned a 5-1 victory at Louisville to keep pace and will play the Bats again at 1:05 p.m. today. The Clippers will end with the Mud Hens at 3:05 p.m. The good part about it is that we ve battled through 143 games, and if we win (today,) we win the division, Clippers manager Chris Tremie said. The Mud Hens, who are in last place in the West by 23 games, did not just roll over after falling behind 2-0. Moore doubled with one out in the second inning off Tim Melville (7-10) and scored on a two-out single by James Ramsey. In the third, Tyler Holt led off with a double, and Melville hit Erik Gonzalez with a pitch. With one out, Zach Walters doubled off the wall in right field. Holt scored, but Gonzalez was out at the plate on a relay throw by second baseman Alexi Casilla. Melville and the Toledo bullpen shut down the Columbus offense after that. The Clippers were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position in their final five innings. We had chances to score with runners in scoring position, Tremie said. Tonight, we just couldn t get it done and extend the lead. It s baseball. It s going to happen sometimes. Murata became the first Clippers pitcher to win 15 games since 1990, when Dave Eiland (16) and Steve Adkins (15) both hit that mark. He worked just under the 70-mph highway speed limit at times with his breaking ball and touched the high 80s with his fastball. He s just steady, Moore said of Murata. It s what he does every time, and we expect that out of him. He can throw any pitch in any situation. The Mud Hens loaded the bases against Marmol with two walks and a single. He escaped with a strikeout, a sacrifice fly and flyout to Holt to end the game. Happy return to major-league mound for White Sox's Erik Johnson By Colleen Kane KANSAS CITY, Mo. Erik Johnson probably didn't envision his first major-league start in more than 16 months ending the way it did Sunday. In fact, the White Sox right-hander didn't see Alex Gordon's broken bat hurtling toward his head until the very last second, when he quickly raised his glove and arm to block the barrel from hitting his face. Johnson wasn't hurt, but he took a seat with a three-run lead after Gordon was ruled out at first base upon review to end the sixth inning. The Sox bullpen then fended off a late Royals run for a 7-5 victory to complete a series sweep at Kauffman Stadium for the first time since August Johnson, who allowed three earned runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts, earned his first major-league victory since April 20, "I followed the ball with my eyes and saw it went to short," Johnson said of Gordon's grounder. "I turned back around to look at the play at first, and the bat kind of appeared in my face. I was lucky enough to get my glove over my face and then my other arm to protect me. "It just squared me up with the fat part of the bat. I didn't get a pointy end. I was very thankful for that." Johnson also was thankful for the start, which was a long time coming. His last start for the Sox was on April 25, 2014, when he gave up four earned runs on four hits in just 12/3 against the Rays, and the Sox then optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte.