MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

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1 Salazar settles into duel, but Tribe falls to Sox By Jordan Bastian and Scott Merkin / MLB.com April 12th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- Derek Holland might be wearing a new uniform, but the results against the Indians looked the same. The White Sox lefthander has tormented Cleveland's lineup over his career, and that did not change in a 2-1 victory for Chicago on Wednesday at Progressive Field. Holland carried a no-hitter through five innings and ended with one hit surrendered over six shutout frames for the White Sox. That performance -- one that included four strikeouts and four walks -- lowered his career ERA to 1.02 in 35 1/3 innings in Cleveland. In his career against the Tribe, Holland has gone 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA (61 1/3 innings). "Early in the game, he established his fastball," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It seemed like he put the fastball in our heads, and then he went to his offspeed and was really good. I mean, we hit a few balls hard. On a night when we needed something to drop, they didn't. But, we didn't have a whole lot going against him." "I love pitching here," said Holland, a native of Newark, Ohio. "This is where I'm home." Cleveland's lack of offense spoiled a solid effort from right-hander Danny Salazar, who tied a career high with 11 strikeouts. Over six innings, Salazar scattered four hits and allowed two runs, which both came on a base hit from Matt Davidson in the second. The White Sox went 1-for- 16 with 10 strikeouts after Davidson's single. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Holland holds his ground: After holding the Indians to an 0-for-15 showing to open his outing, Cleveland posted "Derek Holland is throwing a no-hitter" on the scoreboard. The next batter, Francisco Lindor, doubled to left to end the lefty's bid at history. Holland later walked slugger Edwin Encarnacion, giving the Tribe a chance to break through with one out. After a mound visit, Holland induced a flyout from Jose Ramirez and a popout from Brandon Guyer to escape unscathed. "Just stay calm, stay focused," Holland said. "I knew [catcher Omar Narvaez] was going to keep me right there. You are not going to give in just because of the situation." Lindor or bust: The Indians' struggling lineup tried to mount a rally in the eighth against White Sox reliever Nate Jones. Carlos Santana singled and then Lindor sent a pitch high off the wall in center for a double. The shortstop pumped his fist and yelled upon reaching second. Lindor needed more help from his friends, though. Santana scored on a groundout by Michael Brantley, but then Encarnacion (strikeout) and Ramirez (groundout) could not come through. "It's just one day," Brantley said of the offense's struggles. "We'll kind of get it rolling and it will take off from there. We all need to get in a rhythm, just relax, kind of pass it on to one another. We'll be just fine." GETTING DEFENSIVE Ramirez turned in a highlight-reel defensive gem in the eighth inning, doing his part to keep the White Sox from building on their lead. With one out, Melky Cabrera sent a pitch from Dan Otero up the middle with an exit velocity of 107 mph. Ramirez, playing second, sprinted to his right, snared the sharply hit grounder and threw across his body to first. Ramirez's throw narrowly beat Cabrera to the bag for the second out of the inning. "That was a great play," Francona said. "He's a good defender wherever you put him." QUOTABLE "I feel like I've played a month already with baseball that was really competitive. Those were very intense games in the World Baseball Classic right out of the gate, so now you could say I'm trying to slow it down to get in a rhythm to last the season." -- White Sox closer David Robertson, who has fanned six in three scoreless innings. WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: Miguel Gonzalez makes his second start of the season and his first on the road against the Indians in Thursday night's series finale at Progressive Field, with a first pitch of 5:10 p.m. CT. Gonzalez is 4-1 with a 3.89 ERA lifetime against the Indians. Indians: Right-hander Josh Tomlin is slated to start for the Tribe in a 6:10 p.m. ET division clash with the White Sox on Thursday at Progressive Field. Last year, Tomlin posted a 1.83 ERA with a.194 opponents' average in three starts against Chicago. Kipnis exits rehab game after HBP on hand By Jordan Bastian / April 12th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- Jason Kipnis' latest Minor League rehab assignment did not go as planned for the Indians. On Wednesday night, Kipnis was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the first inning of Double-A Akron's game against Trenton, leading to an early exit for the second baseman. Indians head athletic trainer James Quinlan said that Kipnis was removed from the game for precautionary reasons. Kipnis got the start at second base for the RubberDucks and was intending to play the first in a series of two or three consecutive games. Cleveland's second baseman injured his right shoulder early in Spring Training, opened the year on the 10-day disabled list and recently began a Minor League rehab stint with Akron. Kipnis played games on Sunday and Monday with no issues. After being hit by the pitch, Kipnis is unlikely to continue his rehab assignment on Thursday. The Indians should also have more information about his injury prior to Thursday's game against the White Sox. In the first inning of Wednesday's game, Kipnis battled Trenton left-hander Justus Sheffield for nine pitches, with the final offering striking the second baseman on the hand. Sheffield was a first-round Draft pick by the Indians in 2014 and was traded to the Yankees last summer as part of the blockbuster deal that brought relief ace Andrew Miller to the Tribe. Kipnis initially remained in the game, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter (Yhoxian Medina) in the third inning. Last season, Kipnis hit.275 with 23 home runs, 41 doubles, 82 RBIs, 91 runs and an.811 OPS for the Indians. With the second baseman on the shelf, the Indians moved third baseman Jose Ramirez to second and have been playing rookie Yandy Diaz at third. Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

2 Lindor hot, but rest of Tribe hasn't followed By Jordan Bastian / April 12th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- After sending a pitch off the wall in center field, Francisco Lindor pumped a fist, clapped his hands and shouted in the direction of the Indians' dugout as he stood on second base. The shortstop was trying to ignite an eighth-inning rally for a Cleveland lineup that has gone ice cold. On Wednesday night, Lindor was a one-man band, and the lack of help sent the Tribe to a 2-1 loss to the White Sox at Progressive Field. Lindor broke up Derek Holland's no-hit bid in the sixth and doubled in the eighth, but the wait continues for the rest of the Indians' order to wake up. "It's just one day," Indians outfielder Michael Brantley said. "We'll kind of get it rolling and it will take off from there. We all need to get in a rhythm, just relax, kind of pass it on to one another. We'll be just fine." This has gone on for more than one day, though. Cleveland has only played eight games, so the small-sample-size qualifier still very much applies, especially after the club churned out 21 runs in its three-game sweep of Texas to open the season. That said, the Indians have produced only 10 runs in the five games since that early outburst, with a 5-for-43 (.116 average) with runners in scoring position in that span. Lindor has been on a tear out of the gates, launching four home runs and posting a.333 average to go with a OPS in the season's early going. The rest of the lineup has hit a combined.190 (44-for-232) through eight games. The Tribe's lone run on Wednesday came in the eighth, when Carlos Santana scored from third on a Brantley groundout. Lindor moved from The absence of support sent Danny Salazar to a loss, despite the fact that he tied a career high in strikeouts (11) and limited Chicago to two runs over six innings. "Their bats are a little bit slow right now," Salazar said. "But they'll be all right. They are great. They are amazing at fielding, hitting. It's early in the season." To date, Brantley has hit.208 and his average exit velocity of 86.6 mph (per Statcast ) ranked seventh among the eight Indians hitters with at least 10 balls in play, entering Wednesday. Santana (.235 average), Ramirez (.179) and Yan Gomes (.056) have also labored. Encarnacion, who signed a three-year contract worth $60 million over the winter, is batting.172 with one home run and one RBI. Indians manager Terry Francona was not about to overreact to such a small sample. "That's normally the way it is at the beginning of the season," Francona said. "Carlos really cooled off. Edwin hasn't gotten going yet. That's our leadoff and our cleanup hitter. Jose's not had a ton of hits. That'll change. Everybody wants it to change yesterday -- myself included -- but you've got to be patient. It'll change." Yandy's early numbers not concerning Tribe By Jordan Bastian / April 12th, 2017 CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor knows what Indians rookie Yandy Diaz is going through offensively. When Lindor was getting his first taste of the big leagues two years ago, the shortstop was hitting the ball hard, but running into a lot of tough luck. Heading into Wednesday's game, Diaz had posted an average exit velocity of 94.6 mph on balls in play, ranking fifth-best in the Majors among players with at least 20 results, perstatcast. Through seven games, though, the third baseman was sporting a.222 batting average with a Full Game Coverage "His at-bats have been really good, for the most part," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Normally, when you use the whole field, you get rewarded. That hasn't necessarily happened with him yet. But, if he keeps swinging like he is, you'll see some numbers get better." After being called up in 2015, Lindor hit.223 with a.568 OPS in 111 plate appearances before the All-Star break. The shortstop said he began to get caught up in trying to swing like the more veteran players on the team. When he went back to just being himself at the plate, he relaxed and saw the results follow. Lindor has given the same advance to Diaz. "We let him know that he doesn't have to be like me," Lindor said. "He does't have to be like [Tyler Naquin], [Michael Brantley], [Jason Kipnis], [Jose Ramirez]. He doesn't have to be like none of us. He's a very good hitter. He made the team hitting, and he's going to hit. He's got to continue to be himself and not try to be like anybody else. Just keep on swinging it." Chisenhall due back Thursday Francona said Wednesday that right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (right shoulder) will likely be activated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the White Sox. Chisenhall is scheduled to play one final Minor League rehab game with Double-A Akron on Wednesday before being re-evaluated by the team. "He's felt pretty good," Francona said. "We'll certainly want to see him get through the game, but I think all things are leading toward him being activated." Worth noting With no outs and runners on first and second in the eighth inning Tuesday night, Lindor used a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up. The rally ended with Edwin Encarnacion grounding into a double play. The decision to bunt came from Francona. "I gave it to him, and I was wrestling with it," Francona said. "You don't want to take the bat out of his hand very often. That just seemed to me like a situation where it was so hard for us to score. Now, maybe if we let him hit, maybe we would've scored quicker. But, nobody has a crystal ball. You do what you think is right." Tomlin, Gonzalez set for Tribe-White Sox tilt By William Kosileski / MLB.com April 12th, 2017 In the final game of a three-game series with the White Sox on Thursday, Indians first baseman Edwin Encarnacion may have a chance to overcome his early-season struggles. The White Sox will start right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, a pitcher that Encarnacion has had success against throughout his career. In 31 career at-bats against Gonzalez, the right-handed slugger has posted an.895 OPS, with three home runs and 13 RBIs.

3 Since hitting a home run in his first game of the season with the Indians, Encarnacion's offense has slowed. Indians manager Terry Francona is not concerned. "His track record is so good. I think he might have been trying to do a little much," Francona said earlier this week. "If we're talking about Edwin struggling in about a month, I'll be surprised. I don't think that will be one of the conversations we're having. And he'll be that guy, when he gets hot, he has a chance to kind of carry a team for a while." Gonzalez will aim to repeat the success he had in his season debut against the Twins on Saturday. He pitched six innings while only allowing two runs, tallying six strikeouts in the win. Gonzalez used the changeup as a weapon in his first start, as Minnesota went 0-for-9 against Gonzalez's change, including three swinging strikeouts, and they missed six of their 13 total swings against the pitch. Of the six batted balls vs. Gonzalez's changeup, the average exit velocity was just 79 mph. That's right in line with Gonzalez's dominance with the pitch last year, when opponents hit just.175 (sixth-lowest in MLB) and slugged.225 (best in MLB) against his changeup (min. 100 ABs). Gonzalez will pitch opposite right-hander Josh Tomlin, who is making his second start of the 2017 campaign. Tomlin struggled on Friday against the D-backs, yielding six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Three things to know about this game Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall is expected to be activated from the 10-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game. The timing would allow Cleveland to insert the left-handed-hitting Chisenhall into the lineup against the right-handed Gonzalez. While the Indians have not announced the move, it is possible that switch-hitting Abraham Almonte will be the odd-man out upon Chisenhall's return. In three starts vs. the White Sox last season, Tomlin went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA and held the team to a.194 average. Over his last six starts against the White Sox, Tomlin has gone 4-2 with 2.25 ERA and 31 strikeouts. White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has found success against Tomlin in his career, going 5-for-13, including a home run and two doubles. Going into play on Wednesday, Francisco Lindor was tied for second in the league in home runs with four. In his nearly five years in the Minor Leagues, Lindor hit 21 home runs. Ever since he joined the Indians in June 2015 from Triple-A Columbus, Lindor has shown that he has power from both sides of the plate. He has hit 31 homers since being called up to Cleveland. Covering the Bases: Game 8 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: The Indians had three hits on Wednesday night. Francisco Lindor had two of them. And there s your summation of the first eight games of Cleveland s 2017 season. In the wake of the Tribe s latest loss the team s fifth straight game with three runs or fewer here s how Wednesday s lineup looked in terms of OPS: One of those is not like the others. That s Lindor, who has hit.333/.417/.833 with four homers, eight RBIs and seven runs through the first eight games. Against the White Sox, the switch-hitting shortstop added two doubles, and it went for naught. In the sixth inning, Lindor led off with a double after the Indians announced on the scoreboard that Derek Holland had a no-hitter going. Lindor never made it to third. Michael Brantley (flyout), Edwin Encarnacion (walk), Jose Ramirez (flyout) and Brandon Guyer (popout) couldn t bring him home. In the eighth, following a single by Carlos Santana, Lindor drilled a pitch from Nate Jones off the wall in center for a double. The crowd was fired up. Lindor was fired up. The rest of the offense? Still ice cold. Brantley brought a run in with a groundout, but Encarnacio and Ramirez were retired in order. While Lindor has hit.333 on the young season, the rest of the lineup has hit a combined.189. We ll kind of get it rolling and it will take off from there, Brantley said. We all need to get in a rhythm, just relax, kind of pass it on to one another. We ll be just fine. You create your own luck. We ve been squaring up some balls, and unfortunately, that s going to happen throughout the course of a year. But, our main focus is to take one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time and not try to press. We re a great lineup. We re going to be even better as soon as we get used to each other and get into a rhythm. We re going to be just fine. Indians manager Terry Francona shared that faith. That s normally the way it is at the beginning of the season, Francona said. Carlos really cooled off. Edwin hasn t gotten going yet. That s our leadoff and our cleanup hitter. Jose s not had a ton of hits. That ll change. Everybody wants it to change yesterday myself included. Let s be honest here, too. The narrative has already experience a drastic change eight games in. Cleveland s lineup stormed out of the gates with 21 runs in the season-opening sweep in Texas. The offense was praised, especially for its late-game fight and comebacks. Then, Cleveland scored 10 runs in the next five games and the tone has shifted. In April, that type of swing can happen. You ve got to be patient, Francona reminded. It ll change. SECOND: It s certainly possible that Encarnacion is pressing right now. There is a lot of responsibility that comes with signing a lucractive contract, especially when it s almost always pointed out that his deal is the largest in the history of the Indians franchise. Encarnacion did reach base on Wednesday, but that was when his bat struck the glove of catcher Omar Narvaez in the second inning. EE was sent to first on the catcher s interference call. After that, Encarnacion went 0 for-2 with a pair of strikeouts and a walk.

4 Here is EE s strikeout rate in each of the past six years: 2016: 19.7% 2015: 15.7% 2014: 15.1% 2013: 10.0% 2012: 14.6% 2011: 14.5% So far this season, that rate has spiked to an uncharacteristically-high 35.3%. Ten of his 12 strikeouts have been swinging to date. Here is a glance at the 10 whiffs he had heading into the latest game against Chicago: It s easy to see what s happening early on here. Pitchers are getting Encarnacion to chase low and out of the zone, especially with breaking pitches. One of the slugger s signature traits over his career has been strong plate discipline. That hasn t been there, yet. I just need to keep making adjustments, Encarnacion said through team translator Anna Bolton. That s what this game is all about, making adjustments. That s what I need to do to get unstuck, as they say. THIRD: The victim of the lack of offense was Danny Salazar. The hard-throwing righty pitched fantastic against the White Sox, but was hung with a hard-luck loss for his effort. He was pretty good, Francona said. Salazar went six innings and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts. He issued a leadoff walk (one of two free passes on the night) in the second, and it came back to bit him in a two-run outburst for Chicago. After Mat Davidson s two-run single, though, Salazar held the Sox to a 1-for- 16 showing. I feel comfortable right now, Salazar said. I think that I got to keep at it, just being aggressive, try to get ahead in the whole game. Throughout Salazar s career, Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have stressed the importance of a strong rhythm for the hardthrowing righty. The manager was impressed with what he saw along those lines on Wednesday night. I thought he even caught himself tonight, Francona said. After the first couple innings, he started to quicken up his pace. He was getting the ball and getting right back on the rubber. I think it served him well. If you don t let hitters do a lot of thinking, you kind of force the hand a little bit, force the pace. I thought it was good. HOME: While the offense has lagged of late, Francona has praised a few of the players for not taking their struggles at the plate with them out into the field. Count Ramirez in that group. He has played a solid second base in Jason Kipnis absence, and turned in a gem of a play in the eighth inning. Melky Cabrera chopped a pitch up the middle, where Ramirez gloved it on the spring and made an across-the-body throw to nab the runner at first. Take a look That was a great play, Francona said. He s a good defender wherever you put him. It remains to be seen how long Ramirez will stay put at second. That depends on how long Kipnis spends on his Minor League rehab assignment. That process hit a snag on Wednesday night, when the second baseman was hit on the left hand by a pitch in his rehab game with Double-A Akron. Kipnis was hit in the first inning, but then pulled as a precaution in the third. It seems fair to assume the second baseman will not be playing on Thursday, but nothing has been announced by the Tribe. Expect more info before Thursday s game against the White Sox. April 12: Tito s pregame minutiae by Jordan Bastian On Yandy Diaz running into a lot of hard-hit outs in the first week: We kind of always keep our antenna up for stuff like that, but I think he s OK. I watch him when he comes back. He seems fine, and he s certainly not taking it out to third. I think his at-bats, like I was talking about yesterday, his at-bats have been really good for the most part. And he s so strong, he s hit a number of balls. Normally, when you use the whole field you get rewarded. That hasn t necessarily happened with him yet. But, if he keeps swinging like he is, you ll see some numbers get better. On Diaz s tendency to hit to the opposite field: Yesterday, he actually pulled a ball to left field in the air, which we hadn t seen a lot of yet. I don t want to say his natural path is that way, but I think waiting as long as he does, and he s so strong, it s just a way for him to maybe not pull off the breaking ball, and things like that. I think as good hitters like Yandy get at-bats, and I mean like 500 or 1,000, I think you start to see them moving around the field a little bit more, just as they know themselves and the league and things like that. On having Francisco Lindor bunt in the eighth inning Tuesday: I actually thought when Frankie first got called up, he may have almost bunted too much. And I used to wrestle with that a little bit, because I loved the fact that he was trying to put our team first. And we ve talked a lot. Like yesterday, I gave it to him, and I was wrestling with it for a lot of reasons. But, there are times when he knows, like say he just doesn t feel that good at the plate, or I don t know, maybe he s not comfortable with what the pitcher is throwing, he can always bunt. But, he s such a good hitter that you don t want to take the bat out of his hand very often. That just seemed to me like a situation where it was so hard for us to score. Now, maybe if we let him hit, maybe we would ve scored quicker. But, nobody has a crystal ball. You do what you think is right. On Lindor s bunt forcing the White Sox to pitch to Edwin Encarnacion with the bases loaded: Yeah. I mean, as Edwin gets on track, that s going to be a great situation. You saw his career numbers with the bases loaded. It s off the charts. He just had a tough day. He didn t have a real good series road trip. His last couple swings on the road were good, and then we had the off-day. He ll be good. On Carlos Carrasco s first two starts:

5 I think kind of relieved, because he hadn t pitched much. Of all the guys, I think Mickey really wanted him to pitch a lot this spring and he didn t. You worry, one, about him getting deep enough in a game where you don t mess it up for the other guys, and he s pitched really well in both games. And now he s getting to the point where, I think he threw [95] pitches yesterday. Another game or two, you re not going to be asking about pitch counts or anything. It s just going to be whether he can win or not, which he good. He looks really sharp. On Abraham Almonte s improved plate discipline: It s more of him having good at-bats. I do think he s aware of trying to get pitches that he can hit, and I think through that, he s laying off of more, especially breaking balls down that he has a tendency to chase. And you re right, he s walked five times. He s had deep at-bats deepcount at-bats and I think it s served him well. Now, whatever is batting average is after a week, his at-bats have been really good. On Lindor s power spike, but the shortstop maintaining the approach that he s not a power hitter: I think when he makes good contact, he s going to hit some balls out of the ballpark. I m glad he doesn t view himself as a power hitter, because I think when he views it that way, he s going to hit more. I think when he gets long and wants to hit one, that s when you see a little longer swing. When he stays short and quick, I think you re going to see some home runs hit, just by him putting the barrel on it. On Cody Allen s strong start: I think April s not been his most favorite month, as with a lot of players. For whatever reason, getting some reps under your belt that count. But, I thought even in Spring Training, like his first outing, I was like, Wow, man. He looks really good. I wasn t maybe quite expecting that yet. He broke off some pretty good breaking balls yesterday. I think, and you can understand it, because Andrew has done what he s done, sometimes I think people overlook what Cody s done. He s been one of the best in the game and continues to do so. Asked if he s talked to Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley about the lineup yet: No, no. I ll wait until Kip comes back. By then, who knows what ll happen? On the plan for Lonnie Chisenhall: He s going to play part of a game tonight. And then, most likely, he s felt pretty good, so we ll probably activate him tomorrow. We ll certainly want to see him get through the game, but I think all things are leading towards him being activated tomorrow. JB White Sox 2, Indians 1: 12 Walk-Off Thoughts on a stalled lineup, some hard outs, Danny Salazar By RYAN LEWIS Published: April 12, 2017 Here are 12 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians fell to the Chicago White Sox 2-1 Wednesday night at Progressive Field. 1. Since the Indians left Texas with a sweep of the Rangers that included two come-from-behind wins, a lineup that is unquestionably better on paper than last year has quickly stalled. 2. The Indians are 11-for-71 this season with runners in scoring position. In their last five games, they are 4-for-43 with runners in scoring position. In the first two games of this homestand, they're 0-for-18. Brantley's heroics on Tuesday were enough to score Francisco Lindor from third and overcome an 0-for-9 performance as a team in scoring situations. They couldn't do it twice in a row. 3. The Indians are going to hit. But since the three-game sweep of the Rangers, it s left fans with more anticipation of a big inning rather than the payoff of one. 4. Francona: Yeah. That's normally the way it is at the beginning of the season. Carlos really cooled off. Edwin hasn't gotten going yet. That's our leadoff and our cleanup hitter. Jose's not had a ton of hits. That'll change. Everybody wants it to change yesterday -- myself included -- but you've got to be patient. It'll change. 5. Brantley: A lot of faith. It s just one day, we ll kind of get it rolling and it will take off from there. We all need to get in a rhythm, just relax, kind of pass it on to one another. We ll be just fine. 6. Lindor is hitting.333 with four home runs this season. He hit two doubles Wednesday night, one that went off the wall in left-center, and as of this typing is tied for the league lead in extra-base hits (seven) with someone named Mike Trout. No other player in the starting lineup on Wednesday left with a batting average above.235. Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Ramirez, Brandon Guyer and both catchers are currently under the Mendoza Line. 7. Encarnacion (via team translator Anna Bolton): So I just need to keep making adjustments. Thats what this game is all about, making adjustments. That's what I need to do to get unstuck, as they say. 8. Yandy Diaz, hitting.200, has been scorching the ball. On Wednesday night, the Indians hit six balls with an exit velocity of at least 98 mph that didn't fall for hits, per Baseball Savant. All but one had a hit percentage of at least 50 percent. 9. Brantley: You create your own luck. We ve been squaring up some balls, and unfortunately that s going to happen throughout the course of a year. But our main focus is to take one pitch at a time, one at-bat at a time and not try to press. We re a great lineup. We re going to be even better as soon as we get used to each other and get into a rhythm. We re going to be just fine. 10. Danny Salazar tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in six innings but was done in by a two-run single off the bat of Matt Davidson in the second inning. It was a positive outing, especially considering he recorded only two walks to go with his 11 K s. The White Sox did not record a hit after Tim Anderson singled to lead off the third inning. 11. Francona liked the pace Salazar had on the mound, saying, I thought he even caught himself tonight. After the first couple innings, he started to quicken up his pace. He was getting the ball and getting right back on the rubber. I think it served him well. If you don't let hitters do a lot of thinking, you kind of force the hand a little bit, force the pace. I thought it was good. 12. Dan Otero retired the four batters he faced in Wednesday s game. He how has a career 1.01 ERA at Progressive Field, the lowest ERA in the history of the ballpark for any pitcher with at least 25 innings pitched. This has been touched on before, but for those who still mock or disregard the advanced stats that have begun to rule baseball, consider this: Otero would not be in an Indians uniform without those peripheral numbers, which were what the Indians targeted when they brought him in following a season that was much worse on paper than his actual performance indicated.

6 Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians bats remain quiet in 2-1 loss to Chicago White Sox By RYAN LEWIS Published: April 12, 2017 CLEVELAND: The flu bug and a lackluster offensive night might have combined to play roles in the Indians 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. Starting pitcher Danny Salazar tied a career high with 11 strikeouts in six innings pitched, the fourth time he's reached that mark in his career. But the lone run-scoring hit of the night for the White Sox, off the bat of a bench player forced into the starting lineup at the last second, was enough to down the Indians as they struggled to hit White Sox starter Derek Holland and failed to cash in on a late scoring threat. White Sox designated hitter Cody Asche walked and outfielder Avisail Garcia doubled to open the second inning. Third baseman Matt Davidson, who was in the starting lineup due to Todd Frazier coming down with flu-like symptoms, roped a single to left field that scored both runs that proved to be the difference. Salazar (0-1) allowed four hits and those two earned runs to go with his 11 strikeouts and two walks in six innings. Similar to the Indians home opener on Tuesday, the middle of the lineup struggled to take advantage with runners in scoring position, going 0- for-9 for the second straight game. But unlike Tuesday, there wasn't enough late magic to pull out a win. As the White Sox (3-4) held a 2-0 lead nearly the entire night, the Indians were held hitless through the first five innings by Holland. That was until Francisco Lindor broke up the no-hit bid to lead off the sixth inning with a double to deep left-center field. Michael Brantley followed with a hard-hit line drive to center field, but it was tracked down by center fielder Leury Garcia. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a walk, but Jose Ramirez and Brandon Guyer couldn't convert the scoring opportunity, flying out and popping out, respectively. He s a good pitcher, Brantley said. He s a big-league pitcher. It s our job to make adjustments. He threw the ball well tonight. We look forward to going back out there tomorrow with a good game plan and try to square up some more baseballs. Holland (1-1) walked four in his six innings pitched, but Lindor s double stood as the Indians lone hit until the eighth inning, when Carlos Santana opened with a single off reliever Nate Jones and Lindor followed with a double off the wall in left-center, putting the tying runs in scoring position. Brantley tapped a ball down the first-base line that went for an easy out but scored a run, putting Lindor on third as the tying run. Encarnacion s early-season struggles continued, as he struck out for the second out and Jose Ramirez grounded out to first to end the inning. David Robertson then closed the door in the ninth, dropping the Indians to 4-4 this season. The lineup began the season on a high note with the Indians sweep of the Texas Rangers but in the five games since has struggled to string anything together. It has the Indians waiting for the lineup to get going again. That's normally the way it is at the beginning of the season, said Indians manager Terry Francona. Carlos [Santana] really cooled off. Edwin hasn't gotten going yet. That's our leadoff and our cleanup hitter. Jose's not had a ton of hits. That'll change. Everybody wants it to change yesterday myself included but you've got to be patient. It'll change. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Commissioner Rob Manfred takes stance on Chief Wahoo; Indians valuation increases to $920 million By RYAN LEWIS Published: April 12, 2017 Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has continued discussions with the Indians regarding the usage of the Chief Wahoo logo, and it now seems as though the league office has begun to press the club to eventually remove it entirely. In statements given to the New York Times and the Associated Press, Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said that Manfred has made his stance clear of the desire to transition away from the Chief Wahoo logo. Courtney added, per the reports, that We have specific steps in an identified process and are making progress. Previously, Manfred had only acknowledged that he understood why some were upset about the logo s usage and why it had become such a hotly debated topic. This week s statements are a step further, making it clear the league would like to see Chief Wahoo removed. The Indians were on the national stage in October due to their involvement in the World Series. Manfred and Indians owner Paul Dolan at that time had discussions regarding the logo. The Indians this past offseason were awarded the 2019 All-Star Game, possibly numbering Chief Wahoo s days and creating a natural end point to phase out the logo, which began several years ago when the club primarily transitioned to the block C. The Indians now feature Chief Wahoo on fewer uniform combinations than in recent years. Commissioner Rob Manfred and Indians Owner Paul Dolan have had on-going dialogue on the topic of Chief Wahoo since last October, the Indians said in a released statement. We certainly understand the sensitivities of the logo those who find it insensitive and also those fans who have a long standing attachment to its place in the history of the team. We fully expect to work with the Commissioner throughout the remainder of this season on finding a solution that is good for the game and our organization. Our primary focus right now is on the team and our pursuit of returning to the postseason. October profits Forbes released its annual valuations of every Major League Baseball franchise this week. The Indians are in good standing following their run to the World Series. Forbes has the Indians valued at $920 million, up 15 percent from last year. That valuation ranks 27th in baseball. The club also increased its operating budget to $46.9 million from $17.9 million. The Indians Opening Day roster payroll of $125.8 million is 18th in baseball, up from $87.2 million in 2016, which was 27th.

7 The Indians had the third worst attendance in baseball last year at just under 1.6 million fans but also had the largest increase in cable television ratings at 62 percent. Attendance will surely see an increase this season. Per Forbes, full-season ticket equivalents reached 12,000 in early March, up 41 percent from the end of the 2016 and the highest total since Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Danny Salazar strikes out 11, but Cleveland Indians fall to Chicago White Sox, 2-1 Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When it comes to Danny Salazar, he's rarely met a Chicago White Sox he couldn't strike out. When it comes to Derek Holland, he's rarely faced an Indians team he couldn't beat. Those two trends collided Wednesday night at Progressive Field and the status quo held firm. Salazar tied a career high with 11 strikeouts and Holland helped the White Sox beat the Indians, 2-1, with six scoreless innings. Salazar has registered 75 strikeouts in 72 2/3 in 10 career starts against Chicago. On April 10, 2014, Salazar gave an indication of things to come when he struck out 10 White Sox in 3 2/3 innings. He is the only pitcher since 1900 to strikeout that many batters in fewer than four innings. Holland, from Newark, Ohio, improved to 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 10 career starts against the Indians. He is 4-0 with a 1.02 ERA at Progressive Field. When asked about pitching at Progressive Field, Holland said, "Welcome home. I love pitching here. This is my home. "To be honest with you this game met a lot more to me. The last time before my grandmother passed away this is where she got to see me pitch. To be able to get out there and do that again felt good." Pat Henderson, Holland's grandmother, died while he was in spring training this year. "I wrote Granny on the back of the mound," said Holland. "That was our name for here. I did it the first start in Chicago too. I'll be doing it all year." The Indians didn't get their first hit against Holland until Francisco Lindor's leadoff double in the sixth. Holland threw only 56 percent of his pitch for strikes, but he had the Indians hitting a lot of harmless fly balls. Matt Davidson gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead on a single in the second inning. Cody Asche opened the inning with a walk and went to third on Avisail Garcia's ground rule double to right field. Davidson, who had a pinch-hit double Tuesday, sent Salazar's 95 mph fastball into left field as Asche and Garcia scored ahead of Michael Brantley's throw. The Indians finally scored in the eighth to make it 2-1. Carlos Santana opened the inning with a single and went to third on Lindor's second double of the night. Santana scored on Brantley's grounder to first, but Edwin Encarnacion continued his early-season struggles as he struck out with Lindor on third. Nate Jones ended the inning by retiring Jose Ramirez on a grounder to first. On a cool April night the Indians barely made Holland sweat. Encarnacion and Ramirez opened the second by reaching base. Encarnacion did so on a catcher's interference call against Omar Narvaez, while Ramirez walked. Holland responded by striking out Brandon Guyer and Yandy Diaz and retiring Roberto Perez on a ground ball to second. After Lindor started the sixth with a double, Holland retired Brantley on a liner to center, walked Encarnacion and retired Ramirez on a liner to right and Guyer on a pop up to first The Indians are 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of this series. In the last two games, the Indians have managed three runs on eight hits in 19 innings. Salazar (0-1, 4.63) allowed two runs on four hits in six innings. Holland (1-1, 1.50) struck out four and walked four in six innings. After leading all spring training pitchers with 37 strikeouts, Salazar has 20 in 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts of the regular season. "I know they (the White Sox) like to swing a lot," said Salazar, when asked about his strikeouts against Chicago. "I just try to be aggressive against them. I use a lot of changes up against them." The pitches Salazar threw 106 pitches, 73 (69 percent) for strikes. Holland threw 101 pitches, 57 (56 percent) for strikes. Catcher's interference When Encarnacion reached base on a catcher's interference in the second inning, he was the first Indian to do so since David Murphy in Travis Hafner was the king of catcher's interference with the Indians. Pronk reached base seven times on catcher's interference from 2002 through Thanks for coming The White Sox and Indians drew 15,628 to Progressive Field on Wednesday night. First pitch was at 6:09 p.m. with a temperature of 52 degrees. A year ago attendance for the second home game of the season was 10,298. Next

8 Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin (0-1, 11.57) will face Chicago's Miguel Gonzalez (1-0, 3.00) on Thursday night at 6:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM will carry the game. Tomlin is 4-3 with a 2.88 ERA against 10 games against Chicago. Abreu is hitting.385 (5-for-13) against Tomlin. Gonzalez is 4-1 with a 3.89 against the Indians in six games. Encarnacion has three homers and 13 RBI against him. Cleveland Indians' Jason Kipnis exits minor-league game after being struck by a pitch Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jason Kipnis' rehab assignment may have hit a speed bump. The Indians' second baseman, playing for Double-A Akron while recovering from a strained right shoulder, exited Wednesday's game early. He was struck by a pitch on the left hand in the first inning. He remained in the game, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter in the third. Former Tribe first-round draft selection Justus Sheffield plunked Kipnis in the ninth pitch of their encounter. A trainer checked on Kipnis, who eventually took his base. Indians head athletic trainer James Quinlan said Kipnis was removed for precautionary reasons. Kipnis has appeared in three games on his minor-league rehab assignment. Lonnie Chisenhall also suited up for Akron on Wednesday evening. The Indians are expected to activate the right fielder from the disabled list prior to Thursday's series finale against the White Sox. Both players joined the Indians for Tuesday's home opener and pre-game ring ceremony. Kipnis took infield practice before the game as well. Last September, Yan Gomes suffered a broken wrist when he was struck by a pitch during a rehab assignment with Akron. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Five things we learned about the Cleveland Indians including Carlos Carrasco's fast start CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Pitching coach Mickey Callaway wanted Carlos Carrasco to pitch about 30 innings in spring training because of the time he missed last season after suffering a broken right hand on Sept. 17. But sometimes plans, no matter how well-intentioned, don't work. Carrasco missed time with a sore right elbow. Then he left camp to be with his wife, Karelis, who gave birth to their fifth child. He managed to throw 15 innings in Cactus League games and there was talk that he'd open the season on the disabled list. But in his first start, Carrasco held Texas to two runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one in a 4-3 win. In Tuesday's home opener, Carrasco held the White Sox to one run over seven innings. He threw 95 pitches, struck out seven and didn't walk a batter. "I was a little bit concerned because I didn't throw a lot of innings this spring," said Carrasco. "It was only 15 innings. I told myself, 'OK, how am I going to do this?' I did a lot of long toss and that helped, but when the real games start you have a different mentality." In his first start, Carrasco went threw 78 pitches. On Tuesday, he threw 95. "I feel great," said Carrasco. "Everything feels good. Sometimes when you pitch only two or three pitchers are working. Against Chicago, I had all five pitches working -- fastball, curveball, slider, change up and I threw my two-seamer as well. Everything was good." Carrasco's two starts have eased the concern of manager Terry Francona and the coaching staff. "I'm kind of relieved," said Francona. "Of all the guys in spring training, Mickey really wanted him to pitch a lot and he didn't. You worry about him getting deep enough into a game where he doesn't mess it up for the other guys, but he's pitched really well in both games. "Now he's getting to the point where in another game or two you're not going to be asking about pitch counts. It will be just about whether he can win or not." Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall leaves a game with assistant athletic trainer Jeff Desjardins during the third inning of a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs on March 24 after he hit the outfield wall. Chisenhall suffered a sprained A/C joint in his right shoulder and opened the year on the disabled list. No. 2. Activation nearing for Lonnie Chisenhall It sounds like right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall is going to be activated before Thursday night's game against the White Sox. Chisenhall, who opened the year on the disabled list with a sprained right A/C joint, was scheduled to play a rehab game Wednesday night for Class AA Akron. "Lonnie has felt pretty good," said manager Terry Francona. "He's going to play part of the game Wednesday night. We want to see him get through the game, but all things are leading toward him being activated Thursday." Chisenhall's activation means someone will have to be dropped from the 25-man roster to make room. Indians' DH-first baseman Edwin Encarnacion, shown during a Cactus League this spring, has started the regular season hitting.185 (5-for-27) with one homer, on RBI and 10 strikeouts. No. 3. Edwin Encarnacion is due Twice Edwin Encarnacion came to the plate in Tuesday's home opener against Chicago with the bases loaded and the score tied, 1-1. Twice he grounded into a double play.

9 So far Encarnacion has not had a great start with his new team. "He's fine. He's going to be fine," said hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo. "If we have the bases loaded two times with one out twice every game with Edwin at the plate, we're going to have a good year." Encarnacion hit.348 (8-for-23) with 24 RBI last season in bases-loaded situations for Toronto. For his career, Encarnacion is hitting.327 (48- for-147) with nine grand slams and 154 RBI. "As Edwin gets on track, that's going to be a great situation," said manager Terry Francona. "You saw his career numbers with the bases loaded. It's off the charts. "He just had a tough day. He didn't have a real good road trip (Texas and Arizona). His last couple swings on the road were good, and then we had the off-day. He'll be good." Francona said he felt Encarnacion has probably been pressing in the early days of the season. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, shown celebrating a grand slam against Texas on April 5, entered Wednesday night's game against Chicago with four homers in the first seven games of the season. No. 4. The short game Yes, Terry Francona wrestled with the idea. It was the eighth inning of Tuesday's home opener and the score was tied, 1-1, between the Indians and White Sox. Abraham Almonte and Carlos Santana walked to start the inning. Francisco Lindor, his hottest hitter, was at the plate. Lindor had accounted for the Tribe's only run, a first-inning homer. Michael Brantley, Encarnacion and Jose Ramirez were waiting behind Lindor. Would Francona let Lindor swing away or bunt to advance the runners? Lindor bunted to move Almonte to third and Santana to second base. With first base open, Brantley was intentionally walked to bring Encarnacion to the plate against hard-throwing Nate Jones. Encarnacion ended the threat when he bounced into a double play. After the game, Lindor said Francona made the right call. "I gave it (the bunt sign) to him Tuesday and I wrestled with it for a lot of reasons," said Francona. He didn't want to take the bat out of Lindor's hand, but the Indians were struggling to score runs and a sacrifice bunt seemed like the thing to do. "Now, maybe if we let him hit, maybe we would've scored quicker," said Francona. "But, nobody has a crystal ball. You do what you think is right." No. 5. Yandy Diaz's swing path Third baseman Yandy Diaz is hitting only.222 (6-for-27) in seven games with the Indians, but he continues to make good contact. Diaz's batting average on balls put in play is.286, including a.308 average against right-handers. "His ball in play average isn't panning out for him, but it will turn around for him," said hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo. "He has a really good approach to hitting and he needs to stay with that. We remind him all the time, especially when the matchups work out in his favor. "He handles the ball out over the plate real well and drives the ball that way (to right field). He's a good hitter. He's got a good feel." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED:

10 Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians' home opener drew highest TV rating of any Tribe game in SportsTime Ohio history Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians filled Progressive Field to capacity on Tuesday. They attracted plenty of eyeballs on TV, too. The Indians' home opener drew a higher TV rating than any other Tribe game in SportsTime Ohio history. The network was established in Per Nielsen, the game registered a household rating, reaching more than 293,000 homes in northeast Ohio. That eclipsed the 16.1 rating posted by the home opener on Mar. 31, 2008, the club's first game after falling short in the American League Championship Series. This Tribe team reached the World Series last October, its first Fall Classic trip in 19 years. As a result, the club has received more attention, whether via national media coverage, ticket sales or TV ratings. Through their first seven games, the Indians averaged a household rating, up 90 percent over last year's first seven broadcasts. The Indians have also sold about 1.3 million tickets for the 2017 campaign. Last season, when they ranked 28th out of the league's 30 teams in attendance, the club drew 1.6 million fans to Progressive Field. A sellout crowd of 35,002 attended Tuesday's home opener, in which the Indians emerged victorious, 2-1, in 10 innings. Wednesday's crowd, as is common for the second home game of the season, was considerably smaller. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians, Francisco Lindor no match for Chicago's Derek Holland and 'Granny' Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio - Francisco Lindor and Derek Holland were having a running conversation Wednesday night at Progressive Field. Holland, the left-hander who rarely loses to the Indians, had a no-hitter through five innings on the way to Chicago's 2-1 victory over the Indians. In the process, he retired Lindor on a liner to center in the first inning and a fly ball to right in the third. "It was nothing bad," said Lindor, about his conversation with Holland. "In my first at-bat I looked at him like, "Oh, man, I almost got you.' In the second at-bat he got me. He made me look bad." When Lindor came to the plate to start the sixth inning, the scoreboard had already flashed the jinx-inducing message: "Derek Holland currently has a no-hitter through five innings." As Holland said about the fans who had been screaming at him since the fourth inning about the no-hitter, "Thank you, Captain Obvious. I understand. You got to do what you've got to do to break it up." While the fans and the scoreboard operator tried to stir the baseball gods to derail Holland, Lindor represented the real threat. He lined a double to the wall in left center to try and jump start the Tribe's offense. "When I got the hit it was like, 'Finally, I did it. I got you,'" said Lindor. "It was all fun. He was competing. I'm competing. I respect him. He was dominating us. When I finally got the hit I said, 'Yeah, no no-hitter.'" Said Holland, "We weren't really jawing, we were just smiling back and forth at each other (about) some of the pitches I made on him. He's an All-Star. Look at how great he is. They have a strong team over there. They're American League champions from last year. You have to tip your caps to them." Holland stranded Lindor at second as he retired Michael Brantley on a liner to center, walked Edwin Encarnacion and retired Jose Ramirez (liner to right) and Brandon Guyer (pop up to first) to end the sixth. It was his last inning of the game. In five starts at Progressive field, Holland (1-1, 1.50) is 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA. He's from Newark, Ohio and says when he pitches in Cleveland it feels like "Welcome, home. I love pitching here. This is my home." Overall, Holland is 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA against the Indians. On Wednesday night, there was something else driving him. "To be honest this game meant a lot more to me," said Holland. "The last time before my grandmother passed away this is where she got to see me pitch. To be able to get out there and do that again with my Dad's side of the family here was good." Pat Henderson, Holland's grandmother, died while he was in spring training with the White Sox this year. The last game she saw her grandson pitch in person was June 4, 2011 when Holland threw a five-hit shutout against the Indians for Texas. "That was her last real game that she got to see and it was here," said Holland. "It was before I moved her down to Texas with the family. I pitched a shutout. It was probably one of my favorite games just because she was in the stands. So this one was for her." Holland said he wrote "Granny' on the back of the mound before the first inning. "That was our name for her," said Holland. "It meant a lot...i'll be writing it all year. It's somebody I really cared about. She was like a mom to me." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: