Jason Beck has covered the Tigers for MLB.com since Read Beck's Blog, follow him on and listen to his podcast.

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1 Indians pile on for sweep, now 6-0 vs. Tigers By Jordan Bastian and Jason Beck / MLB.com May 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The Tigers have been an annual thorn in Cleveland's side during Indians manager Terry Francona's time at the helm. With a 9-4 victory over Detroit on Thursday night, the Tribe continued to flip the script in a rivalry that had been fairly one-sided in recent years. The Indians used a four-run outburst in the first inning against Tigers top prospect Michael Fulmer, and a four-hit game from Michael Brantley, to cruise to a sweep of a three-game series at Progressive Field. The win improved Cleveland's showing to 6-0 this year against the Tigers, who were against the Indians in the previous three seasons combined. "It's huge," Indians winning pitcher Trevor Bauer said of the early success against Detroit. "I think if you look at the last couple years, our record in the first half of the season against them especially, it feels like every time we play them we get just bludgeoned. Not just beat, but beat bad. "So, obviously, any time you get a sweep against anybody, and then a division opponent, and one that has beat us badly the last couple years, that's a big boost. I thought we played very well all week." "They outplayed us. Simple as that," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "They outpitched us. They outhit us. They outdefended us. Period. They were the better baseball team out there. They've been the better baseball team all six games that they've played against us." After the rough opening frame, in which Mike Napoli belted a three-run home run for his fifth long ball of the season, Fulmer (1-1) managed to last five innings. The Tigers attempted to rally -- Nick Castellanos drilled a three-run homer off Tribe starter Trevor Bauer in the fourth -- but could not overcome the early deficit. Fulmer struck out six and walked two in the loss. Bauer (2-0) earned the win after being charged with three runs on three hits in his 5 2/3 innings, in which he struck out four and issued a pair of walks. Beyond the early work by Cleveland's offense, Bauer also received some support from recently acquired catcher Chris Gimenez, who contributed a solo home run in the fourth inning. Cleveland added four runs in the eighth inning to pull away for the win. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED First-inning ambush: With one out in the opening frame, six consecutive Cleveland batters reached base in a swift four-run push. Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Brantley churned out three straight singles to bring in the Tribe's first run. Then, Napoli pulled an offering from Fulmer over the 19-foot wall in left field for a three-run home run. According tostatcast, the blast had an exit velocity of mph and soared a projected 413 feet from home plate. Lindor making case as baseball's best shortstop "I went to [bench coach Brad Mills], I said, 'Man, this kid [Fulmer] looks like he's going to be tough on right-handers,'" Francona said. "And then, bam. That was kind of big-boy territory there. [Napoli] got on that one pretty good." Nick takes his cut: The Tigers had one ground-ball single off Bauer before Castellanos stepped to the plate in the fourth and lofted a 2-1 fastball over the fence in the right-field corner for a three-run homer to slug the Tigers back into the game. The AL batting leader improved to 11-for-25 with runners in scoring position. More > Brantley's big day: Heading into Thursday's action, Brantley was 4-for-24 (.167) since returning from a right shoulder injury. Cleveland's star left fielder looked more like himself against Detroit, collecting four hits, including an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the eighth. In the sixth, Brantley also made an impressive lunging catch to rob Castellanos of what would likely have been another extra-base hit, ending the inning and eliciting cheers from the Cleveland faithful. "It felt great," Brantley said of his night. "But, what felt even better was getting this win and finishing out this series. It was a big game for us tonight, especially playing here at home. We have another very good team coming in tomorrow, and we have to be ready to go." More > Welcome back: After Detroit struck for three runs in the fourth, Gimenez got one back with a first-pitch home run off Fulmer. Acquired via trade from Texas on Wednesday to be Cleveland's backup catcher with Roberto Perez (fractured right thumb) sidelined, Gimenez launched his solo shot over the wall in center. Gimenez, who is in his third career stint with the Indians, last homered for the Tribe on Aug. 27, "It's a solo homer, but it's nice to answer back," Francona said. "We scored four early. You feel pretty good, and Trevor hadn't given up much. But, you've got a walk, base hit and a home run. They got two hits, but they got three runs and they're right back in it. So, getting that next run was big, just because we answered back." QUOTABLE "When we play them, our focus is them. Now, we need to move on, because Kansas City is probably already here. But, I also do think we need to play better in our division, and Detroit's the one team that's really had their way. There's a long way to go in this year, but we've done a good job so far." -- Francona "I'm not surprised. They've got great pitching. Pitching and defense wins games. They made a lot of good plays tonight." -- Tigers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, on the Indians WHAT'S NEXT Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann (5-0, 0.55 ERA) will try for his sixth win in as many starts as a Detroiter when the Tigers open a three-game series with the Rangers on Friday night in a 7:10 ET game at Comerica Park. Zimmermann could become the first Tiger since George Uhle in 1929 to win each of his first six starts to begin a season. Indians: Cleveland now turns its attention to another American League Central rival. On Friday, the Indians will open a three-game weekend series against the Royals with a 7:10 p.m. ET tilt at Progressive Field. Righty Danny Salazar (2-2, 2.40 ERA) is slated to start for the Tribe, which is 8-3 against division foes this season. Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV. 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 Twitter@MLBastian and listen to his podcast. Jason Beck has covered the Tigers for MLB.com since Read Beck's Blog, follow him on and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

2 Smooth performance: Vintage Brantley back Indians outfielder breaks out with four hits, three RBIs and clutch running catch to help secure sweep By Jordan Bastian / May 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The Indians have been waiting for Michael Brantley to look like himself again. When Cleveland's left fielder was activated from the disabled list, the team knew it might take time for him to find his timing and display the familiar smooth swing that has turned him into a star. Brantley returned more than a week ago, but on Thursday night he was back. In a 9-4 victory over the Tigers that completed a three-game series sweep, the outfielder drove in three runs, churned out four hits and made an impressive running, tumbling catch at a critical point in the game. "That looked a lot like him tonight," Indians manager Terry Francona said. Both Brantley and the Indians expected that it might take the outfielder some time to regain his rhythm in the batter's box. He was activated from the 15-day disabled list on April 25, completing a near six-month comeback from offseason surgery on his right shoulder. Given Brantley's history of consistency, the Indians maintained faith that it would be a matter of time before things began to click again for him. Brantley's performance against Detroit was a portrait of him at his best. Within a four-run first inning, Brantley pulled a 96-mph fastball from Tigers righty Michael Fulmer into right field for an RBI single. In the third inning, Brantley drove a pitch up the middle for another base hit. In the fifth, the outfielder slashed an offering the opposite way for his third single of the night. Finally, Brantley ripped an eighth-inning cutter from Blaine Hardydown the right-field line for a two-run double. "When he's himself, that's why he hits.300, because he uses the entire field," Francona said. "Even when guys make pitches, he still has the ability. You saw the one. He hit the two-strike pitch to left field, and then you try to come in, and he can pull it down the line." Heading into Thursday's game, Brantley had gone 4-for-24 in his first seven games back with the Tribe. His 4-for-5 showing against Detroit lifted his season average from.167 to.276. The left-handed-hitting outfielder saw 23 pitches on the night and swung nine times. Brantley did not miss on any of those cuts -- an encouraging sign. Across the seasons, Brantley led the Majors with a 91.7-percent contact rate. "There was no doubt that he was going to get there," said Indians starter Trevor Bauer, referring to Brantley returning to form. "No one in here ever questioned that.... No one in here was worried about it, and it helps our lineup a ton when he does swing how he does." Brantley also helped in a big way on defense on Thursday night. Michael Brantley runs a long way to make a diving catch on Nick Castellanos' line drive, stranding two runners and ending the top of the 6th In the sixth inning, Bauer ran into some potential trouble when he allowed a two-out double tojustin Upton. That set the stage for the hothitting Nick Castellanos, who belted a three-run homer in his previous at-bat to trim the Tribe's lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning. With Cleveland now clinging to a 5-3 advantage, reliever Jeff Manship took over and Castellanos yanked a 1-1 pitch to deep left field. "I honestly thought it was a home run right when he hit it," Manship said. "I don't know if you can go back and watch the tape. I pretty much put my head down right away. I hung a slider right there." Brantley, who injured his right shoulder on a diving catch attempt last September, tracked down the deep fly on a dead sprint. At the last moment, the outfielder extended his right arm, snared the baseball from the air and then fell to the ground as he completed an inning-ending catch. "It was a difficult play, but he top-spun it, which gave me the only chance I had at making that play," Brantley said. "If he backspins that ball at all, it's going to hit off the wall and I won't get there. He top-spun it, and I was able to get a good jump on it and get there." It was just one more sign that Brantley is feeling more like himself again. "Of course it's going to take some time," Brantley said. "I wasn't expecting to come in and play guns blazing or anything like that.... It's going to take a little bit of time, but we're stepping in the right direction." This fan was in the right spot for a Cabrera hug Ever wanted to be wrapped up in a big bear hug from Tigers first baseman, Miguel Cabrera? Of course you have -- you're only human and beyond hugs just being cozy, they also help alleviate existential concerns. On Thursday, this lucky fan got one simply by being in the right spot at the right time. Indians, Perez opt for surgery on right thumb By Jordan Bastian / May 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The Indians were waiting until Thursday to determine the best course of action for backup catcher Roberto Perez. While Perez was hoping to avoid surgery on his right thumb, that has been deemed the best approach for his return to the field. Prior to Thursday's game against Detroit, Perez met with hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham at Progressive Field to have his fractured thumb re-evaluated. The plan now is to have Graham perform surgery on Perez on Friday morning in Akron, Ohio. The Indians indicated that more information about Perez's timetable will be available following the procedure. Earlier this week, Tribe manager Terry Francona noted that the medical staff's belief was that surgery would not necessitate a much longer comeback than treating the injury through rest and rehab. "That's the interesting part of it that surprised me a little bit," Francona said. "When you do the surgery, there's more of a concrete timetable. Without the surgery, I think it's a little bit how quickly guys heal -- things like that. Those are things they have to think about, too." Perez sustained the injury in the fifth inning of Cleveland's 4-3 loss to the Phillies on Saturday. On a bounced pitch from Joba Chamberlain, the catcher quickly retrieved the baseball in front of the plate and made a diving tag on Odubel Herrera with the ball in his right hand. It is not clear exactly when Perez broke his thumb, but the injury occurred at some point during that play. Through four games and 15 plate apperances this season, the 27-year-old Perez was 0-for-8 with six walks and a.400 on-base percentage as the backup to starter Yan Gomes. In 70 games last season, Perez hit.228/.348/.402 with seven home runs, 21 RBIs and a 39-percent caughtstealing rate as the Tribe's No. 2 catcher. With Perez out for the time being, the Indians acquired Chris Gimenez from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations on Wednesday. Gimenez was in the starting lineup on Thursday, giving Gomes a day off with pitcher Trevor Bauer on the hill for Cleveland. Adding catching depth, Tribe acquires Gimenez

3 "You try to figure out the best day to give Gomes off," Francona said. "And it allowed Gimenez to spend the time with Trevor the night before -- something Gomes can't do because he's catching. Being realistic, Trevor, the way he pitches, he really beats you up. Trevor throws so many breaking balls in the dirt that having that guy that's not catching every day sometimes can be a little helpful." Salazar eyes continued success against Royals By Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com May 5th, 2016 The Royals and Indians face each other for the first time this season as right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-1, 3.67 ERA) goes for Kansas City against righty Danny Salazar (2-2, 2.40) in the opener of a three-game set on Friday. Last year the Royals won the season series, Facing the Indians at Progressive Field always is good news for Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, who has a career.833 OPS there with six homers and 26 RBIs. Last year, Hosmer wore the Indians out, hitting.333 with five homers and 14 RBIs. At Progressive, he hit.366 with three homers and 10 RBIs. "It's just a place I always feel comfortable at," Hosmer said. Royals manager Ned Yost said he's seeing a hitter maturing each day. "He's always had tremendous power," Yost said. "Now, you're seeing him selecting better pitches to attack." Things to know about this game Hosmer sees Salazar very well. He's a career.400 hitter (8-for-20) off him with two homers and six RBIs. Conversely, Salazar owns Omar Infante (1-for-15) and Salvador Perez (4-for-25). Infante has fond memories of his last trip to Cleveland -- he had a three-hit, seven-rbi game there last September. Salazar went 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA in four starts against the Royals last season, striking out 25 and issuing only three walks in 25 1/3 innings. He's limited Kansas City's current crop of hitters to a.235 average (.625 OPS) in 186 combined plate appearances. The Indians acquired catcher Chrs Gimenez from the Rangers in exchange for cash considerations on Wednesday. With backup Roberto Perez (fractured right thumb) on the 15-day disabled list, Gimenez will serve as the main option behind Yan Gomes. Gimenez has a career.765 OPS against lefties (1.095 OPS vs. LHP in '15), so look for Cleveland to pick a spot here and there to give him a nod vs. a southpaw. He hit his first homer with the Tribe on Thursday. Naquin proud of 'tough as nails' mother By Jordan Bastian / May 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The breast cancer is gone. Roanna Naquin saw to that when she opted to undergo a bilateral mastectomy in November. After two scares in five years, she wanted the peace of mind. Most of all, she wanted to feel mentally and physically ready in time for baseball season. This was going to be a big year for her youngest son, Indians rookie Tyler Naquin, and she was not going to let health stand in her way. He fought for a job in Spring Training and Roanna was there. He made Cleveland's roster for Opening Day. She was there. Cancer was not going to take that away. She proved that back in 2011, when she watched from a wheelchair as her boy played in the College World Series for Texas A&M. Indians Mother's Day Collection Only a handful of follow-up procedures remain now. During a recent appointment, her doctor suggested May 10 as a possible date for another minor surgery. "I said, 'Oh no we won't,'" Roanna Naquin says with a laugh. "For heaven's sake, not then." Following Mother's Day on Sunday, the Indians will be in Houston for a three-game series through Wednesday, marking what could be a big homecoming for Naquin in his first big league season. Roanna has already been overwhelmed with phone calls, texts and s from people wanting to be there to see Naquin play in his home state, and roughly a 25-mile drive from where he starred at Klein Collins High School in Spring, Texas. Tyler cracks a smile when asked about his mom's drive to be there for as many of his games as possible. From the time he played for the Awesome Ducks, a T-ball team assembled by a group of fathers at a Texas church, and throughout his collegiate and Minor League seasons, Roanna has been there for him. "When I was about 12 or so, she worked 45 minutes away, close to Houston," Tyler said. "It'd be, like, a Wednesday night and she'd drive back home, get me, and then drive me another minutes back out to the park. We did that for years. She was at every game." Tyler's first official Little League team was called the Indians. Go figure that would be his first Major League team, too. "I know," Roanna said. "I have the pictures out side by side." For Opening Day in Cleveland, Roanna was there again, along with his dad, brother, grandma and uncle. "It was amazing," Tyler said. "You think back. I started out playing T-ball in a horse pasture. Now, I'm in the big leagues." Naquin's admiration for his mom extends beyond baseball, though. Roanna survived breast cancer in 2011, but the disease fought back again last fall. In August, while Tyler was playing for Triple-A Columbus, another breast cancer scare led Roanna back to the doctor. Nothing alarming was found in the initial tests, but she was tired of feeling frightened and worrying about every six-month checkup. Roanna decided to be proactive and have the double mastectomy done, even after the surgeon said it might have been an overly aggressive approach. In the wake of the 11-hour procedure on Nov. 16, Roanna's doctor informed her that Stage 2 cancer was found on her left side during surgery. It had gone undetected in numerous tests leading up to the operation. Had she not gone through with the procedure, it might not have been discovered for another six months. "I can't tell you how many mammograms and MRIs and ultrasounds I've had," Roanna said. "No one saw anything on my left side. It wasn't even a concern.... It was a blessing that I did it." Naquin and his older brother, Zac, were there for their mom in the hospital.

4 "She's just tough. Tough as nails, man. It's amazing," Tyler said. "You go see her after she had her double mastectomy, and she can barely even move. It's just me and my brother growing up, so me and him are extremely protective. It's hard seeing her do that. "Whenever a nurse had to come in there and move her and she's crying, me and Zac were sitting there, and your hands are sweating, because you feel like, 'Give us that pain. Don't put that on her.' But, she's tough as nails and just keeps on fighting." Roanna, who works in the dental field, is back to work full-time and is able to drive a car again. For that May series in Houston, Roanna has helped point family and friends to a section of seats out near the bullpen at Minute Maid Park. The young outfielder's fans will be out in force, cheering loudly for each at-bat. Throughout Naquin's playing days, Roanna hasn't been one for making much noise from the stands. She will probably not be too interested in small talk this time, either. "I want to go watch Ty play ball," Roanna said. "When I'm at a game, I'm watching ball. I'm not a talker. I don't want to chitty-chat." After all, Roanna will have endured a lot in order to be there for that moment. She wants to savor it. "It's been a dream come true," she said. "For him, and for us." Lindor making case as baseball's best shortstop By August Fagerstrom / Special to MLB.com May 5th, 2016 The case has been made for Carlos Correa as baseball's best shortstop. After all, he was the No. 1 overall Draft pick, he was last year's American League Rookie of the Year Award winner, and he's even been called the best player in the Major Leagues (maybe). When FanGraphs ran its preseason staff predictions a couple months back, 11 out of 55 employees chose Correa to win the AL MVP Award. Beside he and Mike Trout, no other player received more than four votes. The public opinion on the matter seems almost unanimous: Correa is viewed as baseball's best shortstop, just 126 games into the 21-year-old's big league career. But there's a 22-year-old, just 123 games into his Major League career, who wasn't the AL Rookie of the Year Award winner and received zero preseason AL MVP Award picks, whose case for baseball's best shortstop might be just as strong as Correa's. It's time we consider whether it's actually Francisco Lindor who is baseball's best shortstop. FanGraphs' Dave Cameron says that it's time to believe in Daniel Murphy The argument might not have to be complicated. Correa gained his status so quickly due to the hype and the performance. Both need to be present for a player to be accepted as a bona fide superstar in less than a calendar year. It's when the two collide that lofty claims like "baseball's best shortstop" or "MVP candidate" start to seem reasonable. So let's start with the hype. Correa went first in the 2012 Draft, Lindor was the No. 8 overall pick in '11. At the conclusion of the '14 season, MLBPipeline.com had Correa ranked as the No. 2 prospect in MLB, with Lindor at No. 4. And when FanGraphs' prospect analyst Kiley McDaniel evaluated Correa last offseason, he put a 65 future value on him, on the scouting scale. As prospects, Correa was regarded slightly higher, but the difference was essentially negligible. With similar pedigrees, then, we move onto production since their debuts. Over the past calendar year, Lindor has been one of the 15 best position players in baseball by FanGraphs' WAR calculation, and the the top shortstop in the game. Amazingly, he didn't debut until more than a month from this point last year. And if you combine a few variations of WAR to balance things out, Lindor leads both Correa and Xander Bogaerts -- another young shortstop who is in this conversation -- by more than a full win. Using a combination of WAR scores, Lindor has been the most valuable shortstop in baseball. Correa's profile has benefited from a few things, most notably his status as the top overall Draft pick, plus his team made the playoffs last year. But there's also the way they accrue their value. Correa is seen as a bat-first shortstop, while Lindor is a glove-first player, and folks (rightfully) tend to put more stock in offensive numbers than defensive numbers. Except, Correa's offensive edge over Lindor thus far has been negligible (85 runs created to 79), while Lindor's gap over Correa, defensively, has been big.

5 Lindor has been one of the five best defensive shortstops in baseball over Lindor has, unsurprisingly, graded out as one of baseball's elite defensive shortstops. The glove was always his carrying tool, and, I mean, you can see why: To this point, we've only dealt with which shortstop has been the better player. Lindor hasbeen the better player. But the question we really want to know is: who is the better player? That's when we take to the projections. The projections see Correa as the top shortstop, a true-talent 4.4 WAR player over 600 plate appearances, with Lindor as the runner-up at 3.7 WAR per 600 plate appearances. That 0.7 WAR difference is close to being within WARs margin of error, and we can easily make up that gap, so long as we believe these two key points: 1. Lindor turned a corner offensively The difference between Correa and Lindor at the plate thus far has been that we expectedthis from Correa. Lindor was never seen as an elite bat, especially after he hit.207/.239/.264 over his first 94 plate appearances. Since then, though, Lindor's been not only the best offensive shortstop in baseball, but one of the best hitters in the entire game. Dating back to July 9 of last season, over his last 449 plate appearances, Lindor's hit.334/.382/.516, good for a 148 wrc+. Over that same time frame, Correa's ran a 137 wrc+. If you believe that sometime around July of last year, Lindor flipped a proverbial switch, then maybe you think the projections are missing something, and you mentally bump up his offensive projection a bit. 2. Lindor can sustain a high BABIP It's impossible to ignore that the brunt of Lindor's offensive production has been thanks toone of the highest BABIPs in baseball. At.351, there's still 14 names ahead of him since last year, so he's not an outlier, but he also never showed this ability in the Minors. That brings us back to point one, that he unexpectedly turned a corner, but we can also look to see if Lindor passes the test of players who can sustain high BABIPs. Is the player fast?check. Does the player spray the ball all over the field? Check. Does the player avoid easy outs on fly balls and popups? Check. If the projections are missing something with Lindor's bat, perhaps it's that his turning of the corner is coming in the form of his ability to run a higher-than-average BABIP. Since Lindor's debut, it's tough to argue that any shortstop has outplayed him. He's done everything Correa's done and more, just without the awards, accolades, exposure or mainstream hype. What's tougher to argue is who the best shortstop is. Really, it's a question without an answer, but the gap between the two leading candidates is closer than most seem to think. Based on past production, it's Lindor. Based on the projections, it's Correa. If you give yourself reasons to buy Lindor's bat, it shifts back to being him. But what's the point in debate, anyway? The two best shortstops in baseball are both younger than 23, and we haven't seen anything like them in some time. Turns out, everyone's a winner. A version of this article first appeared at FanGraphs.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. How has Tribe fared with Santana leading off? By Jordan Bastian / May 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Carlos Santana is getting comfortable seeing his name in the top slot of the Indians' lineup. More important to the designated hitter, however, is Cleveland's record with him serving as the leadoff man.

6 "If you check it," Santana said on Wednesday night, "when I'm put in leadoff, the team has played better and we won a couple games. I think it's like 6-1." Santana was correct. Including the Tribe's 4-0 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday, Cleveland has won six of seven games in which the switch-hitter has served as the lineup's tablesetter. Indians manager Terry Francona moved Santana to that role due to his ability to see pitches, draw walks and get on base for the hitters who follow (typically Jason Kipnis,Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Mike Napoli). There are games in which Francona puts Santana back in the middle, though. On Thursday, for example, the manager moved Santana back to the No. 6 spot to help create a little more balance throughout the batting order. More often than not, the plan going forward is to have Santana be No. 1 in the offensive alignment. "I'd have been doing it for the wrong reason today," Francona said on Thursday. "We'd have had switch, left, switch, left, right, right, right, right, and I didn't like that. I fight sometimes, balance as opposed to trying to beat that night's starter. After talking to [bench coach Brad Mills], I think the balance won out. Carlos is certainly going to hit first a lot." In his first seven games as a leadoff hitter, Santana has a.346/.452/.615 slash line with five extra-base hits, six runs, five walks and three strikeouts. "I'm feeling more comfortable," Santana said. "I worry about my team. If we win with that lineup, I don't have a problem." Worth noting Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (strained left hamstring) continued to play catch and do light jogging drills in the outfield on Thursday. Francona said it is too early to tell whether Carrasco is ahead of the initial four- to six-week timetable for his return from the 15-day disabled list. Carrasco said it was a relief when he heard that potential comeback schedule. "Yeah, it was good news when they told me that," Carrasco said. "I don't feel 100 percent yet, so I just continue to do my rehab and my work." Francona noted that reliever Craig Stammen, who underwent surgery on April 19 last year to repair torn flexor tendons in his right forearm, was "not bouncing back" as well as hoped last month. The manager indicated that Stammen remains in Arizona and has built up to 120 feet in his throwing program. Covering the Bases: Game 25 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: Since Terry Francona has been in Cleveland as manager, he has stressed maintaining a day-to-day mentality. There is no game more important than the one in front of you, so it doesn t make sense to get wrapped up in streaks or trends or particular opponents. The Tigers are a rival of the Indians, but in Francona s mind, the only rivalry that matters is the one happening on the field on that given day. And, he s right. The Indians don t get credit for two wins when they beat Detroit. A win is a win, and they all count the same. That said, the Tigers have owned the Tribe since Francona took over to the tune of a record across the seasons. That kind of dominance can create a mental road block for a team the type of intimidation that can disrupt that day-to-day, pitch-to-pitch focus. I think if you look at the last couple years, Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer said, our record in the first half of the season against them especially, it feels like every time we play them we get just bludgeoned. Not just beat, but beat bad. So far this year, Cleveland has reversed course in a big way. Through six games against Detroit, the Indians are 6-0 with scores of 2-1, 10-1, 6-3, 7-3, 4-0 and now 9-4. The Indians have out-scored the Tigers, 38-12, in that span. They have 97 total bases to Detroit s 50. That kind of dominance in the other direction for once can provide a mental lift. Yeah, it s huge, Bauer said. Against Detroit s pitching, Cleveland hit.307/.372/.473. Against Cleveland s pitching, Detroit hit.181/.225/.259. The Indians staff posted a 2.00 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP, 55 strikeouts and 10 walks in 54 innings. Never one to stray from his philosophies, Francona still wasn t ready to buy into the idea (at least publicly) that beating the Tigers gives his team any kind of mental boost. I don t know. If there is, good. I don t know if we needed it, Francona said. When we play them, our focus is them. Now, we need to move on, because Kansas City is probably already here. But, I also do think we need to play better in our division and Detroit s the one team that s really had their way. There s a long way to go in this year, but we ve done a good job so far. SECOND: Welcome back, Dr. Smooth.

7 Michael Brantley has been back for a little more than a week, but Smooth returned in Thursday s win. After a 4-for-24 showing in his first seven games off the disabled list, Brantley went 4-for-5 with three RBIs, a double and one run scored. That looked a lot like him tonight, Francona said. If you take a close look at Brantley s five at-bats, it did indeed look more like the player the Tribe has grown accustomed to seeing in recent years. He saw 23 pitches, swung at nine and did not miss on any of those cuts. He fouled off four and put the other five in play. On top of that, Brantley used the whole field. He had a single to each field, a double down the right-field line and a flyout to center. When he s himself, that s why he hits.300, because he uses the entire field, Francona said. Even when guys make pitches, he still has the ability. You saw the one. He hit the two-strike pitch to left field and then, you try to come in, and he can pull it down the line. In the seven games prior to Thursday, Brantley wasn t having that kind of success with his swing. Take a look at the above chart. Over the seasons, Brantley led MLB with a 91.7-percent contact rate. He was down to an uncharacteristically-low 84.8 percent in his first seven games. His swinging-strike rate was more than double his career norm, he was fouling off more pitches than usual and he was 30-percent below his contact rate on pitches outside the strike zone. Those are some dramatic differences and the hope would be that the diminished rates were a product of timing, rather than an indication that his right shoulder wasn t where it needed to be health-wise. Well, on Thursday night, Brantley turned in the kind of game that looked on par with his standout seasons the past few years. Of course it s going to take some time, Brantley said. I wasn t expecting to come in and play guns blazing or anything like that. They re Major League pitchers. They re good. There are going to be some adjustment periods that you re going to have to go through when you don t get the normal reps that I normally do in spring. You can t duplicate Major League pitching down in the Minor Leagues, but you can duplicate reps. It s going to take a little bit of time, but we re stepping in the right direction. THIRD: Beyond what he did in the batter s box, it was also encouraging to see Brantley make a running, lunging, tumbling catch at a crucial point in the contest. With a runner on second and two outs in the sixth, when the Indians were clinging to a 5-3 lead, Nick Castellanos sent a pitch from Jeff Manship to deep left field. According to Statcast, the ball rocketed off Castellanos bat at mph. When it left the bat, it was projected to land 64 feet to Brantley s right. Manship thought it was going to go even farther. I honestly thought it was a home run right when he hit it, Manship said. I don t know if you can go back and watch the tape. I pretty much put my head down right away. I hung a slider right there. Of course, we all know that Jeff Manship, The Greatest Reliever Who Ever Was or Ever Will Be, does not give up home runs. And, on this particular play, Brantley used a 92-percent route efficiency, and a top speed of 17.4 mph, to track down the ball. That left him three feet shy of the projected distance, though. Brantley made up that ground by reaching out and snagging the ball on a dead sprint. That s a huge part of the game, Bauer said. If that falls, it s 5-4, guy on second and they ve got momentum. And, who knows how it goes from there? But, Brantley makes that play and we come out and we added some insurance runs later on. Manship said it s great to have Brantley back, and looking like he s returning to his usual form.

8 It s uplifting for us, said the reliever, especially when he s swinging like he can. Everybody knows he s going to get back to it. I think today was the day for him, it seemed, where he got his groove. Now, we ll see what he does. He should be good from here on out. HOME: Bauer was effective for 5.2 innings, limiting Detroit to three runs on a Castellanos homer in the fourth. The four-run lead that Cleveland s lineup spotted the starter in the first inning went a long way for him. After Tigers rook Michael Fulmer struck out Rajai Davis to open the first inning, the Indians went single (Jason Kipnis), single (Francisco Lindor), single (Brantley), home run (Mike Napoli), double (Carlos Santana), walk (Juan Uribe). Just like that, Cleveland had a four-run lead. Fulmer s strikeout of Davis prompted a comment from Francona to bench coach Brad Mills in the dugout. I went to Millsy, Francona recalled, and I said, Man, this kid looks like he s going to be tough on right-handers.' Four batters later, Napoli deposited a pitch 413 feet away in the left-field bleachers. And then, bam! Francona said. That was kind of big-boy territory there. He got on that one pretty good. RubberDucks 6, Thunder 1: Shawn Morimando bests Thunder ace Dietrich Enns as Ducks complete sweep All s well that Enns well. Trenton left-hander Dietrich Enns came into his start against the RubberDucks on Thursday with an impressive April resume. The Ducks yawned. They also beat the Thunder 6-1. Before his start, Enns (3-1) was named the Eastern League Player of the Month after an April in which he didn t allow a run in four starts over a 23 -inning stretch. Enns lasted two-thirds of an inning before the Ducks ended that streak. They have some good arms over there and I m really proud of how we battled all series, Ducks manager Dave Wallace said. We did a nice job of taking walks when they were there. We weren t exactly looking for walks, but that s the way I want it to be. I don t want our guys looking for walks. I want them up there trying to do damage. When the pitches aren t there, I want us setting it up for the next guy and that s what we did. By the time Enns exited in the sixth, the RubberDucks were up three thanks to a two-run home run to left by Eric Stamets. Enns, whose ERA rose from 0.00 to 1.26, went five-plus innings and gave up four runs all earned on eight hits with four strikeouts and five walks. Their entire staff is strong, Stamets said. They ve got great numbers and they don t miss a lot. They don t make a lot of mistakes. We ve got a lot of offensive talent on the team. Equally as impressive as the Ducks offensive assault was the pitching of Shawn Morimando (5-0, 1.89). The left-hander, who is tied for league lead in wins, turned it on against a team he s owned so far this season. He went 6 innings, giving up three hits and one earned run with three walks and three strikeouts. He was spectacular, Wallace said. He went out and threw the ball in the zone, working all four quadrants of the strike zone and kept getting early outs. In two starts against the Thunder, Morimando is 2-0 and has allowed just the one run. The lefty has given up four hits and struck out eight with seven walks in 12 innings. I m just trying to get outs, Morimando said. If I face them once or twice, I m just trying to be consistent. No matter who you re facing, you re just trying to be aggressive. It gives all of us confidence to go out there and get the win. That s the most important thing for us. The win ended an impressive homestand for the Ducks, who won their ninth consecutive game at Canal Park with back-to-back sweeps of Altoona and Trenton. The Ducks also put the brooms to Binghamton April It s the first time the Thunder has been swept this season. The RubberDucks are also 11-2 at home this season.

9 In a roster move after the game, the Ducks promoted infielder Todd Hankins to Triple-A Columbus. In his place, infielder Yhoxian Medina was activated off the disabled list. The Ducks head to Binghamton for a three-game series Friday. Michael Peoples (2-0, 3.38) is slated to pitch for the Ducks against Mickey Jannis (1-1, 4.15). Indians notebook: Lineup changes possible; Michael Brantley still working toward 100 percent health By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: When the Indians slotted Carlos Santana into the leadoff spot, they weren t asking him to change his approach at the plate. He already drew walks at such a high rate that Indians manager Terry Francona didn t want him to alter his approach regardless of lineup placement. That constant approach was one of the reasons the Indians had confidence Santana would handle it well. It also means Santana might have an easier time being moved up or down in the lineup, like Thursday night, when Francona had Santana hitting sixth. Facing Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher Michael Fulmer, the Indians would have had a run of right-handed hitters at the bottom of the order if Santana led off. That s happened before, but Thursday night was confirmation that Francona will move Santana around as needed. The Indians have had plenty of moving parts in their lineup in the first several weeks of the season. Santana hitting leadoff has produced positive results, but won t be an everyday thing, as Francona has maintained since the beginning. We would have had switch, left, switch, left, right, right, right, right, and I didn t like that, Francona said. I fight sometimes, balance as opposed to trying to beat that night s starter. After talking to [bench coach Brad Mills], I think the balance won out. Carlos is certainly going to hit first a lot. Rajai Davis led off Thursday night, with the usual 2-through-5 of Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Mike Napoli following. Santana is hitting.244 this season with an on-base percentage of.357. That tends to have more value the higher up he is in the lineup, but the Indians see value wherever he hits. I think Carlos, wherever he hits, he hits the same, Francona said. That s the idea, is wherever we hit him, it s not to ask him to change. It should fit. I don t believe in that [asking to change approaches], I don t think that works very well. You start to ask guys to fit in a spot in your lineup, that doesn t work out very well. It seems as though Santana continues to edge toward being the primary leadoff man on a nearly daily basis. But Francona will continue to move him around when the situation warrants it. Not there yet Brantley has gotten off to a slow start offensively since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, hitting just.167 in 24 at-bats. He did record RBI singles in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. He s started to look a bit better, but still isn t his normal self just yet. I think that regardless of what you do to prepare to come back, seeing major league pitching and then getting used to playing every day, I think that he s shaking off some rust, however you want to term it, Francona said. But he s still a really good presence in the lineup and you see the quality of his at-bats. And he will hit, and he ll hit a lot. Hitting s the damnedest thing. It doesn t matter who you are or what your name is, you still gotta go through it every year and find your keys and get comfortable and then you take off. Surgery needed Indians catcher Roberto Perez didn t get the news he was hoping for on Thursday, as a re-evaluation of his injured right thumb revealed he ll have to undergo surgery. Dr. Thomas Graham will perform the surgery in Akron Friday morning. A clearer timetable for Perez s return will be released after the surgery. Until that time, recently acquired Chris Gimenez will serve as Yan Gomes backup. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians 9, Tigers 4: Ryan Lewis 18 Walk-Off Thoughts on beating the Tigers, Michael Brantley By Ryan Lewis Published: May 5, 2016 Here are 18 Walk-Off Thoughts from the Indians 9-4 win against the Detroit Tigers Thursday night. 1. There were two main takeaways from Thursday s game. The first is that, it would appear, the Tigers reign over the Indians has come to an end. 2. Thursday s win for the Indians completed the second sweep of the Tigers this season, marking six consecutive wins. It s the longest such inseason streak since The Indians have also now won 11 of the last 13 games against Detroit dating back to last season. 3. Several players and members of the Indians have long stated that a game against the Tigers has just been the next game, that there s no mental block when facing Detroit, that it s a division game, but nothing beyond that. Even if true, the Tigers have been a central reason the Indians haven t gotten to where they have wanted to be since Terry Francona took the helm before the 2013 season. 4. Now, it seems, the roles are being reversed. When speaking about the Indians recent struggles against the Tigers, Trevor Bauer used the word bludgeoned. That might be the best descriptor. 5. Said Bauer, Yeah, it's huge. I think if you look at the last couple years, our record in the first half of the season against them especially, it feels like every time we play them we get just bludgeoned. Not just beat, but beat bad. So, obviously, any time you get a sweep against

10 anybody, and then a division opponent, and one that has beat us badly the last couple years, that's a big boost. I thought we played very well all week. 6. The Indians confidence certainly seems to be at a recent high. Said Jeff Manship, It s huge, especially going into this next series against Kansas City, another tough team. If we keep playing like we have been the last three days, we can definitely sweep them too. This team, once we click on all cylinders, we re very good. We showed that today, what we can do. 7. The other takeaway was Michael Brantley s strong game, his first solid night since returning from offseason shoulder surgery. Brantley went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI, and it included a key running, lunging grab when it was still a two-run score in the sixth inning. 8. Brantley hasn t quite reached 100-percent yet with his surgically repaired shoulder, but this was the first night he looked like Michael Brantley circa 2014 or 2015 again. 9. Said Francona, When he s himself, that s why he hits.300 because he uses the entire field. Even when guys make pitches, he still has the ability, like, you saw the one, he hit the two-strike pitch to left field and then you try to come in and he can pull it down the line. That looked a lot like him tonight. 10. Brantley didn t expect things to just click on Day 1, saying, Of course it's going to take some time. I wasn't expecting to come in and play guns blazing or anything like that. They're major league pitchers. They're good. There are going to be some adjustment periods that you're going to have to go through when you don't get the normal reps that I normally do in spring. You can't duplicate major league pitching down in the minor leagues, but you can duplicate reps. It's going to take a little bit of time, but we're stepping in the right direction. 11. The last thing to come with his swing, he said, was his timing. It was certainly there tonight. Brantley: Just a lot of timing and stuff and making sure I get to see quality pitches and not chase balls up and out of the zone. Everybody throws hard in this league. Everybody has a good out pitch in this league. It's very important to slow the game down mentally, as I like to say, so you can see better pitches and make sure you swing at quality strikes." 12. Brantley s sixth-inning catch against Nick Castellanos was also a key play in left field that took a run off the board in a two-run game. Manship thought it was gone off the bat, and Brantley noted he only could catch up to it because of its top-spin. 13. Said Manship, I honestly thought it was a home run right when he hit it. I don t know if you can go back and watch the tape, I pretty much put my head down right away. I hung a slider right there. It was unbelievable. Played great all game, offense and defense. It s definitely a treat having him out there. 14. Brantley producing like he has the past two seasons and his shoulder holding up has been the No. 1 question surrounding the Indians AL Central chances this season. Thursday night was the first truly positive night toward that being a welcomed answer for Indians fans. 15. Mike Napoli also crushed a three-run home run in the first inning, and it was a bomb. Moments prior to it, Francona mentioned something to bench coach Brad Mills in the dugout. 16. I went to Millsy, I said, Man, this kid looks like he s going to be tough on right-handers, and then, bam, Francona said. That was kind of big-boy territory there. He got on that one pretty good. 17. Napoli now has five home runs to lead the team. That s the good. The bad is that he s struck out 35 times, many of them looking. He's been about what the Indians could have expected as a power-hitting No. 5 or No. 6 hitter in the lineup. 18. The Indians are now and enter another big series against the Kansas City Royals. For once, the Tigers aren t holding the Indians down. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Cleveland Indians roll past Detroit Tigers, 9-4, on way to another three-game sweep Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio For so long the Indians have been dominated by the Tigers that when the winds of change strike it can be disconcerting, but only for a moment. The Indians completed their second three-game sweep of the Tigers in two weeks Thursday night with a 9-4 victory at Progressive Field. Not only are the Indians 6-0 against Detroit this season, they've won 11 of their last 13 meetings. There were a lot of hands involved in Thursday's win that pushed the Indians to a game above.500 at and gave them a 8-3 record in the AL Central. Trevor Bauer (2-0, 5.14) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win. Mike Napoli, who loves to hit at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, hit a three-run homer in the first inning. When things grew uncomfortable, catcher Chris Gimenez homered in the fourth. In Tuesday's 4-0 victory, the Indians did all their scoring in the fourth inning to support Corey Kluber's five-hit shutout. Thursday the Indians put two four spots on the board. Rookie Michael Fulmer (1-1, 6.30), making his second big league start, gave up one in the first inning and the Tiger bullpen surrendered the other in the eighth. Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley hit consecutive one-out singles in the first. Brantley's single to right scored Kipnis for a 1-0 lead. Napoli dropped the hammer as he homered into the left field bleachers for a 4-0 lead. Carlos Santana followed with a fifth straight hit, a double, but nothing came of it. Napoli, who has five homers for the season, homered on a 93 mph, 2-1 fastball from Fulmer. Bauer, in just his second start of the season, made it through the first three innings with no problems. In the fourth, Miguel Cabrera walked and Victor Martinez singled. AL batting leader Nick Castellanos followed with a three-run homer to right to make it a 4-3 game.