Tribe-Yanks postponed; twin bill today Bauer looks to keep rolling in first game of DH

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1 Tribe-Yanks postponed; twin bill today By Jordan Bastian / 12:01 AM ET + 14 COMMENTS NEW YORK -- Major League teams will have the ability to expand their active rosters on Friday, but that does not help the Indians at the moment. With a rainout on Tuesday against the Yankees, Cleveland is now facing a pair of doubleheaders in a span of three days. The Indians will face the Yankees in a straight doubleheader, beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Then, following a scheduled off-day on Thursday, the Tribe will head to Detroit for a split doubleheader against the Tigers on Friday at Comerica Park. Will that be a strain on Cleveland's pitching staff? "We'll tell you after it's over," Indians manager Terry Francona said after Tuesday's game was postponed. "We're going to try to space out the guys a little bit. I'd rather not everybody play all four, just because I don't think that makes much sense. But we'll see how it goes. I'm glad we have the day off [Thursday]. I think that will really help. And we didn't stay here real long today, so that helps, too." Tuesday's scheduled starter, right-hander Trevor Bauer, will take the ball for the Tribe in Game 1 on Wednesday, opposite Yankees lefty Jaime Garcia. Left-hander Ryan Merritt will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to face lefty Jordan Montgomery in Game 2. For Friday's twin bill in Detroit, right-handers Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger are tentatively scheduled to start the first and second game, respectively. Righty Josh Tomlin was originally slated to start on Wednesday, but the Indians will keep him on the 10-day disabled list for one more game. Then, depending on how the bullpen is used on Wednesday, Tomlin can return to start one of the Friday games in Detroit or be held out until Sunday's tilt against the Tigers. Ace Corey Kluber is currently lined up to start against Detroit on Saturday. Merritt will be recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday to take the roster spot vacated by reliever Dan Otero, who is going to be placed on the MLB paternity list, as his wife recently had a baby. Reliever Shawn Armstrong will also be called up on Wednesday to serve as the 26th man for Game 2 against the Yankees. Helping matters is the fact that the Indians will be able to add reinforcements on Friday, when active rosters expand to 40 players. Otero is also planning on rejoining the Indians' bullpen for the series in Detroit. "There will be a couple [additions] for the doubleheader," Francona said, "because we don't want to get caught short. We're trying to make sure we dont ever get caught short, and not have too many guys sitting around. So we'll have some on [Friday] and then on [Sept. 5], when their season's over." Bauer looks to keep rolling in first game of DH By Jordan Bastian / 15 minutes ago COMMENTS Yankees manager Joe Girardi gave struggling slugger Aaron Judge a mental day off on Monday, and Tuesday's rainout against the Indians offered more time to regroup. For Wednesday's straight doubleheader, which begins at 1:05 p.m. ET, Judge will "absolutely" play at least one of the games, according to Girardi. Judge's meteoric rise in the first half and his struggles in the second have generated plenty of headlines this season, and the baseball world is waiting to see how the American League MVP Award candidate responds down the stretch. "There's not a lot of secrets when guys get extensive at-bats," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It's like the player bursts onto the scene, then the league makes their adjustments, and then you see what the player does. It's always been that way and it's fun to watch, because the really good ones, they then make their adjustments, and it's constant for years." Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer will be opposed by Yankees lefty Jaime Garcia in Game 1, and Cleveland will promote lefty Ryan Merritt from Triple-A Columbus to start Game 2, opposite New York southpaw Jordan Montgomery. This is a crucial stretch for New York, which is facing the AL Central-leading Tribe before hosting the AL East-leading Red Sox for four games. "You look at this as a very tough week," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "But, you can't look past these three games [against the Indians] because of the four that are looming. You've got to go one day at a time here." Bauer has a 2.45 ERA in August, but the right-hander has been on a roll for a while now. Over his past eight outings, Bauer has gone 6-0 with a 2.54 ERA and 52 strikeouts against 14 walks in 46 innings. One matchup to watch will be Bauer against Yankees third baseman Todd Frazier, who has hit.316 with an.876 OPS off the pitcher in 20 career plate appearances. Garcia is 5-8 with a 4.52 ERA on the season between his stints with the Braves, Twins and Yankees. In four games since joining New York, the left-hander has gone 0-1 with a 5.95 ERA. Garcia faced the Indians on the road on Aug. 4 and allowed six runs (five earned) in 4 2/3 innings en route to a loss. In Game 2, Merritt will make his fourth start of the season for the Indians. The soft-tossing lefty took on the Royals on Friday, spinning 6 2/3 shutout innings with three strikeouts and one walk. Montgomery has had a solid rookie campaign for the Yanks, posting a 4.00 ERA over 126 innings. He faced the Indians on Aug. 5, allowing one run over five innings while striking out seven in a no-decision. Three things to know Garcia has allowed a barrel -- the most dangerous form of batted ball, based on exit velocity and launch angle -- on 10.9 percent of balls put in play against him since joining the Yankees. That's a big jump from his 4.9 percent rate previously this season or his rates of 5.7 percent (2016) and 3.7 percent ('15) with the Cardinals the past two years. With second baseman Jason Kipnis sidelined and Jose Ramirez holding down his position for now, the Indians have been mixing and matching at third base lately. Against the left-handed Garcia, Yandy Diaz might get the nod, with Giovanny Urshela available in the late innings as a defensive upgrade. With Bauer on the mound, expect catcher Roberto Perez to be behind the plate for the Indians, as he's caught 139 of the pitcher's 139 1/3 innings this season. Perez is best known for his defense, but the catcher has hit.500 (7-for-14) with two homers, a double and nine RBIs in his past five games.

2 Indians top prospect Mejia to play 3B in AFL By Jordan Bastian / August 29th, COMMENTS NEW YORK -- There was an interesting twist to the Arizona Fall League roster that was released for the Glendale Desert Dogs on Tuesday afternoon. The Indians' top prospect, catcher Francisco Mejia, was listed among the infielders. It was not a typo. Indians general manager Mike Chernoff told MLB.com on Tuesday that the organization is going to have Mejia -- Cleveland's No. 1 prospect and the No. 16-ranked prospect in baseball, per MLBPipeline.com -- try his hand at third base during the AFL this year. Chernoff emphasized that the decision is not a position change, but rather a way to potentially increase Mejia's versatility. "He's got the arm to play there and the hands to play there," Chernoff said. "By increasing his versatility, it will give him an opportunity to potentially make an impact in multiple ways, because you never know where that opportunity is going to arise." The Indians also have not ruled out promoting Mejia from Double-A Akron after Major League rosters expand to 40 players on Friday. Cleveland's catching situation in the big leagues currently includes Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez splitting up the duties, but teams often like to carry a third catcher as insurance for the final month. Mejia, 21, is the only other catcher on the Tribe's 40-man roster. Chernoff would not tip his hand as to whether Mejia might get the call to the Majors for September. "We consider everyone in the organization," Chernoff said, "in particular, a guy who's on the 40-man roster. So he's under consideration." Cleveland is content with the Gomes-Perez catching tandem, especially given the above-average defense offered by both players and the rapport they have built with one of the Majors' best pitching staffs. It is worth noting, however, that Gomes (signed through 2019 with two club options) and Perez (signed through '20 with two club options) are under contractual control for several more seasons. Under the circumstances, Cleveland does not feel that it will hurt to get Mejia experience at another position. "We'll get him in a setting where he can get some exposure to third base," Chernoff said. "And then, hopefully he can carry that into winter ball after that, or into Spring Training. He's had a great year developmentally as a catcher and now has potentially increased his versatility." Through 90 games at Double-A this year, the switch-hitting Mejia has turned in a.300/.349/.499 slash line with 14 home runs, 21 doubles, 51 RBIs and 51 runs. Mejia was named to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game World roster in each of the past two seasons and last year made headlines with a 50-game hitting streak. Joining Mejia on Glendale's AFL roster will be Akron first baseman Bobby Bradley (No. 3 on the Indians' Top 30 Prospects list) and infielder Tyler Krieger (No. 20). Class A Advanced Lynchburg will be sending pitchers Argenis Angulo, Sean Brady and Luke Eubank, as well as outfielder Ka'ai Tom. Double-A pitcher Leandro Linares will also be on the roster. Lynchburg hitting coach Kevin Howard will be on the Desert Dogs' coaching staff. Indians outfielder Bradley Zimmer -- a member of the 2016 AFL-champion Mesa Solar Sox team -- said he got a lot out of his time in the Fall League. "I had an awesome time," Zimmer said. "At that time of the year, those are the only guys that are still playing baseball. Even after the playoffs in the big leagues, they're still playing. I think you can take it one of two ways. You can look at it as, 'I'm still playing baseball, this is brutal,' or, 'I'm still playing baseball, I can get better.' I think it's extremely beneficial." Pipeline: Bradley homers for Akron Indians No. 3 prospect Bobby Bradley blasted his 22nd home run and reached base four times to finish 2-for-3 with two walks as Double-A Akron edged Harrisburg, The 21-year-old first baseman has produced plus power in the Eastern League this season while also tightening his approach -- a notion supported by his 118 strikeouts in 125 games for Akron after he fanned 170 times over 131 contests in Indians' recent surge could allow for some stress-free September experimentation Zack Meisel August NEW YORK Reporters who cover the Indians on a daily basis know Terry Francona s tendencies. We can typically predict how he ll answer a question before the words escape his mouth. Those who drop in for a couple of days on the road, however, might be unfamiliar with his quirks and preferences. For instance, we know Francona loathes being asked about future lineups. How will he sort out playing time once Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall return to the fold? He ll tell us if and when that actually materializes. As Francona responded to an out-of-town reporter s inquiry about the topic Monday afternoon: Why would we worry about that right now? I don t have to make the lineup out for Sept. 15. Ah, but won t that practice be fun? (OK, fun and also potentially agonizing.) Remember the Great Fanbase Panic of June 2017? Remember the all-mighty Royals, their brief challenge and their decision to buy at the trade deadline? Remember the Twins adorable start to the season? Fast forward to the end of August. The Indians are on track to be able to manipulate September for some stress-free experimenting. Francona can mix and match the pieces on his roster to find the most proficient group for the postseason. And he can do that without having to worry about the Royals (who haven t scored since Thursday afternoon) or the Twins (whose run differential is a sickly minus-28) clawing at the Indians heels. Indians record through 130 games 2016: : The difference is, the Indians have already learned that they can weather a series of injuries. Now, presuming the overpopulated disabled list clears out in the next few weeks, one of the top priorities will be to determine which players are fit for October. Here is what Francona will have to solve. 1. How will that outfield logjam play out? Chris Antonetti, the team s president of operations, reached out to Brantley and Chisenhall as he put the finishing touches on the trade for or heist of Jay Bruce. He told them the acquisition wasn t a knock against them, but rather a necessary maneuver to cover for their absences.

3 Ultimately, however, there will be a game of musical chairs. Chisenhall has spent time in left field during his minor-league rehab assignment, and he s expected to moonlight in center and potentially the corner-infield spots, as well. 2. How will the rotation shake out? Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco are solidified as the top two starting-pitching options, but how does Danny Salazar factor into the equation? Salazar is slated to throw a bullpen session Tuesday as he works his way back from right elbow inflammation. If he s healthy, does he merit a playoff start ahead of Trevor Bauer? Would Mike Clevinger and Josh Tomlin join the bullpen for the postseason? Would someone be left off the roster altogether? 3. The composition of the bench Clearly, this first depends on the starting lineup, but the Indians have a horde of worthy outfield candidates, with Bruce, Brantley, Chisenhall, Bradley Zimmer, Austin Jackson and Brandon Guyer onboard. Is there enough room on the playoff roster to accommodate all of those outfielders? The team will need a backup infielder, whether it s Giovanny Urshela, Erik Gonzalez or Yandy Diaz. And that s assuming Jason Kipnis makes a healthy return. The Indians still have plenty to play for in the final five weeks of the regular season. This isn t to say that the club can sleepwalk to the finish line. A relaxed jog should do the trick. While the AL Central is in hand, teams have relinquished larger leads in a shorter period of time. And the Indians would love to seize home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But with a somewhat comfortable cushion in the division, a team functioning well in every facet of late and a slew of starters on the mend, the Indians have set up what could be a fascinating September. Just don t ask Francona to make out his lineups ahead of time. Indians forced to navigate tangled web of roster decisions thanks to Mother Nature, injuries by Zack Meisel NEW YORK Grab a pencil. Make sure the eraser has plenty of flesh. Let s attempt to navigate our way through the labyrinth Indians roster decisions at a moment of peak transactional chaos. Mother Nature forced an extra few wrinkles onto an already-weathered week for the Tribe. We ll begin with the starting rotation. Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin were initially slated to start the final two games at Yankee Stadium. The rainout Tuesday will push back Bauer until Wednesday. Originally, the Indians considered deploying both Bauer and Tomlin in the traditional double header, which will start at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday. Tomlin would assume the roster spot of Dan Otero, who is headed to the paternity list for a couple of days. The club would summon Ryan Merritt as the designated 26th man for the second game of the twin bill. It all seemed pretty simple. Ah, but a quick glance beyond the stay in the Big Apple reveals a tangled web of comings and goings. After an off-day on Thursday, the Indians and Tigers will play twice Friday. Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger are scheduled to start those games. Corey Kluber will start Saturday at Comerica Park. Who will start the series finale Sunday in Detroit? It can t be Carrasco or Clevinger or Kluber, clearly. Bauer and Tomlin wouldn t be ready on regular rest, either. Danny Salazar is still working his way back from an elbow injury. And Merritt (originally optioned to Triple-A last Saturday) would be unavailable since players optioned to the minors must wait 10 days to be recalled, unless it s an injury replacement. So, the Indians had to revise their plan. Bauer and Merritt will pitch for the Tribe on Wednesday in New York. Merritt can take Otero s spot, with the paternity list serving as an exception to the 10-day recall rule. The team has pegged reliever Shawn Armstrong as its 26th man for the second game. The Indians will wait to activate Tomlin until the weekend series. He ll start either Friday or Sunday, depending how the Indians piece together at least 18 innings Wednesday. Barring some atypical pitcher usage, Tomlin would seem to be in line to start Sunday, with Carrasco and Clevinger ready for the double dip Friday. There s one other helpful variable in play: Teams can expand their rosters to as many as 40 players starting Friday. The club is hopeful that outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Abraham Almonte will rejoin the fray Friday. Both players are wrapping up rehab assignments with Triple-A Columbus this week. Tribe manager Terry Francona indicated Tuesday that the team will promote players in several waves.

4 There will be a couple for the doubleheader, he said, because we don t want to get caught short. The team will call up a couple of players Friday and more the following week, once the minor-league season comes to a halt. Pencils down. Deep breath. Got all that? Everything, of course, is subject to change. Given the way Mother Nature and the injury bug have bothered the Indians all season, it probably will. Tentative pitching schedule: Wednesday: Bauer; Merritt Friday: Carrasco; Clevinger OR Tomlin Saturday: Kluber Sunday: Tomlin OR TBA Royals fans edge Indians backers in Step Up to the Plate money, but Cleveland wins in meals By Marc Bona CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Kansas City Royals didn't put up much of a fight in their recent series in Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians, being outrunned 20-0, but fans of the two teams are more competitive when it comes to raising money for a cause. The recent Step Up to the Plate campaign urged fans to raise money for their respective charities - Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Harvesters Community Food Network. And the final numbers are in: Indians fans tallied $40,000 while Royals backers ponied up $43,963. But the money in Cleveland translates to more meals than in Kansas City, a rep for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank said. Cleveland's amount is equaled to 160,000 meals while Kansas City's turns into 131,889. The Royals jumped to an early lead in the competition, with a series Aug at Kauffman Stadium. But Indians fans stormed back at Progressive Field a week later. People were able to donate online, outside the stadium for food drop-offs or inside the stadium for monetary donations. In addition the Team Shop was allowing patrons to round up purchases, with the extra cents going to the cause. Andrew Miller was the Indians spokesman for the campaign while Fox Sports broadcaster Joel Goldberg and former Royals pitcher Kevin Appier assisted in the Royals' participation of the competition. On the field this season, the Indians have beaten the Royals in nine of 15 games. The teams meet four more times, Thursday-Sunday, Sept , in Cleveland. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians-Yankees game tonight postponed; traditional doubleheader Wednesday at 1 By Paul Hoynes, NEW YORK - The Indians-Yankees game scheduled for tonight at Yankee Stadium has been postponed because of rain and will be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader Wednesday. The twin bill will start at 1 p.m. and the second game will be played soon after the first one ends. The Indians will send a righty and a lefty against a pair of New York left-handers. Trevor Bauer (13-8, 4.59) will oppose New York's Jamie Garcia (1-1, 5.47) in the first contest. Cleveland's Ryan Merritt (7-9, 5.38) will go against Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 4.06) in the second game. The Indians will place right-hander Dan Otero on the paternity list to create a spot for Merritt. Merritt was just sent down on Friday, but because he is replacing someone on the paternity list, he does not have to stay in the minors for 10 days. The Indians will add right-hander Shawn Armstrong as their 26th man for the second game. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM will carry both games. The Indians have won 14 of their last 18 games. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Mother Nature, doubleheaders delay Josh Tomlin's return to Cleveland Indians' rotation By Paul Hoynes, NEW YORK -- Josh Tomlin is going to have to wait a little longer before returning to the Indians' rotation. It's no big deal. The Indians and Yankees will play a traditional doubleheader on Wednesday after Tuesday night's game was postponed by rain. Trevor Bauer, scheduled to start Tuesday, will start the first game at 1:05 p.m. with lefty Ryan Merritt starting the second game. Bauer will face lefty Jaime Garcia, while Merritt faces lefty Jordan Montgomery. Tomlin, before Tuesday's postponement, was going to face CC Sabathia on Wednesday afternoon. Then came the rain and the plans changed with Bauer starting Game 1 on Wednesday and Tomlin scheduled to start Game 2.

5 The Indians were going to activate Tomlin from the disabled list by putting right-hander Dan Otero on the paternity list. Then they were going to add Merritt as their 26th man for the second game. But the plans changed again because after Wednesday's traditional doubleheader and Thursday's off day, they play a day-night doubleheader on Friday against Detroit at Comerica Park. That would have left them without a starter for Sunday's game. So the starters for Wednesday will be Bauer and Merritt, who will take Otero's spot on the roster. Merritt was just sent down on Friday, but because he's replacing someone on the paternity list, he does not have to stay in the minors for 10 days. Right-hander Shawn Armstrong will replace Merritt as the 26th man for the second game on Wednesday. Tribe-Yankees rained out on Tuesday night. DH on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/0hk99moenf -- paul hoynes (@hoynsie) August 29, 2017 As for Tomlin, well, he's expected to start one of the games on Friday or Sunday at Comerica Park depending on how the bullpen is used Wednesday. Tomlin has been on the disabled list since July 31 with a strained left hamstring. The team's medical staff said he could miss six weeks with the injury, but he made it back before that. "I'm looking forward to getting back out there and helping this team win," said Tomlin, following Tuesday's postponement. The rotation is 22-7 with a 3.17 ERA since the All-Star break. In August, it has gone gone 16-4 with a 2.74 ERA. They've done a lot of that without Tomlin and Danny Salazar, who has struggled to stay healthy. "We had our struggles early on in April and May," said Tomlin. "Then we lost (Corey) Kluber for a little bit in May and that was tough, but we held our own and got him back. "What a run he's been on since then. When you get a guy who is the ace of your staff, anchoring it like he does, it helps out. You want to go out there and mimic what he does. Then you've got (Carlos) Carrasco, who has done a great job. (Trevor) Bauer has picked it up of late and been tremendous. "Mike Clevinger has done a great job and so has Danny when he's been back and healthy. To have that depth that we have speaks volumes for this organization and how they use guys and how they've been able to get guys over the years through trades. "When you see all the good teams around baseball, you need depth to be able to sustain the season. We definitely have that. When one guy goes down, you get another guy to step up. That's what makes good teams great and that's what we're trying to be." Manager Terry Francona was asked if playing two doubleheaders in three days would strain the roster. "I'll tell you when it's over," he said halfjokingly. Then he added, "We're going to try to space the guys out. I'd rather not everybody play all four games. I don't think that makes much sense, but we'll see how it goes. I'm glad we have the off day on Thursday. I think that will really help. "And we didn't stay here (Yankee Stadium) real long today so I think that helps." Friday's doubleheader falls on Sept. 1, the day teams can increase their roster sizes to 40 players. "We'll add players incrementally," said Francona. "There will be a couple for the doubleheader (on Friday) because we don't want to get caught short. What we're trying to do is not get caught short and not having too many guys sitting around." Francona added that more players will be added on Sept. 5 when the minor league seasons end. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians, Jay Bruce team up to support Hurricane Harvey-relief efforts By Marc Bona CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Indians' charitable arm is accepting donations for hurricane-relief efforts in southeast Texas, and outfielder Jay Bruce and his wife, Hannah, are offering to match up to $100,000 in donations. The Indians said donations made to Cleveland Indians Charities through Sunday, Sept. 10, will benefit nonprofit organizations affected by Hurricane Harvey, which ravaged gulf cities when it came ashore Friday. Bruce is a native of Beaumont, Texas, which sits about 90 miles east of Houston and about 30 miles west of Louisiana. Monday, Bruce told Paul Hoynes he felt helpless about not being in the area to help. "Anything you can do to help anyone in that area could really be a difference-maker," he said. After being acquired in a trade with the New York Mets this month, Bruce is hitting.297 with the Indians. He has 19 hits in 18 games. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians sending catcher Francisco Mejia to Arizona Fall League to play third base By Paul Hoynes NEW YORK ---Francisco Mejia is going to the Arizona Fall League to learn how to play third base. GM Mike Chernoff says it's not a position change, but the Indians want to see if they can make Mejia more versatile and thus more attractive to the big-league club. Think how Jose Ramirez developed into a big part of the Indians' core and you've got a good bead on what the Indians envision for the switch-hitter Mejia.

6 Mejia, first baseman Bobby Bradley, infielder Tyler Krieger, outfielder Ka'ai Tom, right-handers Argenis Angulo, Luke Eubank and Leandro Linares and lefty Sean Brady will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs in MLB's finishing school. Opening Day is Oct. 10. Mejia, who went to big league camp with the Indians in February, is hitting.300 (101-for-337) with 21 doubles, 14 homers and 51 RBI at Class AA Akron. He had a.848 OPS. "We have two really good catchers (Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez) on our major-league team," said Chernoff in a text. "So we'd like to find as many ways to allow Mejia to make an impact in the future as possible." The Indians opened the season with Ramirez at third base. He played so well that he was named the starting third baseman for the American League All-Star team. Ramirez's versatility allowed him to move to second base to replace Jason Kipnis, who is on the disabled list for the third time this season. Besides Ramirez, the Indians don't have a third base prospect who checks every box at the hot corner. Giovanny Urshela plays Gold Glove defense, but is lacking offensively. Yandy Diaz shows promise offensively, but it's unclear if he can play every day at third. Could Mejia be the answer? And if Ramirez is moving to second base, what does that mean for Kipnis, who is signed through 2019 with a club option for 2020? Chernoff said the Indians have no problem with Mejia's catching ability. "He has had a great year at catcher, but as he nears the major-league level we are looking for ways to increase his versatility," said Chernoff. "You never know where there will be an opportunity." Chernoff said Mejia will play only third base in Arizona. He added that he's expected to play only third base in winter ball as well. Don't read too much into that because the Indians aren't fond of having their catchers go to winter ball strictly as catchers. They think it takes too much of a toll on the body. Bradley, a third-round pick in 2014, is hitting.243 (107-for-440) with 23 doubles, 21 homers and 85 RBI at Akron. He's struck out 117 times and drawn 52 walks. Krieger, who played in the World Baseball Class for Israel in March, is hitting.228 (91-for-399) with six homers and 39 RBI at Akron. The switch-hitting second baseman has 12 steals in 17 attempts. He was the Tribe's fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Clemson. Angulo is 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 15 saves for Class A Lynchburg. He's struck out 48 and walked 25 in 47 1/3 innings. The Indians selected him out of Ranger College with their 19th pick in Linares, who defected from Cuba with Diaz, has pitched at Akron and Lynchburg this year. He's 4-3 with seven saves and a 2.73 ERA in 40 relief appearances. Brady, who has pitched at three levels this year, is 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 10 starts. He's pitched for the Arizona Rookie League Indians, Class A Lake County and Lynchburg. Eubank, a 15th round pick in 2014 from Oxnard College, has pitched at three levels this year. He's 2-0 with two saves and a 0.94 ERA. Eubank totaled 19 innings while pitching for the Arizona Rookie League Indians, Lake County and Lynchburg. He allowed two earned runs with 18 strikeouts and nine walks. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians rolling on all fronts: When does the magic number countdown begin? By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com phoynes@cleveland.com NEW YORK - When the Indians get hot like this, it's hard to imagine them playing a whole lot of bad baseball in the 32 games that are left in the regular season. They've hit 10 home runs in the last three games. Jose Ramirez, who had one homer since the All-Star break, hit two Monday night. They both came off 98 mph fastballs from Luis Severino, the Yankees' fine young right-hander. No other batter in the Statcast era, circa 2008, has ever turned around two pitches at that high of a velocity in the same game. When asked about it, Ramirez gave what amounted to a "No duh" answer in Spanish. "It's not easy to bat against 98 mph," he said. Corey Kluber allowed two runs in eight innings in Monday's 6-2 win. He's 10-2 with a 1.90 ERA (26 earned runs in 123 1/3 innings) since coming off the disabled list on June 1. Not only do the Indians have three 13-game winners this season in Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco, they lead the AL in ERA for starters and relievers. The rotation is No. 1 in ERA (3.90), strikeouts (863) and the fewest walks allowed (222). If you're into old-time baseball, they're No. 1 in wins at Can't you just hear the Sabermetrics guys going "tisk, tisk, tisk" in disapproval? The bullpen is No. 1 in ERA (3.49) and in the fewest walks allowed (127), No. 2 in batting average against (.221) and No. 5 in strikeouts (438). Save wise they are 13th with 25. In August, the rotation has gone 16-4 with a 2.74 ERA. Here's the breakdown: Kluber (5-1), Bauer (4-0), Carrasco (3-2), Mike Clevinger (2-0), Danny Salazar (1-1) and Ryan Merritt (1-0).

7 "When Kluber came back off the disabled list in June, that anchored the whole staff," said manager Terry Francona. They have showed depth as well with Clevinger and Merritt stepping in for the injured Salazar and Josh Tomlin, who is set to return to the rotation Wednesday against the Yankees. "Our team relies a lot of pitching," said catcher Roberto Perez. "The job the rotation has done is probably the best I've seen since I got called up. They throw strikes, they get ahead of guys and they put guys away." The Indians are since the All-Star break with a seven-game lead in the AL Central. They went into the break at with a 21/2-game lead. The improvement is not based only on pitching. The Tribe ranks third in the AL in in runs, homers and steals since the break. Edwin Encarnacion leads the team with 12 homers and 28 RBI in that span. Carlos Santana has 11 homers and RBI and Francisco Lindor has 10 and 22 since the break. Yan Gomes, surprisingly, ranks second with 23 RBI in the second half. Terry Francona on Indians win over Yankees While the pitching staff has three 13-game winners, the lineup has three switch-hitters with 20 or more homers in Lindor (24), Santana (21) and Ramirez (20). Ramirez reached 20 on Monday night. The offense has produced with regulars Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall spending big chunks of time on the disabled list. Chisenhall is scheduled to return Friday, but the timetable on the return Brantley (right ankle) and Kipnis (right hamstring) is still uncertain. Another element to the Tribe's improved play has been defense. The Tribs ranks second in the AL in fielding percentage and have committed the second-fewest errors in the league. Catchers Gomes and Perez have the lowest stolen base percentage at.579 (44-for-76) in the league, while allowing the third-fewest passed balls. The Indians have also benefited from the play of Giovanny Urshela at third and rookie Bradley Zimmer in center. Ramirez, with Kipnis injured, moved from third to second to open third for Urshela. Zimmer was promoted May 16 from Class AAA Columbus. Frangraphs.com rates Urshela as a +3 in defensive runs saves and Zimmer as a +4. When a team combines pitching, offense and defense, that is a hard team to beat. That's exactly what the Indians are right now. 7 reasons the Cleveland Indians defense is as hot as its starting pitching right now CLEVELAND, Ohio When a starting pitching staff is as hot as the Cleveland Indians rotation has been lately, and the offense is starting to click with consistency, it s easy to overlook the little things that are equally important to winning ballgames. Sure, the club has batted.329 (57-173) with nine doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and a on-base plus slugging percentage in its last five games (all wins). Indians hitters have even gone 14-for-44 (.318) with runners in scoring position. And Cleveland s pitching staff has a 1.60 earned run average in that five-game stretch, along with a.185 opponent batting average. The Tribe s rotation has recorded all five wins with a 1.64 ERA. But have you seen some of the defense that s being played out there when the Indians take the field? Since the calendar flipped to August, Cleveland s defense has posted highlight after highlight, and in some cases, provided game-changing plays. Here s a look at seven reasons why Cleveland s defense, as much as any facet of the game, is stepping up in the season s second half. By Joe Noga, cleveland.com Zimmer's Superman act Center fielder Bradley Zimmer s Superman catch against Lorenzo Cain on Saturday was the kind of play that will make every season-ending highlight reel. According to MLB s Statcast, Zimmer covered 66 feet in 4.2 seconds to make the play. But the rookie has also dazzled with his arm, collecting eight outfield assists. He entered the April 21 win against Boston as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning and held Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez to a single in the ninth on a ball that hit behind him off the wall. That proved to be a difference maker as the Tribe won on a walkoff bunt in the bottom of the inning. Lindor atones for miscue Friday s win against Kansas City started with a Francisco Lindor throwing error, but the smiling shortstop quickly made up for his mistake with a heads-up throw to third, erasing Whit Merrifield, and a diving stop up the middle that included a glove flip to Jose Ramirez at second for the double play. Jose Ramirez is smooth at second With Jason Kipnis on, then off, then back on the disabled list, Jose Ramirez has played a brilliant second base. In 46 starts at second base, Ramirez has a.976 fielding percentage in 164 chances. He s turned 27 double plays and has just four errors. He hasn t committed an error at second base since Aug. 1, a span of 50 chances. Urshela's sensational stops Giovanny Urshela s glove is a luxury at third base. Since re-joining the team in mid July, Urshela has played 33 games at third, with three errors and a.973 fielding percentage in 69 chances. Urshela routinely makes the spectacular play look easy, including highlight-reel plays such as this diving stop to rob Hanley Ramirez of a hit on Thursday.

8 Catchers coming up big Opposing baserunners know better than to run on Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez. The Tribe backstops are both throwing out better than 37 percent of would-be base stealers, with Gomes leading all of baseball at 42 percent. Since the start of the 2016 season, Gomes has cut down better than 39 percent of runners. And that s not to mention highlight-reel plays such as Perez s grab of a foul pop against the screen against Boston. Bruce is loose Steady going Jay Bruce has fit in seamlessly in the Indians outfield as Lonnie Chisenhall works his way back to the big league club. Bruce made this fine catch in right field to end an inning against Boston. Santana solid at first Carlos Santana has developed into a solid first baseman. After platooning for much of 2016 with Mike Napoli, Santana has taken over as the everyday first baseman this season, and has not disappointed. His.995 fielding percentage is right in the middle of the pack among qualified AL first basemen. Indians-Yankees rained out; doubleheader on Wednesday By The Associated Press NEW YORK >> The game between the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees on Tuesday night was rained out. With rain forecast throughout the night, the Yankees announced the postponement hours before the scheduled start. The game will be made up as the second game of a single-admission doubleheader Wednesday. The first game will start at 1:05 p.m. EDT, with the second game to begin about 30 minutes after the opener. The Indians, who lead the AL Central by seven games, beat the Yankees 6-2 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory. New York is second in the AL East, 3 1/2 games behind Boston. Yankees left-hander Jamie Garcia (1-1, 5.47 ERA) will start the first game. In the second game, it will be lefty Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 4.00 ERA), who will be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Cleveland will counter with Trevor Bauer (13-8, 4.59 ERA) and Josh Tomlin (7-9, 5.38 ERA). Tomlin will be activated from the disabled list after missing nearly one month with a strained left hamstring. C.C. Sabathia (10-5, 3.82 ERA) had been scheduled to start Wednesday for the Yankees but will be pushed back to pitch in New York s upcoming key series with the Red Sox. Jose Ramirez shines bright against Yankees in New York By David Glasier, The News-Herald In live theater and in sports, New York City offers the grandest of stages. It s the quintessential big city, the place immortalized in the late singer Frank Sinatra s unforgettable version of the John Kander-Fred Ebb song, New York, New York. Think of Sinatra belting out these lyrics, the horns of a big band underlining every syllable and pause: I wanna wake up in the city that never sleeps, And find I m A-No. 1, Top of the list, King of the hill, A-No. 1. Indians do-everything player Jose Ramirez woke up in the city that never sleeps on Aug. 28. Ramirez and his teammates were there for three games against NYC s glamour team, the New York Yankees, on one of those stages, Yankee Stadium. By night s end, Ramirez owned that stage and the Indians were 6-2 winners over the team wearing those distinctive pinstripes. Facing right-hander Luis Severino the Yankees young, hard-throwing right-hander Ramirez slammed solo home runs in the first and sixth innings to keep his team even with the Bronx Bombers. The Indians other batters went to work late and made a winner of Tribe starter and American League Cy Young Award candidate Corey Kluber. >> Photos: Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees, Aug. 28, 2017 Ramirez, playing second base, also made a couple of standout plays with his glove and arm as the Indians notched their fifth straight victory. They continue a surge that bodes well for the balance of the regular season and, potentially, another deep run in the playoffs. Whatever the Indians achieve from here on out this season, Ramirez almost surely will be in the middle of it. With his potent bat, uncanny knack of coming through in the clutch, relentless hustle and ability to play second base, third base and shortstop at Gold Glove level, Ramirez is his team s most indispensable position player.

9 Going into the middle game of this series, the 24-year-old native of the Dominican Republic was batting.300 with career-high totals of 20 home runs and 62 RBI. His 84 runs scored equals his total from last season, his first full season in the big leagues. With 32 regular-season games remaining, he ll soon pass that mark. Ramirez has a team-high 147 hits, Based on his track record this season he s averaging 1.16 hits per game played he ll surpass last season s total of 176 hits. It isn t as if Ramirez needed to have a big game against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium to be recognized as one of the game s rising stars. He was the starting third baseman for the American League in this year s All-Star Game, installed there in online voting by the fans. But doing what he did in that situation, in that place, in a game with pennant race implications for both teams, with the baseball world watching, was noteworthy. Fox Sports Ohio on-field reporter Andre Knott brought out Ramirez for a post-game interview. He asked a smiling Ramirez if he dreamed of hitting 20 home runs in the big leagues when he and Tribe shortstop Francisco Lindor were teammates on the Single-A Lake County Captains in Rebounding smartly from a mid-season lull at the plate, Lindor is batting.268 with a career-high 24 home runs and 25 RBI. Lindor has always been the kind of guy with that potential, Ramirez said through team interpreter Anna Bolton. He has a good swing. He s always had great contact and been good at putting the ball into play. So it doesn t surprise me he has 20 home runs. But I never thought I would have gotten 20 home runs. The careers of Ramirez and Lindor have been intertwined since Ramirez signed with the Indians as an undrafted free agent in November For the next 2 1/2 years, he was one of dozens of free agents from the Dominican Republic trying to stand out in the Indians farm system. Lindor, the Indians first-round pick in the June 2011 draft, was the team s top-rated prospect in It was more or less assumed that after honing his skills in the minor leagues, he would be a star in the big leagues. Ramirez, on the other hand, was so lightly regarded he was left behind in extended spring training in April He didn t join the Captains until late June 2012, at the start of the second half of the Midwest League season. It took only a few weeks with the Captains for the 5-foot-9 Ramirez to prove he could excel at every phase of the game. Playing second base and batting leadoff, he combined with Lindor to give the Captains a dynamic duo that triggered a second-half surge to earn a spot in the playoffs. Fast-forward five years, and these two young men are driving forces on the Indians as they try to duplicate last season s exciting run to the AL Central Division title, AL championship and Game 7 of the World Series. At the end of the post-game interview, Knott asked Ramirez if he enjoyed playing in New York. This time, Ramirez didn t need to wait for a translation by Bolton. I like. I like playing in New York, Ramirez said, again flashing the smile that breaks through even more these days. As he parted company from Knott, Ramirez added, Thank you, sir. With that, he headed to the dugout with the head-bopping bounce in his step that is his trademark. Mud Hens 7, Clippers 6 Fun-loving Ronny Rodriguez enjoys banner season By Mark Znidar The Columbus Dispatch Whether he s in left or right field or at first, second, third or shortstop, Ronny Rodriguez is easy to spot on a baseball diamond. He s the one holding his bat as high as he can before the pitch and wiggling his hips like a dancer and playing with a big smile. But who was that player wearing No. 65 impersonating Rodriguez on Tuesday night? Oh, I had that hairstyle for a year and it was time for it to go, he said of the bleached golden patch that no longer is on top of his head. I m trying to be normal. Although he put down a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning that led to a run, Rodriguez had a rare off game in going 0-for-4 in five plate appearances in the Clippers 7-6 loss to Toledo before 7,754 at Huntington Park.

10 With the loss, the Clippers slim chances of reaching the International League playoffs ended. The team had made the playoffs three straight seasons. This season, he has taken off. Before Tuesday night s game, he ranked fifth in the International League in batting. Where does the energy come from? That s just me, he said. Every time you see me play there s a big smile on my face. I hear from other players that they like to watch me play. His entertainment value extends to YouTube, where several of his Caribbean rap and hip-hop songs can be found. Teammates have been entertained by him in the clubhouse. I do that in my free time, he said. I don t sing in clubs, but just for friends and teammates. I just do it for fun and on YouTube. You never know I might try (to record professionally) someday. I think my teammates like it. Check me out on YouTube. It was so far, so good for Cleveland Indians players on injury rehabilitation assignments. Abraham Almonte, who has had a strained hamstring, served as the designated hitter and had a run-scoring single to center in the third inning in four at-bats. Lonnie Chisenhall played left field and singled to right in the first and seventh. News + Notes: Mookie's D shines, Marlins figure out bullpen, Rosario learns quickly, and more Ken Rosenthal August Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts OPS is down more than 100 points from last season, but by one measure he is the best defensive outfielder in baseball. Betts leads all outfielders in 3-, 4- and 5-star catches combined, according to Statcast. When I informed him of this he acted surprised, saying he had only one 5-star catch this season. (Yes, some players are aware of the Statcast measures, and I ll get to how they work in a moment). Betts then noted that he likes to play shallow, reasoning, If you hit it over my head, it s got to go over the wall unless it s hit 100 mph. It s true: according to Statcast, Betts plays the second-shallowest right field in the majors, behind the Reds Scott Schebler (minimum 5,000 pitches; the measure includes only road games in an attempt to mitigate park effects). Betts said that former Red Sox teammate Shane Victorino originally told him to play shallow, advising that he position himself 10 feet or more in front of where the opposing right fielder played. Red Sox first base coach Ruben Amaro Jr., who positions the team s outfielders, often signals for Betts to move back, particularly with two outs. Regardless, Amaro said that he loves Betts desire to play shallow, loves that he is confident and fearless enough to position himself that way. Now, about those Statcast ratings: catch probability is defined as the likelihood of a catch based on opportunity time (starting when the ball is released by the pitcher) and distance needed (the shortest distance an outfielder needs to make a catch). A 5-star catch carries a 0 to 25 percent chance probability, a 4-star is 26 to 50 percent, a 3-star is 51 to 75 percent. Catches, at least according to the system, can be deceiving. When I saw the diving, full-extension grab by the Blue Jays Kevin Pillar on Monday night against Boston, I figured it was a 5-star catch for sure one of the best catches I ve ever seen. But according to Statcast, it merited only four stars. In any case, Betts also is faring well in other defensive measures. He is the major-league leader with 27 defensive runs saved, and the toprated right fielder according to Fangraphs. Thinner bullpen = stronger bullpen? The Marlins built a deep, talented bullpen as a way to protect their questionable starting rotation. Turns out that their efforts actually had a negative effect on veteran Brad Ziegler. Only after they traded relievers David Phelps and AJ Ramos in late July did Ziegler find his groove. Ziegler, 37, returned from a 31-game absence (right back strain) on July 29, then replaced the departed Ramos as the Marlins closer. Since then he has been brilliant, converting all nine save opportunities and pitching 12 scoreless innings. We had the right idea with the uber-strong bullpen, said Michael Hill, the Marlins president of baseball operations. I just think a veteran like Ziegler needed his routine. Manager Don Mattingly agreed, saying it s easier to manage Ziegler as a closer. Before going on the DL in late June, Ziegler had a 6.52 ERA and.848 opponents OPS in 29 innings in various roles. He s older, Mattingly said. I was using him in a role to get us out of an inning, get a groundball, sometimes in the sixth, sometimes in the seventh. [In his current role as closer] he knows when he s going to pitch, knows when to get up and down. If you get him up and down, it will bother him more. You try not to do it to anybody, but especially him. You get him up and down, the next day he might not be available. Uber-strong bullpens, as Hill calls them, are not going out of style anytime soon. The Marlins experience, though, demonstrated that they occasionally can be difficult to manage. Mattingly had almost too many arms to sort through, and the trades gave him a clearer path to the ninth, with Kyle Barraclough frequently setting up Ziegler. You re exactly right, Hill said. The whole premise was to try to make it as deep as possible. But when you have multiple guys who are accustomed to being back-end guys, it s an adjustment to tell them they re going to be out there in the sixth inning when it s probably an hour earlier or three innings earlier than they re used to being in a game. Mets' Rosario learning quickly The Mets love that 21-year-old rookie shortstop Amed Rosario is a sponge. The day after every game, hitting coach Kevin Long shows Rosario video of his previous night s at-bats, and they review how the he handled the strike zone.