Napoli, Gomes go back-to-back vs. Brewers Urshela, Perez homer on power day for Tribe Wildcat Francona embraces March Madness

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1 Napoli, Gomes go back-to-back vs. Brewers By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com March 13th, COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Brewers scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to propel them to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory against a split squad of Indians on Sunday at Goodyear Ballpark. Nate Orf's two-run double off Cleveland's Will Roberts in the seventh proved to be the game-winning hit for the Brewers. It was an eventful start for Indians starter Josh Tomlin, who struck out Brewers left fielder Keon Broxton looking to start the game and received a scare when the next hitter, Jonathan Lucroy, hit him on the right calf with a ball hit up the middle for a single. Tomlin was examined by the team's trainers and stayed in the game. "We'll see tomorrow," Tomlin said. "It wasn't too bad." One out later, Kirk Nieuwenhuis followed with a two-run homer to give the Brewers an early -- and temporary -- lead. Mike Napoli's three-run homer to deep left-center in the bottom of the first off Milwaukee starter Chase Anderson gave the Indians a one-run advantage. Catcher Yan Gomes followed with another long home run to left-center to extend Cleveland's lead to two runs. "Nap, well, that's why he is here," Indians manager Terry Francona said of the back-to-back home runs. "[Gomes] has taken a couple of swings this spring that are short and direct, and it doesn't look like there's a lot of effort. He's obviously a very strong kid. Both of them were really pretty swings." "The first one was a hanging curve ball to Napoli," Anderson said. "The second one was a fastball [to Gomes]. I was just trying come back on him and get strike one." Tomlin was charged with two runs on three hits with four strikeouts in three innings before yielding to Bryan Shaw. Tomlin relied heavily on his fastball but also threw multiple cut fastballs. "It's always nice to get [strikeouts]," Tomlin said. "I'm trying to get quick outs as much as I can so I can stay in and go deeper in the game." Anderson gave up four runs on five hits in three innings. He recorded one strikeout. Up next for Brewers: The Brewers play the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Monday in a 3:05 p.m. CT start, with right-hander Wily Peralta starting. Manager Craig Counsell promises cuts this week and some order to the rotation with three weeks to go until the opener against the Giants in Milwaukee on April 4. Counsell is close to naming an Opening Day starter, "But we're not there yet." Up next for Indians: The Indians will play the Rangers on back-to-back days starting Monday at 4:05 p.m. ET at Goodyear Ballpark. Corey Kluber will square off against A.J. Griffin on Monday, and Carlos Carrasco will take the mound against Martin Perez on Tuesday at Surprise Stadium. Cody Anderson will start on Wednesday against the Angels in Goodyear. Urshela, Perez homer on power day for Tribe By Jeffrey Flanagan / MLB.com March 13th, COMMENTS SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Royals' likely Opening Day starter, Edinson Volquez, struck out six through four innings in a 9-4 Cactus League loss to an Indians split-squad team on Sunday at Surprise Stadium. Volquez gave up give five hits and three runs. He threw 69 pitches, 44 for strikes. "I think everything was working," Volquez said. "The curve was good and my changeup was better than my curve. Fastball command was really good. I walked two guys but still felt good. "It's all about getting ready for the start of the season. I'm real close." Alex Gordon hit his second home run of the spring, a solo shot in the first inning. Indians starter Mike Clevinger, the team's No. 7 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, went two-plus innings and gave up five hits and three runs (one earned). He walked two and struck out three before hitting his pitch count of 50. Clevinger admitted he was a bit rattled facing the defending World Series champs. "It's definitely nerve-wracking," Clevinger said. "You know who it is. You try to be the same guy, but I think that it probably got me a little bit amped." As for Gordon's homer, Clevinger said, "He ambushed a fastball I left up, and he put a good swing on it. He was ready." Giovanny Urshela pounded a two-run homer to left for the Indians in the fourth, and Roberto Perez added a three-run homer in the seventh. Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer, projected as the team's No. 4 starter, worked four innings in relief, striking out three and allowing one run. Up next for Indians: The Indians will play the Rangers on back-to-back days starting Monday at 4:05 p.m. ET at Goodyear Ballpark. Corey Kluber will square off against A.J. Griffin on Monday, and Carlos Carrasco will take the mound against Martin Perez on Tuesday at Surprise Stadium. Cody Anderson will start on Wednesday against the Angels in Goodyear. Up next for Royals: The Royals take on the White Sox at Surprise Stadium in a 3:05 p.m. CT game on Monday. Right-hander Yordano Ventura will start, likely followed by Joakim Soria, Chien-Ming Wang and rookie Matt Strahm. Wildcat Francona embraces March Madness By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com March 13th, COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The road to the Final Four was once again a popular topic in the Indians' clubhouse. Welcome to Selection Sunday, the day NCAA picks the teams for the championship basketball tournament. It's the official start of March Madness, and it's when the friendly battle for bragging rights begins across clubhouses in the Cactus League. "There's nothing better than going to a Spring Training game, going home and getting a pizza, lying in bed and watching seven games," manager Terry Francona said. Francona's ties to University of Arizona are well known; in 1980 he led the Wildcats to a national baseball title and was named College Player of the Year. He has seats on the floor in Tucson, follows the team closely when he's away, attends practices and arrives at games early so he can watch them shoot when he can.

2 "We have a lot of fun with that tournament," Francona said. "You are always looking for things to do during spring to create some personality with 65 guys and some that don't know each other, and that's one way. It's fun, and the guys enjoy it. I think it's good." Count starter Trevor Bauer, who attended UCLA, as one of the biggest Duke basketball fans in baseball. Bauer hangs a bright blue wig and a Blue Devils T-shirt in his locker on days when his beloved Duke Blue Devils play. What happens if Francona's Wildcats face Bauer's Blue Devils? "Well, if you see Bauer pitching in A-ball...," Francona joked. Aguilar aiming to be more of an asset By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com March 13th, COMMENT GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- First baseman Jesus Aguilar signed with the Indians almost a decade ago and is a known commodity within the organization. He's in camp this year determined to be much more of an asset and shirk any labels that have been placed upon him. "This is an important Spring Training for me, but they are all important," Aguilar, 25, said. "I just need to come in and be ready for whenever they need me. I have to be in the best condition and position possible when they call me." Spring Training: Schedule Tickets Gear Aguilar went 1-for-4 with a home run in Cleveland's 6-4 loss to San Diego on Saturday and, serving as designated hitter, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in Sunday's 9-4 split-squad win over the Royals. Overall, he has six hits in 23 at-bats in 12 games this spring. He's built a reputation as a power hitter in the Minors, but Saturday's homer was his first extra-base hit of spring. "We know him pretty well. This is his third spring with us," manager Terry Francona said. "He's had two pretty good big years at Triple-A. It's nice to see him hit the ball out of the ballpark. That's actually the first home run I've seen him hit." The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Aguilar hit 19 home runs and drove in 93 runs at Triple-A last season and has combined to hit 110 home runs in eight seasons in the Minors. He has 10 hits in 52 at-bats with one double in 26 games in the big leagues with the Indians during the last two seasons. He signed with Cleveland as an international free agent in "I think if I get the opportunity to play every day, I can show them what I can do in the big leagues," Aguilar said. "I know I can do more with more opportunities. My goal is to be in the big leagues, but if I don't start there, I want to be there during the season and help the team the best way I can." "This spring is not going to define [Aguilar]," Francona said. "What he does during the season, whether it's here or wherever, will. It's been hard to find him starts because we have [Mike] Napoli and [Carlos] Santana, so to let him play a full game is good for him." For Quiroz, making a good impression key By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com March 13th, COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The cellular reception in the home clubhouse at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is poor to almost nonexistent, and nobody knows this better than Indians catcher Guillermo Quiroz. Last month, Quiroz, who was in the D.R. as a member of the Venezuelan team at the 2016 Caribbean Series, almost missed the call telling him he had a Minor League deal with the Indians. "I'm glad I finally got the message," Quiroz, 34, said with a laugh. Quiroz signed a few days after the conclusion of the Caribbean Series to provide organizational depth at the position behind starter Yan Gomes and backup Roberto Perez. Adam Moore and Anthony Recker are also among the catchers in camp. Spring Training: Schedule Tickets Gear Quiroz made his Cactus League debut on Saturday and caught two innings, going 0-for-1 at the plate. "For me it's about making a good impression," he said. "They know my history and what I have done, but they've never seen me in person and what I can do. I just want to show the type of player I am and show that I can contribute to the team." Quiroz has spent time with Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox and Giants during his 10-year big league career. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2014 and spent part of 2015 at Triple-A with the Giants. Quiroz's winter league team, the Tigres de Aragua, won Venezuela's winter league championship before being defeated by Mexico in the title game of the Caribbean Series. "I play every year in Venezuela because I love it and you play to win every day," Quiroz said. "It's different than the Minor Leagues here, where it's about development and not so much about wins and losses. In Venezuela it's about winning and the daily competition against another team." Jesse Sanchez is a n Nirvana for Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona? Spring training, March Madness, pizza Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is manager Terry Francona's favorite time of year. Spring training is in full swing and March Madness is almost here. Francona might be baseball lifer, but he's a basketball junkie. He played in high school, managed Michael Jordan when the greatest basketball player history thought he'd give baseball a whirl and as an alumni is a serious University of Arizona Wildcat fan. The NCAA basketball pairings came out Sunday. Soon the bracket sheets will be floating around the Indians' locker room. Pools will be formed, wagers made. Francona loves it all.

3 "There is nothing better than going to a spring training game, going home, getting a pizza and lying in bed and watching seven basketball games," Francona told reporters on Sunday morning in Goodyear, Ariz. "That is the best. They stagger the games. It's fun. It's really fun. You just have to figure out where they are. They've got them on so many channels now." Francona said the NCAA pools that will pop up in the locker room are a good thing. "We have a lot of fun with that tournament," said Francona. "You're always looking for things to do in spring training. You're looking to create some personality. With 65 guys, some of them who don't know each other, that's one way. I know you're not supposed to promote gamble, but it's fun and the guys enjoy it." Francona said the NCAA playoffs are the perfect form of entertainment. "I don't know if they knew what they were doing or just lucked into it," he said. "It's probably the best sports thing ever. It works." Francona, who played baseball at the University of Arizona, predicted that the Wildcats would be a fifth seed. They were a sixth seed. "I have seats on the floor," he said. "I have a couple of seats up higher for my kids. I go all the time. I go early and watch them shoot around. I've gone to some of their practices. I love them." Cleveland Indians split difference in win over Kansas City, loss to Milwaukee Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio The evaluating never stops in baseball. Even in spring training, where the final scores don't matter, how those final scores were reached in analyzed, dissected and analyzed again. The Indians played two Cactus League games Sunday, splitting their squad to play Kansas City and Milwaukee. They beat Kansas City, 9-4, and lost to Milwaukee, 5-4. Here's a look at what happened. Power: Kansas City: Roberto Perez went 2-for-4 with a triple and a three-run homer. He hit the triple against Luke Hochevar and the homer off lefty Brian Flynn. Kansas City: Giovanny Urshela went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer. He hit the homer off starter Edinson Volquez. He has three homers and nine RBI this spring. Milwaukee: Mike Napoli hit a three-run homer off Chase Anderson in the first inning. He has three homers and 10 RBI this spring. Milwaukee: Yan Gomes made it 4-0 as he followed Napoli with his third homer of the spring. After the first, however, the Indians did not score again. Pitching: Kansas City: Mike Clevinger hit 97 mph in his start against the Royals, but he had control problems. It took him 50 pitches to get through two innings. He allowed three runs on five hits, but only one of the runs was earned because of Urshela's error at third in the second inning. Clevinger started the game by striking out Alcides Escobar on three pitches. Alex Gordon, the next batter, homered on his next pitch, a 95 mph fastball. Clevinger was just a little over amped. Prospect Mike Clevinger making presence felt Kansas City: The Indians wanted to give Clevinger a start so Trevor Bauer came out of the pen. He threw four solid innings, striking out three and not walking a batter. He allowed two hits and one run on 46 pitches. Bauer was credited with the win as he lowered his ERA to Kansas City: Austin Adams, trying to win a job in the bullpen, pitched the third inning to bridge the gap between Clevinger and Bauer. He struck out two and threw 11 strikes in 13 pitches. Milwaukee: Josh Tomlin allowed a two-run homer to Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the first inning. He followed that with two clean innings. Milwaukee: Joba Chamberlain, trying to win a spot in the bullpen, allowed a leadoff triple to catcher Martin Maldonado in the fifth inning. He stranded Maldonado by retiring the next three batters, two on strikeouts. Phenom alert Kansas City: Tyler Naquin started in center field and went 2-for-4. He's hitting.417 (10-for-24). When manager Terry Francona was asked about Naquin by reporters Sunday morning in Goodyear, Ariz., he said, "He's having a really good spring...regardless of what happens the next three weeks, he's in a really good position. He's taking advantage of his playing time, that's for sure." Tyler Naquin in hunt for center field job Milwaukee: Right-hander Adam Plutko entered the seventh inning right after Will Roberts gave up a two-run double to erase a 4-3 lead. Plutko, 13-7 with a 2.39 ERA last year at Class A Lynchburg and Class AA Akron, walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. He retired the next five Brewers to keep the game close. Kansas City: Outfield prospects Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier made their Cactus League debuts on Sunday. Old pro Ross Ohlendorf struck them out in consecutive at-bats in the eighth. In the ninth, Zimmer drove in a run with an infield single and Frazier lined out to short.

4 Kansas City: Shortstop Eric Stamets, who came to the Indians from the Angels with the reputation of being all glove and no bat, continues to hit. He went 2-for-4 to raise his average to.429 (6-for-14) with one homer and four RBI. The Indians acquired Stamets for David Murphy in July. Emerging Kansas City: Jesus Aguilar went 2-for-5 with two RBI. In Saturday's 6-3 loss to San Diego, he homered. After the Indians have waited so long for Aguilar to emerge in a big-league setting, could this be the spring it happens even though his path to Cleveland is block by Napoli and Carlos Santana? Francona knows the dangers of spring-training evaluations. The air is thin and dry. Breaking balls don't break. No one uses scouting reports on hitters. "But you don't want to say spring training doesn't mean anything," said Francona. "You want to watch guys. You want to see what they can do. "I've never seen Aggie hit a home run. I know he's hit a bunch in the Triple-A (110 in the minors, 39 at Class AAA), but I've never one...i know he can do it, but it was nice to watching it." It's still early, right? Kansas City: Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall took a 0-for-4. He's hitting.053 (1-for-19). Juan Uribe goes home, Giovanny Urshela continues to man third: Cleveland Indians briefing Paul Hoynes, CLEVELAND, Ohio The hot corner continues to provide interesting viewing for followers of the Indians this spring in Goodyear, Ariz. Juan Uribe, scheduled to be the opening day third baseman on April 4, left camp Saturday to return to the Dominican Republic to take care of some lingering visa problems. He's expected to be back later this week. Giovanny Urshela, meanwhile, started against the world champion Kansas City Royals on Sunday in a split-squad day for the Indians. Urshela, who has already been told that he'll open the season at Class AAA Columbus, is hitting.316 (6-for-19) with three doubles, two homers and a team-high seven RBI. In Saturday's 6-3 loss to San Diego, Urshela made two nice plays in the field and doubled home a run in the sixth to pull the Indians into a 3-3 tie. "He really worked hard this winter," manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday morning in Goodyear, Ariz. "He went to the IMG camp (Bradenton, Fla.) and looks good. Like a lot of us, he'x going to have to keep working at it. He wasn't blessed with that kind of body that some guys just have. "But he can play third base like nobody's business. He's got some developing to do at the plate. That's just part of the game." Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, was impressed with the way Urshela handled the news after Uribe was finally signed in late February. Davis, Napoli, Uribe bring balance, leadership "He's handled things incredibly well," said Antonetti. "It speaks to Gio's character and his mindset. Everyone is disappointed (at this kind of News). He wants to be in the major leagues. "But he look at this as an opportunity to continue to grow and improve and invest himself in become a good major league player. He's gone about his work with a purpose to try and do that." Uribe is hitting.500 (3-for-6). Who's playing where? The Indians are playing Milwaukee at Goodyear Ballpark and the Royals in Surprise, Ariz. at 4:05 p.m. ET. Indians vs. Milwaukee: CF Rajai Davis, 2B Jason Kipnis, SS Francisco Lindor, 1B Mike Napoli, C Yan Gomes, DH Will Venable, RF Collin Cowgill, LF Joey Butler, 3B Michael Martinez and RHP Josh Tomlin. The Tribe's game against the Brewers can be heard on 99X (FM) and indians.com. Their game against the Royals can be heard on mlb webcast. Indians vs. Kansas City: 2B Jose Ramirez, CF Tyler Naquin, RF Lonnie Chisenhall, 1B Carlos Santana, DH Jesus Aguilar, 3B Urshela, LF Robbie Grossman, C Roberto Perez, SS Eric Stamets, RHP Michael Clevinger. Trevor Bauer was scheduled to start against the Royals, but the Indians wanted to give Clevinger a start. He's scheduled to go three innings with Bauer scheduled to go four. Clevinger has had had a good camp. The Tribe's top minor league pitcher last season has thrown four scoreless innings in two appearances. He struck out two and walked three. Faces in the crowd: Outfield prospects Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier made the travel roster to play the Royals. So did infielder Luke Wakamatsu, drafted by the Tribe last year. Wakamatsu is the son of Don Wakamatsu, bench coach for the Royals. Finally: Danny Salazar leads the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues with 14 strikeouts. He struck out seven in four scoreless innings Saturday against the Padres...Right-hander Shawn Armstrong is still bothered by a sore right lat. He threw a bullpen session Saturday and could be ready for games later this week.

5 Cleveland Indians look to Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Juan Uribe for balance, leadership Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio The Indians have been trying to balance their lineup with right-handed hitters for the last few years. Ryan Raburn, in his three-year stay with in Cleveland, had two good years and one bad. Mike Aviles, another departed right-handed hitter, was more valued for the variety of positions he could play. Yan Gomes struggled last year with a knee injury. Jose Ramirez tapped out as the opening day shortstop last year, but bounced back as a utility player. Switch-hitter Nick Swisher, in his one healthy season, hit.295 (56-for-190) with 10 homers and 29 RBI right-handed in Jerry Sands, Chris Johnson, switch-hitters Zach Walters and Asdrubal Cabrera and others have taken a shot at balancing an Indians' lineup where the top batters work mostly from the left side of the plate. Francisco Lindor doesn't count just yet because he's played so few games in the big leagues, but so far the results have been encouraging. Last year the switch-hitting Lindor hit.321 (45-for-140) with five homers and 18 RBI hitting right-handed. This winter the Indians have taken another run at the issue by signing free agents Rajai Davis, Mike Napoli and Juan Uribe. They're all veterans, who hit right-handed and signed one-year deals worth a total of $16.25 million. When the Indians open the regular season on April 4 against Boston and presumably left-hander David Price, all three could all be in the starting lineup Davis in left or center field, Napoli at first base and Uribe at third base. Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, GM Mike Chernoff and assistant GM Derek Falvey pursued them from the first day teams could make offers to free agents in November. Indians make front office promotions "I think Chris and his guys did a real good job of being realistic on who to target," said manager Terry Francona. "And once they targeted those guys, they stayed after them long enough to get it done." Davis, who played with Detroit the last two years, was the first to sign. He came to terms on a one-year $5.25 million deal on Dec. 16. "At the time we were thinking of signing Rajai, we felt our outfield would be very left-hander with Michael Brantley, (switch-hitter) Abraham Almonte, who is much better as a left-handed hitter and Lonnie Chisenhall, another left-handed hitter," said Antonetti. "We thought Rajai as a right-handed hitter, capable of playing all three spots with a lot of success against left-handed pitching, complimented that group well." Why Rajai Davis signed with the Indians Initially, it looked like Davis would play mostly left field early in the season in place of Brantley, who is recovering from surgery on his right shoulder. Brantley, however, is responding well to his rehab and could be back sooner than expected. Almonte, however, was suspended 80 games for a PED violation so Davis could be spending more time in center field this season. Napoli signed a one-year $7 million deal on Jan. 5. The negotiations were tentative at best. "The Napoli thing could have gone away a lot of times," said Francona. Napoli gave the Indians three things they desperately needed: right-handed power, good defense at first base and a reasonable (to them) sticker price. "Right-handed power is really expensive," said Francona. "I think he's going to be a good fit for our team. He's a hard worker and has a little edge to him, which is OK. I think he's going to be really important for us." Napoli, 34, was coming off a season of two halves with Boston and Texas. He was bad with the Red Sox and good with the Rangers. The combined numbers were only so-so:.224 (91-for-407) with 18 homers, 50 RBI and a.734 OPS. The Tribe's scouts and number crunchers went to work on Napoli's performance in They took into account that he underwent a painful operation before the start of the season to give him relief from sleep apnea. The operation entailed Napoli's upper and lower jaws being broken and adjusted, while the air passage in the back of his throat was widened. "Whether or not it was specifically the surgery he went through or other things, we were cognizant of the fact that he did not have a good first half in Boston," said Antonetti. "We spent a lot of time looking at his total body of work. Our evaluators really felt he made adjustments in the second half that allowed him to get back to the hitter he'd been in the past." Once the Red Sox traded Napoli to Texas, he no longer had The Green Monster staring at him from left field. The Indians felt he'd gotten pull happy with the Red Sox, but started using the whole field again when he joined the Rangers. Napoli draws 12-pitch walk to ruin perfect game Uribe was the hardest of the three to land. The sides haggled over money for weeks and even when there was an agreement in place for oneyear and $4 million, Uribe couldn't report to spring training because of visa problems. The deal was officially announced Feb. 28. Uribe left the Indians on Saturday to finalize his visa situation in the Dominican Republic. He is expected to miss the next few days. Uribe, 37 on March 22, will share third base with Jose Ramirez. He's good in the clubhouse, good with Latin players and can still play. He helped the Mets win the NL East last season with nine doubles, six homers and 20 RBI in 126 at-bats down the stretch. Indians, Uribe agree on 1-year deal "He helps in a lot of ways," said Antonetti. "He's an establish major league player who is a very good defender at third base. He's still been a contributing offensive player and he's a great teammate, who is a leader in the clubhouse."

6 Uribe does one more thing he buys the Indians time so they can figure out just what kind of player Giovanny Urshela is. Last year Urshela had only 84 plate appearances at Class AAA Columbus when the left side of the Tribe's defense collapsed and he was promoted to play third base. He solid great defense, but knee, back and shoulder injuries hurt him offensively. "We had to short change Gio's development time last year," said Antonetti. "This gives us the opportunity to let Gio develop into the player we think he's going to be, which is a really good major league player." Uribe, Davis and have had success against left-handed pitching. That is a key for the Indians who were against left-handed starters last year. The Indians, for the season, hit.265 against lefties and.252 against righties. Davis is a.296 lifetime hitter vs. lefties compared to a.255 hitter vs. righties. Napoli's splits are.278 vs. lefties and.243 vs. righties. Uribe splits are just about even vs. lefties,.258 vs. righties. Last year Uribe hit.272 against lefties and.246 against righties. "We identified these guys early in the process," said Antonetti. "We felt they could be really good fits for us, not only for what they bring on the field, but for who they are in the clubhouse and what they can add to our team chemistry." Indians: Mike Napoli homers as Tribe splits games by Associated Press - The Chronicle-Telegram Mike Napoli hit his second spring homer for the Cleveland Indians, who lost 5-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in Goodyear, Ariz. Napoli hit a three-run shot in the first inning against Chase Anderson. Yan Gomes followed with a drive to left for his second spring homer, lifting Cleveland s split-squad to a 4-2 lead. That s why Nap is here, Indians manager Terry Francona said. Gomer s taken a couple swings this spring that are short, direct and doesn t look like there s a lot of effort. Anderson, who was acquired in the January trade that moved Jean Segura to Arizona, allowed five hits in three innings. Four of the hits were in the first inning, including singles by Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor ahead of Napoli s drive. He allowed a single to Gomes in the third. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who was claimed off waivers from the Mets, hit a two-run homer in the first for Milwaukee, which added three more runs in the seventh. Cleveland s Josh Tomlin allowed two runs and three hits in three innings. Bryan Shaw and Joba Chamberlain each pitched a scoreless inning for the Indians. I have to try and trick people as much as I can, Tomlin said. I m not going to overpower anybody. I need to get quick outs. On the home run, I tried to get the cutter down. I didn t get it there. Tomlin finished strong and then went to the bullpen and threw another 20 pitches. Every outing he s getting closer to being Tomlin, Francona said. Indians beat Royals Right-hander Mike Clevinger, a touted prospect who has never pitched above Double-A, got a rude welcome as the Indians played a splitsquad game in Surprise. Kansas City s Alex Gordon hit his second spring home on Clevinger s first pitch of the first inning. It s definitely nerve-racking, Clevinger said of facing the defending World Series champions. You know who it is. You try to be the same guy, but I think that it probably got me a little bit amped. He ambushed a fastball I left up. Edinson Volquez struck out six in four innings for the Royals, but the Indians won 9-4. Volquez allowed three runs and five hits, including a two-run drive to Giovanny Urshela, who leads the Indians with three homers and nine RBIs. Cleveland s Trevor Bauer allowed one run and two hits over four relief innings. He threw the ball well, no doubt he did, Indians bench coach Brad Mills said. He was able to mix his pitches, threw a lot of sliders and cutters today that he had real good command of and he was throwing Roberto Perez hit a three-run homer off rookie left-hander Brian Flynn in the Indians five-run seventh. He also tripled as the Indians collected a spring-high 17 hits. I ve been working on a lot of things in spring training and I finally I put it together today, Perez said.

7 Starting time Indians: Clevinger, who logged a 2.73 ERA in 2015 with Double-A Akron, allowed three runs, one earned, and five hits in two-plus innings. He struck out three and walked two. Clevinger knows the Indians rotation will be difficult to crack. It s definitely full, he said. This whole system is full. It s above you in the rotation and the guys behind you in the system have tons of talent. It s all around you in the organization. Impressive rookie Indians CF Tyler Naquin, a 2012 first-round pick out of Texas A&M, continued his remarkable spring, going 2-for-4 with a double and raising his average to.417. Family fun Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu brought the lineup card out before Sunday s game. The Indians chose a minor-league shortstop to carry their card: Luke Wakamatsu. It was a cool moment for both father and son. Luke Wakamatsu batted in the ninth inning of the Indians 9-4 victory and grounded out to first baseman Balbino Fuenmayor. Getting to see Wak s kid play was fun, Yost said. That was cool. In the eighth, Bradley Zimmer batted for Cleveland. He is the brother of Royals pitcher Kyle Zimmer. An inning later, Bradley Zimmer s infield single with the bases loaded scored a run. The Kansas City Star LOADED: