Salazar dominates with fastball in return Lindor's walk-off HR sparks happiest trot ever

Salazar dominates with fastball in return By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com 1:04 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- After Danny Salazar missed seven weeks with a right shoulder strain, the Indians weren't quite sure what they could expect out of the hard-throwing right-hander. But one thing is for sure: Saturday night's performance was as good as they could have dreamed. Salazar struck out eight over seven scoreless frames, as he faced the minimum in a 2-1 win over the Blue Jays in 10 innings. Salazar only let four balls leave the infield, and he erased the lone hit he gave up one batter later on a double play. "Boy, that was pretty impressive," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We talked about it before the game, best-case scenario, that was it. He came out throwing strikes. He had velocity. He attacked. That was really impressive." Salazar came out throwing gas with 18 straight fastballs to open the game, and he struck out the side in the first. He pounded the strike zone with first-pitch fastballs to his first 13 batters and racked up five of his eight strikeouts with the pitch. His velocity was up compared to earlier in the season, with his fastball topping out at 97.7 mph. "He came right out of the chute attacking with the fastball," Francona said. "He was commanding it. Then off of that, he threw some changeups, not as many as normal, but his fastball was so good. And you could tell he was confident. That was probably the biggest thing." Salazar had been a staple of the Indians' rotation in his first four seasons with a 3.72 ERA. But the 27-year-old struggled before the shoulder injury to the tune of a 5.40 ERA over 55 innings this season coming into Saturday. Francona has always characterized Salazar as a confident pitcher, but Saturday's start certainly helped the confidence of a player who was going through his first tough season. "You have to be [confident] a little bit," Salazar said. "Even though you're struggling, you're not 100 percent, you try to stay positive the whole time, going out there and trying to do your job. And [when] it doesn't work, you start doubting a little bit." A resurgent Salazar could do wonders for the Indians as the club ponders the possibility of adding another starter before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. The way he pitched Saturday, almost no pitcher on the market could match what he can bring. "It's almost like making a trade," Francona said. "Kind of like we said with [Carlos] Carrasco a few years ago when he had the hamstring. You're getting a pitcher that's fresh. It can be a huge lift for us. That's the hope." Lindor's walk-off HR sparks happiest trot ever By Ben Weinrib and Gregor Chisholm / MLB.com @gregormlb July 22nd, 2017 + 57 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor began the 10th inning by bobbling a routine grounder, which put the go-ahead run on base. He was mad at himself, but he knew he had a chance to make up for the error since he would lead off the bottom of the frame. Eventually, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw escaped a two-on, no-out jam, but when Lindor came up to bat, rain started falling by the second pitch. He broke his bat on the following pitch, and the rain came down harder. But on the seventh pitch, Lindor launched his first career walk-off homer to propel the Indians over the Blue Jays, 2-1, on Saturday night at Progressive Field. "I was on a mission, but I wasn't trying to hit a home run," Lindor said." I was just trying to get on base and let [Michael] Brantley, [Edwin] Encarnacion and [Jose] Ramirez finish the game. That was a [great] job by Cody and Shaw picking me up. I felt so bad the whole entire inning. I was like, 'God, don't let us lose like that.' We might lose, but I'm trying to lose the right way, not by making errors, whether it's me or one of my teammates." The Indians and Blue Jays were locked in a low-scoring pitchers' duel in which neither team could truly break through until they reached the bullpens. Danny Salazar was brilliant for Cleveland after missing seven weeks with a right shoulder strain, facing the minimum through seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. He only let four balls get out of the infield, and the lone hit against Salazar came on a third-inning single up the middle by Kevin Pillar, who was erased one batter later on a double play. "Attacking the zone, feeling good, not feeling soreness or anything," Salazar said. "As soon as I walked out there, I just tried to be aggressive and attack the zone and use my fastball. That was really big for me tonight." The Blue Jays tied the game in the eighth on Justin Smoak's home run off Andrew Miller, but they couldn't manage much else. Josh Donaldson reached on Lindor's error, and Smoak walked to start the 10th against Allen, but a Kendrys Morales strikeout and two ground balls ended the threat. Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman was a worthy opponent for Salazar with 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball featuring seven strikeouts, five walks and five hits. He was dealing with a blister throughout the outing but found a way to pitch through it, and despite an on-field visit by the training staff, Stroman did not have to be removed from the game because of his finger problem. "We went out there and checked that but, hey, he was fine and pitched through it," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He did a tremendous job. I've seen him do it all the time, and that's as good as I've seen him. I thought his stuff was dynamite tonight." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Indians strike first: The Indians took the lead in the fourth inning on a ground ball that looked to be a tailor-made inning-ending double play. With runners on the corners and one out, Encarnacion hit a hard grounder to third, but Donaldson's bobble prevented the Blue Jays from being able to turn two to end the inning. "It was hit so fast," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He hit it hard. As soon as he booted it, you kind of know that we're going to get a run out of it." Smoak gets revenge: The Blue Jays could not get on the board until Salazar left the game, and once he did, it only took one pitch. Cleveland brought in Miller for the eighth, and Smoak was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the lefty coming into the game. But Miller left a fastball over the outer third of the plate, and Smoak sent it a projected 342 feet to right field, according to Statcast, for his 27th homer of the year. "Smoak, he's just a big, strong kid," Francona said. "Not too many guys are going to do that to Andrew." "It kept us in the game there and gave us a chance to make a run there in the ninth," Smoak said. "We just came up short there at the end. But he's a great pitcher. Honestly, I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and it went my way tonight."

QUOTABLE "Yeah, as soon as I hit it, I knew. I was like, 'If it doesn't go, I ain't got much left.'" -- Lindor, on if he immediately knew the ball was a home run Lindor on his walk-off homer Lindor on his walk-off homer Francisco Lindor discusses his approach at the plate during his clutch walk-off homer against the Blue Jays SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Blue Jays lost in walk-off fashion for the eighth time this season, which is the most in the American League and second to only Philadelphia (nine times) for the most in the Major Leagues. This game also marked Toronto's ninth loss in extra-inning games this season (3-9). WHAT'S NEXT Blue Jays: Left-hander J.A. Happ will take the mound for Toronto when this series wraps up on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET. Happ has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but one of his last nine starts. Indians: Ace Corey Kluber gets the call for the Indians in their finale against the Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Kluber has been dealing with a stiff neck but has been lights-out since coming off the 10-day disabled list in early June. In his last nine starts, he has a 1.56 ERA with eight quality starts. Kluber looks to keep rolling vs. Happ, Jays By Gregor Chisholm / MLB.com @gregormlb July 22nd, 2017 + 2 COMMENTS Corey Kluber returns from a brief absence when the Indians and Blue Jays meet for the final time this season on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field. Kluber initially was scheduled to start Friday's series opener, but he was scratched because of a sore neck. He has since been cleared and will take the mound vs. Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ in the series finale with the Indians trying to complete the sweep. Cleveland's ace hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since coming off the disabled list at the beginning of June. Since then, he is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings. "He's doing good," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "That's good news. He's actually feeling really good." Happ has been similarly efficient for the Blue Jays since coming off the DL in late May with soreness in his left shoulder. He is 3-3 with a 3.24 ERA over that span and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his last nine starts. Things to know about this game Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is considered questionable for this game because of a sore groin. Tulowitzki was removed from Friday night's 13-3 loss to Cleveland in the ninth inning after he felt some pain while running out of the batter's box. He was held out of the lineup on Saturday and likely will be held back on Sunday afternoon as well. Cleveland is at least temporarily going with a six-man rotation. Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin started the season in the rotation, but 26-year-old Mike Clevinger has been as effective as any of them with a 2.74 ERA over 12 starts beginning in May. Kendrys Morales has faced Kluber more than anyone else in the Blue Jays' lineup, but he hasn't enjoyed much success. Morales is a career.167/.259/.208 hitter vs. the Cleveland ace, while Josh Donaldson has enjoyed the most success vs. Kluber with a 1.076 OPS and a pair of home runs in 22 at-bats. Tribe to use 6 starters this turn through rotation By Ben Weinrib / MLB.com July 22nd, 2017 + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- After missing a month and a half with right shoulder soreness, Danny Salazar is back. The Indians activated the right-hander from the 10-day disabled list on Saturday prior to his start against the Blue Jays, giving them six healthy starters. In a corresponding move, Cleveland optioned left-hander Ryan Merritt to Triple-A Columbus. "For the long haul, [we will] have him situated where he's ready to pitch every five... or six days and let's go," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Because there's so much talent there, it just got to a point where I thought Danny needed to kind of build a base because his confidence was lacking. The best way to build that is through hard work." With six starters, the Indians have options for their rotation, but Francona said he doesn't imagine sticking with a six-man rotation long term. He plans on giving each starter at least one more turn before making a decision. "My guess is that a need will arise that we have to get back to five just because if you're going six, there's no room for someone to have a hiccup, or you kind of get into your bullpen too much," Francona said. "So we'll see how it goes and if we need to, we can always do something, or maybe it happens organically. We'll see. We'll kind of play it by ear. There's no reason that we have to make a decision today, so we'll kind of let it play itself out and we'll see what we think is in our team's best interest." Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin started the season in the rotation, but 26-year-old Mike Clevinger has been as effective as any of them with a 2.74 ERA over 12 starts beginning in May. At the same time, Bauer (5.58 ERA) and Tomlin (5.74 ERA) have had up-and-down seasons. Francona said that if all six stay healthy, the five pitching the best may not be the ones who stay in the rotation. Other factors, such as who would be most likely to succeed in the bullpen, are part of the decision. Bauer and Clevinger each made seven relief appearances last year, while Salazar has made two relief appearances this season. "You can't just take the five that are maybe doing the best at the moment and shoveling one guy to the bullpen," Francona said. "That may not help over the course of the next month. Those are all things that we would certainly think about. It's not just who's making the start. That guy that's making that start certainly influences the day a lot, but there's other considerations."

Lindor s walkoff homer in 10th gives Cleveland Indians 2-1 win over Toronto By Steve Herrick, The Associated Press Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 10th inning and the Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 on july 22 at Progressive Field. Lindor hit a 2-2 pitch from Danny Barnes (2-3) to right field for his 15th homer of the season just as a hard rain began to fall. Lindor dashed around the bases and was mobbed his teammates at home plate and was doused by several coolers of water. It was Lindor s first walkoff homer. The Progressive Field grounds crew put the tarp on the field while Cleveland s players were still celebrating the victory. Bryan Shaw (3-4) retired Kevin Pillar on a groundout with two on to end the 10th. Danny Salazar came off the disabled list and held Toronto to one hit in seven innings. Cleveland led 1-0, but Justin Smoak homered on Andrew Miller s first pitch in the eighth. Smoak s towering drive barely cleared the wall in right field and hit off the railing in front of the first row of seats for his 27th homer. Cody Allen walked Darwin Barney to lead off the ninth. Left fielder Michael Brantley caught Jose Bautista s fly ball in front of the warning track and made a perfect throw to second baseman Jose Ramirez to get Barney, who tagged up. Salazar, activated before the game after being out since June 3 because of a sore right shoulder, struck out eight and didn t walk a batter. Pillar s leadoff single in the third was the only hit he allowed. Salazar retired the last 14 hitters he faced and was pulled after throwing 86 pitches. Edwin Encarnacion s RBI groundout in the fourth put Cleveland ahead. Third baseman Josh Donaldson couldn t turn an inning-ending double play after bobbling the hard-hit ball, allowing Lindor to score from third. Stroman gave up five hits, struck out seven and walked five in 7 2/3 innings. Salazar came out firing in the first, striking out the side on 12 pitches and hitting in the mid-to-high 90s on the radar gun. He made his first start since May 27. Salazar was moved to the bullpen to monitor his innings but was placed on the DL on June 6. TRAINER S ROOM Blue Jays>> SS Troy Tulowitzki (groin) was held out of the lineup, but is expected to play Sunday. He was injured running to first base in his final at-bat Friday. UP NEXT Blue Jays>> LHP J.A. Happ has failed to reach the sixth inning in his last two starts. His last win was on July 4 over the Yankees. Indians>> RHP Corey Kluber will work on seven days rest after having a stiff neck following his July 15 start at Oakland. He is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA at home this season. Indians report: With Danny Salazar s return, Indians to go with six man rotation for now By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: The Indians have one too many starting pitchers on the major-league roster, but for at least a short stretch, will be sticking with a six-man rotation. Danny Salazar was officially activated from the 10-day disabled list on Saturday. Lefty Ryan Merritt, who was in the bullpen as insurance, was optioned to Triple-A Columbus. Still, it leaves the Indians with six starting pitchers and, most likely in the not-so-distant future, will warrant a decision on who is the odd man out. The rotation now includes Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger and Salazar. According to manager Terry Francona, the Indians will see how it goes one time through the rotation with all six starting pitchers getting an outing. But, eventually, someone is likely destined to lose their spot due to the logistics of managing the bullpen through a long season. I can t see us staying like that forever, Francona said. We may do it for the time being. My guess is that there will be a need arise that we have to get back to five just because if you re going six, there s no room for someone to have a hiccup, or you kind of get into your bullpen too much. The Indians could be giving a six-man rotation a try in part because there isn t a clear course of action. Clevinger is the only one who could be optioned to Triple-A, but he s been fantastic since joining the rotation in Salazar s absence, posting a 1.36 ERA in his past six starts. It d be difficult to alter his place on the club now. That then leaves Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer. Tomlin has been better recently, in part thanks to his reviewing film with pitching coach Mickey Callaway, which revealed that he was overturning his leg toward second base in his delivery. Tomlin and Bauer along with Clevinger and

Salazar have each pitched in the bullpen for a short time in their careers, though Bauer would likely benefit to a greater degree from being able to just pitch and not worry about getting through 5-6 innings. Bauer s stuff could play up more in the bullpen. It won t necessarily only be the top five starting pitchers who keep their spots. How one might do in the bullpen, only focused on an inning or two at a time, is another variable. You can t just take the five that are maybe doing the best at the moment and shoveling one guy to the bullpen, Francona said. That may not help over the course of the next month. Those are all things that we would certainly think about. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 07.23.2017 Indians 2, Blue Jays 1: 13 Walk-Off Thoughts on Danny Salazar s return, Francisco Lindor s atonement By RYAN LEWIS Here are 13 Walk-Off Thoughts on the Indians 2-1, walk-off win against the Toronto Blue Jays Saturday night. 1. Saturday marked the return of Danny Salazar from the disabled list. It also might have marked the addition to the starting rotation the Indians have needed and might be searching for on the open market. 2. The Indians rotation this season has been top heavy. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have been a strong 1-2 punch, but after them, the rotation has been laced with question marks. The Indians could look to add a top-tier starting pitcher at the trade deadline. Though, they also might be able to add one in-house in Salazar, who hadn t looked like himself until tonight. 3. Salazar tossed seven scoreless innings, allowed one hit, faced the minimum and struck out eight. He was electric, hitting 98 on the gun in the first inning. His 86th pitch of the night clocked in at 97 mph and froze Josh Donaldson. 4. Indians manager Terry Francona: Boy, that was pretty impressive. We talked about it before the game, best-case scenario, that was it. He came out throwing strikes. He had velocity. He attacked. That was really impressive. That was really impressive. 5. Francona added, on his velocity: I don t think it was just the time off. I think it was hard work. He did so many drills. Even things like trying to get him strong on that back side, almost doing some infield drills. Like a backhand, setting your feet just to kind of get him to drive the ball home where he s not just using his arm. You could tell by the way he threw, that he was using his legs tonight which was really good. 6. Salazar mentioned before he went to the minors and on the DL that his confidence might not have quite been where he needed it to be. Francona had said Salazar had lacked the aggressiveness the Indians were used to seeing. 7. Salazar: That was great, especially my last two games in the minor leagues in my rehab process, they were amazing. Attacking the zone, feeling good, not feeling soreness or anything. As soon as I walked out there, I just tried to be aggressive and attack the zone and use my fastball. That was really big for me tonight. 8. That Salazar showed up, and he could be the Indians answer to the starting rotation, filling one of the major needs on the roster (and without giving up a couple of prospects). If Salazar can return to where he was in the first half of last season, he s about as valuable as any starter the Indians could acquire. It was only one start, but it was about as good as it possibly could have been. 9. And, some added context: Salazar s 98.7 mph pitch to Donaldson in the first inning was the hardest pitch he s thrown this season. Considering it took some time for his velocity to return, this was a pretty good sign. His outing on Saturday also marked just the sixth time since 1913 that an Indians pitcher threw at least seven scoreless innings with one or fewer hits, no walks and at least eight strikeouts. The Indians, possibly in the market for a starting pitcher, might have been holding their collective breaths to see what version of Salazar showed up. He ll have to show it again, but they re likely breathing a bit easier tonight. 10. And as it turns out, Francisco Lindor might be at his most dangerous at the plate after an error. A couple of times this season, he s followed up a defensive miscue with a big hit In Texas, to open the season, he followed up an error with two home runs, including a grand slam. On Saturday, his error could have been costly, though Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw managed to escape the inning unharmed. But it still obviously irked him on the field, and a few minutes later, he crushed the walk-off homer. 11. Francona: He doesn t make a lot of errors, but when he does, he kind of digs deep. He doesn t run and hide. Run up to the mound to make that pitching change, he said something to Cody and then he came up and changed the game. That s a good quality. 12. It s obvious that Lindor has often taken an error or miscue personally. Baseball isn t like football, where if you get angry you can run through somebody. It isn t easy to become upset and go outside of what you normally do and be successful. But he s certainly shown some muscle when he s been upset with himself and, after a loss in which that has happened, he s taken full responsibility for it. 13. Lindor: I was on a mission, but I wasn t trying to hit a home run. I was just trying to get on base and let Brantley, Encarnacion, and Ramirez finish the game. That was a hell of a job by Cody and Shaw picking me up. I felt so bad the whole entire inning. I was like God don t let us lose like that. We might lose, but I m trying to lose the right way, not by making errors, whether it s me or one of my teammates. The first thing I did when I got to the dugout was thank Cody and thank Shaw for picking me up. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 07.23.2017 Indians 2, Blue Jays 1 (10 innings): Francisco Lindor hits game-winning homer in 10th after dominant return for Danny Salazar By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: The storybooks would barely believe it. Francisco Lindor committed an error in the top of the 10th inning that nearly cost the Indians dearly. A few minutes later, he crushed a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th, lifting the Indians to a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. And he did it just seconds before heavy rains hit Progressive Field that likely would have sent the game into a delay. Instead, a sellout crowd celebrated in the rain, and Lindor was mobbed on the field. It took some work for the Indians to get to the 10th inning.

Tied 1-1 in the ninth, the Indians turned to Cody Allen. Allen walked Darwin Barney to open the inning but received some defensive assistance from Michael Brantley. Jose Bautista hit a high fly ball to just short of the warning track in left field. Barney tried to tag and advance to second base, but was thrown out on a near-perfect throw from Brantley to get the second out of the inning. Allen then induced Russell Martin to ground out to send it to the bottom of the ninth still deadlocked. The Indians defense didn t help Allen in the 10th. Lindor bobbled a routine grounder, allowing Josh Donaldson to reach on the error, and Allen walked Justin Smoak to put two runners on with no outs. Allen struck out Kendrys Morales and induced Steve Pearce to ground a ball to third. Giovanny Urshela stepped on third and threw in the dirt to first where Carlos Santana couldn t make the pick. Bryan Shaw relieved Allen and escaped the inning by getting Kevin Pillar to ground out. Lindor then crushed a pitch from Blue Jays reliever Danny Barnes an estimated 438 feet, creating his own form of rain just before the clouds opened up as he rounded the bases. Lindor s blast momentarily overshadowed a dominant performance by Danny Salazar in his return from the disabled list. With his return came the hope that Salazar could again return to his 2016 form, in which he was pitching at a Cy Young level before succumbing to injuries. The Indians rotation had been lacking consistency, and Salazar s return brought hope that he could fortify it and add a third dynamic arm behind Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. Saturday night s start was about as optimistic as it could have possibly been. Salazar delivered not only the best start of his season but one of the better outings of his career, tossing seven scoreless innings and facing the minimum number of hitters. He allowed only one hit, a single to Pillar in the third inning, and struck out eight. The Indians are hopeful that Salazar can again find the dominance he enjoyed through half of 2016. His return was a productive first step. One aspect Salazar was lacking early in his rehab was velocity. That wasn t an issue Saturday night. Salazar fired 12 fastballs in the first inning, including one that clocked in at 98.7 mph, according to Statcast. It was the fastest pitch Salazar had thrown all season. His 86th pitch of the night, in the seventh inning, was delivered at 97 mph and froze Donaldson. One pitch after the conclusion of Salazar s dominant outing, the Blue Jays tied it. Andrew Miller entered in the top of the eighth and had his first pitch hit for a solo home run down the right-field line by Smoak. Just like that, the lead was gone. One night after a 13-run game that included an eight-run explosion in one inning, the Indians offense was again relegated to a whisper for most of the night. Facing Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman, they broke through in the fourth. Lindor walked and advanced to third on Brantley s single to right field. With runners on the corners, Edwin Encarnacion hit a smash to third that could have been an inning-ending double play. But Donaldson bobbled it and was only able to throw out Encarnacion at first, allowing Lindor to score and the Indians to take a 1-0 lead. Ryan Lewis: Indians have potential positions to upgrade as trade deadline approaches, but no clear path of action By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: The Indians are approaching the trade deadline brimming with potential options but lacking an obvious course of action. They have yet to hit their stride this season, turning 2017 into a three-and-a-half month waiting game. There are spots on the roster that certainly could be improved, but in most cases, they also already possess the type of fix they might look for on the open market in the first place. Last season, the Indians made a major splash at the trade deadline, sending a prospect package headlined by Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield to the New York Yankees for Andrew Miller. They also brought in outfielder Brandon Guyer and tried to acquire catcher Jonathan Lucroy before he vetoed the deal. This year, they have some options as to what position groups they could target before the 4 p.m. July 31 deadline. But, in most cases, those decisions could be muddied by their in-house options, which add a variable to the value of any deal. The Indians have plenty of spots that could be upgraded but also lack a glaring need void of any potential remedies. This current team, on paper and even in the standings during a frustrating year, are the best team in the division. But it s true that the Indians haven t been able to really get going, and every contender s eyes will be turning toward October. The Indians could be active on the trade market, but finding the right value, considering all their options, might take some work. If they do find a willing partner, they have some ammo in the form of prospects Francisco Mejia, Triston McKenzie and others. In part thanks to Lucroy s veto, the Indians are still in a position to pull the trigger, but the return would likely have to be high to let go of Mejia or McKenzie. Starting pitcher The Indians rotation has lacked the kind of consistency it enjoyed the last few years but it has remained among baseball s best. The Indians rotation ranks fifth in baseball in fwar (10.7), third in FIP (3.74) and first in K/9 (10.0) but has also been top heavy, relying heavily on the 1-2 punch of Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.86 ERA) and Carlos Carrasco (10-4, 3.62). Mike Clevinger (5-3, 2.73) has been outstanding in place of Danny Salazar, who returned from the disabled list, to start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night but Josh Tomlin (6-9, 5.74) and Trevor Bauer (8-8, 5.58) have struggled to find their traction this season. With Salazar s return, the Indians already have an option with as much potential as just about any available on the market. Salazar hasn t been himself this year and was sent to the 10-day disabled list in early June. If he can return to his early-2016 form, the Indians will have effectively added the type of dynamic starter that would otherwise cost a large haul to acquire. The price tag for a starting pitcher on the trade market could also prove to be too steep, though a couple of major names remain out there. That group is headlined by the Oakland Athletics Sonny Gray of who has his name associated with rival teams as much as his own club these days. Acquiring Gray would be a power move and a costly one as his stock has risen in the past few weeks. He d also be under club control through the 2019 season. The Indians could add another power arm to the rotation, or they can rely on Salazar, Tomlin, Bauer and Clevinger to provide enough internal options. Right field

The Indians were rumored to be interested in Detroit Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez before he was dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks. They have also been connected to New York Mets outfielder Jay Bruce. There are other upgrades available, but the Indians do have a solid platoon situation on paper with Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer. Some of it will depend on how long Chisenhall, who is on the disabled list with a strained right calf, might be out. When healthy, Chisenhall has been having the best offensive season of his career (.305 BA, 12 HR, 51 RBI). But the Indians could certainly use an offensive lift. Entering Saturday s game, they ranked 14th in baseball in runs scored (450), still hovering around league average. With Chisenhall sidelined and Guyer still struggling to get going, the Indians could look to shore up their outfield. If they think Chisenhall can return to health quickly enough and Guyer can resume hitting like his track record suggests he can, they could look elsewhere. Lefty reliever The Indians have arguably baseball s best bullpen, but if other options fall through, there are always relievers available at the deadline. They could also suddenly have a need for a situational lefty after Boone Logan tore a lat muscle, which will keep him sidelined for what manager Terry Francona said will be a significant amount of time. His return this season could be in question. The Indians called up Tyler Olson in the short run but could choose to upgrade that spot. Detroit Tigers closer Justin Wilson (the Tigers would have to be OK dealing him within the division) and San Diego Padres setup man Brad Hand could be options. The Indians would likely be paying a high price for a reliever to mix in with Miller, Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw. Utility player The Indians have been rumored to be interested in the New York Mets Asdrubal Cabrera and the San Francisco Giants Eduardo Nunez. With Jason Kipnis weeks away, not days, according to Francona, adding another option in the infield could be prudent. But as the theme continues, the Indians have a slick-fielding young infielder in Erik Gonzalez who has been playing well. Perhaps they want him to get everyday at-bats in the minors, but he has given them plenty of value filling in for Kipnis. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 07.23.2017 What's it going to take to flip the Cleveland Indians' switch? Rant of the week By Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio - It doesn't sound like the Indians are going to make another Andrew Miller-type trade at the July 31st deadline. If this team is going to pull its head out of the sand and once and for all claim the AL Central as its own, they're going to have to do it as they're currently constructed. Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have two deadlines to work with when it comes to improving their team - July 31st and Aug. 31st. They almost certainly will make a move before one of them. But the chances of it being a move like the addition of Miller last year are slim. That was the trade that kept on giving. Not only did it turn an already good bullpen into an elite bullpen, it gave manager Terry Francona the one pitcher who could help him compensate for a seriously damaged starting rotation in the postseason. To ask for a repeat of that deal this year is impractical. When the Miller trade was made it was done so with the idea that starters Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer would all be healthy enough to throw a baseball come October. Still it did not stop the Indians from pursuing Detroit right fielder J.D. Martinez earlier this week and almost landing him before the Tigers sent him to Arizona. Martinez would have helped even though it would have complicated matters when Lonnie Chisenhall, the current right fielder, came off the disabled list. But rarely does one player change an entire team's season; Miller being one of the few exceptions to that rule. For the Indians to get where they want to go, they have to start playing with a lot more urgency then they've shown. They have let the Twins and Royals stay in the AL Central race by their own tepid play. If they had played to their potential, the Twins and Royals would probably be sellers instead of buyers right now - just like the rest of the division. This team is a moving target when it comes to getting a fix on what makes it tick. They've met one challenge this season, when they went to Minnesota in June and swept a four-game series from the Twins to reclaim first place in the AL Central. After Minnesota, they took three out of four from the Orioles in Baltimore. It looked like they were finally getting serious. They returned to Progressive Field with a 39-32 record and a 2 1/2 game lead in the division only to be swept by the Twins in a three-game series and fall a half-game out of first place. If this team has a heartbeat, it's hard to hear. Francona and the front office have been trying to figure out how to flip the Tribe's switch all season. Are they a team, based on their four-game sweep, that responds only when they're challenged? After reaching Game 7 of the World Series last year, are they so bored with the regular season that dangling a first-place carrot in front of them is the only way to get their attention? If that was so, why are they hitting only.243 with runners in scoring position? What hitter doesn't like to swing the bat with runners on second and third base? That's the ultimate challenge, right? If they will only respond to a challenge, why is that they only have one walk-off win at home this year? Last year they had 11. A team that doesn't win at home, that doesn't compete in the late innings in front of their own fans, is always a concern. Perhaps they only respond when they've been embarrassed. They came out of the All-Star break, traveled to the West Coast and went 1-5 against the last-place A's and Giants. They returned home to beat the Blue Jays - another last place team - on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd, 13-3. The Indians are 94 games into the season and the stats say they should be better. Offensively they rank third in the AL with a.770 OPS (on base percent + slugging percentage). They're fourth in walks and 14th in strikeouts. So they're getting on base, but they're only eighth in runs scored. They don't hit a lot of home runs (11th in the AL) and they're batting.243 (12th in the AL) with runners in scoring position.

On the mound, they rank second in ERA, first in WHIP, third in batting average against, third in strikeouts and they've issued the fewest walks in the AL. After a slow start, the rotation ranks fifth in ERA, second in strikeouts and third in batting average against. The bullpen leads the AL in ERA, while ranking just seventh in saves. But as we all know stats can be terrible liars. After Friday's win, the Indians were 49-45 with a 1 1/2 game lead in the AL Central. They have the worst record of any division leader in the big leagues and they've earned it. If they're going to do anything to correct that, it's going to have to happen from within the clubhouse. Babe Ruth is dead and when Mike Trout comes to Cleveland next week, he'll be playing for the Angels. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.23.2017 Cleveland Indians' Francisco Lindor makes worries vanish with walk-off homer against Jays By Paul Hoynescleveland.com phoynes@cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio - In the top of the 10th inning Saturday night, shortstop Francisco Lindor was worried because he made an error. In the bottom of the inning, he was worried because it was raining. As Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski, who helped pitch the Indians to the 1920 World Series championship, said a long time ago, "Lord, baseball is a worrying thing." But along with the worry comes the elation. Lindor experienced both in the span of three outs. His error jeopardized the work of Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw in the top of the 10th, but his leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning gave the Indians a 2-1 win over Toronto at Progressive Field. Toronto's Josh Donaldson started the 10th with a grounder to shortstop that should have been the first out of the inning. Lindor couldn't handle it for an error. Allen, working his second inning, walked Justin Smoak to put runners on first and second. Allen struck out Kendrys Morales and induced Steve Pence to hit a grounder to third for what could have been a double play. But with thunder rumbling from just beyond Progressive Field, the Indians could only get one out as Giovanny Urshela made the force at third. Bryan Shaw relieved and ended the inning on a grounder by Kevin Pillar. "That was a helluva job by Cody and Shaw picking me up," said Lindor. "I felt so bad. I was like, 'God, don't let us lose like that.' The first thing I did when I got to the dugout was thank Cody and Shaw for picking me up.'' Said Francona, "He doesn't make a lot errors (seven for the season). When he does, he doesn't run and hide. When I made the pitching change (Shaw for Allen), he told Cody something. Then he came up and changed the game." But first there was the rain. It thundered throughout the top of the inning, but there was no rain. Two pitches into Lindor's at-bat against Danny Barnes, it started to rain. Was there any doubt? pic.twitter.com/rvphv4zsrj -- Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2017 "Believe it or not, my first reaction when it started raining was like 'Oh, the ball is going to go nowhere now,''' said Lindor. "Then I stepped out and thought if I hit it hard on the ground, it will go through.'" OK, so Lindor probably isn't going to start at second career at the Weather Channel. Does anyone really care today? He hit a 2-2 pitch from Adams 438 feet through the rain into the right field seats for his first career walk-off homer. A walk-off homer by Lindor - his first homer of any kind since June 21 - and the return of Danny Salazar to the rotation all tied together with an extra-inning win. What could be better for a team still trying to find itself 95 games into the season? Salazar has seldom looked better or more engaged. His first pitch of the night was 95 mph. His last to end the seventh inning was 97. In between he allowed one hit, no run, no walks with eight strikeouts. "That's what we need," said Lindor. "We need him coming out and doing what he does best - giving us that comfort and relief that we need. We know what's he's capable of doing, but we've missed him. He hasn't done it in a while because he's been hurt." Lindor hasn't been hurt physically, but statistically. The one time.300 hitter is hitting.257 (98-for-381), but for one night that didn't matter. Just like the rain. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.23.2017 Cleveland Indians beat Toronto, 2-1, on Francisco Lindor's walk-off HR in the 10th By Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio - Danny Salazar returned to the Indians starting rotation Saturday night in fine fashion after a lengthy stay on the disabled list. If this is a hint of things to come, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff can concentrate on improving the team in other areas at the July 31 trade deadline, because they've found the starting pitcher they've been missing. Salazar threw seven scoreless innings, struck out eight and allowed one hit. He threw only 86 pitches, 71 percent of them strikes, and left with a 1-0 lead. The one thing he didn't get was a win. That didn't happen until the 10th inning until Francisco Lindor crushed a 438-foot leadoff homer into the right field seats to give the Indians a 2-1 victory over Toronto in front of a sellout crowd. The homer was Lindor's 15th of the season and first walk-off homer of his career. It was just the second walk-off win of the year for the Tribe. "The way the game was going, you had a feeling it would end that way," said manager Terry Francona.

All-Star Andrew Miller started the eighth with a 1-0 lead and allowed a first-pitch homer to All-Star Justin Smoak. The Toronto first baseman lined a drive just inside the right field foul pole to tie the score and hand Salazar a no-decision. It was the third homer Miller has allowed this season. Lefties have hit two of them. The Indians put Salazar on the disabled list on June 6 with a sore right shoulder. They sent him to Class AA Akron so he could work with his former pitching coach Tony Arnold and Ruben Niebla, the Indians minor league pitching coordinator. Not only did Salazar have to get healthy and refine his delivery, the Indians also wanted him to work on his confidence and intensity. He certainly looked confidently intense Friday night. Salazar opened the game by striking out Toronto in order in the first inning. He struck out leadoff man Jose Bautista on three pitches: 95 mph, 97 mph and 97 mph. "I just wanted to be aggressive the whole game," said Salazar. "The first inning was great. I just tried to be aggressive and attack the zone with fastballs. That was really good for me." Salazar's last pitch of the night, a called third strike to Josh Donaldson to end the seventh, crossed the plate at 97 mph. Kevin Pillar opened the third with a single to center for the only hit off Salazar. He was erased on a double play as Salazar retired the last 15 men he faced. "This could be a huge lift for us," said Francona, referring to the way Salazar pitched. Marcus Stroman wasn't as efficient as Salazar, but he was effective. The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a hard grounder to third by Edwin Encarnacion with Lindor on third and Michael Brantley on first. It should have been a double-play grounder, but Donaldson bobbled the ball momentarily as Lindor scored. Encarnacion has five RBI against his old team, all of them coming in this series. He had four in Friday night's 13-3 win. That was the only run Stroman allowed as he went 7 2/3 innings. The Indians reached him for five hits and five walks, but they couldn't get another run across the plate. What it means The Indians, following a 1-5 West Coast trip, have opened this homestand with two straight wins at home. They are 23-24 at Progressive Field. Doubled up Brantley bailed out Cody Allen in the ninth after he walked leadoff man Darwin Barney. Bautista sent a fly ball to the track in left field, and Barney tried to tag and advance. Brantley threw him out at second, thanks to a sprawling tag by Jose Ramirez, to complete the double play. The pitches Salazar threw 86 pitches, 61 (71 percent) for strikes. Stroman threw 117 pitches, 73 (62 percent) for strikes. Thanks for coming The Blue Jays and Indians drew a sellout crowd of 34,569 to Progressive Field on Saturday night. First pitch was at 7:10 p.m. with a temperature of 82 degrees. Next Corey Kluber (7-3, 2.86) will face Toronto lefty J.A. Happ (3-6, 3.55) on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game. Kluber was scheduled to start Friday, but was pushed back because of a stiff neck. He is 1-3 in his career against the Blue Jays. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.23.2017 Terry Francona doesn't think Cleveland Indians will stay long with six-man rotation By Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There are still six starters in the Indians rotation, but there won t be for long. Corey Kluber will be starter No. 6 when he faces the Blue Jays on Sunday at Progressive Field. A stiff neck pushed Kluber s start from Friday to Sunday, while the return of Danny Salazar from the disabled list for Saturday s start gave the Tribe a six-man rotation. We ll let everyone make their start going through this time so that will be six, said manager Terry Francona before Saturday night s game. But I can t see us staying like that forever. We may do it for the time being. My guess is a need will arise where we have to get back to five starters. If you re going with six there is no room for somebody to have a hiccup or you get into your bullpen too much. We ll see how it goes. There s no reason we have to make a decision today. We ll just let it play itself out. Mike Clevinger, of the six starters, is the only one with minor league options. But in his last five starts he s 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA. Francona said the decision would not be based solely on who was pitching best among the six starters. He said what the Tribe needed at that particular time and which of the starter could help the bullpen if that s the course of action they take would figure into the decision. Trevor Bauer, Clevinger and Josh Tomlin, the main candidates to go to the pen, have all pitched in relief for the Tribe. You can t just take the five who are doing the best at that moment and shuttle one guy to the bullpen that may not help you over the course of the next month, said Francona.

Trade talk: Indians like Eduardo Nunez, but so do others The Indians are looking for a utility player and San Francisco s Edwin Nunez has been on their radar. But Nunez is drawing a lot interest from other teams as well. Former Tribe shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, now playing with the Mets, has also drawn their interest as well. Cabrera isn t as versatile as Nunez, but he s hit nine homers for the Mets. The Tribe has been linked to Mets right Jay Bruce. But if the Mets wait until the July 31st non-waiver deadline to get the best deal they can for Bruce, Lonnie Chisenhall could be ready to come off the disabled list from his right calf injury. If the Indians do add an outfielder, they would probably like to add sa right-handed hitter because Chisenhall, Michael Brantley and Bradley Zimmer hit left-handed. Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Tribe lefty Boone Logan could face surgery There s a chance Indians lefty Boone Logan will need surgery on his torn left lat muscle. His MRI has been sent to a doctor in Chicago for a second opinion. Logan said the doctor performed surgery on Jake Peavy when he had a similar injury while pitching for the White Sox. One of the MRIs showed my lat was partially torn, said Logan. Another showed it was completely torn. There haven t been a lot of injuries like this. Logan injured the lat while throwing a pitch to San Francisco s Brandon Belt on Wednesday in the eighth inning. The Indians placed him on the disabled list on Friday. Jeff Chiu, Associated Press Tribe options Ryan Merritt to make room for Danny Salazar The Indians optioned left-hander Ryan Merritt to Class AAA Columbus to make room for Salazar Merritt joined the team Monday in San Francisco after Bauer failed to get out of the first inning Sunday against Oakland. It was Merritt s first visit to California, but he did not pitch until Friday night in the Tribe s 13-3 win over Toronto. The Indians recalled Merritt for bullpen protection, but they optioned him on Saturday so he could rejoin Columbus rotation. He was almost getting to the point where he d have to be stretched out again, said Francona. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer Statistically speaking Five statistics to contemplate: No. 1. Jose Ramirez leads the Indians with five triples. They've hit 18 this season, the fourth most in the AL. No. 2. The Tribe's bullpen entered Saturday's game with a 2.83 ERA, the lowest in the big leagues. No.3. The Indians entered Saturday night's game with an attendance of 1,079,627. They did not draw that many fans last season until Aug. 14. No. 4. Corey Kluber is second in the AL with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Boston's Chris Sale is first with 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. No. 5. Bradley Zimmer leads AL rookies with 10 stolen bases. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.23.2017 What's gone wrong with Cleveland Indians reliever Bryan Shaw? Hey, Hoynsie Has Bryan Shaw thrown too many innings? Hey, Hoynsie: What s up with Bryan Shaw? Are his recent struggles a result of overuse the last couple of years? Tom Goodsite, Sanford, Fla. Hey, Tom: I don t think so. In Shaw s last appearance Friday night against Toronto, he retired six straight batters. Yes, he had a tough West Coast trip, but if you think about the two games in which he gave up game-winning hits in the opposition s last at-bat, he was rushed into those games. On July 15, Andrew Miller started the ninth against Oakland with the score tied, 2-2. He walked Yonder Alonso and was removed because the Indians thought he was developing a blister on his pitching hand. Shaw relieved and Khris Davis hit a game-winning two-run homer. In the eighth inning on Wednesday, lefty Boone Logan started the eighth inning against the Giants with a 4-2 lead. He struck out Miguel Gomez and was in line to face the next three batters all lefties providing manager Bruce Bochy didn t pinch hit. Yes, Shaw was warming, but when Logan tore his left lat muscle while walking Brandon Belt, Shaw had to come in to face San Francisco s lefties. Brandon Crawford singled, but Conor Gillaspie followed with a grounder to first that should have been a double play. The ball bounced through Carlos Santana s legs for an error to make it a 4-3 game. Shaw struck out the next batter, but allowed a game-winning two-run double to pinchhitter Buster Posey. For the season Shaw ranks second in the AL with 46 appearances. He has a 2.78 ERA and the opposition is hitting.219 against him. Entering this season, he s led the AL in appearances twice in the last three years. Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com Hey, Hoynsie: You were very nice in your article on the Indians' loss to the Giants on Wednesday when you said the ball got past first baseman Carlos Santana. I think that this guy s time here should end or someone should pay somebody to hide his glove before the games. That was inexcusable for a major-league player. Randy.