Pair of additions 'likely' for Tribe roster By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com September 3rd, 2015 + 2 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians announced Thursday afternoon that they would "likely" purchase the contract of two Minor Leaguers for Friday's series opener in Detroit. Left-handed reliever Giovanni Soto and utility player Michael Martinez are expected to be added to the big league club, joining right-handed relievers Gavin Floyd and Shawn Armstrong and corner infielder Chris Johnson as the five players the Indians have added since rosters expanded on Tuesday. The Indians' roster currently sits at 30 players. Soto is a 24-year-old starter turned reliever who has turned heads with impressive performances since transitioning to the bullpen. At Double-A Akron last season -- his first as a full-time reliever -- Soto carried a 3.23 ERA and a 2.73 Fielding Independent Pitching in 53 relief innings. This year, in Triple-A Columbus, he has a 2.68 ERA and a 3.18 FIP in 53 2/3 innings. Martinez is a 32-year-old utility man who was a candidate to make the big league roster out of Spring Training. Martinez has played parts of four Major League seasons, starting with Philadelphia in 2011 and most recently appearing for Pittsburgh in 2014. He's played every position except catcher and first base in the bigs, and he owns a career slash line of.181/.231/.251 in 440 plate appearances. He was batting.289/.344/.424 in Columbus this season, primarily playing second base. Because the Indians' 40-man roster was full before the addition of Soto and Martinez, two corresponding moves will have to be made in order to clear room for the additions. One spot could be freed up simply by transferring left-hander TJ House, who is currently rehabbing a shoulder issue at the team's complex in Arizona, to the 60-day disabled list. At least one player on the 40-man will need to be designated for assignment, though. Players on the 40-man roster but not on the big league club currently include Carlos Moncrief, Jayson Aquino, Tony Wolters, Michael Choice, Ryan Merritt, Tyler Holt, Jesus Aguilar, C.C. Lee, Zach Walters and Erik Gonzalez, who is considered the team's No. 10 overall prospect. Inbox: Will Chisenhall start in right in 2016? By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com @MLBastian September 3rd, 2015 + 5 COMMENTS It seemed a foregone conclusion that Lonnie Chisenhall was gone next year. Do you think his incredible August means he'll be the starting right fielder next season? -- John B. (@jjsnowcat via Twitter) Since being recalled to the Majors on July 30, Chisenhall has turned in seven Defensive Runs Saved (second in the American League for the entire season) in 183 1/3 innings. His 41.1 UZR/150 ranks first in the AL among right fielders with at least 180 innings. Offensively, Chisenhall has found his rhythm again, too. Since his recall, he has a.370 average and a.940 OPS through 27 games. It is reminiscent of Chisenhall's hot start in 2014, when he hit.393 with a 1.057 OPS in his first 53 games. During both hot streaks, manager Terry Francona picked his spots for using Chisenhall against lefty pitching. Since July 30, Chisenhall has hit.429 in only seven at-bats against southpaws. So what the Indians appear to have in Chisenhall is a plus defender in right field who can thrive in a role that has him facing primarily righthanded pitching. That's a similar role previously filled by veteran David Murphy, who was traded to the Angels in late July. Murphy was on the books for $6 million this year, and his contract includes a $7 million team option for '16. If the Indians were willing to pay Murphy that much under a different scenario, then Chisenhall's projected arbitration salary for 2016 (he netted a $2.25 million salary through arbitration for '15) suddenly doesn't look so bad in light of his recent production. Under the new circumstances, I'd say Chisenhall looks like he'll be in the fold for next year. He could be the "starting" right fielder in the sense that he'd get the bulk of the at-bats there (vs. righty pitching). With Mark Shapiro leaving Cleveland to be the Blue Jays' new team president, Indians owner Paul Dolan said the Tribe's presidential duties will be split among others in the front office. But what is the future of the general-manager spot? Does anything change there? -- Dillan T., Lexington, Ky. The last time the Indians made a change at general manager, it was Shapiro advancing to the team president role and Chris Antonetti being promoted to GM. That's a unique situation. Antonetti hasn't sought the president job and the Tribe does not plan on finding a replacement specifically for Shapiro. As you noted, Shapiro's former duties will be divided among others who will report to Dolan. Antonetti will remain on as the Indians' GM, and likewise, Francona will remain as manager. Before Shapiro was named the Blue Jays' president, the Tribe and Jays were rumored to have been engaged in talks at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Is that mere coincidence, or had these talks been going on much earlier than initially reported and we were hearing about potential compensation pieces? -- Mike R., Jacksonville, Fla. During Monday's news conference about Shapiro's decision to go to Toronto, Dolan noted that he did not seek compensation from the Blue Jays as part of the move. Out of respect for Shapiro, Dolan did not want to take any steps that would potentially get in the way. The rumored trade talks prior to July 31 were traditional trade talks. Could you see Francona going to a six-man rotation for the remainder of the season? Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco have already surpassed their career highs in innings for a season, and Corey Kluber is on track to do the same. -- Mike R., Jacksonville, Fla. Hey, it's Mike again! When Carrasco comes off the disabled list, the Indians will indeed have six starters, with Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin still in the mix. Francona said last month that he wouldn't do a six-man rotation for a long period of time, but he noted that the Indians could find appropriate times throughout September to provide extra rest for any arm that needs it. Francisco Lindor really settled in after 100 at-bats. Does this change the outlook within the organization on other guys as to when to call them up to maximize wins? -- Chris D (@chris_d_davies via Twitter)
Lindor is a special player -- it might take others even longer to adjust to the Major League level. And a lot of young players start hot and then struggle when the opposition learns their areas of weakness. In Lindor's case, he started off slow and then took off. I don't think one player's success or failure would dramatically alter a team's thinking in terms of player development, though. I do agree that Cleveland could have promoted Lindor earlier this season. Is Lindor's bunting being forced on him as a form of rookie initiation? @fed_scivittaro (via Twitter) I'd say the cheerleader outfits worn by Lindor and fellow rook Giovanny Urshela were more initiation than all the sacrifice bunts. Lindor is a young player who wants to do anything -- big or small -- to help set the table. Along those lines, he has said he takes pride in moving runners with bunts as Cleveland's No. 2 hitter. That said, I'd rather see Lindor swing away in the first inning, especially with how hot he's been in the batter's box lately. Indians expected to purchase contracts of left-hander Giovanni Soto, utility man Michael Martinez on Friday By Ryan Lewis The Indians are expected to add two more players to the active roster on Friday, left-handed relief pitcher Giovanni Soto and utility man Michael Martinez. Following the activation of pitcher Gavin Floyd and infielder Chris Johnson from the disabled list and the promotion of relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong on Tuesday, the active roster will stand at 30 players. There will be corresponding moves on the 40-man roster on Friday. Soto, who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers for Jhonny Peralta, has been working out of the bullpen at Triple-A Columbus. He has a 2-1 record with two saves, a 2.68 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. Right-handed hitters are batting only.162 against him. Soto hasn t allowed a run in his last nine appearances. Martinez, who started the season as a nonroster invitee, is hitting.289 with five home runs, five triples, 24 doubles, 42 RBI and 11 steals in 102 games at Triple-A. Since the All-Star break, he s hitting.328. Martinez has played second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield this season. Indians likely to to purchase the contracts of LHP Giovanni Soto, INF Michael Martinez Friday By Ryan Lewis Published: September 3, 2015 The Indians are likely to add two more players to the active roster on Friday, left-handed relief pitcher Giovanni Soto and utility man Michael martinez. Following the activation of pitcher Gavin Floyd and infielder Chris Johnson from the disabled list and the promotion of relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong on Tuesday, the active roster will stand at 30 players. There will be corresponding moves on the 40-man roster on Friday. Soto, who was acquired from Detroit for Jhonny Peralta, has been working out of the bullpen at Triple-A Columbus. This season he owns a 2-1 record with two saves, a 2.68 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched. Right-handed hitters are batting only.162 against him. Soto hasn t a run in his last nine appearances. Martinez, who started the season as a non-roster invitee, is hitting.289 with five home runs, five triples, 24 doubles, 42 RBI and 11 steals in 102 games at Triple-A. Since the All-Star break, he s hitting.328. Martinez this year has seen time at second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 09.04.2015 Cleveland Indians Gavin Floyd on return to big leagues: 'This is awesome.' Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Groupon September 03, 2015 at 8:38 PM, updated CLEVELAND, Ohio When Gavin Floyd reached the mound in the seventh inning Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, catcher Yan Gomes paid him a visit. No, Gomes wasn't introducing himself to Floyd, who was making his Indians debut and pitching in his first big league game in over a year. But it was something along those lines. "I think he's caught one of my bullpens in spring training," said Floyd. "We had to refresh on what pitches I throw." Then Floyd set about retiring the Blue Jays in order in the Tribe's 5-1 loss. MVP candidate Josh Donaldson grounded out to shortstop, Jose Bautista lined out to left and AL Player of the Month for August, Edwin Encarnacion, grounded out to third. Floyd threw 15 pitches, 11 for strikes, with a fastball topping out at 95.2 mph, a slider at 92.4 and a curveball at 83.1. Somewhere during that inning, Floyd realized something. "It's funny. You feel separated from the game in a sense (when you're injured)," he said. "Then you get out there and say, 'Man, this is fun. This is awesome.' It was fun to get out there. My heart was definitely racing." Early in spring training Floyd re-fractured the olecranon bone in his right elbow. It was the same injury he suffered on June 19, 2014 in a start for Atlanta against Washington. Six days later he underwent surgery with Dr. David Altchek re-attaching the bone with screws. In December, the Indians took a gamble and signed Floyd to a one-year, $4 million deal. GM Chris Antonetti said he'd be in the rotation if he stayed healthy. Floyd, 72-72 in the big leagues, didn't even make it to the Cactus League opener before re-injuring the elbow. Gavin Floyd makes first big league appearance in over a year Indians right-hander Gavin Floyd made his first big league appearance since June 19, 2014 Wednesday night by a pitching a scoreless seventh inning in a 5-1 loss to Toronto. Floyd underwent surgery in spring training for a fractured right elbow.
When that happened it looked like the end of Floyd's 2015 season, if not his career. Floyd, 32, had Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2013 followed by the elbow fractures in 2014 and 2015. The olecranon bone is the prominent bone in the elbow joint. When Floyd began his rehab early this season, his elbow felt different compared to what he went through last year with the Braves. "In this procedure I had more screws and a plate put in," said Floyd. "It was a more secure compression. It was the best opportunity to come back." Dr. Thomas Graham and Dr. Mark Schickendantz performed the surgery in March. "When I started throwing, I realized that this was a little bit different," he said. "There was a lot of steps and checkpoints and crossroads that I had to continue to work for and hope for the best. "I felt like it was going in a different direction than last time. It felt a little different." Asked if he knew he'd make it back, Floyd said, "It's not for me to determine that. I don't know. All you can do is control how hard you work and do things right and hope for the best. If not, then your time is up. "I was up in the air. I wasn't sure, but I sure as heck was going to try my hardest to get back." Floyd will once again be a free agent after this season. But he's not looking that far ahead. "I'm not there yet," he said. "I'm going to enjoy playing while God has given me the ability to play. I just want to continue to go out there and put up zeroes, execute pitches and let things play out. That stuff is way out of my control." Finally: Carlos Carrasco (right shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday in Detroit. After that he could be activated and start next week when the Indians play the White Sox in a three-game series starting Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.04.2015 Cleveland Indians planning to promote pitcher Giovanni Soto, infielder Michael Martinez to major league roster on Friday Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media GroupEmail the author on September 03, 2015 at 1:00 PM, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians plan to purchase the contracts of southpaw pitcher Giovanni Soto and infielder Michael Martinez prior to Friday's series opener against the Tigers. To do so, they'll have to clear a pair of spots on the 40-man roster. Soto logged a 2.68 ERA in 46 appearances with Triple-A Columbus. The 24-year-old, acquired from Detroit five years ago in exchange for Jhonny Peralta, limited opponents to a.187 batting average and one home run over 53 2/3 innings. Soto has rattled off nine consecutive scoreless outings. He owns a 3.10 ERA across seven minor-league seasons. Martinez hit.289 with 24 doubles, 11 stolen bases and five home runs in 102 games for the Clippers. The 32-year-old appeared in games at second base, shortstop, third base, center field and right field. Martinez owns a.181 average and.482 OPS in 188 career big-league games with the Phillies and Pirates. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.04.2015 Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers series preview, pitching matchups Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here is the preview for the Indians three-game series against the Tigers. Where: Comerica Park. Who: The Indians vs. the Tigers, Friday though Sunday. TV/Radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM AM/1100 and WMMS FM/100.7 will carry the series. Pitching matchups: RHP Corey Kluber (8-13, 3.41) vs. LHP Kyle Lobstein (3-5, 4.34) Friday at 7:08 p.m.; RHP Josh Tomlin (3-1, 3.08) vs. RHP Alfredo Simon (11-9, 5.09) Saturday at 7:08 p.m. and RHP Danny Salazar (12-7, 3.27) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (3-6, 3.40) Sunday at 1:08 p.m. Season Series: The Tigers lead the Indians, 9-3. The Tigers lead, 1,106-1,053, overall. Friday: Kluber is coming off two no decisions with 17 strikeouts and three earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. He's 0-1 this year in two starts and 2-6 lifetime against the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera is hitting.543 (19-for-35) with five homers and 10 RBI against Kluber. Lobstein, just activated from the disabled list, has not pitched in the big leagues since May 23. In that short time, he beat the Indians twice, allowing six runs on 14 hits in 12 innings. Ryan Raburn is hitting.500 (4-for-8) with three RBI against Lobstein. Saturday: Tomlin has won his last three starts, but the Tigers have not been a good matchup for him. He's 2-5 with a 7.67 ERA in nine appearances against Detroit. Ian Kinsler is hitting.500 (5-for-10) against Tomlin. Simon is 3-0 against the Indians this year, limited them to four earned runs in 19 innings. Overall, he's lost three of his last four starts. Michael Brantley is hitting.588 (10-for-17) with seven RBI against Simon. Sunday: Salazar, 4-1 in his last six starts, is coming off a 10-strikeout win over Toronto. He's 1-1 against the Tigers this year and 2-3 in his career with 59 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings. Cabrera is hitting.364 (8-for-22) and Martinez.350 (7-for-20) against him. Verlander has won his last two starts. He has a no decision against the Indians this season and is 18-16 with a 4.41 ERA in his career against them. Brantley is hitting.321 (18-for-56) with eight RBI and Carlos Santana has six homers against Verlander.
Overall: The Indians are 0-2 in September after going 16-12 in August. The Tigers entered Thursday night's game against the Royals having lost 10 of their last 12 games. But they still have Cabrera, who is hitting.619 (26-for-42) with five homers and 16 RBI against the Indians this year. Injuries: Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco (right shoulder), LHP TJ House (left shoulder) and LHP Nick Hagadone (left elbow) are on the disabled list. Tigers RHP Joe Nathan (right elbow), LHP Daniel Norris (right oblique) and RHP Anibal Sanchez (right rotator cuff strain) are on the DL. Next: The Indians open a three-game series against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday night. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 09.04.2015 RubberDucks owner Ken Babby savors successful season on field and off A torrential downpour delayed the RubberDucks home finale for more than an hour, but that didn t stop the team s loyal spectators from coming out to enjoy one last game at Canal Park on Fan Appreciation Night. With a whole season full of fun and success behind him, Ducks owner and CEO Ken Babby is in awe of how quickly it went by. It s hard to believe we re sitting here on Fan Appreciation Night, last night of the year, Babby said. It s been a wonderful season for Affordable Family Fun at Canal Park. It was quite the year for the Ducks, who were on the map for more reasons than one. Before the season even started the organization received a ton of publicity for one of its earliest promotions of the year Brian Williams Pants-On-Fire-Night on April 27. Babby expressed his appreciation for his staff s creativity with that and the others they thought up. That was a great creation that came in our promo meetings, he said. The team did a great job of executing it. That s the great thing about minor league baseball every night, there s a different experience, there s something unique that people get a chance to see and take in. Despite cold temperatures at the start of the season and numerous rain delays, the Ducks sold out 11 games this season. The peak of the year, though, came in late July, when Canal Park was sold out and filled past stadium capacity for three consecutive games. The first game of the three was a packed house on July 23, when the Ducks were not only nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, but also welcomed now-former Indians outfielder Nick Swisher to town on the first night of a rehab assignment. The last two games of the stretch set the organization s record for highest attendance 8,301 and 8,330 fans on back-to-back nights since Babby took over in 2013. It s overwhelming to see how the community has gotten behind what we re trying to build, he said. Certainly, you have the vision to create a great experience, but to see the ballpark packed like that consistently night after night after night is a beautiful thing to see. Getting a chance to showcase this experience and build it in a way that fans could see all across the country, it was just an incredible experience. Whether it was LeBron James with the premiere of his movie Trainwreck, the PGA s Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club or any of the festivals that took place on Main Street, the city of Akron and its neighboring cities were buzzing all through the summer. With the Ducks being among all of these happenings, Babby said that his organization just wants to be a part of the puzzle. We re never trying to overwhelm the city, he said. For any of those individual events that actually happen on any given weekend, we want to make sure that they re celebrated as well. Babby s personal favorites were park guests such as 80s movie star Corey Feldman and former Browns All-Pro defensive lineman Michael Dean Perry. Even pro golfer Phil Lefty Mickelson had RubberDucks fever. Now, with the 2015 season coming to a halt, Babby is happy to show his gratitude and appreciate to the fans on their night of recognition. My favorite part of Fan Appreciation Night is walking each of the aisles and getting the chance to just thank as many of our fans that I possibly can, he said. It s always a sad, bittersweet time when we close up the gates for the last time and tell folks that we ll see them in April, but it s also a time for folks to re-charge and rest. Baseball Clippers drop out of first place By Jim MassieThe Columbus Dispatch Friday September 4, 2015 4:50 AM INDIANAPOLIS The stay in the International League West penthouse didn t last long for the Clippers. A day after moving into a first-place tie with Indianapolis, the Clippers lost 6-3 to the Indians on Thursday night at Victory Field and dropped one game behind with four to play in the regular season.
Both teams already have qualified to the IL playoffs as either the division champion or the wild card. Both want the same thing. We re trying to finish strong, second baseman Audy Ciriaco said. We ve been playing hard all year just keep that drive. If we play hard, we ll see how we end up. We re trying to win the division. We re not going to give up. We re going to keep playing until the last game. The Clippers had a chance for a third straight fast start against the Indians but couldn t crack starting pitcher Wilfredo Boscan despite squaring up pitches often over the first three innings. Boscan (10-3) gave up seven hits in that span but allowed only one run on an RBI single by Adam Moore in the first inning. Ciriaco hit a wicked, one-hop shot that third baseman Dan Gamache gloved in the two-hit second inning. It was one of those days when everything is going the pitcher s way, Ciriaco said. A lot of guys were making good contact. There s nothing you can do. You go up there and try to hit the ball hard. Unfortunately, it was going right at somebody. After falling behind 7-0 after the first inning on Tuesday and 3-0 on Wednesday, the Indians answered immediately this time with a two-out RBI single by Josh Bell in the bottom of the first that tied the score at 1. With the Clippers stuck in neutral, the Indians steadily built onto the lead against Jordan Cooper (4-3). Bell broke the tie with a sacrifice fly in the third. Gustavo Nunez scored from third base on a Cooper wild pitch in the fifth to make it 3-1. John Bowker opened the sixth with a home run and Nunez added an RBI single later in the inning. The Clippers last gasp came in the seventh, when Ciriaco singled and went to third base on Tyler Holt s double. Erik Gonzalez drove in Holt with a groundout and Aguilar delivered an RBI single, but relievers Josh Wall and Blake Wood slammed the door in the eighth and ninth. We had base runners early in the game, Clippers manager Chris Tremie said. We were really close to breaking the game open. We just couldn t do it. We ve got four games left. We ve got to win. We re still in the playoffs either way. Columbus plays two games at Louisville tonight and Saturday before returning to Huntington Park for Sunday and Monday games against Toledo. Indy has two games with Toledo at home and two on the road with Louisville. The Cleveland Indians are expected to purchase the contracts of infielder-outfielder Michael Martinez and left-handed relief pitcher Giovanni Soto from the Clippers today. The Clippers received third baseman Yandy Diaz from double-a Akron on Thursday. He was scheduled to start and bat sixth in the game against Indianapolis. He arrived by 6 p.m. and was scratched from the lineup. Lobstein, out since May, activated by Tigers James Jahnke, Detroit Free Press 1:42 p.m. EDT September 3, 2015 The Detroit Tigers today announced that they have activated left-handed pitcher Kyle Lobstein from the 60-day disabled list and he will start Friday's game vs. Cleveland (7 p.m., FSD). Lobstein made six injury-rehab starts between Triple-A Toledo and Class A Lakeland and posted a 0-3 record with a 5.68 ERA. He has been sidelined since May 24 with a sore left shoulder. Before going on the DL this season, he was 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA in eight starts with the Tigers. To create space on the 40-man roster for Lobstein, the Tigers outrighted the contract of right-handed pitcher Josh Zeid to Toledo. Note: With its victory over Fort Wayne on Wednesday night, the Class A West Michigan Whitecaps clinched a berth in the Midwest League playoffs. The Whitecaps are 39-26 in the second half of the season and 72-62 overall. West Michigan opens its three-game playoff series against Fort Wayne on Sept. 9 or 10. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 09.04.2015 Tigers notes: Sanchez antsy, but won't rush return Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press 9:34 p.m. EDT September 3, 2015 KANSAS CITY, Mo. Detroit Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez is taking steps in his rehabilitation. "Baby steps," he said Thursday. For the third consecutive day, Sanchez threw. This time, he stepped back and threw from 90 feet in shallow left-centerfield at Kauffman Stadium before the finale of a three-game series against the Royals. "Pain-free," he said. "But I think right now, go slow. We don't try to rush anything. Just build the arm the right way. I throw every day. Today I throw from 90 feet. Everything was normal." After a season-long bout of homeritis Sanchez has allowed 29 home runs, most in the American League the Tigers' right-hander hit the 15-day disabled list Aug. 20 with a right rotator cuff strain.
He first picked up a baseball Tuesday and said he wasn't sure if he would pick up a baseball in another big league game this season. But returning is the goal. "A lot," he said when asked what returning would mean to him. "Especially because I don't have a really good season, personally. If I am able to come back, throw a couple of starts and feel comfortable for next year, that's really good." Sanchez is 10-10 in 25 starts this year with a 4.99 ERA, easily the highest in his 10-year career. He has struck out 138 batters in 157 innings. But with the Tigers out of postseason contention, Sanchez and the team's medical staff will have to weigh whether a start or two at the tail end of the season would be as beneficial to the veteran as heading into the off-season with a clean bill of health. "The goal is to be healthy," Sanchez said. "Right now, we do everything to be back before the season is over. But both sides, we are on the same page and we are going slow. The idea is to be healthy." Sanchez still has two years remaining on a five-year, $80-million deal signed before the 2013 season. He is due $16 million in each of the next two years, and the team holds a $16-million option on him for 2018. The next step, Sanchez said, is to see how he feels today and then perhaps move his long-toss practicing back to 120 feet. "We'll play it by ear," manager Brad Ausmus said. "Certainly he's a little ways away. He hasn't thrown off a mound yet." Alburquerque OK: Al Alburquerque threw a 10-pitch bullpen session Thursday and said he felt good. He has been unavailable because of a right hip issue since Aug. 24. The results from a MRI on Wednesday showed no structural damage, Ausmus said, and Alburquerque could return to the mound as soon as today. The right-handed reliever has a 3.52 ERA in 57 appearances this season. Detroit Free Press LOADED: 09.04.2015 Boyd hopes to hasten learning curve in final starts Chris McCosky, The Detroit News 8:34 p.m. EDT September 3, 2015 Kansas City, Mo. There is a chance Tigers rookie left-hander Matt Boyd made, if not his final start of the season Thursday, certainly one of his final two. He entered Thursday s game against the Royals having thrown a career-high 1511/3 innings. Manager Brad Ausmus hasn t imposed a strict innings cap, but it s doubtful the team would let him pitch much more than 170 innings. He s getting close to the number of innings, Ausmus said. But we re not going to stop him for performance. If he doesn t pitch well, he s still going to pitch. Boyd has pitched well at times and been roughed up at times often in the same game. He s given up 13 runs and 18 hits (including six home runs) his last three starts. He doesn t seem to get rattled, Ausmus said. As a general statement, I think kids who are drafted out of college tend to be more mature. Even when he s getting hit, he doesn t press. He just continues to pitch. Prior to Thursday, Boyd had accumulated some odd statistical splits. Left-handed batters, for example, were hitting.388 against him with a 1.191 OPS. It s a weird sample size, Boyd said. You have to look at it for what it is. If you take out my first two starts (with the Blue Jays) and look at the recent starts I mean Colby Rasmus got me twice, Mitch Moreland, Eric Hosmer. I am still learning guys. Lefties have a better approach against left-handed pitchers up here. It s nothing I can t deal with. Here s another one: Opponents were hitting.344 against him when he s ahead in the count 0-2, and.393 when he s ahead in the count. Oh, he said. That s weird. Boyd disputes the notion that he needs to develop a more consistent put-away pitch. If you look at my minor league stuff, I got a lot of strikeouts, he said. I put guys away when I needed to. I haven t been the pitcher I know I can be up here, even in my good starts. I haven t been as consistent as I know I can be. Ausmus agreed the problem wasn t his pitch arsenal. It s part of being a young pitcher, he said. Sometimes you have to learn how to put away big league hitters. Said Boyd: I hate to keep saying it, but I am learning. I m learning what I can and can t do up here. You can t change who you are but it s about finding a good game plan and saying, OK, this is how we re going to attack these guys. Alburquerque says he s ready Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque threw a full bullpen session Thursday and said he was ready to return to live action. He had been shut down for the past nine days with soreness and inflammation in his right hip. An MRI taken Wednesday showed no structural damage. Ausmus said, barring injury, Alburquerque would be available to pitch against the Indians Friday. Tony Paul contributed On deck: Indians
Series: Three games, Friday-Sunday, at Comerica Park, Detroit First pitch: 7:08 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 1:08 p.m. Sunday Detroit News LOADED: 09.04.2015 Tigers Iglesias out after injuring finger Chris McCosky, The Detroit News 1:54 a.m. EDT September 4, 2015 Kansas City Shortstop Jose Iglesias won t be in the lineup Friday against the Cleveland Indians and he could be out for several more games. Iglesias suffered a contusion on his right middle finger in the third inning Thursday when it was hit as he was attempting to bunt a pitch from Edinson Volquez. It was all purple when he was on the field before he left, manager Brad Ausmus said. Kevin Rand (trainer) said there was no break. But Ausmus confirmed that Iglesias would miss more than a couple games. Dixon Machado will be recalled from Triple-A Toledo before the game Friday, as will right-handed pitcher Jeff Ferrell. Machado is hitting.258 with four home runs and 48 RBIs at Toledo. He was 1 for 7 in three games with the Tigers earlier this season. Ferrell, who allowed three runs in two innings with the Tigers earlier this season, has saved 16 of 17 games between Double-A Erie and Toledo this season. The Tigers optioned right-hander Guido Knudson back to Toledo. Knudson on Wednesday became the first reliever since 1914 to allow a home run in his first four appearances in the big leagues. He allowed five in five innings. Holaday pay With the Tigers being routed 15-7, Ausmus wanted to get some of his everyday players off their feet, so he pulled Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez. But since he already inserted Andrew Romine at shortstop, his only option to play second base in the eighth inning was catcher Bryan Holaday. Holaday didn t get any chances in the inning. Detroit News LOADED: 09.04.2015 Boyd exits early, Royals rock Tigers pitching again Chris McCosky, The Detroit News 5:35 a.m. EDT September 4, 2015 Kansas City, Mo. September is shaping up to be one long, slow goodbye for the Tigers. The abysmal pitching that has plagued the team most of the season has reached new depths. After a 15-7 loss to the Royals Thursday a game that took nearly four hours to play Tigers pitching allowed 61 runs and 71 hits on this six-game road trip. You better learn from it, manager Brad Ausmus said afterward. You better try to get better. If it gets any worse, I don t know what we ll do. This was a very tough road trip for the pitching staff. Thursday was a tough night for shortstop Jose Iglesias, as well. He took a pitch off his right hand trying to lay down a bunt in the third inning. X- rays were negative. The preliminary diagnosis was a contusion on the right middle finger. He will not play (Friday), Ausmus said. He will be out more than a couple of days. The Royals banged out 20 hits off five Tigers pitchers Thursday. We have faced two of the better offensive clubs in the American League on this trip, Ausmus said, referencing the Blue Jays and Royals. But we have to pitch better than that. Rookie Matt Boyd turned a three-run lead into a three-run deficit in 11 batters. I couldn t throw stuff where I wanted to, Boyd said. I couldn t locate pitches and I didn t have good stuff. I just got beat. After giving up two runs and three singles in a 38-pitch first inning, he gave up hits to the first four batters in the second including a three-run home run by Lorenzo Cain. In all, Boyd gave up six runs, seven hits, two walks and recorded just three outs. It was just a rough outing for Matt, but he ll be fine, Ausmus said. He s still a young kid. This is a learning experience and hopefully he s better when he comes back in five days. The Tigers still had some fight at that point and they chased Royals starter Edinson Volquez after three innings. Anthony Gose led off the game with a 424-foot homer to left and, with two outs, Nick Castellanos doubled in two more to stake the Tigers to the short-lived three-run lead. After Boyd gave up the six runs, the Tigers tied the game in the third. Castellanos, Tyler Collins and James McCann all delivered two-out, runscoring singles to make it 6-6. But the Royals kept on scoring. It s just frustrating to lose, said Castellanos, who had three hits and three RBIs. I don t really care how it happens. It stinks.
Asked where the team s frustration level was, he said, I don t think it s team frustration. We understand that it s not going our way. We understand that that s baseball and we understand tomorrow is a new day. Kyle Ryan, who replaced Boyd, at least gave the Tigers some innings. He went 4 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, including two runs in the fourth that broke the tie. Singles by Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales and Jonny Gomes loaded the bases with one out. Gomes hit a liner that struck Ryan in the leg, but he stayed in the game. Alex Gordon s sacrifice fly and a broken-bat single by Salvador Perez put the Royals up 8-6. The Royals added another off Ryan in the sixth inning. Morales singled and scored on a double by Gomes. The Tigers got no closer than 9-7. The Royals scored six times in the seventh four off Al Alburquerque and two off Tom Gorzelanny. Again it was Morales delivering the big blow a two-run double. He was 4-for-5 with four RBIs in this game 8-for-14 with eight RBIs in the series. Paulo Orlando hit a two-run homer off Gorzelanny. We do have some young guys (on the pitching staff), but we have to work to get them better, Ausmus said. Tough lessons. We learned some tough lessons on this trip. Detroit News LOADED: 09.04.2015