Cleveland Sports Forum

Is anyone else getting tired of hearing that Puig and Reyes have had a combined total of 49 homeruns between them?

HB - I will alert you to the first Willis story.

But I seem to remember Bauer, after Callaway's stay, commenting how his "input was not welcomed" previously.

Looking forward to it becoming 50 and then 51...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/m ... 869584001/

These scientists may have solved MLB's 'juiced' baseball problem

Josh Peter, USA TODAY Published 6:25 a.m. ET Aug. 2, 2019 | Updated 8:04 a.m. ET Aug. 2, 2019

PULLMAN, Wash. — In cardboard boxes and plastic bins.

On shelving units and tabletops.

Even suspended in midair, as if by magic.

In the sprawling Sports Science Laboratory at Washington State University, baseballs are everywhere. In flight, too, when they’re fired out of air cannons at up to 90 mph.

“We have balls coming from all over the place,’’ Lloyd Smith told USA TODAY Sports, and he plucked one off a table in the lab where he was sitting last week.

Smith is a 55-year-old professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering who oversees the baseball madness inside the lab he started in 2003. For almost two years, he has been working for Major League Baseball to figure out if and why “juiced baseballs” have triggered a surge in home runs.

The mystery appears to be over.

“The smoking gun may very well have been found,’’ said Alan Nathan, chairman of a committee of scientists that includes Smith and was formed by MLB in August 2017. “As I told Lloyd, ‘You’re going to be a big hero for doing this.’ ”

Smith said modified baseballs could be ready for the 2021 season, but MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said the league has yet to commit.

“We are still in the process of gathering information and have not planned any production changes at this time,’’ Courtney told USA TODAY Sports via email.

Within a matter of weeks, according to Smith and Nathan, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred could be ready to present the research findings and explain what has caused the baseballs to drive up the home run totals — not to mention fuel conspiracy theorists who have accused the league of juicing up the balls.

Manfred may talk of the coefficient of restitution, standard deviation, flow visualization and other scientific concepts when publicly addressing the scientific findings. But for now, mum’s the word.

“As the commissioner has said, the committee is continuing their research,’’ Courtney said. “We do not plan to comment until that work is completed.”

Smith and Nathan declined to discuss specifics about the findings.

“I would like you not to say that we’ve solved the problem,’’ Smith told USA TODAY Sports. “We’ll say that once Major League Baseball is satisfied with our results and willing to make a public statement.

“We’ve notified MLB of our progress and their answer has been, 'That’s great, but we can’t get this wrong.’ So we need to test more balls. So far we are at about 80 dozen balls that we’re testing over different areas of the game to see if we’re right, how right we are and if everything adds up.’’

The home runs certainly have added up.

MLB is on pace for 6,712 home runs, which would be 1,100 more than a year ago, and an increase of more than 600 over the record 6,105 hit in 2017.

Justin Verlander, the eight-time All-Star pitcher with the Houston Astros, has loudly and profanely accused MLB of using a “juiced’’ baseball. The theory: MLB doctored the baseballs to increase the number of home runs in hopes of boosting TV viewership and attendance. (TV ratings and attendance actually has dipped.)

Meanwhile, Manfred has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The scientific committee led by Nathan and funded by MLB issued a report in May 2018. One conclusion: since the start of the 2015 season, the baseballs used by MLB showed a decrease in “drag’’ — which means less air resistance for the ball, which then carries farther.

The scientists concluded that the baseballs, which have been manufactured by Rawlings since 1977, were not intentionally “juiced." But the puzzle included a missing piece: The scientists had no explanation for why the baseballs had decreased drag.

“I found the result very unsatisfying,’’ said Smith, the Washington State professor. “It’s, ‘OK, the drag has changed.’ But that’s it?’’

Yep, that was it.

So the conspiracy talk has continued and, inside the sports science lab at Washington State’s campus, so has the research resumed.
Inside the lab

The smell of fresh popcorn and the thud of baseballs slamming against wooden bats greeted a visitor last week at the Sports Science Laboratory. Fiddle with the thermometers at your own risk.

To ensure uniformity, major league baseballs used for testing are stored in rooms set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% relative humidity.

“Plus or minus 2 percent,’’ Smith noted.

The lab covers approximately 10,000 square foot in an old brick building. Over the years, Smith and his team — about two dozen people comprised of engineers, technicians and Washington State students — have been best known for certifying bats for the likes of USA Baseball, USA Softball and the NCAA.

That is likely to change.

Concerned about the rising numbers of home runs, MLB reached out to Nathan in July 2017. Nathan worked with MLB to assemble a 10-man committee of scientists and he made sure to include his friend from Washington State.

Smith and Nathan had discussed the physics and engineering of baseball – primarily, the bats and the balls. for almost two decades. Suddenly they were part of a team of scientists examining mountains of data and Smith’s lab went into overdrive.

About 1,000 baseballs have been tested. Some were measured and weighed, others split and gutted and hundreds fired out of air cannons, speeding through light gates and profiled by lasers.

It was the first time the aerodynamics of a baseball had been tested for a study, according to Smith, who was intent on finding properties of the baseballs that correlated with a decrease in drag.

The equipment designed to test the aerodynamics of a baseball stretches 100 feet and features three light gates, lasers and and a ball-return system. It was developed at Washington State at a cost of about $100,000, according to Smith.

“This is the only place in the world where we can measure a ball’s lift and drag outside of play conditions,’’ he said.

But Smith also has sought the help of others, traveling to Utah, New Jersey and even Holland to meet scientists.

“I call this project my bad girlfriend,’’ he said. “Week after week, she would get my hopes up. And every time she would break my heart.’’

It seems the heartache could have been avoided.
Resistance to technology

Inside his lab, Smith picked up a baseball split it down the middle and eyed the the contents. Little about the major league baseball has changed over the past century.

It still features a rubber or cork center, wrapped in wool yarn, with two strips of cowhide stitched together. Smith said he saw the manufacturing process when he traveled to the plant in Costa Rica, where Rawlings makes the balls.

“This is an interesting little tidbit,’’ Smith said. “The highest-trained employee at a ball factory is the sewer, and a sewer is trained for three months before they’re allowed to stitch one ball that goes on the production line.’’

It is part of the charm of MLB’s baseballs — and potentially part of the problem, too.

Art Chou, an executive at Rawlings from 2004 to 2014, said the baseball would benefit from new technology and pointed to the evolution of the golf ball.

Like the baseball, the golf ball once was made exclusively of organic properties, including threads of rubber and elastic wrapped around the core. But by the 1960s, rubber gave way to urethane skins and synthetic resin cores, according to multiple accounts of the golf ball's evolution.

Thanks to advances in synthetic materials, Chou said, the today's golf balls perform far better and more consistently than their organic predecessors.

“There’s no reason you couldn’t do that with a baseball,’’ said Chou, who also worked for golf equipment maker Titleist. “I think there’s a lot of lessons to be learned by looking at golf ball manufacturing.

“The way technology has been applied to golf ball manufacturing has resulted in better performance and better consistency. But you had to be willing to accept changes in the traditional way the ball is made.’’

Therein lies the rub.

Kathy Stephens, director of quality assurance for Rawlings, said she has talked to MLB officials about the possibility of adding synthetic materials to the baseball in an attempt to make the ball perform more consistently.

“Yes, there are things that could be done, I believe,’’ Stephens said. “We’ve mentioned it, but the tradition of baseball is such that they don’t want change.’’

That would come as no surprise to Smith.

“Oh, yeah, they’re locked into history,’’ he said. “There are features of the major league ball that are characteristic of the way rubbers were produced probably 100 years ago that today are just ridiculous. But they do it the same way so they can say the ball is made the same way.’’

Yet that has done little to quiet the conspiracy theorists, especially after MLB partnered with an equity firm and in June 2018 bought Rawlings for $395 million.

SportsPulse: There are a lot of theories being thrown around regarding the surge of home runs in the MLB -- juiced balls, steroids -- but before we jump to conclusions, one Washington State professor is taking a good, long look at the science behind the ball's flight. USA TODAY

MLB invests in baseball production

After MLB purchased a stake in Rawlings, Manfred suggested technological improvements in the manufacturing process may have inadvertently shifted the centering of baseball’s “pill’’ – the core of a ball. That, Manfred said, might be responsible for the spike in home runs.

Verlander, the All-Star pitcher, fumed.

"It's a (expletive) joke,’’ he told reporters earlier this month. “Major League Baseball's turning this game into a joke. They own Rawlings, and you've got Manfred up here saying it might be the way they center the pill. They own the (expletive) company.

“If any other $40 billion company bought out a $400 million company and the product changed dramatically, it's not a guess as to what happened. We all know what happened. Manfred the first time he came in, what'd he say? He said we want more offense. All of a sudden he comes in, the balls are juiced? It's not coincidence. We're not idiots."

And so MLB’s scientists figure to face skepticism even when Smith’s latest findings are released to the public.

“Some people are skeptical of things like this because MLB is paying for it and therefore they’re (allegedly) getting whatever answer they want,’’ Nathan, chair of the scientific committee, said. “That’s not true.

“We are all academics, we’re all used to doing research and publishing our research. … We’re straight shooters.’’

Added Smith, “When I was invited (to participate), I asked MLB pointedly, I said, ‘Look, you might not like some of the things we find and I need to know what are my boundaries. What can I not do?' And their answer was, ‘Nothing. Whatever you need, you tell us and we’ll make that happen.’ They did.”

The next major leaguer to visit Smith’s lab will be the first. And it turns out Smith spends about as much time at ballparks as players do in science labs.

“I try to pay attention to the World Series,’’ Smith said sheepishly. “My passion is the science and the experimentation. That’s what excites me.

“If this was an easy answer, we would’ve had this a year ago. But it’s a hard answer and that likely means we’ve got a noisy signal. And interpreting noisy data is tricky.’’

Although he divulges no details about his most recent research findings, Smith acknowledged his “bad girlfriend’’ — as he refers to the project — is treating him far more kindly these days.

(Zack Meisel / The Athletic)

Puig’s dream

Francisco Lindor peered into his crystal ball during the All-Star break and spotted some right-handed hitting help.

No, he didn’t foresee the Indians obtaining both Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes. Neither of those behemoths would fit inside a miniature glass sphere. But Lindor’s wish came true, as the Indians constructed a balanced, powerful lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Astros.

The Indians added a couple of guys who, prior to the trade, combined for 49 home runs and about 515 pounds. Both Puig and Reyes were thrown out while rumbling toward the plate on Thursday, a pair of sequences that must have made Astros catcher Martin Maldonado’s life flash before his eyes.

Puig dyed his hair bright red to match his new uniform top. Before the game, he sported a pair of Reds flip flops, which he said he needs to replace. Reyes knows Adam Cimber and Brad Hand from their time with the Padres. Puig has had brief interactions with Francisco Lindor. Everybody knows Carlos Santana.

Puig said he has marveled from afar at the passion with which Lindor and Santana play. Puig certainly plays with a flair, too. He learned on Thursday that he’s facing a three-game suspension for his participation in an on-field brawl against the Pirates earlier this week. Puig is appealing the punishment.

The Indians knew this was a possibility. Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff watched the melee unfold on a TV in Terry Francona’s office late Tuesday night. Still, they needed some right-handed thump to fill out Francona’s lineup. And Puig, an impending free agent, hopes to prove the trade was more than worthwhile.

“Now, with this team,” Puig said, “I can make my dream come true: keep going, make the playoffs again, fight in the playoffs. With Houston, the Yankees, no matter who’s coming, we’re going to fight and do the best that we can, like a family and like a team, together, and win the championship, because this team has potential and good players to go to the World Series.”

Franmil Reyes, ‘a big goofball’ with ‘stupid’ power who promises plenty of towering home runs

Zack Meisel Aug 5, 2019 14
CLEVELAND — Franmil Reyes scrolled through the videos on his phone.

Did you see that one against Atlanta? Man, I crushed that ball.

Brad Hand remembers that one. It soared over his head. Baseballs shouldn’t travel that far, especially at Petco Park, a venue constructed with dimensions that daunt any hitter, even a 6-foot-5 behemoth who resembles a cross between Myles Garrett and Kendrick Perkins.

Yeah, he could probably play defensive end.

“They’ve told me that before,” Reyes said.

But back to baseball, and more specifically the baseball Reyes pummeled late one night in San Diego last June. The ball sailed past both bullpens, reaching territory rarely, if ever, broached by any slugger.

“His raw power is pretty stupid,” Hand said.

Reyes isn’t your ordinary power hitter. He isn’t some solid hitter aided by the tightly wound baseballs that have inflated home-run totals throughout the league.

No, Reyes can be better described in other ways.

Adam Cimber: “A big goofball.”

Phil Maton: “A big boy.”

Hand: “A big human.”

Terry Francona: “A fucking mammoth.”

Reyes clicked play on another video.

Look at this one. This one was the farthest one I hit this year, against (Kenta) Maeda. Under the scoreboard.

Look at Maeda’s face. He’s like, “Huh?”

That one traveled 457 feet, though Reyes is skeptical.

“Whatever Statcast gives me, that’s what I trust,” he said. “And they gave me 457 on that one. The one in Chicago was 477, but I think the one in San Diego (off Maeda) was way farther.”

The home run at Wrigley Field, precisely one year ago, might be the most impressive from a physical standpoint. Reyes lunged toward a Jon Lester fastball on the outside part of the plate. His right shin nearly brushed up against the dirt in the batter’s box. And he still belted the ball beyond the center-field fence and the patches of ivy. It ricocheted off the top level of the batter’s eye back onto the outfield grass.

“I’m always looking away and reacting to the ones inside,” Reyes said, “because I trust my hands. I’m telling you, if I recognize the pitch, no matter if it’s low or up, I’m swinging.”

And he’s swinging hard. Reyes doesn’t just try to yank it down the line. He realized a few years ago that pitchers attacked him on the outer part of the zone. So, he started anticipating that, and he fixated on driving the ball to the opposite field. The adjustment resulted in a power spike.

“It’s hilarious the amount of pop he has,” said Maton, who has now played with Reyes in San Diego and Cleveland. “His ability to go the other way has made him a much better player.”

Maton used to marvel at the Padres’ power display during batting practice in San Diego. In the final session each afternoon, Reyes, Hunter Renfroe and Manny Machado would target the Petco Park scoreboard, perched atop a couple of levels of seats in left field.

“There was no shagging,” Maton said. “Everything was going over the wall.”

Late last week, Reyes turned heads with a batting practice drive that disappeared behind the row of trees beyond the center-field wall at Progressive Field.

Reyes’ average exit velocity this season sits at 92.4 mph, which ranks eighth in the majors. (In layman’s terms: He socks the ball harder than almost everyone else. And for those who want to dive deeper into the nerdier numbers, Reyes also ranks near the top of the league in barrel percentage, expected slugging and hard-hit percentage.)

“It’s incredible to see someone with that size hit a baseball that far,” said Cimber, who came up with Reyes through the Padres’ system. “It’s fitting, I guess. You see somebody that big, you expect it to go far. But when you actually see him hit, it’s something not a lot of people can do.”

Reyes located his favorite video.

This was the one. Here, this one.

On April 8, he pinch-hit in the seventh inning, with the Padres trailing by a run in San Francisco. His friend and teammate in the Dominican winter league, Reyes Moronta, was pitching for the Giants.

“I know he’s a fastball/slider guy and I faced him before,” Reyes said. “He was always slider-slider, so I went looking for a slider on the first pitch.”

He found what he was seeking, an 84 mph slider near the top of the zone.

“I told him, ‘I got you,’” Reyes said.

Reyes texted Moronta later that night: “What up, bro?”

Moronta simply replied: “Hey.”

Reyes badgered him a bit, texting back: “Come on, don’t be mad at me!”

“He keeps it light,” Cimber said.

Hand added: “Big personality. Just a fun guy to be around, a good teammate.”

Reyes has yet to launch one over the fence with the Indians, but he contends it’ll happen soon. Those sitting in the back row of the bleachers or the mezzanine in right-center at Progressive Field have been warned.

Said Reyes: “You guys will see some far homers here.”

Will Danny Salazar ever wear a Cleveland Indians uniform again?

Today 5:36 PM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It’s unclear if Danny Salazar will ever wear an Indians’ uniform again. It is crystal clear that he was given a wake-up call by the organization after throwing four innings Thursday against Houston at Progressive Field.

The Indians basically sent Salazar home with two months left in the season and a rotation that could use some help following the deadline trade of Trevor Bauer.


Salazar, the former flamethrower, didn’t break 88 mph Thursday in his first big-league start since Sept. 27, 2017. He threw a variety of breaking balls among his 66 pitches. His average velocity, according to baseball savant.com, was 81 mph.

After the game, Salazar told reporters his strained his groin muscle early in the game, which hurt his velocity. He said he suffered the same injury several weeks prior to that during his rehab in Goodyear, Ariz. Bench coach Brad Mills, filling in for manager Terry Francona on Thursday, said Salazar didn’t tell them he was hurt until the fourth inning.

Salazar had an MRI the next day and Francona said he had a mild groin strain. The Indians put him on the injured list, but instead of sending him back to Goodyear, Ariz., or letting him rehab with the big-league club in Cleveland, they sent him to Tampa, Fla.

It’s believed Salazar has an off-season residence in Tampa. He also trains there in off-season.

James Quinlan, the Indians head athletic trainer, contacted a trainer in Tampa to work with Salazar.

Salazar missed the 2018 season with a sore right shoulder that eventually needed surgery. He continued to rehab this season until starting a rehab assignment last month. Salazar made six rehab appearances before the Indians added him to the 25-man roster on Wednesday.


They said his velocity had reached 92 mph to 93 mph during his rehab. Salazar never got near that kind of velocity against the Astros.

“He’s going to go back to Tampa and do his rehab there until he’s ready to throw,” said Francona on Saturday when announcing the results of the MRI. “Then we’ll re-assess where he goes from there.”

The Indians have paid Salazar almost $10 million over the last two years. To date that has resulted in four big-league innings. Salazar, 29, signed with the Indians when he was 16. He’s a native of the Dominican Republic.

Chisenhall is Cal Ripken compared to Salazar!

Seven statistics that explain the Indians’ summer surge

Zack Meisel 4m ago

CLEVELAND — A couple of months ago, the Indians’ season lacked sizzle. A lifeless roster slogged through its slate of games as the team tumbled in the standings.

That seems like a different season, though. The Indians are riding a summer-long wave of momentum. For the first time since, perhaps, the club’s 22-game winning streak in 2017, there’s a buzz around Terry Francona’s bunch, and not just because Baker Mayfield tore open the side of a beer can with his teeth from a Progressive Field suite. (For the record, my dentist attended the game Saturday night and he does not advise trying to duplicate Mayfield’s impersonation of Joe Charboneau.)

The Indians own the league’s best record since May showers morphed into June power (aided by a 20-3 record against the Tigers and Royals). They’re playing a brand of baseball much more inviting to observers than the Walking Dead episodes they acted out for the first two months.

What, exactly has spurred the summer surge? Here are seven statistics that tell the story of the club’s reversal of fortune.

12: The number of starting pitchers upon which the Indians have called

Last season, the Indians used only seven starters. This year, injuries have forced their hand.

Cody Anderson made two starts. Remember him? The poor guy has lost another season to surgery on his right elbow.

Tyler Clippard spearheaded a bullpen day after Carlos Carrasco was diagnosed with leukemia.

One day, you’ll look at Danny Salazar’s Baseball-Reference page and scratch your head when you spot his lone 2019 outing, two years removed from his previous appearance.

Who could forget the Jefry Rodriguez era? He most recently pitched on June 1. He’s rehabbing in Arizona.

While the Indians’ rotation has resembled a revolving door, those who have filled the voids have excelled. Shane Bieber has anchored the group, and Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale — all three were part of an illustrious 2016 draft class — have provided sorely needed contributions.

“They’re playing like veterans,” Jason Kipnis said. “They’re awesome. They’re low-maintenance. You don’t really have to tell them too much, other than when they do encounter a little bit of the frustrations, which everyone will if they’re playing this game. ‘Keep your head up, keep going, you’re doing great. Don’t beat yourself up.’ These guys are handling themselves like professionals, they’re playing like professionals and it’s really fun to watch.”

Despite the injuries, the Indians rank fourth in the majors in team ERA, behind the Dodgers, Rays and Astros, and fourth in FIP. Don’t be surprised when Bieber’s name surfaces on at least a few Cy Young Award ballots. And Roberto Pérez deserves credit for the manner in which he has guided the pitching staff through some treacherous waters.

0.46: The Indians’ lead on the second-ranked team in bullpen ERA

The Indians’ bullpen has amassed a 3.29 ERA this season, the best mark in baseball. Second-ranked San Francisco sports a 3.75 ERA. The gap between the Indians and Giants is greater than the gap between the Giants and the 11th-ranked team. No, the Indians aren’t equipped with a relief corps full of flame-throwing youngsters, but the collection of veterans has thrived in 2019. The group owns the best walk rate and FIP among the league’s 30 bullpens as well.
(David Richard/USA Today)
14: Consecutive outings in which Nick Goody has not allowed a run

Goody started the season at Class AAA Columbus, and he doesn’t sugarcoat how his early struggles in the state capital irked him.

“I was really stressing myself out,” Goody said. “I wasn’t having fun. Then I got an opportunity to come up here and I started having a lot more fun and, thank God, we’re winning.”

Goody boasts a 1.46 ERA, and he has limited the opposition to a .140/.235/.256 slash line. He has 31 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. None of this is shocking to anyone who has studied his numbers from 2017 or the minors, but injuries shelved Goody for much of the 2018 season, and this year, hitters compiled a 1.223 OPS against him in his first 13 appearances for Columbus. That 12.51 ERA is a distant memory now.

“I think that was good for me,” Goody said. “The game will humble you. I got beat around pretty good and I think it made me a better player and a better pitcher. It made my family stronger. It’s baseball. It’s still a job. You can take that stuff home with you. I did my best not to, but it doesn’t affect just me, it affects everybody. So it was nice to start seeing some results. My arm has felt awesome. It’s just mechanical adjustments and timing and stuff.”

1: Runs allowed by Oliver Pérez since June 10

Pérez was a bit shaky in April, but he has surrendered a run in only three of his past 36 outings. He has been so dependable that he’s already closing in on his vesting option for 2020. If he makes 10 more appearances, the Indians will owe him $2.75 million for next year. If he makes 15 more, the Indians will be on the hook for $3 million. Pérez will turn 38 next week, but the silver-haired southpaw continues to baffle opposing hitters with his never-duplicated pitching deliveries.

32: Combined multi-hit games for José Ramírez and Jason Kipnis over the past two months

Before he exited the clubhouse Monday night, Kipnis grabbed his bat, shook his head and muttered how much he wanted a second chance at his ninth-inning battle with Rangers closer Jose Leclerc.

“That’s one I’d love to have back,” he said. “There are not many people I’d rather have up there than me right now.”

Kipnis has been rolling for the past two months, and his production fits even better in the No. 7 spot in the lineup, rather than the No. 4 spot. (Before the Trevor Bauer trade, Kipnis admitted as much.)

During the past two months, Kipnis has posted a .304/.366/.509 slash line, with as many runs scored as strikeouts (28). In his past 36 games — hello, arbitrary endpoint — Ramírez has registered a .319/.353/.631 clip, with more extra-base hits (25) than strikeouts (19). The Indians are 27-9 in those games.

Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes lengthen the lineup, but the rebounds from Kipnis and Ramírez — and Oscar Mercado’s refusal to suffer a rookie-year downward spiral — make it even more threatening.

20: Francisco Lindor’s (somewhat quiet) home run total

Perhaps it’s because he missed the first three weeks with an ankle sprain, needed a few weeks to reacquire his timing and has been playing catch-up ever since. Perhaps it’s the fact that the Indians’ lineup has hummed along for the past two months and also recently added a couple of hulking sluggers. No matter the reason, Lindor has seemingly flown under the radar this season. And yet …

2017: .273/.337/.505 slash line
2018: .277/.352/.519 slash line
2019: .304/.354/.531 slash line

He ranks 12th in the AL in WAR, even though many of the names ahead of him have racked up 50-100 more plate appearances. When José Ramírez floundered, Carlos Santana cooled off and Francona cycled through cleanup hitters, Lindor remained a constant force from the leadoff spot.

45: The Indians’ extra-base-taken percentage

That ranks second in the majors, behind only the Rockies. The Indians also rank third in the AL in stolen bases and stolen base success rate. Aggressive base running was a point of emphasis from the outset of the season, especially with Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso no longer huffing and puffing their way around the bases. Even when Ramírez wasn’t hitting, he still swiped bases when he reached.


Zack Meisel is a writer for The Athletic Cleveland covering the Indians and contributing on other beats. Zack previously spent four years covering the Indians for Cleveland.com and has been on the Tribe beat since 2011. Follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeisel.

The way this team was put together was pretty genius with their limited resources.

But what makes it all work is the pitching.

Clevinger, when healthy, has been awesome and Bieber speaks for himself. Plesac has been a revelation. Even Plutko and Civale contributing.

Fascinating how a bullpen that is completely the opposite of most teams these days is thriving. Maybe hitters aren't used to seeing savy veterans who know how to pitch in bullpens in this era. Whatever, it's working.

Carrasco to throw bullpen sessions this week

By Mandy Bell @MandyBell02

August 5, 2019

CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona could hardly hold back his grin Monday afternoon.

Before every game, Francona addresses the media, fielding a handful of questions about his team. If there is news about a specific player that’s not asked about after 10 or 15 minutes, he’ll chime in on his own to make sure everyone is up to speed. But this time, he seemed eager to release news about starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco -- just 30 seconds after he took his seat at the podium.

"Carrasco’s gonna throw, start a bullpen, I think it’s Wednesday," Francona said. "I think it’s Wednesday [and] Saturday. I was just talking to him about it, but I’m getting my days all mixed up. But he’s gonna start throwing some ‘pens, which is kind of cool."

Carrasco was put on the injured list on June 5 with a blood condition that was later revealed to be chronic myeloid leukemia. And while the 32-year-old has been playing catch regularly and has thrown a few bullpen sessions already, he didn't bounce back well after the last few times. This will be a resumption of that process.

"I think we got to stay consistent with what we’ve said all along," Francona said. "I think we all hope he can come back and pitch for us -- that’s kind of stating the obvious. I think saying anything else, other than we really are trying to support him, isn’t fair to him."

While most injuries have general timelines for how long they require to heal, bouncing back from being treated for leukemia doesn’t come with the same type of handbook. The Indians are listening to Carrasco to see how his body responds to each step he takes. He’s been with the team during each homestand since the beginning of July and has continued to work out with his teammates on a regular basis. But Francona believes ramping up his bullpen sessions could help Carrasco keep his strong mindset while battling this disease.

“I just think he’s been on a routine as much as he can,” Francona said, “but just the fact that he can [throw] off the mound, I think gives him a little boost also.”

Otero ready for next rehab stint

Dan Otero (right shoulder inflammation) had been progressing nicely through his first three rehab appearances last month, but he didn’t bounce back as well as he would have liked after pitching back-to-back games on July 23-24. The righty was shut down for a few days before meeting with Francona to develop another plan. He threw some bullpens at Progressive Field and now feels well enough to head back to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

Naquin out of lineup again

Tyler Naquin was kept out of Sunday’s lineup with sore ribs on his left side and was once again not penciled into the starting nine on Monday against the Rangers. Francona said that Naquin is healthy enough to play, but he opted to keep his left-handed hitting outfielder out of the lineup against Rangers left-hander Mike Minor.

“When he dove the other night, he kind of jammed like his rib area,” Francona said. “He wasn’t sure if it was his shoulder or his [ribs], but the play [on Thursday when] I wasn’t here, remember he dove late in the game. But he’s OK to play. They swapped Minor and [Ariel] Jurado, so that’s why.”

Bubble wrap for Naquin! He's doing to well to lose him again.

Fortunately we have Salazar to help make Naquin be Ripken-esque!

Four-game showdown: Strengthened Indians and powered-up Twins set for crucial series

Zack Meisel and Dan Hayes 2h ago 16

MINNEAPOLIS — The last time the Twins hosted the Indians at Target Field, Terry Francona penciled Leonys Martín, Eric Stamets, Brad Miller, Hanley Ramírez and Jake Bauers into his punchless starting lineup.

They’re all gone.

In the 2019 Indians storybook, April and May are a couple of dreary chapters no one should bother reading, other than to learn how much the team has evolved in a matter of months. The Twins’ advantage in the AL Central has dwindled from 11.5 games to 2 since summer arrived, and now the clubs clash for four crucial contests. The Indians have had this series circled.

Just ask Jason Kipnis.

“It’s what we wanted,” he said Wednesday after the Indians swept a doubleheader against the Rangers. “We wanted to play some fun games down the stretch. We wanted to keep chipping away at that lead and grinding every day and trying to not let games slip by us and I think we’ve done that. And the fun part of putting your head to the ground like that is that you get to play some exciting games, some meaningful games late in the year. Today was a big day. Everyone wanted to get these two. Everyone was kind of watching the scoreboard over in Minnesota, too, and we knew it had a chance to be a big day for us and it worked out perfectly for us. Guys are in a good mood, feeling good and excited to get to Minnesota.”

The Indians and Twins have 10 meetings remaining, with seven of those taking place in Minnesota. So, Dan, peer into your crystal ball and tell us all how this is going to play out.

Dan: Given who the Indians have recently acquired and who’s starting for them this series, on the heels of Wednesday’s doubleheader, I imagine we’re in for a slugfest at Target Field. And let’s be honest, that’s a phrase nobody could have imagined possible back in March when you looked at Cleveland’s lineup and offseason moves coupled with an amazing, healthy starting rotation.

It’s impressive how much Cleveland lengthened its lineup by trading Trevor Bauer.

Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig make it much more difficult for opposing teams to plan for Cleveland. Before, it was “be careful at the top and don’t let Roberto Pérez beat you at the bottom.” Now, things are a little tougher, which should give Cleveland a chance to compete with a Bomba Squad that has resumed hitting again. It really doesn’t matter who the Twins have faced lately, they’re putting up runs at a ridiculous pace. Miguel Sanó is mashing and Nelson Cruz is on another level. He’s like Neo in “The Matrix,” waving off bad pitches.

The Twins always love playing Cleveland. Max Kepler might move forward with a grievance against the Cleveland front office for trading Bauer. But the Twins love facing the best and that’s what Cleveland has been. They know the only way to take the division crown is to remove it from their heads. And we’ve seen it all year — unlike other AL Central foes, the Twins are not afraid of Cleveland. They’ve won five of nine meetings and are probably pretty pumped to look up and see that seven of the final 10 are at Target Field.

What’s your feeling about the series — other than at least one great dinner will occur at Murray’s?

Zack: My Murray’s withdrawal has reached the point of a weekly scroll through the photos of their food on Yelp. So, that’s what we’re dealing with here.

This will be the most meaningful regular-season series the Indians have played in … three years? I’m glad it’s a four-game set, because if the teams don’t split, then there will be some significant movement in the standings, one way or the other. If the Indians take three of four, they’ll leave Minneapolis tied for the division lead for the first time since April 26.

The Indians caught a break with their rainout on Tuesday. Yes, it forced their bullpen into extra action during Wednesday’s double dip, but it also pushed back Mike Clevinger to start the series opener. Originally, the Twins were slated to miss Clevinger, who might be the club’s ace now, though Shane Bieber might have something to say about that.

I’m intrigued to watch Bieber pitch in a game that should carry some extra weight on Friday night. He has aced every exam through his first season-plus in the big leagues. He made his big-league debut at Target Field on his 23rd birthday last May. Now he returns to the scene as an All-Star Game MVP, a candidate for voters’ Cy Young ballots and an anchor in a rotation that’s attempting to patch together the final two months of the season. Even Justin Bieber has taken notice.


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Even with Clevinger and Bieber on the docket, the Twins boast the sort of lineup that makes any pitching staff uncomfortable. What the hell are they feeding those guys this year?

Dan: It’s pretty incredible. Everybody in baseball is homering, but the Twins are doing it better than everyone. The Twins! This is a franchise that four times between 1976-1981 finished with fewer than 100 home runs, including 47 in the strike year (1981). But this offseason they loaded up the lineup with cheap power by adding Cruz, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop on great deals. Marwin Gonzalez was acquired on a great deal, too, and that group has really helped the young core get dialed in.

Because it’s a four-game series, the Twins should break their single-season home run mark with Cleveland in town. The Twins are only one away from the franchise mark of 225 headed into the series and are zeroing in on the all-time mark of 267 set by the 2018 Yankees. There are no easy outs in the lineup, and there’s plenty of hard contact.

The Twins moved around their rotation for this four-game series. They inserted Devin Smeltzer on Sunday so he would face Cleveland instead of Martín Pérez, who has struggled for the better part of two months and in the second half. The last two times these teams played, the Twins bullpen was in the worst way. If they had a lead after seven, Taylor Rogers was all they had to secure it. They’ve since designated five relievers for assignment and added two veterans at the deadline, though Sam Dyson won’t play in the series as he’s on the IL. But Sergio Romo has come in and settled things down in a setup/closer role. It should make for an interesting series.

What’s crazy is that, no matter what, this isn’t the end-all, be-all series. Yes, a 3-1 win for either team could result in a tighter race or one that’s more wide open. But there are six meetings ahead in September.

Will Corey Kluber or any of the other veteran starting pitchers have a chance to be a factor over the final month?

Zack: Kluber should return by the end of the month, but he remains a mystery. He was largely ineffective prior to landing on the IL with a broken forearm, and he’ll have plenty of rust to dismiss. Carlos Carrasco has recently thrown bullpen sessions, but placing any level of expectations on him would be unfair. The Indians sent Danny Salazar home to Tampa; moving forward, he probably has a better shot at working at Busch Gardens than for the Indians.

So, the Indians will lean heavily on Clevinger, Bieber and Kluber, their new-look lineup and their bullpen, which owns the league’s best ERA (by a mile) to attempt to erase the remaining deficit in the AL Central standings.

You mentioned Dyson and Romo — is there any part of the Twins’ roster that seems vulnerable or might be especially tested down the stretch? Did the front office pull the right levers at the trade deadline?

Dan: The rotation could be tested. Pérez just hasn’t figured it out after he got off to a fantastic start. Michael Pineda’s injury hasn’t helped matters either, though he and the Twins believe he’ll return right around the 10-day mark. That would be huge for the Twins. Pineda has been fantastic since June with a 2.95 ERA. Kyle Gibson has been better of late with a 3.57 ERA since July 1. Jake Odorizzi isn’t far off and looked impressive against a really good Atlanta lineup.

The Twins wanted to upgrade the front end of the rotation before the deadline. But they weren’t getting Bauer unless they gave a third party a ridiculous amount and Thor cost even more than that. Smeltzer has been very effective and they need him to continue contributing and keeping them in games, something Pérez hasn’t been able to do.

Beyond that, I think they did well. They absolutely needed bullpen help and acquired two very good veterans to help a young group loaded with stuff but little experience. I’d grade their efforts at a B. They wanted more but wouldn’t pay absurd prices for it yet still managed to address their biggest concerns.

Have we covered it all? If so, see you at Murray’s.

Zack: I’m sure we’ll have plenty to analyze over the weekend, a refreshing change from dog days of yore. If I’m running late, order me a filet with onion strings and green beans on the side.

(Top photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images)

COREY KLUBER
SP, CLEVELAND INDIANS

Corey Kluber (arm) allowed two runs over three innings in his rehab debut Thursday with Triple-A Columbus.
Kluber gave up two solo home runs, but he got better as the day went along and retired the final five batters he faced. He threw 41 pitches, 24 of them for strikes, and then got in a little extra work in the Columbus bullpen to bring his pitch count to 50. Kluber figures to throw around 60-70 pitches next time out and then will probably push past 80 in his third rehab outing. He should be able to return to the Indians' starting rotation before the end of August.

SOURCE: Cleveland Plain Dealer
Aug 8, 2019, 1:31 PM ET

Yasiel Puig, from chasing chickens and racing horses to waving goodbye to the Indians’ AL Central deficit

Zack Meisel Aug 9, 2019 25
MINNEAPOLIS — First, he waved to the Twins’ outfield. Then, he plunged, chest-first, into the dirt. Then, he treated third base like a pillow, smiled and kissed the air.

Any TV network executive longing for fresh material might want to consider a weekly, 30-minute compilation of Yasiel Puig’s base-running adventures.

Entertaining and unpredictable, “It’s Always Funny In Puigadelphia” leaves you laughing and gasping and wondering what the protagonist will do next.

— TV Guide

“I like to be like that, running the bases like crazy,” Puig said, after he helped to fuel the Indians to a tie atop the AL Central standings. “That’s the reason people call me the Wild Horse.”

That running style stems from his days as a teen in Cienfuegos, Cuba, when he actually raced against horses in the street. He chased chickens around the town, too.

But first, the waving.

Twice on Friday night during the Indians’ 6-2 win, Puig bid farewell to Twins defenders as he scampered from first to third. He twisted his neck like an owl and stared toward the outfield as he dashed 180 feet on a José Ramírez single in the seventh. In the ninth, he rushed around the infield after an errant pickoff attempt and then wrapped his arms around third base.

“As long as he’s making lefts, he can wave at whoever he wants,” Terry Francona said.

What was the motive behind the motion?

“To the outfield or the second baseman to not throw the ball,” Puig said, “because he’s going to make the throw for no reason, because he’s not going to get me out. I like to wave at people, like, ‘Hi, what’s up? I’m running no matter what. I’m going to make this base and you’re not going to throw me out.’”

Obviously, he doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the opposition’s impression of such a move.

“I’m not doing that kind of stuff to disrespect the other team,” he said. “I only do it to have fun with myself and bring energy for myself and for my teammates. But sometimes, the other teams take things a little bit personal. That’s the way we need to understand everything and keep the focus on the game.”


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He gets us. #RallyTogether @YasielPuig waved while running the bases then blew a kiss



Puig said he only tires after games, cured by a 10-minute soak in the cold tub. In the center of the clubhouse after the win Friday, he sat at a table with Francisco Lindor, Franmil Reyes and Oscar Mercado. They ate dinner, drank tropical punch and teased Roberto Pérez about his disappointment in not advancing a base when a ball squirted away from Twins catcher Jason Castro, as if Pérez is some speedy, base-stealing savant. Several times during the meal, Puig jumped out of his chair — his tree-trunk legs triggering the Richter scale — and shouted, startling reporters and clubhouse attendants. His teammates laughed.

“His energy is extremely contagious,” Francona said.

Puig collected three singles Friday, the final on a routine grounder to short. He took extra pride in his hustle down the first-base line.

“Before, sometimes, I got ground balls and jogged to first base,” he said. “That’s not looking good for the team and for yourself.”

If you have the speed, you might as well deploy it. In Cuba, he and his friends would organize one-on-one races: The Wild Horse versus an actual horse. One block, in the street. May the fastest horse win.

“I can’t run anymore like I used to run in Cuba,” Puig said. “But I’m still running a little bit. I’ve got a little more pounds, though.

“Sometimes we do a lot of crazy things in Cuba and that’s the reason I love to play the way I play.”

The Indians have certainly welcomed the infusion of energy. It’s a small sample, but Puig has batted .333 (11-for-33) with an .860 OPS since joining the Indians at the end of July. The Indians are 7-2 when he plays, which has allowed them to pull into a first-place tie with the Twins for the first time since late April.

On the morning of June 4, the Indians trailed the Twins by 11 1/2 games. Four weeks ago, the Indians still faced a 7 1/2-game deficit.

No longer.

“Now, we’re tied,” Puig said, “but we’re gonna be the only one in first place.”