Support of Aviles Brings Importance of Family to Forefront

Support of Aviles brings importance of family to forefront Club rallying behind infielder and young daughter battling leukemia By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 19th, 2015 + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- One look around the Indians' clubhouse and it is easy to see how much the team takes pride in creating a family environment for its players. Each time someone walks through with a buzzed head, it is a reminder that there are more important things than baseball.

For the past two years, Cleveland's players have been permitted to bring their daughters into the locker room following Sunday home games. This year, the team's awareness and appreciation of family reached a new level when one of Mike Aviles' young daughters, 4-year-old Adriana, began a battle with leukemia. The Sunday tradition has continued and the team -- players, coaches and staff -- have given a show of support with shaved heads. "It's easy to think and say that, 'Oh, baseball is not the most important thing,'" said Indians outfielder David Murphy, who has four kids, including two daughters. "Family is the most important thing. But then, when something like this happens, and you kind of hear stories and you see what Mike and his family are going through on a daily basis, that's when you truly realize that baseball is not the most important thing." This Father's Day will undoubtedly take on a new feeling around the Tribe. Aviles' teammates have been impressed by his ability to balance the increasing needs at home with being there for his teammates and the ballclub. In early May, when the Aviles family learned of Adriana's diagnosis, there were nights spent in the Cleveland Clinic. With his daughter back home and showing improvement, Aviles has continued to fill a super utility role for team. "It goes to show you how strong a man that he is," Indians veteran Nick Swisher said. "You're juggling things at home. You're juggling things here now. Just with everything he's going through, for the rest of us to look at him, we say to ourselves, 'Wow, this guy right here is giving everything he has every single day, and I think that's starting to rub off on the rest of us." Aviles, who has three daughters, said the support his family has received over the past several weeks has been overwhelming. "[Even fans] are shaving their heads, and I think it's awesome," Aviles said. "I think it's cool the fan base has done that. I think it's cool our team, our staff, the front office, everybody's done it. It just shows the type of people you're dealing with. They're not bad people. They're good people. At the end of the day, everybody here has a heart and, obviously, everybody wants to win at the same time. "Everybody has that heart for life. Sometimes, life happens, and that's what we're going through right now." Swisher was one of the first handful of players to buzz his head in support of Adriana's fight and the team has taken to wearing orange wristbands to raise awareness for leukemia. Most recently, shortstop Francisco Lindor -- called up from Triple-A last weekend -- arrived to the team with long Jheri curls. He quickly had his hair trimmed, adding a cancer ribbon symbol shaved into the back of his head. On Thursday, Cleveland's players, coaches, front-office members and other staffers all gathered together at Progressive Field with buzzed heads, wearing orange shirts with "Team Adriana" across the chest. It was the latest sign of support and a way for the team to raise awareness for cancer and, specifically, leukemia. Earlier this month, Aviles even shaved the head of Indians owner and CEO Paul Dolan. "At the beginning of the year, they talked about what teammates meant to each other," Dolan said at the time, "and how that was important to succeed. We've seen how the team has stepped up for Mike and his family and what they're going through. I'm really proud of that, as proud as winning games." Last year, Dolan and the Indians' front office gave the go-ahead for the players with daughters to bring them into the clubhouse after Sunday home games. The request was spearheaded by Swisher and former Indians player Jason Giambi, who both have young daughters. Swisher, who was in big league clubhouses with his dad (former big leaguer Steve Swisher) as a kid, wanted his little girl to have similar experiences as he did. "She loves coming into the locker room every Sunday," Swisher said. "She loves running the bases. She loves coming in and she loves messing with all my bats. She loves messing my locker up. She loves doing all that. Anything I can do to make her smile or to make her happy, that's what I want to do. I also think that it means a lot coming from the front office and management, too, to allow us to do something like that." Murphy echoed that sentiment. "It's just something special," Murphy said. "Because we want to find ways to include them when we can. This is a great opportunity to do that." On Father's Day this year, Aviles has a team full of other dads who are there for him and his family. Family, after all, comes first. "It definitely puts it in perspective," Aviles said. "Nothing against baseball -- everybody knows that baseball is my first love and I've been playing since I was four -- but when you have a family and you have kids, anybody knows you're kids come before everything else and that your family comes before that, to. In a situation like this, it shows you baseball is secondary."

Tough offensive night gives Carrasco hard-luck loss By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:21 AM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- Run support has been a consistent issue for the Indians' pitching staff of late. Carlos Carrasco became the most recent victim of Cleveland's enigmatic offense on Friday night, when his solid effort on the mound turned into a hard-luck loss.

Following the Indians' 4-1 loss to the Rays, Carrasco did all he could do. The pitcher shrugged off the low offensive output as part of the game. "That's going to happen," Carrasco said. "You just try to go deep in the game and keep it there." It has been happening too often lately for the Tribe, though. Against Tampa Bay, the Tribe turned in a 1-for-9 showing with runners in scoring position, stranding seven runners in the process. Cleveland had runners on the corners and no outs in the first inning, but only managed one run (thanks to a wild pitch from Rays starter Nate Karns). The Indians had runners on first and second with one out in the fourth inning, and later had runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth, and Cleveland came up empty at both turns. In the sixth-inning situation, Carlos Santana, Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss struck out consecutively. "Every one of us goes up there and gives our best at-bat we can every time," Moss said. "Obviously, it hasn't worked out well lately as far as runners in scoring position, but once you hit the ball, you can't control where it goes. Obviously, striking out stinks, but when a pitcher makes good pitches, you tip your cap and say, 'That [stunk],' and you move on." The struggles with runners on base has been one of the strangest statistical elements of Cleveland's season. Entering Friday, the Indians led the Majors with a .751 OPS with the bases empty, but ranked 26th with runners in scoring position (.675) and 28th with runners on base (.686). Dating back to June 1, Cleveland has hit .194 with RISP, but .265 in all other scenarios. Dating back to May 1, the Tribe has hit just .224 with RISP, but .275 in all other situations. "They seem to always trend one way or the other," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "When it starts to trend the other way, we'll all be a little happier. It seems like we had a lot of innings with first and second and nobody out, and then you look up and that's the way the inning ended. I'd rather have the opportunities, but we don't seem to do much with them lately." That made it a tough night for Carrasco. Over 6 2/3 innings, Carrasco scattered 10 hits, but he issued no walks and limited the damage to a pair of solo home runs (Joey Butler in the first inning and Asdrubal Cabrera in the second) and a sacrifice fly (Jake Elmore in the seventh). That showing goes in the books as a quality start for Carrasco, but it also made for his sixth loss of the year. "On a lot of nights, we're probably saying he pitched pretty well," Francona said. "We had a couple really good chances and didn't do much with it. That was kind of the game."

Tribe's run in 1995 was magical, memorable By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | @castrovince | June 19th, 2015 + 12 COMMENTS *** On the heels of the Cavaliers' oh-so-close run at the NBA title, the Indians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of a ballclub considered one of the greatest in history to not win a World Series title. There will be pregame ceremonies before Friday's and Saturday's games against the Rays. Alumni will raise the American League championship flag before Friday's postgame fireworks show, and they'll attend a reunion event Saturday at Playhouse Square. ***.

This is the story of the 1995 Cleveland Indians. Were you there when Jim Thome caught the pop-up that changed Cleveland baseball? Did you see the word "CLINCH!" in bold type on the scoreboard above the bleachers? Did you hear the car horns blaring on the downtown streets deep into the night? Did you hug a loved one or a stranger? Did you raise your arms in triumph? Did you cry? Did you think about the decades of losing that preceded that out? The Rocky Colavito trade? Ten Cent Beer Night? The rumors about the club moving to St. Petersburg? The Joe Carter/Cory Snyder Sports Illustrated cover? The untimely deaths of Steve Olin and Tim Crews? Or did you think about all the wonderful moments that had led to this one? The ninth-inning magic that defined the summer of 1995? How fun it was to look at the standings each morning and see the Tribe's lead in the American League Central go up, up, up? Where were you when the 41-year pennant drought ended? Did you ever think being an Indians fan could feel so good? * * * * * "It was one of those magical seasons," then-manager Mike Hargrove once said, "when everything we did worked." Eventually. The year began, of course, with a most bizarre of Spring Training camps, replacement players filling the clubhouse at the Winter Haven, Fla., complex. The players' strike that had abruptly ended the 1994 campaign threatened to jeopardize '95, too. And for an Indians team seemingly on the cusp of something special, it was a punch to the gut. "We had Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr., Jim Thome," said then-general manager John Hart, "and instead we're trotting out Larry, Curly and Moe!" Only in retrospect can we truly appreciate the scouting and swapping successes that built the Indians roster. The farm system produced Belle, Manny Ramirez, Charles Nagy and Thome. The trade that sent Joe Carter to San Diego landed both Alomar and Carlos Baerga. The Indians also got a steal of a deal both for Lofton (from the Astros for Eddie Taubensee) and for Omar Vizquel (from the Mariners for Felix Fermin and Reggie Jefferson). The finishing touches in free agency were veterans Eddie Murray, Dennis Martinez and Orel Hershiser. All these pieces were ready to mesh into a winner. The Indians just needed the opportunity to use them. "This is [bull]," infield coach Buddy Bell said aloud one day while watching the replacements go through their drills. Yep, pretty much. But baseball's strangest spring reached its merciful end on April 2, when the 232-day strike ended. The real players reported to a condensed camp, with a 144-game schedule set to begin the last week of April. What nobody could have known was how much damage the Indians would do in that abbreviated time frame. * * * * * The Indians won the AL Central by 30 games. Even more incredible, especially by shortened-season standards, was that they won 27 games in their last at-bat. On July 16, the Tribe trailed the A's, 4-3, in the 12th inning, when Ramirez came to bat against future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley with a man on and two out. Manny drove the next pitch into the bleachers to give the Indians -- what else? -- a walk-off win, and Eckersley mouthed one word as he watched the ball disappear: "Wow!" The Tribe inspired that word a lot. Two days later, Belle had the signature moment of what should have been an MVP season. The Angels had a 5-3 lead, with the dominant Lee Smith coming on for the ninth. But the Indians put runners on the corners with one out, and Smith walked Baerga to bring up Belle. Big mistake. With a now-standard sell-out crowd on its feet, Belle got a 1-2 hanging slider that he blasted to the picnic plaza in dead center field ("Albert hit it in the pork and beans," Smith would say). Grand slam. Ballgame. "That night," said broadcaster Tom Hamilton, "was when you knew that club was really special." The special season rolled on, propelled by Belle's absurd, 16-homer August. With a league-best 50 homers, 52 doubles and 126 RBIs that year, Belle should have been an easy choice for Most Valuable Player over Boston's Mo Vaughn, but his reputation with reporters preceded him. Anyway, individual honors paled in comparison to what the team accomplished: 100 wins in a 144-game season. Few remember that the Indians led the AL in ERA (starters Martinez, Hershiser, Chad Ogea and midseason trade acquisition Ken Hill all had terrific years, and Jose Mesa saved 46 games). It's the stacked lineup -- in which the Nos. 7 and 8 hitters (Ramirez and Paul Sorrento) combined for 56 homers -- that stands out, with its 5.83 runs per game average. "I never saw the '27 Yankees," said Jason Bere, then a pitcher for the White Sox. "But the '95 Indians? Whoa." By the time the calendar flipped to September, the division title was a foregone conclusion, but that didn't make the clinch any less sweet. It happened on Sept. 8. The Indians staked Hershiser to a 3-2 lead against the Orioles. With two out in the ninth, Mesa got Jeff Huson to hit a harmless pop-up to foul territory near third base, and Thome caught it in his outstretched glove to cue a celebration more than four decades in the making. * * * * * The Indians' first postseason game in 41 years began on a Tuesday night, ended on a Wednesday morning and will be remembered for a lifetime by those who witnessed it. Roger Clemens might remember it as the night he was warming up to start for the Red Sox when he heard a voice yelling at him from the Tribe dugout. "We're going to kill you!" the voice blared. It was Baerga. "We were so cocky," Baerga would later say. The game, twice delayed by rain, was tied at 3-3 after nine. Boston took the lead in the top of the 11th, but Belle answered with a solo shot in the bottom. Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy, aware of Belle's corked-bat incident from 1994, asked the umpires to investigate Belle's bat. Belle glared at the mound, flexed his right bicep and pointed to it, indicating the homer was all muscle. An investigation of the bat confirmed as much. Who would have thought the hero of Game 1 would not be the muscular Belle but little catcher Tony Pena? It was just after 2 a.m. when Pena came to bat with two out in the bottom of the 13th. He swung at a 3-0 pitch from Zane Smith and smacked it into the left-field bleachers. "That was a moment I'm never going to forget," said Pena, "and nobody is going to take it away from me." The Indians would take the series in a three-game sweep, setting up the American League Championship Series against a "Refuse to Lose" Mariners club. The series was tied at two wins apiece going into Game 5. The Indians knew they were in trouble if they lost it at home and had to return to Seattle to face both Randy Johnson and elimination. Thome didn't let that happen. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, he took Mariners starter Chris Bosio deep for a two-run home run that gave the Indians a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. In Game 6, with the Indians up 1-0 and one on in the eighth, Lofton took over. He reached on a bunt single to put runners on the corners against Johnson, then swiped second base. And when Johnson threw a pitch that got past catcher Dan Wilson, not only did pinch-runner Ruben Amaro score from third, but Lofton came in all the way from second. The Indians won that game, 4-0, to clinch their first World Series berth since 1954. Tribe legend Bob Feller, then 76, was so swept up in the moment that he rushed the field. A security guard tried to arrest him before realizing who the excited old man was. That emotion extended to all members of the Tribe. Hart was brought to tears. "I couldn't help myself," Hart said. "I get choked up talking about it now. You think back to how we acquired all these guys and say, 'Isn't this just amazing? Little Cleveland. Who would have thought?'" * * * * * Maybe the emotion of the run to the World Series sapped the Indians' strength. Or maybe the umpires gave Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery too wide a strike zone. Or maybe good pitching simply beats good hitting. Whatever the reason, the end result was a Series in which the Indians fell behind, dropping the first two games in Atlanta, and never recovered, losing in six. The Braves won 14 straight division titles but only one World Series in that span. The lone triumph came against an Indians team that posted one of the 12 highest regular-season winning percentages of all time. Go figure. And yet, the city of Cleveland threw the Tribe a party anyway. Upon their return from Atlanta, Indians players and coaches boarded a bus to Public Square, where some 50,000 faithful had gathered to greet them and thank them. Said Thome: "You couldn't have told if we won it or lost it." The Indians won over the city in a big way. The entire 1996 home slate sold out before Opening Day. A string of 455 consecutive sellouts -- a remarkable figure for one of baseball's smaller markets -- had begun. The 1995 Central crown was the first of six in a seven-season span for the Indians, and they would come even closer to winning it all in '97, a source of heartbreak all its own as they lost to the Marlins in seven games -- in extra innings, yet. But the '95 club was the best and most dominant of any in the Indians' renaissance. Their lethal lineup scorched baseball's earth like few before it or since. "We were unbelievable," Baerga said. They stirred long-slumbering emotions. They made grown men cry, made little kids smile and made people proud of their team and their town. They made magic. Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and follow him on Twitter at @Castrovince. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Indians drop series opener against Rays By Jordan Bastian and Bill Chastain / MLB.com | 12:30 AM ET + 42 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Asdrubal Cabrera returned to Cleveland, launched a home run and helped lead the Rays to a 4-1 victory over the Indians on Friday night at Progressive Field. Tampa Bay belted three home runs and starter Nathan Karns worked into the sixth for the win.

The Indians (31-35) received a solid performance from starter Carlos Carrasco, who allowed three runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings, but his effort went for naught. Carrasco gave up two of Tampa Bay's home runs: a solo shot to Joey Butler in the first inning and another solo blast by Cabrera in the second. Jake Elmore added a sacrifice fly off Carrasco in the seventh to give the Rays some insurance. "Actually, [Carrasco] was pretty good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "You never want to see the homers, but two solo homers and a sac fly. On a lot of nights, we're probably saying he pitched pretty well. We had a couple really good chances and didn't do much with it. That was kind of the game." For Cabrera, it marked his first game against his former team since being traded by Cleveland last July. Karns picked up a win for the American League East-leading Rays (39-30) by logging 5 1/3 innings, limiting the Tribe to one run on six hits and ending with four strikeouts and a walk. His lone blemish came in the first inning, when Jason Kipnis doubled and scored from third base on a wild pitch. "Karnsy was really good," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I thought after the first inning -- he looked a little out of whack falling behind some guys … threw a couple of pitches you could tell he was a little out of sync, but credit to him [for] kind of developing and maturing into a pitcher here that he's able to slow the game down a little bit and start making some pitches." Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. also came up big late in the win. In the bottom of the eighth, Souza made a sliding catch into foul ground on a popup from Francisco Lindor and doubled up Kipnis at first base for a highlight-reel double play. In the ninth, Souza crushed a pitch from Scott Atchison to left field, where it bounced off the clock hanging over the Home Run Porch. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Welcome back, Cabby: Cabrera spent parts of the 2007-14 seasons with the Indians before being dealt to the Nationals last summer. Now Tampa Bay's shortstop, Cabrera returned to Progressive Field for the first time as a visitor on Friday. In his first at-bat back in Cleveland, Cabrera sent a 1-0 pitch from Carrasco into the right-field seats for a solo homer in the second inning. More > Running wild: With one out and runners on the corners in the first inning, Karns uncorked a wild pitch. Kipnis, who led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a bunt single by Lindor, sprinted home and scored on the play to pull the game into a 1-1 tie. Karns threw two wild pitches in the inning. Butler's blast: Cash has been singing Butler's praises since early in Spring Training and the designated hitter has continued to validate his manager's words. Friday night he put the Rays on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the first inning on a 2-0 pitch from Carrasco. It was Butler's second blast in as many games. Down swinging: The Indians looked to have a prime scoring chance in the sixth, when Lindor and Michael Brantley opened with back-to-back singles. Karns then struck out Carlos Santana, and Rays reliever Xavier Cedeno entered and followed with consecutive strikeouts against Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss. That kept Tampa Bay's lead at 2-1. More > "When it starts to trend the other way, we'll all be a little happier," Francona said of his team's 1-for-9 showing with runners in scoring position. "It seems like we had a lot of innings with first and second and nobody out, and then you look up and that's the way the inning ended. I'd rather have the opportunities, but we don't seem to do much with them lately." QUOTABLE "They had fun and I had fun, it was a special night." -- Cash, on the give and take he enjoyed with his former team on Friday night SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With his double in the first inning, Kipnis extended his hitting streak at Progressive Field to 23 games. That represents a record for a Cleveland batter and inched Kipnis closer to the ballpark's all-time mark. Texas' Elvis Andrus owns the longest hitting streak in Progressive Field history with a 27-game stretch that ran from Aug. 11, 2009 to May 26, 2015. The Rays bullpen worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings, and have combined for 14 2/3 scoreless innings over their last three games. REPLAY REVIEW In the seventh inning, Logan Forsythe sent a pitch from Carrasco into left field for a sure single, but tried to turn the hit into a hustle double. Brantley threw to second base, where Kipnis applied a quick tag for the out. Cash challenged the play, but the call stood following a replay review lasting three minutes, 23 seconds. The assist was Brantley's seventh of the year. "Brantley's so good at that," Francona said. "Whether he's out or safe on the replay, that's a good play and he does that so well and he practices it. His mechanics and footwork are flawless." WHAT'S NEXT Rays: Erasmo Ramirez (6-2, 4.45) will start against the Indians on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET, after recording his career-high sixth win on Monday against the Nationals. He has now logged wins in six of his last seven starts, posting a 2.52 ERA over that span, going 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA since April 19. Indians: Since beginning the season 0-5 with a 5.04 ERA, Indians ace Corey Kluber has turned in a 2.25 ERA with 65 strikeouts and seven walks in 52 innings (seven starts). The righty has just a 3-3 record to show for it, though, due to extremely low run support, and will face the Rays in a 7:10 p.m. ET start at Progressive Field.

Indians celebrate 20th anniversary of '95 team By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com | June 19th, 2015 + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- When Jim Thome trotted in from left field, several generations of current Indians players, including Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Michael Bourn, tipped their cap to the Tribe legend. The man with a statue in center field stood alongside manager Mike Hargrove and former teammates Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Sandy Alomar, Charles Nagy, Dennis Martinez, Paul Assenmacher, Julian Tavarez, Chad Ogea, Eric Plunk, Herbert Perry and Alvaro Espinoza as part of a reunion ceremony honoring the legendary 1995 Indians team. • Castrovince: Tribe's run in 1995 was magical "It's like we're in the same clubhouse again," Thome said. "Guys still look great, some of them look like they could still play. It's going to be a great weekend. I was really excited when, first of all, they were doing this and to be able to spend time and hang out. I know it's exciting for the fans as well. They'll get a kick out of this." The '95 team is most remembered for winning 100 games and the American League pennant, thanks to a historic stretch of 12 walk-off wins that culminated in the club's first visit to the World Series in 41 years. "So much happened," Nagy said. "So many come-from-behind victories. The playoff run. Dennis' game against Seattle. Kenny stealing third and then home. The season Albert [Belle] had. Every time he stepped to the plate, magic was going to happen. Manny [Ramirez], you can go down the list. Thome. Sandy. Omar [Vizquel] at short. It was a fun time to come to the ballpark." But beyond the wins, what's resonated throughout time from the players' point of view is the people with whom they shared the memories. "We were very special at the time," Lofton said. "We had some characters that were a little different. I think that was the thing, though -- we had so many different personalities." The '95 reunion festivities will carry through the weekend. On Saturday, the group will be back in attendance and will be honored before the game. The first 12,500 fans will receive an exclusive 1995 T-Shirt, and there will also be a separate reunion event at PlayhouseSquare's Connor Palace Theatre, which will include a Q&A session with members of the team and a screening of "Wahoo! What a Finish!"

Top pick Aiken excited to sign with Indians By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 19th, 2015 + 15 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians wanted to sign left-hander Brady Aiken as soon as possible, and the pitcher surely wanted to move on quickly from the events that followed him last summer. Both sides got their wish on Friday, when Cleveland's top Draft pick signed on the dotted line.

The Indians selected Aiken with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the Draft earlier this month, and they managed to sign the young lefty well ahead of the July 17 deadline. Aiken, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow, is already at Cleveland's training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., continuing his rehab. "Last year, a lot of stuff happened, but we kind of just put that behind us," Aiken said from Arizona. "We're happy [with] what happened here with the Indians. We're excited to get moving forward. Everything happens for a reason. What happened in the past happened, and there's nothing you can do about that. We're extremely excited to be with the Cleveland Indians." • Draft signing and bonus tracker With Aiken officially in the fold, Cleveland has signed nine of its first 11 picks, all of which came within the Draft's first 10 rounds. The Indians have managed to go under slot value with many of their signees to date. The value of the 17th overall pick this year is $2,393,600, though the details of Aiken's bonus were not immediately known. Drafting Aiken was a risky move for the Indians, considering the 18-year-old left-hander is currently making his way back from reconstructive elbow surgery and will be sidelined until 2016. Cleveland felt it was worth the roll of the dice, especially considering Aiken was highly-touted enough before the injury to be taken first overall by the Astros in the '14 Draft. "Our scouts did a really good job and spent a lot of time evaluating Brady over the past two years," Brad Grant, the Indians' director of amateur scouting, said after drafting the pitcher. "We're very excited to have the opportunity to select a player as talented as Brady, with the character of Brady as well." Indians general manager Chris Antonetti echoed that stance on Friday. "We felt we knew Brady really well based upon the past experience we had and the chances we had to scout him prior to the 2014 Draft," Antonetti said, "While our exposure to him this year was more limited due to the injury, we still were able to see him pitch. We were actually at the start when he left [due to the elbow injury]. We feel we have a pretty good sense for his abilities when he's healthy." Last year, injury concerns led to Aiken going unsigned by Houston. Initially, the Astros offered Aiken $6.5 million, but the offer was reduced to $5 million after injury concerns arose from a post-Draft physical. When Aiken went unsigned, he joined Tim Belcher (1983) and Danny Goodwin (1971) as the only No. 1 picks not to sign a contract. Aiken's image took a hit publicly for turning down Houston's offer, but Antonetti went out of his way to praise the pitcher's character and work ethic during Friday's conference call. "We have zero concerns about Brady's character," Antonetti said. "In fact, we think that's part of what makes Brady so attractive to us." That meant a lot to Aiken. "I think it's really important that he said that about me, and I really do appreciate it," Aiken said. "Most importantly, there's a difference between reputation and character. Reputation is what people think of you, and character is what you actually are. What's most important is my character is what I am, and not what people think of me. I think that's what's most important to me and my family." In his senior season at Cathedral High School in San Diego, Aiken went 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts. After he did not sign with the Astros, the lefty joined IMG Academy's postgraduate program in Florida and remained eligible for this year's Draft. Thirteen pitches into his first start for IMG on March 19, Aiken exited his outing due to discomfort in his throwing elbow. Six days later, Dr. David Altchek -- the same surgeon who did Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco's Tommy John operation -- performed surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in Aiken's elbow. The Indians feel confident that Aiken can return to the top-flight talent he was prior to the injury. "What we're confident in is that he'll be able to return to his prior level," Antonetti said. "And, if he does that, and if he's able to get back to what we've seen in the past, we think that makes for a really effective starting pitcher." Aiken is looking forward to doing that with Cleveland. "Everything's going as planned," Aiken said. "We're just excited to get going here." Kluber seeking end to slide in middle game vs. Rays By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com | June 19th, 2015 + 0 COMMENTS The Rays and Indians play the second of their three-game set on Saturday night with reigning Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (3-8, 3.54 ERA) getting the start for Cleveland, looking to snap a streak of three consecutive losses.

Erasmo Ramirez (6-2, 4.45 ERA) takes the hill for Tampa Bay, making his 10th start of the season after opening the year in the bullpen. Things to know about this game • The Indians are scoring an average of only 2.36 runs per game in Kluber's starts this season -- the third-lowest mark among qualified pitchers. Ramirez, on the other hand, has been given a healthy 4.33 runs per game. • Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis extended his home hitting streak to 23 games with a leadoff double in the first inning of Friday night's game. That streak is the longest at Progressive Field by an Indians hitter in franchise history and is just four games short of the longest overall hitting streak at the stadium, 27 games, held by the Rangers' Elvis Andrus. • Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera faced his former team for the first time since being traded from Cleveland midway through last season, and promptly hit a home run in his first at-bat.

Right-hander to make Major League Debut against the Rays By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 19th, 2015 + 0 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians have cycled through a variety of arms in search of stability for the fifth spot in their rotation. Cleveland's latest attempt to shore up the staff will be to promote pitching prospect Cody Anderson from Triple-A for his Major League debut.

On Friday, Indians manager Terry Francona announced that Anderson -- the club's 17th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com -- is slated to be officially recalled prior to Sunday's game against Tampa Bay for his first start in the big leagues. Francona added that the 24-year-old Anderson will likely make at least a couple of starts for the Tribe. "He worked so hard over the winter," Francona said. "He's a big strong kid. He didn't have a lot of flexibility. And, because of that, it was kind of hard for him to drive the ball down in the zone. He worked so hard at it at the strength and conditioning camp that, now all of a sudden, he's throwing the ball downhill. "He's got a little two-seamer to go with it. So now, with all that strength and velocity, he's working down and he's having a lot of success." Between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus this season, Anderson has posted a 1.87 ERA with 53 strikeouts against 14 walks in 67 1/3 innings (12 starts). The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander turned in a 2.33 ERA in his three starts with Columbus, striking out 18 and walking five in 19 1/3 innings. Anderson won Cleveland's Bob Feller Award in 2013, honoring him as the organization's Minor League pitcher of the year after he went 9-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 26 starts between high-Class A and Double-A that season. Anderson took a step back in '14, when he went 4-11 with a 5.44 ERA in 25 starts for Akron. "I just think he tried too hard," Francona said. "By his own admission, I think he felt like he was starting to maybe be on the radar and just tried to be a little better than he was ready to be." Francona noted that Anderson was scheduled to join the Indians on Saturday before being officially recalled from Triple-A on Sunday.

Cash, Francona display strong bond in reunion By Bill Chastain / MLB.com | @wwchastain | 1:01 AM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- Friday night's Rays-Indians contest marked Kevin Cash's return to Cleveland, where he spent the past two seasons as the Indians' bullpen coach under Indians manager Terry Francona.

The Rays hired Cash on Dec. 6, 2014, to be the manager to follow Joe Maddon. Cash and Francona were close during Cash's stay in Cleveland and the pair remain good friends. "I'm not even sure where to start," said Francona when asked about Cash. "He's such a special guy. He impacted everybody here, myself included. He's one of the most special people I've ever come across in the game, and I've been so lucky because I've come across so many good people. He's really special. We miss him. We're happy for him, but we miss him." Cash allowed that he was excited to be in Cleveland for the three-game series. "Obviously, Tito's a big part of it, but everybody here, the organization just treated me so well, my family," Cash said. "This will be a special three days. Especially getting to see all the players. A lot of buddies over there I'm looking forward to seeing. I will spend the next couple of days catching up with a lot of people." Cash served as a backup catcher for the Red Sox when they were managed by Francona. Reporters asked Cash if he would be a manager if he had not crossed paths with Francona in Boston. "Yeah, you never know," Cash said. "But when we did, it seemed like we hit it off. I learned so much from him. Just the way he treated, not just me, but everybody in the Boston orgnization. It just really stood out, maybe more than some other managers I played for." While each manager respects the other, the fun the two have shared and continue to share was apparent. When explaining why he hired Cash when he first got hired as the Indians manager, Francona took a playful shot at the light-hitting Cash. "I saw the way he handled himself as a backup catcher, I saw the presence he had in the clubhouse that was way more than a backup catcher who's hitting .140 when he was hot should have," Francona said. When asked how Cash has "imprinted" Rays players, Fracona offered a compliment delivered with another zinger. "I wish that they were not taking his demeanor, I wish they were taking his swing," Francona said. "You can tell they bought in, they're very aggressive, they're very youthful in some places, but they're getting after it. He goes to the bullpen a little early, he matches up. "I think one of the misnomers was how much he learned. I probably learned as much from him just because he's so good. You hire good people and they make everybody better. He helped me a ton, way more than he probably ever knew." While Cash talked to reporters in the visiting manager's office he was twice interrupted by Francona calling then hanging up. The Rays manager said he arrived to Progressive Field just before noon on Friday. "I got here and Tito was already texting me, like, 'you don't come early any more,'" Cash said. "He was here just before 11, so Tommy Topper." Francona said that he watches the scoreboard and if the Indians are losing and so are the Rays he feels like he's losing a double-header. "I'm doing the exact same thing," Cash said. "That's a credit to all of the guys over there." Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. Listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its

Ryan Lewis: Change is a must in voting for All-Star Game The All-Star Game voting process is broken. Or, at least, it has an identity crisis. It was flawed the moment that former commissioner Bud Selig, following a tie in 2002, allowed it to determine home-field advantage in the World Series. Under the sheer pressure of Selig trying to please everyone and boost ratings at the same time, the system at that time was bent. Thanks to Kansas City Royals fans, it has finally shattered. Here are the rules, if you’re not familiar: The fans vote in the starting position players for each league. Eight pitchers and one position player are selected by the players. Each manager then rounds out the roster with the exception of the final spot, for which the voting power shifts back to the fans for a final tally. Here’s the situation: After the most recent vote, the American League starting lineup will be eight Royals and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. One outfield spot is the only position in which a Royals player isn’t leading that vote, and even there, the Royals have three of the top four. And here’s the problem: The game is supposed to be for the fans, but it isn’t. For some reason, it’s for home-field advantage in the World Series. It isn’t like the Royals are 25 games ahead of second place in the league and averaging 12 runs a game, either. The Royals deserve to be well represented, but every starting position except center field? Royals manager Ned Yost said this week, “If you don’t like it, vote.” And he’s right. Under the current rules, you just have to vote if you don’t like who might be starting the game. Except that doesn’t mean the rules and the meaning of the game aren’t fatally flawed. According to FanGraphs, outfielder Lorenzo Cain (5th), outfielder Alex Gordon (12th), third baseman Mike Moustakas (16th) and first baseman Eric Hosmer (24th) are the only Royals in the top 35 in WAR, which measures a player’s total value. Arguments can surely be made for those four and perhaps catcher Salvador Perez being All-Stars. But here’s the real reason the system needs an immediate overhaul: Royals second baseman Omar Infante would currently be starting the All- Star Game, which if you remember, determines home field advantage in the World Series. Infante at one point this week was hitting .204 and right now and owns a WAR of -0.2, which actually means he has played worse than an average replacement player at his position. Statistically, a below-average player is going to start as an All-Star. Making matters worse, he’s going to start in place of Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who’s playing well and second in votes. Infante is also going to start above Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, who, accordig to WAR, has been the best player in the American League (3.9), regardless of position. Starters play a bit more, so a below average player is likely going to play a couple more innings than the AL’s MVP — according to WAR — with something actually on the line in the game. Royals fans have done nothing wrong. Voting for your favorite players is what baseball is about. But either the game is for the fans, or it isn’t. It’s an exhibition and a showcase, or it isn’t. Is it the nine best players, or the nine most popular players? Currently, the system is trying to stay on both sides of the fence. Indians manager Terry Francona said the All-Star Game is about fans voting. He’s right. But the fact that the game has ramifications doesn’t line up with that spirit. “I guess the part I have trouble with is because the game is so meaningful, you’re kind of sending a mixed message by how we go about getting there and the things you’re asking the players to do during a game,” Francona said. “I think you just have to go into it knowing that it’s not the baseball world saying who the best nine players are to start the game. Part of this game is made for the fans. And that part is voting in the starters. Since those are the rules, I guess I would say that I commend Royals fans.” MLB.com reporter Jordan Bastian floated the idea that fans would still vote for which players appeared in the game, but the manager would then have the authority to pick his starters. Francona brought up the point that general managers probably do the most league-wide scouting, so maybe they should play a role. Both of those ideas, considering the current rules, would be an improvement. Perhaps baseball should take a page out of the NFL’s book and use their voting system, in which the fans, players and coaches all make up one-third of the vote. That way, if the fans want to vote in a below-average player, they can. But since home-field advantage is on the line, give the players and managers a chance to put together the best team. Or, maybe an exhibition game in July shouldn’t have an effect on the biggest games of the season in October. Francona is right, baseball is sending a mixed message. Either the voting system or the meaning of the game has to change. Because you can’t please everyone, and the All-Star game should be about the fans and nothing else. Commissioner Rob Manfred said this week that he’d be open to discussions about changing the voting process, “ … If we get a result that is not consistent with the goals of the system in place.” It’s too late for 2015. This game likely can’t be salvaged. But perhaps we can 2015 can be avenged by correcting future games. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 Indians sign first-round pick Brady Aiken Ryan Lewis The Indians announced Friday that they have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick and left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken. Details of the deal have not be released. "I'm just excited. I'm excited to get going here,” Aiken said. “I want to say thank you to the Cleveland Indians organization. They put faith in me to get through this and really couldn't have done it without them.” Aiken, 18, was selected 17th overall in the first round after going No. 1 overall to the Houston Astros in last year’s draft. The Astros had concerns with his elbow, though, and a contract agreement could not be reached. Aiken then enrolled at IMG Academy and after one appearance needed to undergo Tommy John Surgery. That made his selection in the first round a high-risk, high-reward pick. He has completed his medical evaluation with the Indians and is in Goodyear, Ariz., rehabbing his left elbow. "I had my surgery three months ago and I've been doing my therapy as much as I can,” Aiken said. “I've been on a program. Everything's going as planned. I'm on schedule. We're just excited to get going here." Aiken becomes another pitcher in the Indians’ system who will attempt a comeback from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and others are success stories. Aiken’s progress through the minor leagues will be just as much due to the training staff as the coaching staff. “We kind of started to build a relationship with the medical staff here with the Indians,” Aiken said. “Really, we're excited with their programs and what they can do for me and what they've done in the past with Tommy John pitchers. I think we're in really good hands here." Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 Rays 4, Indians 1: Friday's One Last Thing on the Indians struggling with RISP RYAN LEWIS The Indians fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 Friday night at Progressive Field. Asdrubal Cabrera hit one of three solo home runs for the Rays, and the Indians’ offense struggled on a night in which the team welcomed back members of the 1995 Indians, owners of one of the best offenses in baseball history. Friday’s One Last Thing: The Indians aren’t hitting with runners in scoring position. It’s been written about plenty of times this season, but it popped up again Friday night. The Indians went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Only a week ago, they went through a stretch of 3-of-4 games with 10 men left on base (5-for-40 with RISP in those games). More: Indians sign first-round pick Brady Aiken, name Cody Anderson starter for Sunday Indians manager Terry Francona has said, each time, that he’ll at least take those opportunities, as it’s better than not having them at all. But, eventually, the Indians need to start “cashing in,” as Francona said recently. “They seem to always trend one way or the other. When it starts to trend the other way, we'll all be a little happier,” he said Friday night. “It seems like we had a lot of innings with first and second and nobody out and then you look up and that's the way the inning ended. I'd rather have the opportunities, but we don't seem to do much with them lately.” Here are some numbers, courtesy of Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The Indians entered tonight ranked No. 1 in baseball with a .751 OPS with the bases empty. But with runners in scoring position, they plummet to 28th in the league with men on (.686) and 26th in the league with runners in scoring position (.675). And since June 1, the Indians are hitting .194 with RISP and .275 in all other situations. That’s good news for creating opportunities, bad news for winning ballgames. When asked about the frustration about it, outfielder Brandon Moss said, “Well, yeah it is. But you can't control when you hit the ball and when you don't. I think every one of us goes up there and gives our best at bat we can every time. Obviously, it hasn't worked out well lately as far as runners in scoring position, but I mean, once you hit the ball, you can't control where it goes.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 As 1995 team is welcomed back, Indians’ offense falters in 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay Rays Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: On the night in which the organization welcomed back the 1995 Cleveland Indians, one of the greatest offensive teams in history, the 2015 edition did little to honor their legacy in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night at Progressive Field. The Rays (39-30) took a lead two batters into the game off Indians starter Carlos Carrasco (8-6), as rookie Joey Butler hit a solo home run to right-center. The Indians tied the game in the bottom half of the inning facing Rays starting pitcher Nate Karns (4-3). Jason Kipnis doubled to start the first and advanced to third on a bunt single by Francisco Lindor. Kipnis then scored on a wild pitch that got past catcher Rene Rivera to tie it 1-1. In the second, a former Indians shortstop did some damage in his reunion. With two outs, Asdrubal Cabrera turned on a Carrasco pitch and sent it over the wall in right field for the Rays’ second solo home run in as many innings and a 2-1 lead. The Rays led for the rest of the night. In the seventh, back-to-back singles by Cabrera and Steven Souza set up a sacrifice fly by Jake Elmore to extend the Rays’ lead to 3-1. And in the ninth, Souza crushed a home run off of Scott Atchison to the Home Run Porch that hit the clock on the back wall. The Indians’ best chance to find some offense came in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Lindor (2-for-4) and Brantley each singled to open the inning. Karns then struck out Carlos Santana and relief pitcher Xavier Cedeno, a left-hander, struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss to escape the threat. Rays relief pitcher Brad Boxberger finished the ninth for his 17th save. Raburn and Giovanny Urshela walked, but Boxberger got Michael Bourn to strike out looking to end the game. Carrasco threw 6Ҁ innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Kyle Crockett and Jeff Manship, both called up Thursday from Triple-A Columbus, each got into the game. Crockett faced only one batter to end the seventh inning, getting Kevin Kiermaier to ground into a fielder’s choice. Manship threw a scoreless inning, striking out two and walking one. Kipnis (3-for-4), with his double in the first inning, extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his home hitting streak to 23 games, a record in the Progressive Field era. The Indians continued their struggles at Progressive Field and dropped to 1-11 in home series openers this season. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 Indians sign first-round draft pick Brady Aiken; Cody Anderson named fifth starter, will start Sunday Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: The Indians announced Friday that they have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick and left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken. Details of the deal have not been released. “I’m just excited. I’m excited to get going here,” Aiken said. “I want to say thank you to the Cleveland Indians organization. They put faith in me to get through this and really couldn’t have done it without them.” Aiken, 18, was selected 17th overall in the first round after going No. 1 overall to the Houston Astros in last year’s draft. The Astros had concerns with his elbow, though, and a contract agreement could not be reached. Aiken then enrolled at IMG Academy and after one appearance needed to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery. That made his selection in the first round a high-risk, high-reward pick. He has completed his medical evaluation with the Indians and is in Goodyear, Ariz., rehabbing his left elbow. “I had my surgery three months ago and I’ve been doing my therapy as much as I can,” Aiken said. “I’ve been on a program. Everything’s going as planned. I’m on schedule. We’re just excited to get going here.” Aiken becomes another pitcher in the Indians’ system who will attempt a comeback from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and others are success stories. Aiken’s progress through the minor leagues will be just as much due to the training staff as the coaching staff. “We kind of started to build a relationship with the medical staff here with the Indians,” Aiken said. “Really, we’re excited with their programs and what they can do for me and what they’ve done in the past with Tommy John pitchers. I think we’re in really good hands here.” Anderson called up The Indians on Friday called up Cody Anderson from Triple-A Columbus to serve as the team’s fifth starter in the rotation. The Indians have gone through TJ House, who is still on the disabled list, Bruce Chen and Shaun Marcum in search of stability for that fifth spot. Marcum was the best of the bunch, though he was inconsistent from start-to-start and was designed for assignment on Thursday. Next up is Anderson, who will start Sunday against Tampa Bay. Trevor Bauer will have his start pushed back to Monday. This season in Triple-A, Anderson has gone 4-3 with a 1.87 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 12 starts. “He’s a kid that, he gets put on the roster and he worked so hard over the winter. He’s a big, strong kid,” Francona said. “He didn’t have a lot of flexibility. And because of that, it was kind of hard for him to drive the ball down in the zone. He worked so hard at it at the strength and conditioning camp that, now all of a sudden, he’s throwing the ball downhill.” Anderson, the No. 17-ranked prospect in the system according to MLB.com, won the Bob Feller Award in 2013 as the top pitcher in the Indians’ organization, as he went 9-4 with a 2.65 ERA. Last season, though, he struggled in Double-A Akron, going 4-11 with a 5.44 ERA. “I just think he tried too hard,” Anderson said. “By his own admission, I think he felt like he was starting to maybe be on the radar and just tried to be a little better than he was ready to be.” Francona added that while he doesn’t want to plan out the starting rotation for several weeks, he does foresee Anderson getting multiple starts in the big leagues. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 As 1995 team welcomed back, Indians' offense falters in 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay Rays RYAN LEWIS On the night in which the organization welcomed back the 1995 Cleveland Indians, one of the greatest offensive teams in history, the 2015 edition did little to honor their legacy in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night at Progressive Field. The Rays (39-30) took a lead two batters into the game off of Indians starter Carlos Carrasco (8-6), as rookie Joey Butler hit a solo home run to right-center. The Indians tied the game in the bottom half of the inning facing Rays starting pitcher Nate Karns (4-3). Jason Kipnis doubled to start the first and advanced to third on a bunt single by Francisco Lindor. Kipnis then scored on a wild pitch that got past catcher Rene Rivera to tie it 1-1. In the second, a former Indians shortstop did some damage in his reunion. With two outs, Asdrubal Cabrera turned on a Carrasco pitch and sent it over the wall in right field for the Rays’ second solo home run in as many innings and a 2-1 lead. The Rays led for the rest of the night. In the seventh, back-to-back singles by Cabrera and Steven Souza set up a sacrifice fly by Jake Elmore to extend the Rays’ lead to 3-1. And in the ninth, Souza crushed a home run off of Scott Atchison to the Home Run Porch that hit the clock on the back wall. The Indians’ best chance to find some offense came in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Lindor (2-for-4) and Brantley each singled to open the inning. Warns then struck out Carlos Santana and relief pitcher Xavier Cedeno, a lefty, struck out pinch-hitter Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss to escape the threat. Rays relief pitcher Brad Boxberger finished the ninth for his 17th save. Raburn and Giovanny Urshela walked, but Boxberger got Michael Bourn to strike out looking to end the game. Carrasco threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts and no walks. Kyle Crockett and Jeff Manship, both called up Thursday from Triple-A Columbus, each got into the game. Crockett faced only one better to end the seventh inning, getting Kevin Kiermaier into ground into a fielder’s choice. Manship threw a scoreless inning, striking out two and walking one. Kipnis (3-for-4), with his double in the first inning, extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his home hitting streak to 23 games, a record in the Progressive Field era. The Indians continued their struggles at Progressive Field and dropped to 1-11 in home series openers this season. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.20.2015 Columbus Clippers prospects showing improvement: Cleveland Indians Class AAA Report Branson Wright CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians prospect Carlos Moncrief has started to climb out of the hitting basement in recent days with some impressive games for the Columbus Clippers. Moncrief is still below .200 at the plate (.179) but he had some success over his last 10 games. He was 7 of 33 [.212] with five RBI and he walked eight times. Moncrief, 26, is an older prospect who was drafted out of Chipola College as a pitcher but was moved to the outfield after two years. He has all of the tools for a corner outfielder but he will remain in Columbus if he doesn't continue to improve at the plate. First baseman Jesus Aguilar is hitting .262 with nine RBI and one home run over his last 10 games. His eighth homer of the season came in Thursday night's 7-1 victory over Durham. Aguilar is hitting .248 and he leads the Clippers with 36 RBIs. Outfielder Tyler Holt continues to swing a hot bat with a .316 average. He was 12 of 39 [.308] in his last 10 games that included five RBI. Outfielder Tyler Naquin is hitting .278 in his first nine games with the Clippers after being promoted from Akron. He has one double, one homer and two RBI for Columbus. His combined average is .326. From the mound: Lefty Nick Maronde's record (0-7) may not indicate success but Maronde has improved over his last few games. He's given up only two earned runs over his last eight innings. But he's managed only three strikeouts over that span. Familiar faces: In his first eight games with the Clippers, Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .414 with two homers and nine RBI. ... In nine games for Columbus, shortstop Jose Ramirez is hitting .371 with a double and an RBI. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Zimmer, Rodriguezes, Frazier rule Carolina League stat sheets: Cleveland Indians Class A Report Staff Writer CLEVELAND, Ohio – It's still a couple years away, but there is little doubt that some of the top prospects in the Cleveland Indians farm system are bunched together with the Lynchburg Hillcats in the advanced Class A Carolina League. The top four of that group include former first-round picks Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer, along with Nellie Rodriguez and Luigi Rodriguez, and they dominate the league's offensive stat sheets. Zimmer and the Rodriguezes are headed for the Carolina League-California League All- Star Game later this month. Zimmer, Frazier and Luigi Rodriguez are outfielders, Nellie Rodriguez plays first base. Here's how they rank among league leaders. Zimmer: Fifth in average (.302); first in runs scored (51); third in hits (70); tied for second in homers (9); second in stolen bases (26), second in on-base percentage (.401) and third in slugging percentage (.496). Nellie Rodriguez: 14th in average (.280); sixth in runs scored (37); 10th in hits (63); second in doubles (19); tied for second in homers (9), first in RBI (52); tied for eighth in on-base percentage (.364); fourth in slugging percentage (.496). Luigi Rodriguez: 21st in average (.273); tied for seventh in runs scored (36); 11th in hits (62); tied for fourth in triples (4); first in home runs (10); tied for sixth in RBI (34); tied for fifth in stolen bases (15); second in slugging percentage (.498). Frazier: Fourth in runs (38); tied for 12th in hits (61); fourth in doubles (15); tied for sixth in homers (7); fifth in RBI (35). Frazier is hitting .251. Free swingers: The Hillcats have seven hitters among the top 15 in strikeouts in the Carolina League. The group includes Nellie Rodriguez (first, 73), Frazier (65), Zimmer (62), Luigi Rodriguez (61), Mike Papi (59), Paul Hendrix (57) and Eric Haase (49). News and notes: Lynchburg has a 34-32 record heading into the weekend, third in the Southern Division but just one game away from being eliminated for the first half title. ... The Hillcats pitching ranks fifth in the eight-team league with a 4.39 ERA. ... Reliever Justin Brantley, the cousin of Indians left fielder Michael Brantley, suffered his first loss of the year on Tuesday, allowing two runs (earned) in 1.2 innings of relief, snapping a 13-inning scoreless streak. LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS Midwest honors: Captains first baseman Bobby Bradley and left-hander Sean Brady were named the the Midwest League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for the week of June 8-14. In six games, Bradley hit .409 with four home runs, a triple, a double and 10 RBI. Bradley, 19, was drafted in the third round in 2014. Brady was 2-0, pitching 12 innings and allowing one earned run on only five hits, walking four and striking out 11. Brady, 21, was drafted in the fifth round in 2013. Streak snapped: The Captains had a six-game win streak snapped on Tuesday when they were held to three hits by the host Great Lakes Loons. It was their second-longest win streak of the year. They won seven straight in early May. Captains log: Second baseman Claudio Bautisto continues to lead Lake County in hits (72), doubles (19) and average (.305) and is headed to next week's All-Star game. Bradley leads in homers (11) and triples (3). ... The Captains 35-30 record through Thursday is their best heading into the All-Star break since the 2010 team was 44-25. ... The Captains have a 9-2 record against teams from the West Division, including a 5-0 mark at home. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Cleveland Indians sign No.1 pick Brady Aiken; coming off Tommy John surgery Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have signed left-hander Brady Aiken, their No.1 pick in the June draft. Aiken was the first player taken in the 2014 draft, but could not reach a deal with the Houston Astros. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in March and won't pitch until next year. The Indians took Aiken with the 17th pick in the first round. The slotting bonus for the 17th pick is $2,393,600. Aiken, 18, was 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego when the Astros made him the No.1 pick in the country in 2014. When he didn't sign, he enrolled at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., so he could be eligible for this year's draft. In his first start for IMG, the 6-3, 210-pound Aiken injured his elbow. The Indians have already given Aiken a physical and he's at their spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. rehabbing his elbow. The Tribe, with the exception of Triston McKenzie, their competitive balance pick, have signed their top seven selections in the draft. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Pitcher Will Roberts leads streaking Akron RubberDucks: Cleveland Indians Class AA Report Elton Alexander CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Akron RubberDucks are streaking with pitcher Will Roberts, 24, leading the way. But he's not alone as this team is streaking on the mound, at the plate and in the field. Roberts, a fifth-round draft pick in 2011, has been with the Ducks since 2013. This week he upheld his Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors by locking down a fourth straight win. That puts him at 6-2 on the season with a 3.25 ERA, and 25-23 for his career. The 25 victories are tied for first all-time for wins in RubberDuck history with former Duck Matt Packer. Five of the six wins have been at Canal Park. Streaking ll: The big issue for Akron early in the season was collectively quiet bats. For the month of June, those bats have started to heat up. The latest on a roll is catcher/first-baseman Jeremy Lucas, who had his six-game hitting streak snapped Thursday night, the same night Akron's seven-game winning streak came to an end. Lucas was on an 11-for-26 roll in those six games, and in his last 10 overall was hitting .316. The 12th-round pick in 2012 out of Indiana State has now lifted his season average to .228. Still another hot bat for the Ducks belongs to outfielder Todd Hankins, 24. The 15th-round draft pick (2011) is riding a seven-game hitting streak going 13-for-30 with four multi-hit games. For the season he is hitting .279 with 15 stolen bases. Streaking lll: So just how hot have the Ducks been at the plate this month? With 10 days still to go, outfielder Anthony Gallas had an eight- game hitting streak, including three straight games with a homer; third-baseman Yandy Diaz had a nine-game hitting streak, including a pair of game-winning hits; and outfielder Bryson Myles had a 12-game hitting streak for the best of the month to date. Utility infielder Ronny Rodriguez, who returned to action last week after recovering from a spring training wrist injury, has already had a three- game roll, going 7-for-14. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Cody Allen closes for Cleveland Indians regardless of time, place or inning Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio – No manager goes to their closer in the fifth inning because most closers are still sleeping in the trainer's room at that part of the game. If a manager wants to disturb his closer at that early juncture, he better have a good reason. Something like the ballpark is on fire might work. Manager Terry Francona has been around a long time and he knows how ornery the pitchers who walk the high wire of the ninth inning can be. Then there's closer Cody Allen. He's different. So different that Francona brought him into Thursday night's game against the Cubs in the fifth inning following a 1 hour and 16 minute rain delay. Allen has converted 11 straight saves and 14 of 15 overall this season, but his job Wednesday was to save the fifth inning. Closers don't get rich saving the fifth inning. And managers who use their closers in the fifth better be confident of their job security. "I wouldn't have done that if I thought there was any hesitation on his part," said Francona. "But he was so damn excited that I got excited. That's just the way he is." Said Allen, "Tito just asked me if I was open to it and I said absolutely. If that's how you want to try and piece it together, for us to win a ballgame, then I'm all for it. " Allen entered the fifth with the bases loaded; the score tied 3-3 and cleanup hitter Miguel Montero at the plate. Allen threw a strike and a ball to the left-handed hitting Montero. On the next pitch, Montero flied out to left. Francona thought about using lefty Marc Rzepczynski to face Montero, but decided to go all in with his closer. This season lefties are hitting .170 (9-for-53) against Allen. "You can't use you closer like that all the time," said Francona. "We did it because of the rain delay. But I'd rather lose with our best in a situation where the game is leveraged." The fifth inning was safe, but what about the next four innings? It turned out they were in good hands as well. Allen struck out the side in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single. Zach McAllister struck out the side in order in the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, rookie third baseman Giovanny Urshela made all that good pitching mean something as he singled home Yan Gomes for a 4-3 lead. McAllister struck out Kris Bryant to start the eighth, but walked Montero and hit Starlin Castro. Rzepczynski relieved and struck out pinch-hitter David Ross. Bryan Shaw came on and performed the Allen specialty – the four-out save. "After Cody, everybody did a great job behind him," said Francona. McAllister (2-2, 3.44) was the winner. He struck out four in 1 1/3 innings. For the season, he's struck out 44 in 36 2/3 innings. He was excited to watch Allen come in for the fifth. "To me, it's like closing a game right there," said McAllister. "That what he does. He's been very successful at it. I don't think anyone has any questions about why he (Francona) did it." Allen likes to pitch when the game reaches critical mass. Francona frequently used him in bases-loaded situation in 2013 before he became the closer last season. Allen liked the challenge. So the fifth inning, while a bit foreign to him Thursday night, was not virgin territory. "It's a big spot in the game, you have bases loaded and they've already done some damage in the inning," said Allen. "Whether that out comes in the ninth inning or the fifth inning or the third inning, there's a point in the game where it can be won or lost, and that was that point." A point Allen wants to be at regardless of when it happens. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 The Cleveland Indians' fifth-starter revolving door and Cody Allen the right fielder: Zack Meisel's musings Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brandon Moss was throwing a baseball against an empty locker on Thursday afternoon. Ryan Raburn and David Murphy both pitched for the Indians on Wednesday. Moss was asked if he would have been next. "I better have been," he said. "That's why I'm practicing." Here are 10 thoughts on the Tribe, following their 4-3 victory against the Cubs. 1. Revolving door: The Indians will test drive a new fifth starter on Sunday, after the club designated right-hander Shaun Marcum for assignment on Thursday. Marcum surrendered six runs in two innings in Wednesday's 17-0 drubbing against the Cubs. TJ House and Bruce Chen first lost their grip on the fifth starter gig. Marcum is the latest casualty. 2. Orange Jhoulys: Jhoulys Chacin will not be a candidate to assume the rotation vacancy. He opted out of his contract with the organization prior to Marcum's dismissal. Chacin posted a 3.21 ERA in seven starts with Triple-A Columbus. He would have been considered for the opening. 3. Renewal by Anderson: Cody Anderson seems like the likely choice for Sunday's start. The 24-year-old was the club's 14th-round selection in the 2011 amateur draft. He compiled a 9-4 record and 2.34 ERA in 23 starts for Class A Carolina in 2013. He struggled at Double-A Akron last year, as he logged a 4-11 mark and 5.44 ERA. His hit rate skyrocketed and his strikeout rate plummeted. In nine starts at Akron this season, he posted a 1.69 ERA. That earned him a promotion to Columbus, where he has made three starts. 4. Day of rest: Trevor Bauer will be pushed back a day to Monday, presumably so he can duke it out with Detroit, rather than sending a rookie to the wolves. Bauer tossed seven scoreless innings against Chicago at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. 5. Paying attention: Cubs utility man Jonathan Herrera took over at third base in the eighth inning. As pitcher James Russell warmed up, Anthony Rizzo delivered grounders to his fellow infielders. He bounced one in Herrera's direction, but it skipped into left field. The ball was retrieved and returned to Herrera, who promptly airmailed it into the seats behind first base. Michael Brantley, perhaps keenly aware of the defensive lapse -- and of the fact that Herrera was playing back at third -- dropped a bunt single in his direction on the first pitch of the frame. 6. Closing time: Manager Terry Francona admitted his decision to deploy closer Cody Allen in the fifth inning -- following a 76-minute rain delay -- was a bit unconventional. Allen entered with the bases loaded and two outs. He induced an inning-ending flyout and then struck out the side in order in the sixth. Francona joked that he should have left Allen in the game in right field for two innings and then called upon him to pitch the ninth. 7. Stratego: Francona said he summoned Allen because it "looked like, potentially, the biggest out of the game." Closers have long been tied to rigid roles, but doesn't it make more sense to use your best pitcher in the relief situation of highest leverage? If Miguel Cabrera approaches the plate in the seventh or eighth inning with the bases loaded, why wait to play your trump card? "I'd rather lose with our best in the situations where the game's leveraged," Francona said. 8. With a little help: It helps the Indians' cause to have other relievers they trust in the late innings. Zach McAllister, Marc Rzepczynski and Bryan Shaw pieced together three scoreless frames after Allen departed. "We went with our best and our other guys did great," Francona said. "So it worked out really well." Rzepczynski has recorded 16 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run. He has totaled 7 1/3 innings during that stretch and has limited the opposition to four hits and two walks. 9. Twist and shout: Shortstop Francisco Lindor made a throwing error on Thursday, one night after he missed a ninth-inning pop-up. On the other hand, he made an Omar Vizquel-like over-the-shoulder grab on a bloop to left field and he raced home from third to score on a wild pitch in the first inning. "I about swallowed my chew," Francona said, "but he's quick enough where it really wasn't that close. That 's the last thing you want to do is make an out there in that situation, but he got a good jump, and he was safe pretty easily." 10. Let it be: Yan Gomes exited Thursday's game with a stiff neck. Francona said it has bothered him "for a couple days." "I don't know if he'll catch [Friday] or not," Francona said, "but he's OK." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Indians manager Terry Francona welcomes Kevin Cash back to Cleveland with a special phone call Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kevin Cash sat at his desk, the bill of an unfamiliar blue hat concealing the top of his face. As he spoke to a small cluster of reporters in the cramped visiting manager's office, the phone rang. "Speak of the devil," Cash said. Terry Francona's name popped up on the caller ID. Cash lifted the phone to his left ear and sternly stated, "I'm busy," but the only sound on the other end was a dial tone. He placed the phone back in its place. He restarted his sentence. The phone rang again. Cash rushed the phone to his ear. Another dial tone. "This is going to be a great three days of comedy," Cash quipped. Cash's first day back at Progressive Field, following two seasons as the Indians' bullpen coach, and Francona couldn't keep from pranking the new Rays skipper. It actually started early Friday, when Francona arrived at the ballpark an hour before Cash did. "Tito was already texting me, saying, 'You don't come early anymore?'" Cash said. Except when talking about Cash's hitting ability -- the longtime backup catcher logged a career .183 batting average over parts of eight major league seasons -- Francona has always spoken highly of his value to his roster or organization. "He's such a special guy," Francona said. "He impacted everybody here, myself included. He's one of the most special people I've ever come across in the game and I've been so lucky because I've come across so many good people. He's really special. We miss him. We're happy for him, but we miss him." Cash played for Francona in 2007, 2008 and 2010 in Boston. When Francona was hired prior to the 2013 campaign, he immediately thought of Cash for a coaching position. "When he was in the batter's box, I wanted him to be a coach," Francona joked. "I saw the way he handled himself as a backup catcher. I saw the presence he had in the clubhouse that was way more than a backup catcher who's hitting .140 -- when he was hot -- should have." Cash interviewed with the Rangers and Rays last winter. Tampa Bay hired him. Now, he has the Rays -- who have a roster riddled with injuries -- atop the American League East. And Francona has paid attention. "It's human nature," Francona said. "You always look at who you know. There's always a reason. Early in the season, I was telling [bench coach Brad Mills], if we were losing and they were losing, I felt like we lost a double header, because I was so worried about him. "I knew he could [do it]. You care. You can't cut the cord from caring. A guy leaves but it doesn't end your friendship." As for Cash? "I'm doing the exact same thing," he said. Francona helped prepare Cash for his interviews over the offseason. "The way he communicates with people and goes out of his way to make sure people feel important and special," Cash said, "those are things you really value an try to carry over." Cash should have known, then, that the prank phone calls were coming. After all, Francona pulled the same trick on Cash when he served as the Indians' bullpen coach. "Constantly," Cash said. "Plenty of phone calls down to the bullpen." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Cleveland Indians lose to Asdrubal Cabrera's Tampa Bay Rays: DMan's Report, Game 66 Dennis Manoloff June 20, 2015 at 12:09 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Asdrubal Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a homer as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-1, Friday night at Progressive Field. Tribe hitting machine Jason Kipnis went 3-for-4 with a run. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: Familiarity breeds defeat: The Indians (31-35) are 13-20 at Progressive Field. At home on the road: Manager Kevin Cash's Rays (39-30) are 20-11 away from Tropicana Field. Roller coaster: For the second time this season, the Indians have played a nine-game stretch consisting of L-W-L-W-L-W-L-W-L. Stat of the day: The Tribe is 10-21 after a victory. Offensive offense: On May 25, the Indians lost to Texas, 10-8. They are 11-11 since. In the 11 losses, they have scored 3, 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 0, 1, 0, 1. Bad breaks; just plain bad: Two innings defined the Indians' offense Friday. *In the first, they scored once but deserved better against right-hander Nathan Karns. Kipnis led off by doubling into the left-field corner. He advanced to third on Francisco Lindor's bunt single. Michael Brantley lined to first. With Carlos Santana batting, Karns' wild pitch enabled Kipnis to score and Lindor to move to second. Santana lined to center. David Murphy lined foul by a narrow margin down the right-field line. After Lindor advanced to third on a wild pitch, Murphy struck out looking. The Tribe's hard-hit balls added to one run, and the run didn't even score as the result of a hit. *At-'em balls had nothing to do with the Indians' failure in the sixth. With Tampa Bay leading, 2-1, Lindor led off by sending a pitch off Karns' glove and into shallow right field for a single. Brantley singled to left, Lindor stopping at second. When cleanup batter Carlos Santana got ahead in the count, 2-1, he needed to find a way to punish Karns. Instead, Santana fouled a 91-mph fastball, fouled a 91-mph fastball, and swung through an 84-mph changeup down and away. Those who bathe in analytics love Santana because he works counts, draws walks and, over the course of his career, has created plenty of runs. But even the analytics crowd must acknowledge that Santana has struggled in 2015. His season's slash line of .212/.358/.377 is well below his career's .246/.367/.437 entering Friday. He has eight homers, 33 RBI and 32 runs. Santana went 0-for-4 on Friday, including 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. For the season, he is 14-for-68 (.206) with three extra-base hits and 22 RBI with RISP. One reason pitchers have had the upper hand is Santana's unwillingness to cut down his swing with two strikes, thereby making him susceptible to off-speed stuff away. But remember: 68 at-bats constitutes a small sample size, and batting average long ago was rendered obsolete. After Santana's whiff, Cash hooked Karns for lefty Xavier Cedeno. Ryan Raburn pinch-hit for Murphy and got ahead, 3-1. Raburn fouled an 87- mph pitch, fouled another 87-mph pitch, and swung through an 88-mph pitch that was down. The Indians still had an opportunity to salvage the inning because lefty slugger Brandon Moss stepped in. Moss brought with him 11 homers and 35 RBI. Cedeno was unimpressed. Moss fouled, swung and missed, and flailed at a sweeper. Moss is 14-for-72 (.194) with seven extra-base hits and 23 RBI with RISP. Dirtbag remains locked in: Second baseman Kipnis extended his overall hitting streak to 14 games and his home hitting streak to 23. His season's slash line is .341/.417/.506. Not good enough: Tribe right-hander Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings, but the Rays amassed 10 hits off him. Carrasco walked none and struck out five. Carrasco gave up solo homers to Joey Butler in the first (2-0 fastball over the plate) and former teammate Cabrera in the second (1-0 hanging slider). The Rays' other run against Carrasco came in the seventh. Cabrera's one-out single to right (1-2 fastball over plate) pushed Steven Souza Jr. to third. Souza scored on Jake Elmore's sacrifice fly. Cabrera is batting .210 with four homers. Bottom line: The Indians need to win when it's Carrasco vs. Karns in Cleveland. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 What the Cleveland Indians said following their 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Friday Zack Meisel LEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians dropped their series opener against the Rays by a 4-1 score. Asdrubal Cabrera greeted his former team with a solo home run in the second inning. Here is what Cabrera, manager Terry Francona, pitcher Carlos Carrasco and right fielder Brandon Moss said after the game. Francona, on Carrasco, who allowed three runs on 10 hits with no walks over 6 2/3 innings: "On a lot of nights, we're probably saying he pitched pretty well. We had a couple really good chances and didn't do much with it. That was kind of the game." Carrasco, on Cabrera's home run: "I think I missed a spot right there with Asdrubal. I should have thrown a fastball and instead threw a changeup." Francona, on the club's performance with runners in scoring position: "It seems like we had a lot of innings with first and second and nobody out and then you look up and that's the way the inning ended. I'd rather have the opportunities, but we don't seem to do much with them lately." Francona, on the effort of Rays righty Nate Karns, who limited Cleveland to one run across 5 1/3 innings: "He found himself and even his velocity ticked up. That usually means guys start to feel a little more confident. He started using all of his pitches and he got the breaking ball under-arm against some of our left-handers." Moss, on what made Karns tough: "I think he did a good job of being effectively wild. He was wild around the zone and in the zone. You get guys watching and making sure a bit too long, and then you just kind mis-hit stuff sometimes or miss it. I thought we did a good job of working him, gave ourselves some chances, but we never made anything happen." Moss, on the team's struggles with runners in scoring position: "Obviously, it hasn't worked out well lately as far as runners in scoring position, but I mean, once you hit the ball, you can't control where it goes. Obviously, striking out stinks, but when a pitcher makes good pitches, you tip your cap and say, 'That sucked,' and you move on. We had some good at-bats. We hit some balls hard. We just didn't do it at the right times." Cabrera, on his home run: "That's kind of special. Earlier [in the] first inning I was a little nervous, but as soon as I hit the home run everything felt better." Cabrera, on his return to Cleveland: "It's kind of weird. It's kind of weird because I played here eight seasons, but that's baseball. It's a business. I feel good now. "It's kind of weird. All your friends are on the other side. But as soon as they call play ball you've got to forget about it and do your job and try to win." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Newly signed first-round draft pick Brady Aiken achin' to get going with the Cleveland Indians Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Much was written and said and questioned about Brady Aiken after the left-handed pitcher opted not to sign last summer with the Houston Astros, who selected him with the first overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft. Aiken has put the last year -- one marked by controversy, second-guessing and untimely elbow surgery -- behind him. "Last year, a lot of stuff happened," Aiken said Friday on a conference call with reporters, "but we kind of just put that behind us. We're happy with what happened here with the Indians. We're excited to get moving forward. Everything happens for a reason. What happened in the past happened and there's nothing you can do about that." After the Astros selected Aiken with the first pick last year, they reportedly decreased their initial offer to him because of concerns about his elbow. Aiken contended that he was healthy. As a result, he refused to sign. There were no complications with this year's negotiations after the Indians chose him with the 17th overall selection earlier this month. The Indians announced on Friday that they had signed Aiken, 11 days after they selected him. "We have zero concerns about Brady's character," said Indians general manager Chris Antonetti, "and that's part of what makes Brady so attractive to us is the work that he put in leading up to the draft to put himself in position to be selected in the first round now multiple times. We think his character and work ethic are a strength of his." Aiken went 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts during his senior year at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. When he and the Astros failed to agree to terms, Aiken bolted for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. In his first start there in March, he suffered an elbow injury, which required Tommy John surgery. "It was obviously disappointing," Aiken said. "It's not something I wanted to happen. I didn't see it coming because I was throwing for three months before that, throwing bullpens, throwing everything. I felt better than ever going into that game. Obviously when something like that happens, you're going to be disappointed. There's not much you can do. "I just think it was a shocking situation more than anything. We weren't really expecting it, but everything happens for are reason." Aiken has reported to Goodyear, Ariz., where he is working on his range of motion and completing shoulder strength exercises. He'll continue his rehab for the rest of this season. "Brady wanted to get out and he wanted to get with an organization and have us take care of him and help him move forward toward becoming the major league pitcher we all think he can be," Antonetti said. "That was really a driving force in it, was Brady's desire to go out and get signed and that's why we were able to reach an agreement relatively quickly." Antonetti, obviously, likes Aiken's potential. "He has a big, physical, durable frame with a really good delivery that's efficient," Antonetti said. "Really good athlete. Played multiple sports growing up, so he's really athletic. He has a really good mix of pitches. We've seen him with an above-average fastball, above-average breaking ball and above-average changeup." He also likes Aiken's off-the-field makeup. In March, Aiken contributed an article to The Players' Tribune, in which he documented his perspective of the events that unfolded over the last year. "He was able to articulate some of the things he was feeling and some of his personal experiences in an exceptionally eloquent way," Antonetti said. "The work that we do on character and a person's makeup goes well beyond that. Brady's character and work ethic are strengths of his." Aiken enjoyed hearing that. "I think it's really important that he said that about me and I really do appreciate it," Aiken said. "I think most importantly, there's a difference between reputation and character. Reputation is what people think of you and character is what you actually are. What's most important is my character is what I am and not what people think of me.." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Cleveland Indians' bats go missing in series-opening 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome and their former teammates stood behind the mound as Dennis Martinez delivered a ceremonial first pitch to Sandy Alomar Jr. The Indians' organization celebrated on Friday the 20-year anniversary of the heralded 1995 team that won 100 games. Before Friday's affair against the Rays, Lofton and Thome reminisced about that team's potent offense, which averaged nearly six runs per game. Martinez and Charles Nagy recalled how fortunate they felt to be backed by such a forceful group of bats. The 2015 Indians weren't so threatening at the plate on Friday. Their bats went mostly silent in a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay. The evening looked promising for the Tribe, even after Joey Butler clubbed a first-inning home run to center off of Carlos Carrasco. Jason Kipnis doubled and Francisco Lindor singled to begin the bottom half of the frame. Kipnis scored and Lindor advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches, but the rookie shortstop was stranded at the hot corner, as Rays right-hander Nate Karns retired Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana and David Murphy in order. That proved to be the only production the Tribe offense could muster. Lindor and Brantley opened the bottom of the sixth with singles, as the Indians threatened Tampa Bay's one-run advantage. Santana, Murphy and Moss, however, struck out in order, as Lindor and Brantley wasted away on the base paths. Kipnis opened the eighth with a single, but Rays right fielder Steven Souza made a sliding catch on Lindor's pop fly to shallow right. He then heaved a short-hop to first base to double up Kipnis. Tampa Bay slugged three solo home runs. What it means The Indians continue to struggle at Progressive Field. They own a 12-20 record at home. Since rattling off a stretch of 13 wins in 18 games, the Indians have amassed a 6-9 record. They are 6-17 in series openers. Welcome back Asdrubal Cabrera socked a Carrasco change-up into the right-field seats in his first at-bat at Progressive Field since the Indians dealt him to the Nationals last July. Cabrera compiled a .270/.331/.410 slash line with 82 home runs in eight seasons with the Tribe. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 2011 and 2012. He entered Friday's action with a .204/.263/.311 slash line for the Rays. Cookie express Carrasco departed after 6 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs on 10 hits. He did not walk a batter and he tallied five strikeouts. He served up multiple home runs in an outing for the first time since July 6, 2013. Call stands Logan Forsythe thought he had a double. Brantley thought he had nailed the Rays' runner at second after a base hit to left field. Then, the review of the play persisted past the three-minute mark. Eventually, the call of an out at second stood, after a three-minute, 23-second review. Home cooking Kipnis doubled in the bottom of the first to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He has collected at least one hit in 23 consecutive home games, a Progressive Field record. Kipnis tallied three hits on Friday. He has multiple hits in 19 of 44 games since the start of May, and three or more hits in 10 of those contests. Crock pot Southpaw reliever Kyle Crockett, recalled from Triple-A on Thursday, pitched for the Tribe for the first time since April. He relieved Carrasco in the seventh and, in two pitches, retired Kevin Kiermaier on a groundout to end the inning and strand a pair of baserunners. They came, they saw An announced crowd of 22,811 watched the affair. What's next The Indians and Rays will reconvene at Progressive Field on Saturday evening for a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch. The Tribe will trot out Corey Kluber (3-8, 3.54 ERA) to the mound. Tampa Bay will counter with right-hander Erasmo Ramirez (6-2, 4.45 ERA). The clubs will wrap up their three- game set on Sunday afternoon.Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Asdrubal Cabrera greets his former team with a home run: Cleveland Indians notes Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Asdrubal Cabrera watched the first pitch sail wide. Carlos Carrasco followed up the wayward, 95-mph fastball with a change-up. Cabrera pounced on it, providing a fitting reminder of the pop he occasionally wielded at the plate during his tenure with the Tribe. The Rays shortstop, playing his first game in Cleveland since the Indians dealt him to Washington last July, socked a solo home run to right in the second inning on Friday. Cabrera joined the Indians during the stretch run in 2007. Then, he was known as a young defensive wizard, a native Venezuelan who wore No. 13 and aspired to play shortstop the way Omar Vizquel did in Cleveland for 11 years. Cabrera eventually developed some power to accompany his defensive prowess. He slugged 25 home runs in 2011, his first All-Star season. He returned to the Midsummer Classic in 2012. As he aged, his defensive range decreased. His offensive numbers tumbled in 2013, when he posted a .299 on-base percentage and .700 OPS. Jose Ramirez replaced him at shortstop following his trade to the Nationals last summer. In eight years with the Indians, he compiled a .270/.331/.410 slash line with 82 home runs. "At times, he struggled as a player, more than he wanted to," said Tribe skipper Terry Francona. "But he always wanted to play every day and he fought through a lot of frustration and genuinely cared about winning. I always admired that a lot about him. "When he didn't play well, he owned it. But he really cared. You get to see a guy in the dugout through a lot, thick and thin and frustration -- that was the thing that stuck out to me, that he wanted to win." Neck and neck: Yan Gomes is listed as day-to-day with a stiff neck. Francona sat him on Friday, as Roberto Perez batted ninth and caught. Gomes exited Thursday's victory against the Cubs. No-mentum: Francona was pleased, but not surprised, with how his team bounced back from Wednesday's 17-0 loss. The Indians struck first on Thursday en route to a 4-3 victory. "Regardless of how bad you get beat up the day before, it really doesn't carry over," Francona said. "We got on the board first. That's always important." Good cause: Members of the Indians' roster, coaching staff and front office will serve as guest bartenders at The Corner at Progressive Field following Wednesday's game against the Tigers. The matinee begins at noon. Tips and 20 percent of proceeds will go to VeloSano, an annual charity bike ride event that benefits cancer research at the Cleveland Clinic. Fans unable to attend the game can attend the event starting 30 minutes after the last out of the contest. The event is expect to wrap up about 3 1/2 hours after the final pitch. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015 Cleveland Indians tab right-hander Cody Anderson to make major league debut on Sunday Zack Meisel CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cody Anderson posted a 4-11 record and 5.44 ERA in 25 starts with Double-A Akron last year. Three months into the 2015 season, he'll make his major-league debut. The Tribe tabbed Anderson to make Sunday's start against Tampa Bay. They are confident his 2014 campaign was an aberration. Based on his career minor-league numbers, that might be the case. After he fashioned a 9-4 record and 2.34 ERA in 23 starts for Class A Carolina in 2013, Anderson was named the organization's Pitcher of the Year. He earned the same distinction from the Carolina League. So what happened in 2014? "By his own admission," said Indians manager Terry Francona, "I think he felt like he was starting to maybe be on the radar and just tried to be a little better than he was ready to be." The Indians placed Anderson on the 40-man roster after the 2014 season. He logged a 1.69 ERA in nine starts for the RubberDucks. In 48 innings, he totaled 35 strikeouts against only nine walks. He merited a promotion to Triple-A Columbus, where he compiled a 2.33 ERA in three starts, with 18 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. Anderson was scheduled to fly into Cleveland on Friday night. He'll spend Saturday with the club before he is officially added to the roster on Sunday. Francona said he expects Anderson to make more than just one start. "He worked so hard over the winter," Francona said. "He's a big, strong kid. He didn't have a lot of flexibility. And, because of that, it was kind of hard for him to drive the ball down in the zone. He worked so hard at it at the strength and conditioning camp that, now all of a sudden, he's throwing the ball downhill. He's got a little two-seamer to go with it. So now, with all that strength and velocity, he's working down and he's having a lot of success." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.20.2015

Cleveland Indians running out of options for No.5 starter? Hey, Hoynsie! Print Email Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group Hey, Hoynsie: I asked previously if you think the Indians might trade a right fielder for a solid No. 5 starter. You pointed to possibilities in Shaun Marcum, Jhoulys Chacin, and TJ House. I wasn't too keen on relying on Marcum, and his recent start against the Cubs didn't help that cause. Chacin has opted out of his contract, and House's Class AAA numbers haven't been comforting. I'm led to ask again if you think the Indians might trade for a No.5 starter and who might be available on the market. – Bobby Reichert, La Crosse, Wis.

Hey, Bobby: The Indians have reached a critical stage with their No.5 starter.

Chacin opted out, House is on the disabled list with sore left shoulder and Marcum was designated for assignment after his start against the Cubs. The Indians will promote Cody Anderson from Class AAA Columbus to start Sunday against the Rays. I would think they've been studying trade options for a while.

Or they could always ask Bruce Chen to come out of retirement.

Hey, Hoynsie: The fans finally got their wish granted recently when the Indians brought up Francisco Lindor and Giovanny Urshela from Class AAA Columbus. Are there any other players on the Class A and Class AA rosters who could make a rapid move up the ladder to Triple-A or possibly the big leagues next season based on their current production? – Shawn Marshall, Garfield Heights.

Hey, Shawn: Relief pitchers usually have the best chance of moving quickly through the system. Just look at what Cody Allen and Kyle Crockett did in a short period of time.

The two players that strike me are Bradley Zimmer at Class A Lynchburg and Bobby Bradley at Class A Lake County. The Indians used the No.1 pick last year to select Zimmer, an outfielder, out of the University of San Francisco. They used the third pick last year to take Bradley, a first baseman, out of Harrison Central High School in Mississippi.

It usually takes position players longer to get to the big leagues than pitchers. Hey, Hoynsie: As Sports Illustrated and ESPN have described in recent articles, the Indians' defense is among the AL's worst according to various advanced statistics and has caused the Indians team ERA to be far worse than it should be. Although the team has made defensive upgrades with third baseman Giovanny Urshela and shortstop Francisco Lindor, do you see them continuing to address this issue? Specifically, none of the team's current outfielders are regarded as plus defenders and most can be considered below average. – Gavin Potter, Shaker Heights.

Hey, Gavin: When GM Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona put this team together in spring training, they knew it was going to be an average to slightly below average defensive team at best. One of the areas that has hurt them the most on the defensive side has been the fielding of their pitchers.

In the outfield, Michael Brantley's back has limited his range. Michael Bourn is no longer the Gold Glove defender the Indians thought they were signing and while Brandon Moss has played a decent right field, he makes his living with his bat.

I'm not sure what you want them to do in regards to the outfield. If you want them to bring in a whole new group, that's not going to happen. But I think some moves will be made later in the season.

Hey, Hoynsie: I'm reading George Will's "Men at Work." It analyses baseball from four perspectives – manager, pitcher, batter and defense. Tony La Russa, the manager, was an early user of baseball data. That is the intricate, detailed set of statistics that measure every facet of baseball. Is Terry Francona dedicated user of baseball data? -- Bill Kopetski, Missoula, Mont.

Hey, Bill: Francona, like all big league managers, spends hours every day studying the data the Indians analytical department prepares for him. Then he tapes sheets of the information to the dugout wall before every game as a reference.

The Indians were one of the first teams to buy into baseball's statistical revolution, as were the Red Sox, Francona's previous employers.

Will wrote the book in 1990. When Francona's Red Sox met La Russa's Cardinals in the World Series in 2004, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals.

Hey, Hoynsie: When was the last time you felt the Indians organization was "all in?' – Steve Cornelius, Rocky River.

Hey, Steve: I think the front office, the coaching staff and the players are all in every year. Ownership, on the other hand, probably hasn't been all in, in terms of payroll, since 2000 or 2001. They've been judicious in their spending since then, which is their right, and the results are evident on the field.

Hey, Hoynsie: Will the Cleveland Indians try to get Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado? – Logan La Marco, Chardon.

Hey, Logan: No, they won't.

They just promoted Francisco Lindor from Class AAA Columbus and he's their shortstop of the future.

Hey, Hoynsie: With the Tribe's on-going struggles on offense, I was wondering why there has been no talk of hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo getting fired? – Andrew Huss, Toledo.

Hey, Andrew: The Indians offense has been inconsistent to say the least. They ranked 12th in the AL in runs in April, second in May and 10th in June entering Friday's game against Tampa Bay.

I think that's the case with a lot of teams. St. Louis, with the best record in baseball, ranked eighth in the NL in runs in April and May, but ranks 15th in June.

I think firing a hitting or pitching coach during the season, unless there's a compelling reason, is usually a cop out by the front office to deflect blame from itself.

Hey, Hoynsie: I've noticed that when the last batter in a big league game strikes out, the catcher always turns and says something to the umpire before heading to the mound to celebrate. What is the catcher saying? – Patrick Leber, Mentor.

Hey, Patrick: He's either thanking him for calling a good game or apologizing for all the bad things he said about him during the game.

Hitting with runners on has been no simple task for the Cleveland Indians: Zack Meisel's musings Print Email Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jim Thome and Carlos Baerga were the final two. Everyone else had filed into the elevator after Friday's evening of festivities.

"I'm not sure we can fit on here anymore," Baerga said, jokingly, to his former teammate.

A cast of characters from the Indians' 1995 squad occupied most of the space in the elevator. Dennis Martinez and Eric Plunk and Alvaro Espinoza and Julian Tavarez and Mike Hargrove and others stood, waiting for Baerga and Thome to make a decision. Finally, the men who combined for 441 home runs with the Indians squeezed onto the elevator.

Here are five thoughts on the 2015 version of the Indians.

1. Not so crisp with RISP: The Indians have the highest OPS (.751) and wRC+ (115) with the bases empty of any team in baseball. OPS measures on-base percentage plus slugging percentage. The wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) conveys that the Indians excel at creating run-scoring opportunities when no one is on base. The problem for the offense, however, has been when a batter approaches the plate with runners on. The Indians have been dreadful in such situations.

2. Other end of the spectrum: With men on any base, the Indians own the 28th-ranked OPS in baseball (.686). Only the Mariners (31-37) and the Phillies (23-46) rank worse. With runners in scoring position, the Indians own the 26th-ranked OPS in baseball (.675).

"They seem to always trend one way or the other," said Tribe manager Terry Francona. "When it starts to trend the other way, we'll all be a little happier. It seems like we had a lot of innings with first and second and nobody out and then you look up and that's the way the inning ended. I'd rather have the opportunities, but we don't seem to do much with them lately."

3. Déjà vu: On Friday, the Indians squandered several prime scoring opportunities in their 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay. Francisco Lindor reached third base with no outs in the first inning, but he was stranded at the hot corner. Lindor and Michael Brantley opened the sixth inning with singles, but Rays pitchers struck out Carlos Santana, Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss in succession.

"Obviously, it hasn't worked out well lately as far as runners in scoring position," said outfielder Brandon Moss, "but I mean, once you hit the ball, you can't control where it goes. Obviously, striking out stinks, but when a pitcher makes good pitches, you tip your cap and say, 'That sucked,' and you move on. We had some good at bats. We hit some balls hard, we just didn't do it at the right times."

4. Juice not worth the squeeze: With the bases loaded, the Indians have compiled a dreadful .157/.210/.196 slash line in 62 plate appearances. They have just two extra-base hits in such situations, both doubles. With two outs and the bases loaded, the Indians have tallied two hits in 28 at-bats (.071 average).

5. Workin' day and night: Moss believes the best approach is to simply make the opposing pitcher work harder than he desires and hope that things fall into place.

"Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't," Moss said. "I really believe that. If you're getting guys on base all the time, some days you're going to score a lot and some games you just don't get it done. It stinks when you don't, but at the same time, it's a lot worse when you're going up there three-up, three-down every inning, and then you're facing the starter and then the setup and then the closer guy. That's a lot worse."

Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' about pitching, defense and time to start winning -- Terry Pluto (photos) Print Email Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In spring training, it appeared the Indians had too many starters. Or at least, they had depth in the rotation. But here it's the middle of June, and the team is looking for a fifth starter. And they have been looking for a fifth starter most of the season.

The good news is the Big Four of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have stayed healthy and been pretty effective. They are a combined 23-19 with a 3.72 ERA.

But the fifth spot in the rotation ... heaven help us!!!

Four pitchers have combined for 13 starts. Their record is 3-8 with a 9.00 ERA. Even worse, they have averaged only four innings per start. Not only do they lose, they demolish the bullpen in the process.

Here's how it breaks down:

T.J. House is 0-4 with a 13.15 ERA in four starts. Shaun Marcum is 3-2 with a 6.00 ERA in seven starts. Bruce Chen made one start, 0-1 with an 12.79 ERA. Zach McAllister made one start, 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA. Now, think back to spring training. The Tribe had the following candidates:

1. Gavin Floyd. He signed for $4 million. When healthy, he is a solid 12-game winner. But he wasn't healthy last season and injured his elbow again. He had surgery on March 16.

But the fifth spot in the rotation ... heaven help us!!! 2. Josh Tomlin was considered a possibility. He had shoulder surgery on April 4.

3. T.J. House had a spot in the rotation when camp opened. The Indians really like the lefty. But he was terrible early in the year with the Tribe, and now is on the disabled list in Class AAA Columbus with shoulder problems.

4. McAllister has been a starter, but is best suited for the bullpen.

5. Chen was brought to camp as a long shot. He was 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA at Columbus. He made one start for the Tribe, was hit hard and retired.

6. Marcum was 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA in Columbus. He has had some good games and some bad ones. He has been designated for assignment.

7. The success of Marcum and Chen for Columbus shows the huge gap between Class AAA and the Majors. A veteran big leaguer with marginal stuff can dominate in the International League.

ABOUT CODY ANDERSON

Now, the Indians turn to Cody Anderson, and they are hoping that he can grab that spot in the rotation.

The Indians know it's a bit of long shot. Anderson is coming up after only three starts and 19 1/3 innings in Class AAA (1-1, 2.33 ERA). He opened the season with a 3-2 record and 1.69 ERA at Class AA Akron.

Anderson is 24. He was the 2013 Tribe Minor League pitcher of the year (9-4, 2.34 ERA at Class A Carolina). But in 2014, he had a lot of problems in Akron (4-11, 5.44 ERA).

The Indians determined that Anderson's problem was his conditioning. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander spent the winter after 2013 deciding that he wanted to get stronger. He went on his own weight lifting program, and bulked up. But Anderson lost some flexibility in the process. Jason Kipnis did the same thing after the 2013 season.

Anderson spent most of this past off-season at the Tribe's training facility in Goodyear, where the team's trainers put him on a new regimen. He lost some bulk, added more strength and flexibility. Suddenly, he became a big-time prospect. Now, he has a chance to stick in the Majors. The Indians don't have a lot of starting options in the minors right now who are close to being big-league ready.

ABOUT URSHELA AND LINDOR 1. The main reason that Francisco Lindor and Giovanny Urshela are in the big leagues is because the Indians left side of the infield simply collapsed. Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Ramirez lost confidence and made it impossible for the Tribe to be patient with them. So they were shipped to Class AAA.

2. Chisenhall's decline was alarming. He batted .332 with 9 HR and 41 RBI prior to the 2014 All-Star break. Since then, he batted .216 with 8 HR and 37 RBI in 385 official at bats. His defense was decent early in the season, but had problems at third in the last few days before his demotion.

3. Ramirez appears to have not been mentally prepared to open the season in the Majors. He was batting .180. His defense at short was no longer up to the high standard that he set with the Tribe in the second half of 2014.

4. Just to show the difference between Class AAA and Majors, Chisenhall entered the weekend batting .414 for the Clippers. Ramirez was batting .371. When Chisenhall was sent to Columbus during the 2013 season, he batted .390 in 105 official plate appearances.

5. Lindor is only 21, Urshela is 23. This is their first trip to the Majors. I've talked to several baseball people who estimate about 80 percent of players first promoted return to the minors at least once. On the Tribe right now, the only ones who have been in the Majors for at least two years without a refresher course in the minors are Carlos Santana, Cody Allen, Michael Bourn and Jason Kipnis.

6. The Tribe hopes Lindor and Urshela can supply a spark and energy. Chisenhall and Ramirez were weighed down by their slumps and it was a bit of a drag on the team.

7. Urshela and Lindor are both considered above average with the glove. The Indians lead the American League by allowing 32 unearned runs. Fangraphs ranks the Tribe No. 13 out of 15 American League teams in overall defense. Ramirez was ranked No. 10 defensively among 12 starting American League shortstops when he was sent down. He had eight errors in 46 games compared to four errors in 56 games at short a year ago.

8. Fangraphs ranked Chisenhall No. 6 among AL third baseman defensively. Second baseman Jason Kipnis was ranked No. 3, Carlos Santana was at No. 8 at first base. The website has Michael Bourn at No. 14 among center fielders.

9. Can Lindor and Urshela hit enough to stay in Cleveland? If they do, it's possible they will indeed supply some energy and defense that the infield really needs.

10. Because the Tribe has utilityman Mike Aviles, the Indians do not have to play the two rookies every single game. Aviles can fill in at every infield and outfield position.

ABOUT THE TRIBE The Indians entered the weekend with a 31-34 record. This is a very, very strange team this season. Consider the following:

1. At home, they are 13-20. On the road, they are 18-15. Until the Indians begin to act like Progressive Field is their home, they are going nowhere. Last year, they were 48-33 at home ... compared to 37-44 on the road.

2. For all the gnashing of teeth about facing lefty hitters, the team has an 11-15 record against them. Not great, but hardly a disaster. They were 25-25 a year ago vs. lefties.

3. The problem is this team is supposed to smash right-handers. They are 20-20 in those games. Actually, the problem is they aren't hitting much of anyone and they are batting .224 with runners in scoring position.

4. In April, the Indians were 7-14. Lots went wrong. Then they had a 17-12 record in May. OK, it seemed the Indians were going in the right direction. But they took a 7-9 June record into the weekend series with Tampa Bay.

5. The last time the Indians were .500 was on April 10, a 2-2 record. I hope this is not one of those seasons where it seems to be an endless battle to crawl above .500. The Indians have a better team than that.

Jason Kipnis: Baseball’s Best Second Baseman GammonsDaily.com by Frank Cesare When people think about the best second basemen in the MLB, two names often come up first: Jose Altuve and Dee Gordon. Jason Kipnis is overshadowed by his blue collar consistency that doesn’t dazzle fans. He isn’t a kleptomaniac on the base paths, or the kind of guy that racks up 225 hits in the blink of an eye, but in 2015, he is the quintessential player every team needs.

The 28-year-old is currently having one of the best overall seasons in the game that few people are talking about. Maybe it’s the pedestrian power numbers he’s posted thus far, five home runs and a .163 ISO, or perhaps it’s because he plays for the Cleveland Indians—a city most known for the ridicule it receives and that dominant basketball player who comes and goes as he pleases.

Kipnis may not have the star power that LeBron James possesses, or even the notoriety that Johnny Manziel has accumulated, but he is the most important batter on this Indians team.

Although Cleveland is three games under .500, the franchise may be bottom of the barrel without Kipnis at the top of their lineup. In 300 plate appearances, he has five home runs, 28 RBI, 45 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, .375 BABIP, .335 batting average, .413 OBP and .394 wOBA.

The quiet leadoff hitter gets on base with the best of them. His OBP is sixth best in the game and his wOBA is tied for 12th with Joc Pederson. But despite this, Kipnis trails Omar Infante and Altuve by roughly two million votes in the All-Star Ballots. Gordon and Kolten Wong also have almost two million votes on Kipnis. The mainstream star appeal may not be there for Kipnis, but every metric labels him not only the best second basemen in the MLB, but one of the better players in all of baseball.

Kipnis already has a 4.0 WAR, trailing only Bryce Harper (4.9) and Paul Goldschmidt (4.1). Not only does the Indians second baseman lead all players at his position in wRC+ with 159, but he has the eighth most wRC+ in the entire sport, behind Harper (221), Goldy (202), Miguel Cabrera (186), Todd Frazier (172), Mike Trout (170), Anthony Rizzo (165) and Nelson Cruz (162). Kipnis isn’t anywhere near the kind of slugger those men are, but somehow, he’s just as good of a run creator as they are.

A lot of his success this year could be attributed to his refusal to pick up an out without putting the ball in play. Kipnis strikes out in only 13.3% of his plate appearances while generating a walk in 10.3% of them. With that .375 BABIP of his, he’s someone you can expect to do something positive when he steps inside the batter’s box.

Kipnis has steadily made more and more 2012: 83.3% 2011: 87.1% contact with each year he’s been at the 203: 81.7% 2012: 90.5% Show: 2014: 82.7% 2013: 90.1% 205: 86.4% 2014: 90.5% Contact% 2015: 93.5% 2011: 77.7% Z-Contact% This season, Kipnis’ outside of the zone contact percentage has taken a massive leap, improving from his 63.1% career average to 71.8%, while marginally raising his outside of the zone swing percentage from 2014ƍs 24.5% to 27.6%.

Kipnis has managed to make the most out of his bat and is consistently putting his team in a position to score runs. And he’s done so by limiting the amount of soft contact he makes. Kipnis puts the ball in play softly only 9.9% of the time, which not only is the lowest among all second basemen, but seventh lowest in all of baseball.

The second baseman has the second most base running runs above average (BsR) at his position with 2.5, trailing only Dee Gordon’s 2.6. Kipnis is a hard nosed player that does everything a manager can ask for—he runs the base paths well, he puts the ball in play and he’s a very respectable fielder.

There are few holes in Kipnis’ game—if any. The 28-year-old has blossomed into the best player at his position and not nearly enough people are aware of just how good he has been this season.

Kipnis may not be a flashy player or high-profile name, but he’s just as good of a hitter and just as important to his team as many of the stars in today’s game. He probably won’t ever win an MVP award in his lifetime, but he’s definitely player children ought to emulate and model their game after. He plays the sport the right way and he does his job each day.

Indians reach deal with Brady Aiken, team's top draft pick By TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer) CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Indians are going to gamble with Brady Aiken.

Cleveland agreed Friday to a minor league contract with the hard-throwing left-hander, who was the No. 1 overall selection in last year's amateur draft by Houston but didn't sign after the Astros became concerned about his elbow.

The mid-market Indians, a franchise that watches its spending carefully, decided to take a risk with Aiken, who had Tommy John surgery in March and won't be able to pitch until next year.

General manager Chris Antonetti said the Indians scouted Aiken before the 2014 draft and did extensive research on the 18-year-old in case he was available this year. And when their turn came in the first round, the Indians didn't hesitate in selecting Aiken with the No. 17 pick.

''Brady is a big strong, durable pitcher we feel has a chance to anchor our rotation in the coming years,'' Antonetti said. ''He's a great person and a tremendous worker. We're excited to have him in our organization.''

The Indians had until July 17 to work out a deal, but the sides were able to reach terms. Aiken is thrilled to have security after a tumultuous year,

''I'm excited to get going,'' he said during a conference call. ''The Indians have put their faith in me to get through this. Over the last year a lot of stuff happened, but that's all behind me now. I'm excited to move forward with the Indians.''

After they chose Aiken last year, the Astros made a $6.5 million offer and then lowered it following a post-draft physical. Aiken, who went 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA at San Diego's Cathedral High School as a senior, enrolled at the IMG Academy in Florida. While making a start in March, Aiken felt discomfort in his elbow and needed surgery.

''It was obviously disappointing,'' he said. ''I didn't see it coming. I was throwing for three months before that. I was throwing bullpens. I felt better than ever going into that game. When something like that happens there's not much you can do. I it was a shocking situation more than anything. We weren't really expecting it, but everything happens for a reason.''

Aiken, who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, will continue to rehab at the Indians' training facility in Goodyear, Arizona.

Because Aiken was coming off surgery, Antonetti said the contract talks were not typical.

''It was a unique negotiation, although not that much because we had a good relationship with Brady, we just had to work through to a value that made sense for both sides,'' he said. ''The driving factor in it was Brady was really anxious to sign, to get with an organization and get on a path to rehab.''

Rays hit 3 homers in 4-1 win over Indians CLEVELAND (AP) -- Asdrubal Cabrera's return to Cleveland couldn't have gone much better. Cabrera, who played eight seasons with the Indians, hit one of three solo home runs for Tampa Bay, leading the Rays to a 4-1 victory Friday night.

Cabrera, who played for the Indians from 2007 until being traded to Washington last July, broke a 1-all tie with a two-out homer in the second inning.

''It was special,'' said Cabrera, who also singled in the seventh. ''Earlier in the first inning I was a little nervous, but after I hit the homer I felt better.''

Joey Butler homered in the first inning and Steven Souza Jr. added a home run in the ninth for Tampa Bay, which has won seven of eight.

Cabrera admitted playing against his former teammates and being in the visitors' clubhouse was a different feeling.

''It was kind of weird,'' he said. ''All your friends are on the other side, but as soon as you play ball you have to forget about it and do your job and try to win.''

Rookie right-hander Nathan Karns (4-3) allowed one run in 5 1-3 innings for his first win since May 13.

Four relievers followed with Brad Boxberger pitching the ninth for his 17th save. Boxberger walked two, but struck out Michael Bourn to end the game.

The Rays lead the AL East by one game over the New York Yankees.

Carlos Carrasco (8-6) gave up three runs in 6 2-3 innings. Cleveland fell to 13-20 at home and hasn't won consecutive games since a three- game winning streak May 30-June 2.

Jason Kipnis was 3 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. He has hit safely in 23 consecutive home games.

Rays rookie manager Kevin Cash was Cleveland's bullpen coach on manager Terry Francona's staff the last two seasons. Cash was a catcher for Boston when Francona managed the Red Sox.

''Really happy for Asdrubal Cabrera coming back,'' Cash said. ''These fans got to see him play and really play well. I know they probably didn't like the home run but it's nice to come back to your home team that you grew up in and play well, so we're happy for him.''

Cabrera, who signed with the Rays in January, came into the game batting .204. The homer was his fourth of the season.

Butler's one-out homer gave Tampa Bay the lead. Karns' wild pitch with Carlos Santana batting scored Kipnis from third base and tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

Jake Elmore added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.Francona thought Carrasco pitched well enough to win.

''Overall, actually pretty good,'' Francona said of Carrasco's performance. ''Two solo homers. You never want to see the homers, but two solo homers and a sac fly. On a lot of nights, we're probably saying he pitched pretty well.''

Kipnis started the eighth with a single off Jake McGee, but was doubled up when Souza made a sliding catch of Francisco Lindor's fly ball near the right field line and threw to first.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN The Indians showed a ''welcome back'' video for Cash during batting practice that featured the Rays manager being body-slammed by Indians reliever Marc Rzepczynski in the bullpen last season.

Francona called Cash ''one of the most special people I've come across in this game,'' but he found some humor in the matchup. Asked if he and Cash would try to out-think one another, Francona said, ''I'm not very smart and he's not much smarter.''

TRAINER'S ROOM Rays: OF/DH John Jaso (bruised left wrist) took batting practice for the first time since being injured on opening day.

Indians: C Yan Gomes (stiff neck) was out of the lineup, but is expected to play in the next day or two.

UP NEXT Rays: RHP Erasmo Ramirez has won six of seven decisions since April 19. He recorded his career-high sixth in his last start against Washington.

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber, who has lost his last three starts, will go against the Rays.

After signing with Indians, Aiken eager to continue rehab from Tommy John surgery Joe ReedyFOX Sports Ohio Brady Aiken's reputation took plenty of hits for much of the past year. When it comes to his character though, the Indians believe that remains intact. After signing Aiken on Friday, general manager Chris Antonetti repeatedly brought up the Indians' first-round pick's character and work ethic as Aiken's strengths and what made Aiken an attractive choice as the 17th overall selection. As the Indians announced the signing, Aiken was at the team's complex in Goodyear, Arizona, continuing his rehab from Tommy John surgery. "I think it's really important that he said that about me and I really do appreciate it. I think most importantly, there's a difference between reputation and character," Aiken said. "Reputation is what people think of you and character is what you actually are. What's most important is my character is what I am and not what people think of me. I think that's what's most important to me and my family." Last year, Aiken became only the third top overall pick in the past 30 years not to sign. Houston took the San Diego native last year. Both sides initially agreed to a deal but the Astros then lowered their offer after a post-draft physical left them concerned about the condition of Aiken's left elbow. Aiken enrolled at the IMG Academy in Florida so that he would be eligible for this year's draft. He went only 13 pitches into his first start at IMG before injuring the elbow and undergoing surgery on March 26. Antonetti said the Indians were at the game when Aiken got injured. "I didn't see it coming because I was throwing for three months before that, throwing bullpens, throwing everything," Aiken said. "I felt better than ever going into that game. Obviously when something like that happens you're going to be disappointed. There's not much you can do. I just think it was a shocking situation more than anything, we weren't really expecting it, but everything happens for are reason." To Aiken's credit, he didn't comment on much publicly over the past year. The only time he did was in an article for The Player's Tribune following his surgery. Aiken wrote at the time that he wanted to join an organization where he felt comfortable and where there was a good support system. With the Indians' track record of faring well with pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery, he could not have landed in a better place.

"I'm very excited. We got to finally meet Lonnie (Soloff, the team's director of medical services). We kind of started to build a relationship with the medical staff here with the Indians," Aiken said. "Really we're excited with their programs and what they can do for me and what they've done in the past with Tommy John pitchers. I think we're in really good hands here." Antonetti added the Indians due their due diligence on all the medical background and also gave Aiken a full physical. Almost three months into his rehab, Aiken is doing normal strengthening and range of motion exercises. The 6-foot-3, left-hander has an above average fastball, breaking ball and changeup. When asked the timetable for Aiken possibly pitching in a game, Antonetti gave a 12-18 month timeframe post-surgery, which means sometime next season. Antonetti sees Aiken as a "big, physical left hander who has a chance to anchor the rotation in the future." With the Indians' rotation seemingly set with young arms for at least the next couple of seasons, there isn't any added pressure to rush things.

Indians notes: Tribe signs first-round draft choice Brady Aiken

Filed on June 19, 2015 by Chris Assenheimer CLEVELAND — The Indians made their draft-day gamble official Friday, announcing that they had agreed to terms with first-round pick (17th overall) Brady Aiken, a left-handed pitcher who was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft.

Aiken, 18, is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed on his left elbow in March, and is not expected to begin his professional career until next summer. “I want to thank the Cleveland Indians. They put faith in me to get through this,” Aiken said via conference call from Cleveland’s spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., where he has begun a rehab program. Yes, they have. Aiken has made just one appearance in nearly a year, injuring his elbow during his first start for IMG Academy after choosing not to sign with Houston when he was chosen No. 1. Aiken went 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA during his senior season at Cathedral Catholic High School (San Diego, Calif.). “We felt we knew Brady really well based upon the past experience we had and the chances we had to scout him prior to the 2014 Draft,” Cleveland general manager Chris Antonetti said. “While our exposure to him this year was more limited due to the injury, we still were able to see him pitch. We feel we have a pretty good sense for his abilities when he’s healthy. “What we’re confident in is that he’ll be able to return to his prior level. And, if he does that, and if he’s able to get back to what we’ve seen in the past, we think that makes for a really effective starting pitcher. We feel like he has the ability to be a frontline starter for us in coming years.” The Indians have plenty of experience with rehabbing pitchers from Tommy John surgery. Rotation members Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar have each come back from the procedure. “Everything’s going as planned,” Aiken said of his rehab. “We’re excited what they’ve done in the past with Tommy John pitchers. I’m happy to be in their hands.” The Astros reportedly offered Aiken a signing bonus of over $6 million upon drafting him, but dropped the offer over concerns from a medical evaluation. Aiken chose not to accept the offer and took criticism for the decision. “I think there’s a difference between reputation and character,” he said. “Reputation is what people believe, and character is you really are. Last year, a lot of stuff happened, but we kind of put that behind us. Everything happens for a reason. You can’t do anything about that. I’m excited to get going.” No financial terms were disclosed, but the recommended slot value for the 17th pick is $2,393,600. Cleveland has signed all of its first seven draft choices.

Next arm up As expected, manager Terry Francona announced that right-hander Cody Anderson would be promoted from Triple-A Columbus to take Shaun Marcum’s place in the rotation. Marcum was designated for assignment Thursday. Anderson, 24, was a 14th-round draft pick in 2011 and has split this season between Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron — 4-3 with a 1.87 ERA in 12 starts (nine with the RubberDucks). The solid start has come after a down year for Akron in 2014. “I think he just tried too hard,” Francona said of Anderson’s performance last season. “By his own admission, I think he felt like he was starting to maybe be on the radar and just tried to be a lot better than he was ready to be.” The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Anderson is scheduled to make his big league debut Sunday in the series finale against Tampa Bay.

Night off Catcher Yan Gomes was out of the lineup after leaving Thursday’s game with neck tightness. Francona said after Thursday’s game that the injury was not serious, with Gomes expected to return tonight.

Welcome back It is a Cleveland reunion for Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash and Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. Cash is close with Francona, spending 2013-14 as the Indians’ bullpen coach. “He’s such a special guy. He impacted everybody here,” Francona said of Cash, who was a backup catcher for Francona during his managerial stint in Boston. “He’s one of the most special people I’ve ever come across in this game. We miss him. We’re happy for him, but we miss him.” Cabrera spent six-plus seasons with the Indians (2007-14), the majority of time as the starter at short. “At times he struggled as a player, more than he wanted to,” Francona said of Cabrera,” but he always wanted to play every day and fought through a lot of frustration and genuinely cared about winning. I always admired that a lot about him.” Cabrera, an all-star in 2012-13, is not hitting well, entering Friday batting .204 with three homers and 15 RBIs, but he’s committed only two errors in 64 games. “I’m happy to be back. It’s kind of weird,” Cabrera told reporters prior to his first career game against the Indians.

Roundin’ third The Indians entered Friday with a .406 winning percentage (13-19) at home, which accounted for the second-lowest in the American League and fourth-lowest in the majors. … Cleveland is 13-20 within the division after finishing the past two years with winning records in the Central — 39-37 last year and 44-32 in 2013. … Tonight, 7:10, STO WEOL 930-AM/WTAM 1100-AM/WMMS 100.7-FM. Kluber (3-8, 3.54) vs. Ramirez (6- 2, 4.45).

Indians lose to Rays as offense stalls again

CLEVELAND — The Indians are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 1995 World Series team, a club that employed an outrageously dangerous lineup that arguably produced one of the greatest offensive seasons in major league history. Times have obviously changed. Offense has been a rare sight for the current contingent of Indians, who opened a three-game series against Tampa Bay with a 4-1 loss Friday night at Progressive Field. Once again, key hits eluded Cleveland, which was outhit 11-7, going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving seven on base. Since May 1, the Indians are batting .224 with runners in scoring position. Since June 1, the number has plummeted to .194. “Things seem to always trend one way or another,” manager Terry Francona said. “When it starts to trend the other way, we’ll all probably be a little happier. “I’m glad we’re having the opportunities, but we don’t seem to do much with them lately.” Offensive inefficiency has led to overall inconsistency from the team. The Indians, four games under .500 at 31-35, have not notched consecutive victories since May 31 and June 2. Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco wasn’t spectacular in the series opener, but the right-hander pitched well enough to win, allowing three runs on 10 hits over 6Ҁ innings. He allowed a solo home run to Joey Butler two batters into the game, then another to former teammate Asdrubal Cabrera with two outs in the second inning. Carrasco held Tampa Bay scoreless over the next four innings before surrendering three straight singles and a sacrifice fly that put the Rays in front 3-1 in the seventh. In Carrasco’s six losses this season, the Indians have scored a total of five runs. “Overall, I thought he actually was pretty good,” Francona said of Carrasco, who struck out five and didn’t walk a batter. “Two solo homers and a sac fly. On a lot of nights, we’re saying he pitched pretty good.” With a little run support, it could have been one of those nights. The Indians matched Tampa Bay’s run in the first after Jason Kipnis doubled to start the inning, then scored on a wild pitch. Kipnis, who went 3- for-4 and has a 14-game hitting streak, extended his hitting streak at Progressive/Jacobs Field to 23 games, the longest at the park by a Cleveland player. His streak is the second-longest home hitting streak by a Cleveland player since Miguel Dilone hit in 27 straight games at Municipal Stadium in 1980, and the streak is the second-longest ever at Progressive/Jacobs Field behind Texas’ Elvis Andrus (27 games). Despite a number of chances, the Indians didn’t score again after the first. Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley led off with base hits, setting up a potential big inning for the Indians. But Carlos Santana, Ryan Raburn and Brandon Moss struck out in succession to end the threat. Lindor’s big league career has begun well, at least at the plate. The rookie shortstop has hits in four of his first five games, batting .316 with an RBI and two runs. The Indians, who own one of the worst home winning percentages in baseball, fell to 13-20 at Progressive Field. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay improved to a major league-best 20-11 on the road — 13-5 in June.

Tampa Bay Rays 4, Cleveland Indians 1: No-name Rays top Tribe

By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal With a roster that is mostly a who’s who of who’s he? the Tampa Bay Rays are the most anonymous first-place team in the major leagues.

But there they are, leading the American League East with a record of 39-30, after a 4-1 win over the Indians on June 19.

Indians-Rays photo gallery

Tampa Bay, under new Manager Kevin Cash, the Indians’ bullpen coach for the last two years, has won six of its last seven games and 15 of its last 20. In June, the Rays are 13-5.

In beating the Indians, the Rays got lots of help from ex-Indian Asdrubal Cabrera, who had two hits, including a home run.

“The home run was very special,” said Cabrera. “I played here for eight years, so I was a little nervous before the game. It felt kind of weird being in the other clubhouse.”

Carlos Carrasco started for the Indians and pitched well, except for a couple of early gopher balls. With one out in the first inning, Tampa Bay’s Joey Butler, the second batter of the game, drove a pitch from Carrasco over the wall in center field, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead.

The Indians got that run back in the bottom of the first, which began with a double to left field by the red-hot Jason Kipnis off Rays starter Nathan Karns. The hit extended Kipnis’ hitting streak to 14 games. He also has a 23-game home hitting streak. That’s the longest home hitting streak by an Indians player since Miguel Dilone had a 27-game home hitting streak in July and August of 1980.

Kipnis went to third on a bunt single by Francisco Lindor and scored the tying run on a wild pitch.

The Rays took another lead in the second inning. With two outs, Cabrera hit a line drive into the seats in right field for his fourth home run, giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.

“I was happy to see him come back here, where he played for so many years, and do well,” said Cash, who as a rookie manager is looking like a strong Manager of the Year candidate.

Carrasco settled down after Cabrera’s home run and held Tampa Bay scoreless on three hits over the next four innings.

As Carrasco neared the 100-pitch mark in the seventh, the Rays rallied for another run. They might have had more but Logan Forsythe led off the inning with a hit to left and was cut down at second trying to stretch it into a double by Michael Brantley. The Rays then scored on two more singles and a sacrifice fly by Jake Elmore, extending their lead to 3-1.

“Carlos was pretty good,” said Manager Terry Francona. “Two solo home runs and a sac-fly. A lot of nights (that’s good enough).”

Carrasco, whose record slips to 8-6, pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on 10 hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

“I just missed my spots on the home runs,” he said. “The one to Cabrera was going to be a fastball, but I shook it off and threw a changeup but missed my spot.”

Tampa Bay’s last run came in the ninth inning on a booming 422-foot home run over the left-field wall by Steven Souza off Scott Atchison.

The Indians, who were held scoreless on five hits over the last eight innings, couldn’t produce any timely hits. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. In the sixth inning, they had runners at first and second and no outs, but the next three batters all struck out.

“It seemed like lots of times we get guys on first and second with no outs, and that’s the way the inning ends,” said Francona.

Cleveland Indians notes: Tribe, top draft pick Brady Aiken agree to deal

By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal It’s going to be a long wait, but the Indians are willing to wait.

They feel the payoff on Brady Aiken is worth it.

The Tribe on June 19 signed the 18-year-old left-handed pitcher, the team’s first-round pick, the 17th player taken overall, in the Major League Baseball draft.

“We feel he has a chance to anchor our rotation in the coming years,” General Manager Chris Antonetti said.

First, however, Aiken will have to complete his rehab from reconstruction surgery on his left elbow, which he underwent March 26.

Antonetti said the industry average success rate for such surgeries is 80 to 90 percent. However, the rehab period is extensive: 12 to 18 months, and Antonetti said the Indians tend to favor the longer side of that time frame.

“We’ve never brought a guy back from this surgery before 12 months,” he said. That means Aiken won’t be back pitching again until the end of spring training next year, at the earliest. If his rehab extends closer to the 18- month mark, he could miss most of next year as well.

The Indians, however, are willing to wait for the big left-hander, who as a high schooler out of San Diego was the first overall pick in last year’s draft by Houston.

Aiken and the Astros failed to reach an agreement. Instead Aiken enrolled in the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Thirteen pitches into his first game for IMG, Aiken blew out his elbow.

“That was obviously very disappointing,” Aiken said. “I had been throwing for three months and felt better than ever going into that game. So it was a shocking situation, something you’re not really expecting.”

Had he been healthy, the consensus is Aiken would have been the first overall pick again in this year’s draft. Instead, he slid to the Indians at No. 17.

“We weren’t sure if he would be there when our pick came. But if he was, we wanted to be prepared for it,” Antonetti said. “We were thrilled that he was there when our pick came. We’re excited to have him in our organization.”

Aiken said he wasn’t surprised the Indians selected him with their first-round pick.

“I had spoken to Chris and (scouting director) Brad Grant before the draft and felt really comfortable with them,” Aiken said. “They had a good idea about the best route for me to follow post-surgery.”

Aiken is already at the Indians’ spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., beginning the early stages of his rehab.

“Everything is on schedule,” he said.

“We did all our medical due diligence, got an update on his surgery and did a full physical with him,” Antonetti said. “He’s three months post-op now, and from here it’s a relatively straightforward timetable.”

The Indians will have to be patient during Aiken’s rehab, and there’s a good reason why they will be patient.

“He’s 6-3 1/2, 220 pounds, is big and durable, with a good delivery,” Antonetti said. “He has a plus fastball, plus changeup and plus curve. He has a lot of the attributes you look for in a major-league starting pitcher. With his velocity, we’re confident he’ll get back to his prior level (before surgery).”

Coming out of high school, Aiken’s velocity sat at 92-93 mph, and occasionally touched 97 mph.

Because of Aiken’s situation, Antonetti admitted negotiations were unique.

“It was a unique negotiation, although not that much because we had a good relationship with Brady — we just had to work through to a value that made sense for both sides,” Antonetti said. “The driving factor in it was Brady was really anxious to sign, to get with an organization and get on a path to rehab.”

“I’m excited to get going,” Aiken said. “The Indians have put their faith in me. A lot of stuff has happened to me in the last year, but I’ve put it all behind me and I’m excited to be moving forward with the Indians.”

As a senior at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego last year Aiken was 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 11 starts.

Coming attraction

Manager Terry Francona said the Indians will call up right-hander Cody Anderson, who will make his major-league debut June 21. Anderson, 24, was a 14th-round pick by the Indians in the 2011 draft. He replaces Shaun Marcum in the rotation. Marcum has been designated for assignment.

In a combined 12 starts at Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron, Anderson is 4-3 with a 1.87 ERA. Francona said Anderson will get at least two starts in that spot in the rotation.

Cashing in

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was the Indians’ bullpen coach under Francona the previous two years, and Francona remains one of Cash’s biggest fans.

“He impacted everybody here, myself included,” Francona said. “We’re happy for him, but we miss him.”

Cash was a backup catcher for the Red Sox when Francona was the manager there. Asked if he thought then the light-hitting Cash could eventually become a big-league manager or coach, Francona joked, “When he was in the batter’s box, I wished he was a coach.”

Francona was asked if this series would become a battle of wits between the two managers/friends.

“I hope not, because I’m not very smart, and he’s not much smarter,” Francona said.

Note

On June 20 at 7:10 p.m., Corey Kluber (3-8, 3.54 ERA) will face Erasmo Ramirez (6-2, 4.45).

Jim Ingraham: Construction of 1995 Cleveland Indians was work of art

By Jim Ingraham, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal The Indians this weekend are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the powerhouse 1995 Indians.

That team is probably the greatest team in Indians history, even though it didn’t win the World Series. It’s certainly one of the best single- season major-league teams that didn’t win the World Series.

Six of the nine regulars on that team should have wound up in the Hall of Fame: Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel.

Injuries shortened Belle’s career and ruined his Hall of Fame chances. Ramirez was suspended twice for steroid use, which ended his chances. Lofton, inexplicably, was totally ignored by voters in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot and was thus removed from the ballot.

Murray is in the Hall of Fame, while Thome and Vizquel will both likely be voted in once they are eligible.

The 1995 Indians were 100-44 in that strike-shortened season. Their .694 winning percentage is the second highest in franchise history.

They outscored their opponents by 233 runs (840-607), and were almost unbeatable at home, where they were 54-18 (.750). They had eight winning streaks of five or more games.

They clinched the Central Division title with over three weeks left in the season. They won the division by a whopping 30 games, a major- league record that still stands.

Their combined record vs. Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Oakland and Toronto was 48-9 (.842). In extra-inning games, they were 13-0.

However, what gets lost in all the overwhelming numbers, both then and now, is the fact the 1995 Indians may have been the most perfectly constructed roster in Indians history, and one of the greatest in major-league history.

There are three ways to build a team: through the draft, through free agency and through trades. Indians General Manager John Hart and his staff (Assistant GM Dan O’Dowd, farm director Mark Shapiro and scouting director Jay Robertson) did a spectacular job of using all three areas to build that Indians juggernaut that contributed six players to the American League All-Star team that year.

Here’s how they did it:

Draft

Charles Nagy was a first-round pick in 1988, and Ramirez was a first-rounder in 1991. Belle was selected in the second round in 1987, and Herbert Perry was a second-rounder in 1991.

Chad Ogea was a third-rounder in that bountiful 1991 draft (Tribe picks in rounds 1-through-4: Ramirez, Perry, Ogea and Paul Byrd), which was actually the work of then-scouting director Mickey White.

Also on the ’95 team were Alan Embree, who was a fifth-round pick in 1989, and Jim Thome, perhaps the greatest single draft pick in Tribe history, who was a 13th-round steal in the 1989 draft.

Trades

Hart almost never missed on a trade during those years. He got Lofton from Houston for Willie Blair and Eddie Taubensee. He fleeced Seattle by getting Vizquel in exchange for Felix Fermin and Reggie Jefferson.

Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga came from San Diego in a trade for Joe Carter. First baseman Paul Sorrento, who hit 25 home runs that year — while batting eighth or ninth! — was acquired from the Twins for pitchers Curtis Leskanic and Oscar Munoz.

Hart pilfered Baltimore by sending minor-league outfielder Kyle Washington to the Orioles for Jose Mesa, who in 1995 had the greatest season of any Indians reliever (a club-record 46 saves and a 1.13 ERA).

The starting rotation included Mark Clark and Ken Hill, who went a combined 17-10 and only cost Hart Mark Whiten (for Clark) and David Bell (for Hill).

Free agents

The Indians were off the charts in this area as well. The ’95 Indians included players signed as free agents such as No. 1 starter Dennis Martinez (12-5), No. 3 starter Orel Hershiser (16-6, same record as Nagy), and Murray.

With the exception of Mesa, the bullpen, perhaps the best in the league, were all Hart free-agent signings: Paul Assenmacher, Eric Plunk, Julian Tavarez, Jason Grimsley and Jim Poole.

Other free agents on the 1995 Indians were pitchers Bud Black, infielder Alvaro Espinoza, catcher Tony Pena, outfielder Wayne Kirby and future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who was more of a hood ornament on that roster.

Everything considered, that might be the best and most creatively constructed Indians roster ever. Hart and his staff used all three methods — the draft, trades and free agency — to build it, and virtually every one of those players contributed something to a 100-win runaway division and American League pennant winner. The Indians lost in the World Series in six games to Atlanta.

But it’s still probably the best Indians team ever, and the best work by the Indians’ front office ever.

Cabrera, Rays beat Indians Marc Topkin CLEVELAND — Rays manager Kevin Cash said — when Indians counterpart Terry Francona wasn't prank calling his office — he appreciated the attention about his return to Cleveland, but the bigger story was former Indians All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera coming back. And Cash was right again. Cabrera homered and later singled in the middle of another rally Friday night to help his new Rays team beat his old one 4-1. "Wow, that was kind of special," Cabrera said. "My first inning when I was on defense, I was a little nervous. But as soon as I hit the home run, everything stayed in the past. I enjoyed it. I'm enjoying it a lot." The Rays have a lot to be happy about these days, winning for the 15th time in their past 20 games, maintaining their spot atop the AL East and improving to a season-high nine games over .500 at 39-30. Cabrera wasn't the whole story. Rookies Joey Butler and Steven Souza Jr. also homered. Souza and centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier made dazzling defensive plays. The Rays got their usual strong pitching, Nathan Karns working a solid 51/3 innings and the bullpen brigade finishing, with Xavier Cedeno, Steve Geltz (whose 1-2-3 seventh extended his streak of batters retired to 22), Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger teaming for the final 11 outs. And Cash won the first round of bragging rights over Francona, who he played for in Boston, worked for as the bullpen coach in Cleveland the past two years and became close enough so that they alternate praising and poking fun at each other, and swapping looks during the game. "They had fun, I had fun, it was a special night," Cash said. Cabrera played, and played quite well at times, during 7½ seasons with the Indians before being traded in July to Washington, then signing with the Rays this season as a free agent. Cabrera said he was excited to be back and see old friends and Indians staffers though he admitted it was "kind of weird" coming in and going to the visitors' clubhouse. His son Meyer came with him to see his old friends, and he hung out in the Indians clubhouse for a while. The Indians acknowledged Cabrera's return on the video board before his first at-bat, but the crowd didn't respond with much of an ovation. There were some cheers and a few boos, less, actually, than he got Wednesday in Washington. But Cabrera let his bat do the talking, homering to right in the second inning to put the Rays up 2-1. In the seventh his one-out single moved Souza to third, and Souza scored on a sac fly. "Really happy for Asdrubal Cabrera coming back," Cash said. "It meant a lot for all of us in the dugout because we support him so much. We knew this was a special place for him and this was a big series. He wants to come in and have a good showing, and he did that tonight." The Rays took a lead four pitches into the game when Butler homered for the second straight day and sixth overall. Karns gave it right back with a sloppy first, the run scoring on a wild pitch. But Cabrera put the Rays ahead in the second, and they built from there. Cabrera homers in Cleveland return to help Rays to win Roger Mooney CLEVELAND -- Asdrubal Cabrera spent part of his Friday afternoon hitting ground balls to his son Meyer on the infield grass at Progressive Field, then joked a short while later that Meyer left him to hang out with his old friends in the Cleveland Indians clubhouse And by old friends, Cabrera meant Indians left fielder Michael Brantley and center fielder Michael Bourn. Tough to tell who was more popular during the Cabrera’s return to Cleveland — father or son. The elder Cabrera didn’t wax too poetic when talking about this weekend series, other than to say it felt “weird” to return to the stadium he called home since 2007 and that he was “excited” to play in front of the Indians fans. He was nervous, Cabrera did admit that, but those nerves disappeared with the baseball he drove into the right-field seats for what turned out to be the winning run in the Tampa Bay Rays’ 4-1 victory. “Wow, that’s kind of special,” Cabrera said. “Earlier I was thinking I was a little nervous. As soon as I hit that home run everything stayed in the past, but I enjoyed it.” The first-place Rays continue to roll in spite of the injuries and a lineup filled with rookies and utility infielders playing out of position. They improved to a season-high nine games over .500 with Friday’s win, which was their seventh in their past eight games and third straight on this quick five-game road trip. Like Steven Souza Jr., who had a big night Wednesday during his homecoming in front of the Washington Nationals fans, Cabrera played a big part in Friday’s win. In addition to the home run that gave the Rays a 2-1 lead in the second inning, his seventh-inning single sent Souza to third base, from where Souza scored on Jake Elmore’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. “These fans got to see him play for (eight) years and really play well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I know they probably didn’t like the home run, but it was nice to come back to your home team that you grew up in and play well, so we’re happy for him.” Cash, the former Indians bullpen coach who also enjoyed a Cleveland homecoming, knows a thing or two about returning to a city he once called home during his days as a player. So Cash could understand what Cabrera was experiencing, could understand how much it meant for Cabrera to have a big game in his old stomping ground. “I would imagine so, yeah,” Cash said. “I hope it did, because it meant a lot of all of us in the dugout, because we support him so much. We knew this was a special place for him and this is a big series. He wants to come and have a good showing and he definitely did that.” Nathan Karns pitched 5 1/3 innings to earn the victory. Brad Boxberger, the fourth reliever of the night, pitched the ninth to earn his 17th save of the season. Joey Butler gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his second home run in as many games and his sixth of the year. Souza crushed a ball onto the patio above the left field wall in the ninth inning for the final run of the night. The ball traveled an estimated 422 feet. Cash said it was one of the longest home runs he’s seen hit at Progressive Field. Steller defensive plays by Souza, who turned a sliding catch in shallow right field in the eighth inning into a double play when he doubled Jason Kipnis off first base, and Kevin Kiermaier, who caught up to a drive by Brandon Moss at the center field wall in the ninth inning with a runner on first base, helped seal the victory. For the Rays, the star of the show was Cabrera. “Coming from one organization to another, that’s stuff what we want to do,” Karns, who made his major league debut with Washington, said. “We want to make an impact on our first game back. For him to get that big knock for us, put us ahead after they tied the game, that’s just huge.” Tampa Bay Tribune LOADED: 06.20.2015 Rays Notes: Cash knows Francona has some jokes in store Roger Mooney CLEVELAND — Manager Kevin Cash was talking about his relationship with Indians manager Terry Francona before Friday’s game when the phone in the manager’s office at Progressive Field rang. “Speak of the devil,” Cash said, “here he is calling.” Cash answered the phone, but Francona had hung up. Francona called again. Cash answered. Francona hung up. “This is going to be a great three days of comedy,” Cash said. Cash is back in Cleveland this weekend for the first time since he took over as Rays manager. Francona spoke fondly of his former bullpen coach, and Cash spoke fondly of his former manager with the Red Sox and mentor as a coach. Francona: “I think one of the misnomers was how much he learned (from me). I probably learned as much from him, just because he’s so good. You hire good people, and they make everybody better. He helped me a ton, way more than he probably ever knew.” Cash: “I learned so much from him. Just the way he treated not just me but everybody in the Boston organization, it really stood out maybe more than some other managers that I had played for.” Francona said when the Rays and Indians lose on the same days it feels as if he has lost a doubleheader. The two remain close, talking or texting often during the season. Francona texted Cash late Friday morning: “You don’t come early anymore?” “I was here just before noon, I believe,” Cash said. “But he was here just before 11, so Tommy Topper.” Francona said he thought Cash had the makings of a coach or manager when he saw the way Cash easily interacted with the big names on the Red Sox teams. “I saw the presence he had in the clubhouse that was way more than a backup catcher who’s hitting .140 when he was hot should have,” Francona said. “His ability to talk to (David) Ortiz or (Dustin) Pedroia, and I always thought that this would be a good (thing). When he got out of the game, I kept talking to him. He went to advanced (scouting) for Toronto for John (Farrell). I was so happy he stayed in the game, because it was easy to see how good he was going to be.” Francona had a surprise for Cash — a funny video welcoming Cash back that played on the scoreboard during batting practice. “There will be some jokes going back and forth,” Cash said, “I’m sure.” CASH CALL: When Indians manager Terry Francona wasn't playfully ripping on Cash — saying he was "hitting .140 when he was hot," chiding him for not getting to the stadium until noon (for a 7:10 p.m. game) — he raved about him, calling his former bullpen coach "one of the most special people I've ever come across in the game." Cash said it would be "a special three days," was excited about catching up with people and expected lots of jokes. The Indians struck first, showing a mock tribute video to Cash during batting practice that featured a clip of him being slammed to the ground by reliever Marc Rzepczynski during a playful 2014 moment, and Cash's head on a swimsuit model's body to congratulate him for his new reality show. Cash got a few chuckles out of it: "I knew they would so something like that. I'm really disappointed so many people would stoop to Tito's level."