Ramirez backs Kluber with 2 HRs to lift Tribe By Joshua Needelman Special to MLB.com BALTIMORE -- Corey Kluber wasn't yet ready to leave the mound, so he paused, his gaze fixed downward, and brushed some dirt with his foot Sunday afternoon. Finally he made off for the visitors' dugout at Camden Yards, having struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Kluber surrendered a pair of early home runs to Manny Machado, but he looked more and more like himself as the game wore on. The perfect seventh inning capped another strong outing for Kluber, and the Indians rolled to a 7-3 victory.
"I didn't command the ball great today, but that being said, I got a lot of weak contact and we were able to get some quick outs," said Kluber, who has thrown quality starts in all five of his chances this season. Cleveland's offensive charge was led by Jose Ramirez, who opened his team's scoring with a solo shot in the fourth and then added a two-run dinger in the ninth. It marked the seventh multi-home run game of his career. Yonder Alonso added an RBI double in the fourth, and Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley hit RBI singles in the fifth. Yan Gomes doubled in the final run in the ninth.
In seven-plus innings, Kluber allowed three earned runs on six hits to go along with four strikeouts. Left-hander Andrew Miller -- who entered after a leadoff single chased Kluber in the eighth -- and right-hander Cody Allen tossed a spotless inning apiece to close out the game.
"At that point in time, it's a one-run game and we've got one of the best relievers in baseball down there waiting, so it's no time to mess around," Kluber said.
SOUND SMART Before Ramirez struck out in the first inning, he was the hardest batter to fan in the Major Leagues (20 PA/K entering Sunday). He struck out again in the seventh, but his pair of homers more than made up for the whiffs.
HE SAID IT "The line early looked like he had given up three runs, but I mean Machado kind of had a lot to do with that. Probably the one guy he didn't locate to, and the one guy you better. He's obviously feeling good about himself. But other than that, I thought he was really good." -- Indians manager Terry Francona, on Kluber
UP NEXT Right-hander Carlos Carrasco takes the ball for the Indians in the series finale against the Orioles on Monday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Carrasco is in the middle of a terrific April; he's completed at least six innings while allowing two runs or fewer in each of his three starts. Carrasco will duel Orioles right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Francona will keep Tribe aggressive on bases By Joshua Needelman Special to MLB.com BALTIMORE -- Cleveland likes to run. In fact, the Indians' 21 stolen-base attempts are tied for fourth in the Major Leagues. But something went wrong Saturday night.
Perhaps Orioles catcher Chance Sisco had done his homework. Perhaps Cleveland is still weary from its trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week. The Indians attempted three steals in their 4-0 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, and three times they were thrown out.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona doesn't think the showing is symptomatic of a larger problem.
"I went back and I looked at it. I think they all picked good times to run. They were all bang-bang," Francona said.
Michael Brantley was the first to fall victim to Sisco. He followed up Jose Ramirez's home run to start the sixth inning with a single, then attempted to snag second with Yonder Alonso batting. Brantley was called out just before Alonso went deep to put the Indians up by four.
Then, after singling to left field with two outs in the seventh, Francisco Lindor was called out at second trying to steal.
It was the call on Rajai Davis' ninth-inning attempt to swipe third base that irked Francona. Davis pinch-ran for Edwin Encarnacion, who reached base on a walk. When Alonso walked in the next at-bat, Davis moved to second. Davis took off for third with Yan Gomes at the plate, and Cisco fired to third baseman Tim Beckham, who applied the tag on time.
"Rajai was probably safe," Francona said. "The angle that showed he was safe wasn't on the replay system, so we wouldn't have gotten it anyway." The Indians went 1-for-2 on the basepaths on Friday, with Lindor reaching second safely and Tyler Naquin getting called out as the Orioles picked up the 3-1 victory.
Saturday's caught-stealings were easier to digest since Cleveland won, but don't expect the team to tone down its aggressiveness on the basepaths. The Indians have relied on the long ball a lot this season, so Francona is eager to diversify his team's scoring opportunities.
Worth noting Right-hander Josh Tomlin, who has been dealing with a back issue, threw a side session on Saturday and will return to the rotation for the Indians' series opener against the Cubs at Progressive Field on Tuesday. Tomlin struggled mightily his first time out, allowing eight earned runs in three innings against the Angels on April 3. He last started April 10, throwing five scoreless innings against the Tigers. He came out of the bullpen for one inning last Wednesday against the Twins, allowing one unearned run.
Jose Ramirez, Corey Kluber lead Indians past Orioles, 7-3 By David Ginsburg, The Associated Press BALTIMORE >> The Indians figured it would only be a matter of time before their struggling offense provided some support to a solid starting rotation.
Jose Ramirez and the rest of the batting order finally got into a groove April 22, and the result was a 14-hit attack that carried Corey Kluber and the Indians past the Orioles, 7-3. Cleveland came into the game with a .211 team batting average and ranked second-to-last in the AL in runs scored. On this day, however, Ramirez hit a solo shot in the fourth inning and a two-run drive in the ninth, and Yan Gomes had three hits to lift his batting average 41 points to .261. “When things are not going my way, I stay positive and work it,” Ramirez said through a translator. “I know eventually I’m going to break out.”
Ramirez has three homers in two games and a team-leading seven for the season.
“I try not to do too much,” Ramirez said. “I just look for a good pitch and then I hit it somewhere.”
Kluber yielded two home runs to Manny Machado, but the Indians twice came from behind before tacking on three runs in the ninth.
“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Manager Terry Francona said. “When they came back, we came back at them. We kept pushing and took some better swings.”
Kluber (3-1) allowed three runs and six hits over seven-plus innings. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner walked none and struck out four to move past Charles Nagy into sixth place on the Indians’ career strikeout list with 1,238.
“It doesn’t matter if you feel you pitched well or didn’t pitch well. The goal is to end the game with more runs they do,” Kluber said. “That’s what we did.”
Machado’s third multihomer game of the season wasn’t enough to prevent the Orioles from losing for the ninth time in 10 games, a skid that has dropped them 10 games under .500 (6-16).
“You know what? There’s no excuse for what’s happening,” Machado said. “We need to play better overall. Nobody is in here pointing fingers. We are in here together, and we are going to ride or die together.”
Andrew Cashner (1-3) gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings, walking two and striking out seven. He’s 0-3 with 7.41 ERA in three lifetime appearances against the Indians.
After Machado connected in the first inning, Cleveland went up 2-1 in the fourth when Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso hit successive doubles following a leadoff homer by Ramirez.
Baltimore regained the lead in the bottom half. After Machado homered, Adam Jones doubled and scored on a single by Chris Davis.
A pair of walks and run-scoring singles by Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley put the Indians up, 4-3, in the fifth.
“Once you get the lead, you can’t give it up,” Cashner lamented.
Indians >> CF Bradley Zimmer was a late scratch with a mild right ankle sprain. He was replaced by Rajai Davis.
Orioles >> LF Trey Mancini missed a second straight game with a swollen right knee. ... DH Mark Trumbo (strained right quad) will begin a three-game stint with Double-A Bowie on April 23, then play three games with Triple-A Norfolk later in the week, manager Buck Showalter said. He won’t be rushed to return. “It’s important we get it right the first time,” Showalter said.
Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin threw a side session April 21 and is expected to start April 24 against the Cubs. Manager Terry Francona opted to skip Tomlin’s last scheduled start April 18 to reset the rotation after Cleveland had two straight games postponed last weekend.
Indians >> Carlos Carrasco (3-0, 3.48 ERA) starts the series finale April 23. The right-hander is 9-0 with a 1.75 ERA over his past 11 starts since Aug. 27.
Orioles >> Kevin Gausman (1-1, 5.57) makes his fifth start of the season after allowing 27 hits — including six homers — over 21 innings.
A Trip Around the Farm: Shane Bieber dominates; Conner Capel rakes By Michael Hattery 4h ago At 22 years old, Shane Bieber is roughly a year and a half younger than the average age of his peers in Class AA but in totality as a pitcher, Bieber is the most mature at his level. Through his first four starts in 2018, Bieber has thrown 26 innings, with 28 strikeouts, zero walks and three runs allowed. Bieber highlights consistency as a key to his early-season success.
“That is what a lot of these guys look for in this game, me especially,” he said.
For those who do not know much about Bieber's arsenal, he throws four pitches: fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. One of the pieces of Bieber's development has been a gain in fastball velocity since the Indians drafted him. At UC Santa Barbara, Bieber's fastball sat 88-91, whereas he currently rests 90-94 in the minors. Bieber credits a lot of the velocity growth as simply a product of body maturation.
“I think it (velocity gain) was a combination of things, giving myself, my body a chance to grow,” he said. “I was a pretty late bloomer, I was not really recruited out of high school, had the opportunity to go to a good college program, really learned how to pitch, obviously a lot of work in the weight room and training but also just giving your body a chance to grow.”
Beyond his fastball, which is important in establishing advantages in counts and playing off his secondaries, Bieber is focused on using a more even distribution of secondary offerings. One of Bieber's goals as he readies himself for the big leagues is “throwing my changeup and curveball more frequently. I found myself getting a little fastball/slider heavy, early.”
Yet, a huge part of that is simply that Bieber has not needed to rely on his changeup based on pitch usage game plans against opponents.
“Out of my first three starts I have not been in a situation where changeup has been needed,” he said. “I have already faced Altoona two out of three starts, and they only have started two to three lefties. Some of those guys, the changeup sort of plays into their swing path, so I have not needed it to be stressed, but I know that is something that needs to come for me developmentally and it is something to focus on for the future.”
Bieber has demonstrated three important skills during his ascension through the minor leagues: elite control/command, ability to induce ground balls at a high rate, and a rising strikeout rate.
In terms of the control aspect, Bieber has just 10 walks in 193.1 innings since the start of 2017, a walk rate that is so dominant as to lack a proper descriptor for its absurdity. Further, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs prospect coverage has noted that one scout placed an 80 grade on his command, the top possible grade on the scouting scale, and one of unbelievable rarity.
When asked about how his mechanics allow him to be so consistent and repeat enough to carry elite control/command, Bieber noted it was about simplicity.
“JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE. I TRY TO KEEP MY CUES REALLY SIMPLE, I TRY TO FOCUS ON A FEW CUES AT A TIME; IF I AM FALLING OUT OF MY DELIVERY I HAVE A FEW CUES I GO BACK TO. RIGHT NOW I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE BIG KEYS IS STAYING ON MY BACK LEG AND REMAINING CONNECTED TO THE MOUND AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.”
Bieber second major skill is inducing ground balls at roughly 48 percent-plus in the minor leagues. In terms of managing contact, ground ball dominant starters are increasingly valuable as hitters adjust to trying to elevate the baseball for more extra base hits. Bieber has shown a remarkable ability to keep the ball on the ground. Right now, Bieber predominantly uses fastball and slider to induce ground balls but that could change.
“I want to focus on inducing ground balls with all four of my pitches but I would say I get a large amount of ground balls from the fastball and slider, particularly establishing that fastball down.”
Finally, Bieber through his first three starts has posted a significant strikeout percentage leap to more than 30 percent. It is important to note the sample size and track the progress of his K% throughout the season but as Bieber continues to integrate changeup and curveball more frequently, a K% climb based on his command to all sectors of the strike zone is not unreasonable.
Blue chip production (updates on former first-/second-round picks and major international signees)
Nolan Jones: Jones has played just seven games due to his early season DL stint but the plate discipline has remained strong. Through 29 plate appearances, Jones has six walks to just four strikeouts. There are a couple of keys for Jones developmentally this season, improving contact authority by tapping into his raw power and polishing up his defense at the hot corner. Reports so far defensively have not been glowing, but Jones is just 19 years old and has plenty of time to refine his defense.
Will Benson: Benson has a triple slash of .214/.400/.405, and while the surface level batting average may be off-putting, the less noisy data early is very positive. Benson has walked in 11 of his 55 plate appearances and shown small sample gains in his contact rate, a key area of growth for him while facing pitchers two to three years older.
Quentin Holmes: The 2017 second round pick remains stationed in Arizona and will likely spend some time in Mahoning Valley this summer.
Brady Aiken: The Indians' risk-heavy 2015 first-round pick has been assigned to Mahoning Valley, the Indians' short-season team whose first game is June 15. As Zack Meisel has noted, Aiken remained in Arizona for extended spring training. He has yet to be assigned to a full-season team.
Helium watch (A mid-tier prospect who might be making the leap): Conner Capel is an increasingly popular name among prospect wonks following a breakout 2017 campaign in which he began to tap into his power by elevating the baseball. He continues to rake in Lynchburg. Capel through Sunday morning was slashing .316/.385/.474 with one home run, six doubles, seven walks and six steals in 15 games. Still just 21 years old, almost two years younger than a lot of his competition, Capel has continued to flash good discipline and contact skills. His quickly climbing into the 5-8 range of the Indians prospect hierarchy.
Hot three hitters Name Level AVG OBP ISO K% Jorma Rodriguez Lake County (A) .340 .364 .094 21.80% Nolan Jones Lake County (A) .217 .379 .174 13.80% Connor Marabell Akron (AA) .304 .448 .218 27.60%
Hot three pitchers Name Level IP ERA K/9 BB/9 Ben Krauth* Lynchburg (A+) 7.2 0.00 16.40 2.30 Justin Garza Lynchburg (A+) 10 0.56 10.90 2.70 James Karinchak* Lake County (A) 7 1.29 19.30 3.90 *Denotes reliever status. Further, Krauth was just promoted to AA, and these numbers only reflect his time in Lynchburg.
The sizzle is returning to José Ramírez's stick. But his confidence? That never seems to slump By T.J. Zuppe 4h ago 3 BALTIMORE — José Ramírez strolled through the Indians clubhouse Sunday morning, chest puffed out in his typical fashion, arms swaying from side to side — a visual that would make Vince McMahon proud.
This wasn't the walk of a panicked individual, a man desperately hopeful to stay above the Mendoza line, crazily seeking answers.
Through a bit of a slow start, his fearless swagger has never waned.
“¿Qué pasa?” he confidently asked a small group of reporters, stopping momentarily to return some pleasantries before sauntering over to his locker.
Clutching a handheld deep tissue massager — picture an electric drill without the bit — he plopped down at his space. Moments later, the buzz of the device began to fill his corner of the locker room. He scrunched his face as the tool went to work on his thigh.
“Are you OK? Are you hurt?” a concerned writer asked.
He let out a small chuckle.
“Just maintenance and trying to stretch,” Ramírez later said through a translator. “Making sure that my legs are in good shape.”
Legs, arms, hands, head — they all seemed to be working in harmony this weekend. Ramírez punctuated a second consecutive victory with an offensive assault on the Orioles, smacking two homers in the Tribe's 7-3 win.
The switch-hitting third baseman has now collected a total of five hits in the past two games. Three of those were launched over the right-field scoreboard at Camden Yards, increasing his season home run total to seven.
The first of his Sunday strolls put the initial dent in Andrew Cashner's pitching line. Ramírez's second climb over the 21-foot wall put a pair of blemishes on Brad Brach's afternoon and lifted Sunday's tilt out of reach.
The five-hit stretch lifted his season average from .188 to .236. While that mark still sits well below his typical norm, Ramírez has pushed his season OPS to .881, creating 31 percent more runs than the league average. That's pleasant news for an offense that has sought consistent traction.
“We need him,” Terry Francona said. “He's so important to what we're doing.”
Of course, anyone that has looked deeper than his surface numbers realized any sort of slump for Ramírez was likely to be short-lived. He still maintains a .169 batting average on balls in play, which isn't all that nice when compared to the .300 BABIP he's carried throughout his MLB career. And that's just a portion of the story. His expected rates — Statcast metrics based on exit velocity and launch angle — haven't aligned with his actual performance to this point. While the gap has shrunk, he's still been one of the most unlucky hitters on the team.
Through the building of some unsavory stats, it's been clear that the talented infielder hasn't benefited from any sort of additional blessing from the baseball gods. However, through the tough luck and lack of results, the confidence stayed intact. Real or manufactured, that public display of vibrato remains unchanged.
“That's part of what I am,” Ramírez said. “Even when things aren't going my way, I stay positive. I work at it. I know eventually I'm going to get out of it.”
But some things are slowly returning to normal.
A fly-ball rate that was once in the 60s has slowly dipped closer to last year's rate. His launch angle is slowly normalizing. His hard-hit percentage is climbing. He's striking out less frequently than last season. And he's continuing to draw walks at a much higher rate (15.3 percent).
Considering the Indians' production has them positioned as baseball's third-worst offense — even if the underlying numbers disagree — Ramírez's results couldn't have come at a better time.
Without question, the group's rise to where they want to be hinges on their stars producing. While luck has played a significant factor in their early returns, they're still a long way away from reaching more respectable scoreboard digits.
But if Ramírez's reign of terror on Orioles pitching is any indication of what lies ahead, concerns should begin to dwindle in the comings weeks — unlike his confidence.
That's clearly here to stay.
Sandy Alomar, Roberto Perez and the Puerto Rican catching legacy Zack Meisel 29m ago SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — After the storm hit, Sandy Alomar Jr.’s family told him to stay put.
They had everything under control. They avoided the profound devastation that Hurricane Maria produced throughout much of Puerto Rico. The Alomar home was built to withstand high-powered winds. Carlos Baerga helped them secure a backup generator. They would be OK.
Alomar finally went home on Monday, making the 80-minute trek from the Indians’ hotel in San Juan to his native Salinas. He saw the blue tarps posing as makeshift roofs. He saw the debris, the wreckage, the soulless traffic lights, the buildings devoid of power.
He spent the day with his parents, his sister and his niece. His mom whipped up some chicken, rice and beans, just like old times. Then, Alomar drove back to San Juan and met his brother, Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar, for dinner.
It was a day of familiar sights to begin a week filled with them. He’s no stranger to Hiram Bithorn Stadium, where the Indians and Twins split a pair of sold-out meetings in the muggy air. He played at the venue in winter ball and even once during spring training. Not to mention, his portrait is sketched onto an elaborate mural on a wall in the main concourse along the third-base line.
From left to right sit giant caricatures of Puerto Rican catchers, a display titled “Tierra de Receptores,” or, “Catcher Land.” There’s Ellie Rodriguez, the forefather of the group. There’s Ivan Rodriguez, the Hall of Famer. There’s Benito Santiago, who, according to Alomar, “inspired a lot of players to play catcher.” There's Jorge Posada, Javy Lopez and Yadi Molina. And then there’s Alomar. He smiles and shakes his head at the mention of the depiction.
“I wish they had picked the right hat,” Alomar said.
Instead of an Indians cap — he spent more than half of his 20-year playing career with Cleveland — the drawing of Alomar appears to include headwear of the Cangrejeros de Santurce, a local team.
Regardless of the wardrobe, Alomar is among elite company in “Catcher Land.” His understudy hopes to join him one day.
“Roberto [Perez] could be one of those guys,” Alomar said.
It isn't easy to qualify to be a part of Catcher Land. (Zack Meisel/The Athletic) Perez has spent recent winters shadowing Molina, who Alomar describes as “a Puerto Rican captain [who’s] taking catching to a different level.” Perez had appeared to take the reins behind the plate at the end of last season, as he started four of the Indians' five ALDS games. Yan Gomes, though, has received the bulk of the playing time so far this season, starting 12 of the club’s 19 games. Perez started the game Wednesday in his native Puerto Rico — a moment he “will never forget” — before he was lifted for a pinch-runner in the 10th inning. As he trotted back to the dugout, he received a standing ovation from those remaining in the crowd.
Alomar, who works with the Indians’ catchers in addition to serving as the team’s first-base coach, praised Perez’s plus arm, “great hands” and his willingness to volunteer his body as a human dart board when a pitcher spikes a breaking ball in the dirt. He has cautioned Perez, however, not to sacrifice his sturdy catching stance — which contributes to his blocking ability — for pitch framing purposes.
“At times, he sells out on balls for framing,” said Alomar, a Gold Glove winner and six-time All-Star.
Alomar spoke highly of Perez’s progress since he burst onto the big-league scene four years ago as a light-hitting backstop. He referred to Perez as “a Gold Glove-caliber catcher.”
“He aspires to be one of the better catchers in the game,” Terry Francona said.
Offensively, the ghosts of 2014 have haunted Gomes, who has never been able to replicate that Silver Slugger season. (That said, he has posted a .261/.320/.500 slash line to begin this year.) Perez has always drawn a healthy share of walks. He has demonstrated occasional pop, especially once the calendar flips to October.
Both catchers, though, earn their salaries on the merits of their defense. Corey Kluber requested that Gomes join him in New York when the hurler picked up his first Cy Young Award in 2014. Perez has developed into Trevor Bauer’s personal catcher. The Indians swear by their catching tandem, which steered the pitching staff toward the league’s top ERA and WAR total last season.
Perez would love to crouch behind the plate every game. Alomar stressed that his time will come. Perhaps one day, too, he’ll find his way into the artist’s plans at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
“I always had pride to be part of a Puerto Rican catching corps that made it to All-Star games and own Gold Gloves and all of that,” Alomar said.
Perez spotted the mural when he walked into the ballpark last week. There was Pudge, with his backward helmet and eyeblack, and Santiago, clutching a bat in his right hand. There was Molina, lifting his red mask, and Alomar, sporting sunglasses.
“I looked up to those guys when I was a little kid,” he said. “To be part of that, walking into the stadium and seeing all of those legends, it’s something special.”
Indians report: Motivated, refined Mike Clevinger holding his own in starting rotation By Ryan Lewis BALTIMORE: When Mike Clevinger was awarded the No. 4 spot in the Indians starting rotation this spring, he knew he’d have his work cut out for him to carry his weight in one of the best rotations in baseball. Thus far, he’s done that and more, but he’s still far from satisfied. Clevinger has a 1.75 ERA in four starts and just tossed the best outing of his career, a two-hit shutout against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. That comes after his strong ending to last season in which he had a sub-1.00 ERA over his final 27 ⅓ innings. But to Clevinger, he’s simply trying to hold up his end of the bargain in a rotation that also includes a two-time Cy Young Award winner (Corey Kluber), a top-5 finisher in Cy Young voting last season (Carlos Carrasco) and a starter who seemed to find his footing in 2017 and could be poised for the best season of his career (Trevor Bauer). And that group doesn’t include a former All-Star currently on the disabled list (Danny Salazar). Although Clevinger has been terrific on the mound dating back to the end of August last year, he still sees it as having something to prove every time he takes the mound. “If you’re sitting in class and everyone is making a 90 and you’re making a 60 on the test, how good is that going to feel every single day?” Clevinger said. “Eventually you’re going to at least get to that 80 grade. That’s the cool thing about Klubes and Carrasco — they’re setting the bar so high that even falling just a little bit short, you’re going to be pretty damn good.” Clevinger’s lone blemish on his 2018 resume was a four-run inning in his previous start against the Toronto Blue Jays that squandered a four- run lead. Clevinger looked dejected after the game. Saturday’s outing was partially about proving he could hold a lead. Through the first three innings, he was displeased with his start because he hadn’t been efficient enough despite not yet allowing a single hit. Being able to reverse that trend and last into the ninth inning — he retired the final 14 batters he faced — was the aspect that he was the most pleased with in the Indians’ 4-0 win. He was, in effect, able to bury his last outing. “I wanted them to know that I could hold their lead, I’m not going to lose focus,” Clevinger said. “I won’t say I lost focus, but I’d say the intent wasn’t as strong the whole time. That what I tried to make a point of doing.” Clevinger has had a renaissance of sorts over the last several months. When he was acquired by the Indians in a deal for Vinnie Pestano in 2014, he barely had any semblance of a routine. He was throwing every side session like it was Game 7 of the World Series. He was all adrenaline. He had talent, but it had yet to be reeled in and refined as it needed to be at the major-league level. He still throws most of his side sessions like a mad man, because that’s who he is, but he knows when to dial it back a notch. He worked on his between-starts routine and began to buy into them to a greater degree. He lifted weights barefoot all winter, which alleviated an ankle issue. He worked with the Indians to control his breathing, which was in turn a way to maintain his heart rate and adrenaline. Clevinger has had the stuff, but it took all of the other, smaller facets to come together for him to reach this level. And now, from the Indians’ perspective, that evolution has been fun to watch. “That’s one of the biggest developments that we’ve seen, is his ability to lock in on routines,” Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said. “This is a guy who, when we first acquired him, didn’t have routines and didn’t believe in routines. It’s been so fun to see him mature in that way. “I don’t know if it’s having guys like Kluber or Carrasco or Bauer who have some of the best routines in front of him, or just the natural maturation, but you’ve seen this guy grow into a real big-league pitcher in terms of his routines, and it’s been awesome to watch that.” For catcher Yan Gomes, the real progression has been with how Clevinger can control himself on the mound and navigate a longer outing. It isn’t a mad sprint, arms flailing. It’s a controlled jog with a nice pace. “What’s really cool is seeing the way his rhythm — he gets really excited out there on the mound,” Gomes said. “It’s one of those things, seeing him calm himself down, because he’s got tremendous stuff. But we’ve seen it to where guys have tremendous stuff but they can’t quite get through it because these are big-league hitters and they’re going to make adjustments as you go. “He’s been able to stick to game plans and throw his plus pitches out there. His progress and everything that he’s doing has been really fun to watch.” Ryan Lewis Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.23.2018 Here are 13 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians’ 7-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. By Ryan Lewis Here are 13 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians’ 7-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. 1. It can be difficult to remember at times that a pitcher of Corey Kluber’s caliber can be snake-bitten as badly as he was on Sunday. Though, it also normally takes a hitter of the caliber of Manny Machado to do the biting. 2. Since June 1 of last season, when he returned from the disabled list with a back injury, there’s an argument that can be made that Kluber has been the best starting pitcher in the game. Though, like any pitcher, he will have his off days. Days where the ball just doesn’t feel right coming out of his hand. Days when a particular pitch might not be working as it should. Or days, like on Sunday, where Kluber struggled with his command all day and had to fight through it. 3. The command issues were evident right from the get-go. Kluber threw two balls to Orioles leadoff hitter Craig Gentry in the first inning. He then started off Pedro Alvarez, hitting second in the lineup, with two pitches that missed the strike zone. Kluber’s third pitch of that at-bat ended up right down the middle—a pitch location that often ends with Alvarez jogging around the bases. Alvarez missed this one and popped out to Jose Ramirez. 4. Against Machado, the No. 3, hitter it was the same story but with a more damaging result. Kluber again missed twice on the outside part of the plate to fall behind 2-0. His third pitch was middle-in, and Machado hammered it for a solo home run. 5. The first three hitters of the game, and Kluber missed the strike zone twice in all three and fell behind the count in two of them. Machado is simply the one who made him pay for it. 6. Fast forward to Kluber’s second matchup with Machado, in the fourth. He missed high to fall behind 0-1 and then left a pitch right down the middle. As rare of an occasion that Kluber misses his location that badly, it’s about as rare that Machado misses a pitch like that. 7. Said Indians manager Terry Francona: “The line early looked like [it was going to be bad]—he had given up three runs. But Machado kind of had a lot to do with that. Probably the one guy he didn’t locate to, and the guy you better. [Machado is] obviously feeling good about himself. Other than that I thought [Kluber] was really good.” 8. In their third matchup of the day, Kluber induced a foul tip and then got a swinging strike to get ahead 0-2. But, Machado ended up singling to left on a curveball low and away. Outside of Machado, Kluber allowed three hits and gave up one run in seven innings. But, on a day in which he struggled with his command, Machado was the one who made it count. When asked if he tips his cap to Machado in that situation or more- so just gets mad at himself, Kluber said, “Both.” 9. “He’s obviously one of the best hitters in the game,” Kluber said. “He’s really locked in right now. He’s seeing the ball right now and I made two pretty bad pitches to him and he did what he’s supposed to with them.” 10. Despite the command issues, Kluber still managed to turn in a quality start and seemed to get stronger as the day went on, striking out the side in his final inning before the Indians turned to Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, who in 18 1/3 combined innings this year have yet to give up an earned run. Kluber’s season ERA now stands at 1.96. 11. On the offensive side, one thing that Francona often brings up in pre- or post-game press conferences is whenever a hitter begins driving the ball to the opposite field. It isn’t necessarily a statistical mark the Indians want to reach in terms of percentage of balls hit the other way, but it’s more-so simply a good indicator that a hitter might be in a good spot and staying on the ball. This has been well documented with Jason Kipnis, for example, in that when he’s at his best he’s often driving balls to the opposite field and racking up doubles to left-center. Thus, Francona has often pointed out whenever somebody in the Indians lineup begins to go to the opposite field as a positive sign. Now, there is a balance there. If a hitter gets a pitch he can hit for a home run, pulling the ball is normally the way to go. But lining an outside fastball the other way works, too. 12. Michael Brantley drove a single to left field for an RBI and Yan Gomes doubled off the wall in right field in the ninth to bring home a run in Sunday’s game. Yonder Alonso pulled his RBI double on Sunday but drove a ball to left field in Saturday’s game, which was pointed out by Francona as well. As the Indians have tried to escape their early-season funk, it’s one of the things the manager has been looking for to see if those in the lineup are becoming, to use a term he’s used in the past, “hitterish.” 13. Said Francona of Gomes’ opposite-field double, “Boy that was really nice. When he starts driving the ball to right field like that—we say it all the time, but to hit a ball with authority the other way, you gotta do a lot of things right. So that was really good to see.” Francona added, in a more general sense, “I think when we hit the ball the other way, we almost get more dangerous.” Paulino's 3 RBI spur Akron RubberDucks past Bowie By Cliff Pinckard, BOWIE, Maryland -- On a day when Akron's Shane Bieber wasn't completely unhittable, his batters picked him up. Dorssys Paulino had three RBI, while Sicnarf Loopstok and Connor Marabell each had two RBI, helping the RubberDucks cruise to a 9-4 victory Sunday over the Baysox. Bieber got his third win (1.04 ERA) despite giving up his first runs on the Class AA Eastern League season. He went six innings, giving up three runs on 10 hits and striking out five. In four starts, Bieber has yet to walk a batter in 26 innings and has struck out 28. Tyler Krieger gave the RubberDucks a 1-0 lead with a leadoff homer off Bowie left-hander John Means (0-2, 4.91 ERA). Bowie tied it in the second with an RBI single from Audry Perez. A sacrifice fly from Joe Sever and a two-run homer from Loopstok gave Akron (8-8) a 4-1 lead in the third. Bowie (9-7) closed to 4-3 in the fourth, but Akron expanded its lead in the fifth with a two-run single from Marabell. The RubberDucks took a 9-3 lead in the sixth thanks to a three-run double from Paulino. Perez had three hits and three RBI for the Baysox. Corban Joseph also had three hits. Notes: Right-hander Jordan Milbrath was called up to Class AAA Columbus. ... Left-hander Ben Krauth was added to the roster from Class A Lynchburg. Krauth pitched two innings Sunday in relief of Bieber, allowing one unearned run and three hits. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.23.2018 Power nap needed and six other things we learned about the Cleveland Indians on Sunday By Paul Hoynes BALTIMORE - Francisco Lindor looks like he needs a rest. Not a long one, just a day off somewhere in the near future. He had two hits in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Orioles, but he's still in a 4-for-25 (.160) skid and hitting .220 (18-for-82) overall. In Saturday's 4-0 win, Lindor double clutched on a double-play grounder to short that resulted in just one out. Then he made an error on a ground ball while shifted to the second base side of the bag. Lindor is coming off an inspirational, but emotionally-draining four-day, two-game trip to his native Puerto Rico. He helped the Indians win Tuesday's series opener, 6-1, against the Twins with a two-run homer that rocked the island. But he's 3-for-21 since that homer. "I think the trip to Puerto Rico, not just physically, but maybe emotionally (wore on him)," said manager Terry Francona. "I think that's a fair statement." Lindor's two-run homer in P.R. Asked if it was hard to give Lindor a day off because of his value on offense and defense, Francona said, "Yeah, it is. But if he needs it, we'd give it to him." When the Indians return home after Monday night's game against the Orioles, they're scheduled to play 11 games in 10 days. The homestand will end with a makeup doubleheader against the Blue Jays on May 3. "With some of the late arrivals we have coming up this week or so, you'll probably have some guys sit somewhere," said Francona. "We've got a doubleheader at the end of the homestand a bunch of lefties coming up. So you'll see some different lineups." No. 1 Happy birthday, Tito Francona celebrated his 59th birthday Sunday with a victory. Since 1997, Francona's teams have going 10-7 on his birthday. As a player, however, he hit .214 (3-for-14) with a double and a walk on his birthday. "The people in Las Vegas lost some money today," said Francona with a laugh. No. 2: Caught in the act The Indians had three runners thrown out stealing on Saturday. Michael Brantley (sixth inning), Lindor (seventh inning) and Rajai Davis (ninth inning) were cut down by catcher Chance Sisco. Brantley and Lindor were caught at second, while Davis was thrown out at third. The Tribe went into Sunday's game ranked second in the AL with 15 steals in 21 attempts (71 percent). Davis (4-for-5) and Lindor (4-for-6) lead the Indians in steals. Brantley is 1-for-2. "I went back and looked at it," said Francona. "I thought they all picked good times to run. They were all bang-bang plays. In fact, Rajai was probably safe. The angle that showed he was safe wasn't on the replay system. So we wouldn't have gotten it anyway." The Indians' scouting report said they would be able to run on Sisco, who is 7-for-11 throwing out would-be basestealers this year. "We may have to change that," said Francona. "That kid has done a good job. Again, it was close enough where we were thinking about checking (challenging) all of them. And I thought they picked good pitches to run on." No. 3: He's back Josh Tomlin is back in the rotation and scheduled to start against the Cubs on Tuesday at Progressive Field. The Indians put Tomlin in the bullpen at the start of this trip when they were allowed to add a 26th player for the two games in Puerto Rico. Tomlin took the loss in Wednesday's night's 2-1 16-inning game against the Twins in San Juan. Tomlin entered in the 16th inning and allowed the game-winning hit to Ryan LaMarre with the bases loaded. In that game, Tomlin threw a bullpen session to stay in line for Tuesday's start. He did so with the idea that he wouldn't be needed in Wednesday's game. But after Carlos Carrasco threw scoreless innings, Francona went through seven relievers before turning to Tomlin in the 16th. "I never checked out of that game," said Tomlin. "I just didn't execute the pitch I wanted." No.4: Late scratch Center fielder Bradley Zimmer was scratched from Sunday's lineup because of a sprained right ankle. Francona said he did it Saturday when he hit first base in his last at-bat in the seventh inning. "When he first (base) hard and the on his next step he kind of jammed his ankle and just turned it a little bit," said Francona. "My guess is he'll play tomorrow (Monday). And he probably could have played today. I just don't want to do something we shouldn't do." No. 5: Home and away Corey Kluber leads the AL in home ERA at 0.00. He's made one start at Progressive Field and hasn't allowed a run in eight inning. Mike Clevinger leads the AL in away ERA at 0.00. Clevinger has not allowed and run in 14 1/3 innings away from Progressive Field. No. 6: In closing Sunday was the 40th anniversary of Andre Thornton hitting the sixth cycle in Indians history. In a 13-4 win over the Red Sox on April 22, 1978, Thornton singled in the first, tripled in the third, homered in the seventh and doubled in the eighth. There have been eight cycles in franchise history, the most recent by Rajai Davis on July 2, 2016 against Toronto. Corey Kluber survives Manny Machado as Cleveland Indians beat Baltimore Orioles, 7-3 By Paul Hoynes BALTIMORE -- Manny Machado got the best of Corey Kluber on Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards, but baseball is a game of individual competitions played in a team structure. In other words, only the final score counts. And in that regard, Kluber and the Indians beat the Orioles, 7-3, in a game played in a rare burst of sunshine for manager Terry Francona's team. Machado went 3-for-3 against Kluber (3-1, 1.96), with the first two hits leaving the ballpark in a hurry. But thanks to Jose Ramirez and the rest of the Tribe's semi-dormant offense, Kluber could tip his cap to Machado, while enjoying his third straight win and fifth straight quality start. Ramirez homered twice and drove in three runs to lead the Tribe offense that produced 14 hits. His second homer, a two-run drive over the right field wall in the ninth inning, turned a 4-3 lead into a runaway. Machado gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead with a line-drive, two-out homer in the first. He hit Kluber's 2-0 pitch like he knew what was coming. The Indians moved into the lead, 2-1, with a pair of runs in the fourth. Ramirez homered to start the inning and tie the score. Edwin Encarnacion kept the inning going with a bloop double to right field that bounced past Anthony Santander. Encarnacion was 3-for-41 going into that at-bat. Yonder Alonso followed with a double to the base of the right field wall for a 2-1 lead. The Indians were 1-for-29 with runners in scoring position before Alonso's double. Machado met Kluber again in the fourth, and the result was the same as it was in the first. This time Machado homered on a 1-0 pitch to make it Indians 2, Machado 2. Adam Jones followed Machado with a double and scored on Chris Davis' seeing-eye single through the right side of the infield despite a defensive shift for a 3-2 lead. Asked if he could apprediate Machado's talent or he was mad at himself for letting it happen, Kluber said, "Both. He's obviously one of the best hitters in the game. He's really locked in right now. He's seeing the ball really well right now and I made two pretty bad pitches to him and he did what he's supposed to with them." The Indians reclaimed the lead, 4-3, in the fifth. Rajai Davis, a late addition to the lineup when center fielder Bradley Zimmer was scratched with a sprained right ankle, opened the inning with a four-pitch walk against Baltimore starter Andrew Cashner. He took second on a wild pitch and scored on Francisco Lindor's single to make it a 3-3 game. Lindor was in a 2-for-22 skid before that at-bat. Cashner (1-2, 3.60), after retiring Jason Kipnis on a liner to right, walked Ramirez and allowed a single to Michael Brantley for a 4-3 lead. "I thought we did a good job," said Francona, who celebrated his 59th birthday with a win on Sunday. "Especially when they came back and we came back at them. We kept pushing and pushing and took some better swings. "When we hit the ball the other way, I think we almost get more dangerous. Then we take some shorter swings and the ball jumps a little more." Regarding Kluber vs. Machado, Francona said, "The line early showed he gave up three runs. Machado had a lot to do with that. That was probably the one guy he didn't locate to and that's one one guy you better. Other than that, I thought he was really good." Kluber and Machado met again in the sixth, this time with two out. Kluber had Machado down in the count 0-2, but Machado still singled to make him 3-for-3 against last year's Cy Young winner. Machado entered the game hitting .231 (3-for-13) with no homers and one RBI against Kluber. Kluber allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and didn't walk a batter to improve to 3-1 lifetime against the Orioles. Cashner, 0-3 against the Indians, allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings. "We scored more runs than they did," said Kluber. "That's the goal. It doesn't matter whether you feel like you pitched well or didn't pitch well. The goal is to end the game with more runs than they did and that's what we did." The Indians finished with 14 hits, including three by Yan Gomes, who doubled home the final run in the ninth. What it means Ramirez has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with six home runs and eight RBI. Jose Rameriz on big games vs Orioles The pitches Cashner threw 112 pitches, 74 (66 percent) for strikes. Kluber threw 98 pitches, 66 (67 percent) for strikes. Thanks for coming The Indians and Orioles drew 27,394 to Camden Yards on Sunday. First pitch was at 1:07 p.m. with a temperature of 61 degrees. Next The Indians and Orioles close their four-game series on Monday night when Carlos Carrasco (3-0, 2.60) faces the Orioles and right-hander Kevin Gausman (1-1, 6.60) at 7:05 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game. Carrasco enters Monday night's game with a 9-0 record over his last 11 starts. He faced Baltimore once last year, striking out 10 in six innings in a 5-1 win. Opportunity knocks: Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles lineups for Sunday, Game 19 By Paul Hoynes BALTIMORE - One player's strained calf is another's opportunity. When the Indians placed Lonnie Chisenhall on the disabled list on April 8 with an injurred right calf, Tyler Naquin was recalled from Class AAA Columbus. Naquin opened the season with the Indians, but was optioned to Columbus when Michael Brantley came off the DL on April 5. Naquin is making the most of his second chance. On Sunday, Naquin made his 13th start of the season when he opened in right field against the Orioles at Camden Yards. He's hitting .278 (10- for-36) with one homer and four RBI. Among the regulars in manager Terry Francona's lineup, his batting average is the second highest next to Brantley's .341 (14-for-41). On a team that's hitting .211 overall, that's not too bad. "I kind of feel like the second time he came back, he does look a little more comfortable," said Francona. "I think it's easy for us to maybe forget when guys are going down, coming back, and sometimes that's not the easiest thing to do or handle." In 2016, Naquin finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting as he made the Indians out of spring training. Last year he spent just 19 games with the Tribe as he dealt with back and knee injuries. When Chisenhall went to the DL with a re-occurrence of the calf injury that sidelined him for much of the second half of the 2017 season, Naquin had a good idea that he was going to get some extended playing time. "He seems more relaxed this time around," said Francona. Naquin played center field for the Indians in 2016, but he's played mostly right field this year. "I think he is real comfortable in right," said Francona. "He hadn't played a ton of left and we put him out there in spring training just to cover for Brantley. But I do think right field might be his best position." Indians Orioles Baseball By Ryan Lewis BALTIMORE: The Indians saw the Baltimore Orioles a Manny Machado and raised them a Jose Ramirez in a 7-3 win Sunday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Machado has represented the lion’s share of the Orioles’ offensive production all season, and that was again the case on Sunday when he got the best of Indians ace Corey Kluber three times, including two solo home runs. But Ramirez answered with his own solo home run leading off the fourth inning to tie it 1-1, and added a two-run shot off Orioles reliever Brad Brach for some insurance in the ninth as the Indians overpowered the Orioles. That gave Ramirez seven home runs this season and marked the seventh multi-homer game of his career. Despite a rocky start to the season, Ramirez never lost his well-documented confidence and has now turned it into three home runs in the last two games. “That’s part of what I am,” Ramirez said. “Even when things aren’t going my way, I stay positive, I work at it, and I know eventually I’m going to get out of it.” Later in the ninth, Yan Gomes doubled off the right-field wall to score Yonder Alonso from first for the game’s final run. Machado’s first home run gave the Orioles (6-16) a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Kluber (3-1), who won his third consecutive start. The Indians (11-8) tied it in the fourth on Ramirez’s first home run and then took a one-run lead later in the inning against Orioles starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (1-3) when Edwin Encarnacion and Alonso hit back-to-back doubles to make it 2-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Machado’s second home run tied it at 2-2 and Chris Davis added an RBI single to right field to score Adam Jones, who had doubled, to make it 3-2. But the Indians answered immediately. Rajai Davis and Ramirez each walked to open the fifth, and Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley followed with RBI singles to give Kluber a 4-3 lead. “We kept pushing and we kept pushing,” manager Terry Francona said. “We took some better swings. I think when we hit the ball the other way, we almost get more dangerous. Then, taking shorter swings, the ball jumps a little bit more.” Kluber allowed three runs on six hits and struck out four in seven innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.96, despite not having his usual command. He was able to work around it in most cases, with Machado being the exception. Machado, one of the league’s top trade candidates and potentially one of its biggest free agents this winter, entered the game leading the Orioles in batting average (.337), home runs (6) and RBI (15), and he didn’t slow down against the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. Machado belted his first home run to left field on the first strike he saw in the first inning, and he did it again in the fourth with a blast to center field. He later added a single, going 3-for-3 against Kluber. “He’s obviously one of the best hitters in the game,” Kluber said of Machado. “He’s really locked in right now. He’s seeing the ball right now, and I made two pretty bad pitches to him and he did what he’s supposed to with them.” Bradley Zimmer was a late scratch from the lineup because of a mild right ankle sprain. Davis took his place in the lineup and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run. Francona said that Zimmer jammed his ankle a bit in his last at-bat in Saturday’s game and likely could have played on Sunday, but there was no reason to push things. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.23.2018 Captains stop Hot Rods, 10-2, snap losing streak By David Glasier, The News-Herald The Captains’ up-and-down season was up again in fine style on April 22 at Classic Park.
Getting contributions from pitchers and position players, the Captains breezed to a 10-2 victory over the Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods on a sun-splashed afternoon.
Lake County starting pitcher Eli Morgan (1-0, 1.74 ERA) earned the win and set the tone with his fourth straight effective outing. The 21-year- old right-hander gave up two runs, both earned, on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts and threw 87 pitches, 58 for strikes.
“Overall, he kept us in the game, did a nice job,” Captains manager Luke Carlin said of Morgan.
Right-hander Nick Gallagher followed Morgan to the mound and was impressive.
The right-hander from Iowa, sharing the start with Morgan on a “piggyback” arrangement, throttled down the Hot Rods on two hits over the final 31/3 innings. He threw 47 pitches, 34 for strikes.
It was the first appearance of the season for Gallagher. He joined the Captains out of extended spring training on April 20.
“Nick had a good breaking ball going. It looked like the sinker was moving, too” Carlin said.
Jonathan Laureano, moving from third base to catcher this season with the Captains, was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two-run double. He threw out a runner on an attempted stolen base, as well.
The 22-year-old Iowa resident was making his third appearance since coming off the disabled list on April 18.
Carlin, a catcher during a 14-year playing career that saw him spend parts of four seasons in the big leagues, is overseeing Laureano’s transition to a new position.
”We’d been talking about possibly converting him to catcher for about a year now,” Carlin said. “We approached him in the offseason and he was all for it.”
Captains third baseman Nolan Jones had himself a day. In addition to going 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI, the 19-year-old Georgia native made several good plays in the field with his glove and arm.
“He’s improved so much over the last eight months. It’s nice to see him make those strides defensively,” Carlin said of the Indians’ second- round pick in the 2016 draft out of high school.
The two batters in front of Jones set the table nicely.
Center fielder Austin Wade was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Second baseman Jorma Rodriguez raised his team-high batting average to .346 with two hits, two runs and an RBI in five at-bats.
“It was nice to get some hits strung together. We haven’t been swinging the bats poorly, but it’s been sporadic,” Carlin said. “The guys were a little more aggressive at the plate today, more comfortable.”
Carlin said he also was pleased to see the Captains get in the win column in advance of a scheduled four-game series against the West Michigan Whitecaps that begins on April 23 at Classic Park. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.
The Detroit Tigers affiliate owns a Midwest League-best record of 11-3.
MiLB | Clippers 1, Red Wings 0: Five pitchers combine for shutout Yandy Diaz singled in a run in the fourth inning and five Clippers pitchers made the lead stand in a 1-0 victory over the Rochester Red Wings at Frontier Field on Sunday.
Greg Allen led off the fourth with a double off Fernando Romero (0-1) and scored when Diaz singled to left.
Alexi Ogando (1-0) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win, allowing one hit and striking out eight.
The Red Wings’ Brock Stassi doubled with one out in the ninth, but Jack Leathersich struck out James Ramsey and Ben Taylor came on to get Willians Astudillo to pop out for his second save of the season.
The Clippers, who had only three hits, have won three of their past four games.
Orioles notes: Mark Trumbo is headed for Bowie and maybe beyond Peter Schmuck Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo will return to Bowie on Monday to restart his minor league injury rehabilitation with the Baysox and could also join the Triple-A Norfolk Tides this weekend in Charlotte, N.C. Trumbo, who suffered a quadriceps strain during spring training, started a rehab assignment with the Baysox on April 10 but played just one game before backing off because he didn’t feel ready to go full-out. “He’ll probably play right field or first base,’’ manager Buck Showalter. “They’re at home the next three days. He’ll play defense for two of those games. The last one is a day game and he’ll probably DH in that one. We’ll let him play it by ear. “And then he’ll take that off day we all have, including them — there’s no place to play — and come back and work out with us. The plan right now is for him to go to Charlotte from there.” Though Showalter said that he is leaving it up to Trumbo to decide when he’s ready to rejoin the major league team, he seemed fairly confident that the rehab stint would extend through the weekend. “This is Mark and I’m not going to paint myself or Mark into a corner,’’ Showalter said. “He’s going to play three games in Bowie for sure and the schedule calls for him to play three more with Norfolk. There some chance he’ll need more than that. This guy hasn’t had a spring training. “That requires him being OK in every other aspect from a physical standpoint. That’s the schedule and if he comes walking in here on Thursday … but I don’t think he will. He’s handled it very maturely. I think he knows it’s important to get it right the first time. Plus, he needs some at- bats.” Mancini ‘lucky’ Showalter said he has an idea when Trey Mancini might come back after gashing his knee sliding into an unpadded section of the side wall in left field Friday night, but he isn’t revealing that yet. “Trey is better. … He’s trending in the right direction,’’ Showalter said. “Talking to Brian [Ebel, head athletic trainer], talking to the doctor and talking to Trey, I know in my gut where he’ll end up, but let’s see if it’s better than that. “He’s still sore, but he’s moving on it. He got lucky with his kneecap. Watching the replay, he got lucky." More updates First-round draft choice Cody Sedlock, who was placed on the seven-day minor league disabled list earlier in the weekend, apparently will get an injection in his sore shoulder after undergoing an MRI on Friday. “There’s no major issue there that I’m aware of,’’ Showalter said. “Things checked out pretty well, all things considered. … I know they’re talking about an injection. I don’t know for sure, but structurally, he seemed to be OK.” … Injured closer Zach Britton threw again Sunday, and Showalter said that the workout went well. Baltimore Sun LOADED: 04.23.2018 Orioles starter Andrew Cashner sees his success stranding runners end in loss to Indians Jon Meoli It took five starts for Andrew Cashner to finally break, and unfortunately for him and the Orioles, his string of stymying opponents with runners on base came to an end opposite the reigning Cy Young Award winner in a 7-3 Orioles loss on Sunday at Camden Yards. Cashner didn't allow a hit with a runner in scoring position in his first four games, and left Cleveland Indians on second and third base in a tense third inning. But the streak ended this year at 0-for-20 when, after a bases-empty home run by José Ramírez, Cashner gave up back-to-back doubles to Edwin Encarnación and Yonder Alonso to put the Orioles behind 2-1 in the fourth inning. With the Orioles up 3-2 in the fifth inning, Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley each singled with a runner on second base to give the Indians a 4-3 lead that would more than hold up. "Once you get the lead, you can't give it up," Cashner said. "I had to bear down and made some pitches. They fell in. I gave up some hard-hit balls, but I thought I had a lot of soft contact, too." To this point in the season, Cashner's ability to strand runners had been his greatest asset. He's allowed six home runs, but five have been with the bases empty, and he's backed up his reputation as being a pitcher who competes in every at-bat and doesn't give in. Sunday began looking like a day when he wouldn't even need to use that skill. He struck out four batters — two swinging and two looking — through two perfect innings before needing to stiffen his back and work out of the third. He ended with a season-high seven strikeouts, his most since he struck out nine Sept. 7, 2016. Even as he ceded two leads, he wouldn't have been second-best to many pitchers with the effort he turned in. Kluber is what made him so Sunday. "He battled his way," manager Buck Showalter said of Cashner. "I thought it was a good effort, gave us a chance to win. It's a good lineup, obviously. They haven't been swinging the bats as well as they're capable of, but I thought we had a shot at them there. ... Cash fought his way through it and kept us engaged in the game, didn't let it get away from him. Pretty impressive the last out he got to get us to that sixth inning." Cashner has pitched at least five innings in each of his five starts with the Orioles, and gone six or more in his past four. He has a 3.60 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP with 28 strikeouts in 30 innings. Baltimore Sun LOADED: 04.23.2018 Orioles lose to Indians, 7-3, can't keep up against Cy Young winner Corey Kluber Jon Meoli That the Orioles were able to scratch together a few leads against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber in Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians at Camden Yards was a departure from their recent norm. That they had to face yet another pitcher of his caliber was not. Kluber was the fourth Cy Young Award winner the Orioles had faced in the season's first 22 games. They were rained out of a fifth last week in Boston, and six other starters they've faced have received votes at one point or another. The Orioles were always going to be challenged with their April schedule full of playoff teams from a year ago. Part and parcel with that are the frontline arms, many lauded as the game's best, that those teams present. They're always quick to give credit when they do what Kluber did — pitch into the eighth inning and largely dominate. But it's become clear that it's not just the elite pitchers doing this to the Orioles. Mike Clevinger pitched a two-hit shutout Saturday. What days like Sunday obscure are whether the 6-16 Orioles as currently built are shrinking to the task of facing the top pitchers in the game or shrinking against all pitchers. "It's challenging," manager Buck Showalter said. "This guy's not a good pitcher — he's one of the elite pitchers. And the guy yesterday — that's why they're playing at the end of the season. But we've faced some guys that maybe didn't have that. "That's convenient. It's true. But it's not something our guys talk about and dwell on, and we need to beat those people to get where we want to go, and we haven't done that. That's something that's got to happen, because it's not just going to go away, especially in this division where you're seeing a quality pitcher almost every night." There are things that can be done against such quality pitchers to make their lives more difficult. Manny Machado did that, punishing a pair of mistakes from Kluber for home runs, tying him for the major league lead. They can work the count, which really only rookie Anthony Santander did on a 12-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning that brought Kluber's pitch count into the 90s and likely eliminated the chance of a second consecutive complete game against them. But Showalter didn't want to belabor what they could do better at. "They're trying," he said. "Without reflecting poorly on one guy or whatever, the effort's there, the work that's being put in, the preparation. If they stay true to that, we hope it comes. But there's a lot of things [we're not doing well] that I'm not going to voice here." The numbers voice them well enough on their own. Sunday was their 15th game in 22 during which the Orioles have scored three runs or fewer, and they're averaging 3.13 per game. Much of that comes down to their struggles against starting pitchers. Even the third time through the lineup, when hitters are supposed to have an advantage against a tiring starter, the Orioles struggle. Kluber flirted with being the fifth pitcher this year to turn the lineup over three times, but instead allowed just two singles and no runs his third time through. Entering Sunday, the Orioles had had 133 plate appearance against a pitcher they'd already seen at least twice, the second-most in the league. They hit .214 in such situations. "When you're facing Cy Young pitchers, it's tough to get some runs on them," Machado said. "When you get some runs on them, you hopefully try to keep the lead and keep going." Machado did that for them twice Sunday with a first-inning home run to put them up 1-0 and a fourth-inning blast to level the game at 2. The Orioles went ahead in that inning after center fielder Adam Jones doubled and scored on a single through the shift by Chris Davis. But Cleveland took the lead back from Andrew Cashner in that fifth inning, dropping him to 1-3 after six innings of four-run ball, then Kluber went back to work. He struck out three straight in the seventh and left only after Caleb Joseph singled to open the eighth because former Oriole Andrew Miller was fresh and ready. Miller carved through the next three batters with ease, and Cody Allen had clinched the save with a breezy ninth inning. It sent the Orioles into Monday night’s series finale against Carlos Carrasco — last year's No. 4 finisher in AL Cy Young voting — needing a win to salvage a series split and save themselves from falling further into the cellar. "If you want to call it a hole, [it's] something that can be dug out of," Showalter said. "We can, but you can't just wish it and hope it and think it's something that comes with the mathematics of a season. It's got to happen. You always have a sense of urgency, but you don't really compare yourself with other teams that much, and you don't compare yourself with what portion of the season you've played or this or that or whatever. We know the world we live in, and we welcome that." Baltimore Sun LOADED: 04.23.2018