Diaz playing solid defense at third base Indians rookie looking for offense to catch up By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | April 8th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT PHOENIX -- Yasmany Tomas chopped a pitch up the third-base line and Indians rookie Yandy Diaz charged in. The grabbed the bouncer with his bare hand and threw across the diamond, getting the out at first for a second-inning gem in Friday's 7-3 loss to the D-backs.

"He's really played a good third base," manager said on Saturday. "That was a nice play." Defense was the main question mark hovering over Diaz during , when Cleveland had a roster spot to fill with opening the season on the 10-day disabled list. The Indians moved Jose Ramirez from third to second, and rolled the dice on Diaz, who is more polished as a hitter than as a third baseman. In the first week of the season, Diaz has looked solid in the field for the Tribe. He made a diving catch to his right in the season opener on Monday, robbing Texas' Nomar Mazara of a possible . Friday night's barehanded grab-and-throw was another play to add to Diaz's highlight reel. Offensively, Diaz has hit only .200 through his first 16 plate appearances, but the sample size is small. Francona has been impressed by the rookie's approach and pointed out that Diaz has run into some tough luck. To that end, Diaz entered Saturday as one of only 18 Major Leaguers (and the only Indians player) with at least three balls in play with an exit velocity of 106 mph or higher, per Statcast™. Only one of the three went for a hit. "That kind of puts a dent in your average," Francona said. "But, I think his at-bats have been solid, too. I think Yandy, you're going to look up a couple years from now and he's going to be doing some severe damage. Just the way he hits, the way he's built, I think he's got so much room to get better, and it's exciting." Other items of note from Saturday: • Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (on the 10-day DL with a right shoulder issue) went 1-for-4 for Triple-A Columbus in his first Minor League rehab assignment Friday. He is scheduled to play the outfield for Columbus on Saturday, and is on target to be activated in time for Tuesday's home opener. Kipnis (right shoulder) is set to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron on Sunday. • Francona is looking for spots early in the season to give left fielder Michael Brantley some rest, considering he is coming back from multiple surgeries on his right arm. With a lefty (Patrick Corbin) starting for the D-backs on Sunday, Brantley might be out of the lineup, according to Francona. • When Kipnis is ready to be activated, Francona said he plans on sitting down with the second baseman and Brantley to get their thoughts on the batting order. As of now, the manager is not sure how he will handle the lineup when Kipnis comes back.

Bauer, bullpen can't contain D-backs' big bats By Jordan Bastian and Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com | 1:46 AM ET + 59 COMMENTS PHOENIX -- David Peralta's homer off Trevor Bauer with one out in the sixth inning sparked a four-run rally that spun the D-backs toward a resounding 11-2 victory over the Indians at Chase Field on Saturday night, for Arizona's fifth win in its first six games.

The game was billed as a big pitching matchup between Award winner and Bauer, whom the D-backs took with the No. 3 pick overall in the 2011 Draft. And it lived up to its billing with the right-handers battling to a 1-1 tie, until the lefty-swinging Peralta smacked Bauer's full-count pitch off the right-field foul pole. The D-backs scored four in the sixth and six in the eighth as the Indians dropped to 3-2. Getting to a starter like Bauer later in the game has been a theme of Arizona's first-week success, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. "Just the amount of information that's shared by everybody in between innings is impressive," he said. "That's not to say that certain aren't going to get on us and stay on us and take care of business. But I like our chances of seeing a the second or third time through the order. That's been our track record for the first six games and I feel like these guys are competing on a pretty impressive level each night." Bauer, making his first start of the season, left with two out in the sixth, having allowed four runs on seven hits. He struck out seven and didn't issue a walk. "I thought he was good," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Bauer. "When [the D-backs] get aggressive and they start feeling good, we've seen it two days in a row now, they put a hurtin' on us in a hurry. But, if he throws the ball like that, he's going to be just fine." Greinke, meanwhile, earned his first win of the season. He was lifted with two out and no one on in the seventh at 106 pitches, having allowed one run on five hits while whiffing six and also walking none. • Greinke logs first win, will face Kershaw next MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Big blows: The D-backs knocked out Bauer in a big four-run sixth inning that included Peralta's homer, a Yasmany Tomas triple and doubles by Paul Goldschmidt and Brandon Drury. The D-backs batted around in the inning. The D-backs broke it wide open with six more runs when they sent 11 men to the plate in the eighth. Checked aggression: With the game tied at 1 and on third base representing the go-ahead run, Indians slugger Edwin Encarnacion tried to check his swing on a two-out, two-strike pitch from Greinke in the sixth. First-base umpire Lance Barksdale called Encarnacion out on the swing, and the Tribe's erupted in anger. Encarnacion threw his bat away, yelled and raised his arms emphatically. That ended the potential rally for the Indians, and the D-backs soon ran away with the game. "When I saw it live, I didn't think he came close to swinging," Francona said. "When I went back and looked, it's close. I wouldn't want to have to make that call in real time. It's hard. That's one of those where we want it, and so do they. That'll never change." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Jeremy Hazelbaker reached base four times on Saturday night for the D-backs. He has reached safely in eight consecutive plate appearances to begin the season, becoming the first Major Leaguer to accomplish that feat since Ramon Hernandez did it for the Orioles in 2006. The feat represents a D-backs franchise record. This was Bauer's first start in Arizona since he was traded by the D-backs to the Indians in a three-way deal with the Reds after the 2012 season. Bauer made only two starts at Chase that season, going 1-1. UPON FURTHER REVIEW In an effort to stop the bleeding, Francona challenged a safe call at first base in the eighth on the back end of what could have been an inning- ending 6-4-3 double play. After a replay review, the call stood. Jake Lamb was deemed safe on a fielder's-choice groundout in Arizona's six-run inning. WHAT'S NEXT Indians: For Sunday's 4:10 p.m. ET Interleague finale against the D-backs, the Indians will hand the ball to ace Corey Kluber. In his outing, Kluber allowed five runs on six hits, including three homers, in six innings against the Rangers. The righty was dealing with blisters, and ended with no hits allowed to the last 12 batters he faced. D-backs: Arizona closes out its first homestand Sunday with an afternoon game starting at 1:10 p.m. PT against the Indians at Chase Field. Left-hander Patrick Corbin (0-1, 4.50) will get his second start of the season. He lost to the Giants on Tuesday, the D-backs' only loss in their first six games.

Momentum shifts after Encarnacion's bat toss By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 1:10 AM ET + 3 COMMENTS PHOENIX -- Edwin Encarnacion jumped in disbelief and threw his arms in the air. The Indians slugger angrily tossed away his bat and soon the helmet followed. All the while, Encarnacion barked emphatically, insisting that he did not swing in the sixth inning Saturday night.

Given that the D-backs dealt the Indians a lopsided 11-2 defeat, Encarnacion's tirade might seem like an insignificant moment in the settled dust. Before the final score was separated by a mile, though, this contest was a classic game of inches. That was until the floodgates flew open not long after Encarnacion was rung up on the attempted check swing. "I just reacted," Encarnacion said. "You know you have to do something to help this team win the game. That's what I was thinking in the moment." The blowout had its roots in a swing of momentum in that sixth inning. With the game caught in a 1-1 deadlock -- courtesy of a five-inning pitcher's duel between Arizona ace Zack Greinke and Cleveland's Trevor Bauer -- Francisco Lindor nearly gave the Tribe the lead. Lindor drilled a one-out offering from Greinke to right-center field, where the baseball struck the yellow line atop the fence. Inches from a go-ahead , the ball bounced back into play for a double. "You could see it left an indentation in the padding," said Mike Barnett, who is the Indians' replay coordinator. "It was close." Lindor advanced to third base on a wild pitch, and Encarnacion later stepped to the plate with a two-out opportunity. The slugger worked ahead in the count, 2-0, but then swung and missed at a pair of Greinke pitches that tailed low and away. Encarnacion took another ball to reach a full count, and then believed he had drawn a walk when he checked his swing on the next pitch. First-base umpire Lance Barksdale wasted little time in calling it a swing, resulting in a that ended the inning and set off Encarnacion. His angry display was so animated that he admitted after the game that he thought he was going to be ejected. "But, they know I don't usually do that," Encarnacion said. "They know me." When he tossed away his bat, Encarnacion did not realize how close he came to hitting home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez. The first baseman felt bad after seeing it on replay. "I'm going to tell him sorry tomorrow when I see him," Encarnacion said. From the dugout, Indians manager Terry Francona agreed with Encarnacion's initial take on the call. The manager thought the slugger held up. When Francona watched the play later on film, though, he was no longer as certain. "When I saw it live, I didn't think he came close to swinging," Francona said. "When I went back and looked, it's close. I wouldn't want to have to make that call in real time. It's hard. That's one of those where we want it, and so do they. That'll never change." The D-backs capitalized on the moment. In the bottom of the sixth, Arizona's lineup got rolling. David Peralta sent a Bauer pitch off the right-field pole for a one-out home run and Paul Goldschmidt followed with a double into the right-field corner. Goldschmidt stole third and Yasmany Tomas crushed a from Bauer off the center-field wall for a run-scoring triple. Cleveland could not stop the bleeding from there. The D-backs plated four runs in the sixth and then six more in the eighth. "When they get aggressive and they start feeling good, we've seen it two days in a row now, they put a hurtin' on us in a hurry," Francona said.

Kluber looks to right ship in second start By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | April 8th, 2017 + 3 COMMENTS Corey Kluber did not look like himself in his Opening Day outing against the Rangers earlier this week. While the Indians ace refused to use it as an excuse, part of the problem was a pair of calluses that broke open on his pitching fingers in the Texas humidity.

As Kluber preps for a start against the D-backs on Sunday -- opposite Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin -- that is no longer considered an issue. "He's fine," Indians manager Terry Francona said. The D-backs will be trying to complete a three-game sweep of the Indians. During Kluber's start against the Rangers on Monday, the right-hander was charged with five runs on six hits, including three home runs, with six and three walks in six innings. The Rangers went 6-for-12 with five runs scored out of the gates, but then Kluber made an adjustment and ended his start by holding Texas to 0-for-11 the rest of the way. D-backs manager Torey Lovullo was John Farrell's bench coach in Boston the previous four seasons, and is used to seeing Kluber pitch. "He's one of the best right-handed pitchers in the American League," Lovullo said Saturday. "We respect his work ethic, his ability to take the ball and work deep into games. And we know it's going to be a battle for us [Sunday]. I don't know that his last start went the way he wanted it to, but we know he's going to be ready for this challenge. "We look forward to these kinds of challenges, though. We know Corey is going to be ready for us and I want to make sure our guys are ready for him." Things to know about this game • In his season debut Tuesday, Corbin was charged with three runs (two earned) on seven hits in four innings. The lefty struck out one and walked two in the loss. Corbin averaged 92.7 mph with his fastball in the outing. Last year, Cleveland hit .300 (seventh in the Majors) as a team against left-handed four-seamers under 94 mph. • With the left-handed Corbin starting for the D-backs, there is a strong chance that Michael Brantley will be out of the lineup. Last time manager Terry Francona gave Brantley a day off from starting, Brandon Guyer hit out of the No. 3 spot. Expect center fielder Austin Jackson to also be in the lineup for the Tribe. • With no available in Arizona, Carlos Santana started in right field on Friday and Saturday for the Indians. Francona has not said whether Santana will remain in the outfield for Sunday's series finale. With Brantley possibly sitting, the Indians may stick with the approach.

Covering the Bases: Game 5 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: Trevor Bauer’s final pitching line won’t really show it, and the final score of Saturday’s game certainly won’t show it, but the right-hander pitched pretty decently against the D-backs. For five innings, Bauer was locked in a nice duel with Zack Greinke, and the game was caught in a 1–1 tie into the sixth. And then, it all fell apart, swiftly and without mercy for Cleveland. “It just got away from us in a hurry,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. In a span of 12 pitches in the home half of the sixth, Bauer’s solid outing unraveled. First came a full-count two-seamer inside to David Peralta, who pulled it down the right-field line and off the pole for a solo homer. Said Paul Goldschmidt went down low and got another two-seamer, which he shot into right field for a double. With Jake Lamb batting, Goldschmidt stole second base. Bauer struck out Lamb, setting up a battle with Yasmany Tomas. Bauer slipped into a 3–1 count and then shook off Perez twice to get to the curveball. For good reason, too. Last year, Tomas hit .145 off curves௘²௘fifth-lowest in MLB among players with at least 50 results. He also had a .327 off (16th lowest). To put that into a visual, here’s his hot-cold zones in 2016 vs. curves: Going with the curveball makes a lot of sense against Tomas. Perez also pointed out that first base was open, so if the D-backs outfielder spit on the pitch, well, he’d take his walk and they would adjust from there. “It’s a pitch he’s performed historically the worst on,” Bauer said. “So, I threw my best pitch to a hitter that hits it the worst.” Here is where Bauer put it. It’s the blue dot right in the middle of the zone: Field’s unique center-field wall, bounced over center fielder Tyler Naquin and rolled enough to pave the way for a triple. Francona pulled the plug on Bauer’s start at that point. took over and the D-backs continued to pour it on. Arizona posted four runs in the sixth and then another six in the eighth. Over 5.2 innings, Bauer allowed seven hits and was charged with four runs. One came after his exit and the other came on a double play grounder in the fifth. The righty finished with seven strikeouts and no walks in the 102-pitch effort. “I thought he was good,” Francona said. “I thought he had life on his fastball, a good breaking ball. I don’t think he had any walks, and he had to because of the way Greinke was pitching. When Goldschmidt stole third, now all of a sudden you maybe have to pitch different. “And when they get aggressive and they start feeling good, we’ve seen it two days in a row now, they put a hurtin’ on us in a hurry. But, if he throws the ball like that, he’s going to be just fine.” As long as we’re in the “they’re going to be just fine” category… One turn through the rotation, the Indians’ starters have posted a 6.83 ERA. The group has allowed 22 runs (21 earned) on 29 hits, including six homers, with 35 strikeouts and nine walks in 27.2 innings. It’s way too early to draw any type of conclusions on this front. Corey Kluber pitched with blisters. Defense cost Danny Salazar a couple extra earned runs. Bauer was better than his line. And, to top it off, Cleveland opened in pair of hitter-friendly parks. So, let’s keep the fingers off the panic button for now. SECOND: Before the D-backs kicked down the door and turned the game into a laugher, there were two very close plays that looked like game-changers in the moment. Let’s begin with Edwin Encarnacion. “Don’t make him mad,” Perez said after the game. First-base umpire Lance Barksdale made him mad. When the game was still knotted, 1–1, Encarnacion came to bat with Francisco Lindor on third base and two outs in the sixth. Encarnacion was ahead in the count, 2–0, before Greinke fired back-to-back pitches tempting enough to induce swings and misses. Edwin watched one more. Full count. Then, Greinke spun a and Encarnacion did his best to check his swing. The Tribe’s first baseman was convinced he accomplished just that, and he was ready to head up the line with a walk. That was until Barksdale rung him up with strike three. Encarnacion jumped, raised his arms in confusion and began yelling. He fired his bat away௘²௘nearly hitting home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez௘²௘and then sent his helmet skipping across the ground. Encarnacion angrily walked up the first-base line, yelling, “No!” as he got to Barksdale. Encarnacion was not ejected, and that surprised him. “But, they know I don’t usually do that,” he said. “They know me.” Asked what he thought of the call after he saw video of his swing, Encarnacion smirked and said, “It’s a strike௘²௘he called it.” He also didn’t know how close he came to hitting Hernandez, and said he planned to apologize to the umpire on Sunday. “I just reacted,” Encarnacion said. “I thought that it didn’t happen, but I just reacted in the way that I did.” At first, Francona didn’t think Encarnacion swung, either. The manager was no longer as sure after seeing the replay. “When I saw it live, I didn’t think he came close to swinging,” Francona said. “When I went back and looked, it’s close. I wouldn’t want to have to make that call in real time. It’s hard. That’s one of those where we want it, and so do they. That’ll never change.” How close was it? See for yourselves: THIRD: Earlier in the sixth, Lindor nearly put the Tribe ahead with what would’ve been his fourth homer in three games. Lindor sent a pitch from Greinke to right-center, where the baseball hit the top of the wall. After the ball bounced back into play, fans beyond the fence were motioning that it was a home run. The play never went to a replay review, but Mike Barnett, Cleveland’s replay coordinator, said it was clearly a double upon close inspection. “You could see it left an indentation in the padding,” Barnett said. “It was close.” Added Francona: “I think it hit right on the yellow. I didn’t see where. I think the fans kind of made it [seem like a homer]. They’re all out there yelling, ‘Home run,’ but I didn’t see anything out there that I figured it could’ve hit. Barney said it hit the yellow and came back.” You can see where the ball hit in the screengrab below: HOME: Another aspect of Bauer’s outing that could easily get lost in the shuffle was the amount of called strikes. The righty’s two-seamer was especially effective as a backdoor option against righties. Part of that is Bauer’s work on that pitch over the past few years. Part of it on Saturday was also some questionable calls by Hernandez behind the plate. But, another important element to consider is Perez’s ability to frame pitches. Here was the called strike chart for Bauer: Fifteen of those were two-seamers, including nine against right-handed batters. The effectiveness of that pitch, combined with Perez’s presentation, make for a tough combination for hitters. “I think you’re accurate there,” Bauer said. “It worked really well all night. I threw some really good ones. [Perez]got some calls like he always does. I think that’s a good combo.”

April 8: Tito’s pregame minutiae by Jordan Bastian On what he’s seen so far from Yandy Diaz: “Defensively, he’s really played a good third base. Hitting wise, it’s a small sample, and he’s lined out a couple times. That kind of puts a dent in your average. But, I think his at-bats have been solid, too. I think Yandy, you’re going to look up a couple years from now and he’s going to be doing some severe damage. Just the way he hits, the way he’s built, I think he’s got so much room to get better, and it’s exciting.” On Diaz charging, barehanding a roller from Yasmany Tomas and getting the pout at first on Friday night: “That was a nice play. He’s done that twice now. Again, because he’s not the finished product. We know that and he knows that. But, he’s paid attention and has been where he’s supposed to be and all that stuff. I think he’s done a good job.” On Diaz’s best position defensively: “I don’t know if we really know. Originally, I believe he was a second baseman. He played some third and we put him in the outfield last year, and the reason we did that was we thought maybe he would potentially be a call-up. So, I think we’re still trying to maybe figure that out and maybe it ends up being need.” On Lonnie Chisenhall going 1-for-4 in his first Minor League rehab game: “He’s OK. Lonnie is on the short rehab. He may even be activated for our [home] opening day. It just depends on maybe who’s pitching for them and obviously if he needs more, we can give it to him, but I think that was kind of a soft target.” On Dan Otero getting hit hard on Friday night: “He actually made a really good pitch to Tomas. He’s so quick in. That ball was in off the plate. Sometimes it’s just circumstances. We saw a couple years ago in Philly, he had a 6.00 ERA. He’ll get on a roll. He’ll get on a roll. He came into an inning when they were already being aggressive, and he throws so many strikes. Maybe he paid for that a little bit.” Asked if Trevor Bauer might have emotions going against the D-backs: “If there are, I hope he uses it to his advantage. But, like he said, he’s been removed there now. This is his fifth year with us. That’s a pretty good while.” On Carlos Santana in right field on Friday night: “I think Carlos is actually fine. I mean, he had the one play where he dove for it, but I don’t think anybody catches that ball. But, he gets behind the ball I’d say remarkable well for a guy who hasn’t been out there. … He gets behind it and he looks comfortable out there. I think he’s done fine.” On Santana’s continued success leading off: “He can hit anywhere, but he’s going to walk 100 times. He also has hit in the middle of the order, so especially in the American League, when the bottom comes around, there he is sitting there, being a switch hitter with power. And I think he likes it. I think he likes getting that extra at- bat. And we don’t even ask guys to do stuff different. We just try to take what they do well. And he sees so many pitches that it’s good. He leads off the game and he sees six, seven pitches, that kind of helps everybody.” On going with an on-base guy rather than a tradition leadoff hitter: “I’ve always thought that, if you’re going to weight something, I would much rather have guys on base for your middle of the order bats, just because sometimes you’re hesitant to let guys run anyway when you have your big guys up. And then if you hit your speed guys lower, they can be a little more aggressive, and if they’re out, you didn’t leave Encarnacion or Brantley standing in the batter’s box.” Asked if Michael Brantley will play in Sunday’s day game: “I don’t think so. We’ve got a left-hander and it’s a day game. I think we’ll try to do some things like that early on, and then hopefully as we get into the season, that won’t be an issue anymore. But, again, he’s come so far. I just want to make sure that we don’t try to bite off too much, too quick.” On Brantley stealing second in the fifth inning on Friday: “He’s a smart baserunner, man. And he actually had really good at-bats. The first time up, he hit that ball to third. Great play. Then he lined out to right. I think he looks really good. I think he’s having fun playing, too. You can tell.” Asked if there is any fear about Brantley diving for a ball: “What are you going to do? We kind of talked about that the other day, how do you tell somebody not to play? I think sometimes, if you play protecting something, you almost put yourself at more risk. Just prepare, play the game right and things happen, we all know that.” On Francisco Lindor’s power potential: “I’d hate to put a number on him. I just don’t like to do that. But he’s a strong kid. How many did he hit last year? I think over the course of just having good at-bats, he’s going to hit the ball out of the ballpark. When he starts trying, he gets a little longer. But, yeah, he can, from both sides of the plate.” Asked where Jason Kipnis will hit in lineup when he returns: “I’ve thought about a lot of stuff. I told he and Brant that, when he comes back, I’ll sit with those two, because they’ve always hit second [or third]. They’ve always been in there. And I don’t want to make it harder for them, where every manager can bring in the lefty without having to go through a righty. So, I told both of them I’d sit and talk to them, because they both will have good thoughtful ideas, and I want to hear them.” Asked if Santana would continue to lead off after Kipnis returns: “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll situate one of those switch hitters in-between. We’ve got four of them. We’ll see. We’ll see. And, who knows? We may end up hitting them back to back. Sometimes we worry so much about the bullpen and you don’t put your best lineup up against the starter.”

Close calls become key moments for Indians in 11-2 loss by T.J. Zuppe, 8 hours ago Notes, quotes and observations from the 11-2 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday night. 1. The turning point of the game became obvious. With the potential go-ahead run at second base and two outs in the top of the sixth, Edwin Encarnacion took what he thought was ball four, checking his swing and preparing to take off for first. The Diamondbacks, however, checked for an appeal on his swing, and first-base umpire Lance Barksdale clenched his right fist together and raised his arm, signaling that Encarnacion had gone too far and wasn’t owed first base after all. Encarnacion was livid, firing his bat toward the first-base dugout — almost hitting home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez in the process — and raising his arms in disbelief as he began yelling down at Barksdale. The inning, based on that judgement call, came to an end and the score remained tied 1-1. Based on television replay angles, it didn’t A few minutes later, another close call would impact the game. With Trevor Bauer down in the count 3-1, his curveball appeared to come in above the top of the strike zone, which would have put David Peralta at first base with one down in the bottom of the sixth. That offering, however, was ruled a strike, surprising Peralta but keeping him from exiting the batter’s box. With extended life, the next pitch from Bauer was clubbed down the right-field line by the left-handed hitter, kissing the right-field foul pole for a go-ahead solo blast.

The fifth pitch of the sequence was ruled a strike (yellow), leading to the sixth (green), which David Peralta hit for a go-ahead solo homer (Courtesy of Baseball Savant) Rarely would a pitcher prefer the outcome that results in a free pass, but in this situation, the benefit of a close call worked in favor of the hitter. *** 2. Much like the hit-by-pitch Friday of Shelby Miller by righty Josh Tomlin, the solo homer would be the catalyst for Bauer’s unraveling. He would allow a Paul Goldschmidt double and Yasmany Tomas triple before being chased to the showers. Bauer would be charged with four runs in 5 2/3 innings, a fate he certainly didn’t fully deserve. After expanding their lead to 5-1 in the sixth, the Diamondbacks would land several critical blows in their six-run eighth inning, putting things out of reach for good. Of course, in no way were those calls the reason for the loss. Teams that take advantage of their opportunities are typically the ones that emerge victorious. The D-backs capitalized, the Indians couldn’t recover. Those are the breaks. *** 3. Before the sixth-inning, Bauer was solid, but unfortunately, that only tells a portion of the story. However, prior to the game slipping away, there were some good things to like about the righty’s performance. Bauer was extremely reliant on his two-seam fastball, which he used at varying heights in the strike zone Saturday night. His usage of the pitch (46.1 percent) was trumped in just two of his starts last year, meaning he leaned on it more than he typically does (29.2 percent usage in 2016). He had good reason to, as the offering was working with all sorts of movement and was keeping D-backs hitter off balance. In comparison, he only threw seven pitches classified as four-seam fastballs. How much Bauer continues to develop and use that pitch should be something to watch this year. Last season, his two-seamer fared better (.274 average, .396 slugging) than his straight four-seam fastball (.303 average, .542 slugging), and for the first time since really introducing the pitch in 2015, he began to use it with about the same frequency as his four-seamer. Saturday, he earned 15 called strikes and one swinging strike with the two-seamer, averaging an exit velocity of 85.5 MPH with the offering, the lowest average of the five pitch types registered in the loss. On the flip slide, a two-seamer is what Peralta hit for the go-ahead homer … You win some, you lose some, I guess. What does this all mean? Well, as Bauer continues to use that developing pitch, perhaps it will steadily become his most used. And based on recent results, there is some reason to believe doing so will lead to better results. *** 4. Early season baseball stats are weird. Like, if we told you the Indians’ starting rotation would feature a 6.83 ERA through the first five games, you probably would have exhibited two reactions: One, terror, or two, distrust. But five games in, the first trip through the starting five has yielded those results — even if they aren’t something worth getting worked up over. Neither are some early struggles by Edwin Encarnacion, who is hitting .150 with a .577 OPS and uncharacteristically high 31.8 strikeout percentage in his first 22 please appearances. The same can be said for the other, more pleasant side of that coin, with the likes of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana unlikely to eclipse their current 1.000 OPS pace for the entire season. The bullpen has been beat up the past two games at Chase Field (eight runs officially charged to the relievers), but that group is hardly one to get concerned over — especially considering the two biggest pieces, and Cody Allen, have barely had an opportunity in the 2017 waters. *** 5. Every year we say it. Maybe you’re tired of hearing it. But every year, reactions warrant the reminder: try not to get hooked by small sample sizes. These are the only outcomes we have at the moment, I get it. We’re all guilty. Heck, we just spent a good portion of our time breaking down Bauer’s two-seam usage in one game. But more than any other sport, sample size means so much. Four games isn’t enough to draw any meaningful conclusions. You could argue that 40 games is barely enough to make definitive statements. Avoiding the peaks and valleys of the early season is almost unavoidable — and to some extent, it’s understandable and enjoyable to ride the highs and lows — but to keep yourself sane over the next seven months, you better start pacing yourself. There will be plenty of time to freak in the months ahead. But we’ll need a little more time to know which things will be worthy of that skepticism. *** 6. On deck: The Indians, hoping to avoid the sweep, and D-backs will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. Corey Kluber (0- 0, 7.50) will make his second start of the season, this time against lefty Patrick Corbin (0-0, 4.50). First pitch is set for 4:10 p.m. at Chase Field.

Diamondbacks rally again, erupt late to crush Indians JOSE M. ROMERO (Associated Press) PHOENIX (AP) -- David Peralta sparked yet another rally for the Diamondbacks, and Arizona rolled to its latest comeback win. Peralta hit a go-ahead solo homer in the sixth inning and Arizona got its fifth come-from-behind victory in six games to start the season, beating the 11-2 on Saturday night. Peralta's second home run of the season pinged off the right field foul pole with one out to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead against starter Trevor Bauer. The Diamondbacks scored four runs in the sixth and six more in the eighth. Arizona has won four straight games and scored 45 runs over their first six contests, a team record in that span. Arizona has feasted in the middle innings, getting 11 runs in fifth innings and 13 in sixths this season. ''Just the discussions that are happening in between innings and the amount of information that's being shared is really impressive,'' manager Torey Lovullo said. ''I like our chances when we're seeing a guy for the second or third time (through the lineup). It's been our track record for the first six games, and I feel like these guys are competing on a pretty impressive level night after night.'' Arizona is 5-1 for the first time since 2013. Zack Greinke (1-0) pitched 6 2/3 solid innings, allowing a run and five hits while striking out six. ''Everything was great. It was a lot of fun,'' Greinke said. ''I felt like I could throw my pitches where I wanted to. Good defense, good results pitching, just a good game all the way around.'' Bauer (0-1) made his first start of the season and was charged with four runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. ''I thought he had life on his fastball, good breaking ball. If he throws the ball like that he will be just fine,'' Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. ''When they get aggressive and start feeling good, we have seen it two days in a row, they put a hurting on us in a hurry.'' After Peralta's blast, Paul Goldschmidt doubled and came home on Yasmany Tomas's two-out triple, Tomas pumping his first as he chugged into third base. Brandon Drury doubled down the left field line off Bryan Shaw to score Tomas, and following an intentional walk, Jeff Mathis singled in Drury. Chris Herrmann drove in two runs with a pinch-hit in the eighth. Drury and Tomas had three hits each, and Drury raised his batting average to .526 (10 for 19) on the season. HAZELBAKER'S WAY Jeremy Hazelbaker singled in all three of his at-bats to move to 6 for 6 on the season, and with a walk became the first player since Baltimore's Ramon Hernandez in 2006 to reach base safely in each of his first eight plate appearances of a season. EDWIN ON THE EDGE Indians 1B Edwin Encarnacion was close to being ejected after reacting angrily to a swinging strikeout to end the sixth. Encarnacion thought he checked his swing, but umpires ruled it a swing to strand the go-ahead run on third base. Encarnacion threw his bat and helmet down hard, the helmet almost bouncing into home plate umpire Angel Hernandez, who had to get out of the way. TRAINER'S ROOM Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall, on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right shoulder, served as DH for Triple-A Columbus on Friday. Francona said he could be activated in time for the Indians' home opener on Tuesday. ... Michael Brantley (shoulder) could get Sunday off, with the Indians facing a left-hander in a day game and Brantley having played the team's first five games. Diamondbacks: Reliever Archie Bradley is over his illness and got three days of rest after a long outing on Tuesday. He was available to pitch Saturday. ... OF Gregor Blanco (oblique) is on a throwing program but has yet to swing a bat. ... Pitchers Jake Barrett (right shoulder) and Rubby De La Rosa (right elbow) threw batting practice on Saturday at the team complex in nearby Scottsdale. UP NEXT Indians: Opening day starter Corey Kluber looks for his first win of the season Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He'll take the mound one day before his 31st birthday. Diamondbacks: LHP Patrick Corbin (0-1) is set for his second start, and first ever against Cleveland as Arizona looks for a series sweep.

Indians report: The curious case of Bryan Shaw in the spring By Ryan Lewis Indians reliever Bryan Shaw might be one of the more interesting cases on the club for two main reasons. The first is his perception compared to performance. He’s been one of the more durable workhorses in any bullpen the past four years, pitching in at least 70 games since Indians manager Terry Francona took over in 2013. In total, he’s appeared in 299 games in that time, the most in baseball. His highest ERA in any season is 3.24. His highest WHIP is 1.26. And yet, there he is, being told by more than a few fans to hit the road. seems to audibly groan when he runs in from the bullpen in a one-run game. It could be in part because, although it hasn’t happened often, when Shaw has been hit, he’s been hit hard. Last year, Shaw was shelled twice in the early part of the season, and his season ERA never really recovered until September. Between mid-June and the end of August, he allowed earned runs in exactly one appearance. That’s six weeks, 32 appearances, earned runs in only one game. But, in that one, he was crushed for four runs in a loss to the , again ballooning his season ERA by nearly a full run. Andrew Miller and Cody Allen get much of the recognition within the Indians’ bullpen, and with good reason, as they stand as two of the better relievers in all of baseball. It has been Shaw, though, that has served as the unit’s stabilizer. “Turn the lights on, that guy’s going to be good to go,” Allen said of Shaw. “He’s probably the most consistent, not only player but human being I’ve ever been around in my life. He’s like the one guy that you know exactly what you’re going to get every single time out.” But Shaw has recently become somewhat polarizing for a secondary reason: He just flat-out stinks in the spring. Here are his last three spring ERAs, starting with 2015: 6.23, 8.64, 17.61. Seventeen! Now, spring stats really don’t matter. Pitchers are often working on a particular pitch. Since the results don’t matter, it’s more valuable to work on some mechanical issue. Trusting in spring stats is often digging for fool’s gold. It’s not necessary the most comforting trait for a setup man entering the season. Three springs in a row, there’s Shaw, getting knocked around in the Arizona heat before turning it on when the regular season starts. Francona joked earlier this week the Indians just needed to get Shaw over the Arizona state line. Maybe that’s all it takes. This spring was a bit different than the previous two. Shaw said he and pitching coach Mickey Callaway noticed a mechanical tweak that was needed and made it just before the season began. For the most part, Shaw just doesn’t care about what happens in the spring, as long as he puts up his regular numbers when the games count. And for four seasons in a row, he has. He had started this season as if the spring never happened, working two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and picking up a save before the Indians returned to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks. On Saturday night, Shaw entered the game in the sixth inning and promptly yielded back-to-back RBI hits. “We joke about [how] I need to always have a guaranteed contract because I’m never going to make a team out of spring training, Shaw said. “I’m never worried about the spring. Spring is a time to get your work in, get ready, get your arm ready. For me, it’s more of working on getting the arm, being prepared for the long haul of the season versus in a sense work on getting outs.” Part of it is the different mentality that goes with appearing in spring training games. There, pitchers know when they’re going to pitch no matter what. In the regular season, there’s more adrenaline involved. It’s unknown, and situations can change in an instant. Shaw prefers the latter. “I think that just for me, I like going to the pen, whenever the phone rings, I’m cold, and I go out and pitch,” Shaw said. “In spring training it’s, ‘You’re pitching this inning, you’re pitching this inning, you’re doing this.’ You kind of have that sense of knowing when you’re coming in regardless of what the score is or what the situation is. This is your inning, you’re going to pitch, where obviously with a normal game you get out there and you’re down three and all of a sudden you hit a three-run homer to tie it and it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re getting up and getting in the game.’ It changes in an instant. It’s a different thought process and a different mentality once the season starts.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.09.2017 Cleveland Indians' Edwin Encarnacion surprised he didn't get ejected for temper tantrum By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com PHOENIX -- Edwin Encarnacion, who talks quietly and carries a big stick, said he was surprised that he wasn't ejected. Encarnacion, brought to Cleveland to hit in the middle of the lineup, lost his temper Saturday night in the Indians' 11-2 loss to Arizona. After being called out to end the sixth inning while attempting to check his swing, Encarnacion's placid personality shattered. He threw his batting helmet in disgust. Then he raised his arm to berate first base umpire Lance Barksdale, who called him out on the checked swing. Then he threw his bat behind him, nearly hitting plate umpire Angel Hernandez. "Yes, I'm surprised I didn't get ejected," said Encarnacion. "But they know I don't (usually) do that. They know me." Three things played a role in Encarnacion's display of temper. No.1: Francisco Lindor was on third base, representing the go-ahead run, with the scored tied, 1-1, when he struck out. No.2: Encarnacion came into the game hitting .283 (30-for-106) with 14 homers and 31 RBI against Arizona. He's 1-for-8 through the first two games of the series. No.3: Five games means little in a baseball season, but Encarnacion is hitting .150 (3-for-20) with one homer and one RBI after signing a three- year $60 million deal in January. Roberto Perez said he's never seen Encarnacion lose his temper like that. "Don't get him mad," said Perez. Encarnacion looked at the call on video. "Yes, I saw it," said Encarnacion. Did he still disagree with the call? "It's a strike he called it," said Encarnacion with a chuckle. While studying the replay he also saw that his bat almost hit Hernandez. "I'll going to have to apologize to him tomorrow." Manager Terry Francona yelled at Barksdale from the dugout in support of Encarnacion. "When I saw it live, I didn't think he came close to swinging," said Francona. "When I went back and looked on video, it's close. I wouldn't want to make that call in real time. "That's one of those where we wanted it and so did they. That will never change." Arizona's Zack Greinke held the Indians to one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings for the win. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. "He had good command in the strike zone," said Encarnacion. "And he had a good breaking pitch." Encarnacion said that fact that he's had success against Arizona in the past, but has been held to one hit in the first two games of this series, played a part in what happened Saturday. "You know you have to do something to help this team win games," said Encarnacion. "But tomorrow is another day. Let's get them tomorrow." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.09.2017 Cleveland Indians lose to Arizona, 11-2, after Edwin Encarnacion loses his cool By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com PHOENIX - One good outburst deserves another, but on Saturday night the Indians came out on the short end of such an exchange with the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. After first baseman Edwin Encarnacion expressed his displeasure at being called out on an attempted check swing to end the sixth inning, Arizona responded with a torrent of runs to beat the Indians, 11-2, for the second straight night. Encarnacion, who has 14 homers and 31 RBI in his career against Diamondbacks, struck out with the score tied 1-1 and Francisco Lindor on third. First he threw his batting helmet. Then he raised his hands to protest first base umpire Lance Barksdale's call. Finally he threw his bat behind him, causing plate umpire Angel Hernandez to jump out of the way. He was not ejected, but he could have been. Arizona used not one, but two big innings to beat the Indians on Saturday. They used the same strategy Friday with a five-run fifth inning. The Diamondbacks are off to a 5-1 start this season. The Indians, after sweeping Texas to start the season, are 3-2. On Saturday, David Peralta started Arizona's four-run rally in the sixth with a homer off the right field foul pole against Trevor Bauer for a 2-1 lead. Paul Goldschmidt followed with a double and stole third. Bauer struck out Jake Lamb, but couldn't get the third out. Yasmany Tomas tripled high off the center field wall for a 3-1 lead. Bryan Shaw relieved and allowed two more runs on a double by Brandon Drury and a single by Jeff Mathis. Arizona scored six more in the eighth. Rookie Shawn Armstrong, pitching for the second straight night, allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning. Bauer, facing the team that made him the No.3 pick in the country in 2011, allowed just one run through the first five innings. Things changed in the sixth. Zack Greinke improved to 10-9 lifetime against the Indians in his second start of the year. He allowed one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Greinke (1-0, 2.31) struck out six. Bauer (0-1, 6.35) allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter. In two starts against the Diamondbacks, Bauer has allowed six earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. He's struck out 16 and walked two. Michael Brantley gave the Indians a 1-0 lead in the fourth with a single through the right side to score Carlos Santana from third. Brantley, with the count full, hit a 91 mph fastball from Greinke. Santana opened the inning with a double off the fence in right. He advanced to third on a fly ball by Francisco Lindor. Arizona made it a 1-1 game in the fifth when Drury scored as Mathis grounded into a double play. Bauer threw 102 pitches, 67 (66 percent) for strikes. Greinke threw 106 pitches, 63 (59 percent) for strikes. Where's the offense? The Indians, after scoring 21 runs against Texas, have scored four in the first two games against Arizona. The have been out-hit, 26-13. The Indians and Diamondbacks drew 28,437 fans to Chase Field on Saturday night. First pitch was at 8:10 p.m. with a temperature of 86 degrees. The roof was open, but the side panels were closed. Corey Kluber (0-0, 7.50) will make his second start for the Indians on Sunday when he faces lefty Patrick Corbin (0-1, 4.50) at 4:10 p.m. ET. SportsTime Ohio and WMMS will carry the game. Kluber opened the season Monday against Texas and allowed five runs on six hits in six innings. He was bothered by blisters, but pitching coach Mickey Callaway said those are no longer a concern. Kluber is 1-0 lifetime against Arizona, throwing seven scoreless innings against them. Corbin, who lasted just four innings in a loss to the Giants on Tuesday, has never faced the Indians. He went 5-13 last year. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.09.2017

Do the Cleveland Indians need a captain, namely Francisco Lindor? Hey, Hoynsie Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com PHOENIX -- Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie. Hey, Hoynsie: So when are the Indians going to give Frankie Lindor his captain's C? Make it happen already. When was the last time the Tribe had an official captain? - Kevin, Meridian, Idaho. Hey, Kevin: It doesn't seem like baseball is big on captains. The only captains I can remember since I started covering the Indians were Joe Carter and Mel Hall. Manager Doc Edwards named them as co-captains - a good cop (Carter) and bad cop (Hall) - kind of arrangement. When Terry Francona managed the Red Sox, catcher was team captain. I don't think there's a groundswell to name a captain for the Indians. If there was, I think it would go to a veteran, not a young player such as Lindor. I also think Lindor would be the the first player to second that decision. Hey, Hoynsie: My wife and I have a question about Danny Salazar's earned run total from the fifth inning Wednesday night against Texas. Since Francisco Lindor's error led to all three runs in the inning, why were they not all unearned? - Ed Kramer, Cleveland. Hey, Ed: The official scorer, in determining what runs are earned and unearned, must reconstruct the inning without the error. Salazar had runners on first (Joey Gallo) and second (Jonathan Lucroy) with two out when Shin-Soo Choo sent a grounder behind second base to Lindor. Gallo, going from first to second, beat Lindor to second when Lindor tried for the force at that base. So that would not have been the third out in the inning. Lindor then made a wild throw to first base. That brought home Lucroy and Gallo with the first two runs as Choo advanced to second. If you remove Lindor's throwing error, the bases still would have been loaded on Choo's fielder's choice. So when Nomar Mazara followed with a single to center, the official scorer determined it would have scored two earned runs (Lucroy and Gallo). When Choo scored the third run of the inning on Mazara's single, that run was unearned because the only reason he reached second base was because of the error. Hey, Hoynsie: Does Jason Kipnis take over the leadoff spot when he comes off the disabled list. Or does he move down to sixth or seventh in the lineup? - Howard Smith, Gainesville, Va. Hey, Howard: Kipnis in the leadoff spot is an option, but right now Carlos Santana is performing well in that spot. I'm not sure manager Terry Francona would drop Kipnis to sixth or seventh or not. If he does that an indication of how deep the lineup is. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis will play Sunday for Class AA Akron Hey, Hoynsie: With five to six on the Tribe roster, do you see any kind of consistent lineup emerging? Or will Tito continue to pull the levers and push the buttons? -- John Palumbo, Mentor. Hey, John: When I look at the lineups for the first four games, I think Terry Francona has been consistent with the top five spots. There has been some movement in the last four spots, but I think that's determined by the kind of pitcher the Indians are facing and matchups. Francona has a lot of switch-hitters at his disposal so I don't think you're going to see the same nine guys, lined up the same way, for a week or 10 days, but I don't think there will be much movement at the top of the lineup. Hey, Mr. Drum: I'm so excited that I just got the wax cleaned out of my ears. I can hardly wait for your dulcet tones. Hey, Hoynsie: Yan Gomes has a propensity to call pitches away to lefties with the shift on. It cost the Tribe Game 7 of the World Series when he did it to Ben Zobrist in the 10th inning. Tuesday night he did it with Nomar Mazara in the ninth inning for leadoff double when Texas nearly rallied for a win. It seems like this would be easy enough to fix. - Ed Bukszar, Vancouver. Hey, Ed: You're blaming the Game 7 World Series loss on Gomes because he set up outside for a pitch to Zobrist? Bryan Shaw threw the pitch and said he put it right where he wanted to. Cody Allen gave up the leadoff double to Mazara in the ninth inning Tuesday. He said it was a good piece of hitting by Mazara. Sometimes you have to give the hitter credit and if a pitcher doesn't like the pitch the catcher calls he can always shake to another one. One more thing, before every game Gomes, the and pitching coach Mickey Callaway go over the scouting report and prepare a game plan for how they want to attack the opposing lineup. If Gomes is setting up outside against a left-hander with a shift on, he's not doing it on his own. @hoynsie Hey Hoynsie, do you think Yandy could curl you? -Dan, Perrysburg. Hey, Dan: If Yandy Diaz tried to curl me, he'd be on the disabled list. Hey, Hoynsie: With the Indians signing Roberto Perez to a new four-year contract, what does that mean to the future of Yan Gomes, especially with Francisco Mejia in the minors? If Gomes hits, maybe it means nothing, but could it mean a midseason ? - Carl Pallas, Bradenton, Fla. Hey, Carl: Right now Gomes is signed through 2019 with club options for 2020 and 2021. I think the Indians are happy with their catching situation. So happy, in fact, that if Jonathan Lucroy had given his approval, they would have traded Mejia and three other players to Milwaukee last season. @hoynsie If Diaz hits 4 the next couple weeks & looks serviceable at 3rd, does Ramirez go back to super-utility when Kip returns? Pat,

Hey, Patrick: I can't see that happening. I think Diaz gets optioned to Class AAA Columbus. They just signed Jose Ramirez to a four-year extension and while they appreciate his versatility, I think they want to see him play third base. Hey, Hoynsie: Is there a good reason why Texas didn't try to bunt the runner over after Mike Napoli's ninth-inning double Tuesday night cut the Indians' lead to 4-3. I'm glad they didn't, but there were no out and it didn't make sense to me. - Neil, Hubbard. Hey, Neil: I'm guessing that Texas manager Jeff Banister wanted to give hot-hitting Rougned Odor, batting behind Napoli, a chance to drive in the tying run or perhaps win the game by himself with a homer. But when Cody Allen struck out Odor, perhaps giving up the second out on a sacrifice bunt didn't seem to make much sense. @hoynsie Where does Lonnie fit on the 25 man, when he returns from the DL? I just don't see who comes off when he and Kipnis return. Hey, Zach: The Indians have played four games through Friday. I don't think you make a decision based on four games. You look at track records and Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis have proven more than Yandy Diaz and Abraham Almonte, the two leading candidates to get sent down when they return. But who knows -- things change fast in baseball. Hey, Hoynsie: Why do you and other reporters from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer feel the need to predict what will happen to the Indians this season? While I respect your ability to accurately and fairly report as a beat reporter, I could care less about your opinion or that of your journalistic brothers. - Gene La Suer, Des Moines, Ia. Hey, Gene: I can't argue with you. The moment after I make my predictions for the upcoming season, I pretty much forget them. But it's tradition, like putting mustard on a hot dog. One more suggestion: if you don't like them, don't read them.

Is this Carlos Santana's last year with the Cleveland Indians? Rant of the week Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com PHOENIX - This is Carlos Santana's eighth year with the Indians. It has gone quickly. He joined the Indians as a catcher and a middle of the order hitter. He's gone from catcher to third base to first base and DH. This weekend he's playing right field against the Diamondbacks and hitting leadoff. A couple of years ago a scout called and asked for an opinion on Santana. He didn't say it, but it sounded as if his team was interested in the switch-hitter and the Indians were more than willing to listen. For a long time the Indians didn't know what to make of Santana. They liked his talent, his power and his ability to reach base. In the clubhouse, there was a question of what role he could play on a winning team. Manager Terry Francona has helped change that. So did Mike Napoli. Last year Santana didn't brood about sharing first base and DH with Napoli. Instead he and Napoli had career years and the Indians went to the World Series. In November, the Indians exercised Santana's $12 million option for 2017. In the World Series, he volunteered to play left field at . This spring he told Francona he was willing to play the outfield whenever asked. That's why he made his second straight start in right field Saturday night against Arizona. At his core, Santana is a hitter and the Indians wanted to keep his bat in the lineup with the pitcher hitting in the National League park. "It's almost a reward for Carlos because he's been so enthusiastic about wanting to play out there," said Francona. Said Santana, "I have prepared for that situation and that moment (to play right field). I'll do anything for Tito if he needs me. I do it from my heart, especially if I can help my team win." Santana is hitting .353 (6-for-17) with one homer and six RBI in first four games of the season. It is a good start in what could be his final year in Cleveland. Santana can be a free agent at the end of the season. A story recently said the Indians would approach Santana and his agents about staying in Cleveland. Santana on Saturday afternoon said no one has talked to him. "The Indians haven't talk to me and I'm not thinking about that," said Santana. "They haven't talked to my agent either. "All I'm thinking about is playing hard every day and trying to do the best for me and my team. This is not the right situation to talk about that." Santana is the franchise leader in homers by a switch hitter with 152. He ranks 12th in homers overall and ninth in walks with 641. He's just the 13th player in franchise history to hit more than 150 homers. He has proven to be durable and productive. Outside of the 2010 season when he missed the last two months of the season after injuring his left knee in a collision at the plate, Santana has never played fewer than 143 games in a season. For six straight years, he's had at least 507 at- bats and drawn at least 91 walks. The Indians acquired him from the Dodgers in 2008 for another underrated player, Casey Blake. "Time has gone by fast, but I'm proud," said Santana. "I'm happy God gave me the opportunity to play for this organization. I know everybody here and everybody knows me." The old New York columnist Frank Graham once wrote about a player, "He's learning how to say hello when it's time to say goodbye." Santana never hesitated to say hello and at the end of the year he might say goodbye as well.

Baysox 4, RubberDucks 1: Baysox starter John Means not friendly to RubberDucks There was a means to an end Saturday.

Unfortunately for the RubberDucks, it was Bowie Baysox starting pitcher John Means.

It’s not unusual to see pitching ahead of hitting early in the season, especially in the cold weather when the ball doesn’t travel as far, but Means took things to another level in a 4-1 win by the Baysox at Canal Park.

The RubberDucks made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth on three consecutive two-out walks by Jesus Liranzo, but Ivan Castillo popped out to to end things. Other than that, the afternoon belonged to Means.

“That was a good start, whether it was his first start of the year or his last start of the year,” Baysox manager Gary Kendall said. “He went out there and executed his pitches.

“He’s come a long way in this league. I know it’s premature to say, but last year he wouldn’t have been a guy that pitched that much with his change-up, and today he did.

“He kept his fastball down. He pitched us deep into the game. Six innings this early in the year is great. He changed speeds in a narrow game and was very effective.”

Means didn’t allow a hit through four innings and gave up only a few hard-hit balls in a stellar 2017 debut.

Yu Chang ruined the no-no with a home run — his second — to start the fifth.

After hitting Greg Allen to start the game Means buckled down. Allen was erased on a double play to end the inning, and Means retired 11 of the next 12 batters.

Means went six innings of three-hit ball, allowing the one run and added six strikeouts against one walk.

“I thought he did a really good job mixing,” RubberDucks manager Mark Budzinski said. “He had good command of his fastball, moving it in and out and did a really good job of keeping us off balance.”

Ducks right-hander Michael Peoples soldiered through five innings and gave up seven hits — five of them doubles. The right-hander was able to work out of jams. He gave up two runs — both earned — and finished with four strikeouts.

In Peoples’ defense, two of the doubles would have been outs on an overcast day, but right fielder Mike Papi lost both doubles by Sean Coyle in the sun.

Through two games, RubberDucks pitching hasn’t fooled many a Baysox batter.

In the 17 innings they’ve played, the Baysox have pounded out 29 hits in 80 at-bats (.363). They’ve scored 17 runs, and have hit three home runs, two triples and seven doubles in those plate appearances.

“Hats off to that Bowie team,” Ducks center fielder Greg Allen said. “... We probably haven’t played the best baseball these first two games, but you have to trust in the process and hopefully things work their way out.”

Kip coming

Indians All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis will begin his rehab assignment Sunday with the Ducks. He’s expected to fill the designated hitter role in one game of the , which will be two seven-inning games starting at 1:05 p.m. Fans enjoy 15th Captains home opener at Classic Park By David Glasier, The News-Herald Captains general manager Neil Stein was one happy man as the team’s 2017 home opener got underway at Classic Park. The temperature was a shade under 50 degrees, not warm but tropical compared to the temperatures at each of the previous nine home openers since Stein joined the team’s front office. That much of the ballpark was still bathed in sunlight, which made it seem warmer. The combination of comparatively good weather and the start of another baseball season in Eastlake produced one of the larger home opener crowds in recent years at Classic Park. Advertisement Many of those fans were wearing the Trapper Hats that were the night’s promotional souvenir. Every general manager at every level of loves it when fans are in the stands. “There’s no turning back at this point. We’re super excited,” Stein said, smiling and surveying the stands minutes before highly-rated prospect Brady Aiken fired the first pitch of the game for the home team. The pomp and circumstance of pre-game ceremonies gave the 15th home opener in franchise history a special feel. Players from the Captains and visiting Dayton Dragons were introduced and lined up along the first and third base lines. They were joined by their managers and coaches. There were moments of silence for several Captains fans who passed away in the off season and a spirited performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the choir from Thomas Edison Elementary School in Willoughby. It was also extraordinarily satisfying to Stein that the new video array on the main scoreboard, the installation of which was completed just in time for the home opener, was working like a charm. “As a front office, we are 100 percent pleased with this home opener,” Stein said. Captains manager Larry Day made reference to the team’s fans, and especially those who buy season-ticket packages , when asked for his read on the excitement of a home opener. “This gives us a chance to showcase our players to fans who care so much about this team that they turn out not just for home openers, but for games on weekdays in April and May,” Day said. Two of those fans, Cheryl and Jim Gaidelis of Mentor, were in line at the concession stand before the game began. And, yes, they were wearing their newly obtained Trapper Hats. “This is good baseball and a great ballpark, We love coming to games here,” Cheryl Gaidelis said.

BICKLEY:New Diamondbacks making great first impression Dan Bickley , azcentral sports Published 1:00 p.m. MT April 8, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago If workplace culture could win the World Series, the Diamondbacks would be a dynasty. They always have a surplus of happy employees. But after one week of in 2017, something different is happening inside Chase Field. Relief. “The one constant is employees constantly coming up to me, including those who have worked in baseball for operations for years, and saying: ‘Thank you for hiring these guys,’ ” Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said. Those guys would be Mike Hazen, Torey Lovullo and the directional shift they represent. They are making a wonderful first impression. Hazen showed up for Opening Day in dashing business attire, representing the intellectual revolution that is overtaking baseball. Lovullo ended the day in a laundry cart, wheeled into the showers for a postgame victory dousing. It's been interesting, to say the least. The new general manager is setting a coherent foundation. His decision to trade Jean Segura hasn’t hurt a bit, not with the comforting sight of A.J. Pollock batting leadoff; Brandon Drury emerging as a rising star at second base; and an offense that scored 34 runs in its first five games, six more than any other team in baseball. Hazen wants to be the next Theo Epstein, the baseball executive immortalized after bringing the World Series trophy to two of the most passionate sports cities in America (Boston, Chicago), two franchises that had combined for 194 years of baseball without a championship. Epstein recently recalled hashing out contract terms with Curt Schilling at his home in Arizona. Epstein was with the Red Sox at the time, and Schilling had just fired his agent, convinced he could handle the transaction by himself. Epstein said Schilling would often get up and leave the room, consulting the book “Negotiating for Dummies.” There could be no better symbol for what’s happening at Chase Field, where the new regime seems to be mocking the old school, the well- intended but tired dogma that poured from Kevin Towers and Tony La Russa. The new manager – surname rhymes with marshmallow – also seems to be setting the right tone and pushing the right buttons. Lovullo has charisma, along with a certain toughness. He plays for big innings and is not inclined to bunt. He picks the right pinch-hitters. He’s producing a team that finishes strong, overcoming early deficits and awful at-bats. They appear to be a dangerous team on offense, and by winning four of their first five games against excellent competition, they are reversing the awful trend of home-field apathy. The Diamondbacks were more than highly disappointing in 2016, where the owner spent roughly $1.5 million for each victory. They were tragically bad at Chase Field, winning 33 of 81 games. Slow starts have plagued this franchise far too often in the recent past, robbing the team of all momentum and relevance. Last season, they couldn’t win a home series before May 17. They created a perception that baseball in the desert is best consumed in the spring, before the temperature and the outcomes become unbearable. This team feels different, even though it’s mostly the same. That juxtaposition makes you believe that the new guys in charge are doing wondrous things with the existing talent that failed under Dave Stewart and . That’s why this first homestand seems like such a big deal, especially when you’re beating the Giants and Indians. Baseball always comes down to the players, and how well they can grind. The 2017 Diamondbacks will be no different. Paul Goldschmidt has to have a very loud season. Jake Lamb has to prove it in the second half. Pollock has to stay healthy. The lineup will have to hit to win all season long, overcoming a starting rotation that doesn’t seem destined for an abundance of quality starts. That’s why a humidor is finally coming to fruition at Chase Field, where the organization has finally committed to storing baseballs in a different climate, just like they do at Coors Field in Denver. They want a better grip and playing field for their pitchers, and data shows that humidor balls generally yield 10 percent less offense. This will happen before the long, hot summer arrives. It's a great idea, given the enormous implications of Zack Greinke’s contract and his future trade value. Be careful what you wish for. Either way, I feared the 2017 Diamondbacks would be 1-6 after the opening week. Instead, we get a team that flew under the radar during the Cactus League and is quickly changing the conversation. Like they knew what they were doing. It will be a long time before the Diamondbacks attract 40,000 fans to Chase Field on a weekday night. But the team has been rewarding and entertaining in the first week of action. They start slow in games but have started fast in the standings. They have provided a shot of instant credibility to the new regime. They are threatening to make baseball relevant after Memorial Day, a weekend that has too often been a tombstone around here. Sedona Red Recap: Greinke dominant as D-backs pound Indians BY DEREK MONTILLA | April 8, 2017 @ 10:29 PM PHOENIX – It was an early pitchers’ duel on Saturday night between ace Zack Greinke and former D-backs first round pick and current Cleveland Indians starter Trevor Bauer. This was Bauer’s season debut against his former club, and he did not disappoint in a strong outing. However, it didn’t last against Greinke and the D-backs’ offense. Greinke’s pitching paired with the team’s bats waking up late in the game again gave the D-backs a series win against the reigning American League champs by a score of 11-2. Greinke went 6.2 innings, giving up one earned run and five hits. He struck out six and didn’t walk any batters. This was the type of performance many fans have been waiting to see from him and an encouraging sign for this pitching staff that has been in need of a dominant ace that could provide quality starts. In his second career start against the club that drafted him third overall in 2011, Trevor Bauer went 5.2 innings, giving up four earned runs by way of seven hits. He struck out seven, and like his counterpart, did not walk any batters. The difference maker in this game was a huge sixth inning by the D-backs, which was kicked off by a frustrated David Peralta taking out yet another bad Angel Hernandez call on the foul pole with a solo home run. The inning kept rolling with a Paul Goldschmidt double followed by an outright theft of third base by Goldy. He was later driven in by a Yasmany Tomas triple. Tomas went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and a RBI triple. He now owns a lifetime .332 batting average against left-handed pitchers, which is the fourth best average for a National League player since 2015. The sixth inning continued with four total runs coming across the plate that blew the game wide open. The D-backs added on six runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory and move on to a 5-1 record on the season. Brandon Drury continued his career-high hitting streak, which is now at 10 games dating back to 2016. Drury went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and he now has a season batting average of .526 in 15 at-bats. The team’s batting average for the night was .322 with fifteen hits. Greinke went 0-for-3 at the dish? I don’t really know. I’m new at this and I can’t find any bad in an 11-2 win against the defending American League champions. Batting 1,000 – Jeremy Hazelbaker (1.000) is the first player since Ramon Hernandez did it in 2006 for the Orioles to reach safely in his first eight plate appearances. Torey Lovullo on Greinke’s performance “I think Zack set the tone for us tonight. We built our day around him and his outing. His command of all of his pitches was outstanding. He worked into the seventh inning. He threw 106, 107 pitches. For me, he was in total command of his outing.” With a first-pitch temperature of 86 degrees at 5:10 p.m., the game was played with both the roof and panels open. Our very own Vince Marotta threw out the first pitch. He did not make us look bad. The Diamondbacks had three players with three hits tonight, Tomas, Drury, and Hazelbaker. The trio combined for six runs scored and three RBI on the night. Greinke moves to 1-0 on the season with a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 . The D-Backs look to sweep the series against Cleveland with their final game on Sunday at home before setting off on a 10-game NL West road trip starting in San Francisco on Monday. They will face the Giants, Dodgers, and Padres before returning home on April 21. On Sunday, the D-backs will send lefty Patrick Corbin to the mound to face off against RHP ace Corey Kluber for the Indians. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. Corbin is 0-1 in 2017 with a 4.50 ERA in 4.0 innings pitched. He has never faced the Indians. Kluber, meanwhile, has faced the D-backs one time during the regular season, giving up no runs on four hits and eight strikeouts. Kluber had an amazing season in 2016, finishing with an 18-9 record, 3.14 ERA, & 1.06 WHIP. He was a key component in Cleveland’s rotation and their run to the World Series. This is the final meeting between these two teams for 2017…unless they meet in the World Series. Overall, the D-backs are 9-9 all-time against the Indians.Arizona Sports LOADED: 04.09.2017 Diamondbacks down Indians, enjoy their winning ways Nick Piecoro , azcentral sports Published 8:38 p.m. MT April 8, 2017 | Updated 4 hours ago A group of players sat in a circle in the corner of the Diamondbacks clubhouse on Saturday night. They told stories and laughed loudly, each with a drink in their hand. Moments earlier, when reporters were allowed inside, a strobe light flickered from the center of the room, music blared and just about everyone there wore a smile on his face. The Diamondbacks seem to be enjoying this whole winning thing. For the second day in a row, the reigning American League champions were no match for them. Zack Greinke was terrific in his 6 2/3 innings, the offense did its usual slow-burn and the Diamondbacks cruised to an 11-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. Through their first six games, in which they are 5-1, they have scored a franchise-record 45 runs. They are hitting an absurd .431 with runners in scoring position. They are rolling. “We’re pretty happy with how things are going at the moment,” Greinke said, exercising his powers of understatement. As they have in each of their wins this season, the Diamondbacks did not score first. The opposing starter, this time Trevor Bauer, shut them down early. But they broke through in a big way, scoring four times in the sixth and adding six more in the eighth. “I think you’d definitely rather play from ahead,” Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. “We haven’t been able to do it. The pitching has done a good job of not letting it get out of control where we’re way behind.” While it was a slew of hitters contributing, the comeback began in earnest with one out in the sixth. David Peralta took a 3-1 pitch that he thought was high and started toward first. Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called it a strike. Peralta was not pleased. But it worked out for him. The next pitch was a belt-high fastball on the inner-half of the plate, and Peralta turned on it, sending it on a laser toward the right field foul pole. He watched it – bat in hand, a few steps toward first base – as it clanked off the pole. That began a stretch in which six of seven hitters reached base, chasing Bauer from the game and turning a pitchers’ duel into a game the Diamondbacks had under control. “I think the biggest thing is us just, regardless of the score, trying to have good at-bats as a team,” Goldschmidt said. “Not kind of basing your mentality off the score of the game. I think that’s where the comeback happens. It’s not like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to score.’ It’s just, ‘Hey, let’s keep doing what we’ve been doing.’” Goldschmidt, though, would not allow himself to get caught up in the moment. Asked to compare things to the way last year began – when the Diamondbacks didn’t win their first home series until late May and didn’t record a winning homestand until August – Goldschmidt downplayed the hot start. “It’s obviously been fun,” he said. “When you’re winning, it’s fun. But I think we also realize it hasn’t even been a week of baseball. We just try to keep playing hard, having good at-bats, playing good ‘D’ and see what happens. It’s been a good start, but there’s a long road ahead.” The Diamondbacks’ 45 runs scored surpass the previous record of 41 for the most in the first six games. “It definitely doesn’t surprise me,” Greinke said. “It’s been really good, though. I feel like our offense has been good for several years now. I don’t know about this good, but it’s always good.” Greinke’s dominance was almost overshadowed by the offensive barrage, but he threw about as well as he ever has in a Diamondbacks uniform at Chase Field, allowing just one run while walking none and striking out six. His fastball, which rarely cracked 91 mph in the spring, averaged 91.3 on Saturday and topped at 93.6. He mixed in change-ups, sliders and curveballs, limiting hard contact and ultimately giving the Diamondbacks their first quality start of the season. “Everything was great,” Greinke said. “Just a good game all the way around. It was a lot of fun.” It was an opinion shared by everyone in the room. Corbin lasted just four innings in his first start of the year, departing for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Giants. He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks. … He continued to have trouble with RF Hunter Pence, who hit two balls hard against him, including one that went for a double. … Kluber had a somewhat rough first start against the Rangers, giving up five runs in six innings and serving up a pair of home runs to 2B Rougned Odor. … Kluber finished third in AL Cy Young voting last season; he won the award in 2014. … That was the year he made his lone career start against the Diamondbacks, tossing seven scoreless innings with one walk and eight strikeouts in a game at Chase Field.Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.09.2017 Tyler Kepner / Pitcher Charlie Morton Could Help the Astros, if He Stays Healthy By TYLER KEPNER APRIL 8, 2017 The Houston Astros, overloaded with talented position players and dominant relievers, looked like a contender in spring training. The only question would be their starting rotation — but Jeff Luhnow, their general manager, wanted to make something clear. “I do believe that Charlie Morton isn’t a back-of-the-rotation guy,” Luhnow said early in the exhibition season. “He hit 97 three times in the first inning yesterday, with a lot of sink on his pitches and good secondary stuff. A healthy Charlie Morton could work himself into the conversation with Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers at the top of our rotation.” A few qualifiers: Morton has often been hurt in his 10-year career, and he would gladly sacrifice velocity for command. But to the Astros, he was worth a two-year, $14 million gamble in free agency, and the early returns are promising. Morton, 33, followed up his impressive spring with six strong innings against Seattle in the Astros’ third game of the season. After victories by Keuchel and McCullers, Morton allowed two runs and helped Houston to its first 3-0 start in 16 years. “The whole team is strong,” Morton said by phone on Friday. “I just don’t see how we’re not set up to win. Just got to stay healthy, that’s the biggest thing.” Morton knows that painful truth. He made just four starts for Philadelphia last April before succumbing to his fourth operation in six years. Since working a career-high 171 Ҁ innings for Pittsburgh in 2011, he has had operations on his left hip (2011), right elbow (2012), right hip (2014) and left hamstring (2016). The last injury came while Morton was running out a bunt attempt. His leg swelled so badly that he had trouble sitting down. He had made only four starts, but his hamstring was so badly shredded that his season was over. He spent lonely months commuting from his Bradenton, Fla., home to the Phillies’ Clearwater complex, working back to health while knowing he had hurt his value in free agency. Yet with a thin market for starting pitchers, the Astros acted quickly to sign Morton, eager to pair his ground-ball tendencies with their young and athletic infielders. As hitters increasingly tailor their swings to hit fly balls, a pitcher like Morton — whose career average for homers per nine innings is just 0.7 — can be valuable. “When I see a hitter trying to hit the ball as far as humanly possible, I like it,” Morton said. “It just makes pitches that are elevated and flatter more dangerous to throw. These guys do a really good job of producing power when they’re trying to, but sometimes I think the bat path just gets a little bit loopy, kind of an uppercut. That makes my job easier with the , especially to a righty, because that opens up a hole in the bottom part of the zone, especially inside, and I can kind of steal strikes in there.” Morton, who grew up in Redding, Conn., learned to make his fastball sink from Joe Norko, who coached him at a facility in Milford. Drafted in the third round by Atlanta in 2002, he struggled for his first three years in the majors until the Pirates’ coaches showed him film of , then a star with the Phillies, in 2011. Morton imitated Halladay’s distinctive shoulder tuck for a while, but more lasting were the lessons about keeping his head still and maintaining a three-quarters arm slot. Those adjustments turned Morton into a solid starter for the Pirates, until the very end. In the final week of the 2015 season, with the Pirates at home in a pennant race against the rival Cardinals, Morton could not survive the third inning of a blowout loss. He was proud to have helped bring a winner to Pittsburgh, and stung by his failure in that moment. “I got booed off the field my last start as a Pirate, in a spot where the team’s counting on me and the fans show up and they’re excited,” he said. “I know exactly how it feels to let people down in that situation, and I’d really like to not end on that note.” With the Astros thinking big this season, Morton should get another chance. A Reliever Who Can Hit, and Vice Versa As teams use more and more relievers — for shorter and shorter stints — it makes sense to be creative with roster construction, especially for noncontenders. Teams can carry just 25 active players, so versatility matters. Consider the rebuilding and . The Reds carried 13 pitchers on their opening-day roster, and the Padres had 12. On Thursday, both showed loose interpretations of those numbers. Cincinnati’s Michael Lorenzen had pitched in relief the first two games of the season. But the Reds called on him when they needed a pinch- hitter in the sixth inning Thursday, and Lorenzen delivered a 420-foot home run to break a tie score in a victory over the Phillies. Four years ago, as a junior at Cal State, Fullerton, Lorenzen hit .335 with seven home runs. He also homered last August after returning from the bereavement list following his father’s death. Thursday’s blast was the first pinch-hit homer by a pitcher since the Reds’ Micah Owings — who pinch-hit fairly often — connected in 2009. The Padres are trying the reverse experiment with Christian Bethancourt, one of four listed on their roster. Bethancourt pitched twice in relief last season, both times with the Padres far behind, and resumed the role in their opening series this season at Dodger Stadium. Bethancourt can throw hard (94 miles an hour), but his performance was not as successful as Lorenzen’s. After allowing three runs on Monday, Bethancourt allowed three more on Thursday, when he got a groundout and then walked four batters in a row. Appropriate Starter for Braves’ Opener The Hall of Fame knuckleballer made 740 pitching appearances for the , the most in franchise history. It is only appropriate, then, that the knuckleball will be the first regular-season pitch thrown at SunTrust Park, the Braves’ new home. R. A. Dickey, the former winner who signed with the Braves last fall, is scheduled to start the official opener at the park on Friday against San Diego. Dickey pitched in relief there in an exhibition against the Yankees on March 31. “It was very intentional that I asked for a couple of innings on that mound, because I didn’t want the first time I stepped out there to be full-blown competition, where things count,” Dickey said. “So getting out there, I do have a sense of what the visual is from the mound to the catcher, what the dimensions are, what the new lighting is, how fast the infield is and how quickly I need to get off the mound. Those kinds of things are important, and I feel comfortable there.” The ballpark, which replaces Turner Field after only 20 years, is the centerpiece of a new entertainment complex in Cobb County, Ga. It will seat 41,149 people and should be generous for left-handed pull hitters, with a 375-foot power alley in right center, 10 feet shorter than in left center. “You can never know how a field is going to play until you play in it; you don’t know how Mother Nature’s going to react,” said , who hit the first Braves homer in the exhibition game. “But it’s 15 feet shorter in right-center than Turner Field, and five feet farther in left-center. So it’s supposed to play a little bit better to hitters, but we’ll see.” Baseball Without Mack or Scully This astounding fact circulated widely on Twitter on opening day, but it’s worth repeating as the first week winds down: This is the first year since 1885 without Connie Mack or Vin Scully working in professional baseball. Mack, who was born in 1862, started his playing career in 1886 and last managed for the Philadelphia A’s in 1950. That was the first year behind the Brooklyn Dodgers microphone for Scully, now 89, who stayed through the end of last season. Bill Plaschke of The spoke with Scully by phone during the ’ opener. Scully did not know the score, reporting that he was spending his day paying bills and happily bustling to the post office, the carwash and the hardware store. He said he was enjoying retirement with his wife, Sandi. “I’m aware that I’m not where I’ve been for about 60,000 years,” Scully said. “But I’m just where I want to be.” New York Times LOADED: 04.09.2017 Nick Cafardo / SUNDAY BASEBALL NOTES / Billy Beane turned down the Red Sox 15 years ago. He has no regrets. By Nick Cafardo We remember the scene. How could we forget? John Henry walking through Fenway Park on a rainy day with Billy Beane after the 2002 season and then going up to the press box, where Henry slipped Beane a piece of paper. On it was a five-year, $12.5 million offer. At the time it was a record-breaking offer for a general manager. Beane was the hottest thing going in baseball. He was the inventor of Moneyball, and Henry wanted that model for his organization. The concept was simple: get the best players for the smallest payroll possible. But Henry didn’t get his man. Beane remembers being flattered and honored. He thought about what it would mean to be the head baseball operations guy in Boston. But he turned it down. He wanted to watch his daughter Casey grow up. She was 12 at the time. He wanted to be close to his parents. He vowed that he wouldn’t base his life solely on money. About 15 years have passed since that Fenway encounter, and Beane, now 55 and in his 20th year running the Oakland A’s, says he has no regrets. “It turned out pretty well for the Red Sox and I have had a great run here and have enjoyed it here a great deal,” he said. “We’ve had our challenges, mostly stadium related, but we’ve had our successes and failures, but I never regretted the decision I made. “I can’t believe it’s been 15 years. Looking back, I knew what I was turning down. I had known John even before that meeting and thought the world of him and Tom [Werner]. Look at what happened. Turning it down meant that Theo Epstein was in charge. And we know the rest of the story. I knew that the Red Sox, with John and Tom and Larry [Lucchino] were the best. They had built the best organization in the game and they had this bright young man in Theo who had great ideas of how to build a baseball organization. So no regrets. I got to build our organization with the help of some great people, and foremost for me, I got to watch my daughter grow up. She’s 27 now, but I was there and I didn’t miss a thing.” However, as Beane tells it, “When she was looking at colleges, Boston College was high on her list. I joked with her, ‘So now you tell me?’ She wound up going to school in Ohio, but it was a funny coincidence that Boston College was so prominent.” Beane has faced challenges in Oakland that most GMs never encounter. As he watched the landscape of baseball change so rapidly with new stadiums popping up all around, his team played at the Oakland Coliseum, sharing the outdated facility with the NFL’s Raiders. Efforts by A’s ownership to secure a new stadium were rebuffed time and time again. They tried to move to San Jose, where a new stadium awaited them, but the Giants would not relinquish their territorial rights to that area, and the A’s bid to move to Silicon Valley with its rich resources died quickly. But Beane said that, for the first time since he’s been with the A’s, he feels a sense of optimism now. The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and the A’s will be the only game in town. Beane said new team president DavidKaval has worked “25 hours a day to get something done and I think we’re getting close.” The A’s now believe they will stay in Oakland. For years, Beane’s hands have been tied. “It’s affected us in a lot of ways in terms of player acquisition. We haven’t been able to attract the bigger-name free agents. We don’t have the resources that other big-market teams have,” he said. In fact, this past offseason, the A’s thought they had a nice path to signing Edwin Encarnacion, whose price had dropped to where the A’s were in the hunt. But Oakland lost out to the Indians. Beane has been able to “go for it” over the years since he turned down the Red Sox’ offer. At the trading deadline in 2014, he acquired Jon Lester from Boston for Yoenis Cespedes. Beane knew Lester was a rental and that he wouldn’t be able to re-sign him, nor would he be able to re-sign Cespedes. Lester pitched very well for the A’s until he blew up in the AL wild-card loss to Kansas City. Beane took heat for dealing top shortstop prospect Addison Russell to the Cubs two weeks prior to the Lester deal to acquire Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. That offseason, Beane dealt Josh Donaldson to Toronto. Since 2003, the A’s have made the playoffs five times (losing the ALCS in 2006) and finished last three times. From 2000 to 2003, Oakland lost four straight ALDS series. As for his relationship with Henry, Beane said, “We’ve spoken a few times over the years along with Tom. I think we talk more about Liverpool [soccer] than anything else. [The Red Sox have] built a great organization. They have everyone’s respect in the game.” With an improving stadium outlook and the possibility of attracting higher-profile players, Beane believes that baseball in Oakland can thrive again. ROYAL BLUE KC may have to break up its core The Royals were swept in their opening three-game series at Minnesota, and while things won’t stay that bad for Kansas City, understand that the Royals need to be in contention for management to consider keeping the core together. After winning the World Series in 2015, the Royals knew their championship window could close fast. The core players they so patiently waited for to develop — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain — were going to become free agents after this season. Given the Royals’ small-market payroll, the chances of signing any of them is highly unlikely. They decided to re-sign before the start of the 2016 season, and Gordon had a poor year. The Royals also face losing shortstop Alcides Escobar in free agency. Pitchers Jason Hammel and could be moved at the trade deadline. Would the Blue Jays have interest in Hosmer if their Justin Smoak/Steve Pearce first base platoon doesn’t pan out? Would the Pirates consider Hosmer if Josh Bell struggles? The Red Sox, Rockies, and Mets are all possible suitors if their first base situations become problematic. Moustakas, a veteran third baseman, could be in play for the Mets, Giants, and Angels. Cain could be an interesting outfield piece for the Giants, Dodgers, Tigers, Rangers, and Mets. Apropos of nothing 1. So what happened to the reinforced rule that base coaches must stay in their boxes? Coaches around the league are defying this edict because they believe it doesn’t make any sense. Third base coaches in particular need to get into the best position to see the base runner, and by starting in the coaches’ box they don’t feel comfortable. It doesn’t appear that MLB is enforcing the rule. The league has been on Red Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield at times for drifting onto the field on a ball hit in the left-field corner so he can follow the ball’s path. Butterfield never impedes the runner or interferes with the play. He quickly scoots back into foul territory. Fenway definitely has its quirks when it comes to plays down the lines. 2. Las Vegas really wants a Major League Baseball team, especially after the city secured the NFL’s Raiders. It appears Rob Manfred is open to this if the situation is right. It will be interesting to see whether any expansion or relocation plans lead the league to Vegas or Montreal first. 3. Bovada Casino says the Pirates’ Clint Hurdle is the favorite to be the first manager fired, at 7/2 odds. Not sure about that one. The Reds’ Bryan Price is 4/1, the Angels’ Mike Scioscia is 5/1, the Twins’ Paul Molitor is 6/1, the Tigers’ Brad Ausmus is 13/2, and the Padres’ Andy Green is 15/2. The Red Sox’ John Farrell is 10th at 16/1. 4. Bobby Doerr turned 99 on Friday. He’s the oldest living major leaguer, oldest living Hall of Famer, and the last surviving player who played in the 1930s. 5. According to Elias, the Reds had the youngest Opening Day roster at 26.4 years old, while the Blue Jays were the oldest at 30.7. 6. SABR’s Bill Dean noted that finished his career with 1,862 hits in 1,862 games. The major leaguer with the most hits and an equal number of games was Luis Gonzalez with 2,591. Updates on nine 1. Rich Hill, LHP, Dodgers — Hill was hit with a pitch in his first start but told this reporter, “I’m fine, no issues at all.” Well, except for one — another blister, which landed him on the 10-day DL. Hill had blister problems last year as well. 2. Mike Pagliarulo, hitting coach, Marlins — The organization feels it has really upgraded its offense by hiring Pagliarulo to replace Barry Bonds. Bonds certainly knows hitting as well as anyone, but communicating it and devoting himself to it became an issue and the Marlins knew they needed to make a change. Pagliarulo, from Medford, hit the ground running, meeting with every Marlins hitter in the offseason and creating a plan for each guy. 3. Koji Uehara, RHP, Cubs — Cubs personnel couldn’t wait to pounce on Uehara in free agency. One issue was where he slotted in pay-wise. They knew they didn’t want to go to $9 million, Uehara’s salary the previous two seasons with the Red Sox, so they hoped a $6 million offer would trump the Red Sox’, and it did. Uehara is 42, but the Cubs believe that he’s throwing the ball as well as he ever has. The Red Sox seem to miss him already. The Cubs will follow the Red Sox’ plan on when to use him and when to back off. 4. Melvin Upton Jr., OF, free agent — The chances of Upton being picked up appear good, according to one AL evaluator. “You just never know when you get him on the uptick and that feeling is what teams are going to look for when they need an outfielder. You’ll probably see some team pick him up and hope for that moment,” the evaluator said. Upton is being paid $16.05 million this season, mostly from the Padres. 5. Brad Ausmus, manager, Tigers — Ausmus is operating as a lame duck in 2017. After owner Mike Ilitch died in February, his son Chris Ilitch assumed control of the team. He wants to reduce the payroll and build through the farm system. Mike Ilitch was fond of Ausmus, so it was expected that Ausmus had an extension in his future. 6. Ryan Howard, 1B, Braves — John Hart always thinks outside the box. Howard was out there for the taking and the Braves dived in. No risk. If Howard gets up to the big league club he’ll earn $750,000. Howard hit 25 homers last season for the Phillies. No, he isn’t what he used to be, but he still has power against righties. The Braves could use him as a pinch hitter or flip him to an AL team as a DH. 7. Manuel Margot, CF, Padres — Margot, the former Red Sox prospect given up in the Craig Kimbrel deal, not only made the Padres’ Opening Day roster but belted two home runs Friday against the Giants with Matt Cain on the mound. Margot was superb defensively throughout spring training and the Padres were willing to be patient with his offense. But Margot, 22, is already making an impact from the leadoff spot. 8. Doug Fister, RHP, free agent — Fister has refused to sign a minor league deal. Many teams have inquired, but the big righthander wants a major league deal. So far, nobody’s biting. The Mets were the latest to inquire. Fister will have to change his posture if he wants to pitch this season. He’d have to pitch minor league innings anyway to get ready. 9. Bartolo Colon, RHP, Braves — Colon is the oldest player in the majors at 43, while Blue Jays reliever Jason Grilli is the oldest player in the American League at 40 years 5 months. Padres catcher Luis Torrens is the youngest player in the majors at 20 years 11 months, while Royals infielder Raul Mondesi Jr. is the youngest in the AL at 21 years 9 months. Extra innings From the Bill Chuck files: “Justin Verlander struck out 10 in his 6ѿ IP Opening Day win over the White Sox. Verlander now has 38 career 10- plus strikeout games with a record of 29-4 and five (no decisions).” Also, “A record total of 259 players (29.8 percent) on 2017 Opening Day 25- man rosters and inactive lists were born outside the United States and represent a record-high 19 countries and territories. The lead with 14 foreign-born players. The Padres and Mariners have the second-most foreign-born players on their 25-man rosters with 12 each.” . . . Happy birthday, Chris Smith (36) and Mike Brumley (54). Down on the farm The restocked their formerly unimpressive minor league system by trading and Adam Eaton for a treasure trove of prospects. The moves helped them climb 18 spots to fifth in ’s 2017 rankings of farm systems. The best and worst, according to Baseball America: