Kluber tosses gem, K's 10 for 5th start in a row All-Star ace pitches eight innings of one-run ball, but loses By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | July 4th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber peered in to get the sign, but Indians catcher Yan Gomes was resting on both knees. It was then that the Indians' ace noticed the decibel level was rising at Progressive Field, along with the stadium's sellout crowd.

For a brief moment, Kluber stepped off the rubber to allow the standing ovation to run its course in the eighth inning. Then, it was back to work for Kluber, whose record-setting gem went for naught in a 1-0 loss to the Padres on Tuesday night. In a tough defeat, Kluber's audience recognized his club-record fifth start in a row with double-digit . "They got loud, which was pretty cool," Kluber said. Inside Cleveland's clubhouse after the loss, there was plenty of disappointment over seeing Kluber's eight-inning masterpiece go to waste. In the fifth, and each misfired in an attempt to turn double plays, leading to San Diego's lone run on a fielder's choice. In the batter's box, the Indians put seven runners in scoring position, yet never scored. Save for grabbing a bat himself, Kluber did all he could to try to win. Instead, in his first start since being named an All-Star, the right-hander took his third loss of the season. "He's been lights out.," Kipnis said. "That's not an earned run. That's on me. That's on the defense. It's tough. It's impressive that he only needs one or two to get it done, so you don't want him to change anything. We'll make the adjustment." Kluber struck out 10, walked one and allowed five hits. His streak of five games with 10 or more strikeouts marks the 27th time since 1913 that a has enjoyed such a run. Eight straight games with 10-plus strikeouts is the record (Pedro Martinez in 1999; in 2015 and again earlier this year). Kluber joined Martinez, , , J.R. Richard, Dwight Gooden and as the only right-handers to have a double- digit steak of five or more games. "He's getting stronger, confident," said Indians bench , who managed in place of . "The way he's throwing the ball is absolutely outstanding. There's no doubt." Dating back to June 1, when Kluber came off the disabled list after a month-long bout with a lower back injury, the right-hander has been overpowering. In seven starts over that span, Kluber has a 1.24 ERA, with 74 strikeouts against eight walks. He has a 0.69 WHIP in that span, and has limited batters to a .155/.196/.207 slash line. Over that stretch, Kluber also has a 40.2-percent strikeout rate, with 18.8 percent of his pitches resulting in swinging strikes. Despite missing a month, Kluber was still named an All-Star. "It's an honor," said Kluber, who will join teammates Andrew Miller, Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez and Lindor in Miami next week. "I'm looking forward to it. I think it'll be cool to go down there with four other guys, and get to represent the Indians and kind of take in the couple days. Hopefully, I'll have a lot of fun." One day after the All-Star announcement, Kluber was named the AL Pitcher of the Month for June. And on Tuesday, the pitcher's home fans had a chance to give him a rousing ovation. "He deserves it, that's for sure," Mills said.

Covering the Bases: Game 82 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: Corey Kluber took the mound on Tuesday not only as a former Award winner, but now a two-time All-Star. Even with a month spent on the shelf this year, the Tribe’s ace was named to the American League’s elite squad on Sunday night.

It seemed fitting that Kluber’s opponent was the Padres, who took the righty in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Kluber always had a knack for strikeouts, but he was never a highly-touted prospect with San Diego. The pitcher Indians fans see today is completely different in approach than the one the Padres traded away to Cleveland in 2010.

When Kluber took on the Padres, none of that history really crossed his mind.

“They drafted me, but I’ve been here since 2010, which is the majority of my career,” Kluber said. “I never made it past Double-A with the Padres before I got traded, so it’s not like I necessarily am playing against the team that I broke in with or anything like that. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anybody left on that team that I even played with. I didn’t think much of it.”

Really, Kluber is less a product of the Padres and more a product of Cleveland’s scouting department, player development group and Major League staff. The ace that took the mound on Tuesday is a credit to the Indians’ work behind the scenes over the past several years.

And, when you look at the Indians’ five All-Stars, they are each examples of how Cleveland has to construct a winning product.

Kluber was an unheralded prospect acquired via trade and developed by the Indians. Michael Brantley was also obtained via trade from the Brewers as a Minor Leaguer. Not only did he develop into an All-Star, but his latest trip is a testament not only to his work ethic, but to the work of the Indians’ medical staff.

Then, there’s Francisco Lindor, who was taken in the first-round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He was a skinny shortstop known for his defensive wizardry back then. Now, he’s developed into an all-around threat and is one of the budding faces of the game.

Cleveland’s two other All-Stars are Jose Ramirez and Andrew Miller. The first was signed as an international free-agent and was hardly a blip on anyone’s radar until the last couple years. Now, he’s starting at third base for the American League. Miller’s talent is without question, but it also took a haul of four prospects to get the lefty from the Yankees last summer.

On Sunday night, when the five All-Stars were unveiled, Indians Terry Francona shot Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, a text message: “I hope you’re proud.”

From the top of the front office and all the way down to the area scouts, there was a lot of organizational pride over the five players who were named to the AL’s team.

“We talk about it all the time,” Antonetti said. “For us to be the championship caliber organization that we aspire to be, we have to get contributions from every aspect of our operation. And they have to work together for us to achieve those results. There’s not one element of our organization that has not impacted our success.

“Our Latin American operations. Our amateur scouting, our professional scouting, our player development, our Major League staff, our medical department. All of those areas made contributions in helping each of those guys individually and obviously the larger organization itself.”

SECOND: Alas, Kluber was hung with a hard-luck loss against his former organization. More on that in a minute. First, let’s take a moment to appreciate what the Indians ace has done since coming off the disabled list.

Since June 1, here are Kluber’s statistics: 1.24 ERA 0.69 WHIP 40.2 K% 18.8 SwK% .155 AVG .196 OBP .207 SLG 51 IP 74 K 36 TB 27 H 8 BB 1 HR

Against the Padres, Kluber allowed one run on five hits over eight innings, ending with 10 strikeouts and one walk. That gave Kluber a club- record five straight games with 10 or more strikeouts. owned the previous record of four (between the end of ’38 and the start of ‘39).

This marks the 27th time that a pitcher has had a double-digit K streak of at least five games, and the third time this year (Chris Sale 8, Max Scherzer 6). Kluber joins Pedro Martinez (six times), Nolan Ryan (three times), Curt Schilling, Dwight Gooden, J.R. Richard and Scherzer (once apiece) as the only right-handers to achieve the feat since 1913.

Among the 13 instances of exactly five double-digit K games in a row, Kluber’s 0.92 ERA is the lowest. His four walks are tied for the second fewest ( had four in his five-game streak from Sept. 24, 1999-April 14, 2000). Kluber’s 18 hits allowed are the second fewest (behind the 16 yielded in his five-game run from June 20-July 11, 2004).

Kluber’s 0.92 ERA is actually the lowest of all 27 such streaks. The record for consecutive games with 10-plus strikeouts is eight, achieved by Pedro in 1999 and by Chris Sale twice (2015 and earlier this year). If you do starts and not just games, Pedro’s streak was 10 in a row from Aug. 19, 1999-April 9, 2000.

One of my favorite club records that Kluber owns is outings with 10-plus strikeouts and no more than one walk. This was his 22nd such outing, extending his Indians record. Feller ranks second with eight.

Kluber is tied for 20th on MLB’s all-time list (with Stephan Strasburg) for games with 10-plus strikeouts and one or zero walks. The all-time record-holder is The Big Unit with 79 such starts.

Here are the others on that unique list: Schilling (60), Pedro (59), (52), Clayton Kershaw (40), Scherzer (35), Santana (31), Sandy Koufax (29), Sale (28), Tom Seaver (27), (27), (26), Bob Gibson (26), Ryan (25), (25), (25), Madison Bumgarner (25), Fergie Jenkins (24), Javier Vazquez (23), Strasburg (22) and Kluber (22).

A who’s who of pitching, and Javier Vazquez.

THIRD: All of those historical footnotes are nice, but Kluber would surely trade them in for the win. A pair of mental errors in the fifth inning behind him led to the only run San Diego scored. First, with runners on first and second, Kluber induced a grounder to short off the bat of Erick Aybar. Lindor was shaded up the middle and, when he gloved the ball, the shortstop thought he was still close enough to the bag to take it himself.

That led to a clumsy play. Kipnis ran over to cover second, as Carlos Asuaje was closing in on the bag. Instead of flipping the ball to Kipnis, Lindor ran six steps to the base, while the second baseman bailed out by falling backwards to the dirt. Lindor got the out, but there was no chance for an inning-ending double play. “I was playing closer to the bag, ground ball right at me,” Lindor said. “I thought I was still close to the bag. I lost perception of how close I was to the bag and it’s another error that shouldn’t be happening. That was the game right there.

“If I was close, I could have just turned it myself.”

Now, with runners on the corners and one out, Kluber again got the ground ball he needed. This time, it was a chopper from Cory Spangenberg right to Kipnis. If he fields it cleanly, it’s a tailor-made 4–6–3 twin killing, inning over.

Kipnis bobbled the ball and recovered with enough time to get Aybar out at second, but not swiftly enough to complete the double play. Hector Sanchez scored from third and that was the only run San Diego wound up needing.

“I know the one to me was [a missed double play],” Kipnis said. “Ground ball, needs to be turned. It just caught me in the palm a little bit, top- spinned a little bit more and caught me in the bad part of the glove and popped out right in front of me. At that point, I just had to rush and get one. That needs to be turned, though.”

Officially, there was no error on the play, but…

“That’s not an earned run,” Kipnis said. “That’s on me. That’s on the defense.” HOME: On another night, maybe those two plays don’t wind up under the microscope of criticism. On this night, though, Cleveland’s bats did zilch, leaving those missteps looming large in a tough loss in front of a sellout crowd.

Trevor Cahill, Jose Torres, Kirby Yates, Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Mauerer combined to limit the Indians to five hits in a shutout (the third blanking in the last eight home games for the Tribe). It’s not like Cleveland didn’t have its chances, though.

The Indians had a runner on third in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings — three times with less than two outs. The Indians went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-11 with runners on base when the night was over.

“There’s no doubt [it’s frustrating],” said bench coach Brad Mills, who managed in place of Terry Francona. “We had all the guys on and couple guys at third and less than two outs. We weren’t able to get them in.”

It was especially tough to swallow for the Indians, given how well Kluber pitched.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Kipnis said. “Especially to be the one who more or less [screwed] it up and to have it be a one-run game. It comes to the forefront even more. It’s not like we’re not capable of hitting with guys on base. It’s not like we don’t have the offense to do it.

“Just some nights, we press or we swing at the wrong pitches and don’t get it done. Tonight was one of those games. It was unfortunate, because Corey pitched great.”

EXTRAS: Lost in everything else, Bradley Zimmer did another one of his leaping catches in center… “That play right there gives the team a boost,” Kluber said. “I made a pretty terrible pitch and the guy put a really good swing on it. He crushed that ball. That’s not an easy play for a center fielder — a ball pretty much right at them that’s hammered like that. But, that can be uplifting for the team, definitely, when you get those kind of diving, leaping plays. It’s pretty much on a nightly basis right now.”

Indians blanked by Padres in series opener By William Kosileski and Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | July 4th, 2017 + 59 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Starter Trevor Cahill and the Padres' bullpen combined to shut out the Indians in a 1-0 win in Tuesday's series opener at Progressive Field.

Cahill was activated from the 10-day disabled list (right shoulder strain) prior to the game, and made his first start since May 13. He went 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. The Padres used five relievers -- Jose Torres, Kirby Yates, Ryan Buchter, Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer -- to preserve the shutout, combining for 4 2/3 innings and seven strikeouts. "The pitching staff was outstanding today," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Trevor Cahill coming back, breaking stuff just as good as ever, getting a lot of chases beneath the zone. Then, Jose Torres all the way through Brandon Maurer, everybody was outstanding. Real team win in that regard from the bullpen." The lone run came in the fifth inning off Indians starter Corey Kluber on an RBI fielder's choice by Cory Spangenberg, who also had two hits and a . "It was a great team win," Cahill said. "The bullpen picked me up, and we were able to get one across against a guy that's throwing the ball as good as anyone in the league right now, and it showed. Any time you can win those games, I feel like it counts as more than just one win." Cahill fans Zimmer Cahill fans Zimmer Trevor Cahill gets Bradley Zimmer swinging in the 3rd inning, recording the fourth strikeout of his start In his first start since being named an American League All-Star, Kluber pitched in ace form. He went eight innings and struck out 10, allowing one run on four hits. Kluber's 10-strikeout performance marked his fifth straight start with double-digit strikeouts, setting a new franchise record and leading to a standing ovation after his final strikeout. "They got loud, which was pretty cool," Kluber said. "It was definitely appreciated." However, Kluber took the loss, as the Tribe couldn't give him support. Cleveland had a runner reach third base four times, but never capitalized. The Indians went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and 1-for-11 with runners on base. • Kluber tosses gem, K's 10 for 5th start in a row "It's frustrating," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "It's not like we're not capable of hitting with guys on base. It's not like we don't have the offense to do it. Just some nights, we press, or we swing at the wrong pitches and don't get it done. Tonight was one of those games. It was unfortunate, because Corey pitched great." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Routine 1-3-2 double play: Cahill worked out of several jams, but perhaps the most important escape came in the second. After allowing a one- out triple to Indians Jose Ramirez, the Padres right-hander induced an unconventional 1-3-2 double play to end the inning. After Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall grounded out on a weak roller back to the mound, Wil Myers threw home to catcher Austin Hedges to nab Ramirez trying to score from third to end the inning. "When the ball was and he first started down, [Ramirez] thought he was far enough down himself to go ahead and go," said bench coach Brad Mills, the acting manager on Tuesday night. "The pitcher just kind of glanced at him, didn't really stop him, but he kind of glanced at him. He thought he was far enough down to go ahead and make it." "I got [the ball], and I figured he wasn't going," Cahill said. "In my peripherals, I didn't see him going. I just got it and threw it to first, and, fortunately for us, he tried to sneak in. Wil was heads up and got it and threw it right home and threw a strike. That's a huge play to get out of the inning, and saved some bullets for later on in the game." Lone offense: Kluber cruised until allowing a leadoff single to Hector Sanchez in the fifth, followed by a walk to Carlos Asuaje. With two on and no outs, Kluber got Erick Aybar to hit a grounder to short. But Francisco Lindor recorded just one out at second, putting runners at the corners with one out. The next batter, Spangenberg, grounded to second, where Kipnis bobbled the ball and recorded only the out at second, allowing Sanchez to score from third. "I was playing closer to the bag, ground ball right at me," Lindor said of the first double-play chance. "I thought I was still close to the bag. I lost perception of how close I was to the bag, and it's another [mental] error that shouldn't be happening. That was the game right there." "I know the one to me was [a missed double play]," Kipnis said. "It just caught me in the palm a little bit, top-spinned a little bit more and caught me in the bad part of the glove, and popped out right in front of me. At that point, I just had to rush and get one. That needs to be turned." QUOTABLE "They had a lot of guys on today. That's kind of the second game in a row we've eked out a win, and we've stranded a ton of baserunners. That's making big pitches, and defenders making big plays." -- Green, on the Padres' victory "It didn't cross my mind once, to be honest with you. They drafted me, but I've been here since 2010, which is the majority of my career. I never made it past Double-A with the Padres before I got traded, so it's not like I necessarily am playing against the team that I broke in with." -- Kluber, on facing San Diego, which picked him in the fourth round in the 2007 Draft SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Since 1913, there have been 27 instances in which a pitcher had at least 10 strikeouts in at least five games in a row. Kluber joins Pedro Martinez (six times), Nolan Ryan (three times), Max Scherzer (once), Curt Schilling (once), Dwight Gooden (once) and J.R. Richard (once) as the only right-handed pitchers to achieve the feat, and is one of 12 total pitchers to do so. UPON FURTHER REVIEW With two outs in the top of the eighth and Spangenberg at second, Kluber got Manuel Margot to hit a ground ball to Ramirez at third, but Margot beat the throw to first. Spangenberg tried to score from second, but first baseman Carlos Santana threw home to catcher Yan Gomes, who tagged Spangenberg on a hesitated, feet-first slide between Gomes' legs to try to score. After Spangenberg was called out, the Padres challenged the play. A review of 2 minutes, 17 seconds confirmed the call, ending the inning. "Clearly looked safe to me," Green said. "Clearly, from the top step, didn't even feel like I needed a replay to have somebody tell me he was safe. Somebody came in and told me on the home broadcast they were saying that it was clearly safe. I don't know what it is that it didn't get overturned, but from my visual from the side in the dugout, you could see him sneak right under the tag." Spangenberg out, call stands Spangenberg out, call stands The Padres challenge the out call at home on Cory Spangenberg in the 8th inning, saying that he slid in under the tag of Yan Gomes WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Luis Perdomo (3-4, 4.71 ERA) will take the mound for the Padres in Wednesday's 4:10 p.m. PT tilt against the Indians at Progressive Field. The right-hander is coming off a win against the Braves, in which he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, with four strikeouts. Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-6, 5.24 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Tribe in Wednesday's Interleague clash with the Padres at 7:10 p.m. ET. Bauer is 4-2 with a 4.69 ERA at home this season, and the righty is 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 19 career Interleague outings. Francona undergoing tests, misses game By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | July 4th, 2017 + 8 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians were without manager Terry Francona again on Tuesday night, but the good news is that his latest trip away from Progressive Field was not the result of any kind of health setback.

Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, met with reporters in place of Francona prior to Cleveland's game against San Diego, and indicated that the manager was at Cleveland Clinic to undergo an array of tests. The idea behind the current trip to the hospital was to continue to search for answers about what has been ailing the manager over the past several weeks. "Tito was actually at the ballpark today," Antonetti said. "He did his normal routine. He actually swam in the pool for a little while today. He felt fine, but he's now back at the Clinic to get some additional testing. There were no episodes today. It was just, again, in this effort of the doctors trying to narrow down exactly what's causing his symptoms, so he'll get some follow-up tests." Francona's longtime bench coach Brad Mills served as the manager for Tuesday's game. Antonetti said Francona would not return to the ballpark on Tuesday night and it remained to be determined whether he would manage Wednesday's game. Antonetti added that as things currently stand, Francona is still planning on managing the American League All-Star team July 11 in Miami. "At this point, I don't have a reason to think otherwise," Antonetti said. "But again, we'll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process. As I've continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and that we focus mostly on that. If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that's what he needs to do." Francona left the Indians' 15-9 win over the Rangers on June 26 in the early innings after feeling light-headed and experiencing a rapid heart rate. The symptoms were similar to an episode on June 13, when the manager left late in Cleveland's 7-5 loss to the Dodgers. After both incidents, Francona was taken to the Cleveland Clinic for tests, and major health issues were ruled out both times. Since the second setback, though, Francona has been wearing a heart rate monitor to help doctors gather information about his condition throughout the course of a day. "Part of the expectation of that," Antonetti said, "is that he would have some additional tests once they started to narrow the area of focus. That's what he's doing now, is getting those additional tests."

Feeling healthy, Salazar set for next rehab start By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | July 4th, 2017 + 2 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Indians Minor League pitching coordinator Ruben Niebla is home after spending time working with Danny Salazar at Double-A Akron. Niebla felt Salazar was in a much better place, physically and mechanically, when he left the right-hander several days ago.

On Tuesday, Salazar was back in the Indians' clubhouse at Progressive Field, continuing his rehab in preparation for his next step: A Minor League rehab outing for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. During his last outing with Akron, the right-hander allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings, but Niebla said Salazar's health was more important than the pitching line. Full Game Coverage "I think he's in a pretty decent spot," Niebla said. "I think, last game, he just hadn't faced hitters in so long. He was a little hesitant, I thought. I thought he was holding back just a tad, but he felt great, which for me is the No. 1 thing. If he's feeling healthy, he's going to get all this other stuff -- his delivery, his routine -- get it in a better spot." Salazar has been on the disabled list since June 4 due to a right shoulder issue, but Niebla said there have been no setbacks. After a dismal showing in May -- Salazar went 1-4 with a 6.94 ERA in five starts -- the righty was moved to the bullpen. Salazar made two relief appearances before landing on the DL. In his next outing, Salazar is schedued to throw around 60-65 pitches, and Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, said Tuesday that the right-hander will continue to be stretched out as a starter. Given the inconsistency at the back of the Tribe's rotation, the Indians are likely examining the trade market for external help. Salazar could provide an internal solution, if back at 100 percent. Antonetti said Salazar's progress could impact the approach the Indians take before the non-waiver Trade Deadline on July 31. "Danny is a big part of that," Antonetti said. "His health, his status and how we feel about his ability to impact us in the second half contributes to that. But, I think we might look a little more broadly, look at all of our pitching alternatives internally, and then try to develop an understanding of what external alternatives might be available, which guys could improve upon the group we might have currently, and what the acquisition cost might be. "The one thing I would be confident in saying is a healthy Danny Salazar pitching to his capabilities is as good as any player we potentially could acquire externally."

McKenzie fans 11 for Lynchburg By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | 2:26 AM ET + 2 COMMENTS • No. 47 overall prospect Triston McKenzie (Indians' No. 2) posted his third double-digit strikeout game of the season as he fanned 11 batters in seven innings in a win for Advanced Lynchburg. The 19-year-old righty permitted one unearned run on three hits in the outing, also generating eight ground-ball outs and throwing 73 of his 91 pitches for strikes. McKenzie's ERA sits at 2.91 after the performance, and he's now compiled 115 strikeouts against 32 walks in 89 2/3 innings (16 starts).

Bauer looking to stay in groove vs. Padres By William Kosileski / MLB.com | July 4th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS A pair of right-handers will face off in the second game of three between the Padres and the Indians, as San Diego's Luis Perdomo and Cleveland's Trevor Bauer will take the mound on Wednesday at Progressive Field.

In his last outing, Perdomo earned the win after going 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts, against the Braves last Wednesday. Even though Perdomo didn't get his first win of the season until June 12, the right-hander has pitched well of late. Perdomo is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA over his last four starts (24 innings). Although he has a lower ERA on the road (4.50) than at home (4.83), Perdomo is 3-1 in nine home starts and 0-3 in five road starts. He will make his first career start against the Indians. "They're good," Padres manager Andy Green said of the Indians. "They're a team. There really is no weakness, and they're playing good baseball right now. If you look at their lineup, it's not like lefty-righty matchup plays better. The way [Indians manager Terry Francona has] constructed the lineup over there, there's no one guy that's going to navigate easily through their order. They're a very good, complete baseball club, with no discernible weakness." Bauer is coming off a strong outing against the Rangers last Wednesday, in which he went 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run on four hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. In his last four starts, Bauer is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. Bauer has faced the Padres twice in his career, but has had little success against them, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. Three things to know about this game • Erick Aybar is the only Padres player to have faced Bauer. In his career vs. the Indians righty, Aybar is 3-for-7 (.429) with two RBIs, two strikeouts and a walk. • One of Bauer's strongest pitches this season has been his . Per Statcast -- combining his and his knucklecurve statistics -- opponents are hitting .230 off Bauer's curve. He has relied heavily on the pitch lately, as 35.52 percent of his pitches have been since May 30. In that span, he has struck out 19 batters with his curve, and has registered 52 called strikes and 33 whiffs with the pitch. • Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez has been one of the hottest hitters in the Majors as of late. Going into Tuesday's game, Ramirez had hit .446 with seven homers and only six strikeouts since June 14. During that span, he has 10 extra-base hits with two strikes, which is the most of any player. Per Statcast, he has made contact on 91.4 percent of his two-strike swings in that stretch.

Padres 1, Indians 0: 18 Walk-Off Thoughts on two botched plays, Kluber’s night, The Joe West Show Here are 18 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians’ 1-0 loss to the Tuesday night.

1. If you wanted to see the anatomy of how to blow a perfectly good start from your ace, the Indians presented a pretty good blueprint for how to do just that.

2. Wasted scoring opportunities in which the Indians had a runner on third in four consecutive innings—including having the bases loaded once. A run essentially generated by two botched plays defensively, one of them by the Indians’ Platinum Glove shortstop. A 1-0 loss, with the one earned run only being half-earned, at most, by the .

3. The Padres lone run: a single, a walk, a fielder’s choice that could have been a double play, a fielder’s choice that could have been another double play, and a strikeout. Kluber did get himself into some trouble, but he also induced two ground balls right to middle infielders and a K.

4. The first ground ball was fielded by Francisco Lindor, who could have flipped it to a waiting Jason Kipnis at the bag. Instead, he turned to take it himself. As he said after the game, he had lost exactly where he was.

5. Lindor: “I was playing closer to the bag, ground ball right at me, I thought I was still close to the bag. I lost perception of how close I was to the bag and it’s another error that shouldn’t be happening. That was the game right there.”

6. The next ball, a surefire double-play grounder, was bobbled by Kipnis. They got the out at second, but the run scored, and that was it, even with Kluber dominating yet again.

7. Kipnis: “It just caught me in the palm a little bit, top-spinned a little bit more and caught me in the bad part of the glove and popped out right in front of me. At that point, I just had to rush and get one. That needs to be turned, though.”

8. Kipnis took the responsibly for the earned run, clearly upset with that sequence.

9. Kipnis: “Yeah, it's frustrating, especially to be the one who more or less f***** it up and to have it be a one-run game, it comes to the forefront even more. It's not like we're not capable of hitting with guys on base. It's not like we don't have the offense to do it. Just some nights, we press or we swing at the wrong pitches and don't get it done. Tonight was one of those games. It was unfortunate, because Corey pitched great. … He didn't let up an earned run. That's not an earned run. That's on me. That's on the defense. It's tough. It's impressive that he only needs one or two to get it done, so you don't want him to change anything. We'll make the adjustment. He keeps doing what he's doing.”

10. Lindor and Kipnis were both frustrated, due to the missed chances defensively and the men left stranded offensively. Playing one of the weakest teams in baseball at home with Kluber on the mound and walking away with a loss is sure to leave a bad taste.

11. Lindor: “Yeah. Definitely. It’s frustrating regardless, whether I made an error or somebody else made an error. It’s frustrating because Kluber goes out and gives it his best and gives us a chance to win. They score because of that and we couldn’t come through to help him out. That’s unfortunately tough. It’s a very tough loss, but we’ve got to continue to play the game the right way, continue to compete day in and day out. We’ll see what happens.” 12. Kluber allowed one run on five hits and one walk and struck out 10 in eight innings. Since coming off the disabled list one June 1, he’s posted a 1.24 ERA in seven starts. He pitched the first month or so, for the most part, with a bad back. He’s still having to maintain it with additional exercises between starts, but since working out that issue, he’s arguably been the best pitcher in baseball.

13. Kluber on Tuesday night became the first pitcher in franchise history to strike out at least 10 hitters in five consecutive starts. He had been tied with Bob Feller, who punched out 10-plus in four consecutive outings between 1938-39. He also became only the seventh right-handed pitcher to accomplish that feat since 1913, joining Max Scherzer, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, Curt Schilling and J.R. Richard.

14. (Not that this ever needs to be pointed out anymore, but Kluber—again, he went eight innings, gave up one run partly due to some poor defensive and struck out 10—took the loss in Tuesday’s game, his only loss since June 1. It’s fine to list that stat, because sure, it’s there, but in terms of valuing a pitcher’s value based on it? Those days probably need to finally end and be dealt with for good).

15. Now, for The Joe West Show. In the seventh inning, Carlos Santana hit a ball down the first-base line. It was fair. A fan touched it. Santana was awarded a ground-rule double.

16. Yeah, the fan shouldn’t have touched the ball. It’s a big no-no. If you sit along the lines, you probably should pay very close attention to that. But, it happens. It’s a quick reaction. Half the time, it would have been a double anyway. It wasn’t the biggest deal in the world. He touched the ball, the TV cameras show him, it’s embarrassing, OK. This happens all across baseball.

17. But then it became abnormal. Joe West, the host of the Joe West Show, stopped the game so he could call a cop onto the field, point out the fan and have him removed from his seat. The cop talked with Joe, walked over to the fan, talked with him, and then they left his seat. Not sure if the fan was actually thrown out of the stadium or if he was just removed from his front-row seat, but he was escorted out to heavy boos from the the fans around him.

18. Yeah, don’t touch the ball if you’re not sure. But it’s already embarrassing. Most know not to do it. He surely does now. Not sure the right move was to walk from second base, call a cop onto the field, talk with him, delay the game, then have the guy removed. We have enough ump shows already. I’ll be cancelling my cable package.

Padres 1, Indians 0: Corey Kluber makes history in loss CLEVELAND: Indians ace Corey Kluber elevated his recent stretch to a plateau no other pitcher in franchise history has reached, but a lineup that came up short multiple times and a run of poor defensive plays led to a 1-0 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd at Progressive Field.

Kluber, who was named to his second All-Star team on Sunday and then won the American League Pitcher of the Month award on Monday, turned in another dominating start, allowing one run on five hits and one walk and striking out 10 in eight innings.

With the 10th and final strikeout coming against Padres Manuel Margot in the eighth inning, Kluber became the first pitcher in Indians history to ever have double-digit strikeouts in five consecutive starts. He had been tied with Bob Feller, who struck out 10-plus in four consecutive outings between 1938-39. After the record-setting strikeout, Kluber received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Kluber (7-3) also became only the seventh right-handed starting pitcher in baseball to accomplish that feat since 1913, joining Max Scherzer, Pedro Martinez, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, Curt Schilling and J.R. Richard.

The Padres’ lone run in the fifth was an earned run, but the Indians’ infield defense might take half the blame for it. With two runners on and nobody out, Erick Aybar grounded a ball to shortstop Francisco Lindor. Instead of flipping it to Jason Kipnis at second base, Lindor ran it himself and stepped on the bag. Cory Spangenberg followed with a ground ball to Kipnis, who bobbled it and could only get the out at second base, allowing Hector Sanche to score from third. Despite two chances at a double play, the Padres (35-48) took a 1-0 lead.

The Indians (44-38) had their scoring chances, putting a runner on third in four consecutive innings against Padres starting pitcher Trevor Cahill. All four times, they came up empty.

Jose Ramirez continued his torrid stretch at the plate, ripping a triple to center field with one out in the second inning. Lonnie Chisenhall grounded a ball back to Cahill, who threw to first for the easy second out. As he did, Ramirez took off and was nailed at the plate to end the inning.

Carlos Santana singled and was helped to third base by a wild pitch and an error but was stranded there on Kipnis’ groundout to first base to end the inning.

The Indians had two runners in scoring position in the fourth after Edwin Encarnacion walked and Ramirez singled and then advanced on a wild pitch. That inning ended with Chisenhall grounding out.

In the fifth, the Indians took it a step further and loaded the bases against reliever Jose Torres (5-2). Bradley Zimmer singled, Kipnis reached on a fielder’s choice and Lindor walked. With two outs, Michael Brantley grounded a ball to shortstop Aybar and was thrown out at first on a bang- bang play. The Indians were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven men stranded on base.

Indians manager Terry Francona misses Tuesday’s game, has tests at Cleveland Clinic CLEVELAND: Indians manager Terry Francona did not manage Tuesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres. He had further tests at the Cleveland Clinic, according to president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti.

Francona twice in June had to exit games due to symptoms related to an elevated heart rate, potential dehydration and light headedness. Tuesday night was the second full game he has missed this season. He was also absent for the Indians’ game on June 27 when Antonetti told him to stay home and rest following his second episode the night prior.

According to Antonetti, Francona did not have an episode on Tuesday. Rather, he said, the doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are administering further tests to try to diagnose what has been causing Francona’s symptoms.

“Tito was actually at the ballpark [prior to the game] today,” Antonetti said. “He did his normal routine. He actually swam in the pool for a little while today. He felt fine, but he’s now back at the Clinic to get some additional testing. There were no episodes today. It was just, again, in this effort of the doctors trying to narrow down exactly what’s causing his symptoms, so he’ll get some follow-up tests.”

There is no clarity as to whether Francona will miss any more games to undergo the needed tests, Antonetti said. Bench coach Brad Mills will act as manager whenever Francona is absent, as he has thus far when needed.

“We’re concerned, obviously,” Antonetti said. “Anytime anyone has any sort of health issue, you’re concerned. I don’t think today changes that in any way. I’m actually hopeful and optimistic that we’re beginning to learn what the root cause might be, and that once they can identify what the cause is, they can come up with a way to help Tito manage it moving forward.”

Antonetti added that there has been no indication as of yet that these symptoms will affect Francona’s ability to manage the American League in the All-Star Game in Miami the week of July 11.

“We’ll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process,” Antonetti said. “As I’ve continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and that we focus mostly on that. If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that’s what he needs to do.”

Next time

Pitcher Danny Salazar is scheduled for a rehab appearance on Thursday with Triple-A Columbus. The expectation is that he’ll throw 60-65 pitches.

Salazar last pitched on Saturday with the RubberDucks. Antonetti said Salazar was pleased with how his arm responded to the workload in the days that followed.

“I saw Danny today and he had a huge smile on his face,” Antonetti said. “He said, ‘I’m feeling great … I’m starting to be back to being me,’ which is ultimately what we were looking for. He feels really encouraged by the progress he has made. Admittedly, he was feeling a little bit unsure at the start of his last rehab game just because he didn’t know exactly how his arm was going to respond. But I think after he got through the first inning, he felt a lot more confident.”

Frustration hard to swallow for infielders Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor BY PAUL HOYNES, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio - Corey Kluber tries to keep his frustration to a minimum when he's pitching. So when the Indians failed to turn not one, but two potential double plays in the fifth inning on Tuesday night, he kept his head down and kept pitching. It did not change the outcome of the Indians' 1-0 loss to the Padres at Progressive Field, but it did keep Kluber balanced and on point for three more innings. "It's not going to do you any good to get frustrated by this or that," said Kluber. "Honestly, at that point in time you're trying to keep it to just one run, keep your team in the game and give them a chance to win." Kluber allowed one run on five hits in eight innings. He struck out 10 or more batters for the fifth straight game to set a franchise record. While Kluber was able to bury whatever frustration he felt under another pile of strikeouts - 74 in 51 innings since coming off the disabled list on June 1 -- second baseman Jason Kipnis and shortstop Francisco Lindor were still chewing on theirs after the game. It did not go down easy. The source of Kipnis and Lindor's frustration , as you may have guessed, was the fifth inning. They each had a chance to start a double play that would have kept the game's only run from scoring. They both had to settle for one out instead of two. Hector Sanchez started the fifth with a single. Kluber followed by walking Carlos Asuaje. It was his only walk of the game. Brad Mills on Indians' missed opportunities on offense in loss to Padres Erick Aybar sent a ground ball to Lindor. He was going to turn the double play by himself, but he didn't handle the ball cleanly and then realized he was too far away from second to step on the bag and throw to first. He could have flipped to Kipnis, who was covering second, but instead he lunged wildly at the bag to force Asuaje as Sanchez went to third and Aybar was safe at first. "I lost perception of how close I was to the bag," said Lindor. "Another mistake that shouldn't be happening. That was the game right there. "If I was closer to the bag, I could have just taken it myself. It's another mistake that shouldn't be happening." Cory Spangenberg followed with a bouncer to Kipnis at second. He gloved the ball, but as he was going to throw to Lindor at second to start the double play, the ball bounced out of his glove. He caught it in midair and threw to second to force Aybar as the Sanchez scored. "It was a ground ball that needs to be turned," said Kipnis. It doesn't help that Kipnis and Lindor are at the top of the lineup almost every night, but haven't been hitting for a quite a while. Kipnis took an 0- for-4, stranding three runners, Tuesday night. Lindor was 0-for-3 with a walk. Kipnis is in a 7-for-45 (.155) skid. Lindor, 2-for-17 in July, is hitting .202 (26-for-129) since the end of May. Tuesday night the Indians went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. "It's frustrating," said Kipnis. "It's not like we're not capable of hitting with runners on base. It's not like we don't have the offense to do it. It's just that some nights we press or swing at the wrong pitches and don't get it done. It's unfortunate because Corey pitched great." The Padres almost made it 2-0 when Spangenberg appeared to slide between the legs of catcher Yan Gomes in the eighth inning to score from second base on an infield single to third. Plate umpire Alan Porter called Spangenberg out, but the Padres challenged. After a lengthy review, the out call on the field stood. "From our replays, we felt he didn't touch the plate with his foot," said bench coach Mills, who managed the team Tuesday night in place of Terry Francona, who was undergoing tests at Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.05.2017 Cleveland Indians blanked by San Diego Padres, 1-0; Corey Kluber sets club strikeout record BY PAUL HOYNES, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio - It was another 10 strikeout night for Corey Kluber and another interleague nightmare for the Indians. Even when they use the DH, they can't beat a National League team. Kluber set a club record with his fifth straight game of 10 or more strikeouts Tuesday night, but a lack of clutch hitting and some shaky defensive play helped the Padres beat the Indians, 1-0, in front of a sellout crowd at Progressive Field. The Indians went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-11 with runners on base against Trevor Cahill and five San Diego relievers. Kluber (7-3, 2.85) struck out 10, walked one and allowed one run over eight innings. It was his first loss since May 2. The crowd gave Kluber a standing ovation when he struck out Jose Pirela in the eighth inning for his 10th strikeout. "I heard the people, which was pretty cool," said Kluber. "I didn't take the time to step off and look around. I didn't know it was 10 strikeouts until I saw Yan (Gomes) was on his knees behind the plate trying to get me some extra time. "It was definitely appreciated." Brad Mills on Indians' missed opportunities on offense in loss to Padres He entered the game tied with Tribe Hall of Famer Bob Feller with four straight games of 10 or more strikeouts. Since coming off the disabled list on June 1, Kluber is 4-1 with 74 strikeouts in 51 innings. Kluber is just one of seven right-handed pitchers since 1913, according to baseball-reference.com, to have such a streak. "The way he's throwing the ball is absolutely outstanding," said bench coach Brad Mills, who filled for Terry Francona, who was in Cleveland Clinic undergoing tests. "When he goes out there, you really want to win those games because you know you're going to be in it." The Padres scored the only run in the game in the fifth. The inning featured some shaky play by the Tribe's double-play combination of Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis. Hector Sanchez opened the inning with a single to center. Kluber walked Carlos Asuaje and Erick Aybar followed with a bouncer to Lindor at short. He didn't field it cleanly and had to step on second to get just one out as Sanchez went to third and Asuaje reached on a fielder's choice. "I thought I was closer to the bag than I was," said Lindor, who said he was going to turn the double play himself. "That's another mistake that shouldn't have happened. That's the game right there." Cory Spangenberg followed with a grounder to Kipnis at second. Once again a double play appeared to be taking shape. But Kipnis bobbled the ball and threw to second for just one out as Sanchez scored. "That ground ball to me needs to be turned," said Kipnis. "It caught me in the palm a little bit and top-spinned a little more than I thought. It caught me in the bad part of the glove and popped out. But it needs to be turned." The Indians, besides going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position, stranded seven runners. "It's frustrating," said Kipnis. "Especially to be the one who more or less screwed it up. . .having it be a one-run game brings it to the forefront even more." As for Kluber, Kipnis said, "He's been lights out. He was lights out again. He didn't allow and earned run tonight. That's not an earned run. That's on me. That's on the defense." Cahill, just off the disabled list, threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out four, walked two and allowed four hits. More importantly, he pitched out of one jam after another. Jose Ramirez tripled with one out in the second. Lonnie Chisenhall sent a bouncer back to the mound that Cahill turned into a 1-3-2 double play. Cahill threw to first to retire Chisenhall and first baseman Wil Myers threw home to get Ramirez, who tried to steal a run and lost the gamble. "When the ball was first hit, Jose thought he was far enough down the line to go," said Mills. Carlos Santana opened the second with a bunt that rolled down the third baseline and hit the bag. He took second on a wild pitch and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Austin Hedges with one out. Cahill escaped by retiring Gomes and Kipnis. The Indians, as they did in the third, left runners on third in the fourth and fifth innings. The win went to Jose Torres (5-2), who relieved Cahill in the fifth. Brandon Mauer retired the Indians in order in the ninth for his 17th save. What it means The Indians are 2-10 in interleague play this season. The pitches Kluber threw 107 pitches, 73 (68 percent) for strikes. Cahill threw 85 pitches, 48 (56 percent) for strikes. Thanks for coming The Padres and Indians drew a sellout crowd of 33,869 to Progressive Field on Tuesday night. First pitch was at 7:11 p.m. with a temperature of 74 degrees. The Indians have drawn 915,573 in 40 home dates this season. Next Right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-6, 5.24) will face San Diego's Luis Perdomo (3-4, 4.71) on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game. Bauer is coming off a win against the Texas in which he allowed one run on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. Perdomo will be making his 15th start of the season and first against the Indians. He is 1-0 in two interleague starts this season. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.05.2017 Cleveland Indians' five All-Stars represents an organizational success story CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians are sending five players to the All-Star Game next week in Miami. By the time they board their charter jet after Sunday night’s game against the Tigers, that number could increase. The Indians guaranteed trips are third baseman Jose Ramirez, shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielder Michael Brantley, right-hander Corey Kluber and left-hander Andrew Miller. Ramirez was an international draft pick who came through the team’s Latin American pipeline. Lindor was the team’s No.1 pick in 2011. The Indians acquired Brantley and Kluber as prospects in trades for CC Sabathia and , respectively. Miller was acquired in a deal last year from the Yankees for the stretch run. Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, says the five All-Stars represent an organization-wide success. “I think this is a sign that there are a lot of good things going on with the team and the organization,” said Antonetti. “For us to be the championship caliber organization that we aspire to be we have to get contributions from every aspect of our organization and they have to work together for us to achieve those results. “There’s not one element of our organization that hasn’t impacted our success. Our Latin American operations, our amateur scouting, our professional scouting, our player development, our major-league coaching staff, our medical staff. All those areas made contributions to helping each of those guys individually and the organization itself.” Lindor said he could have 15 to 16 family members in Miami for the All-Star Game. The headliner of the contingent will be Lindor’s father, Miguel. “I’m really excited that my dad is finally going,” said Lindor. “He didn’t go to the All-Star Game last year. He went to my first Futures Game in Kansas City, but besides that he didn’t go to my big-league debut.” Miguel Lindor does not like to fly, but with the All-Star Game being in Miami, Lindor’s family and friends will make the drive from Orlando. “I’m looking forward to seeing the whole family out there,’’ he said. Lindor entered Tuesday’s game against San Diego hitting .248 (80-for-322) with 14 homers and 38 RBI. He had a tough series in Detroit last weekend, going 3-for-14. “The balls aren’t dropping right now,” he said. “I’m just continuing to grind and work as hard as they can.” Rookie center fielder Bradley Zimmer has helped the Indians offensively and defensively since he was promoted from Class AAA Columbus on May 16. Revisiting 'The Catch' Have you ever seen a Great White shark jump completely out of the ocean on one of those nature shows where scientists want to get close and cuddly with one of the most dangerous predators on earth? It is an awesome sight to see a 2,000-pound shark completely clear the ocean’s surface, momentarily take flight, before disappearing into the ocean again. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Detroit, 6-5 center fielder Bradley Zimmer looked like a Great White shark as he broke gravity’s hold and glided through the air to catch Mikie Mahtook’s drive in left center field in the ninth inning of the Tribe’s 4-1 win. “I’ve probably seen it 100 times,” said Zimmer on Tuesday. “People have been sending me links to the video. All my friends and teammates were pretty fired up, but it’s just another day for me. It was cool getting to see that. I’m out there reacting and making a player for Andrew (Miller) and helping secure the win for us.” Miller has made several good catches since the Indians promoted him from Class AAA Columbus on May 16, but he said, “That was probably the biggest one. It was fun getting to make that play and hopefully there will be plenty more and better ones in the future.” Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer Danny Salazar Indians right-hander Danny Salazar has been on the disabled list with a sore right shoulder since June 6. What would a healthy Danny Salazar mean to Tribe? Danny Salazar will make his second rehab start on Thursday when he pitches for Columbus. He has been on the disabled list since June 6 with a sore right shoulder. “I saw Danny today and he had a huge smile on his face,” said Antonetti. “He said, ‘I’m feeling great. I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back to being me.’ Ultimately, that’s what we were looking for.’’ Salazar allowed three runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings in his first rehab start Saturday for Class AA Akron. He walked two, allowed a and struck out three. “Admittedly, he was a little unsure at the start of his last rehab game because he didn’t know how his arm would respond,” said Antonetti. “But after he got through the first inning he felt much more confident. He’s actually eagerly looking forward to his next start.” It appears Salazar will keep pitching over the All-Star break because the Indians want to bring him back as a starter. Will left-hander Shawn Morimando, who has pitched well at Class AAA Columbus, get a chance to help the Indians after the All-Star break? Will Tribe's pitching depth pay off after All-Star break? Do the Indians have to make a trade for a starting pitcher before the July 31st deadline? Or will the potential return of Salazar and some help from the minors be enough? Mike Clevinger has already arrived from Columbus to take Salazar's spot in the rotation. Ryan Merritt has made a spot start and Shawn Morimando, a lefty like Merritt, has gone 6-1 with a 1.76 ERA in his last 10 starts at Columbus. “Danny is a big part of that, his health, his status and what we feel about his ability to impact us in the second half contributes to that,” said Antonetti. “But I think we may look more broadly and look at all our pitching alternatives internally and then try to develop an understanding of what external options might be available. “The one thing I would be confident in saying is that a healthy Danny Salazar, pitching to his capabilities, is as good as any player we could acquire externally.” Regarding Morimando, Merritt and Adam Plutko, Antonetti said, “One of the things we need to think about, when we think about alternatives for the second half, are those guys we have internally and we’re starting to feel really good about the options we do have.” Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.05.2017 Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona at Cleveland Clinic for tests; will not manage Tuesday's game BY PAUL HOYNES, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio - Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, told reporters Tuesday that manager Terry Francona is undergoing tests at Cleveland Clinic and will not manage the team Tuesday night against the Padres at Progressive Field. Last month Francona was hospitalized twice after leaving games for a rapid heart rate and lightheadedness. Antonetti said the tests Francona underwent were not connected to any new episodes. However, they may have been necessitated by the previous tests Francona went through in June. "As you know, Tito hasn't been feeling well over the course of the past few weeks," said Antonetti. "The doctors of been monitoring him (Francona has been wearing a heart monitor) just to see if they can determine what's caused him to not feel well. "So they're in the process of trying to narrow down exactly what's been causing his symptoms, so he's at the Clinic tonight getting some additional tests." Antonetti said the tests could keep Francona in the hospital for a day or two. "Tito was actually at the ballpark today," said Antonetti. "He did his normal routine. He actually swam in the (Swim-X) pool for a little while today. He felt fine, but he's now back at the Clinic to get some additional testing. "There were no episodes today. It was just, again, in this effort of the doctors trying to narrow down exactly what's causing his symptoms, so he'll get some follow-up tests." Antonetti said bench coach Brad Mills will manage the team in Francona's absence. Antonetti said he wasn't sure if Francona would return to managing on Wednesday night. "Tito and Brad had time to work through all the different things to prepare for the game (Tuesday night)," said Antonetti. "They visited for a while before he left." Antonetti said Francona did not experience any episodes during the weekend series against the Tigers in Detroit. He added that he did not think this would get in the way of Francona managing the AL All-Star team next week in Miami. The Indians are sending five All-Stars, Francona and the entire coaching staff to Marlins Park after Sunday night's game against Detroit. "At this point, I don't have a reason to think otherwise," Antonetti said, when asked if Francona would still manage the All-Star Game. "But again, we'll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process. As I've continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and we focus mostly on that. If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that's what he needs to do." Antonetti did not know when Francona would rejoin the team. "We're still working through that," he said. Francona left the dugout during a June 13th game against the Dodgers because of a rapid heart rate and lightheadedness. He experienced the same symptoms on June 26, leaving a game against Texas. He was taken the the Clinic after both games. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.05.2017 Corey Kluber's status for the All-Star Game still up in the air BY ZACK MEISEL, CLEVELAND.COM [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Corey Kluber was the winning pitcher in last year's All-Star Game. He might not have a chance to defend his reign, though. The right-hander, named the American League Player of the Month this week, is scheduled to start for the Indians on Sunday night against the Tigers. It's the league's last game before the All-Star break begins. In past years, that would have made Kluber ineligible to pitch in the Midsummer Classic. The rule changed, however, and it's now up to the player and his team to strike an agreement on his availability. Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, said Tuesday that the team's brass had not yet spoken with Kluber about the topic. "We need to have that conversation with Corey and see how he feels about it," Antonetti said. "We do need to be mindful that he missed a month with [a] back [injury] and we've asked a lot of him over the course of the time he's been back. We'll talk through that with him and then make a decision from there." The Indians might not want Kluber, who logged 249 innings between the regular season and playoffs last year, to force the issue. Kluber returned from the disabled list on June 1, the start of a sterling month on the mound for the 31-year-old. Prior to that, he missed about four weeks with a lower back strain, an issue that first flared up in early April. Corey Kluber's All-Star Game status up in the air Since, he has required additional daily maintenance to keep his back in shape. It hasn't seemed to hamper his ability on the mound, though. Kluber pitched his way onto the AL All-Star roster with six dazzling June starts, in which he posted a 1.26 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .396 OPS. Kluber totaled seven walks and 64 strikeouts in his 43 innings. Entering his start against the Padres on Tuesday, Kluber had racked up 10 or more strikeouts in four consecutive outings. Corey Kluber honored to be an All-Star for second straight year The Indians placed five All-Stars on the AL roster. Kluber will be joined by Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Andrew Miller and Jose Ramirez, the starter at third base. The club will also send its entire coaching staff to Miami for the annual exhibition. If Kluber is deemed unavailable for the contest, it could open the door for Carlos Carrasco, who stands at 9-3 with a 3.50 ERA and 2.1 WAR this season. Kluber pitched a scoreless second inning in last year's All-Star Game, a 4-2 AL victory which earned the Indians home-field advantage in the World Series. That stipulation was scrapped in the league's new collective bargaining agreement. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 07.05.2017 The 2017 Cleveland Indians at the halfway point: The good, the bad, the ugly and the bizarre CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At times, it has seemed as though this Indians season has had trouble getting off the ground. Manager Terry Francona often used the word "disjointed" to describe , which was interrupted by the World Baseball Classic. That term would apply to the regular season, too. If the Indians have been consistent at anything, it's at being inconsistent. They stand atop a pretty unimpressive American League Central, and every time they suggest they're shifting into a higher gear, they pump the brakes. The Indians reached the midpoint on Sunday with their 81st game, a win against the Tigers. It's been a first half devoid of much controversy or drama or, for that matter, excitement. The club hasn't pieced together any captivating winning streak or any lengthy losing streak. It hasn't compiled a laundry list of thrilling walk-off victories. The Indians, off a World Series appearance and shouldering heightened expectations, have just quietly bobbed and weaved through the first half while making baseball figurines. Let's look back at the good, the bad, the ugly and the bizarre from the first half. Note: All stats are through the first 81 games. The Indians played Game 82 on Tuesday night. By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com THE GOOD Holy Jose In late June, Jose Ramirez was chasing a ghost -- Shoeless Joe Jackson, to be precise. Ramirez had strung together nine consecutive multi-hit games, the most since the cleats-averse outfielder set the club record with 11 games in 1911. So, Ramirez holds the team record for most consecutive multi-hit games that could be watched on TV. If not for some megarookie named , Ramirez likely would have earned American League Player of the Month honors for his torrid June. Over the last five weeks, he has 19 multi-hit games and only 12 strikeouts. Ramirez has been the heartbeat of the Indians' lineup and he's finally receiving some national attention for it.

No June swoon Don't bother with Corey Kluber's numbers from the month of June. Just look at the statistics compiled by the hitters who had to face him. Those poor souls posted a .150/.192/.204 slash line against him in six outings. Kluber earned American League Pitcher of the Month honors after he logged a 1.26 ERA and tallied 64 strikeouts and only seven walks.

Welcome to Miami Ronnie Belliard and Matt Lawton can finally pass the torch. For the first time since 2004 -- when Belliard, Lawton, CC Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Victor Martinez represented the Tribe -- Cleveland has five players headed to the All-Star Game. This group seems a bit more skilled. The fans voted Ramirez in as the starting third baseman, the first Tribe player to win the fan vote since Juan Gonzalez in 2001. Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Andrew Miller each received a nod from the player vote. The league selected Corey Kluber to the AL roster. They'll join the entire Indians coaching staff in Miami next week. The Indians' representatives will fly south after their nationally televised game Sunday night against Detroit.

Three's enough The Indians suffered six straight losses in the waning days of July 2015. It cemented the club's decision to trade veterans such as Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, David Murphy and Brandon Moss. Since, the Indians have not endured a losing streak of more than three games. The 29 other big-league teams have combined for 310 losing streaks of at least four games during that span. It's a remarkable feat, even if a three- game losing streak was enough to derail the end of their 2016 campaign. Brantley's back Brantley entertained the same thoughts that you did. He wondered if he could ever return to his old form: an All-Star left fielder who had developed into the Indians' most steady, reliable force at the plate. Well, a .303 batting average and a ticket to Miami for the All-Star Game would indicate he's back to form, or something close to it. While his power might be missing -- he hasn't homered since April -- the fact that Brantley has appeared in 74 percent of the Indians' games should be comforting enough after what he endured last season. "Nothing was guaranteed," Brantley said. "It was a lot of hard work." Good(y) find Nick Goody has followed in the footsteps of Scott Atchison, Jeff Manship and Dan Otero, with an out-of-nowhere emergence in the Tribe bullpen. His story is a bit different, though. The Yankees ran out of room on their roster after they signed . They never really gave Goody a chance. The other three guys had fallen out of favor because of performance before they landed on their feet in Cleveland. Goody might not be pitching in the ninth with the game on the line, but he has compiled a 1.14 ERA in 31 2/3 innings and he has limited the opposition to a .180 average. Houston has a problem The Astros have spent much of the season as the AL's top team, but the Indians have been their kryptonite. Cleveland swept a weekend series at Minute Maid Park in May, a few weeks after the Tribe took two of three against Houston at Progressive Field. Could the two clubs lock horns in October? It hasn't always been easy for Francisco Lindor this season, especially the last two months. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer) THE BAD Lackluster Lindor Lindor will match his career high for a season with his next home run. For a month, it seemed as though Lindor was headed for a new level of offensive success, with a blend of power, average and durability to complement his typically stout defense at shortstop. Then, Lindor stopped hitting. April: .309/.380/.638 May: .245/.313/.451 June/July: .206/.248/.325 The Indians have assigned the struggles to Lindor getting pull-happy at the plate. No matter the malady, he hasn't been able to solve his first real major-league test.

Health scare Francona has exited two games early and missed two games entirely because of an ongoing health issue. The symptoms have been consistent: a light-headed feeling and a rapid heart rate. Francona, 58, also missed a game last season because of chest pains. Of course, Francona couldn't help but to joke that the reason for his hospital visits was an allergic reaction to bench coach Brad Mills.

No home cooking A year after compiling a 53-28 mark at Progressive Field, the Indians have managed an 18-21 record at their home venue. The team's attendance has increased, so it rarely feels like an empty cavern anymore, but for whatever reason -- the team says it's just a fluky thing, and that's hard to logically dispute -- the team has performed better away from Cleveland. Well, for anyone desperate for a silver lining, at least the Indians are zip codes away from the pole position for home-field advantage. Buyer's remorse? Not so fast How quickly we forget that just six weeks ago, Edwin Encarnacion was batting .199 with a .689 OPS. Since, he has hit .331 with a 1.035 OPS, urging every person shouting "Another Swisher!" to take a deep breath and regroup. The Indians committed $60 million to Encarnacion. He has, for now, hushed talk of that decision being an irresponsible one.

Meetings and more meetings The Indians' up-and-down-and-up-again-and-down-again first half has prompted some moments of reflection and perspective. Francona and his staff have routinely relayed the message that each day is a clean slate and that recent results and future challenges are secondary. At some of the low points, the Indians have held team meetings, player meetings and smaller group meetings. Francona even admitted that the meetings lose their luster after a certain number of them. THE UGLY Rotation woes The Indians' rotation had perhaps the highest ceiling of any area of the roster, but also the lowest floor. To this point, it's still waiting for takeoff. "Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco and pray for rain" doesn't rhyme and it might be a bit harsh, given that Mike Clevinger and Trevor Bauer have had their moments. Still, it has been the club's Achilles heel. has surrendered 117 hits in 86 innings. He and Bauer have allowed 31 home runs. Danny Salazar couldn't keep the ball in the park before he landed on the disabled list with another one of his injuries that might require as much rehab of the mind as the shoulder. The Indians know they'll have to address the rotation at some point, whether it's a healthy Salazar returning to All-Star form (their first choice), a rise from someone at Triple-A, such as Ryan Merritt or Shawn Morimando, or a trade. Strangers in the outfield The Indians fielded a starting outfield of Marlon Byrd, Rajai Davis and Collin Cowgill on Opening Day last year. Two of those three are distant memories. Davis' legacy in Cleveland will live on a bit longer, thanks to his unforgettable home run in Game 7 of the World Series. The Indians' outfield this season has welcomed some new faces and some old, familiar ones. Brantley has stabilized left field for the most part. Bradley Zimmer has done the same in center, but not before the Indians cycled through Austin Jackson, Abraham Almonte and Tyler Naquin. Daniel Robertson joined the fold for a bit, too, while Brandon Guyer was sidelined. Hair today, gone tomorrow Salazar arrived to spring training with a thick, bleached-blonde streak in his hair. His teammates took to calling him "Skunk." Salazar ultimately buzzed his hair around the time he landed on the disabled list with shoulder soreness. Lindor and Roberto Perez bleached their hair during the World Baseball Classic in March. They stuck with it through the start of the regular season. Lindor finally returned to his regular hue in early June after a rough stretch. Tomlin chopped off his long locks in April for the same reason. Perez altered his hair to a color he described as "platinum." Ramirez brought back his orange-ish McDonald's-hash-brown look for another run. Lumber slumber It hasn't been an ideal contract year for Carlos Santana, who reached the midpoint with a .230 average and .732 OPS. Perhaps he's breaking out of his funk, with multi-hit efforts in three of his last four games. But what do we make of Jason Kipnis' season? He missed the start of the year because of a shoulder injury, but does that excuse his .229/.284/.392 slash line? Those numbers don't exactly scream "leadoff hitter." And, of course, we must mention the Indians' catching duo of Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez, heralded for their defensive prowess. Their offensive output, on the other hand, has been lacking. THE BIZARRE The comeback A little before 9 p.m. on June 26, the Indians trailed, 9-2, their manager had departed because of a health issue and their starting pitcher, Carlos Carrasco, had scuffled through his worst outing of the season. Two hours later, the Indians completed a 15-9 triumph, a 19-hit barrage in which eight of their starters collected at least two base knocks. It marked the team's largest comeback in five years, the largest lead the Rangers had squandered in 11 years and the most runs the Indians had scored in one game without a home run in 34 years. They pulled a complete 180 in a matter of a few innings. Related: 9 eye-opening stats from Indians' crazy comeback Mortal Miller Andrew Miller might seem supernatural when he slings a sidewinding toward a hapless hitter. He's human, though, as Boone Logan reminded reporters when, after Miller allowed his first run of the season on May 15, he shouted: "It's the end of the world! He gave up a run!" Miller carried a 0.29 ERA into his outing against the Dodgers on June 13. Then, he surrendered a tie-breaking home run to rookie Cody Bellinger. The Indians lost. The next night, he served up another tie-breaking home run, this time to Enrique Hernandez. The Indians lost again. His ERA ballooned to 1.60. Miller is mortal after all. Martinez the boomerang Michael Martinez flew south for the spring, but he returned -- as he always does -- in time for the summer. The Indians cut ties with the veteran utility player in May. About five weeks later, following a stint with the Rays, he returned to the Indians' organization. The team assigned him to Triple-A Columbus. The cat with the career .504 OPS might have more than nine lives. Last year, he had a temporary midseason relocation to Boston before he made his way back to Cleveland. Everyone knows how the rest of that story unfolded. Waterworks The Indians' grounds crew was just trying to put out Oakland's dumpster fire. The bottom of the sixth inning on June 1 at Progressive Field included a bases-loaded walk, two errors, a double replay challenge and four Tribe runs. How do you cap such an inning? By having the outfielder sprinklers turn on for about 10-15 seconds. It was chaos at its finest.

By the numbers: Corey Kluber’s historic night, continued dominance overshadowed in loss by T.J. Zuppe, 8 hours ago CLEVELAND — An unfortunate game in the field and at the plate overshadowed what should have been another chance to admire one of Corey Kluber's best stretches in an Indians uniform. That might have been the biggest crime of all.

Kluber continued his run of absolute brilliance — establishing a franchise record in the process — but two unconverted potential double plays in the fifth inning and stranding numerous runners in scoring position eventually led to the Indians' demise, falling 1-0 to the Padres in the series opener Tuesday.

“It's frustrating, especially to be the one who more or less fucked it up,” Jason Kipnis said of his missed double play opportunity. “And to have it be a one-run game, it comes to the forefront even more. It's not like we're not capable of hitting with guys on base. It's not like we don't have the offense to do it. Just some nights, we press or we swing at the wrong pitches and don't get it done. Tonight was one of those games. It was unfortunate, because Corey pitched great.”

Here are some of the numbers behind a frustrating loss in front of a sellout crowd.

1: Run scored in the fifth inning. Kipnis and Francisco Lindor each took blame for not turning the pair of potential double plays. Lindor conceded that he lost track of where he was on the field on the first chance — he tried to turn it himself but only got one out — and Kipnis' brief bobble and wide throw on the second chance was one that he said “needs to be turned.”

“He was lights out again tonight,” Kipnis said of Kluber. “He didn't let up an earned run. That's not an earned run. That's on me. That's on the defense.”

However, that run was charged to Kluber, proving is far from a perfect evaluation tool. Yeah, the inning started with a hit and walk, but the righty followed that up with two grounders he needed to emerge from the inning unscathed. Unfortunately, that wasn't how the situation played out.

“It’s frustrating because Kluber goes out and gives it his best and gives us a chance to win,” Lindor said. “They score because of that, and we couldn’t come through to help him out. That’s unfortunately tough.”

5: Consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts for Kluber, a franchise record. He is also now one of three pitchers this season to put together a similar streak, with Chris Sale and Max Scherzer being the other two. Yeah, I know, this is happening in baseball's inflated strikeout total environment, but that's still pretty impressive. Fans gave Kluber his due, standing and applauding the Indians' ace after he recorded his 10th strikeout of the night.

“I heard people,” Kluber said. “They got loud, which was pretty cool. I didn't take the time to step off and look around, or things like that. I didn't know that it was 10 strikeouts until Yan [Gomes] was sitting on his knees. I think he was trying to give me some extra time or whatnot. It was definitely appreciated.”

1.24: Kluber's ERA since June 1. It's hard to imagine anyone pitching better during a month of baseball, but it's even more incredible considering this run has come directly after his return from the disabled list.

He has been as dominant as we've ever seen in a seven-start stretch, striking out 74 in 51 innings, good enough for a 40 percent strikeout rate and mind-blowing 18.8 swinging-strike rate. He's basically been completely untouchable since his early-season back problems.

Feeling like one of those efforts was wasted adds to the frustration.

“He’s healthy,” bench coach Brad Mills said, filling in for manager Terry Francona once again. “He’s getting stronger, confident. And the way he’s throwing the ball is absolutely outstanding. There’s no doubt. When he goes out there, you really want to win those games because you know that you’re going to be in it. The same goes every time out.”

5.21: Padres' road ERA entering Tuesday's game, the sixth-worst in baseball. Trevor Cahill and company shut down the Tribe's sticks, going hitless in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position and stranding seven runners in the process.

While that might feel like a running theme this year — I certainly wouldn't blame you for feeling that way — consider this: their .243 average with runners in scoring position this year is still noticeably better than the bottom four clubs (Cubs, Athletics, Padres and Blue Jays). They entered the day ranked 21st in the majors in situational hitting, meaning there are still a number of teams with worse production in those spots.

My guess is that doesn't exactly help ease your pain. Nights like Tuesday can be absolutely brutal.

“We had all the guys on and couple guys at third and less than two outs,” Mills said. “We weren’t able to get them in. Cahill’s ball was moving all over the place. It would’ve been nice [if] we tried to get up in those situations a little bit. But at the same time, he pitched well. It was effective, so he kept doing it.”

105.7 mph: Exit velocity off Jose Pirela's bat in the third inning. The screamer toward center field was tracked down by Bradley Zimmer, who made another outstanding tumbling catch to end the Padres' scoring threat. Zimmer made a pair of incredible catches in Saturday's doubleheader, and these sorts of jaw-dropping snags are becoming the commonplace. “That play right there gives the team a boost,” Kluber said. “I made a pretty terrible pitch and the guy put a really good swing on it. He crushed that ball. That's not an easy play for a center fielder — a ball pretty much right at them that's hammered like that. But, that can be uplifting for the team, definitely, when you get those kind of diving, leaping plays. It's pretty much on a nightly basis right now.”

On a lighter note, while in Detroit over the weekend, the Indians tweeted out their Sunday lineup using all player nicknames. In Zimmer's place was the phrase Braddy Long Legs (*cringes*), which amazingly didn't go over well on . After chatting with the Tribe's social media coordinator Monday, Zimmer indicated if they are going to use a nickname in the future, he'd prefer Zim Shady.

Please be advised. 1-3-2: The second-inning double play that started with Lonnie Chisenhall's ground out and ended in Jose Ramirez getting thrown out at home. Those sorts of plays are tough to debate. On one hand, it's difficult to knock the hustle and one bad throw can result in a stolen run. On the other, it erases a scoring opportunity without giving Carlos Santana to drive Ramirez in from third with two outs.

When it comes to base-running this year, Ramirez has been rated as below-average by FanGraphs, which is a surprise considering he rated as the fifth-best runner in BsR last year and has always finished above average. It's tough to imagine a 24-year-old just got bad at that one particular skill in the offseason, but it has, to this point, been the only glaring weakness in Ramirez's game this season.

Ramirez was one of two Tribe players to record a multi-hit game, and his second-inning triple was his 46th extra-base hit of the season, the most in the American League. He's now creating runs at a clip 53 percent better than the league average hitter, fourth in the AL. And he's barely sacrificed any contact for the added power.

The switch-hitter is emerging as a genuine star.

33,869: Attendance at Progressive Field, the second sellout of the season and first since the home opener. Without in-game fireworks to enjoy, they had to settle for the Independence Day variety after Tuesday's opener.

Terry Francona returns to Cleveland Clinic for additional tests, will not manage Tuesday night by T.J. Zuppe

CLEVELAND — When it comes to the health of Terry Francona, the Indians manager is still searching for answers. And as part of that process, Francona will once again take a break from his responsibilities in the dugout.

Francona will not manage the opener Tuesday against the Padres, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced prior to the three-game series. Bench coach Brad Mills will again take his place.

“They're in the process of trying to narrow down exactly what's been causing his symptoms,” Antonetti said. “So, he's back at the [Cleveland] Clinic tonight getting some additional tests, with the hope that they can better determine what's been causing him to have episodes of not feeling so great.”

The issues for Francona began when he felt dizzy and lightheaded on June 13. He left the dugout early and was taken to the hospital, where anything serious was ruled out. He was diagnosed with dehydration and returned the next day.

A few short weeks later, Francona again felt the same symptoms, leaving the June 26 game early. He was taken to the Cleveland Clinic, where any serious issues were once again ruled out. He did not manage on June 27, and he has, in an effort to find out what is causing the problems, been monitored ever since.

Antonetti was definitive in stating there were not any new episodes that led to his Tuesday hospital visit. With the timing being a little surprising — the Indians were off Monday after returning from Detroit — he did not specifically state if the trip was scheduled.

“Part of the expectation of that is that he would have some additional tests once they started to narrow the area of focus,” Antonetti said. “That's what he's doing now, is getting those additional tests.”

Antonetti was later asked if Francona would still manage the American League All-Stars next week in Miami. “I don't have a reason to think otherwise,” Antonetti said. “We'll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process. As I've continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and that we focus mostly on that. If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that's what he needs to do.”

Tuesday marks the fourth game that will be impacted in some way by Francona's absence. The team is still unsure if he will return to the dugout Wednesday. Even if the problem has yet to be connected to anything potentially serious, Antonetti conceded there's always a level of concern when someone's health is at stake.

“I don't think today changes that in any way,” Antonetti said. “I'm actually hopeful and optimistic that we're beginning to learn what the root cause might be, and that once they can identify what the cause is, they can come up with a way to help Tito manage it moving forward.” Indians: Manager Terry Francona misses another game, but no new medical concern, according to team president Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on July 4, 2017 | Updated 6:28 a. m. CLEVELAND — Terry Francona spent Tuesday night in the hospital rather than at the ballpark -- missing the interleague series opener against the Padres -- but team president Chris Antonetti said the Indians manager did not experience another medical episode.

Francona has been wearing a heart monitor since being forced prematurely from a game June 26 for the second time in two weeks.

“The doctors have been monitoring, just to see if they can determine what’s caused him not to feel well,” Antonetti told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game. “So they’re in the process of trying to narrow down exactly what’s been causing his symptoms, so he’s back at the (Cleveland) Clinic tonight getting some additional tests, with the hope that they can better determine what’s been causing him to have episodes of not feeling so great.

“Tito was actually at the ballpark today. He did his normal routine. He actually swam in the pool for a little while today. He felt fine, but he’s now back at the Clinic to get some additional testing. There were no episodes today. It was just, again, in this effort of the doctors trying to narrow down exactly what’s causing his symptoms, so he’ll get some follow-up tests.”

Antonetti could not confirm that Francona would be back tonight, but expects him to manage the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Miami.

“At this point, I don’t have a reason to think otherwise,” Antonetti said. “But again, we’ll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process. As I’ve continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and that we focus mostly on that. If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that’s what he needs to do.”

Francona, 58, missed a game against Texas on June 27 after feeling lightheaded with an increased heart rate the night before — similar symptoms to the ones he experienced prior to leaving a game against the Dodgers on June 13.

He was fitted for a heart monitor, but said doctors had ruled out any major health issues. Francona also experienced the symptoms last year, causing him to miss a game in Washington.

“We’re concerned, obviously,” Antonetti said. “Any time anyone has any sort of health issue, you’re concerned. I don’t think today changes that in any way. I’m actually hopeful and optimistic that we’re beginning to learn what the root cause might be, and that once they can identify what the cause is, they can come up with a way to help Tito manage it moving forward.”

As he has been, bench coach Brad Mills managed the Indians in Francona’s absence.

TRIBE NOTES Indians Notes: Danny Salazar's status could decide whether Tribe tries to trade for starting pitcher Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on July 4, 2017 | Updated 10:03 p. m. CLEVELAND — Whether the Indians make a move for a starting pitcher at the trading deadline may come down to how confident they are in the return of right-hander Danny Salazar.

Salazar (right shoulder soreness) is in the midst of a minor league rehab assignment after a disappointing first half that has seen the 2016 American League All-Star removed from the rotation.

“Danny is a big part of that, his health, his status, and how we feel about his ability to impact us in the second half contributes to that,” team president Chris Antonetti said Tuesday of Salazar, who is 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 12 games (10 starts). “But I think we might look a little more broadly, look at all of our pitching alternatives internally, and then try to develop an understanding on what external alternatives might be available, which guys could improve upon the group we might have currently, and what the acquisition cost might be.

“The one thing I would be confident in saying is a healthy Danny Salazar pitching to his capabilities is as good as any player we potentially could acquire externally.”

The internal options include Triple-A Columbus left-handers Shawn Morimando and Ryan Merritt and right-hander Adam Plutko. Morimando is 8-5 with a 3.40 ERA over 16 starts for the Clippers, while Merritt, who has made one spot start for Cleveland, is 7-5 with a 3.59 ERA in 14 games/13 starts. Plutko (4-8, 6.05 ERA in 14 starts) has pitched better as of late.

“One of the things we need to think about when we think about alternatives for the second half is, how are those guys internally, and we’re starting to feel really good about the options we do have,” Antonetti said.

Salazar is scheduled to make a rehab start for Columbus on Thursday. He pitched 1 2/3 innings for Double-A Akron on Monday, allowing three runs on three hits (one home run), while walking two and striking out three.

“I saw Danny today and he had a huge smile on his face,” Antonetti said. “He said, ‘I’m feeling great,’ said, ‘I’m starting to be back to being me,’ which is ultimately what we were looking for. He feels really encouraged by the progress he has made.”

Helping hands

Of the Indians’ five All-Stars, one was a first-round draft pick (Francisco Lindor), one was an international signing (Jose Ramirez), two were developed after being acquired in trades (Corey Kluber and Michael Brantley) and one was an elite-level trade acquisition (Andrew Miller).

The collection is a source of pride for Antonetti and the Indians.

“We talk about it all the time that for us to be the championship-caliber organization that we aspire to be, you have to get contributions from every aspect of our operation and they have to work together for us to achieve those results,” Antonetti said. “There’s not one element of our organization that has not impacted our success.

“I think that’s a sign there are a lot of good things going within the team and within the organization, and really a collective effort to get there.”

Brantley, an All-Star in 2014, returns after a long road to recovery from shoulder injuries.

“If you can think back and if I were to tell you that Michael Brantley’s a 2017 American League All-Star, that may have been difficult to believe six or seven months ago,” Antonetti said.

Kluber was elected for the second straight season, but his final first-half start is scheduled for Sunday — two days prior to the All-Star Game in Miami — and he may elect not to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.

“We’re still working through that,” Antonetti said. “We need to have that conversation with Corey and see how he feels about it because we need to be mindful that he did miss a month with (a) back (injury) and we’ve asked a lot of him over the course of the time he’s been back.”

Roundin’ third The Indians entered Tuesday with the fifth-best all-time record (89-76, .539 ) in the majors on July 4, with seven wins in their previous nine home games.

... Cleveland entered Tuesday with a 2-9 record in interleague play, but led the all-time series against San Diego 8-4.

TRIBE NOTES Padres 1, Indians 0: Tribe wastes another sparkling outing from ace Corey Kluber Chris Assenheimer ByChris Assenheimer | The Chronicle-TelegramPublished on July 4, 2017 | Updated 8:18 a. m. CLEVELAND — Manager Terry Francona missed another game Tuesday night, and for all practical purposes so did the Indians — outside of Corey Kluber — in the opener of a three-game interleague series against San Diego.

Doing next-to-nothing offensively and playing sloppy defense throughout, Cleveland was blanked 1-0, wasting another sparkling effort from Kluber in front of 33,869 fans at Progressive Field — the first sellout since the home opener.

Kluber continued his outstanding performance since leaving the disabled list, limiting the Padres to a run on five hits over eight innings, while striking out 10.

The right-hander set a franchise record with at least 10 strikeouts in five straight starts, surpassing Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Kluber is 4-1 with a 1.24 ERA over seven outings since leaving the injured list.

“He’s consistent, he’s healthy and he’s getting stronger and more confident,” said bench coach Brad Mills, who filled in for Francona. “The way he’s throwing the ball is absolutely outstanding, there’s just no doubt. When he goes out there, you really want to win those games because you know that you’re going to be in it. The same goes every time out.”

San Diego scored the lone run in the fifth inning after Kluber allowed a leadoff single followed by a walk.

The Indians had a chance to turn double plays on the next two batters, but shortstop Francisco Lindor botched the first and second baseman Jason Kipnis the second. Hector Sanchez scored on a fielder’s choice after Kipnis bobbled the grounder from Cory Spangenberg. “You can’t assume a double play for a reason. It’s not a given,” Kluber said. “As a pitcher, all you can do is try to go back and make good pitches. It’s not going to do you any good to get frustrated. You’re trying to keep it to just one run and keep your team in the game.”

“He got the two ground balls for the double plays,” Mills said. “We just weren’t able to turn them, with the bobble and I think Lindy thought he was a little bit closer to the bag maybe than he was. But at the same time it was tough. He pitches so well and gets the ground balls you’d like to see.”

The Indians managed only five hits — four off Padres starter Trevor Cahill, who came off the disabled list after being sidelined for seven weeks.

Cleveland had its opportunities, leaving six on base over the first five innings. The Indians stranded a runner on third four times over the span, including leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.

“There’s no doubt, especially early on. We had all the guys on and a couple guys at third with less than two outs and we weren’t able to get them in,” Mills said. “Cahill’s ball was moving all over the place. It would have been nice if we could have maybe tried to get it up in those situations a little bit, but at the same time he pitched well. It was effective, so he kept doing it.”

Jose Ramirez tried to score from third on a grounder back to Cahill in the second, but was cut down on a throw from the first baseman for a double play to end the inning.

“He thought he was far enough down (the line) to go ahead and go,” Mills said. “The pitcher just kind of glanced at him, didn’t really stop him. And he thought he was far enough.”

The Indians failed to reward the big home crowd, falling to 18-22 at Progressive Field. Fans gave Kluber an ovation after he recorded his 10th strikeout in the eighth inning.

“I heard people. They got loud, which was pretty cool,” Kluber said. “I didn’t take the time to step off and look around, or things like that. I didn’t know that it was 10 strikeouts until (catcher) Yan (Gomes) was sitting on his knees. I think he was trying to give me some extra time or whatnot. It was definitely appreciated.”

“They were great all night,” Mills said of the fans. “(Kluber) deserved (the ovation), that’s for sure.”

Clippers 1, Indians 0 | Ryan Merritt spurs Clippers’ win The Clippers countered their offensive woes with a dynamic pitching performance by Ryan Merritt.

Merritt (7-5) tossed seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and a pair of walks, to lift the visiting Clippers to a 1-0 win over Indianapolis in front of 14,366 at Victory Field on Tuesday night.

Ronny Rodriguez, who had one of Columbus’ three hits, drove in Abraham Almonte with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning for the lone run. The Clippers have scored just seven runs in their last six games.

Louis Head pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief and Tyler Olson recorded the Clippers’ only strikeout for his first save of the season.

Steven Brault (7-4) struck out five over six innings for the Indians.

Cleveland Indians: Kluber given no help in 1-0 loss to San Diego By Steve Herrick, The Associated Press Corey Kluber put on a record-breaking performance July 4 and still lost, 1-0, to the Padres.

The ace right-hander struck out 10 in eight innings — setting an Indians mark with five consecutive double-digit strikeout games. But the 2014 AL winner received little help from his offense or defense.

Cory Spangenberg drove in the only run with a groundout, and six San Diego pitchers combined on a five-hitter.

Padres manager Andy Green knew his team was fortunate to come out on top against Kluber, who is headed to the All-Star Game next week. “You’re facing a guy who is in a stretch of the best baseball of his career,” Green said. “I don’t think we took him down, but we got one across the board against him.”

Cleveland manager Terry Francona missed the game after he was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic for tests. Francona was hospitalized twice last month after feeling lightheaded and having a rapid heart rate. He was fitted with a heart monitor last week and said at the time doctors had ruled out any serious health issues.

Team president Chris Antonetti said Francona did not experience the previous symptoms again, and the tests were being done to help determine what’s causing the issue.

Bench coach Brad Mills ran the team in Francona’s absence.

Kluber (7-3) yielded five hits and walked one, but Cleveland’s defense let him down in the fifth when All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis failed to turn double plays on consecutive grounders.

“It’s frustrating, especially to be the one that more or less messed it up and have it be a one-run game,” Kipnis said.

Padres starter Trevor Cahill pitched 4 1/3 innings, and Jose Torres (5-2) retired All-Star Michael Brantley on a groundout with the bases loaded to end the fifth. Kirby Yates, Ryan Buchter, All-Star Brad Hand and Brandon Maurer, who worked the ninth for his 17th save, completed the shutout.

Jose Ramirez was thrown out at home trying to score from third on a grounder in the second. Cleveland went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven overall.

“With the way it was going, you kind of thought one run might win it,” Spangenberg said. “It was a great team win.”

Spangenberg’s fielder’s choice scored the lone run. The inning started when Hector Sanchez singled and Carlos Asuaje walked. Lindor fielded Erick Aybar’s grounder but chose to go to second base himself instead of throwing to Kipnis, who was waiting at the bag.

Lindor got the out at second but had no play at first. Kipnis fielded Spangenberg’s grounder, but bobbled the ball taking it out of his glove. Aybar was forced at second, but Spangenberg beat the throw to first and Sanchez scored.

“Obviously, you can’t assume a double play for a reason,” Kluber said. “It’s not a given.”

Kluber became the only pitcher in Indians history to have five consecutive 10-plus strikeout games in one season. Bob Feller did it four straight times over the 1938 and 1939 seasons.

Kluber has been dominant since spending a month on the disabled list with a strained lower back. He is 4-1 with a 1.24 ERA in seven starts since being activated. He has struck out 74 and allowed 27 hits in 51 innings.

“We didn’t help him tonight,” Lindor said. “It’s a very tough loss.”

NO FAMILIAR FACES Kluber was drafted by the Padres in 2007 and sent to the Indians as part of a three-team trade with St. Louis in 2010. He was pitching in Double-A at the time of the deal.

“I don’t think there’s anybody left on that team that I even played with,” he said. “I didn’t think much of it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM Indians RHP Danny Salazar (sore shoulder) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

UP NEXT Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (3-4) pitches Wednesday night in Cleveland. He has won two straight starts, striking out 10 batters over 11 1/3 innings while posting a 3.18 ERA. Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (7-6) earned his seventh win last Wednesday against Texas, allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings.