Anderson Goes 4, Tribe Hitless for 7 1/3 in Loss by Chris Gabel / Special to MLB.Com | March 11Th, 2016 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz
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Anderson goes 4, Tribe hitless for 7 1/3 in loss By Chris Gabel / Special to MLB.com | March 11th, 2016 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Five Rockies pitchers held the Indians without a baserunner for 7 1/3 innings Friday in a 6-1 Colorado victory at Salt River Fields. Chad Bettis, Christian Bergman, Jason Motte, Miguel Castro and Scott Oberg combined to set down the first 22 Indians -- in a lineup that featured at least six Opening Day starters -- before Mike Napoli drew a walk on a full-count pitch. Adam Moore then broke up the no-hitter with a double to deep center field. Bettis set the tone in his first start of Spring Training. In contention to start on Opening Day, the right-hander induced five groundouts and struck out three. Bergman struck out three in his two innings and Motte and Castro were perfect in their one inning apiece. The Indians broke up the shutout on Zack Walters' infield single to score Napoli. But the Rockies already up six runs by that point. "Guys threw the ball really well," manager Walt Weiss said. "We were good off the mound today. Really good. That's a good sign." He added: [Bettis] was in complete control." The Rockies got on the board in the third inning against Indians starter Cody Anderson.Daniel Descalso and Rafael Ynoa led off with back- to-back singles, followed by an RBI groundout from Charlie Blackmon. Colorado added a run in the fourth, when newly signedRyan Raburn singled and Brandon Barnes doubled to deep center field. "I'm feeling good," Anderson said. "The body feels good. The arm feels good. I was working on command of the fastball and everything else is coming along just fine." Tom Murphy capped the Rockies scoring with a three-run home run off Indians closer Cody Allen in the seventh. Allen gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning. Descalso left the game in the sixth after he was hit by a pitch on the left hand on a checked swing. X-rays were negative, Weiss said, and Descalso is listed as day to day. "I was a little worried," Weiss said. Up next for Indians: On Saturday, the Indians will travel to Peoria to take on the Padres and on Sunday, the Indians are scheduled for split- squad games at the Royals at Surprise Stadium and at the Brewers at Goodyear Ballpark. Danny Salazar will start for the Indians on Saturday. Up next for Rockies: Left-hander Tyler Anderson will make his third appearance and first start of the spring on Saturday against the Brewers in Maryvale, Ariz. Anderson has given up three runs on five hits and struck out six in four innings this spring. Jon Gray, Chad Qualls,Jake McGee and Justin Miller are schedule to pitch as well. Anderson pleased with his power pitching By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | March 11th, 2016 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Cody Anderson's plan against the Rockies on Friday afternoon was a simple one: attack the strike zone with fastballs. Mission accomplished. Anderson unleashed a flurry of fastballs during his 60-pitch outing, and the results were almost exactly what he wanted. The fact that his final pitching line in the 6-1 loss had more crooked numbers than zeroes was of little importance. "I'm just working on pounding the ball down in the zone," Anderson said. "As soon as I get that, it allows me to do other things. First and foremost, I was trying to get the ball down. I wasn't too worried about locating to each side of the plate. I'm just trying to cut the plate in half and trying to throw down in the zone." byCharlie Blackmon to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Rockies tagged Anderson for another run in the fourth inning on an RBI double byBrandon Barnes. Overall, Anderson was charged with two runs on five hits in four innings against the Rockies. He threw 40 strikes. "This kid has worked his rear-end off," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He's completely changed his body, and because of that, his delivery is better and he's able to execute pitches he couldn't two years ago. He should be excited. We are proud of him." The 25-year-old Anderson, who is competing with Josh Tomlin and TJ House for a spot in the starting rotation behind Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer, threw two perfect innings against the Reds in his first Cactus League start of spring. He allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in two innings against the Brewers in relief in his second appearance. "I really tried to get to two strikes without throwing my changeup as much," Anderson said. "I throw that a lot and worked on trying to save it for situations when I get in jams. That really helps me with my other stuff, too, because you can't always be a two-pitch pitcher, and I'm trying to learn how to be a four-pitch pitcher." Anderson started last season at Double-A, going 3-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 10 starts. He posted a 7-3 record and 3.05 ERA in 15 starts, a span of 91 1/3 innings, for the Indians in 2015. Worth noting x Infielder Jose Ramirez was hit in left shoulder with a line drive during Thursday's game against the Padres but said he's fine. He participated in all normal activities Friday and expects to be back in the lineup Saturday. x The Indians signed Joey Butler, Erik Gonzalez, Roberto Perez and Giovanni Soto to contracts Friday. Every player on the club's 40-man roster is now under contract for 2016. Brantley back in the swing, takes on-field BP By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | March 11th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz -- It was impossible to ignore the recognizable smile on Michael Brantley's face Friday morning. The sound of the ball coming off his bat during batting practice had a familiar sound, too. • Indians Spring Training info Brantley, who had right shoulder surgery last November, took batting practice on the field with his Indians teammates for the first time this spring Friday. He followed up the hitting session by hitting off the tee in the batting cages. "It's another step to getting closer to playing in the games," Brantley said. "There was a little more excitement to be with the group of guys. I like it." The left fielder sprayed line drives all over the field during the session. He also ran around the bases while Roberto Perez and Jose Ramirez took their swings. "That's probably the main thing, just being out there with your teammates and not having to go somewhere separate," Brantley said. "I like having an entire day of working with the guys. I am excited where I am." Brantley said he'll continue to take batting practice on the field and "see how I feel when I wake up in the morning." He's not sure when he will appear in a Cactus League game. He's still targeting Opening Day. "If it's not Opening Day, it's whatever day I can help the team," Brantley said. "I want to come back 100 percent and make sure that I'm ready to go to help my teammates win a ballgame." Uribe could be force in Tribe clubhouse By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com | March 11th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Juan Uribe loves Juan Uribe, and everybody loves the Juan Uribes. Last month, the boisterous crowd at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, erupted when 9-year-old Juan Uribe Jr., dressed in a New York Mets uniform, stepped into the batter's box to take his cuts in a home-run derby against the likes David Ortiz Jr. and Francisco Cordero Jr. • Indians Spring Training info The cheers rose to a crescendo when the elder Uribe, standing on the field near the third-base line, waved to crowd and hopped up and down. Social media went crazy when photos of the father and son embracing after the event surfaced online. Welcome to the life of Uribe, the Indians starting third baseman and a 36-year-old kid at heart. The two-time World Series champ could end up being a crucial part of the Indians' clubhouse like he has been in almost every one of his previous six stops in the big leagues. This year, Uribe is holding down the third-base position while young third baseman Giovanny Urshela, who is waiting in the wings, continues to develop. "These guys in this clubhouse are not just teammates, they are my family and I treat them that way," Uribe said in Spanish. "We have to be here for each other. That's one of the special things about being a baseball player. I'm not a perfect person, but I try every day to be a good person and think people see that." But make no mistake, Uribe is more than just a positive presence in the clubhouse. He still has bat speed and can field. On defense, Uribe turned in one Defensive Run Saved and had a 2.3 UZR/150 in 733 1/3 innings at third base in 2015. During the course of his 15-year career, Uribe has played for the Rockies, White Sox, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Mets. Last season, he hit .253 with 14 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .737 OPS in 119 games for Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York.