Kipnis' Slam Powers Tribe, Lowe to Victory by Justin Albers / MLB

Kipnis' slam powers Tribe, Lowe to victory By Justin Albers / MLB.com | 6/1/2012 11:50 PM ET CLEVELAND -- The Indians desperately needed somebody -- anybody -- to solidify the starting rotation and give them a quality start.

Once again, it was Derek Lowe to the rescue.

Pitching on his 39th birthday, Lowe took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning and helped the Indians to a 7-1 win against the Twins in the first game of a three-game series Friday night at Progressive Field. It was Lowe's team-leading seventh win of the season, a year after going 9- 17 for Atlanta.

Lowe, who was rocked for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings last Saturday in Chicago, knew he had to quickly put the bad outing behind him and move on. Everybody in the rotation had been hit hard their last time around. To dwell on the past, Lowe said, would set him up for future failure.

"There was no panic," Lowe said. "In years past, I would have probably tried to look back too much at the last game. You just understand that, don't try and watch video to figure it out. Just admit that you did bad."

Lowe got plenty of help from his offense -- which produced seven runs in the first four innings -- but he gave the Indians a chance by keeping the Twins off the board early. Once the Cleveland bats started coming around with a Lonnie Chisenhall two-run home run in the second inning, Lowe's job became a lot easier.

"We've just had a tough time hitting him," said Twins shortstop Brian Dozier. "He's a veteran. He knows what to do. He had his sinker again tonight. When you can spot up as good as he did, it doesn't really matter how it sinks."

After Chisenhall hit his second homer in four games since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Michael Brantley made it 3-0 in the third with an RBI double.

Chisenhall got another rally going in the fourth when he singled, and the bases were loaded for Jason Kipnis after Lou Marson walked and Shin-Soo Choo blooped a single to center. Minnesota pitching coach Rick Anderson made a trip to the mound to try and calm starter Carl Pavano down, giving Kipnis time to think about the upcoming at-bat.

"He throws that changeup a lot and he's gotten me to roll over a lot of times," Kipnis said. "With guys on, I figured he was going to his offspeed, so I wanted to make sure that I saw it up if he was coming with it."

Pavano did come with it, Kipnis did see it up, and he didn't miss it. The Indians' second baseman blasted his first career grand slam to the bleachers in right-center field, his team-leading ninth home run of the season. All of a sudden, an Indians offense that had been close to dead in the final two games against Kansas City on Wednesday and Thursday was very much alive.

Chisenhall and Kipnis, two young players around the infield, provided a combined five hits and six RBIs in the offensive breakout.

"We've been talking about these kids being part of our future," manager Manny Acta said. "We are pretty sure these two guys are going to be main guys here for awhile. These guys are going to be the core of this ballclub for years to come. I'm glad that people are starting to see that we're not just talking up these guys to talk them up. They're pretty good. They can be good players here."

But it all goes back to Lowe. Unlike most of Cleveland's starting pitchers during the team's slide, Lowe gave the Indians a chance. When they faced big deficits early against the White Sox and Royals, the energy was essentially zapped from the lineup.

"He was huge for us, especially since he didn't make us play catch-up baseball," Acta said. "We're human. Regardless of what people say about the energy level, it's always better when the game is 0-0 and you have a chance to get the lead instead of having to mount a five-run rally."

Much like he did against the Twins in a complete game shutout on May 15, Lowe cruised for much of the night. He sent the Twins down in order in three of the first six innings and he got two inning-ending double plays. Nothing could faze Lowe -- not even a hard-hit line drive that hit directly off his right calf in the second inning.

"That's kind of a sensitive area," Acta said. "Those really hurt back there, but he didn't even flinch. He just told us to go back into the dugout, that he was fine."

Lowe collected the ball and threw to second on the play to get the lead runner.

"Not at all," Lowe said when asked if it bothered him. "Being a ground ball pitcher, we get hit all the time. I'm not really the most fleet of foot, so I couldn't really get out of the way."

Lowe only ran into trouble in the seventh when he gave up three hits and a run before being removed from the game. He could have gotten out of the inning after only one hit and no runs, but he dropped a throw from Asdrubal Cabrera when covering first. "I was trying to win the ERA title," Lowe joked, "but I guess that's out the window."

Once again, it was Derek Lowe to the rescue.

After Chisenhall hit his second homer in four games since being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Michael Brantley made it 3-0 in the third with an RBI double.

Chisenhall and Kipnis, two young players around the infield, provided a combined five hits and six RBIs in the offensive breakout.

"That's kind of a sensitive area," Acta said. "Those really hurt back there, but he didn't even flinch. He just told us to go back into the dugout, that he was fine."

Lowe collected the ball and threw to second on the play to get the lead runner.

"Not at all," Lowe said when asked if it bothered him. "Being a ground ball pitcher, we get hit all the time. I'm not really the most fleet of foot, so I couldn't really get out of the way." Lowe only ran into trouble in the seventh when he gave up three hits and a run before being removed from the game. He could have gotten out of the inning after only one hit and no runs, but he dropped a throw from Asdrubal Cabrera when covering first.

"I was trying to win the ERA title," Lowe joked, "but I guess that's out the window."

Justin Albers is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tomlin, Walters look to stabilize inconsistent staffs

By Jordan Garretson / MLB.com | 6/1/2012 10:20 PM ET

Saturday brings the second game of a series between two teams who have recently seen the impact starting pitching can have on their success -- or lack thereof.

A consistent stream of quality starts has eluded both the Twins and Indians for most of the season. But lately, the clubs were on both sides of sweeps, with starting pitching the biggest reason to credit or blame.

Cleveland starters combined for a 2.84 ERA in the team's sweep of Detroit May 22-24. But the Tribe's rotation recorded a combined ERA of 11.89 in being swept by Chicago and dropping two of three to Kansas City.

Indians manager Manny Acta will hand the ball to right-hander Josh Tomlin on Saturday, looking for a performance similar to Derek Lowe's in Friday's series opener. Lowe limited Minnesota to one earned run on five hits over 6 1/3 innings.

"It's part of the game," Acta said. "It's just like a hitter going through a bad week or a bad month. I can't expect every one of these guys to give us 30 quality starts. That's how it goes. Hopefully, things will turn around."

The Twins completed their first three-game sweep of the season over Oakland May 28-30. Two Minnesota starters -- Francisco Liriano and Cole De Vries -- did not allow a run in their outings, while Scott Diamond limited the A's to three runs.

But Twins starters combined for a 9.00 ERA in their series against Detroit on May 25-27, leading Minnesota to fall victim to a sweep.

Luckily for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, P.J. Walters is slated to toe the rubber for Saturday's game against Cleveland. Walters has added some stability to the Twins' staff since being called up from Triple-A Rochester last month, recording a 2-1 record and 2.96 ERA in four starts.

"It's all about pitching," Gardenhire said. "If you have pitching, you have an opportunity. We had some good come-from-behind wins and some performances on the mound. And that's why you have opportunity. If a guy throws the ball well, you have a chance."

Twins: Not overlooking Cleveland despite injuries • The Indians were in sole possession of first place in the American League Central not long ago, but have dropped five of their last seven. A number of injuries -- including those to Travis Hafner and Carlos Santana -- contributed to that slide.

But that's not fooling Gardenhire, who would gladly trade Minnesota's last-place standing with Cleveland's second place.

"They're going through some injuries," Gardenhire said. "We've seen that on the reports, but it's still a very good baseball team. I'd rather be in their situation than ours. We're looking up at them, so they're still doing pretty good. They've got a tough team and they always play well in this ballpark."

• Joe Mauer has drawn 33 walks this season, tied for the fifth-most in baseball entering Friday's game. The Twins catcher is also two walks away from the 500th free pass of his career.

Indians: Acta expects Santana to return next week • After taking batting practice in the cages on Friday, Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana appears closer to returning to the lineup after suffering a concussion. Santana is slated to catch a bullpen session on Saturday, run the bases, and take batting practice on the field, Acta said.

Santana, who owns a .360 on-base percentage with five home runs and 24 RBIs this season, sustained the concussion when he took a foul ball off his mask during Cleveland's game against the White Sox on May 25.

• Outfielder Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single against the Twins on Friday.

Worth noting • After Friday's 7-1 victory, Cleveland has now won 11 of its last 12 games against Minnesota, dating back to last season. Stitches removed, Marson good to go By Justin Albers / MLB.com | 06/01/12 6:55 PM ET CLEVELAND -- The Indians kept catcher Lou Marson out of the lineup for three days for fear a foul tip off his mask would knock loose the stitches in his mouth.

So to get him back behind the plate Friday night, they had Marson do the only logical thing: have the stitches removed.

"The stitches are out now and I should be good to go," Marson said. "It's still a little sore, but it's healing slowly. I should be fine."

Marson needed the three stitches after he was hit in the mouth by a Gavin Floyd curveball last Sunday in Chicago. Marson was also supposed to have a laser procedure on the team's off-day Thursday to remove some of the excess skin around the wound, but they pushed that back to a later date.

"They didn't do it just because I haven't healed yet," Marson said. "They're not going to do it until I heal." Santana still out, but getting closer to return

CLEVELAND -- Catcher Carlos Santana still wasn't back in the lineup Friday, a week after suffering a concussion against the White Sox, but he continues to move closer to a return.

Santana took batting practice in the cages Friday afternoon and also took some swings during the team's off-day on Thursday. Manager Manny Acta said Santana will catch a bullpen session on Saturday, as well as run the bases and take batting practice on the field before Saturday night's game against the Twins.

"Then he's going to be re-tested," Acta said. "The next step after that is, if everything is OK, it's getting approval from MLB to allow him to go out there and play."

While there's still no timetable for Santana's return, Acta is hopeful he'll have his starting catcher back next week.

"He's doing well," Acta said. "We've been optimistic that by next week we'll be able to have him in the lineup at some point." Indians go as starting pitching goes

CLEVELAND -- When the Indians swept the Tigers May 22-24, their starting pitching was a big reason why.

The starters combined to allow only six runs in 19 innings during the three games, giving them a combined ERA of 2.84.

Unfortunately for the Indians, when they dropped the next two series, starting pitching was also a major factor.

Cleveland starters went 1-5 with a combined ERA of 11.89 against Chicago and Kansas City. Indians manager Manny Acta described it as all of his pitchers being bit by the same bug in the same week.

"I try to do my job. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work." --Indians third baseman Jose Lopez after he grounded into a game-ending double play Wednesday against the Royals. Smoke signals

• The Indians didn't make a roster move on Thursday, but that doesn't mean one isn't coming soon. Cleveland still has shortstop Juan Diaz on the roster, even though starter Asdrubal Cabrera has returned from injury. "We haven't made any of those decisions," manager Manny Acta said when asked about calling up a right-handed hitter. "We're looking through different scenarios."

• Former Indians reliever Jairo Asencio, designated for assignment last week when starter Josh Tomlin came off the disabled list, was claimed by the Cubs on Friday. Asencio had a 5.96 ERA in 18 appearances for Cleveland this season.

• Starting pitcher Derek Lowe turned 39 on Friday. He last pitched on his birthday in 2006, when he pitched six innings of shutout baseball for the Dodgers and earned the win. He entered Friday's game with a 1-1 record when pitching on his birthday. Lowe also lost a 9-5 game with the Dodgers against the Cubs in 2005.

• Second baseman Jason Kipnis stole two bases on Wednesday against the Royals, giving him nine consecutive successful steal attempts dating back to April 24.

Perez walks fine line with outgoing personality Closer insists he's just having fun despite controversial statements Anthony Castrovince By Anthony Castrovince | MLB.com Columnist | Archive 06/01/12 10:00 AM ET CLEVELAND -- The colorful closer and the legendary leadoff man crossed paths outside the Cleveland clubhouse the other day.

It was not what you'd call a cordial encounter.

Chris Perez, you see, had recently uttered some choice words about an Indians fan base that he deemed to be too fickle and too negative for his liking. And Kenny Lofton, member in good standing of the Indians' alumni base, had gone on a local radio show and offered a few choice words of his own about Perez, essentially saying, "He just doesn't get it."

So when Lofton passed Perez and extended his hand and a greeting, Perez walked right past him without uttering a word.

Asked about it after the fact, Perez said, in effect, "If you're going to say that stuff about me on air, don't try to be nice to me in person."

And Lofton, unexpectant of such an encounter, could only look back in amazement at the brash young man who just blew him off.

"Really?" said Lofton, his mouth agape. "Wow."

Perez has been getting that kind of reaction a lot lately.

We're talking here about the first player fined for violating MLB's social media policy, after writing to the Royals, "You hit us, we hit you. Period." A player whose fist pumps and primal screams have offended the opposition. A player whose public sentiments about getting booed by his home fans and the small attendance tallies at Progressive Field became the biggest Tribe talking point in recent memory. And a player who, just this week, made a WWE hand gesture -- "You can't see me" was, apparently, the message behind the wave of the hand over the face -- after striking out Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson.

All this boldness, all this brazenness, all this brutal honesty has made Perez -- who goes by the nickname "Pure Rage" -- something of a polarizing figure.

In a sport that values, more than most, respect of the game and of the opponent, and in an era in which clichéd quotes and media training sessions are the status quo, Perez is an outlaw.

And his "antics," as one opponent called them, have caused some consternation in opposing clubhouses and, yes, even his own. One member of the Indians organization quipped that Perez's comments should all come with the television-ready caveat that "the opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the club."

Perez's take? This is a game. Let's have some fun with it.

"I'm doing something that I've wanted to do since I was 4 years old," said Perez, who has converted 17 straight save opportunities since blowing one on Opening Day. "And I'm doing it all right, right now. So I'm going to enjoy it."

Suffice to say, his critics aren't enjoying it at all.

"That's just a sorry guy looking to be loved," Royals catcher Brayan Peña told the Kansas City Star this week. "Nobody pays any attention to him, so he has to do stuff like that. You don't see guys who people know, guys like Mariano Rivera, do that, do you?"

Well, no, you don't. But such statements don't rattle Perez in the least.

The notion of the quirky, cocksure closer has become something of a cliché in and of itself, yet lately the 26-year-old Perez has been taking that posture to another plane. And if recent fan reaction is any indication, it's actually won him some followers.

Two weeks ago, in the midst of a rant about getting booed by his home crowd for putting two runners on base in a save against the Mariners, Perez called the fact that the then-first-place Indians ranked last in the Majors in attendance "a slap in the face" and "embarrassing."

Honesty, indeed.

"That's just how I am," Perez said. "I learned that from my dad. My dad's a small business owner. When he did a good job, he expected to get paid and for the other person to honor the contract. When that didn't happen, he stood up for his rights. I was in his office a lot of times when he chewed people out. He didn't back down. He stood up for himself."

What did Perez's version of standing up for himself and his team earn him?

His next trip to the mound was met with a standing ovation.

"It seems to have worked," he said. "I've heard from a lot of people who said, 'We needed to be called out for being so-called great fans.' Because that's what we always hear is, 'Oh, in the '90s, we sold out [455 straight games].' Well, we haven't seen it. We don't believe it until we see it. Good or bad, people are responding to what I said."

And Perez has backed up his words by offering up three pairs of tickets to every home game to fans through his Twitter account.

But one thing he said in that rant was that Indians fans don't have it nearly as bad as fans of the Royals and Pirates, who "haven't won anything in 20 years." Dyson heard that remark and told his friend Tony Sipp, an Indians reliever, that he wasn't happy about it. Sipp relayed the message to Perez, who did the hand gesture when he put Dyson away in Monday's game and performed an exaggerated celebration when he completed the save.

"Different players have different ways that they act," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Mike Maddux used to say to our pitchers in Milwaukee, 'You never want to give the opposition any more reason to beat you.' But some players have a lot of energy, and they display it."

How long Perez can effectively back up all this energy remains to be seen. His string of saves is indeed impressive, and he's a big reason the Indians, currently besieged by injuries in their lineup, are four games over .500.

But within the Tribe clubhouse, there is some concern that Perez has earned the Indians more enemies than they're comfortable with.

"There is a line," Perez allowed. "I don't think I've crossed it yet. Some people may disagree with me, but I'm just having fun out there."

Just don't ask him to pal around with Kenny Lofton.

Month in review: May by Jordan Bastian May was the month that we all became Kipnisses. The young Indians second baseman enjoyed a solid stay with the Tribe last year and a decent start to this season, but this past month is where it became clear that Jason Kipnis’ production is no fluke.

Kipnis has sustained a high level of play through two months and has developed into a very versatile offensive weapon out of the No. 2 spot of Cleveland’s lineup. When you look at the production from the Tribe’s players in May, he is a clear choice as the club’s Player of the Month.

Consider that Kipnis is currently on pace for 24 homers, 33 stolen bases, 90 RBIs and 102 runs (based on a 600 at-bat season). The only second baseman to achieve at least 20 homers, 30 stolen bases, 90 RBIs and 100 runs in a single season in Indians history is Roberto Alomar (1999 & 2001).

And has anyone noticed how consistent Kipnis has been?

36 games total in 2011: .272/.333/.507/.841, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 11 BB, 5 SB, 24 R, 37 H 1st 36 games in 2012: .271/.338/.458/.796, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 13 BB, 6 SB, 23 R, 39 H

As for the month in general, well, it was full of high highs and low lows, but in the end Cleveland snuck into June with a winning record in May. The offense was predictably productive, even surprisingly so when a few players went down with injuries. Instead, it was the pitching that took a step back in May.

The rotation was inconsistent to the point that Zach McAllister had the best numbers for the month. Closer Chris Perez gets the nod for Pitcher and Reliever of the Month. If Cleveland is going to contend for the division title, it needs Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson to right what has gone wrong to this point.

There are four months to go and the Indians have plenty of question marks riddling the entire roster. That said, even without having played to its full ability, the Tribe is very much in the hunt in the American League Central.

Here is a quick glance at the month that was: 25 homers (9) 54 doubles (5) Overall: 16-14 123 RBIs (7) At home: 11-7 129 runs (7) On road: 5-7 102 walks (2) 176 strikeouts (13) Offense (AL rank): 28 stolen bases (2) 253 hits (7) .250 average (9) .327 on-base (4) Pitching (AL rank) .386 slugging (10) .713 OPS (9) 4.77 ERA (13) 12 saves (1) 120 walks (2) 268 innings (1) 195 strikeouts (11) 266 hits allowed (2) .260 opp. average (10) 152 runs (1) 1.44 WHIP (14) 142 earned runs (1) .735 opp. OPS (8) 22 home runs (13) MAJOR LEAGUE HONORS

Player of the Month: 2B Jason Kipnis Stats: .295/.351/.459/.810, 5 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 18 RBI, 11 BB, 36 H, 21 R, 7 SB

Pitcher of the Month: CL Chris Perez Stats: 1.59 ERA, 10-for-10 saves, 11.1 IP, 13 K’s, 3 BB, 6 H, 0.79 WHIP, .143 avg

Reliever of the Month: CL Chris Perez

Performance of the Month (hitting): 2B Jason Kipnis Line: 2-for-3, 1 homer, 1 triple, 1 walk, 4 RBIs in 7-5 win over White Sox on May 3

Performance of the Month (pitching): RHP Derek Lowe Line: 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 0 K, 22 groundouts in 5-0 win over Twins on May 15

Line of the Month: 0-for-4, 3 times on base via errors (E3, E4, E5) Who? C Luke Carlin in 8-2 loss to Royals on May 29

MINOR LEAGUE HONORS

Triple-A Columbus

Player of the Month: SS Jason Donald Stats: .315/.422/.519/.940, 17 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 8 K, 9 R, 14 G

Pitcher of the Month: LHP David Huff Stats: 3-0, 2.08 ERA, 1 CG, 30.1 IP, 24 H, 24 K, 3 BB, 0.89 WHIP, .205 avg, 5 G

Double-A Akron

Player of the Month: OF/INF Jared Goedert* Stats: .407/.453/.678/1.131, 24 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5 BB, 12 R, 16 G

Pitcher of the Month: LHP T.J. House** Stats: 4-1, 2.80 ERA, 35.1 IP, 25 H, 28 K, 14 BB, 1.10 WHIP, .198 avg, 6 G

Class A (high) Carolina

Player of the Month: 1B Jesus Aguilar Stats: .348/.434/.584/1.018, 31 H, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 12 BB, 22 R, 26 G

Pitcher of the Month: RHP Shawn Armstrong Stats: 1.54 ERA, 11.2 IP, 2 H, 18 K, 7 BB, 0.77 WHIP, .059 avg, 8 G

Class A (low) Lake County

Player of the Month: 1B Jerrud Sabourin Stats: .283/.365/.370/.735, 26 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 11 BB, 13 R, 26 G

Pitcher of the Month: RHP Joseph Colon Stats: 4-2, 1.31 ERA, 41.1 IP, 28 H, 21 K, 5 BB, 0.80 WHIP, .199 avg, 6 G

*Player of the Month (Double-A) for April **Pitcher of the Month (Class A Carolina) for April

Indians slam Twins 7-1

By TOM WITHERS | The Associated Press – 39 minutes ago

CLEVELAND (AP) On his 39th birthday, Derek Lowe gift-wrapped a win for the Indians.

Lowe shook off taking a hard grounder off his right calf in the second inning and celebrated turning another year older by shutting down Minnesota's lineup with ease for the second time this season and Jason Kipnis hit his first career grand slam, leading Cleveland to a 7-1 win over the Twins on Friday night.

Lowe (7-3) carried a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning before the Twins scratched out a run on three hits. The right-hander, who pitched a shutout at Minnesota on May 15, gave the Indians a much-needed quality start after a rough week for their starting rotation.

''I can't say enough about Derek,'' Indians manager Manny Acta said. ''We really needed someone to step up and he was the right guy to do it. He's been our most consistent guy so far. He was huge for us.''

Kipnis connected for his slam in the fourth off Carl Pavano (2-5) as the Indians, who have been rocked by injuries lately, won for just the second time in seven games,

Lonnie Chisenhall hit a two-run homer in the second for Cleveland, which has won 11 of 12 over Minnesota.

The Twins had their winning streak stopped at three and fell to an AL-worst 18-33.

Lowe opened the season as the Indians' No. 3 starter, but with Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez struggling, he has become the staff's ace.

He certainly didn't look like one in his previous outing, when he was banged around for eight runs and 10 hits in 2 1-3 innings by the Chicago White Sox. However, against the Twins, Lowe has been overpowering. In two outings against Minnesota, he has allowed just one run in 15 2-3 innings.

It's been a nice bounce-back season for Lowe, who went just 9-17 for Atlanta last season. When the Indians traded for him in October, they never could have imagined he would be their best starter.

''It's more rewarding the older you get,'' said Lowe, never afraid to poke fun at himself. ''I think when you're young people kind of expect it. And I'm not old, by the way. I'm olding.''

Catcher Ryan Doumit had three of Minnesota's six hits off Lowe, who has been especially tough at Progressive Field, going 4-1 with a 1.37 ERA in six starts.

Lowe was back by solid defense as the Indians turned two double plays and left fielder Johnny Damon made a diving catch to rob Denard Span in the sixth.

The Indians have been hit hard by injuries and the club recently dropped into second place after leading the AL Central most of this season.

Sensing the team needed a spark, former Indians second baseman Carlos Baerga burst into the clubhouse before the game hollering, ''Let's go. We need a win.'' Baerga greeted Lowe with a big hug and interrupted a card game as he worked the room slapping and shaking hands with players.

The pep talk appeared to work as the Indians responded with one of their better all-around performances in weeks.

As another Indians' famous face from the 1990s - slugger Albert Belle - was being interviewed on the team's TV broadcast, Kipnis delivered his blast to make it 7-0.

Chisenhall hit a one-out single, No. 9 hitter Lou Marson walked and Shin-Soo Choo singled to load the bases off Pavano, who was then visited on the mound by pitching coach Rick Anderson. Pavano didn't get the message because he mistakenly grooved his next pitch to Kipnis, who launched it over the wall for his team-leading ninth homer.

Kipnis leads the Indians in homers, RBIs, steals, hits and runs.

''I kind of pride myself on being able to cover all aspects of the game,'' Kipnis said. ''Not just stats. Whether it's a home run or laying a bunt down or getting a guy over. I've been fortunate to have it going good this season, but I'm sure some other guys will be picking it up soon and hopefully they'll catch me.'' Earlier, Kipnis survived two rough plays at second base, both involving Doumit. In the first, Kipnis was struck on the helmet with Doumit's throw on a steal, was checked by a trainer and stayed in the game. In the second, Cleveland's second baseman was taken out while turning a double play on an aggressive slide by Doumit.

''So much for the rest day,'' joked Kipnis as the Indians were off Thursday. ''It woke me up, though.''

Pavano was charged with six earned runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings. The right-hander dropped to 0-3 in his last five starts with an 8.25 ERA. He has been bothered by a sore shoulder for weeks and said it's possible he may need to go on the disabled list.

''It's come a time where some decisions need to be made,'' Pavano said. ''This has gone on long enough. I wish I could say it's a rough patch. I feel like I'm really treading water right now. It (going on the DL) is the last thing I want to do, but there comes a time when you're hurting the team and hurting yourself.

''You have to make a decision that hopefully puts you in a situation where you have more success. There's no doubt about it.''

NOTES: Twins C Joe Mauer went 0 for 4 and his hitless in his last 10 at-bats. ... Indians C Carlos Santana has improved from a concussion and is expected to be back in the lineup in a few days. Santana was placed on MLB's new 7-day concussion list after being struck in the mask by a foul tip last week in Chicago. Santana took batting practice before the game and will catch a bullpen session Saturday. ... The Twins did not turn a double play, but came in leading the majors with 73. They're on pace to break the record held by the 1956 New York Yankees, who had 213.

Acta: Optimistic Santana will be back next week Sheldon Ocker Carlos Santana has begun baseball activities and has not shown symptoms of the concussion that sent him to a special seven-day disabled list last Saturday. “”He swung the bat in the cages today,’’ manager Manny Acta said. “”Tomorrow he’s going to catch guys in the bullpen, run the bases and take regular BP. After that, he’ll be tested. If everything is OK, he’ll try to get approval from MLB’’ Under the various protocols dealing with concussions, a player must be certified by a doctor as fit to play then Major League Baseball makes a final ruling. ""I'm optimistic that by next week, we'll have him in the lineup,'' Acta said. The off day passed without the Tribe bringing up a player from Columbus to bolster the lineup. “”Not yet,’’ Acta said. “”We haven’t made those decisions yet, an our roster is at 25.’’ dkron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.02.2012

Indians report: Manny Acta says Johnny Damon’s struggles due to lack of repetition Sheldon Ocker CLEVELAND: Johnny Damon began Friday night’s game with a .171 batting average, one home run and five RBI, so the obvious question is: “What’s wrong with Johnny Damon?” Unfortunately for Damon and the Indians, the answer isn’t readily forthcoming. Manager Manny Acta thinks that missing spring training entirely has caused a drag on Damon’s production. “What I think is that it’s a lack of spring training,” Acta said Friday. “There aren’t many guys who could just step into a major-league season without going through spring training. Sometimes guys think they’re ready to go, but they need that repetition.” Damon never has used that as an excuse. And his current total of 82 at-bats probably is at least 30 more than he would have received during exhibition season. “I never felt like I needed a lot of at-bats in spring training,” he said. “I just haven’t been doing the job. But you can’t start thinking about everything, like where your hands and feet should be. “I felt when I first came here, I was taking too many pitches and letting a lot of good ones go by. The biggest thing is to put myself in a better hitting position.” Damon isn’t happy with his offense, but he’s been around long enough to know his fortunes can change in an instant. “Things definitely are not going the way I wanted,” he said. “But I understand that this game is hard. You’re not going to see me get too crazy, getting too high or too low. The month I’ve been here, these guys have done pretty well and that’s without me doing much. So maybe if I can get going, it will help.” Acta continues to see signs that Damon is hitting the ball harder. “He’s been better as of late, so we’ll see where that takes us,” Acta said. Added Damon: “I’m still trying to feel the way I did last year, the way I was driving the ball. I’ve only done that a few times this season.” The clock might be running on Damon. When Grady Sizemore is ready to come off the disabled list, probably around the middle of the month, the Tribe’s deep thinkers will have to make a decision that could involve Damon’s future with the team. “I don’t know,” Damon said, when asked if he is under any time pressure. “That’s something the organization has to have in place. But if I’m hitting at the end of the month the way I’ve been hitting, this is going to be an early [short] summer for me.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.02.2012

Indians 7, Twins 1: Jason Kipnis hits grand slam, Derek Lowe wins on 39th birthday Sheldon Ocker CLEVELAND: It’s been the Jason Kipnis show for the first two months of the Indians’ season. If an award were given for Most Valuable Player at the one-third marker, Kipnis would be the team’s runaway winner. Even abiding by the tough standard of “What have you done for me lately?” Kipnis has had an answer more often than not. He hit the first grand slam of his career Friday night, and the Tribe beat the Minnesota Twins 7-1 at Progressive Field behind another strong pitching performance by Derek Lowe on his 39th birthday. Kipnis leads the Indians in four important offensive categories: home runs (9), RBI (34), runs (35) and steals (12). If he continues to produce at this pace, he will finish the season with 24 homers, 91 RBI, 94 runs and 32 steals (he has been caught only once). “Something I take pride in is covering all aspects of the game,” Kipnis said. Nobody would have expected one hitter to lead the club in four categories, two of them power based. “I’m surprised that it’s one guy,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “But he’s capable of doing that. Forget about his size [5-foot-11, 185 pounds]. He gives himself a pretty good chance of hitting the ball out of the park.” It has been assumed that Kipnis would hit since being called up to the big leagues for the first time last July (but maybe not this well, this fast). What the club’s deep thinkers weren’t sure about was his ability to adapt to second base after playing the outfield until two years ago. But he has allayed any fears that he cannot play second base by the way he has handled the position this season. “He’s made more progress than anybody I’ve seen in years,” Acta said this week. “He’s been a big part of the way our defense has come around. We knew that Jack Hannahan and Casey Kotchman would be solid, but Kipnis has been as good as any of those guys on defense.” Kipnis sealed the win rather early, when he came to the plate in the fourth with the bases loaded and one out and launched a drive over the wall in right-center field to give the Indians a 7-0 advantage over Twins starter Carl Pavano. Kipnis also singled in the first inning and stole second. Did hitting a grand slam cross Kipnis’ mind when he walked to the plate? “Everybody thinks about it for a second,” he said. “But you have to put that thought out of your mind real quick.” Lonnie Chisenhall gave the Tribe the lead in the second with a two-run homer, his second in four big-league games this year. Chisenhall also singled in the fourth and fifth, stole a base and scored twice. It would be difficult to keep up a pace of two home runs every 13 at-bats, but Chisenhall can dream. “That’s a little ahead of my [normal] pace,” he said. “I’m not a big home-run guy. I hit more doubles, line drives. But I’d love to keep this going.” Lowe (7-3, 3.06 ERA) wasn’t as lethal as the last time he faced the Twins, May 15, when he threw a six-hit shutout and retired 22 batters on ground balls. However, his outing was far superior to his most recent start, when he gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 2 ⅓ innings to the Chicago White Sox last weekend. This time he worked a solid 6 ⅔ innings, allowing five hits and one walk. He did not give up a run until the seventh, when the Twins strung together three singles. Lowe bailed himself out of several deep counts early in the game, but eventually gained command of his lethal sinker and induced nine Twins to beat the ball into the dirt for 11 outs. In the second, he was struck in the calf by Justin Morneau’s ground ball, but he waved off Acta and head trainer Lonnie Soloff. “He just told us to go back to the dugout, that he was fine,” Acta said. With most of the starters in a slump for the past week, Lowe’s steadying performance was vital in getting the rotation back on track. “We needed one guy to step up and he was the right guy to do it,” Acta said. Lowe doesn’t pay much attention to his age, although there are plenty of others to remind him. “At 39, I tell people I’m no longer a prospect,” he joked. “It’s more rewarding to have success when you’re older. When you’re younger, you just expect it.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.02.2012 Indians notebook: Carlos Santana nearing return from concussion Sheldon Ocker CLEVELAND: Carlos Santana has begun baseball activities and has not shown symptoms of the concussion that sent him to a special seven- day disabled list last Saturday. “He swung the bat in the cages today,” Indians manager Manny Acta said Friday. “Tomorrow he’s going to catch guys in the bullpen, run the bases and take regular BP. After that, he’ll be tested. If everything is OK, he’ll try to get approval from MLB.” Under the various protocols dealing with concussions, a player must be certified by a doctor as fit to play then Major League Baseball makes a final ruling. NO MOVES — The off day passed without the Tribe bringing up a player from Triple-A Columbus to bolster the lineup. “Not yet,” Acta said. “We haven’t made those decisions yet, and our roster is at 25.” FARM FACTS — T.J. McFarland pitched 5 ⅔ shutout innings, giving up three hits and four walks, as Columbus blanked Buffalo 3-0. Jason Donald doubled, singled and drove in a run, and Beau Mills hit his seventh home run of the season. … Mike Rayl gave up one run and four hits in seven innings, as Carolina beat Wilmington 7-2 in Class A. Jake Lowery doubled, singled and drove in three runs … Jerrud Sabourin and Jordan Smith each had three hits and Sabourin drove in two runs in Lake County’s 7-6 loss to West Michigan in Class A. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.02.2012

Indians 7, Twins 1: Lowe helps Tribe to win by Chris Assenheimer

CLEVELAND — After a series of struggles from the rotation, the Indians needed one of their starting pitchers to step up and give them a quality outing in the series opener with Minnesota on Friday night.

Leave it to the 39-year-old birthday boy.

Celebrating his special day in grand fashion, right-hander Derek Lowe offered up yet another top-shelf performance for the Indians, who beat the last-place Twins 7-1 at Progressive Field for just their second win in seven games.

“Derek did a nice job celebrating his birthday. He couldn’t have had a better day,” manager Manny Acta said of Lowe, who allowed just a run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 7-3 with a 3.06 ERA. “He did a terrific job. He set the tone and allowed our offense to get going.

“We really needed one of those guys to step up. He was the right guy to do it. He’s been our most consistent guy so far. It was huge for us to get that behind us.”

Lowe shut out the Twins on just two hits over the first six innings despite taking a ball off the back of his right calf from Justin Morneau in the second. His groove allowed Cleveland hitters to get into theirs, with the Indians scoring seven times over the first four innings off Twins starter and former Cleveland pitcher Carl Pavano.

“This game was about offense,” Lowe said. “Obviously, we as a starting staff had a rough turn. I think that off-day (Thursday) probably came at the perfect time. We needed to kind of recharge our batteries so to speak. Hopefully this will be a good sign for the month of June.”

The offensive spark was provided by a pair of young guns in second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall — the duo driving in six of Cleveland’s seven runs.

Kipnis went 2-for-5 with his first career grand slam that put the game away in the fourth, while Chisenhall went 3-for-4 with his second home run — a two-run shot for the first runs of the game in the second — in three games since being promoted from Triple-A Columbus.

“The young kids really stepped up today,” Acta said. “We’ve been talking about these kids being part of the future. We are pretty sure these two guys are going to be main guys here for a while.

“I’m glad that the people are starting to see that we’re just not talking up these guys up to talk them up. They’re pretty good. They can be good players here.”

In his first full season in the big leagues, Kipnis is leading the Indians in nearly every offensive category — 35 runs, 58 hits, 95 total bases, three triples, nine homers, 34 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

“In a way, yes, I’m surprised, but that guy’s good enough to do that,” Acta said of the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kipnis. “Regardless of his size, he can do everything on the field.” “It’s something I kind of pride myself on is to be able to cover all aspects of the game,” Kipnis said. “I’ve been fortunate to be going good so far this season, but I’m sure some other guys will be picking it up and hopefully they’ll catch me.”

Like Lowe, Kipnis was banged up a bit in the early stages of the game, taking a ball off his batting helmet on a steal of second base in the opening inning, then having his leg rolled over as he was turning a double play to end the second.

“I think those things just woke me up and got me going a little bit,” he said.

Something woke the Indians up at the right time. They squandered their first-place standing after being swept in Chicago and dropping two of three to the Royals to start the homestand. They trail the White Sox by 2 1/2 games in the division standings.

“It was a game we really needed,” Lowe said. “Offensively, we were fantastic.” notes: Santana could return next week by Chris Assenheimer

CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana is turning the corner.

Cleveland’s catcher, who has missed the last six games with concussion symptoms, hit in the indoor cages Friday at Progressive Field and is expected to catch a bullpen session today, while running the bases and taking batting practice outside.

“He’s doing well,” said manager Manny Acta. “We don’t have any timetable, but we’re optimistic that by next week we should be able to have him in the lineup in some form.”

Following the activities today, Santana will be retested by team doctors. He then needs to pass Major League Baseball concussion tests before being cleared to return to the field.

He’s hitting .245 with five home runs and 24 RBIs in 43 games.

Santana’s backup, Lou Marson, had three stitches removed from his mouth and returned to the lineup Friday after a three-game absence.

Decisions, decisions

Matt LaPorta and Russ Canzler are still in a holding pattern at Triple-A Columbus, with infielder Juan Diaz, promoted from Double-A Akron to fill in while shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera mended, remaining on the big league roster.

“We’re looking through different scenarios,” Acta said.

LaPorta entered Friday leading the Clippers in virtually every offensive category, batting .307 with 14 homers and 32 RBIs in 46 games, while Canzler was batting .261 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 50 games.

Diaz entered Friday batting .267 (4-for-15) in five games for the Indians.

Damon diary

Johnny Damon entered Friday batting .171 with a homer and five RBIs in 23 games, hitting .095 (2-for-21) with runners in scoring position.

“To me, I think what hurt him is the lack of spring training,” Acta said. “I don’t think there are that many guys that can just step into a major league season and be as good as when you go to spring training.

“He’s had enough at-bats. He’s been better as of late, so we’ll see where this takes us.”

Damon is at least staying comical, parading around the clubhouse Friday in a white Indians robe with his name and number on the back.

Indians alumni

Former Indians Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga and Candy Maldonado were in attendance for the series opener. It was Belle’s first appearance at Jacobs/Progressive Field since retiring from baseball after the 2000 season.

Belle was shown on the videotron while doing a radio interview, with the fans cheering as he waved to the crowd. Maldonado threw out the first pitch Friday, while Baerga will be here all weekend, with the Indians giving away Baerga bobbleheads Sunday to the first 15,000 fans.

He made a grand entrance to the clubhouse prior to the series opener with Minnesota, trying to pump up the Indians, who had lost of five of six to games through Thursday to fall out of first place in the Central Division.

“Let’s go everybody,” Baerga yelled. “Let’s start winning some games again.”

Roundin’ third

The Indians entered Friday winning 10 of their last 11 and 12 of their last 15 meetings with the Twins. … Cleveland averaged 4.5 runs per game, while batting .245 in April, as opposed to 4.3 runs and a .250 average in May. The Indians posted a 4.10 ERA in April and a 4.77 ERA in May. … Today, 7:15, STO/WTAM 1100-AM. Tomlin (2-2, 4.99) vs. Walters (2-1, 2.96).

Indians 7, Twins 1: Kipnis' slam, Lowe lead Indians

By Jim Ingraham [email protected] After a week of bad baseball, the Indians could use a good laugh.

They got one Friday night, winning a laugher over the Minnesota Twins, 7-1.

Derek Lowe, after losing his last two starts, including a 14-7 mauling by the white-hot White Sox, was rock solid vs. the hapless Twins, who came into Friday’s game as the second-lowest scoring team in the American League.

In combining with two relievers on a six-hitter, Lowe held the Twins scoreless on two hits through the first six innings before tiring in the seventh. Overall, he pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits. Lowe is 7-3, two wins shy of his total for the entire 2011 season, when he was with Atlanta.

Lowe’s ERA is down to 3.06, easily the best of any Indians starting pitcher.

“He did a tremendous job. He set the tone for us and allowed our offense to get going,” said Tribe Manager Manny Acta.

It came on Lowe’s 39th birthday.

“I don’t think I’ve ever pitched on my birthday before,” said Lowe. “I’m 39. I tell people I’m not a prospect anymore.”

Lowe’s work was a breath of fresh air for a starting rotation that in the last week had become a troubling situation.

In their previous six games, Tribe starters were 1-5 with an 11.89 ERA.

“We had a rough turn through the rotation. I think the off day came at the right time, because we needed to clear our heads,” said Lowe.

“The big thing is he didn’t make us play catchup baseball,” said Acta of Lowe. “And he really knows how to pitch with the lead.”

The Indians’ offense was led by their infield of tomorrow — and today. Second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall were a two-man wrecking crew, going a combined 5-for-9 with two home runs, six RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored.

Kipnis had two hits, including his first career grand slam, which put an exclamation point on the Tribe’s four-run fourth inning. That blew the game open, turning a 3-0 Tribe lead into a 7-0 mountain that was much too big to scale for the last-place Twins.

Chisenhall, in his third start since his arrival from Triple-A Columbus, had two singles, a stolen base, and a booming two-run home run in the second inning off Twins starter and loser Carl Pavano (2-5).

“The kid’s really stepped up,” said Acta. “That’s nice to see. We’re pretty sure they are going to be the main guys here, a part of the core of this club for years to come.”

The Indians also got two hits, and a nice diving catch in left field by Johnny Damon.

“Johnny had a good game. Two solid singles and that catch — people forget that he used to be a center fielder,” said Acta.

“This was a game we really needed,” said Lowe. “Our offense was fantastic.”

Lowe faced the minimum three batters in four of the first six innings.

The Indians, on the other hand, didn’t waste much time in going to work on former Indian Pavano.

With two outs in the second inning, Damon singled and scored on the homer by Chisenhall into the seats in right-center field, giving the Indians a 2-0 lead.

“The ball got in the way of my swing, and it went out of the park,” said Chisenhall.

In the third, Shin-Soo Choo singled and scored on a double by Michael Brantley to make it 3-0.

With one out in the fourth, Chisenhall singled, Lou Marson walked, and Choo singled to load the bases for Kipnis.

The Tribe second baseman slammed one into the seats near the Indians bullpen for his ninth home run. Kipnis also has 34 RBI, and leads the team in homers, runs scored, RBI, triples and stolen bases.

“He’s good enough to do all that,” said Acta. “Don’t underestimate his size. He can do everything on the field.”

Kipnis is on a pace to become the second second baseman in Tribe history to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Roberto Alomar did it twice, in 1999 and in 2001.

“I pride myself in covering all aspects of the game,” said Kipnis. “Fortunately it’s going good so far.”

Minnesota scored its only run in the seventh inning when Lowe gave up three singles, including an RBI single by Brian Dozier.

Notes

In two starts vs. Minnesota this year, Lowe is 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA (1 earned run in 15 2/3 innings). ... Acta said Carlos Santana hit in the cage on Friday and today he will catch a bullpen session and do some running as he continues his rehab from a mild concussion. “We’re optimistic he’ll be back in the lineup sometime next week,” said Acta. ... Former Indians Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga and Candy Maldonado attended Friday’s game as part of the Indians’ alumni program. ... Tonight at 7:15 p.m., Josh Tomlin (2-2, 4.99) will face P.J. Walters (2-1, 2.96).

Captains 8, Whitecaps 7: Lake County scores go-ahead runs on bizarre play

By David S. Glasier [email protected] Just when you thought you'd seen about every wild and crazy thing you could see in a baseball game, along comes the deciding play in the Captains' 8-7 victory Friday over West Michigan at Classic Park.

With the score tied at 4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, West Michigan reliever Michael Torrealba was facing Captains center fielder Jordan Casas with two outs and the bases loaded.

One inning earlier, Casas had gotten the better of Torrealba, doubling home the tying run.

In the bottom of the eighth, with a sellout crowd of 7,352 watching anxiously, Torrealba seemed to win the battle when he got Casas to hit a slicing line drive to left-center field.

It appeared that either left fielder Jason Krizan or shortstop Eugenio Suarez would be able to run underneath the flare shot and make the catch.

Almost immediately, things started to go wrong for the Whitecaps on the play.

Krizan broke on the ball but stumbled on grass still slick from an earlier downpour. When he tried to regain his balance and push up from the ground, Krizan's glove somehow became dislodged from his left hand.

Reacting instinctively, Krizan raced toward the ball with the apparent intention of making the grab with bare hands. Suarez and center fielder Chad Wright also were in the vicinity, but for whatever reason, they ceded ground to the onrushing Krizan.

By the time the ball caromed off Krizan's outstretched bare hands, Lake County runners Francisco Lindor and Jordan Smith were bearing down on home plate and scored easily.

Jerrud Sabourin, who'd been intentionally walked to load the bases in front of Casas, also raced home to make it 7-4.

Leonardo Castillo then singled home Cases to extend the lead to 8-4.

The Whitecaps made it interesting in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs and forcing Captains manager Dave Wallace to summon closer Jeff Johnson one day after Johnson blew the save in Thursday's 7-6 loss.

Johnson gave up one of the three runs, but fanned the dangerous Dean Green with a runner on second base to end the wild ‘n' wooly affair and notch his team-high 10th save.

The official scorer ruled the Casas play a triple. Maybe he'll revise that ruling today, maybe he won't. Either way, it tipped the game Lake County's way and set the Captains (26-28) on a course to snap a five-game losing streak.

West Michigan manager Ernie Young and Krizan were behind closed doors and unavailable for comment after the game.

Captains manager Dave Wallace smiled when asked for his reaction to the no-glove sequence.

"It was weird, but we'll take it," Wallace said.

The Whitecaps took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third on Green's bomb of a three-run home run to straightaway center field off Lake County starter Shawn Morimando.

Captains second baseman Robel Garcia's leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth inning made it 3-1.

Wet grounds pushed back the start of the game from 7 p.m. to 7:30. West Michigan slipped to 25-30 with the loss.

Jim Ingraham: Indians need to hit on first-round pick

By Jim Ingraham [email protected] The consensus seems to be the Indians have a future star in 18-year-old shortstop Francisco Lindor, their first-round pick in last year's June Draft.

Their first-round picks the two years prior to that, pitchers Drew Pomeranz (2010) and Alex White (2009), were both on the verge of reaching the major leagues — and potentially both being in the Indians' starting rotation — when the organization decided to trade them both to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez.

Lonnie Chisenhall, their first-round pick in 2008, has a chance to be the team's third baseman for the next decade.

Those were all good, solid picks by the Indians, with Lindor and Chisenhall having a chance to be impact players for years to come.

But that doesn't change an era of consistently poor first-round picks by the Indians, a shortcoming that is a big reason why the team has lurched its way through the first dozen years of this century.

Incredibly, the Indians have not had a first-round draft pick make a significant impact on the major-league roster since 1998, when they selected CC Sabathia with the 20th overall pick.

The Indians have the 15th overall pick in the first round of this year's June Draft, which begins Monday. Brad Grant, now in his fifth year as the Tribe's director of amateur scouting, and the man who pulled the trigger on Lindor, Pomeranz, White and Chisenhall, will try to hit the bull's-eye again with his first-round pick this year.

Drafts aren't fairly judged only through first-round picks, of course, but the first round is where the big-ticket items are found, the players who can help turn around a franchise.

Sabathia helped do that in 2007, when he won 19 games and helped lead the Indians to the Central Division title.

Lindor and Chisenhall may one day become impact players. But for now, Sabathia, drafted 14 years ago, remains the last impact first-round pick made by the Tribe.

The Indians' first-round draft record does not compare very favorably to their competition in the AL Central. Consider the following list of the best of the first round picks by the other AL Central teams since 2000:

-- Kansas City: Aaron Crow (2009), Eric Hosmer (2008), Mike Moustakas (2007), Luke Hochevar (2006), Alex Gordon (2005), Billy Butler (2004), Zach Greinke (2002).

-- Detroit: Rick Porcello (2007), Andrew Miller (2006), Cameron Maybin (2005), Justin Verlander (2004).

-- Minnesota: Ben Revere (2007), Chris Parmelee (2006), Matt Garza (2005), Trevor Plouffe (2004), Glen Perkins (2004), Denard Span (2002), Joe Mauer (2001).

-- Chicago: Chris Sale (2010), Gordon Beckham (2008), Gio Gonzalez (2004).

Chicago's is obviously the thinnest group, while Kansas City barely had a miss for a full decade.

The Indians? It's a bleak bunch.

Prior to the last four No. 1's, here are the rest of their No.1's in this century: Beau Mills (2007), Trevor Crowe (2005), Jeremy Sowers (2004), Michael Aubrey (2003), Brad Snyder (2003), Jeremy Guthrie (2002), Dan Denham (2001), Alan Horne (2001), Corey Smith (2000).

That's not to say that the other AL Central teams have found a bunch of franchise players with the first-round picks in this century. But those teams have found some very usable major league players with those picks, and on occasion — Verlander, Mauer, Greinke — franchise players.

You don't necessarily have to find franchise players, or even stars, with your first-round picks. But you do need to find solid major-league players who can contribute, and have decent major-league careers. That's what the Indians have missed from many of their failed first-rounders.

To build a winning team you either go out and buy talent, or you draft and develop talent, preferably a little of both. The best teams do both, consistently.

The best teams are the richest teams. The Indians aren't one of them, so that puts an even bigger premium on being good at drafting and player development.

On their roster, the Indians have only two position players who were draft picks: Chisenhall and Kipnis.

Three pitchers on the roster were draft picks: Josh Tomlin (19th round, 2006), Vinnie Pestano (20th round, 2006), and Tony Sipp (45th round, 2004).

So only five of the 25 players on the Indians' roster are drafted players, and only one of those was a first round pick.

The Tigers have 10 drafted players on their roster, and four of their five starting pitchers — including Max Scherzer, originally drafted by Houston — were selected in the first or second round.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

Clippers open four-game series in Rochester tonight

By: Jim Massie The Columbus Dispatch - June 01, 2012 01:47 PM

The Clippers 12-game tour of upstate New York is making its final stop in Rochester at 7:05 tonight in Frontier Field.

Columbus won three of four in Syracuse to start the longest trip of the season and promptly lost three of four in Buffalo. The Clippers are curently three games under. 500 for the season and trail first-place Indianapolis by six games in the International League West Division.

Corey Kluber (4-4, 4.41) is pitching the first game of the series tonight against Rochester's Luke French (0-1, 5.27).

The Columbus starting rotation appears to have changed with the addition of T.J. McFarland from double-A Akron. He made his triple-A debut yesterday and pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Bisons in a 3-0 win.

Chris Seddon is scheduled to pitch Saturday followed by Zach McAllister on Sunday and David Huff on Monday. That leaves starter Eric Berger on the outside looking in for the moment. The Clippers are down one relief pitcher with Scott Barnes getting called up by the Cleveland Indians. Berger's role could be changing. No word on that yet, however.

McFarland is scheduled to pitch Tuesday night in Huntington Park against Buffalo.

Baseball's biggest stars are hurting Disabled list is overflowing with some of the highest-paid players in the game By Jayson Stark | ESPN.com A number of impact players hit the disabled list this week, but some of those injuries are going to hurt their teams more than others.

Jered Weaver … Roy Halladay … Chipper Jones.

It isn't quite true that every multi-time All-Star in baseball wound up on the disabled list this week -- but it seemed like it.

Matt Kemp … Troy Tulowitzki … Carl Crawford.

In another time, in another place, in another year, you might have seen those names and thought "Hey, better cast my All-Star ballot." But in this time, in this place, in this year, your only thought is: "Are those guys ever going to play again?"

It's been a crazy, mixed-up season, all right -- one that has left us not too sure about much of anything. But you can be certain of one thing:

The head-scratching, season-altering blockbuster injuries just keep on coming.

And it hasn't been confined to a bunch of setup men and utility guys, either. We're talking an astounding number of trips to the disabled list by the biggest stars alive:

• Of the 10 highest-paid starting pitchers in baseball, four have already visited the DL this season: Halladay, Weaver, John Lackey and Cliff Lee.

• The highest-paid closer in the game -- a fellow named Mariano Rivera -- is also on the DL, as are three of the next six highest-paid closers: Ryan Madson, Brian Wilson and Huston Street.

• The highest-paid first baseman in baseball (Ryan Howard) has been out all year.

• Two of the five highest-paid second basemen (Utley and Brian Roberts) are stuck on the DL, with Dustin Pedroia (No. 6) trying desperately to avoid following them.

• Two of the four highest-paid third basemen have done DL time: Chipper and Ryan Zimmerman.

• And five of the 10 highest-paid outfielders now do all their shagging on the DL: Crawford, Jayson Werth, Kemp, Vernon Wells and Jason Bay.

It's a stunning list of names -- even to men who deal with this stuff every day.

"I just talked to another general manager whose team is getting crushed, and we both said the same thing: 'It's amazing,'" says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., whose team is one of six clubs with at least 10 players on the DL. "I've never seen anything like it."

But this isn't just about which names aren't appearing on the lineup card. It's also about all the money this epidemic is draining from the sport.

Try to imagine the millions of dollars it's costing teams to pay players just to hang out in the trainer's room. Then ask yourself this: Isn't it time for this injury-ravaged sport to do something about this mess?

That's a question that Stan Conte -- the former head athletic trainer for the Giants and Dodgers, and now the Dodgers' senior director of medical services -- has been asking for over a decade now. It's shocking that more people aren't asking it with him.

"I've been trying to get people interested in this for years," Conte says. "It hasn't happened."

Well, now seems like an excellent time. And maybe some of the staggering research Conte has been doing -- mostly in his spare time, by the way -- over the last 15 years will get people's attention. So here it comes:

• First off, this is a trend that didn't just start this week or this season. It's been building (except, interestingly, for the steroid era) for two decades. In fact, total disabled-list placements aren't even higher this year than last year at this time. Teams had used the DL 250 times this season through Wednesday. And that's actually down slightly from the same point last year, when that number was 265.

• But time spent on the DL is up dramatically. Total days spent on the disabled list this year: more than 7,900 (an average of 32 days per stay). Last year at this time, it was only 7,400 (an average of 28 days). What that clearly tells us, Conte says, is that we've seen a wave of more severe injuries this season than in the past.

• What really jolts your eyeballs, though, isn't either of those figures. It's the dollars lost to DL time. Dollars in salary paid to players on the disabled last year topped $430 million. If you factor in the cost of replacing those players with players merely making the minimum, that figure inflates to $487 million -- not far below the all-time high of $505 million, in 2008.

• So do the math. If you add up the total of lost salaries, plus replacement-player salaries, for the four seasons from 2008-11, you get a number that should be causing Bud Selig to purchase all his Tylenol by the case. Would you believe it has cost teams approximately $1.9 billion to pay players just for their DL time over the last four seasons? And yep, that word was "billion."

Now you would think the news that teams are wasting almost a half-billion dollars a year on guys who aren't playing would be causing baseball to launch an intensive, industry-wide effort to address this issue. But heh-heh-heh. You're kidding, right?

Baseball has formed a research committee, made up of team doctors and athletic trainers. It also has retained Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, the team physician for USA Soccer, as director of medical research. So at least it has finally acknowledged there is a problem.

But mostly, MLB has left it up to individual teams to deal with this stuff on their own. And many of them are relying, to a great extent, on guesswork -- because guessing always seems to be cheaper than the kind of exhaustive studies that are really required.

"What's happening in baseball, basically, is that we're hoping we get lucky [with injuries]," Conte says. "And that, to me, is a bad way to go. … I have no problem with teams taking risks if they understand the risks they're taking. But I'm not sure they do."

Astounding Facts of the Week

The Mariners' 21-run salute against Texas, the "cheapest" save ever and noted strikeout machines Adam Dunn and Justin Verlander. Blog »

So what are the risks? Conte has broken them down by position. The results are eye-opening:

• The position that produces the most injuries? No shocker here. It's starting pitching. Believe it or not, Conte says, about 50 percent of all starting pitchers spend at least some time on the disabled list in any given year. "When I first [computed] that," Conte says, "I thought, 'This can't possibly be right.' But it is."

• Surprisingly, starting pitchers get hurt at a much higher rate than relievers -- despite what all of this year's closer injuries might make you think. Relief pitchers, he says, head for the DL at a rate of "only" 34 percent.

• The lowest injury rates? This is another surprise. It's a tie, at 28 percent, between outfielders (which makes sense) and catchers (which makes no sense). That appears to be an indication that catchers play through more minor injuries than anyone else -- because, when they do hit the DL, they tend to be out for a longer period of time than other players. But baseball hasn't studied that issue, either.

Some of the smarter teams -- teams looking to quantify anything and everything -- are doing their own risk/reward studies. But it's hard not to wonder: Why isn't Major League Baseball doing those studies? Wouldn't it be worth the price tag?

"How much are we spending on research in baseball? I don't know," Conte says. "But I know we're losing $500 million a year. So we need to spend significant money and do extensive research, not do isolated studies."

And if they ever do those studies, think of all the questions that need answering:

How many of these injuries are due to strength and conditioning training that isn't suitable for players at a certain position, or baseball players in general?

How many are due to ridiculous scheduling, insane travel and sleep deprivation?

How many are due to how managers over-use or under-use their players?

How many are a result of coaching that results in "bad mechanics?" And while they're looking into that one, shouldn't somebody try to define what "bad mechanics" really are in the first place?

We know that PED testing and amphetamine testing have had a big impact -- but how big? ("Not having greenies is killing these guys," one scout says. "I look at some of these position players, and they're exhausted.")

And we know that the massive years and dollars -- all guaranteed, of course -- that elite players rake in these days are playing a major role in who hits the DL and how long they stay. ("If players don't want to come back too soon, I get that," one GM says. "I totally understand what's at stake for a lot of these guys.")

But would teams be giving out those massive dollars, over eight or nine or 10 years, if baseball was doing extensive risk/reward studies, and educating teams about which kinds of risks make sense and which don't? Great question, isn't it?

Then again, these are all great questions. And important questions. Yet the sport has studied only a fraction of them. Now take a look at that disabled list one more time -- and ask yourself whether ignoring most of those questions makes any sense.

Jayson Werth … Chase Utley … Pablo Sandoval … Chris Carpenter … Lance Berkman … Daisuke Matsuzaka … etc., etc., etc.

"I'm trying to ring a bell here," Conte says. "I'm just trying to say: We've got a problem. But until we study it, we're not going to solve that problem."

We know somewhere, some bureaucrat is arguing: "Can't afford to do all those studies. Too expensive." But you know what's really too expensive? Paying out half a billion dollars a year -- for nothing.

"We're talking about $500 million," Conte says. "And when you're losing $500 million a year, that's just not acceptable."

Ready to Rumble • Is there a contending team out there with more pivotal decisions to make in the next few months than the Phillies? What's the impact of Roy Halladay's injury on Cole Hamels' future? How does Carlos Ruiz's sizzling start (.371/.422/.615) affect his team's interest in getting him signed long-term? Are the Phillies now more likely to be a seller at the trade deadline? Here's how their GM, Ruben Amaro Jr., responds to those hot- button issues:

On Hamels: "Our value [assessment] on Cole hasn't changed. We've always thought he's a valuable player. He's one of the better left-handers in the game. … And we still want to sign him. He's a priority, no question. But the biggest thing is all the other decisions we have to make, with the other potential free agents we have coming up -- at third base [Placido Polanco), in center field (Shane Victorino], and at right field [Hunter Pence] and catcher [Ruiz] in two years. And we haven't solved our left-field situation, either. We've got all those things to deal with. So we have to be deliberate. We have to make sure we take our time. It's not just one decision. … We have to think about all those decisions, and how all the pieces fit together."

On Ruiz: "It's all part of the master plan. It's all part of the many decisions we have to make. We can't have 10 players who make $15 million above. We can't do it. We've got to pick and choose. We love Chooch. But he's also an older player (33), and he's playing a very demanding position. So he's another case where we have to take our time and make that decision when the time comes." (The Phillies hold a $5 million club option for next year on Ruiz, who then would reach free agency on the verge of his age-35 season.)

On the likelihood he'd pull the plug and sell: "We've got a lot of baseball left to play. We'd have to fall out of contention pretty significantly, and I don't see us doing that. We've still got two of the best left-handers in baseball [Hamels and Cliff Lee] in our rotation. I actually like our bullpen a lot, contrary to popular [wisdom]. … We're getting [Halladay] back, and we'll get him back before the deadline, which is great. We'll get [Ryan] Howard and [Chase] Utley back at some point. So if we keep hanging around, which I fully expect to do, that's three pretty good trades to make. That's the way I'm looking at it."

• The Tigers haven't had much luck in their hunting expedition for an upgrade at second base. So they might want to consider waiting around for a guy who might be the best option available before the deadline: Colorado's Marco Scutaro. Clubs that have checked in with the Rockies say they're still at least a month away from hanging the "For sale" sign. But Scutaro, Rafael Betancourt and Jeremy Guthrie are all likely to be on the shelves when they do. For now, though, Scutaro figures to play a lot of shortstop with Troy Tulowitzki on the disabled list.

• We hear a surprising amount of speculation about the Twins trading Josh Willingham. But teams that have kicked the tires on him say they've been told that Willingham just started a three-year, $21 million contract, that he's exactly the kind of right-handed masher they envisioned placing between Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, and that they expect to keep all three of those guys. So unless that stance changes, it doesn't appear that Willingham is relocating anywhere.

• As the Pirates continue to hover around .500, they're telling other teams they're likely to approach this trading deadline much the way they approached last year's deadline -- and look to add, not sell, if they think they have a chance to finally end their painful streak of 19 straight losing seasons. They've sent signals they're likely to trade arms for bats, especially hitters they can control beyond this year. But what potential shoppers wonder is whether they'll be willing to move enough quality to make a significant deal. The Pirates are hinting they're inclined to keep James McDonald and A.J. Burnett, and probably even Erik Bedard, if they have a shot to win. That means they'll be shopping guys like Charlie Morton, Kevin Correia, Jeff Karstens and longtime prospect Rudy Owens (2.30, with a 0.93 WHIP in Triple-A). But it will be tough to add an impact bat with that group.

• Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wasn't just delivering media happy talk this week when he said "We still think we can win." He has also sent that message, loud and clear, to his front office. An exec of one club that checked in with the Brewers reports: "I wouldn't count on them selling. Their owner doesn't like cashing it in."

• After Roy Oswalt signed with Texas, reports surfaced that he rejected recent offers from the Phillies and Cardinals. But a source who spoke with the Cardinals' brass claims they had zero interest. And Phillies GM Amaro says his team never went beyond "poking around the edges" on bringing back Oswalt. So in reality, while there was other "interest," this was pretty much a one-team negotiation with the only club Oswalt truly wanted to pitch for -- the Rangers.

• Several scouts who questioned during spring training whether Roy Halladay was healthy are now wondering why the Phillies weren't more proactive in getting his shoulder checked out back then, especially after pitching coach Rich Dubee admitted this week that his own concerns dated back to spring training.

"Maybe in spring training, they should have pursued it more," said one of those scouts, "because, between his stuff and his history, the way he was throwing didn't add up. His arm angle was lower. It was obvious. He looked like guys I see with a bad shoulder, trying to come back in Triple-A. When he couldn't get through the third inning of his second start of spring training, against the Minnesota Twins, at that point I'm sending him to a doctor, getting an MRI, saying, 'That's not you. You're wild. And you're never wild. You're Roy Halladay.'"

But Amaro says there's nothing to second-guess: "There was no indication he had problems. So I don't have any reservations. I don't play Monday morning quarterback. I know we took every precaution necessary. We knew mechanically, he wasn't quite right. … But at no point was there anything significantly wrong with the guy. Was his velocity down a tick? Yeah, it was, but not to the point where it was alarming. It wasn't like his velocity was dropping dramatically, during his outings, as he went along. So I have no reservations about the way this was handled."

• It's hard to be a secret weapon when you play in New York. But R.A. Dickey has pulled that off, somehow. Bet you didn't know he has a better WHIP (1.10) and strikeout rate (8.5 per 9 innings) than Jered Weaver, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Matt Garza, C.J. Wilson and a cast of hundreds. "He's got a different kind of knuckleball than anybody I can remember, because it's harder," one NL exec said. "So there's not a lot of float to it. It's more of a dart coming at you. He's a great story. He's really taken the mantle to become one of the leading guys in that rotation. And this is not a fluke. You could see it coming for a few years now."

• You could probably win a lot of bets, down at your favorite tavern, trying to get people to guess that the narrow runner-up to Joey Votto for the NL lead in Wins Above Replacement is Michael Bourn -- and not David Wright, Melky Cabrera or Carlos Beltran. But check it out. Bourn has surged toward the top of that heap, powered (literally) by the first five-homer month of his career.

Before May 12, this man had homered five times in his previous 1,877 trips to the plate. Then he suddenly went deep five times in the next 18 games. But one scout following him in preparation for Bourn's impending free agency says: "I don't like it. It's fun to watch. But he's lifting everything to center field, and that's not him. His gift is his legs. He's got to use his speed. And to do that, he has to hit the ball on a line and on the ground. Let me tell you, the team that signs him isn't going to get all that excited about his ability to hit the ball out of the park."

• Nobody had worse luck this week than Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. He may have headed for the disabled list when his wife's suitcase fell on his hand and broke it, but he should know that at least this is isn't the first luggage injury in baseball history. Our three favorites:

Third prize: In 2003, Mariners reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki fractured two ribs trying to carry his suitcase up the stairs after he got home from a road trip.

Second prize: Blue Jays pitcher Huck Flener was flying to spring training in 1997 when a briefcase flew out of the overhead rack, drilled him in the shoulder and chipped his collarbone.

First prize: Expos pitcher Dennis Martinez hurt his arm tossing his suitcase onto the team equipment truck in 1992, whereupon team public relations witticist Richard Griffin announced Martinez would miss a start with "Samsonitis."

Five Astounding Facts of the Week Stark, J 1 You've gotta love baseball. Going into the second inning Wednesday in exotic Arlington, Texas, the Mariners had scored eight runs or more in one of their previous 5,277 innings, dating back to Aug. 4, 2008. Then, in their insane 21-8 win over Texas, they did it two innings in a row!

2 Greatest pitching nuggets from that 21-8 game: A) Hisashi Iwakuma was awarded a save in a 13-run blowout, making it baseball's cheapest save since Dale Thayer "saved" a 15-2 win for the Rays on May 22, 2009. And B) in back-to-back innings, a different Rangers pitcher (Derek Holland, then Yoshinori Tateyama) gave up eight runs. The last team to have that happen, according to loyal reader/researcher Trent McCotter, was the 1894 Boston Beaneaters in a messy 27-11 loss to Pittsburgh. Henry Lampe gave up 12 runs in the third inning, and Tom Smith allowed nine more in the fourth.

3 What did R.A. Dickey just do that no other knuckleballer has done in the past three decades? Rip off two double-figure strikeout games in a row. The last flutterballer to do that was Phil Niekro on July 31 and Aug. 4, 1978.

4 Don't look now, but Adam Dunn and Justin Verlander head into June tied in strikeouts with 82 apiece. That inspired loyal reader Howard Elgart to wonder if any hitter has ever had more whiffs in a season than the pitcher who led that league in K's. Correct answer: Not a chance! The closest call came in 2010: Verlander 233, Mark Reynolds 211. But with Dunn on a 260-strikeout pace, anything is possible.

5 Poor Dale Sveum. Less than two months into his first full-time managing gig, he presided over a 12-game losing streak with the Cubbies. If we consider him a first-time manager (despite his three weeks finishing out the season in Milwaukee in 2008), it should make him feel better to know that three other first-timers in this millennium also managed their teams to losing streaks that long: Trey Hillman (12) with the 2008 Royals, Lee Mazzilli (12) with the 2004 Orioles and Alfredo "You Can Call Me Al" Pedrique (14) with the 2004 Diamondbacks.

Things get ugly as Pavano's struggles grow JOE CHRISTENSEN CLEVELAND - The rest of the Twins' original starting rotation plans have fallen apart, and now Carl Pavano is hanging by a thread, too. Pavano, who's been plagued with right shoulder issues all season, stopped just short of saying he needs to go on the disabled list Friday night, after getting pounded for six earned runs in a 7-1 loss to Cleveland at Progressive Field. "I'm hurting this team right now; there's no doubt about it," Pavano said after falling to 2-5 with a 6.00 ERA. "We came in with some momentum and I killed it right away. By the [fourth] inning, we're down seven. That's no way to start a series." Pavano, 36, turned in a quality start as recently as May 19, when he held Milwaukee to two runs over six innings, but in his past two games, he's allowed 12 earned runs on 19 hits over eight innings. "I think it's coming time where decisions need to be made," Pavano said. "I need to give myself a chance. This has gone on long enough. My stuff is not what we're used to seeing from me. I wish I could say it was a rough patch, but I'm really treading water right now." Twins manager Ron Gardenhire planned to meet with pitching coach Rick Anderson and Pavano to discuss a new strategy. The team is in a real box right now because Pavano is in the final year of his two-year, $16.5 million contract. There was hope that Pavano might be able to generate some trade value if he could get past the shoulder issue, but it just won't go away. "He's one of our starters," Gardenhire said. "If he's not healthy we won't [keep using him], but no one's told me he's not healthy. We know he's been fighting through the arm thing, but he's able to pitch with it. We'll talk about this [Saturday] and see where we go." The Twins already lost Scott Baker to a season-ending elbow injury and designated Jason Marquis for assignment. Nick Blackburn is on the disabled list with a strained quadriceps muscle, and Francisco Liriano had done nothing but disappoint before tossing six scoreless innings Wednesday, as the Twins completed a sweep of the reeling Athletics. Whatever momentum they built in that series came to a screeching halt by the fourth inning, when Jason Kipnis hit a grand slam, extending Cleveland's lead to 7-0. That came on a 78 miles-per-hour changeup that just floated through the strike zone. Pavano also allowed a two-run homer to Lonnie Chisenhall in the second on an 83-mph slider with two outs and an 0-2 count. "Normally with Carl, he gets that ball where he wants to -- down and in, off the plate -- and that guy's not going to hit a home run with it," Gardenhire said. The Twins had no answer again against Derek Lowe (7-3), who held them to one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings on his 39th birthday. Lowe, who tossed a six-hit shutout against the Twins on May 15, is a sinkerball pitcher just like Pavano and had his own struggles with Atlanta last year, when he went 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA. The Twins' best hope might be placing Pavano on the DL, hoping he can strengthen his shoulder with rest. "It's the last thing I want to do," he said. "But there comes a time where you're hurting yourself and you're hurting the team. We've tried everything to remedy the situation. Staying off the mound. Taking extra days. I wish the results were a lot better. They've given me every opportunity to bounce back and get over the hump, but I just haven't been able to do it." Star Tribune LOADED: 06.02.2012

Postgame: If Pavano's heading to the DL, who's next? Joe Christensen CLEVELAND -- Even though the Twins weren't quite ready to say it after Friday's 7-1 loss to the Indians, it looks like Carl Pavano is heading to the disabled list. So they'll likely need a new starter for Wednesday’s game in Kansas City. The smart money is on Liam Hendriks, who is 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA in five starts for Class AAA Rochester. Hendriks frustrated Twins officials with some mental lapses in his first performances after getting demoted, but he's had time to work through some things. And let's face it: the options are limited with Scott Diamond, P.J. Walters and Cole De Vries already in the big league rotation. Ryan Doumit, who started at catcher and had three of the Twins’ six hits, said Pavano’s biggest problem Friday was he couldn’t keep his change-up down. “That’s his bread-and-butter pitch, and my hat’s off to him,” Doumit said. “He’s battled through some injuries, and he’s out there competing. He’s not 100 percent -- everybody knows that -- and he’s still out there battling.” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire heard before the game that Twin Cities radio legend Dark Star had been found dead today at age 66. “Very tough,” Gardenhire said. “He’s a friend, and I’ve known him for quite a while here. And he’s a big Twins fan. Always seemed to be on our side, always rooted for the Twins, always had a lot of really, really good things to say about the Twins. So we’ve lost a very good friend, and a very good person in the Twin Cities that has entertained a lot of people. Dark’s a good friend of mine, and a really good friend of Tom Kelly’s, and we’re all going to miss him dearly." Star Tribune LOADED: 06.02.2012