Tribe walks off Twins for second straight game By Jordan Bastian MLB.com @MLBastian CLEVELAND -- When Greg Allen walked into the Indians' clubhouse on Thursday morning, his first objective was to locate his locker. This was the rookie center fielder's fifth trip from the Minors to Cleveland this season and his stall has moved multiple times.

"It's kind of like a scavenger hunt," Allen said with a laugh after Thursday's 5-4 walk-off win over the Twins at . "I come in, I could be there or there. I think I bounced around to probably two or three lockers this year. If I have a locker, I'm happy. So, I'll take it."

Shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Columbus and the Majors can be a mental grind for a young player, but each journey back to the big leagues has helped Allen's comfort level. With comfort comes increased confidence, and that played a critical role for Cleveland in the ninth, when Allen was the catalyst for the decisive rally.

Allen -- promoted prior to the game against Minnesota due to center fielder Leonys Martin (undisclosed illness) landing on the 10-day disabled list -- led off with a single against reliever Addison Reed. Then, the fleet-footed stole second and pounded the dirt in celebration when he beat the throw from Twins Bobby Wilson.

Two batters later, Allen crossed the plate on Michael Brantley's walk-off single to right field, igniting the second walk-off party at Progressive Field in as many days. It also marked the first walk-off wins in consecutive games for the Central-leading Indians (64-50) since Aug. 18-19, 2016. The Indians went 5-2 on their homestand. "I would hope that's really good for his confidence," Indians manager said of Allen's performance. "He stepped right in and directly helped us win a game with his bat, with his legs, almost with his glove. That's good. That was exciting."

The late rally came after ace walked away with a no-decision after piling up 117 pitches in seven innings. The right-hander blanked the Twins for the first four frames before running into some trouble -- aided by a costly missed catch -- over the next two innings.

Kluber allowed one run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly, but then yielded a three-run homer to Jorge Polanco in the sixth to pull the game into a 4-4- deadlock. One play earlier, right fielder was unable to reel in a deep fly ball off the bat of , setting up Polanco's first of the season.

"I couldn't care less about if I get a win," Kluber said. "The bottom line is, we won the game."

Polanco's blast washed away the impact of the four runs the Indians' lineup produced against Twins right-hander Jose Berrios, who exited after four innings.

In the wake of his walk-off home run on Wednesday night, Francisco Lindor delivered a pair of run-scoring hits, giving him five consecutive multihit games. The Tribe came through with a two-run single in the second and added an RBI double in the fourth. Yonder Alonso initially put the Indians on the board with a solo shot off Berrios in the second.

After Lindor took a beating from his teammates in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's walk-off homer, it was Brantley's turn. Following Brantley's game-winning single to right, Lindor was the first to greet the veteran outfielder -- first with high-fives and then with some friendly fists to the helmet.

The mob soon followed. Jason Kipnis arrived and dumped the contents of a Gatorade bottle on Brantley's head. Edwin Encarnacion yanked at the left fielder's jersey. Carlos Carrasco delivered the dousing of baby powder, turning Brantley's hair from black to white. Yan Gomes shook two water bottles at Brantley.

"I'll take the celebration as long as we're winning," Brantley said. " It's tough. You get some Gatorade, get some powder, you name it, it's coming at you. It's a win, everybody gets to celebrate. We get to have a happy flight."

Brantley knew it was Allen who made the mob scene possible.

"He does a phenomenal job," Brantley said. "He's a great kid with a great head on his shoulders. He understands that when he comes up here, we expect him to do his best, and he is doing it day in and day out."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED One-percent Melk: In the sixth inning, Rosario lifted a pitch to deep right field, where Cabrera drifted back toward the wall. Cabrera made a jumping attempt at a catch, but the ball struck his glove and dropped to the warning track. Per Statcast™, the play had a catch probability of 99 percent (66 feet needed to be covered in 6.0 seconds of opportunity time), but Rosario was rewarded with a single. The next batter, Polanco, then drilled a pitch from Kluber to right for a game-tying, three-run home run.

"I thought he deserved better," Francona said of Kluber's pitching line. "We got the fly ball. We all thought it was a fly ball [out] and it just carried. Melky didn't get behind it and ended up getting up against the wall. Then, [Kluber] left a cutter middle of the plate to Polanco."

Double trouble: Allen nearly made an incredible diving catch in the fifth inning on a fly ball into the left-center gap off the bat of Max Kepler. Per Statcast™, the play had just a 25-percent catch probability, but Allen got a glove on the ball before it skipped away to give Kepler a leadoff double. Two batters later, Kepler scored on a sacrifice fly by Jake Cave.

"Looking at the replay, it looks like I may have had a chance on it," Allen said. "Unfortunately, my body kind of stuck on the grass, my hand got rolled under and the ball popped out. … I wasn't able to make the play, but I'm definitely looking forward to having that next opportunity and making sure I come up with it. "

SOUND SMART Alonso's solo shot in the second inning gave the 20 homers on the season and Cleveland an MLB-leading four players with 20- plus long balls on the year. Jose Ramirez (33), Lindor (29) and Encarnacion (25) are the others. The Yankees and Rockies are next on that list with three each.

HE SAID IT "It's just a matter of getting in position and feeling comfortable in my mechanics, so I can really put my foot on the gas. Today, I think was a good step forward. As nice as it is with my fastball, my breaking ball improves with it as well. So, I'll take it." --Andrew Miller, on his scoreless ninth inning

"I think it really comes down to having trust and confidence. More so, I think the coaching staff having the trust, the confidence in me to give me that freedom to have that green light there and give me that choice. At that point, you let your instincts take over, and I was fortunate to get a decent jump. I got in by a hair." -- Allen, on his ninth-inning steal

UP NEXT Rookie right-hander Shane Bieber (6-2, 4.58 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Tribe on Friday, when the White Sox host the Indians in the opener of a three-game set at 8:10 p.m. ET at Guaranteed Rate Field. Bieber is 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA in five outings against the American League Central this year. Chicago will counter with lefty Carlos Rodon (3-3, 2.94).

Indians' nicknames for Players' Weekend Indians : "SUNSHINE" Leonys Martin: "THE ASERE" Cody Allen: "CHICKEN" Rajai Davis: "RAJ" Andrew Miller: "MILLER TIME" Yonder Alonso: "MR. 305" Edwin Encarnacion: "RIVERA" Tyler Naquin: "BILLY" Cody Anderson: "BIG RIG" Yan Gomes: "GOMER" Dan Otero: "OT" : "BAUER OUTAGE" Erik Gonzalez: "LA PARITA" Oliver Perez: "OLLIE" Shane Bieber: "NOT JUSTIN" Nick Goody: "GOODS" Jose Ramirez: "ENRIQUITO" Michael Brantley: "JUNIOR" Brandon Guyer: "LA PIÑATA" Roberto Perez: "BEBO" Melky Cabrera: "MELK MAN" : "BROTEIN SHAKE" Neil Ramirez: "RAMMER" Carlos Carrasco: "COOKIE" Jason Kipnis: "DIRTBAG" Danny Salazar: "SALLY" Lonnie Chisenhall: "BIGLON" Corey Kluber: "KLUBER" Josh Tomlin: "SCRUBS" Adam Cimber: "CIM" Francisco Lindor: "MR. SMILE"

Tribe places Martin (illness) on DL, recalls Allen By Casey Harrison MLB.com CLEVELAND -- The Indians announced Thursday that Leonys Martin was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a "non- condition," making the newly acquired outfielder the latest to miss an extended period of time.

The ailment held Martin out of the lineup Wednesday against the Twins, but the eight-year veteran could "potentially" be out longer than 10 days, according to president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. Antonetti also said because the injury wasn't baseball related, he couldn't share specifics or whether or not Martin is currently with the team. "We're not quite sure yet how long he'll be out," Antonetti said. "It happened really quickly. After the game the other night, he just didn't feel well. … We're now in the process of kind of getting him assessed and working through the best way to get him healthy."

Replacing Martin on the 25-man roster is outfielder Greg Allen, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Since Martin was acquired from the Tigers on July 31, he's hit .333 (5-for-15) with a 1.086 OPS, two home runs and four RBIs in six games, starting four. The 30-year-old is hitting .255/.323/.425 through 84 games in 2018.

Martin is the fourth Indians outfielder capable of playing center field on the DL, along with (right shoulder surgery), Lonnie Chisenhall (60-day DL/left calf strain) and Tyler Naquin (10-day DL/right hip surgery).

"Our depth has definitely been tested," Antonetti said. "It's afforded us the chance to give guys some opportunities to play. And now Greg will be back up here, and he'll have an opportunity to continue his development and progression here at the Major League level, while contributing to help us win games. But it's been an area where there's been a lot of instability over the course of the season."

Of the aforementioned, Antonetti said Chisenhall -- who's been sidelined since July 3 -- is the only player expected to return by the end of the regular season. Naquin, who was projected to be out six to 10 weeks as of last Friday, is still "undetermined" if he'll be available.

"Some of that will be dependent upon just how quickly he gets through the initial phases of the rehab process," Antonetti said of Naquin. "So he'll be right there at the edge, if he's available or not."

Allen, a rookie, has spent most of the season with the Clippers, but he has appeared in 47 games for the Indians. In four Major League stints this year, he's hitting .224 with four doubles, two triples, a homer and six stolen bases. With Columbus, Allen has a .298/.395/.409 slash line with 15 extra-base hits, 14 RBIs and 12 swipes. Allen last played with Cleveland on July 31 before Martin was acquired, and he hit three singles in a 6-2 win on the road against Minnesota. "Greg's done a great job," Antonetti said. "I think he's really focused on continuing to improve as a player wherever his feet are."

Even though the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline has passed, Antonetti said the front office is still doing its due diligence in searching for roster upgrades. Teams can still complete trades in the month of August, though it gets a bit complicated. In order for players to be acquired, they must clear waivers and be claimed by the Indians in order to further negotiate a trade.

"I will say more broadly that we'll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team," Antonetti said. "What impact Martin's condition or illness has on that, we're not yet sure."

Tomlin working his way back Right-hander Josh Tomlin pitched three shutout innings, allowing one hit, no walks and three Wednesday in a Minor League rehab assignment with Double-A Akron. Tomlin has been sidelined since July 10 with a strained right hamstring, and he began his assignment with Triple-A Columbus last Friday, in which he allowed three runs, two homers and six hits in two innings.

"His velocity was ticking up, and he felt pretty good about his mechanics," Antonetti said. "His body felt good, so hopefully he's on a good path, and now we can continue to build up volume for him. Last night was an encouraging step."

Here are the best Players' Weekend nicknames from each team By Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman @CespedesBBQ Players' Weekend is back, which means it is time once again to celebrate the expansive variety of nicknames we have in today's game -- and see them featured on the alternate jerseys worn by the players.

From widely-known classics like The Machine and Thor to more comedic choices such as Corey's Brother and PTBNL, picking a definitive favorite Players' Weekend nickname is an impossible task. But some still stand out as especially wonderful. These are our favorite Players' Weekend nicknames from each team:

D-backs: Brad Boxberger -- BOX HAMBURGER Braves: Ender Inciarte -- GAME ENDER Orioles: Paul Fry -- PAPA FRITA Red Sox: -- THE CONDUCTOR Sale Cubs: Carl Edwards Jr. -- STRINGBEAN SLINGER Reds: Raisel Iglesias -- EL CICLON Indians: Shane Bieber -- NOT JUSTIN

Cleveland Indians, series preview, pitching matchups CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here is the preview and pitching matchups for the Indians' series against the White Sox.

Where/when: Guaranteed Rate Field, Friday through Sunday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the series.

Pitching matchups and starting times: RHP Shane Bieber (6-2, 4.58) vs. LHP Carlos Rodon (3-3, 2.94) Friday at 8:10 p.m.; RHP Trevor Bauer (11-6, 2.25) vs. RHP James Shields (4-13, 4.50) Saturday at 7:10 p.m. and RHP Carlos Carrasco (13-6, 3.69) vs. RHP Dylan Covey (4-8, 5.58) Sunday at 2:10 p.m.

Series: The Indians lead the White Sox, 8-2, this season. The White Sox lead, 1,083-1,068, overall.

Hot : Indians lefty Brad Hand has allowed two runs and struck out 12 in 10 innings since being acquired from San Diego on July 19. Rodon is 2-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 31 strikeouts over his last five starts for the White Sox.

Hot hitters: Francisco Lindor has five straight multi-hit games and leads the big leagues with 47 multi-hit games for the Indians. Chicago's Jose Abreu has hit 30 doubles and 20 homers for five straight seasons.

Team updates: Indians, coming off 5-2 homestand, have won eight of their last 11 games. They've won their last four games against the White Sox. The White Sox, with an off day Thursday, are coming off a three-game sweep by the Yankees. Before that they'd won four straight. They are 2-2 against the Tribe at home, but 0-6 at Progressive Field.

Disabled list: Indians - OF Leonys Martin (illness), CF Tyler Naquin (right hip), RHP Josh Tomlin (right hamstring), OF Lonnie Chisenhall (left calf), RHP Nick Goody (right elbow), RHP Danny Salazar (right shoulder) and RHP Cody Anderson (right elbow) are on the disabled list. White Sox - LF Leury Garcia (left hamstring), RHP Miguel Gonzalez (right shoulder), RHP Nate Jones (pronator muscle in right arm) and RHP Danny Farquhar (brain hemorrhage) are on the disabled list.

Next: Indians open a three-game series against the Reds at Great American Ballpark on Monday night.

Travis Hafner and the 2003 blackout: 15 years later By Marc Bona, [email protected] CLEVELAND, Ohio - Many will remember where they were on Aug. 14, 2003, when much of the nation was focused on the massive power outage that spread through the Northeast. Finding generators, creating contingency plans and getting jobs done without electricity were priorities.

One of the few people with a smile on his face that day was Travis Hafner.

The Indians slugger was in Minneapolis as the Tribe faced the Twins. It was a getaway day for the Indians, who won, 8-3. After taking the final three of four games of the series they would get ready to start a six-game home stand.

That day, right before darkness enveloped millions of people, Hafner had one of his greatest games. He hit for the cycle, a feat accomplished by only eight Indians since 1903. More than 24,000 fans had showed up at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome that Thursday afternoon to see the game between the third- place Twins and fourth-place Tribe.

Hafner started his hit brigade with a homer to right field in the second inning. He came close to plugging a hole in a Subway ad. (The company had pledged $25,000 to a Twin who could send a ball through the hole on the fly.)

Two innings later, he hit a bouncer over Brad Radke, raced around first, and plunged head first into second for a double.

Before appearing in a one-game promotion for the Lake Erie Crushers in June this year, Hafner recalled the game.

"I remember," he said, a smile slowly coming up. "It was a chopper."

He hustled on another chopper in the seventh for a single, and later hit a shot off James Baldwin to right-center for the triple - arguably the toughest of the quartet to accomplish the feat. For the record, Hafner hit 13 triples in his career, including three in 2003, his first year with Cleveland.

He became the first Indian to hit for the cycle since Andre Thornton in 1978. Rajai Davis is the only Indian to do it since Hafner. For the record, the other Indians to accomplish it are Bill Bradley, 1903; Earl Averill, 1933; Odell Hale, 1938; Larry Doby, 1952; and Tony Horton, 1970.) It's rare, having been done more than 300 times from 1882 to present day. Natural cycles - hitting them in order of prominence - single, double, triple and then home run - have happened only 14 times. Only six reverse cycles have been recorded, with Davis' being the last.

The Indians lineup that day is full of veteran players of the past and a couple of names relegated to the archives.

Coco Crisp led off. Casey Blake played - and gave the game ball to Hafner afterward. Jody Gerut, Ben Broussard and Ryan Ludwick all figured into the lineup that day, as did Josh Bard and rookie Jhonny Peralta.

Two other names fall under cup-of-coffee status: David Cortes pitched the final two-thirds of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits. He would play for three teams in parts of four seasons in the Majors and tally only three innings for the Tribe. Angel Santos would go 2-4. He had 17 hits total in his two-year career. Like Cortes, 2003 was his sole season with the Indians.

Brian Anderson moved to 9-9 with the win and narrowly missed a shutout.

Hafner, hitting sixth as , finished 4-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. It was a good day to have a great game; his mother, Bev, was in the stands. Hafner grew up in Sykeston, N.D., about 400 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. It was a good day, that is, until the lights went out.

The game in Minnesota ended when it was 3:36 p.m. in Cleveland. Power went out soon after. Fifty million people in eight states - though not Minnesota - and parts of Canada were affected. FirstEnergy took a hit in the aftermath of the cascading electrical outage.

It was a good thing the Indians weren't playing in New York or Cleveland that day. Hafner would not have hit anything, considering the -New York Mets game was postponed at Shea Stadium because of the outage. The Cleveland Rockers had their home game postponed. The WNBA team would play only a handful of games after the blackout and then disband.

Hafner's final season in the Major Leagues was in 2013. He hit .273 over 12 seasons.

Indians notebook: Francisco Lindor finds redemption with walk-off blast; Leonys Martin placed on 10-day DL By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: As Francisco Lindor came to the plate with the game on the line Wednesday night, he had his dad’s voice in his head. Lindor walked up with runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the ninth in a tie game. Less than 24 hours earlier, he had struck out looking with the tying run in scoring position to end Tuesday’s game. On the first pitch Wednesday night, though, Progressive Field was sent into bedlam when Lindor hammered a three-run, walk-off homer to right field to lift the Indians to a 5-2 victory over the . “All I had in my head was … my dad texted me after [Tuesday’s] game and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, tomorrow is another day and God is good, God has a plan and good things will come.’ And that’s what I had in my head and, honestly, I had good at-bats against that guy, but I was just ready to hit,” he said. Facing reliever Trevor Hildenberger, Lindor walked to the plate with a more aggressive mindset, though the situation also called for it. He said he wasn’t trying to hit a home run, but he wanted to end it, and not just keep the line moving. He added he felt like he had been given some good pitches to hit by Twins starter Jake Odorizzi but missed his earlier chances to do some damage. Lindor was trying to make up for some previous mistakes, and he did. With one swing, he was redeemed. “I purposely went out like, ‘Yes, I want to win this game.’ Yesterday, it was like, ‘Just get something going. Get on base.’ And I couldn’t come through,” Lindor said. “It’s fun. It’s fun winning games. I love winning games. Whether I hit it or somebody else hits it, I’m going to celebrate the same way. Except next time I’ll be the one with the [celebratory] powder.” And since Lindor was the owner of a brand-new walk-off homer, he also needed to prepare to have the stuffing beaten out of him once he reached the mob of teammates at home plate. He had Gatorade dumped on him (both at the plate and afterward, as Fox Sports’ Andre Knott also received a soaking). He had his jersey ripped off by Yan Gomes. And he was bombarded by baby powder, courtesy of Carlos Carrasco. “I didn’t see [the powder], otherwise I would have touched the plate and ran,” Lindor said, laughing. “I felt powder and then all of a sudden I ran out of breath and I just tried to get out of there, get out of the pile.” The dramatic home run was Lindor’s third walk-off hit and second walk-off homer of his career. According to Wednesday’s starter Mike Clevinger, Lindor often seems to be at the plate with the game on the line, including a hit when he was down to his last strike to extend the team’s winning streak last August. All of which is a reason why Lindor batting leadoff and receiving the maximum number of at-bats is difficult to argue against. “Yeah. I mean, in Puerto Rico I said it’s like every time it’s a spot like this, he’s always hitting … it’s like a sixth sense,” Clevinger said of Lindor, who was batting .298 with 29 home runs and a league-leading 99 runs scored after Thursday’s game. “You know it’s gonna happen. Like you look over on deck and you’re like, ‘Does he bat every time it’s a tie game?’ And then every time it seems like he’s coming through, too, so it’s huge.” Under the weather Center fielder Leonys Martin was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a nonbaseball condition. Indians manager Terry Francona on Wednesday said Martin was dealing with “intestinal turmoil” and was sick. There are some questions about Martin’s timetable for a return and how the Indians might address their outfield. “It happened really quickly. After the game the other night, he just didn’t feel well,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “We don’t know yet [if an external move is needed]. I will say more broadly that we’ll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team. What impact Martin’s condition or illness has on that, we’re not yet sure.” Greg Allen was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take Martin’s place on the roster and started in center field Thursday against the Twins. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 08.10.2018 RubberDucks play-by-play man Jim Clark chronicles crucial 1974 Indians season in new book Enjoying the back-to-back walk-off wins from Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley? Thank the fourth-place 1974 Indians for that. If not for that team, the franchise might not exist. That year’s Indians, who finished 77-85 and 14 games out of first in the American League East and remembered for a 10-cent beer night, also captured the hearts of fans around the nation. Author and RubberDucks play-by-play man Jim Clark details a very personal look at that immaculate season in his book Rally ’Round Cleveland, The Story of the 1974 Franchise-Saving . Clark’s book is $19.99 and can be found on eBay.com and at the Ducks bookstore and will be available on Amazon.com in a week. He will sign his book in the RubberDucks team shop during the fifth and sixth innings on Saturday. While the Indians crashed and burned in September, they spent the better half of the season in the thick of it all in front of 1,114,262 fans at Municipal Stadium. “My thought was, you’re in a downward spiral and that’s not good,” Clark, 63, said. “If you have one more of these years at 600,000, expansion’s coming — Washington [D.C.] wants a ballclub back. You’re losing money right and left. “No one thought the Browns would ever leave. If you show that downward trend, that’s where they were going. Then 1974 comes. It’s my first pennant race ever. They were 4½ games out in September. People forget that. It was the same as the 1948 Indians. They’re in first place in June, July and first or second for almost a two-month period, no more than five games out. The city fell in love with the club.” The Tribe was almost sold in 1958 and then in 1964. There were even talks of playing half their home games in New Orleans in the early ’70s. “It started with ,” Clark said. “He lost the home opener and then reels off 15 consecutive wins and becomes the talk of baseball. He was unbeatable.” While he had help, Perry’s streak captured the attention of everyone following baseball and took them through a pennant race that turned stomachs and brought big cheers. After a 4-2 win over the on July 3 gave Perry his 15th in a row, the stage was set five days later for the future hall of famer to try to tie the AL mark held by , Smokey Joe Wood, and Schoolboy Rowe. The problem was it was a West Coast game with the Oakland A’s and wasn’t scheduled to be on television. “Only 48 games were on TV then and Channel 8 covered the games. It wasn’t on their schedule, so they make arrangements,” Clark said. “They fly Harry Jones, their play-by-play guy, who was also a beat writer, to Oakland. He gets there in the fourth inning, so Monte Moore slides from the A’s broadcast booth until Harry gets there. Second inning, Dave Duncan hits a two-run homer. “It’s about 1 a.m. My dad gets home, Duncan homers. I look out my front door and I go, ‘Dad, every light on the block is on. Look at this. They’re all watching this game.’ That was Akron. Imagine Cleveland and the suburbs, they were back in love with this team again. He loses, but still that showed how baseball can draw you in day in and day out like no other sport.” exacted revenge on the world champion A’s 11 days later and the Indians kept the ride going. It wasn’t until the waiver transaction of on Sept. 12 that things went south, according to Clark. In a dugout already in flux, Robinson was looked upon to bring everyone together, but it did the exact opposite. Nonetheless, the season kept away the expansion hawks and kept the Tribe alive. “I think it put them back on solid ground,” Clark said. “They didn’t draw a million, but they were drawing 800,000, close to a million. They looked to be stable again.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 08.10.2018 Indians 5, Twins 4: Michael Brantley secures Indians’ second consecutive walk-off win with single in ninth By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: Just back with the team, Indians outfielder Greg Allen struggled to find his locker and needed some help from Shane Bieber before Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Twins. In the bottom of the ninth inning, though, Allen had no trouble finding his destination. Allen, who was called up from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday when Leonys Martin was placed on the disabled list, scored the game-winning run on Michael Brantley’s walk-off single to lift the Indians to a 5-4 win over the Twins at Progressive Field. Allen led off the ninth with a single against Twins reliever Addison Reed (1-6) and then stole second, barely beating the throw, and pounded the ground. He advanced to third on a ground ball by Francisco Lindor before Brantley drove a single that found its way through the gap between first and second base to give the Indians (64-50) their second consecutive walk-off win over the Twins (53-61). “[Allen] did a great job of getting to second and then Frankie did a good job of getting him over and putting me in that situation,” Brantley said. “That’s a team run right there all the way around, and thanks to those two guys, I got put in that opportunity.” As much as Brantley’s single, Allen stealing second base was key to the Indians’ game-winning rally. Once Lindor’s ground ball allowed Allen to go to third, it forced the Twins’ infielders to move in. “I think it really comes down to having trust and confidence,” Allen said of the risky steal attempt. “Moreso, I think the coaching staff having the trust, the confidence in me to give me that freedom to have that green light there and give me that choice. At that point, you let your instincts take over, and I was fortunate to get a decent jump. I got in by a hair.” For the second consecutive game, the Indians blew a lead before winning it in the ninth. The Indians took a 3-0 lead off Twins starter Jose Berrios in the second inning. Yonder Alonso started it off by belting his 20th home run, a solo shot to right field, to become the fourth Indians hitter to reach the 20-homer plateau this year, joining Jose Ramirez (33), Lindor (29) and Edwin Encarnacion (25). Later in the inning, Lindor ripped a two-out, two-run single to right field to extend the Indians’ lead to 3-0. Two innings later, Lindor yanked an RBI double to right field to push the lead to 4-0. It was Lindor’s second consecutive three-RBI game, following his walk-off, three-run homer in Wednesday’s game. The Twins, though, fought back against Indians starter Corey Kluber. Max Kepler led off the fifth inning with a double and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Jake Cave. An inning later, the Indians’ lead was erased. Bobby Wilson and Eddie Rosario each singled and Jorge Polanco crushed a three-run home run to right-center field to tie it 4-4. In relief of Kluber, Brad Hand struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth and Andrew Miller (2-3) followed with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one, to set the stage for another dramatic victory. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 08.10.2018 Michael Brantley delivers another Cleveland Indians walk-off win in 5-4 victory against Minnesota Twins CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The winning run was 90 feet away in the ninth inning for the second day in a row. The Cleveland Indians had the Minnesota Twins right where they wanted them. Michael Brantley delivered an RBI single that barely squeezed under the glove of Twins first baseman Miguel Sano as Greg Allen crossed the plate to give the Tribe a 5-4 win at Progressive Field Thursday afternoon. It was the Indians' second walk-off victory in the last 24 hours, the first time they've posted back-to-back walk-offs since Aug. 18-19, 2016. The Indians have four walk-off victories in 2018. Andrew Miller (2-3, 3.44) got the win with a hitless inning of relief in the ninth. Minnesota suffered its 12th walk-off loss of the season, the most in the majors. Manager Terry Francona said having Brantley at the plate with the game on the line was reassuring. "You're always kind of on edge, but boy it's nice to have him up in that situation," Francona said. "You know the at-bat's not going to get ahead of him or be too big. He's gonna swing at a strike. And rarely does he pull off. All the things you're looking for in a situation like that." For Brantley, the game-winner marked his first since last year against the Chicago White Sox. "I just gotta get the job done for my team," Brantley said. "Greg Allen did a great job leading off the inning getting on base and stealing second. Francisco Lindor put me in that opportunity by moving the guy over. That's a team effort all the way around right there." Allen, who joined the team earlier in the day after Leonys Martin went on the disabled list, led off the ninth with a single against losing pitcher Addison Reed (1-6). He stole second and went to third on a Francisco Lindor groundout. Allen has hits in each of his last four major league games and is batting .500 (7-for-14) in that span. "I would hope that's really good for his confidence," Francona said. "He stepped right in and directly helped us win a game with his bat, with his legs, almost with his glove." Staked to a 4-0 lead, Tribe Corey Kluber looked like he was in complete command, pitching a shutout until the fifth inning when he allowed a leadoff double by Max Kepler, who scored two batters later when Jake Cave hit a sacrifice fly. Allen dove for the ball off Kepler's bat, but came up short in left center field. Minnesota tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth on Jorge Polanco's first homer of the season, a three-run shot into the right field seats that came two pitches after right fielder Melky Cabrera's drop turned a fly ball off the bat of Eddie Rosario into a 370-foot single. It was the 21st home run Kluber has allowed, his first since July 23 against Pittsburgh. The Indians ace pitched seven innings but took a no- decision, striking out seven and not allowing a walk. Cleveland broke through in the second against Twins starter Jose Berrios when Yonder Alonso smashed his 20th home run, a solo shot to right. It's the second time in Alonso's nine-year career he's reached the 20-homer plateau. Later in the inning, Lindor lined a 1-1 fastball from Berrios to right that scored Melky Cabrera and Jason Kipnis. Lindor's RBI double in the fourth plated Kipnis and pushed Cleveland's advantage to 4-0. Lindor has collected at least two hits in five straight games, and leads the majors with 47 multi-hit outings. The double upped his MLB-leading extra-base hit total to 68, three ahead of teammate Jose Ramirez. Yer outta here Twins hitting coach James Rowson earned his first career ejection in the seventh inning when home plate umpire Adrian Johnson gave him the heave-ho. Minnesota's Ehrie Adrianza was called out on a 91 mph sinker by Kluber, and Rowson argued the call. What it means Cleveland evened its season record against the Twins at 8-8, including 4-3 at Progressive Field. The Tribe's lead in the A.L. Central Division is at 11 games with 48 remaining. The pitches Berrios threw 97 pitches, 54 (56 percent) for strikes. Kluber threw 117 pitches, 77 (66 percent) for strikes. Thanks for coming The Twins and Indians drew 25,942 on Thursday afternoon. First pitch was at 1:10 p.m. with a temperature of 77 degrees. Next The Indians begin a six-game trip to Chicago and Cincinnati when they take on the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Right-hander Shane Bieber (6-2, 4.58 ERA) will face Chicago lefty Carlos Rodon (3-3, 2.94) on Friday at 8:10 p.m. SportsTime Ohio, WMMS and WTAM will carry the game. It will mark Bieber's first career appearance against the White Sox, the only AL Central team that he has not faced. Bieber is 3-0 with a 3.58 ERA against the rest of the division. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 08.10.2018 Cleveland Indians place OF Leonys Martin on disabled list, recall Greg Allen By Joe Noga, CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Leonys Martin, acquired by the Cleveland Indians in a trade deadline deal with Detroit, has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a "non-baseball condition" the team announced Thursday. Greg Allen has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus to take Martin's spot on the 25-man roster. Martin missed Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field after taking ill overnight following Tuesday's contest, manager Terry Francona said. "He got sick in the middle of the night," Francona said Wednesday. "He got real sick. We're trying to get him straightened out." Indians president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti was unable to offer much in the way of details about Martin's condition other to say that the organization expects the 30-year-old to miss at least 10 days, and potentially longer. "We're not quite sure how long he'll be out," Antonetti said. Martin is hitting .333 with two home runs and four RBI in six games since joining the Indians. The Tribe is 4-2 with Martin in the lineup. "It happened really quickly," Antonetti said. "After the game the other night he just didn't feel well. We're now in the process of getting him assessed and working through the best way to get him healthy." Antonetti said it is unclear whether Martin's condition will force the Indians to make an August trade to acquire additional outfield help. Any trade made after the deadline would require players on both sides clearing waivers. "We'll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team," Antonetti said. "What impact Martin's condition or illness has on that, we're not yet sure." Martin's condition is the latest in a series of setbacks that has cast the Indians outfield into turmoil this season. Bradley Zimmer missed time after crashing into the center field wall at Yankee Stadium, and then saw his season (and perhaps next year, too) end with shoulder surgery after injuring himself in a workout with Triple-A Columbus. Lonnie Chisenhall is on the 60-day disabled list with recurring calf issues and Tyler Naquin underwent surgery on his strained hip.Brandon Guyer (strained neck), missed 22 games beginning in late May. The Tribe's most consistently healthy outfielder has been Michael Brantley, who missed parts of the last two seasons with a variety of injuries including shoulder and ankle surgery. Brantley opened the season on the disabled list and was activated in time for the home opener in April. Antonetti acknowledged that the outfield has been an area where there's been a lot of instability throughout the season, but sounded hopeful that the organization can find some more continuity there in the next two months. "Our depth has definitely been tested It's afforded us the chance to give guys some opportunities to play. Now Greg will be back up here and he'll have an opportunity to continue his development and progression here at the major league level." Allen will be joining the Indians roster for the fifth time this season. He is hitting .224 with a home run and five RBI in 47 big-league games. In his last three appearances with the Indians, he is 5-for-10 with three runs scored. "Greg's done a great job," Antonetti said. "He's really focused on continuing to improve as a player wherever his feet are. If that's in Columbus, great. He's going to take advantage of the opportunities to get better. And if that's here, he's going to try to do that while contributing and trying to help our team win." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 08.10.2018 Reading completes 3-game sweep of Akron RubberDucks By Cliff Pinckard, AKRON, Ohio -- The RubberDucks' struggles at the plate continued Thursday night in a 2-0 loss to Reading, giving the Fightin' Phils a three- game sweep of Akron at Canal Park. Akron right-hander Kyle Dowdy (3-6, 5.40 ERA) was solid, giving up two runs and six hits in seven innings and striking out six. But the RubberDucks had little luck against Reading right-handed starter Felix Paulino (2-0, 3.86 ERA), who allowed only five harmless hits over six innings, striking out three. Akron first baseman Nellie Rodriguez was 2-for-4 and is batting .370 in seven games since joining the RubberDucks. Notes: Things are not going well for the RubberDucks (66-50), who have lost four straight and seven of their past eight. Despite this, they still lead the Western Division of the Class AA Eastern League by 3.5 games. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 08.10.2018 On Greg Allen’s morning scavenger hunt and a new uncertainty in the Indians outfield T.J. Zuppe 7h ago Greg Allen walked through the clubhouse doors and journeyed over to the locker he occupied before his recent demotion. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by an empty space with no nameplate.

Allen, instinctually, began to scan the room.

His locker was no longer along the far wall of the Indians clubhouse. He was no longer neighbors with Francisco Lindor, a space that once belonged to Bradley Zimmer. It wasn’t on the adjacent wall, at least among the group to the left of the pillars and cabinets that shield the lockers of Josh Tomlin, Corey Kluber and Andrew Miller from the front door.

A smile grew on his face as he continued his search.

“It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt,” Allen later said. “I come in, I could be there or there.”

Finally, the switch-hitting center fielder located his nameplate and number, along with the empty space below. He carried a few of his items over to the new location, just one locker down from where he sat earlier this year — a place Melky Cabrera now occupies.

If you haven’t guessed by now, this wasn’t Allen’s first relocation.

“If I have a locker, I’m happy,” he said with a grin. “I’ll take it.”

Moments later, two clubhouse attendants carried over a pair of blue bags, each sporting the logo of the , the Tribe’s Triple-A affiliate. Just more than 12 hours earlier, Allen had thrust all he could into the duffels, an act he’s gotten quite good at this year.

The rookie was informed of his recall Wednesday night. The Clippers were in Durham, North Carolina, in the midst of a rain delay. With little warning, he was given an hour and a half to pack up his baseball gear, get back to his hotel, pack his personal items and jump on a plane with a ticket for Cleveland.

“I think my packing skills have definitely gone up,” Allen said. “Learning how to become a lean packer, kind of taking what I need and leaving what I don’t.” Less than 24 hours later, it was his base hit and stolen base that charged the Indians’ ninth-inning rally and Michael Brantley’s eventual walk-off victory, ending a day that began with a search for Allen’s new locker by finding something much better — home plate and an on-field mosh pit.

“He stepped right in and directly helped us win a game with his bat, with his legs, almost with his glove,” Terry Francona said. “That was exciting.”

If experience is the best teacher, then Allen is nearing a doctorate in unexpected promotions and unfortunate demotions. Owning options is never easy for any player without significant major-league experience, but the majors-minors shuttle has been especially unkind to the young outfielder in 2018.

Allen’s transaction page this season resembles the result of some sort of computer glitch. How else could you explain so much activity? March 22: Indians optioned Allen to Columbus. April 17: Indians recalled Allen from Columbus. April 19: Indians optioned Allen to Columbus. May 6: Indians recalled Allen from Columbus. June 18: Indians optioned Allen to Columbus. July 3: Indians recalled Allen from Columbus. July 19: Indians optioned Allen to Columbus. July 30: Indians recalled Allen from Columbus. August 1: Indians optioned Allen to Columbus. August 9: Indians recalled Allen from Columbus. If it wasn’t wreaking havoc on Allen’s ability to know which area code he currently occupies, you could almost, without feeling much guilt, use his campaign to create your own version of an elevator operator joke.

Hey, Greg, what’s it like being a young player on the Indians?

Well, it has its ups and downs.

“The more times you do something or experience something, the more accustomed you become to it,” Allen said. “It really, I think, helps to allow me to focus on things I need to focus on, which is baseball.”

It’s completely fair to say any time spent in the majors, even under less than ideal circumstances, beats the alternative. Few, if any, would disagree

That said, it’s also not the easiest spot to thrive, and on some level, it leaves you wondering how the constant change of scenery has had an impact on Allen’s development, slashing .232/.264/.305 in 162 major-league plate appearances this season.

“Greg’s done a great job,” Chris Antonetti said after Allen’s latest promotion. “I think he’s really focused on continuing to improve as a player, wherever his feet are. If that’s in Columbus, great. He’s going to take advantage of the opportunities there to get better. And if that’s here, he’s going to try to do that while contributing to helping our team win.”

There have been specific occasions where that has occurred.

Allen has made some terrific grabs in the outfield (notably, his homer-saving catch in Houston), he’s generated 1.4 base-running runs above average with his legs, stealing seven bases (including his key steal Thursday afternoon), and his walk-off homer provided the 14th-inning exclamation point in an improbable May comeback.

But overall, the offense is still, as the organization has conceded, a “work in progress,” and with injuries crippling the Tribe’s outfield depth this season, Allen also represents one of the last lines of defense among a thin group.

Adding to the complexities of the puzzle, the reason for Allen’s promotion, Leonys Martín’s undisclosed illness, leaves the organization with an additional uncertainty, one they hoped would be remedied by the 30-year-old’s addition from the Tigers at the deadline.

Now, with the veteran who was expected to command the fatter side of the center field platoon out at least 10 days, potentially more, a group that would have already benefited from an August waiver pickup will see its depth tested again. And with no real clarity on what Martín is experiencing — the club is not permitted to share details of any “non-baseball condition” — it’s really difficult to project the near future and beyond.

“We’ll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team,” Antonetti said. “What impact Martín’s condition or illness has on that, we’re not yet sure.”

Fortunately for Allen, the byproduct of the uncertainty creates another big-league stint. Like every one before, no one is sure how long it will last. But he’ll appreciate it, even if it sends him on a never-ending quest to find his latest space within the clubhouse walls.

“You kind of grow to understand the nature and the business of things,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, whether it’s here or somewhere else, really, it’s about finding ways to help your team win.”

— Reported from Cleveland Covering the Bases: Game 114 by Jordan Bastian FIRST: In the wake of Wednesday’s walk-off win, after Francisco Lindor got out of his Gatorade-stained and dirt-caked uniform, and after washed all the baby powder out of his hair, the All-Star shortstop made a declaration.

“Next time,” Lindor said, “I’ll be the one with the powder.”

Next time arrived on Thursday afternoon.

For the second game in a row, the Indians won in walk-off fashion. With rookie Greg Allen on third base, Michael Brantley pulled a pitch from Addison Reed through the drawn-in infield and into right field. Allen sprinted home and the mayhem was on.

Did Lindor grab the baby powder? Let’s walk through the latest party at Progressive Field

First to arrive: Lindor After Brantley rounded first base, he turned around, took a deep breath and smiled — knowing what was coming. Lindor was the first teammate to complete the run from the third-base dugout to Brantley, but no, the shortstop was not carrying any baby powder.

Instead, Lindor and Brantley shared a two-handed high-five and then the shortstop gave a series of friendly slaps atop the helmet. Allen, who continued running after crossing the plate, was a split-second behind and started tugging at the back of Brantley’s jersey.

The initial dousing: Jason Kipnis There was plenty of Gatorade and water to come, but the first splash came courtesy of the Tribe’s veteran . Armed with a small bottle of red Gatorade, Kipnis emptied the contents on Brantley’s head, which remained protected by his helmet.

Jersey removal: Edwin Encarnacion Encarnacion is a big man, so it’s no surprise that he took it upon himself to slap away Brantley’s helmet and then to start pulling at the outfielder’s jersey. The tried-and-true method is the hockey-fight approach. Grab the bottom of the back and start hiking it up over the head.

The drink-carrier carrier: Erik Gonzalez This move was perfected by Lonnie Chisenhall a few seasons ago. In the Tribe dugout, there is a large circular drink tray. When a walk-off is in motion, players will fill cups and load up the carrier. It makes for an overwhelming dousing when utilized properly. For Brantley’s walk-off, Gonzalez embraced his utility role, carrying the tray to the mob and hoisting it over Brantley for maximum splashing.

The powder king: Carlos Carrasco During Wednesday’s win, Carrasco retrieved a bottle of baby powder from the tunnel behind the dugout and surprised Lindor at the plate with the celebratory cloud. The pitcher declared this “the new Cookie thing” after the game and he awaited the perfect moment to strike on Thursday.

Carrasco started to pour when the jersey was stuck over Brantley’s head. Once the outfielder pulled the top off, Carrasco swooped in to complete the job. He squeezed and shook the bottle, covering Brantley’s head, back and neck in the white powder.

The finishing move: Yan Gomes Just when Brantley thought the (powder) smoke had cleared, Gomes charged in with a water bottle in each hand. He spent the preceding seconds spraying other teammates. Now, he moved in with some aggressive flicks of the wrists. Brantley could only stand there — eyes scrunched tight — as the water made the lingering layer of powder all the more annoying.

Showing mercy: Jose Ramirez The real damage had been done. Trevor Bauer completed a point-blank cup-of-water-to-the-face maneuver. Other teammates got their jabs in. After Gomes’ strike, Ramirez walked over, slapped hands with Brantley and then gave him a gentle pat on the back. For a guy who nearly takes teammates’ hands off with power high-fives, it was an admirable show of mercy.

Showing admiration: Andrew Miller As the chaos calmed, the biggest man of them all stood off to the side, soaking it all in. Then, Miller began to clap. He is too important to the Tribe’s October chances to be in the thick of a mosh pit. Miller, gentleman athlete, merely took the time to applaud the game’s ending.

“I’ll take the [beating], as long as we’re winning,” Brantley said with a smile. “It’s tough. You get some Gatorade, get some powder, you name it is coming at you. It’s a win, everybody gets to celebrate. We get to have a happy flight.”

SECOND: The Columbus Clippers were in the middle of a rain delay in Durham on Wednesday night when Greg Allen found out he was needed in Cleveland again. This would be his fifth stint in the Majors this year.

“I think my packing skills have definitely gone up this year,” Allen said. “I’m learning how to become a lean packer, and kind of taking what I need and leaving what I don’t.”

And when he got to Progressive Field, Allen discovered his locker was not where it was last time he was with the Tribe. It’s actually been moved around a few times this season.

“It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt,” he joked. “I come in, I could be there or there. I think I bounced around to probably two or three lockers this year. If I have a locker, I’m happy. So, I’ll take it.”

Allen was promoted in light of a sudden, unexpected development with center fielder Leonys Martin. Late Tuesday night, Martin became ill and it worsened to the point of requiring a trip to the 10-day disabled list. Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, said Martin may even be out longer.

So, Allen gets another chance with the Indians, who know he’s still a developing player. With Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin and Bradley Zimmer also out, though, Cleveland’s message to Allen has been — developing or not — he needs to help the team win.

“Greg’s done a great job,” Antonetti said. “I think he’s really focused on continuing to improve as a player wherever his feet are. If that’s in Columbus, great. He’s going to take advantage of the opportunities there to get better. And, if that’s here, he’s going to try to do that while contributing to helping our team win.”

Allen put that on display in the ninth inning.

First, Allen pulled a pitch from Reed into right field for a single. Then, the rookie stole second against the reliever, who had only allowed two thefts in the past three seasons combined. Allen was on his own on the play and showed off his confidence and conviction by taking that bag.

“Man, we need that,” Rajai Davis said. “[Reed’s] right around 1.3 [to the plate], so that’s like, ‘You’ve got to get a jump.’ But, he gave him an opportunity. He was able to take a little bit of a lead, so he got him.”

To Davis’ point, runners on first base have taken a secondary lead of at least 20 feet only 19 times out of 222 recorded instances vs. Reed this season, per Statcast. Allen managed a secondary lead of 21.9 feet and hit a 29.3 Sprint Speed on the 4.12-second run to second.

When Allen arrived just ahead of the throw from catcher Bobby Wilson, the rookie slapped the dirt three times in celebration.

“That’s just being in the moment of the game,” Allen said. “At that point, every baserunner, getting into scoring position, [you know]how crucial that can be. So really, I was just being in the moment.”

Lindor grounded out to first, moving Allen to third base and setting up Brantley’s decisive hit.

“Phenomenal job,” Brantley said. “Obviously, he led off the inning with a single, and that’s a big base to steal right there in that time. Addison Reed slide-steps to the plate. So, he did a great job of getting to second and then Frankie did a good job of getting him over and putting me in that situation.

“That’s a team run right there all the way around and thanks to those two guys, I got put in that opportunity.”

THIRD: I felt that Indians manager Terry Francona summed up ace Corey Kluber’s outing in the best way possible.

“I thought he deserved better.”

The final line looks like this: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 117 pitches (77 strikes). Francona’s comment is linked to the three runs that crossed the plate on the homer Kluber gave up to Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning. That pulled the game into a 4–4 tie.

Now, to be fair, Kluber fell behind Polanco and this was the location of the cutter that got crushed:

“I was trying to go cutter in,” Kluber explained. “I got it maybe inner-third instead of on the edge or off. He put a good swing on it.”

It was what happened one play earlier that gets to the heart of Francona’s quote.

Eddie Rosario sent a pitch from Kluber to deep right field for what looked like a catchable fly ball. Statcast backs up the ol’ eye test, detailing that the play came with a 99-percent catch probability. Melky Cabrera found the other one-percent when he jumped and had the ball kick off his glove on the warning track. That put runners on first and second with one out and put Polanco in a position to tie the game. After the home run, Kluber struck out Miguel Sano looking (he flipped his bat away in anger over the call) and then Mex Kepler swinging (he slammed his bat into the ground in anger over the swing).

“We got the fly ball,” Francona said. “We all thought it was a fly ball [out] and it just carried. Melky didn’t get behind it and it ended up getting up against the wall. Then, [Kluber] left a cutter middle of the plate to Polanco.”

Kluber walked away with a no-decision.

“I couldn’t care less about if I get a win or the bullpen gets a win,” said the ace. “The bottom line is, we won the game.”

HOME: Miller looked a lot like Andrew Miller in the ninth inning. His appearance spanned three batters and it looked like the lefty took a step forward in his ongoing return to form since coming off the DL. “Boy, I thought he took a big one,” Francona said. “That was by far the best outing he’s had.”

Miller threw 11 pitches, including seven strikes. He induced a groundout against Sano, created an infield pop-out from Kepler and then finished off the frame with a of Ehire Adrianza, who tossed away his bat before spiking his helmet into the ground.

In his first three appearances off the DL, Miller averaged 91.8 mph on his fastball — down from 93.1 mph on average over the first two months of the season. Against the Twins, he averaged 93.9 mph and topped out at 94.7 mph.

Miller reiterated that the recent drop in velo has more to do with confidence in his mechanics than anything else.

“I’ve known it’s in there,” Miller said. “My catch game has been really good. It’s just a matter of getting in position and feeling comfortable in my mechanics, so I can really put my foot on the gas.

“Today, I think was a good step forward. As nice as it is with my fastball, my breaking ball improves with it as well. So, I’ll take it.”

Miller said, in his opinion, his most important pitch of the game was a 3–2 fastball that ended the battle with Sano. It’s the green in-play dot in the graphic here: “I knew if I executed one, I liked my chances,” Miller said. “I had missed with a couple in that at-bat. I thought they served a purpose, but to bear down and throw a good one 3–2 was me getting back into right amount of aggression I need with the style of pitching that I have and feel most comfortable in.

“I think that kind of set the tone for the next two guys. That, for me, was probably my biggest step forward in the whole outing.”

Antonetti: “We’re not quite sure yet how long he’ll be out.” by Jordan Bastian Prior to Thursday’s game against the Twins, Chris Antonetti, the Indians’ president of baseball operations, met with media to discuss center fielder Leonys Martin. The team placed Martin on the 10-day DL due to a non-disclosed illness.

Antonetti: “We placed him on the disabled list with a non-baseball related medical condition. And because it isn’t baseball related, we really can’t get into details other than to say he’ll be out at least 10 days and potentially longer. We’re not quite sure yet how long he’ll be out. That’s the update I can provide on Leonys.”

Q: It was described as “illness” on Wednesday. Is there anything else you can say on it?

Antonetti: “I can’t get into specifics other than it’s non-baseball related and he’s got an illness that he’s working through.”

Q: Did this catch you by surprise?

Antonetti: “It happened really quickly. After the game the [Tuesday] night, he just didn’t feel well. That’s what Tito disclosed the other day. We’re now in the process of kind of getting him assessed and working through the best way to get him healthy.”

Q: Is Martin here or in the hospital?

Antonetti: “I don’t believe I can share that, sorry. There are very tight rules with what I’m permitted to share and not permitted to share, because it’s not a baseball-related injury.”

Q: Does it feel like your outfield has been snake bit this season?

Antonetti: “Our depth has definitely been tested. It’s afforded us the chance to give guys some opportunities to play. And now Greg [Allen] will be back up here and he’ll have an opportunity to continue his development and progression here at the Major League level, while contributing to help us win games. But, it’s been an area where there’s been a lot of instability over the course of the season. Hopefully, over the next two months, we can find some more continuity there.”

Q: Is there ever concern about how shuttling back and forth between the Majors and Minors — like Allen has this year — can hurt a player’s development?

Antonetti: “Yeah, we’re very cognizant of that and that’s why we try to do the best we can to over-communicate with players in those circumstances, so they’re very clear on what the messaging is both in terms of their development and specifically what’s in their control. What’re the things that they can do to make sure that they are prepared and ready to be the best option for us? But then also, things that are outside of their control. There are just some things, whether it’s guys that have options vs. guys that don’t, or how the roster is constructed that can impact guys’ opportunities. We try to be really transparent and over-communicate those things with them. And it’s not easy for guys that bounce back and forth and we’re cognizant of that.”

Q: How do you think Allen has handled it this year?

Antonetti: “Greg’s done a great job. I think he’s really focused on continuing to improve as a player wherever his feet are. If that’s in Columbus, great. He’s going to take advantage of the opportunities there to get better. And, if that’s here, he’s going to try to do that while contributing to helping our team win.” Q: Is the Martin issue serious enough to warrant looking externally for more outfield help?

Antonetti: “We don’t know yet. I will say more broadly that we’ll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team. What impact Martin’s condition or illness has on that, we’re not yet sure.”

Q: What have you thought of how Brad Hand and Adam Cimber have altered the look of the bullpen?

Antonetti: “Yeah, they’ve provided some stability down there for us and given Tito some more options. I think not just them alone, but those guys combined with some of the guys that really helped solidify our bullpen earlier, and now with Andrew returning, we’re beginning to feel that we have a semblance of a bullpen that’s capable of being a strength of our team. Both Brad and Adam have done a good job of doing that. Brad, specifically, has come in and really shut down some teams in meaningful spots of games.”

Q: Is there anything new on Bradley Zimmer since his right shoulder surgery?

Antonetti: “Nothing new other than he did have surgery and he’s now kind of in the recovery period. But, that’s not something where there will be kind of weekly updates. We’re more measuring that probably in months than weeks.”

Q: How did Josh Tomlin’s outing with Double-A Akron go on Wednesday?

Antonetti: “Josh had a good rehab outing. His velocity was ticking up. He felt pretty good about his mechanics. His body felt good, so hopefully he’s on a good path and now we can continue to build up volume for him. Last night was an encouraging step.”

Q: Could Tyler Naquin be an option before the season’s over?

Antonetti: “It’s still a little bit undetermined. It’ll be right there on the edge of if he’s available or not. Some of that will be dependent upon just how quickly he gets through the initial phases of the rehab process. So, he’ll be right there at the edge, if he’s able to or not.”

Q: And Lonnie Chisenhall?

Antonetti: “Lonnie’s started to progress. We’re hopeful that we can find a way. I think Lonnie shared with you that he’s keeping an eye on the calendar and so are we, because he could be right at the edge of being available to get in Minor League games either before the end of the season or in the postseason. And that would be ideal, because then he’s getting an opportunity to build reps in the Minor Leagues rather than only having September to do it up here. But, we do expect Lonnie to be back before the end of the season.”

Clippers 5, Bulls 4 | Eric Haase’s homer in 9th lifts Clippers Eric Haase’s solo home run in the top of the ninth inning gave the Clippers a 5-4 victory over the before a crowd of 8,692 on Thursday night at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Yandy Diaz and Brandon Barnes gave Columbus a 2-0 lead in the first with an RBI single and RBI double, respectively. Eric Stamets gave the Clippers a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning with a two-run home run to left field.

Durham tied it at 4 with a pair of two-run homers by Nathaniel Lowe and Adam Moore in the fourth.

Ben Taylor came in to get the final out in the ninth and register his ninth save of the season.

Tyler Olson (2-1) got the win in relief, striking out four in 1 2/3 innings.

Durham reliever Mike Franko (3-3) gave up Haase’s homer and took the loss.

Rob Brantley and Diaz were both 2 for 3 and Stamets drove in two runs for the Clippers, who had eight hits overall.

Clippers starter Ryan Merritt pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up five hits and four earned runs while striking out four.

Francisco Lindor helping Indians round into form at right time Bradford DoolittleESPN Staff Writer The Cleveland Indians clearly benefit from being the big dog in a kennel full of runts. That doesn't mean Cleveland can't break baseball's longest championship drought.

The Indians' uneven season seems to be picking up momentum lately. You'll get that feeling after a game like Wednesday's, when franchise face Francisco Lindor popped a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give Cleveland a 5-2 win over Minnesota. It was the second game-ending home run of Lindor's career. This one came with two outs, setting off one of those boilerplate celebrations at Progressive Field. You know the scene: The hero hits a home run. He celebrates around the bases, becoming more euphoric with each step. He might or might not throw his batting helmet. (Lindor chose the former option.) He leaps onto home plate, then he and his teammates do the pogo-stick dance. It's a formula so ancient that if he were still around, Joseph Campbell would write a book about it.

Anyway, in any normal season, Lindor would be a leading MVP candidate. Entering the day, he was on pace to put up 8.7 WAR, per FanGraphs. That's fourth in all of baseball. Unfortunately, the three players ahead of Lindor -- teammate Jose Ramirez, Angels star and Boston's -- all reside in the junior circuit and all are threatening to break double digits in WAR. Meanwhile, the top position player in the National League -- St. Louis' Matt Carpenter -- is on pace for 6.9 WAR. A magician in the field, electrifying on the bases and dangerous at the plate, the Cubs star has a legitimate case to be the NL's most valuable player.

As I wrote Tuesday, Cleveland has feasted on the weak competition within the AL Central. With Wednesday's win, the Indians are 34-16 within the division and 29-34 against everyone else. The Indians have faced baseball's easiest schedule so far this season, and they face the easiest schedule going down the stretch. The win gave the Indians a 10-game bulge over the Twins for the division lead. It's over.

So it's important to focus on the quality of Cleveland's play, within context, as opposed to its actual record. There won't be many chances for the Indians to prove their mettle against quality opponents before October. They have two series left against the Red Sox, but the rest of their matchups are against the Central and a few other second-division opponents from other divisions.

Luckily, Cleveland's quality of play has been on the uptick of late. After Wednesday, the Indians are on pace to finish with a plus-161 run differential, a pace that is at its highest level since early April. Cleveland is likely to finish the regular season out of the spotlight, if only because of the lack of stakes at play in their games. But this is a team that is very much rounding into form.

Lindor's heroics came exactly a year since the last two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth homer to win a game for Cleveland. That one was by catcher Yan Gomes. That dinger turned out to be at the vanguard of a historic sprint to the finish for last year's Tribe. Beginning with the Gomes game, Cleveland went on to finish the season with a 43-10 run.

Could Lindor's blast on Wednesday herald a similar breakout?

Indians top Twins 5-4 on Michael Brantley's single in 9th By STEVE HERRICK Associated PressPublished on Aug. 10, 2018 CLEVELAND (AP) — Michael Brantley knew what was coming after giving the Cleveland Indians their second straight walk-off victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Brantley was mobbed by his teammates as he rounded first base following his ninth-inning single that gave Cleveland a 5-4 win Thursday.

RELATED Lindor's 3-run homer gives Indians 5-2 win over Twins Cleveland’s All-Star left fielder did his best to avoid the various items poured over his head.

“It’s tough,” Brantley said. “You’ve got some Gatorade. Some (baby) powder. You name it. It’s coming at you.”

The latest celebration took place about 18 hours after Francisco Lindor hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning Wednesday night for a 5-2 victory.

While Thursday’s party was a bit more subdued, the Indians persevered after Minnesota rallied from a 4-0 deficit against reigning AL Award winner Corey Kluber.

Brantley grounded a 2-1 pitch off Addison Reed (1-6) past a diving Miguel Sano at first base to score Greg Allen. Brantley avoided over- analyzing the moment.

“I try to clear my mind,” he said. “It’s really too hard to think and hit. Just keep it simple and try to get that run the best you can.”

“It’s nice to have him up in that situation,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “You know the at-bat’s not going to get ahead of him or be too big.”

The Indians lead Minnesota by 11 games in the AL Central and are 35-16 against division foes this season. Sano’s ninth-inning home run off Cody Allen tied Wednesday’s game, but the Twins lost on Lindor’s blast.

“Walk-offs are obviously not satisfying,” Twins manager Paul Molitor. “But this was a little different from last night in that we got behind against a really good pitcher.”

Allen, called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, started the rally with a single off Reed and stole second with Lindor batting. Lindor’s groundout to first moved Allen to third.

Andrew Miller (2-3) struck out a batter in the ninth. The left-hander made his fourth appearance since missing two months because of an inflamed right knee.

Jake Cave’s fifth-inning sacrifice fly scored a run for Minnesota. Jorge Polanco hit his first home run of the season — a three-run shot in the sixth — to tie the game.

Polanco missed the first 80 games of the season because of a suspension for violating baseball’s drug program.

Kluber appeared to be closing in on his 15th win, which would have tied him for the AL lead with New York’s Luis Severino.

Bobby Wilson singled to lead off the sixth. Eddie Rosario hit a towering fly to right with one out. Melky Cabrera drifted to the wall and attempted a leaping catch, but the ball popped out his glove as he fell to the ground and Roasrio was credited with a single.

Polanco followed with his home run to right on a 1-0 pitch. Kluber struck out the next two hitters and stranded a runner in the seventh, but was done for the day after 117 pitches.

“I could care less about if I get a win or the bullpen gets a win,” Kluber said. “The bottom line is, we won the game.”

Lindor had three RBIs. Yonder Alonso, who started the game in a 3-for-36 slump, hit a leadoff homer in the second.

Twins starter Jose Berrios allowed four runs and walked a career-high six batters in four innings.

Cleveland outfielder Leyons Martin was placed on the 10-day disabled list. He has an unspecified illness, and Indians President Chris Antonetti said Martin could be out for longer than 10 days.

GET TO TOWN FAST Allen was waiting out a rain delay in Durham, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he was told he would replace Martin.

“I found out about 7:15-7:20,” Allen said. “They told me I had to be on a flight like an hour and a half later. So I had to quickly pack up everything, get to the hotel and pack that stuff up, and get to the airport. It was a pretty quick turn of events.”

KEY MOMENT Polanco is batting .280 with 13 RBIs in 33 games since being reinstated on July 2. His first home run couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It gives me great confidence because Kluber is one of the best pitchers in the league,” Polanco said. “I’ve just been trying to put good contact on the ball since I came back from the suspension.”

TRAINER’S ROOM Twins: OF Robbie Grossman (strained right hamstring), who was placed on the disabled list Aug. 6, will join the team in Detroit to continue his rehab.

Indians: RHP Josh Tomlin (strained right hamstring) threw three scoreless innings on a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron on Wednesday.

UP NEXT Twins: RHP Ervin Santana (0-0, 6.14 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season in the series opener at Detroit, facing Tigers RHP Jordan Zimmermann (4-4, 4.31 ERA).

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (6-2, 4.58 ERA) takes on White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (3-3, 2.94 ERA) as Cleveland begins a six-game trip.

Captains trying to stay focused amid recent woes By David Glasier, The News-Herald Baseball managers do more than manage games and players.

When teams are going well, they manage expectations.

When losses pile on losses, they manage perceptions.

The Captains have done a lot of losing the last couple of weeks. With a 4-0 loss to the Fort Wayne (Ind.) TinCaps on Aug. 9, they’ve been beaten in 11 of their last 15 games. They are 18-27 in the second half of the Midwest League season and 47-68 overall.

The Captains sent 29 batters to the plate on Aug. 9, two over the minimum, against three Fort Wayne pitchers. All the Lake County batters had to show for their night’s labors were singles by Oscar Gonzalez in the bottom of the fourth inning and Will Benson in the bottom of the eighth inning.

A lot of that had to do with quality pitching by the TinCaps.

Starter and eventual winner Osvaldo Hernandez (10-4, 1.81 ERA), owner of the league’s lowest ERA, blanked them over six innings with five strikeouts. Relievers Reise Knehr and Jose Quezada completed the whitewash.

Lake County starter Francisco Perez (8-9, 4/15 ERA) took the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Twenty-four games stand between the Captains and the end of what’s been a downbeat season record-wise.

Captains manager Luke Carlin isn’t buying the perception that all the losses of late have robbed his team of its spirit.

“We definitely have addressed the situation,” Carlin said. “It’s a mind-in-the-moment challenge for the players. They need to stay focused on today. We still need to get better and do things better.” To be sure, Carlin isn’t offering a pie-in-the-sky outlook on how the final 3 1/2 weeks of the season will unfold.

“It will be interesting. I don’t know,” he said. “What I do now is that as a staff and as an organization, the process does not change. Our job is to develop players and we have a pretty good history of doing that.”

Leonys Martin placed on DL with non-baseball condition By The Associated Press CLEVELAND >> Cleveland Indians president Chris Antonetti isn’t sure how long Leonys Martin will be sidelined after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a non-baseball related condition Thursday.

Antonetti said Martin, who became sick Tuesday night and didn’t play Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins, could be out for longer than 10 days.

“He’s got an illness that he’s working through,” Antonetti said. “It happened really quickly. After the game the other night, he just didn’t feel well. We’re now in the process of getting him assessed and working through the best way to get him healthy.”

Antonetti wouldn’t say if Martin has been hospitalized. Manager Terry Francona said before Wednesday’s game that Martin was dealing with an intestinal issue. Martin is batting .333 with two home runs and four RBIs in six games since being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. He’s hitting .255 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs overall in 84 games.

Outfielder Greg Allen was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. The Indians have been dealing with injuries to all season and hoped adding Martin would provide stability.

Additional moves for an outfielder might be made before the Aug. 31 trade deadline for players who have cleared waivers.

“We’ll continue to spend the month of August looking for opportunities to improve our team,” Antonetti said. “What impact Martin’s condition or illness has on that, we’re not yet sure.” Antonetti expects outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, who has played in only 29 games because of calf injures, to return this season. Outfielder Tyler Naquin had surgery on his right hip on Aug. 3 and could be back before the season ends.

Jose Abreu is red hot after working his way out of a prolonged slump Phil Rogers You don’t use much ink (or space in cyberspace) listing the hitters who have delivered at least 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in each of their first four seasons in the major leagues. There are three of them: Joe DiMaggio, Albert Pujols and Jose Abreu. That’s it. Quite a club, huh? The DiMaggio streak of 25/100 went six years, and Pujols’ lasted an astonishing 10 years. Abreu seemed unlikely to keep his alive not that long ago but has been one of baseball’s most productive hitters since the All-Star break. He’s suddenly well on his way to moving within one season of DiMaggio, as the Indians will see for themselves this weekend at Guaranteed Rate Field. Abreu endured arguably the longest slump of his career just before the All-Star break. He had gone 17-for-108 with only two home runs over 28 games, which prompted him to apologize to his teammates when he was elected to the American League All-Star team. By his standards, he was letting down his team. But Abreu never stopped working, never abandoned his consistent approach in favor of swinging for the fences. “He was working on trying to stay strong in the middle (or hit) to the other way of the diamond,’’ White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He didn’t deviate from that. He knew at some point he would find his rhythm, his stroke, his timing. He stayed with it, he didn’t get frustrated, didn’t panic. Worked through it and now you can see he has a sense of his timing.’’ Abreu drove in all three runs in the White Sox’s 13-inning loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night, including two with a game-tying homer in the 10th inning. He was 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double on Wednesday night, and is red hot. Since the All-Star break, he is hitting .347 with seven home runs and a 1.144 OPS. “I feel completely different to what I was feeling probably a month, month and a half ago,’’ Abreu said. “I worked hard to try to overcome that rough moment that I was passing through. I have the support of a lot of people around me and that’s important. I learned a lot during that moment.’’ Something clicked for Abreu — most likely an adjustment in how he held his hands — when the White Sox visited Anaheim for the second series after the All-Star break. Abreu homered off the Angels’ Jose Barria on July 23, then delivered a two-home-run game against the Angels’ Nick Tropeano and three days later, in the last of four games there. He’s hitting .381 with seven homers and 15 RBIs in his last 16 games. While Abreu’s .817 OPS is the lowest of his career (but only barely), he’s raised his season totals to .269, 20 homers and 67 RBIs. He’s on a pace for 28 home runs and 95 RBIs, although the recent trend seems to suggest he can easily exceed those numbers. “I proved to myself right now that I’m able to overcome those situations and now I’m just happy and I’m just trying to enjoy this moment,’’ Abreu said. “But at the same time I’m trying to keep moving forward. I want to finish the season strong.’’ Chicago Tribune LOADED: 08.10.2018 Column: A White Sox rebuild question: Will Yoan Moncada ever learn how to learn at this level? Steve Rosenbloom Amid a wave of criticism for continuing to play the deeply disappointing Yoan Moncada, White Sox manager Rick Renteria showed confidence in his young second baseman by batting him leadoff and saying he doesn’t look like he needs a rest. And Moncada promptly responded by following a four-strikeout game Tuesday that raised his dubious league lead to 161 with a game in which he struck out only twice. Only. Hey, everybody! Progress! There’s nothing wrong with playing Moncada at this level in a season the Sox gave away last year. There’s everything wrong with his lack of improvement. That’s the only thing this season has been about: Individual improvement of players expected to be here if the Sox ever contend again. We hear about improvement all over the Sox farm system. We hear about it with pitchers Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease and outfielder Eloy Jimenez. Man, do we hear it about Jimenez. But rarely do we hear it about Moncada. At the major-league level, where they play the best baseball, Moncada, the position-player jewel of the Chris Sale trade, has proved unreliable and sometimes sleepy in the field while showing almost no consistency at the plate. Not to pick on the kid, but look, Moncada was the first hood ornament of hope the Sox brought to the majors as part of their rebuild. Fair or not, the organization put that label on Moncada. The care and feeding of a top-rated prospect, then, is on the organization. The prospect also must show he's worth it. We knew progress wouldn’t be linear, and it hasn’t been. But progress has been hard to find when a guy shows improvement one month and goes bad for two. Hope is hard to grasp when a leadoff man gets some rest during the All-Star break and comes out of it with a .250 on-base percentage. Young players regularly display inconsistency. Whatever Moncada calls “that feeling’’ has been elusive. He apparently hasn’t learned how to be aggressive regularly and how to stack good at-bats. That’s just to get started, because remember, if he ever lives up to the hype, teams will adjust, and then he’ll have to learn how to deal with that. Will Moncada ever learn how to learn at the major-league level? That’s his job. Can the Sox teach him? That’s their job. Moncada and the franchise have about seven weeks to show they understand that an important part of the foundation of the rebuild depends on it. Sox center fielder Adam Engel made spectacular leaping catches above the fence to rob the Yankees of homers Monday and Tuesday, but if he was going to do it again Wednesday on Giancarlo Stanton’s grand slam, Engel would’ve needed to be bartender in the Craft Kave. Cubs manager Joe Maddon was optimistic after a simulated game in which threw 33 pitches, or pretty much Jose Quintana’s second inning. Quintana with control problems against the miserable and embarrassing Royals followed by Tyler Chatwood. Why do the Cubs hate us? Yeah, Cubs fans, Joe West calls balls and strikes as if nobody bought his country music CD, but Royals starter Heath Fillmyer didn’t seem to have trouble getting outs. Maybe it’s just me, but getting shut out by the dreadful Royals is not the best way to begin a stretch against the Nationals, Brewers and Pirates, all of whom are over .500. Said Anthony Rizzo: “It’s a matter of staying focused, playing one game at a time and staying in that moment.” Who knows if this offense and starting staff can show any stinkin’ consistency at the same time after losing three of seven to the dog-breath Padres and Royals, but Rizzo has made sure nobody in the bigs can match the Cubs’ cliche game. It appears the NHL hacked the NBA offices because the Christmas Day basketball schedule features some Eastern Conference games. Email from Rob S.: “Riddle me this Bearsman: Can a GM with a 14-34 record who’s now had 4 top 10 picks (2 as yet unproven, and 1 bust) REALLY afford to blow up his 4th top 10 pick with a contract stalemate? And be the ONLY nfl GM that can’t get his pick signed in the process???’’ Regarding Bears titular GM Ryan Pace, as Otter told Boon while Bluto was screaming about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor in “Animal House,’’ forget it, he's rolling. What’s up, Matt Stairs? Chicago Tribune LOADED: 08.10.2018 1143062 Chicago White Sox