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CLEVELAND ( SALAZAR )
TORONTO ( PRICE ) |
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| 963 | CLEVELAND | +1.5,-120 | +1.5,-110 | | 964 | TORONTO | -1.5,+100 | -1.5,-110 |
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| All Games | 63-66 | -15.3 | 63-64 | 4.1 | 0.257 | 0.325 | 0.394 | 0.719 | 4.1 | 0.239 | 0.294 | 0.392 | 0.686 | | Road Games | 34-32 | +1.4 | 26-38 | 3.7 | 0.242 | 0.309 | 0.377 | 0.686 | 3.5 | 0.222 | 0.279 | 0.359 | 0.638 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 17-28 | -14.9 | 18-27 | 3.3 | 0.242 | 0.303 | 0.372 | 0.675 | 4.3 | 0.248 | 0.311 | 0.391 | 0.702 | | Past 7 Games | 6-1 | +5.4 | 4-3 | 6.0 | 0.311 | 0.394 | 0.496 | 0.889 | 2.7 | 0.197 | 0.251 | 0.381 | 0.632 | | Night Games | 42-41 | -6.5 | 39-43 | 4.1 | 0.256 | 0.319 | 0.395 | 0.715 | 4.1 | 0.233 | 0.288 | 0.393 | 0.680 |
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| All Games | 4.1 | 0.257 | 0.325 | 129 | 4362 | 1120 | 242 | 19 | 106 | 0.394 | 510 | 444 | 925 | 70 | 938 | 128 | 69 | 113 | 62 | | Road Games | 3.7 | 0.242 | 0.309 | 66 | 2237 | 541 | 101 | 8 | 62 | 0.377 | 235 | 218 | 472 | 39 | 454 | 73 | 35 | 48 | 35 | | Lefty Starters | 3.3 | 0.242 | 0.303 | 45 | 1485 | 359 | 72 | 5 | 37 | 0.372 | 145 | 131 | 313 | 12 | 302 | 59 | 21 | 43 | 29 |
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| All Games | 3.24 | 1.277 | 355.7 | 159 | 128 | 333 | 33 | 121 | 351 | 14-14 | 31 | 9 | 77.5% | | Road Games | 3.43 | 1.313 | 154.7 | 64 | 59 | 143 | 13 | 60 | 157 | 8-7 | 19 | 4 | 82.6% |
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| All Games | 74-56 | +8.9 | 62-60 | 5.5 | 0.265 | 0.333 | 0.451 | 0.784 | 4.0 | 0.249 | 0.301 | 0.399 | 0.700 | | Home Games | 43-23 | +11 | 26-38 | 5.7 | 0.277 | 0.348 | 0.486 | 0.834 | 3.5 | 0.228 | 0.279 | 0.372 | 0.650 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 54-42 | +8.6 | 44-44 | 5.4 | 0.261 | 0.330 | 0.444 | 0.774 | 3.9 | 0.245 | 0.300 | 0.387 | 0.686 | | Past 7 Games | 6-1 | +4.8 | 5-2 | 8.6 | 0.327 | 0.415 | 0.598 | 1.013 | 3.4 | 0.273 | 0.316 | 0.387 | 0.703 | | Turf Games | 43-23 | +11 | 26-38 | 5.7 | 0.277 | 0.348 | 0.486 | 0.834 | 3.5 | 0.228 | 0.279 | 0.372 | 0.650 | | Night Games | 44-35 | +2.4 | 40-35 | 5.5 | 0.260 | 0.327 | 0.447 | 0.774 | 4.1 | 0.250 | 0.304 | 0.400 | 0.704 |
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| All Games | 5.5 | 0.265 | 0.333 | 130 | 4402 | 1168 | 245 | 11 | 184 | 0.451 | 683 | 446 | 910 | 65 | 814 | 132 | 72 | 116 | 53 | | Home Games | 5.7 | 0.277 | 0.348 | 66 | 2163 | 599 | 137 | 3 | 103 | 0.486 | 364 | 236 | 408 | 29 | 416 | 61 | 29 | 53 | 28 | | Righty Starters | 5.4 | 0.261 | 0.330 | 96 | 3252 | 850 | 173 | 7 | 136 | 0.444 | 494 | 331 | 687 | 48 | 610 | 87 | 54 | 89 | 41 |
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| All Games | 3.12 | 1.087 | 378 | 143 | 131 | 309 | 38 | 102 | 371 | 16-21 | 28 | 17 | 62.2% | | Home Games | 2.78 | 1.030 | 191.3 | 65 | 59 | 159 | 17 | 38 | 190 | 6-8 | 13 | 8 | 61.9% |
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| 8/17/2015 | SALAZAR(R) | @ BOSTON | BARNES(R) | 8-2 | W | -115 | 9 ov | O | 10 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | | 8/18/2015 | BAUER(R) | @ BOSTON | RODRIGUEZ(L) | 1-9 | L | 125 | 9.5 un | O | 6 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 0 | | 8/19/2015 | KLUBER(R) | @ BOSTON | KELLY(R) | 4-6 | L | -135 | 9 un | O | 8 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | | 8/20/2015 | TOMLIN(R) | @ NY YANKEES | NOVA(R) | 3-2 | W | 140 | 8.5 un | U | 8 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | | 8/21/2015 | CARRASCO(R) | @ NY YANKEES | TANAKA(R) | 7-3 | W | 115 | 7 ev | O | 12 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 | | 8/22/2015 | SALAZAR(R) | @ NY YANKEES | SEVERINO(R) | 2-6 | L | 120 | 7.5 un | O | 6 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 0 | | 8/23/2015 | BAUER(R) | @ NY YANKEES | SABATHIA(L) | 4-3 | W | 140 | 8.5 ov | U | 9 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 | | 8/24/2015 | KLUBER(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | LESTER(L) | 1-2 | L | 120 | 7.5 ov | U | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | | 8/25/2015 | TOMLIN(R) | MILWAUKEE | PERALTA(R) | 11-6 | W | -170 | 8 un | O | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | | 8/26/2015 | ANDERSON(R) | MILWAUKEE | NELSON(R) | 6-2 | W | -130 | 7.5 ov | O | 11 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | | 8/28/2015 | BAUER(R) | LA ANGELS | HEANEY(L) | 3-1 | W | -125 | 8 ov | U | 10 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | | 8/29/2015 | KLUBER(R) | LA ANGELS | RICHARDS(R) | 8-3 | W | -150 | 7 ov | O | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | | 8/30/2015 | TOMLIN(R) | LA ANGELS | WEAVER(R) | 9-2 | W | -135 | 8.5 ov | O | 10 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1 | | 8/31/2015 | SALAZAR(R) | @ TORONTO | PRICE(L) | | | 9/1/2015 | ANDERSON(R) | @ TORONTO | ESTRADA(R) | | | 9/2/2015 | BAUER(R) | @ TORONTO | DICKEY(R) | | | 9/4/2015 | KLUBER(R) | @ DETROIT | FARMER(R) | | | 9/5/2015 | SALAZAR(R) | @ DETROIT | SIMON(R) | | | 9/6/2015 | CARRASCO(R) | @ DETROIT | VERLANDER(R) | | | 9/7/2015 | | @ CHI WHITE SOX | | |
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| 8/18/2015 | DICKEY(R) | @ PHILADELPHIA | NOLA(R) | 8-5 | W | -160 | 8 un | O | 9 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 3 | | 8/19/2015 | BUEHRLE(L) | @ PHILADELPHIA | MORGAN(L) | 4-7 | L | -240 | 9 un | O | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | | 8/21/2015 | PRICE(L) | @ LA ANGELS | SANTIAGO(L) | 9-2 | W | -175 | 7 ev | O | 11 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 3 | | 8/22/2015 | ESTRADA(R) | @ LA ANGELS | HEANEY(L) | 15-3 | W | -120 | 8 ov | O | 20 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | | 8/23/2015 | DICKEY(R) | @ LA ANGELS | RICHARDS(R) | 12-5 | W | 100 | 8 ov | O | 17 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 2 | | 8/25/2015 | BUEHRLE(L) | @ TEXAS | HOLLAND(L) | 6-5 | W | -130 | 9 un | O | 9 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 1 | | 8/26/2015 | PRICE(L) | @ TEXAS | LEWIS(R) | 12-4 | W | -180 | 8.5 un | O | 10 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 1 | | 8/27/2015 | ESTRADA(R) | @ TEXAS | GALLARDO(R) | 1-4 | L | -115 | 9.5 un | U | 8 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 0 | | 8/28/2015 | DICKEY(R) | DETROIT | BOYD(L) | 5-3 | W | -190 | 9.5 un | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | | 8/29/2015 | HUTCHISON(R) | DETROIT | FARMER(R) | 15-1 | W | -250 | 9.5 ov | O | 18 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | | 8/30/2015 | BUEHRLE(L) | DETROIT | SIMON(R) | 9-2 | W | -200 | 9.5 un | O | 11 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | | 8/31/2015 | PRICE(L) | CLEVELAND | SALAZAR(R) | | | 9/1/2015 | ESTRADA(R) | CLEVELAND | ANDERSON(R) | | | 9/2/2015 | DICKEY(R) | CLEVELAND | BAUER(R) | | | 9/4/2015 | HUTCHISON(R) | BALTIMORE | JIMENEZ(R) | | | 9/5/2015 | BUEHRLE(L) | BALTIMORE | GONZALEZ(R) | | | 9/6/2015 | PRICE(L) | BALTIMORE | CHEN(L) | | | 9/7/2015 | | @ BOSTON | | |
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| |  | CLEVELAND: CLEVELAND (AP) - While their AL Central rivals jockeyed during the offseason, one trying to outdo the other to improve their chances of winning a World Series title, the Indians watched.
That was the plan.
No, they didn't make any blockbuster trades, sign a big-name, big-ticket free agent or overhaul their roster with new faces. The Indians, who somehow stayed in contention last season until the waning days of September, didn't feel the need to make radical changes. It wasn't necessary.
The pieces are in place for Cleveland to have a special 2015 season.
''The team knows it,'' said second baseman Jason Kipnis. ''We got two winning seasons in a row. We had an 85-win season when we had about three guys playing good. The possibilities are there, the potential is there. That whole last year we never had more than a seven-game winning streak, never really got hot.
''We got the same corps. Same group of guys. We kind of want another chance at this again - and we're getting another chance.''
The Indians return virtually the same team that went 85-77 last season, finishing third behind division champion Detroit and wild-card winner Kansas City, which ended a postseason drought dating to 1985, won the pennant and pushed San Francisco to seven games in the World Series.
Watching the Royals inspired the Indians. And as he prepares for his third season in Cleveland, manager Terry Francona senses a different drive in his players.
They're hungry.
''Our veteran guys are trying to get better,'' he said. ''Our younger guys are excited to prove what they can do. I didn't see anybody just kind of go home and want to kind of keep the status quo. We're all excited about that.''
Francona said they're upping expectations both on performance and results.
''They're kind of at a stage where they're embracing trying to see if we can go up against some of these teams and, not only maybe hold our own, but maybe do a little more than that,'' Francona said.
There's no denying Francona's magical touch. The man who helped end Boston's supposed baseball curse, who got the Indians to the postseason in 2013, has an uncanny ability to convince players buy in to his program and get them to believe they can overcome any obstacles: injuries, payroll, low expectations, the Tigers lineup.
This spring, Francona didn't have to sell the Indians, who haven't won a World Series since 1948, on the idea they can compete. They already know that. Now it's a matter of taking the next step.
''When guys believe they can do it, and then they start to do it, then you see the confidence take over and guys take off, and you can accomplish a lot,'' he said. ''That's part of the fun of the season, to see how good you can get. I'd rather enjoy, as much as we can, the journey.''
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KLUBER UBER ALLES
All Corey Kluber did in his first major-league season was win 18 games, re-write some record books, dominate almost every time he pitched and win the AL Cy Young.
The 28-year-old could do it again.
Seemingly programmed because of his consistent performances and composed demeanor, Kluber gives the Indians a long-needed and legitimate No. 1 starter capable of winning every time he gets the ball. He scares opponents and makes his teammates better.
The Indians have discussed a long-term contract extension for the right-hander, who isn't even eligible for arbitration.
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YOUR TABLE, MR. BRANTLEY
Michael Brantley just might be baseball's most unassuming star, and he plans to keep it that way. The 27-year-old's breakout 2014 season - he batted .327 with 20 homers, 97 RBIs and a third-place finish in MVP voting - was followed by obligatory can-he-do-it-again questions.
Francona thinks Brantley might be poised for bigger things. The spotlight will find Brantley, but he's not craving it.
''He's so consistent at a high level that I don't see that going away,'' he said. ''He's so confident in what he's doing that I think he enjoys playing the game and the other things that come with it, I think he could take it or leave it. He has a really good understanding of who he is.''
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BETTER BE BETTER
For the Indians to get where they want, Kipnis (.240), CF Michael Bourn (106 games) and DH Nick Swisher (offseason knee surgeries) need to bounce back and produce more than they did in `14.
No position player is more important than Kipnis, a 2013 All-Star who was injured most of last season.
''He can affect the game so many ways - steal a base, get a bunt down, hit a ball in the gap,'' Francona said. | | TORONTO: TORONTO (AP) - The upcoming season for the Toronto Blue Jays seems destined to be defined by the one young pitcher who'll miss it and the two even younger guys who'll try to replace him.
Toronto's plans for ending baseball's longest active playoff drought took a serious hit when Marcus Stroman suffered a season-ending knee injury in spring training.
The second-year right-hander tore a ligament when his knee buckled as he backed off a bunt during a pregame fielding drill. He's out for the year after undergoing surgery.
''It's tough,'' Stroman said. ''I just feel like I let my team down. I've worked harder than I ever had this offseason.''
The injury changed Toronto's thinking about 22-year-old right-hander Aaron Sanchez, who might have been closing games rather than starting them if Stroman was still healthy, and 21-year-old lefty Daniel Norris, the van-dwelling surfer dude.
The two pitchers now look likely to get their shot in Toronto's rotation, slotting in behind 200-inning workhorses R.A Dickey and Mark Buehrle, and 24-year-old right-hander Drew Hutchison.
How successful they are could well determine what happens to the Blue Jays, out of the postseason since winning their second straight World Series in 1993 and the only team that hasn't reached the playoffs this century.
''We may have to rely on a young guy who may not be proven,'' manager John Gibbons said. ''Stro was a baby, too, but a special guy.''
Sanchez has already shown signs that he could also be special. He excelled out of the bullpen in 24 games last season, posting three saves and a 1.09 ERA in 33 innings, striking out 27 while walking nine and holding opponents to a .128 average.
With the increased demands of a starting role lying ahead, the hard-throwing Sanchez has spent this spring refining his slider.
''With the way he throws, it could turn into a big strikeout pitch for him,'' Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays are also high on Norris, currently better known for spending his winters searching for prime surfing spots while living out of a 1978 Volkswagen camper van nicknamed ''Shaggy.''
''He's a different bird,'' Gibbons said. ''Anytime you live in a van, I wouldn't say that's normal.''
Norris had an abnormal 2014 season, rising from Class A to the majors after going 12-2 with a 2.53 ERA at three minor league stops. He underwent elbow surgery last October to remove bone spurs, and expects to be better this year than the pitcher who made five appearances for the Blue Jays in September.
''He's a student of the game,'' Gibbons said. ''He's a very smart kid and he's grounded. He's got the most important thing: He's got a great arm.''
After Jose Reyes and the Blue Jays went 83-79, here's what else to watch as they try to move up:
MIGHTY MIGUEL: Sanchez and Norris aren't the only impressive young arms expected to break camp with the Blue Jays. Right-hander Miguel Castro, 20, didn't allow a run in his first five spring appearances, striking out eight and walking none while allowing three hits over nine innings. A hard thrower who stands an imposing 6-foot-5, Castro has put himself in position to jump from Class A, where he went 8-3 with a 2.68 ERA last season, all the way to the majors. ''He looks like a seasoned vet out there, under control, very relaxed,'' Gibbons said.
NEW GUYS, NEW FOCUS: Toronto strengthened its lineup over the winter by signing free agent catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million contract and acquiring All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson from Oakland. Slugger Jose Bautista has praised the newcomers for making a difference in the clubhouse with their winning pedigree and intense focus. ''We need something along those lines here every now and then,'' Bautista said. ''It's good to have guys to whom winning matters.''
BLOCKING THE PLATE: Adding Martin gave the Blue Jays a logjam at catcher, where incumbent Dioner Navarro is signed through 2015 and Josh Thole is Dickey's knuckleball specialist. Martin has worked hard this spring to prove he can handle Dickey's floater, which could mean Thole is ticketed for Triple-A. Or, Toronto may yet trade the switch-hitting Navarro to open room at DH for Edwin Encarnacion, who has been slowed this spring by a balky back and may not be able to handle regular duty at first base. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (CLEVELAND-TORONTO) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Indians-Blue Jays Preview* ===========================
Cleveland (62-66) at Toronto (73-56), 7:07 p.m. EDT
Edwin Encarnacion is riding a career-best 25-game hitting streak and a run of eight straight games with at least one RBI. He hasn't struck out much in that latter run as he gets ready to face hard-throwing Danny Salazar.
Salazar will try to cool Encarnacion and the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night at Rogers Centre opposite David Price, who has dominated the Cleveland Indians.
Encarnacion is batting .409 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs on his hit streak - the longest in the majors since a 28-game run by Colorado's Nolan Arenado in 2014. He has four homers in his last two games, highlighted by Saturday's three-homer, nine-RBI effort in a 15-1 rout of Detroit.
The slugger went deep again the next day for his 30th homer in a 9-2 victory that completed a three-game sweep. Encarnacion is hitting .484 with seven homers, 24 RBIs and just three strikeouts in his last eight games.
Encarnacion has at least one extra-base hit in eight consecutive games, one shy of Shawn Green's team record set in 1999. His eight-game run with an RBI matched the Blue Jays record shared by Carlos Delgado, Willie Upshaw and Matt Stairs.
The Blue Jays (74-56) totaled 29 runs and 38 hits in the weekend sweep of the Tigers. Josh Donaldson was 6 for 13 with two homers in the series and Russell Martin also went deep twice for Toronto, which leads the New York Yankees by 1 1/2 games in the AL East.
"We're playing great baseball," manager John Gibbons said. "Everything's really clicking."
Encarnacion is 2 for 5 with a homer and a double against Salazar (11-7, 3.30 ERA), who is among baseball's leaders with 10.10 strikeouts per nine innings.
Salazar was scratched Friday because of a virus, and manager Terry Francona said he became ill Tuesday and missed a couple of days of his routine between starts, losing five to six pounds.
"You start losing that much weight, this will allow him to get some of his strength back," Francona said. "I think this has a chance to work out better for everybody."
The right-hander allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings of a 6-2 loss at the New York Yankees on Aug. 22 after going 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA in his previous four outings.
Salazar is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in two starts versus Toronto.
He'll be opposed by a strikeout artist in Price (13-4, 2.42), who has 179 to rank among the majors' best. Price improved to 4-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five starts with the Blue Jays by limiting Texas to two runs in six innings Wednesday in a 12-4 road victory.
The left-hander is 8-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts at Rogers Centre, including two with Toronto.
Price is 9-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 12 starts against Cleveland, including 2-0 with a 0.42 ERA in three this year while with Detroit. Jason Kipnis is 5 for 11 versus Price this year and 7 for 20 overall, while Yan Gomes is 0 for 6 in this matchup in 2015 and hitless in 12 career at-bats.
Cleveland (63-66) opens a nine-game trip with this three-game series after going 5-0 at home, beating the Los Angeles Angels 9-2 on Sunday. Francisco Lindor is 17 for 34 during a nine-game hitting streak.
These teams split four games April 30-May 3.
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| | Last Updated: 5/10/2024 12:15:35 AM EST. |
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