Santana teams with Napoli as new power duo Indians sluggers connect for key home runs in win over Red Sox By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:05 AM ET CLEVELAND -- Carlos Santana has always said his approach to baseball comes down to a two-word phrase: Play happy. When he was caught on camera dancing in the dugout with Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis on Wednesday night, that mantra was on full display. "We try to do something fun," Santana said after the 7-6 victory over the Red Sox at Progressive Field. "Me and Kipnis, we've played for the last four or five years, so he knows me and I know him. We have fun in this game. I try to enjoy it." Indians fans will be plenty happy if there are more nights like this one. • Santana celebrates his three-run home run by starting a new dance craze Over the offseason, Cleveland signed veteran first baseman Mike Napoli to a one-year contract to provide some right-handed power in the heart of the lineup. With him in the cleanup spot, Santana could slide to five-hole, taking a little bit of pressure off the switch-hitter. Both see a lot of pitches, grinding out at-bats in a way that can create a blend of patience and power. Napoli and Santana put their potential as a middle-order duo on display in Cleveland's first win of the season, launching a pair of home runs, collecting four RBIs and drawing one walk each for good measure. Santana's three-run shot to center in the first inning staked the Tribe to an early 4-0 lead. Napoli's solo blast off Junichi Tazawa broke a tie and gave the Indians a 7-6 advantage in the seventh. According to Statcast™, Santana's homer to the center-field bullpens had an exit velocity of 102.6 mph and traveled a projected 418 feet. Napoli one-upped him on his long ball that clanked into the left-field bleachers. His rocketed off the bat at 105.5 mph and sailed a projected 423 feet. "Those are two big bats," rookie Tyler Naquin said. "Napoli's been doing it for a long time. He's hit a lot of home runs. Santana has been doing it for a while as well, with a lot of home runs. Those guys are going to do damage with their bats and also take a lot of walks. When they're swinging it, they don't get cheated out there." Manager Terry Francona likes the potential of having Napoli and Santana together in the middle of the order. "The idea is to have everybody be dangerous," Francona said. "Nap certainly has a pretty good feel for the strike zone, too. If a guy is getting on base in front of Carlos, that switch-hitter sandwiched in-between some of the righties, yeah, I think that [can] be great." Napoli, who suited up for the Red Sox for parts of the past three seasons, got a bit of redemption with his homer. In Tuesday's season-opening loss, Napoli fought through an 11-pitch battle with Boston aceDavid Price in the fourth inning, but Napoli struck out looking on a close call. The first baseman struck out three times on the night. Needless to say, Napoli was thrilled to get back on track one night later. "I've been playing for a while, so I know how things go," Napoli said. "I had a rough day, but today was a new day and I got in the cage and worked on what I had to do, and it worked out today." Santana -- who went 2-for-3 with a double, walk, home run and three RBIs -- said it can be beneficial for him to have Napoli seeing so many pitches ahead of him in the order. "It's good. Napoli is kind of like me," Santana said. "Power hitting and seeing a lot of pitches, trying to swing at good pitches. He's helped me." Maybe it will help Santana avoid some of the slow offensive starts of the past. While that remains to be seen, Santana plans on taking his usual approach. "I try to play happy," he said. "Play hard every day, and try to help my team." Napoli's homer helps Indians earn first victory By Jordan Bastian and Ian Browne / MLB.com | @IanMBrowne | 12:30 AM ET CLEVELAND -- If the Indians reach the postseason, their path will likely need to be paved by strong pitching and stellar defense. And they certainly won't mind if the offense also pulls its weight, as was the case in Wednesday's 7-6 victory over the Red Sox at Progressive Field. Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli delivered towering home runs at critical points, helping power the Tribe to its first win of 2016. Santana launched a three-run shot off Clay Buchholzto cap a four-run outburst in the first inning and Napoli crushed a pitch from Junichi Tazawato put Cleveland ahead for good in the seventh. "It's a really good win," Napoli said. "They make the comeback, take the lead, and we were able to scrap away that run to tie the game and you know, ultimately I hit that homer to take the lead. So, great team win overall." "Yeah, I was trying to bounce it," Tazawa said. "I was able to get a swing-and-miss at previous pitches. That was the directions I got in the bullpen, but I mislocated it." Napoli's first shot for the Indians -- against his former team -- helped overshadow a strong night from Boston's lineup as well. Slugger David Ortiz homered for the second straight game, as part of a back-to-back showing with Hanley Ramirez in a four-run sixth. Brock Holt also belted a homer in the loss. "We dig ourselves a little bit of a hole, but I'll tell you, the way we battled back, the way we swung the bat was outstanding here tonight," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. Buchholz and Indians starter Carlos Carrasco turned in underwhelming debuts. The Red Sox righty exited after four-plus innings, in which he allowed five runs on six hits. Carrasco lasted five-plus for the Tribe, but gave up four runs on seven hits, including the trio of long balls. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED The heart of it all: The Indians signed Napoli to serve as the new cleanup man, helping to take some pressure off Santana. On Wednesday, the new-look middle delivered. In the first inning, Santana drilled a 3-1 pitch 418 feet, according to Statcast™, to deep center for a three-run homer. Once he was back in the dugout, cameras caught Santana doing a celebratory dance after his first shot of the season. In the seventh, Napoli followed suit with a 423-foot blast to the left-field bleachers to put the Indians ahead, 7-6. More > "The idea is to have everybody be dangerous," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Nap certainly has a pretty good feel for the strike zone, too. If a guy is getting on base in front of Carlos, that switch-hitter sandwiched in-between some of the righties, yeah, I think that'd be great."

Ortiz, Hanley go back-to-back: Ortiz and Ramirez smashed back-to-back homers to open the sixth, and the Red Sox were right back in it at 5-4. This, after trailing, 4-0, and 5-2. Ortiz's towering shot to right-center traveled 398 feet, according to Statcast™. Ramirez followed with an opposite-field homer to right. The consecutive shots led Francona to lift Carrasco. "We've got a good lineup. I told you guys early that we're going to hit," Ortiz said. "We've got young, talented players who have a good idea about what they're doing at the plate, so we're gonna hit." Defensive missteps: Cleveland made a few costly plays in the field within Boston's four-run rally in the sixth. It started when Chris Young lofted a pitch to left-center, where outfieldersJose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin lost sight of the ball, allowing it to drop in for what was ruled a double. Later in the inning, Juan Uribe did not look Holt back to third base on a grounder, allowing the runner to easily score on a throw to first base. "It was rainy and windy at that moment," Naquin said. "I even asked Jose. He said, 'Me no see.' I said, 'Me neither, bud.' We saw it probably four feet above our heads. By that time, it was too late." Holt in middle of everything: Holt started the game in left field, then moved to third base before eventually returning to left. In between, he had two hits, including a two-run homer in the second, and a heads-up baserunning play to score the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth. Holt hit just two homers in 2015 and has seven in his career. This one sliced Cleveland's 4-0 lead in half. More > Naquin's milestone: In the second inning, Naquin engaged in a nine-pitch battle with Buchholz. The rookie center fielder fouled off four within the sequence and ended the long at-bat by pulling a pitch into right field for a base hit. That marked the first hit of Naquin's Major League "Honestly, I didn't even really feel myself touch first base," Naquin said. "I got to first and Hanley said something to me, 'Congrats.' I got to second and [Dustin] Pedroia and [Xander] Bogaerts [said something, too]. Those are pretty classy dudes. They have some good guys over there. It's greatly appreciated from my standpoint. It's just a great feeling, a very exciting moment for myself and my family." SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Ortiz's home run was his second in as many games, putting him alongside Ted Williams as the only 40-and-over players in Major League history to homer in each of his first two games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It also marked Big Papi's 505th career blast, moving him past Hall of Famer Eddie Murray for 26th on the all-time list. More > QUOTABLE "I don't want to hear about that. That's not going to make me feel any younger." -- Ortiz, on sharing a slice of history with Williams WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Right-hander Joe Kelly tries to build off his strong finish to last season, entering 2016 as the No. 3 starter, as he starts the finale of this three-game series against the Indians on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. ET. Kelly went 8-0 with a 2.59 ERA in a nine-start run between Aug. 1-Sept. 9 of last year. Indians: Following a brief stint with Triple-A Columbus at the start of last season, rightyDanny Salazar joined the Indians and had a breakout showing. The hard-throwing righty struck out 195, won 14 games and had a 3.45 ERA in 30 starts. Now the No. 3 starter, Salazar will take the ball in the series finale against Boston on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. ET. Bauer concerned with winning, not role in 'pen By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | April 6th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Trevor Bauer needed time to absorb the news that he would begin this season in the bullpen for the Indians. The right-hander waited a week before inviting reporters to his locker on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the club's decision. Bauer kept his comments succinct. "As long as the team wins," Bauer said, "everything is fine. It will all work out." At the end of Spring Training, the Indians opted to hand the last two rotation spots to rightiesCody Anderson and Josh Tomlin, respectively. With no Minor League options, Bauer was sent to the bullpen to fill a role that has yet to be determined. He can handle multiple innings, features plus velocity on his fastball and can throw a wealth of pitches. Even though Bauer could be a valuable weapon out of the 'pen, the news was surely tough to swallow after his strong showing during Spring Training. In 21 spring innings, Bauer struck out 20, walked five and logged a 2.14 ERA. Based purely on the spring stats, Bauer looked like the best of the three choices for the last two starting jobs. "I think I had the best spring that I've had in pro ball," Bauer said. "I'm in a good spot to start the season." Spring stats, however, were not the deciding factor. "He had a pretty good spring," manager Terry Francona said. "It can't just be by Spring Training at-bats or innings. Certainly, you're looking for health, how guys are doing things, but if you turn it around, I'm not sure what we would have said to Josh Tomlin [or] Cody Anderson." Both Francona and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti have added that Bauer will still probably make starts this season. Francona reiterated that point again on Wednesday. "It's being realistic," Francona said. "You don't go through the year with five starters. I wish we did, but the chances of that are very slim. And he's the one guy who can probably be in the bullpen for a period of time and come back and pitch ... because his arm is conditioned to throw so much." During Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Red Sox, Bauer made his season debut out of the bullpen in the ninth inning. He issued a leadoff walk and later allowed a two-run home run to David Ortiz before escaping further damage. Bauer said getting ready on short notice and coming out of the 'pen will require an adjustment period. "It's different, for sure," said Bauer, who had a 4.55 ERA in 31 games [30 starts] last season. "I didn't really have a lot of experience last year. I only pitched once [as a reliever], so I'm still pretty new to this whole thing. ... Anytime something changes, it's just different. It takes a while to get used to." Francona was respectful of the fact that Bauer needed time to come to terms with the team's decision. "I thought the first day he was mad, which we expected," Francona said. "If somebody told me, I'd probably have been mad, too. If he was glad that would have sent up a worse message. I didn't think he was disrespectful, which is important. He knows he's not been banished to the bullpen. I think there's a difference. I think we fully expect he'll help us in one way or another when he pitches."

Salazar set for action in finale with Red Sox By Ian Browne / MLB.com | @IanMBrowne | April 6th, 2016 The Indians will send the final piece of their big three to the mound in right-hander Danny Salazar for the rubber game against the Red Sox on Thursday at Progressive Field. After starting last season in the Minors, Salazar wound up making 30 starts and winning 14 games for the Tribe. He just missed 200 strikeouts, finishing with 195 in 185 innings. Joe Kelly, who will start for the Red Sox, did the opposite of Salazar last season, opening the season in the rotation and then getting sent to Triple-A. To Kelly's credit, he earned a trip back to Boston and finished the season on one of the best stretches of his career, going 8-0 with a 2.59 ERA from Aug. 1-Sept. 9. Things to know about this game • Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor hit third on Tuesday against lefty David Price, but then served as the leadoff man for Wednesday's game against Boston righty Clay Buchholz. Manager Terry Francona plans on mixing and matching with his lineup, especially until left fielder Michael Brantley (right shoulder) returns from the disabled list. • With Kelly on the mound, expect Ryan Hanigan to make his first start of the season behind the plate for the Red Sox. Kelly had a 4.20 ERA pitching to Hanigan last year, compared to 5.10 with Blake Swihart. • The Indians' late-inning options include closer Cody Allen, along with and right-handers Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister and Jeff Manship. Francona said it will take time to determine what kind of roles relievers Ross Detwiler (the lone lefty), Joba Chamberlain, Dan Otero and Trevor Bauer will fill. Where the Indians' top 30 prospects are starting the season By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | April 6th, 2016 With the 2016 season getting started, here's a look at where the Indians' Top 30 prospectsare projected to start the season: 1. Bradley Zimmer -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 2. Clint Frazier -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 3. Bobby Bradley -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 4. Brady Aiken -- Extended spring camp 5. Justus Sheffield -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 6. Triston McKenzie -- Extended spring camp 7. Mike Clevinger -- Columbus Clippers (AAA) 8. Francisco Mejia -- Lake County Captains (A) 9. Tyler Naquin -- Cleveland Indians (MLB) 10. Rob Kaminsky -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 11. Juan Hillman -- Extended spring camp 12. Erik Gonzalez -- Columbus Clippers (AAA) 13. Yu-Cheng Chang -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 14. Yandy Diaz -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 15. Adam Plutko -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 16. Shawn Morimando -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 17. Mark Mathias -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 18. Mike Papi -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 19. Nellie Rodriguez -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) 20. Greg Allen -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 21. Luke Wakamatsu -- Extended spring camp 22. Tyler Krieger -- Lake County Captains (A) 23. Willi Castro -- Lake County Captains (A) 24. Shawn Armstrong -- Columbus Clippers (AAA) 25. Dylan Baker -- Akron RubberDucks (AA) -- DL 26. Luis Lugo -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 27. James Ramsey -- Columbus Clippers (AAA) 28. Ryan Merritt -- Columbus Clippers (AAA) 29. Dorssys Paulino -- Lynchburg Hillcats (A Adv) 30. Casey Shane -- Lake County Captains (A)

Complete Indians prospect coverage on MLBPipeline.com/Indians Team to watch The Akron RubberDucks' projected roster is loaded with impact talents including the clubs' top two prospects, Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier -- the Indians' first-round Draft picks from 2013 and '14, respectively -- as well as hitters Yandy Diaz and Nellie Rodriguez and starting pitchers Rob Kaminsky, Adam Plutko and Shawn Morimando. Not to be outdone, the Lynchburg Hillcats also have a prospect-heavy roster that features eight members of the Tribe's Top 30. New faces Though they're technically not new to the organization, 2015 Draftees Brady Aiken and Tyler Krieger both will embark on their first pro assignments this season -- Aiken much later in the year -- after injuries kept them from making their debuts last summer. On the shelf The Indians took Aiken with the No. 17 overall pick in 2015, a year after the left-hander turned down the opportunity to sign with the Astros as the No. 1 overall pick the previous year. After undergoing Tommy John surgery last March, Aiken will continue to work his way back at the

team's Spring Training complex before an eventual Minor League assignment later in the year. Also beginning the year on the shelf is right-hander Dylan Baker, who underwent Tommy John surgery last April after just one start.

Covering the Bases: Game 2

by Jordan Bastian

FIRST: If this is what the four-five combination of Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana looks like this season, I think Indians fans will start feeling better about this Tribe lineup.

“Those are two big bats,” said rookie Tyler Naquin.

(More on him in a bit)

In Wednesday’s win, Santana capped off a four-run outburst with a towering blast to the bullpens in center field. He even did a little celebratory dance in the dugout with Jason Kipnis. Santana later slashed a pitch to left-center, and turned it into a hustle double. He added his obligatory walk in the seventh.

As for Napoli, he also drew a walk — ahead of Santana’s towering blast in the first. Following a couple groundouts, which came while Cleveland’s pitching was trying to stave off a Boston rally with little luck, Napoli came through again. In the seventh, with the game caught in a 6-6 deadlock, he put a pitch in the bleachers for a go-ahead, solo homer.

“We’re all going to have to work together as a group,” Napoli said. “It can’t be just me and him. If we do the little things as a group, we’re going to be able to scrap away runs for our great pitching staff.”

Those little things were on display, as they were within the Indians’ lone inning of scoring on Tuesday. Jose Ramirez scored from first on a Jason Kipnis double in the first inning. Santana turned a sure single into that bang-bang double. Yan Gomes went first to third on a Marlon Byrd single in the sixth, setting up a sac fly by Juan Uribe. Rajai Davis stole a base (and nearly two, had it not been for a replay misstep by manager Terry Francona).

Santana said hustling and playing hard has to be the team’s blueprint.

“If you don’t play hard, my teammates will motivate me to play hard every day,” he said. “I’m worrying about winning. If you hustle, and all the players hustle, we’ll be fine.”

SECOND: Naquin got his first start in the Majors on Wednesday and collected the first hit of his career. It was a memorable one, too. Facing Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz, Naquin saw nine pitches in his first at-bat, fouling off four in the battle before yanking a pitch through the hole for a single to right field.

“I’m sure that he probably barely touched the ground going to first,” Francona said. “Good for him. I’m sure that was very exciting for him.”

Consider that confirmed.

“Honestly, I didn’t even really feel myself touch first base,” Naquin said with a smile. “It’s just a great feeling, a very exciting moment for myself and my family.”

Naquin said Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts — “All classy dudes,” per the outfielder — congratulated him after he reached base. As for the baseball?

“I’m not real sure,” Naquin said. “But it’s definitely going to go home back to Texas.”

THIRD: Lost in the wake of this win was a subpar outing by right-hander Carlos Carrasco. It wasn’t as cold as Tuesday, but there were still unpredictable winds and some light rain toying with the players on Wednesday. Carrasco allowed four runs on seven hits in five-plus innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Carrasco also gave up three home runs, including back-to-back shots to David Ortiz and Ramirez in the sixth inning. Apparently, Big Papi’s farewell tour includes one homer per game for the fans.

“They hit some balls pretty hard,” Francona said. “And the ballpark, uncharacteristic for this time of year, was playing pretty small tonight. Balls were flying all over the place. They squared up a lot of balls. We wanted him to get through two hitters in the sixth and he gave up two home runs. So, so much for that.”

HOME: You have to give it to the Tribe tonight. This one felt like one of those games the team would lose a year ago. After taking an early lead, mistakes in the field and some missteps on the mound helped Boston run to a 6-5 lead by the sixth inning. Obviously, I’m generalizing here, but it felt like there were times last year where a mid-game collapse like that would sink Cleveland last year. That made tonight’s win an encouraging one.

There were a few rough moments along the way, though.

After the back-to-back homers in the sixth, Chris Young sent a flyball to left-center field. Left fielder Jose Ramirez and Naquin — with 16 combined innings in the Majors before today (thanks, Zack Meisel, for the quick research) — sprinted toward each other and then… stopped. The baseball plopped in and Young got a “double.”

What looked like miscommunication, though, was more about the elements.

“It was rainy and windy at that moment,” Naquin said. “I even asked Jose. He said, ‘Me no see.’ I said, ‘Me neither, bud.’ We saw it probably four feet above our heads. By that time, it was too late.”

Ross Detwiler followed with two walks and allowed a sac fly to Jackie Bradley. That set up a go-ahead groundout off the bat of Mookie Betts. Third baseman Juan Uribe gloved the chopper, but rather than look Brock Holt back to third, Uribe threw across the diamond for the out at first. Holt, without being challenged, scored easily to put Boston ahead.

“It looked like he kind of realized that he needed to look somebody back,” Francona said, “but he actually looked the other way. Yeah, that was a big play.”

Another mistake came in the eighth, when it looked like Davis and Francisco Lindor pulled off a double steal. Davis made a head-first slide into third and appeared to touch the base before being tagged. Francona moved to the top step, but did not challenge the play. Really, there was no reason not to challenge it, but the manager said — unlike the fly ball — this one was miscommunication.

“That was on me,” Francona said. “I misheard and by the time I realized, it was too late. That’s on me, that’s a bad mistake.”

EXTRAS: We can’t close this one out without mentioning the adventurous final play of the game. With Cleveland up by one and two outs in the books, it was closer Cody Allen against Big Papi. It was a grab-your-popcorn moment for fans.

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all,” Napoli said with a smirk. “He’s a great hitter and he can pop it out of the park at any time. And it looks like he’s got some swag going right now and feels good.”

Ortiz took a mighty swing and sent the baseball through the swirling winds to deep left field. Ramirez zigged and zagged and finally stabbed at the line drive at the wall, making a circus catch for the game’s final out. Ramirez pumped his arms in the air after the grab, which sealed the win and a save for Allen.

“Everybody was a little scared,” Santana said. “He did a good job.”

Francona was asked if his heart skipped a beat.

“It skipped a beat a few times tonight,” he said. “It might have even stopped.”

Indians notebook: Trevor Bauer dealing with move to bullpen

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: It has been evident that Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer hasn’t been entirely pleased with his being relegated to the bullpen to start the 2016 season, just like any other starter.

But, that isn’t necessarily a negative to the Indians.

After Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin were awarded the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the starting rotation, Bauer didn’t make himself available to the media for a couple of days. On Monday he briefly spoke and responded to several questions in a row with, “As long as the team wins, it’s good.”

On Wednesday, Bauer spoke for a second time and said whenever and however the team wants him to pitch, he’ll do it.

“They tell me to go pitch and I pitch,” Bauer said. “Whatever they decide my role is, that’s what I go do. That’s the definition of being professional, right?”

Indians manager Terry Francona has said before that a player being upset with a demotion isn’t automatically a bad message to send. Essentially, the thought is that a player can be upset in the initial moment with a demotion or altered role and also do what the team needs.

“I thought the first day [Bauer] was mad, which we expected,” Francona said. “If somebody told me, I’d probably have been mad, too. If he was glad, that would have set up a worse message. I didn’t think he was disrespectful, which is important.”

The Indians said in Goodyear, Ariz., when the announcements were made that the club still envisions Bauer as a pitcher who will make a “meaningful” number of starts this season. Eleven pitchers made starts for the Indians in 2015, so it’s likely Bauer will receive a number of starts this season.

“He knows he’s not been banished to the bullpen,” Francona said. “I think we fully expect he’ll help us in one way or another when he pitches and then, at some point, I think it’s being realistic that you don’t go through the year with five starters. I wish we did, but the chances of that are very slim.”

Bauer is still only 25 years old and not eligible for arbitration. He’s carried with him a wealth of potential his entire career and had a quality spring. The Indians have had good luck with pitchers either being demoted or spending time in the bullpen before figuring things out as a starter.

“It’s helped [Carlos] Carrasco. Corey Kluber has taken a step back, gone back to Triple-A,” Francona said. “Danny Salazar went to Triple-A. Tomlin’s been in the bullpen and Triple-A. It’s been pretty much everybody, so it’s not like he’s the lone guy and he’s the only one it’s ever happened to and things like that. You see it with most guys.”

Francona pointed out this spring that it wasn’t an indictment on Bauer. There were other variables involved, such as the high notes Anderson and Tomlin ended on last season. Anderson also dedicated himself to an offseason strength and conditioning program and came to camp with an up-tick in velocity. Bauer has also been throwing harder, according to BrooksBaseball.net.

“If you turn it around, not sure what we would have said to Josh Tomlin, Cody Anderson,” Francona said. “So we try to weigh everything. We talked about it a lot, because it’s important. I think we just felt like for our team, it was the best thing to do.”

For Bauer, it’s certainly been an adjustment. He went to the bullpen toward the end of last season but didn’t have much experience there.

“Just new. It’s different,” Bauer said when asked about the toughest part about the move. “Anytime something changes, it’s just different. It takes a while to get used to. … I haven’t had time to make an adjustment yet. Just getting going.”

As for going back to the starting rotation, Bauer said if the team asks him to make the move back, he’ll simply adjust again.

“They just told me I was going to the ’pen, so I’m just trying to help the team win and be ready for whatever they ask me to do,” Bauer said. “They tell me when to go and what role to be, and I go out there and try do it to the best of my ability.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.07.2016

Indians’ Trevor Bauer dealing with move to bullpen

By Ryan Lewis Published: April 6, 2016

It has been evident that Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer hasn’t been entirely pleased with his being relegated to the bullpen to start the 2016 season, just like any other starter. But, that isn’t necessarily a negative to the Indians.

After Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin were awarded the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the starting rotation, Bauer didn’t make himself available to the media for a couple of days. On Monday he briefly spoke and responded to several questions in a row with, “As long as the team wins, it’s good.”

On Wednesday, Bauer spoke for a second time and said whenever and however the team wants him to pitch, he’ll do it.

“They tell me to go pitch and I pitch,” Bauer said. “Whatever they decide my role is, that’s what I go do. That’s the definition of being professional, right?”

Indians manager Terry Francona has said before that a player being upset with a demotion isn’t automatically a bad message to send. Essentially, the thought is that a player can be upset in the initial moment with a demotion or altered role and also do what the team needs.

“I thought the first day [Bauer] was mad, which we expected,” Francona said. “If somebody told me, I’d probably have been mad too. If he was glad, that would have set up a worse message. I didn’t think he was disrespectful, which is important.”

The Indians said in Goodyear, Ariz. when the announcements were made that the club still envisions Bauer as a pitcher who will make a “meaningful” number of starts this season. Eleven pitchers made starts for the Indians in 2015, so it’s likely Bauer will find his way to a number of starts this season.

“He knows he’s not been banished to the bullpen,” Francona said. “I think we fully expect he’ll help us in one way or another when he pitches and then at some point, I think it’s being realistic that you don’t go through the year with five starters. I wish we did, but the chances of that are very slim.”

Bauer is still only 25 years old and not eligible for arbitration. He’s carried with him a wealth of potential his entire career and had a quality spring. The Indians have had good luck with pitchers either being demoted or spending time in the bullpen before figuring things out as a starter.

“It’s helped [Carlos] Carrasco. Corey Kluber has taken a step back, gone back to Triple-A,” Francona said. “Danny Salazar went to Triple-A. Tomlin’s been in the bullpen and Triple-A. It’s been pretty much everybody, so it’s not like he’s the lone guy and he’s the only one it’s ever happened to and things like that. You see it with most guys.”

Francona pointed out this spring that it wasn’t an indictment on Bauer. There were other variables involved, such as the high notes Anderson and Tomlin ended on last season. Anderson also dedicated himself to an offseason strength and conditioning program and came to camp with an up-tick in velocity. Bauer has also been throwing harder, according to BrooksBaseball.net.

“If you turn it around, not sure what we would have said to Josh Tomlin, Cody Anderson,” Francona said. “So we try to weigh everything. We talked about it a lot, because it’s important. I think we just felt like for our team, it was the best thing to do.”

For Bauer, it’s certainly been an adjustment. He went to the bullpen toward last season but didn’t have much experience there.

“Just new. It’s different,” Bauer said when asked about the toughest part about the move. “Anytime something changes, it’s just different. It takes a while to get used to. … I haven’t had time to make an adjustment yet. Just getting going.”

As for going back to the starting rotation, Bauer says if the team asks him to make the move back, he’ll simply adjust again.

“They just told me I was going to the pen, so I’m just trying to help the team win and be ready for whatever they ask me to do,” Bauer said. “They tell me when to go and what role to be, and I go out there and try do it to the best of my ability.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.07.2016

Indians 7, Red Sox 6: Ryan Lewis’ 11 Walk-off Thoughts from a back-and-forth Indians win

By Ryan Lewis Published: April 6, 2016

Here are 11 Walk-off Thoughts on the Indians’ 7-6 win against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night.

1. This game had a few plays that could have thrown away what probably should have been a pretty easy victory considering the Indians led 4-0 five batters into the game after Carlos Santana launched a three-run home run. Both were given explanations after the game.

2. The one on the field: Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez allowed a routine fly ball to drop in the sixth inning, right after back-to-back home runs cut the Indians lead to 5-4. That ended up being the tying run. After the game, Naquin said he asked Ramirez if he saw the ball. Ramirez didn’t, to which Naquin replied, “Me neither, bud.” By the time they did pick up the ball, it was too late. Indians manager Terry Francona said you can put the mistake on youth, but if you can’t see the ball, it doesn’t really matter how old you are.

3. And the one in the replay booth—In the eighth inning, Rajai Davis, on second base, tried to aggressively steal third base. He was called out, except a quick look at replays appeared to show he beat the throw. Oddly, the Indians didn’t challenge a key play that wasn’t just close, it appeared it should go their way. Francona took the blame for it, saying, “That was on me. I misheard and by the time I realized, it was too late. That’s on me, that’s a bad mistake.”

4. Wednesday night was a great example of how quickly a baseball game can spiral out of your control. The Indians were up 5-2. Carrasco was pitching well. The Indians were already into the Red Sox bullpen. Then, almost a nightmare scenario.

5. On the back-to-back home runs, Francona wanted Carrasco to get through two hitters in the sixth inning. That would allow lefty reliever Ross Detwiler to enter and face three left-handed hitters in the next four. Except, those two hitters just happened to both hit home runs to cut the Indians’ led to 5-4. Then Detwiler came in, and Naquin and Ramirez let the ball drop. Then came two walks. Then came another defensive mistake when Juan Uribe didn’t look back Brock Holt at third base. All of a sudden, it’s 7-6 Red Sox.

6. It probably makes the win more meaningful for an Indians team that around this time last year couldn’t buy a night like this. Juan Uribe erased his mistake with a sacrifice fly to tie it and in the seventh inning, Mike Napoli picked the right time for his first hit with the Indians, a solo shot that proved to be the winner. This is the type of win the Indians just couldn’t seem to consistently find last year.

7. Red Sox relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa threw Napoli a couple of splitters. Then, he threw one too many and paid for it. Said Napoli, “He threw me some good splits early in the count. Two strikes, I'm trying to shorten up and put the ball in play. He happened to hang me that split and I was able to put a good swing on it."

8. Naquin recorded the first hit of his major-league career, a single to right field. And it concluded a nine-pitch at-bat, something Francona liked to see out of a rookie hitter. Said Francona, “That’s great. I love that. That was a really good at-bat. You start to foul off some tough breaking balls and change-ups, you’re going to earn yourself some fastballs.”

9. Francona joked that Naquin might have barely touched the ground running to first, and he was right. Said Naquin, “Honestly, I didn't even really feel myself touch first base. I got to first and Hanley said something to me, 'Congrats.' I got to second and Pedroia and Bogaerts, those are pretty classy dudes. They have some good guys over there. It's greatly appreciated from my standpoint. It's just a great feeling, a very exciting moment for myself and my family.”

10. Of course David Ortiz was the one at the plate with two outs in the ninth of a one-run game. There aren’t many hitters above Ortiz on the list of guys you don’t want to face in that situation. And then he hits a ball to the wall in left field, Ramirez is battling the wind and nearly has it pop out of his glove.

11. Did Tito’s heart skip a beat? “Skipped a beat a few times tonight. Might have even stopped.”

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.07.2016

Indians 7, Red Sox 6: Mike Napoli’s home run lifts Indians over Red Sox

By Ryan Lewis

CLEVELAND: Mike Napoli’s first hit as a member of the Indians was a big one, and it was enough to overcome a botched sixth inning in a 7-6 win against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night.

Everything started off so well for the Indians. But, if not for Napoli and his solo home run in the seventh inning, it all would have been wasted.

After struggling to do much of anything against Red Sox ace David Price in Tuesday’s season opener, the Indians (1-1) almost couldn’t have started better against Wednesday’s starter, Clay Buchholz. Jose Ramirez singled and came around to score on a Jason Kipnis double to the gap in right-center field.

Napoli then walked and Carlos Santana hit a no-doubter home run (estimated at 431 feet) to center field. Five batters into the game and the Indians led 4-0.

The Red Sox (1-1) came back in the second inning when Brock Holt answered with a two-run home run off of Indians starter Carlos Carrasco. The Indians got one of those runs back in the bottom half of that inning. Tyler Naquin worked a nine-pitch at-bat and picked up his first career major-league hit, a single to right field. He later scored on Ramirez’s single up the middle to make it 5-2.

Then came the sixth inning, when Carrasco (five innings, four runs, seven hits, one walk, five strikeouts) allowed back-to-back home runs to David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez. Those home runs cut the Indians’ lead to 5-4 and ended Carrasco’s night in favor of left-handed relief pitcher Ross Detwiler.

Chris Young hit a fly ball to left-center field that should have been an easy out, but Ramirez in left field and Naquin in center field didn’t communicate, allowing the ball to fall between them. Two walks then loaded the bases and Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley hit a sacrifice fly to center field to tie it 5-5.

With Zach McAllister on the mound, Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to third baseman Juan Uribe, who might have had Holt out had he looked him back at third base. Uribe made the throw to first base for the second out, but the Red Sox took a 6-5 lead.

Uribe redeemed himself in the bottom half of the sixth. Yan Gomes drew a walk and a single by Marlon Byrd put runners on the corners, and Uribe tied the game 6-6 with a sacrifice fly.

Enter Napoli, who to that point hadn’t collected a hit, in the seventh inning. Facing Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa, Napoli belted a pitch to the bleacher seats in left field for the go-ahead shot.

Bryan Shaw escaped the eighth inning unharmed and Cody Allen picked up his first save of the season in the ninth inning, putting down the heart of the Red Sox order that included a close-call catch by Ramirez near the wall in left field to end the game.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.07.2016

Mike Napoli’s home run lifts Indians to 7-6 win against Red Sox

By Ryan Lewis Published: April 6, 2016

Mike Napoli’s first hit as a member of the Indians was a big one, and it was enough to overcome a botched sixth inning in a 7-6 Indians win against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night.

Everything started off so well for the Indians. But, if not for Napoli and his solo home run in the seventh inning, it all would have been moot.

After struggling to do much of anything against Red Sox ace David Price in Tuesday’s Opening Day game, the Indians (1-1) almost couldn’t have started better against Wednesday’s starter, Clay Buchholz. Jose Ramirez singled and came around to score on a Jason Kipnis double to the gap in right-center field. Napoli then walked and Carlos Santana hit a no-doubter home run (estimated 431 feet) to center field. Five batters into the game and the Indians led 4-0.

The Red Sox (1-1) came back in the second inning when Brock Holt answered with a two-run home run off of Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco. The Indians then got one of those runs back in the bottom half of that inning. Tyler Naquin worked a nine-pitch at-bat and picked up his first career major-league hit, a single to right field. He later scored on Ramirez’s single up the middle to make it 5-2.

Then came the sixth inning. Carrasco (five innings, four runs, seven hits, one walk, five strikeouts), still in the game, allowed back-to-back home runs to David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez. Those home runs cut the Indians’ lead to 5-4 and ended Carrasco’s night in favor of left-handed relief pitcher Ross Detwiler.

Chris Young hit a fly ball to left-center field that should have been an easy out, but Ramirez in left field and Naquin in center field didn’t communicate, allowing the ball to fall right in-between them. Two walks then loaded the bases and Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley hit a sacrifice fly to center field to tie it 5-5.

With Zach McAllister on the mound, Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to third baseman Juan Uribe, who might have had Holt out had he looked him back at third base. Uribe made the throw to first base for the second out, but the Red Sox took a 6-5 lead.

Uribe redeemed himself in the bottom half of the sixth. A Yan Gomes walk and a single by Marlon Byrd put runners on the corners, and Uribe again tied the game 6-6 with a sacrifice fly.

Enter Napoli in the seventh inning, who to that point hadn’t collected a hit. Facing Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa, Napoli got ahold of an offering and belted it to the bleacher seats in left field for the go-ahead shot.

Bryan Shaw escaped the eighth inning unharmed and Cody Allen picked up his first save of the season in the ninth inning, putting down the heart of the Red Sox order that included a close-call catch by Ramirez near the wall in left field to end the game.

Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 04.07.2016

Cleveland Indians' Lonnie Chisenhall scheduled to start rehab at Class AAA Columbus

Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall will start a rehab assignment on Thursday. The question is where will he do it.

The Indians would like him to join Class AAA Columbus. The Clippers are scheduled to open the season at home against Indianapolis on Thursday. Manager Terry Francona said that series could be threatened by bad weather.

"We don't want him sitting around for two or three days," said Francona. "We need a backup plan."

Class AA Akron opens the season on the road against the Bowie (Maryland) Baysox for a four-game set Thursday. Class A Lake County will open against Fort Wayne on Thursday at home, while Class A Lynchburg (Virginia) will open Thursday at home against Winston-Salem.

Chisenhall opened the season on the disabled list with a strained right forearm and sore left wrist.

"I've been pain free for a while," said Chisenhall at the start of this season-opening series against Boston. "I got about 20 at-bats in the minors (after the Indians shut him down in spring training). I feel good."

Chisenhall said it was hard to open the year on the disabled list.

Chisenhall wants to put bad spring behind him

"You never want to be on the DL. You take pride in taking care of yourself," said Chisenhall, who hit .077 (2-for-26) in spring training. "It was just a tough time at camp when they had to make some decisions and they felt like I was behind.

"Fortunately, the first week of the season is favorable for this kind of thing to happen with the off days and the travel. It's disappointing to be on the DL, but I feel I'll be ready to help the team when I come off."

The Indians opened the season with four outfielders – Tyler Naquin, Marlon Byrd, Rajai Davis and Collin Cowgill. Chisenhall is eligible to come off the disabled list when the Indians open a three-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday.

The original schedule for Chisenhall called for him to play right field and DH in his first two games with Columbus. Then he'd have a day off and play three games in a row. Bad weather, however, could change that.

"He hasn't had a ton of at-bats," said Francona. "We just want to make sure that when he comes back, he's ready to help us because when you come back you're taking somebody's job. He needs to be ready to help."

Brantley update: Left fielder Michael Brantley (right shoulder) will go to Columbus to work out when the Indians open a three-game series against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday.

Francona has tried to limit his conversations with Brantley to 'hello.'

Brantley opens year on disabled list

"I don't want to do anything that he would remotely take as, "Hey, let's go.'" said Francona. "I know it's killing him and he's trying. I mostly just say hello to him because I don't want him to feel one bit pressured because we know he's trying hard. When he's good, we're good."

Brantley underwent surgery in November to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Big pop from Big Papi: David Ortiz's two-run homer in the ninth inning on Tuesday was the 13th of his career at Progressive Field. It tied him for seventh place with Magglio Ordonez and Ken Griffey Jr., for visiting players here.

Miguel Cabrera leads with 23 followed by Torii Hunter (21), Jermaine Dye (17), Paul Konerko (16) and Jason Giambi and Carlos Pena with 14 each.

Finally: It was 60 degrees at first pitch Wednesday night, quite a change from Tuesday's opening game temperature of 34 degrees. The game started 12 minutes late because of rain.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

Trevor Bauer adjusting to life in the Cleveland Indians' bullpen

Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The bullpen can be a lonely place for a new face.

Trevor Bauer said he hasn't had time to adjust to his new role as a reliever. He hasn't yet determined how long he needs to warm up or whether he needs to whittle down his pitch arsenal.

He entered in the ninth inning of Tuesday's season-opening affair and served up a long ball to Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. The right-hander said he has not leaned on any coaches or other relievers for advice.

"It's different," Bauer said Wednesday. "Anytime something changes, it's just different. It takes a while to get used to."

Bauer wasn't exactly banking on a relocation to the bullpen, either.

"I think I had the best spring that I've had in pro ball," he said.

The Indians delivered the news to the 25-year-old last week in Goodyear, Arizona. Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin claimed the final two spots in the club's rotation.

"I thought the first day he was mad, which we expected," said manager Terry Francona. "If somebody told me, I'd probably have been mad too. If he was glad, that would have set up a worse message. I didn't think he was disrespectful, which is important."

The Indians maintain that Bauer will eventually make some starts this year. That doesn't happen, however, without someone else losing their job because of injury or ineffectiveness.

"He knows he's not been banished to the bullpen," Francona said. "I think there's a difference. I think we fully expect he'll help us in one way or another when he pitches and then at some point, I think it's being realistic that you don't go through the year with five starters. I wish we did, but the chances of that are very slim. And he's the one guy who can probably be in the bullpen for a period of time and come back and pitch and not have to [gradually build up] because his arm is conditioned to throw so much."

On the other hand, Bauer said he has not thought about a potential return to the rotation.

"I don't know. They tell me to go pitch and I pitch," Bauer said. "Whatever they decide my role is, that's what I go do. That's the definition of being professional, right?"

Francona noted how Carlos Carrasco relocated to the bullpen and Corey Kluber and Danny Salazar required trips to Triple-A before they settled into their starting gigs.

"It's been pretty much everybody, so it's not like he's the lone guy and he's the only one it's ever happened to," Francona said.

Francona added, though, that Bauer had "a pretty good spring." So was the change necessary? The manager said Anderson and Tomlin had a lot to do with it.

"If you turn it around, [I'm] not sure what we would have said to Josh Tomlin, Cody Anderson," Francona said. "Cody Anderson did very well last year and then went into the winter and actually increased his velocity. It's hard to do what he did. So we try to weigh everything. We talked about it a lot, because it's important. I think we just felt like for our team it was the best thing to do."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

Cleveland Indians Minor League Report: Opening day, schedules, players to watch

Elton Alexander, The Plain Dealer By Elton Alexander, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Opening day in baseball hits throughout the Cleveland Indians minor league system Thursday. Here is a quick capsule look at the openers for Cleveland's four teams -- Class AAA Columbus Clippers, Class AA Akron RubberDucks, High Class A Lynchburg Hillcats, Low Class A Lake County Captains -- and a name or two to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Columbus Clippers

What: Class AAA

Where: Columbus, Ohio

Opener: Thursday vs. Indianapolis, 6:35 p.m.

Three names to know:

LHP T.J. House, 6-1, 205 --House is on the Indians 40-man roster after stints in Cleveland the last two seasons. House, 26, had four starts (0-4) in Cleveland in 2015 and allowed 19 runs in 13 innings pitched. Spent much of the rest of the season on disabled list.

1B Jesus Aguilar, 6-3, 250 -- Also on the 40-man roster with short callups the past two seasons. Aguilar, 25, has played in 26 games over two seasons for the Indians with 52 at-bats good for 10 hits, but no homers. Had 19 homers and 93 RBI for Clippers last season.

3B Giovanny Urshela, 6-0, 215 --Urshela, 24, spent 81 games in Cleveland last season, proving to be a solid glove at third base. He hit only .225 with 21 RBI while battling some injuries. Hit .272 in 22 games in Columbus. Remains on the 40-man roster.

• Here is the Clippers season schedule.

• Here is the Clippers opening day roster.

Akron RubberDucks

What: Class AA

Where: Akron, Ohio

Opener: Thursday at Bowie, Md., 6:35 p.m. Home opener, April 14 vs. Bowie, 6:35 p.m.

Three names to know:

OF Bradley Zimmer, 6-4, 185 -- Indians No. 1 draft pick (2014) considered top prospect in the organization. Zimmer played 49 games in Akron last year hitting six homers with 24 RBI, 12 stolen bases and .219 average.

OF Clint Frazier, 6-1, 190 -- Indians No. 1 draft pick (2013) considered the No. 2 prospect in the organization. Played all last season at Lynchburg, hitting .285 with 16 homers, 72 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

IF Yandi Diaz, 6-3, 215 -- Considered a Top 10 prospect in the organization. Was stellar all of 2015 season at Akron, hitting .315 with 78 walks, 55 RBI and seven homers.

• Here is the RubberDucks season schedule.

• Here is the RubberDucks opening day roster.

Lynchburg Hillcats

What: Class A

Where: Lynchburg, Va.

Opener: Thursday vs. Winston-Salem

Three names to know:

LHP Justus Sheffield, 6-0, 195 -- Drafted No. 31 (first round) of 2014 draft. Considered the No. 4 prospect by Baseball America in the Indians system.

IF Mark Mathias, 6-0, 213 -- Third-round pick (2015), considered by Baseball America as "the best pure hitter in the Indians system."

IF Bobby Bradley, 6-1, 225 -- Third-round pick (2014), the Indians No. 5 prospect by Baseball America hit 27 homers last season mostly for Lake County.

• Here is the Hillcats season schedule.

• Here is the Hillcats opening day roster.

Lake County Captains

What: Class A

Where: Willowick, Ohio

Opener: Thursday vs. Fort Wayne, 6:30 p.m.

Three names to know:

C Francisco Mejia, 5-10, 175 -- Undrafted FA (Dominican Republic) considered No. 8 prospect in Indians system will start his second season at Lake County. Hit 9 HR last season.

IF Will Castro, 6-1, 165 -- Undrafted FA (Puerto Rico) is Indians prospect No. 21. He hit .264 at Mahoning Valley last season with 20 steals.

IF Tyler Krieger, 6-2, 170 -- Fourth-round pick (2015) will make his pro debut with the Captains but is considered the Indians No. 22 prospect in the system.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

Jose Ramirez makes catch that counts in Cleveland Indians win over Boston

Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.comon April 07, 2016 at 1:03 AM, updated April 07, 2016 at 1:05 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio – If you play baseball in the Midwest in April you have three choices. You can freeze, you can get blown away or you can get rained on.

The Indians and Red Sox froze on Tuesday. On Wednesday they were rained on and buffeted by the swirling winds at Progressive Field. Everytime a fly ball reached the outfield, manager Terry Francona's heart skipped a beat.

"Nothing was routine," said Francona. "Then with that weird sky it was hard to see the ball. Fortunately, we caught just enough."

The Indians beat Boston, 7-6, on Mike Napoli's homer in the seventh inning. They wasted a 4-0 lead because Carlos Carrasco allowed three homers, two of them by David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez to start the sixth inning. Then the reasons for Francona's heart palpitations surfaced.

Francona's starting outfield included utility infielder Jose Ramirez in left field, rookie Tyler Naquin in center and 38-year-old Marlon Byrd in right field. It was Ramirez's third big-league start in left and Naquin's big league debut in center. Byrd is a veteran outfielder, but he signed with the Indians on March 18 and had only three weeks of spring training before the season started.

After Ortiz and Ramirez hit consecutive homers, pinch-hitter Chris Young sent a fly ball to left center field. Naquin charged in, Ramirez sprinted over to the gap and they both watched the ball fall behind them for a double.

"It was rainy and windy at that moment," said Naquin. "I even asked Jose. He said, "Me, no see.' I said, 'Me, neither, bud.' We saw it probably four feet above our heads. By that time, it was too late."

Terry Francona on windy victory over Boston Manager Terry Francona talks about the Indians victory over Boston at windy Progressive Field on Wednesday night.

Said Francona, "You can blame that on youth all you want, but if he didn't see it, it doesn't matter how old you are."

After Young's double, the Red Sox scored two more runs to take a 6-5 lead. Juan Uribe pulled the Indians in a 6-6 tie with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Napoli reclaimed the lead with his homer in the seventh. Then the game came down to closer Cody Allen, Big Papi and the utility infielder in left field.

Allen retired Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts to start the ninth. But he went 3-1 on Ortiz.

"If he was going to beat us, beat us out to left field," said Allen. "I don't want to give him anything inside that he can turn and burn on. He's up there in age, but can still turn on a fastball with the best of them.

"If he hits it out to left, you tip your cap. I didn't want to walk him either because you've got Hanley on deck and he can do just as much damage."

Allen accomplished his goal as Ortiz hit a line drive to the track in left field. Ramirez broke on the ball, but he was going left. Then he swerved to his right. In the Indians' dugout Francona's heart was skipping beats and everybody else was, well, highly concerned.

How does Ramirez fit into Tribe's future?

"Everybody was a little scared, but this happens," said Carlos Santana, whose three-run homer in the first gave the Indians a 4-0 lead. "Everybody knows his original position is infield. He did a good job tonight."

Finally, at the track, just in front of the wall with his back to the plate, Ramirez jumped and caught the ball for the final out. After he did, he raised his arms in celebration.

Tribe unchains Cody Allen

"He caught that last ball," said Francona, with a smile. "I just wish he was a little taller. I don't know what he's going to do about that."

The 5-9 Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI.

"I didn't know if he was going to catch it," said Allen. "He got turned around a little bit. But then I saw the ball go in the glove. He's a good athlete. He can play anywhere."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

Two Mike Napoli plate appearances -- one quiet, one loud -- helped Cleveland Indians defeat Red Sox: DMan's Report, Game 2

Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mike Napoli hit the go-ahead homer in the seventh inning and Carlos Santana went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox, 7-6, Wednesday night at Progressive Field.

Here is a capsule look at a key component of the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Time Ohio:

Wild night: The Tribe rallied to even the season-opening three-game series, which wraps Thursday. The Red Sox won, 6-2, Tuesday.

The Indians led, 4-0, after one inning and 5-2 after two. Given the Carlos Carrasco was pitching, they seemed to be in a good spot. But Carrasco faltered and the Red Sox eventually pulled ahead, 6-5, after 5 1/2 innings.

The Tribe tied it in the sixth.

The Napoli Effect: Tribe newcomer and former Red Sox Napoli factored heavily in the victory with plate appearances in the first and seventh innings.

In the first, Francisco Lindor led off with a swinging strikeout against right-hander Clay Buchholz. Jose Ramirez singled and Jason Kipnis ripped a 2-2 fastball into right-center for an RBI double. Credit third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh for putting the pressure on Boston's defense by pinwheeling Ramirez.

Napoli took a curve (76 mph) outside, then spit on two quality pitches -- a fastball (91) that ran inside and a cutter (86) that teased the outside corner. More than a few cleanup batters would have swung at one or both, but Napoli is a veteran with a sharp eye who knows how to work counts. He was not going to be too eager.

Napoli took a fastball (90) on the outer half for a strike. He could have cut loose in a 3-0 count to try to impress his new teammates and fans, and no one would have blamed him. He chose patience. Because Buchholz stayed out of the middle of the plate, Napoli might have gotten himself out if he committed to swing no matter what.

Buchholz came back with a fastball (91) that ran up and in. Napoli accepted the walk.

With runners on first and second, Buchholz fell behind Santana, 3-0. After a get-me-over fastball (91) for a called strike, Buchholz threw essentially the same pitch (91). Santana pounced and sent it deep to center for a three-run homer.

Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart had been set up inside. The pitch tailed to the outer half and onto Santana's swing plane. Santana knows how to hook outside pitches with power.

As much as Napoli's willingness to walk proved important, the Indians pay him to mash. It happened with one out in the seventh and the score tied, 6-6.

Righty Junichi Tazawa opened with a fastball (92) that ran down and in. Napoli took it for a ball. K-box later showed the pitch to be at the bottom of the zone, so Napoli caught a break from umpire Bill Welke.

Napoli swung and missed at a wicked splitter (85). Tazawa and Swihart liked what they saw enough to come back with another plus-splitter (87). In real time, Napoli did not appear to offer at the pitch, which Swihart picked off the ground. The Red Sox appealed, and first-base umpire Vic Carapazza ruled swing.

Replays showed that Carapazza was incorrect. Napoli knew he had not swung but did not allow the bad call to affect him outwardly.

Ahead in the count, 1-2, Tazawa threw a fastball (93) that was supposed to run inside but stayed over the plate and scraped the knees. Napoli took it. When Welke called it a ball, Tazawa flinched in disagreement. K-box supported Tazawa.

Even though Welke never would admit it, he probably was influenced by Swihart having been forced to reach across and down to receive the ball.

Perhaps a batter who does not have Napoli's resume and established eye would not have received the benefit of the doubt on the first and/or fourth pitches. (Then again, Napoli watched at least one ball get called a strike against him Tuesday.)

Tazawa and Swihart were not about to double-up with a fastball against a power threat the caliber of Napoli in a tie game. Tazawa's heater is not overpowering; all pitches executed properly, his best is the splitter. Napoli now held an advantage because he could anticipate splitter.

Tazawa assisted by hanging it. The pitch (87) veered middle/in, and Napoli ripped it into the bleachers in left-center.

Napoli notched his first hit and RBI as an Indian.

In two games, Napoli is 1-for-6 with two walks and 47 pitches seen.

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

'It's just a great feeling': Cleveland Indians rookie Tyler Naquin collects first major league hit

Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As soon as Tyler Naquin yanked Clay Buchholz's offering through an opening on the right side of the infield, he bolted for first base. He eventually reached the bag, but he didn't even realize it.

Hanley Ramirez greeted the rookie with a "Congrats." The Indians secured the baseball, which Naquin said he'll send home to Texas. The 24-year-old was on cloud nine after his first major league hit, a single to right field on the ninth pitch of his first trip to the plate on Wednesday. He said he didn't feel himself touching first base.

"I'm sure that he probably barely touched the ground going to first," said Tribe manager Terry Francona. "Good for him. I'm sure that was very exciting for him. He's got family and here and everything, that was pretty good."

Naquin made his first career start in Wednesday's 7-6 victory against Boston. In his first duel with Buchholz, he fell behind 0-2, worked a full count, fouled off a pair of pitches and then slapped a breaking ball between Ramirez and second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Naquin said that the longer the duel lasted, "the more comfortable" he felt.

"That's great. I love that," Francona said. "That was a really good at-bat. You start to foul off some tough breaking balls and change-ups, you're going to earn yourself some fastballs."

Tyler Naquin On His First Hit The rookie discusses his first major league start and hit.

Naquin said Pedroia and Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts also congratulated him when he reached second base. He eventually scored on an RBI knock by Jose Ramirez.

"It's greatly appreciated from my standpoint," Naquin said. "It's just a great feeling, a very exciting moment for myself and my family."

Naquin's parents, brother, grandmother and uncle all traveled to Cleveland from Texas for the week.

"It's good to get a knock out of the way," Naquin said, "get the first [one] out of the way and relax a little bit more."

Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 04.07.2016

Cleveland Indians edge Boston Red Sox, 7-6, on Mike Napoli's homer in seventh inning

Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The temperature warmed Wednesday night and so did the Indians at Progressive Field

After being held to two ice-encased runs Tuesday in the coldest season opener in team history, the Indians blossomed as the barometer soared from 34 degrees on Tuesday to 60 Wednesday night.

Mike Napoli, who struck out three times Tuesday, enjoyed the heat the most as he gave the Indians a 7-6 victory over Boston with a homer in the seventh inning. Napoli's first homer as an Indian broke a 6-6 tie.

Napoli hit a 2-2 pitch off Junichi Tazawa (0-1) with one out. Napoli played 2 1/2 seasons with Boston, helping it win the World Series in 2013, before being traded to Texas last year.

The win went to Zack McAllister (1-0), who worked 1 2/3 innings. Cody Allen retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth for the save.

The Red Sox, trailing through the first five innings, scored four times in the sixth to take a 6-5 lead. David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez opened the inning with consecutive homers to chase a tiring Carlos Carrasco. Ortiz's homer was his second in as many games this season and the 505th of his career to move him into 26th place on MLB's homer list.

Pinch-hitter Chris Young dropped a gift double between rookie center fielder Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez, who was making just his third big-league appearance in left field. Lefty Ross Detwiler walked the next two batters to load the bases before Jackie Bradley his a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-5 game.

McAllister relieved Detwiler and Mookie Betts sent a grounder to third. Brock Holt, who advanced to third on the sacrifice fly, waited for Juan Uribe to make the throw to first before hustling home for a 6-5 lead. Uribe was upset at himself for not freezing Holt.

Mike Napoli on game-winning homer Mike Napoli talks about his game-winning homer against Boston and what the Indians have to do offensively to support their pitching staff.

Uribe atoned for his defensive mistake in the sixth. After Yan Gomes drew a leadoff walk and took third on Marlon Byrd's bloop single just inside the right field line, Uribe delivered Gomes with a sacrifice fly to center to tie the score at 6-6.

The Indians took a 4-0 lead in the first against Clay Buchholz. Jason Kipnis doubled home Ramirez for the first run and Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer to center to make it 4-0.

The Red Sox cut the lead in half against Carrasco with a two-run homer by Holt in the second. The Red Sox hit Carrasco hard early and late during his five-inning outing.

The Indians made it 5-2 in the second as Naquin scored from second on Ramirez's single to center. Naquin reached on a single, his first hit in the big leagues.

The pitches

Carrasco threw 96 pitches, 63 for strikes. In five innings, Carrasco allowed four runs on seven hits. It was the third time in his career he's allowed three homers in a game.

Buchholz threw 95 pitches, 54 for strikes. He allowed five runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out four and walked three.

Let's talk numbers

The announced distance for Santana's three-run homer was 431 feet. MLB.com's Statcast, which takes a more scientific approach to such things, measured it at 417.

By whatever method, it was hit a long way, cleared the fence and counted for three points.

First time for everything

Naquin, with one out in the second, singled through the right side on a 3-2 pitch from Buchholz. It was his first hit in his first start in the big leagues. Naquin, after advancing to second, scored on Jose Ramirez's single for a 5-2 lead. The run, like the hit, was Naquin's first.

Thanks for coming

The Red Sox and Indians drew 10,298 fans to Progressive Field on Wednesday night.

What's next?

Right-hander Danny Salazar will make his 2016 debut on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. against RHP Joe Kelly and the Red Sox in the final game of this three-game set. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game.

Salazar went 3-1 with a 5.47 ERA in seven Cactus League starts this spring. He won a career-high 14 games last season and is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in his career against the Red Sox. Salazar made both those starts against Boston last year.

Kelly won 10 games last season with one of those wins coming against the Indians. This spring he went 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in six starts.

Power bats and what happens when 'me no see' the ball: Zack Meisel's musings Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tyler Naquin dashed to his right. Jose Ramirez darted to his left. As they met, a baseball dropped from the sky and planted itself in the green grass between them. "It was rainy and windy at that moment," Naquin said. "I even asked Jose. He said, 'Me no see.' I said, 'Me neither, bud.'" We saw quite a bit on Wednesday evening. Here are a handful of thoughts followingCleveland's first triumph of the season. 1. Uncharted territory: Ramirez had logged 14 major league innings in the outfield prior to Wednesday's affair. Naquin had totaled two innings. So, it would be far from unfathomable if the two had communication trouble on a fly ball placed between them. Naquin, though, cited the weather as the antagonist and said neither outfielder saw the baseball until it was merely a few feet above their heads. 2. Look what I found: Ramirez raised both arms in celebration after he snared the final out of the game on a play that had many in the Indians' dugout holding their breath. Tribe manager Terry Francona said his heart "skipped a beat a few times" on Wednesday. "[It] might have even stopped." 3. Large father: Of course, when a man with 505 career home runs approaches home plate and represents the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning, that can speed up one's heart rate. Earlier in the night, David Ortiz passed Eddie Murray for 26th place on the all-time home run list. In the ninth, he lined out to Ramirez at the wall in left field, as Cody Allen notched his first save. 4. No stranger: Mike Napoli played with Ortiz from 2013-15. He has witnessed Ortiz's heroics first-hand. His stress level increased when the 40-year-old entered the batter's box. "I didn't like it," Napoli said. "I didn't like it at all. He's a great hitter and he can pop it out of the park at anytime. And it looks like he's got some swag going right now and feels good, so when he came up there, I was saying, 'Just keep it down. If he gets a single, all right.' He's a great hitter and he can change the game at any time. We've seen it so many times." 5. Cookie express: Carlos Carrasco has tallied five or more strikeouts in 19 consecutive starts, the second-longest streak in the majors, behind Clayton Kershaw, who has done so in 34 straight outings. Carrasco's streak is the second-longest streak in franchise history, behind Bob Feller's stretch of 28 contests about 70 years ago. He also allowed three home runs for the third time in his career and the first time since 2011. Francona said he wanted Carrasco to get through two batters in the sixth inning. Carrasco surrendered home runs to both batters. 6. Swing and a drive: Napoli's home run traveled 423 feet, according to the league's Statcast data. He slugged an 87 mph splitter from Red Sox reliever Junichi Tazawa. The ball came off of Napoli's bat at 105 mph. 7. First blasts: Carlos Santana socked the Tribe's first home run of the season with his three-run shot in the first frame. Here is a list of players to hit the club's first homer of the season. 2016: Santana 2015: Santana 2014: Mike Aviles 2013: Asdrubal Cabrera 2012: Jack Hannahan 2011: Jack Hannahan 2010: Travis Hafner 8. Power bats: The Indians will welcome any pop that Napoli and Santana can provide in the middle of the order, especially with Michael Brantley on the shelf. The two combined to reach base five times and drive in four runs on Wednesday. 9. Patience is a virtue: Napoli has seen 47 pitches in his eight plate appearances this season, an average of nearly six pitches per trek to the dish. Santana has seen 38 pitches in his eight plate appearances. 10. Helmet counter: Jose Ramirez's helmet flew off twice on Wednesday, his first game of the season. Napoli's clutch homer lifts Indians past Ortiz, Red Sox 7-6 By TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer)9 hours agoAP - Sports CLEVELAND (AP) -- Mike Napoli cherishes his time playing in Boston, ripping line drives off the Green Monster, spraying champagne in Fenway Park and being part of so many unforgettable moments. On Wednesday, he had his first memorable one with Cleveland. Napoli homered against his former teammates and the Indians overcame David Ortiz's second homer in his farewell season - and Big Papi's deep fly to left field to end the game - to beat the Red Sox 7-6 on Wednesday night. Napoli broke a 6-all tie in the seventh with his solo shot into the left-field bleachers off Junichi Tazawa (0-1). Napoli spent 2 1/2 seasons in Boston and helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013. But batting just .207, they traded him to Texas in August. He's got a new home with the Indians, who signed him as a free agent to give their lineup some pop. Beating his old team was sweet. ''I'm playing against a bunch of my buddies over there,'' he said. ''But when I step in between the lines I want to win. It was nice to do it against them, but I'm just going out there and trying to win.'' Napoli's homer made a winner of reliever Zach McAllister. Cody Allen worked the ninth, retiring Ortiz on drive that outfielder Jose Ramirez snagged with a running catch on the warning track to save Cleveland's first win. As Ortiz came to the plate, Napoli had an uneasy feeling. ''I didn't like it at all,'' he said. ''He's a great hitter and he can pop it out of the park anytime, and it looks like he's got some swag going right now. So when he came up there, I was saying, 'Just keep it down.' It was a nice play out there.'' Indians manager Terry Francona joked that his heart might have jumped a little on Ortiz's flyout. ''Skipped a beat a few times tonight,'' he said. ''Might have even stopped.'' Ortiz's 505th career homer moved him past Eddie Murray into 26th place on the career list and triggered a four-run sixth for the Red Sox, who overcame 4-0 and 5-2 deficits.

Carlos Santana hit a three-run homer and Juan Uribe had a game-tying sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Indians. Ortiz has started his 20th season in fitting fashion. With typical dramatic flair, he hit a two-run homer in Tuesday's weather-delayed season opener and then kick-started the Red Sox rally to take a 6-5 lead. According to Elias, Ortiz joined Red Sox legend Ted Williams as the only players over 40 to homer in each of their team's first two games. ''That's not going to make me feel any younger,'' Ortiz joked about another link to Williams. Ortiz led off the sixth with his 423-foot shot and Hanley Ramirez followed with a homer to chase Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco. View gallery

Cleveland Indians' Mike Napoli hits a solo home run off Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Junichi Ta … Brock Holt added a two-run homer for Boston. Santana connected for his three-run homer in the first off Boston's Clay Buchholz, who quickly fell into a 4-0 hole in his first start since last July. It wasn't the return Buchholz had been hoping for after his 2015 season was cut short by an elbow injury. The right-hander made only 18 starts before he was shut down. BOUNCE BACK Napoli struck out three times looking in Tuesday's opener. ''I've been playing for a while so I know how things go,'' he said. ''I had a rough day, but today was a new day and I got in the cage and worked on what I had to do and it worked out.'' NAQUIN'S FIRST Indians rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin collected his first major league hit with a single in the second. ''Honestly, I didn't even really feel myself touch first base,'' he said. TRAINER'S ROOM Indians: Francona is reluctant to say anything to star LF Michael Brantley, who is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. ''I try not to do anything that he would remotely take as, 'Hey, let's go,' because I know it's killing him and he's trying,'' Francona said. ''I mostly just kind of say hello to him, because I don't want him one bit to feel the least bit pressured. It's not like you've got to nudge him, man.'' UP NEXT Red Sox: RHP Joe Kelly starts the series finale before the Red Sox head to Toronto. Kelly, who went 10-6 in his first season with Boston, made his major league debut against Cleveland in 2012 with St. Louis. In his last outing spring training, Kelly allowed three home runs in four innings. Indians: RHP Danny Salazar won 14 games last season after beginning the year at Triple-A Columbus. He's 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox. Bauer unhappy but adjusting to new role in Indians' bullpen By TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer)13 hours agoAP - Sports CLEVELAND (AP) -- Pursing his lips, Trevor Bauershrugged and answered questions without showing much emotion. The right-hander wouldn't come out and say he was still upset at the Indians for moving him to the bullpen to start the season, a surprising move considering he started 30 games in 2015 and pitched well this spring. Bauer didn't need words to convey his message. His tone and body language revealed his feelings. ''They tell me to go pitch and I pitch,'' Bauer said. ''Whatever they decide my role is, that's what I go do. That's the definition of being professional, right?''

A week after being told he would begin the season as a reliever, Bauer spoke with reporters Wednesday about his switch. He had declined interviews in Arizona and Monday he responded to several questions by saying, ''As long as the team wins, it's good.'' Despite winning 11 games last season and setting career highs in innings, appearances and strikeouts, Bauer lost his spot in the rotation as the Indians decided to make Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlintheir respective No. 4 and No. 5 starters. It's a new world for the 25-year-old Bauer, and he's having trouble accepting it. ''It's different,'' said Bauer, who gave up a two-run homer to David Ortiz in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 6-2 season-opening loss. ''Anytime something changes, it's just different. It takes a while to get used to. They tell me to go pitch and I pitch. Whatever they decide my role is, that's what I go do. That's the definition of being professional, right?'' Bauer did everything he could in Arizona to win a starting job. He posted a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings, walking just five and striking out 20. On the day he was told he'd be pitching in relief, Bauer pitched six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels with seven strikeouts and no walks. It wasn't enough. After he led the AL with 79 walks last season, the Indians wanted him to work on his control and he was in the strike zone throughout Cactus League play. It still wasn't enough. When it came down to deciding his role to start this season, the ball was in someone else's hands. Bauer, whose detailed, off-beat warmup and reliance on analysis has given him the reputation of being quirky, initially didn't handle the Indians' decision well. ''I thought the first day he was mad, which we expected,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''If somebody told me, I'd probably have been mad, too. If he was glad that would have set up a worse message. I didn't think he was disrespectful, which is important. He knows he's not been banished to the bullpen. I think there's a difference.'' Led by former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, the Indians have one of the best rotations in baseball. There are bound to be injuries and the Indians feel Bauer will be needed at some point in a starting role. ''We fully expect he'll help us in one way or another when he pitches,'' Francona said. ''I think it's being realistic that you don't go through the year with five starters. I wish we did, but the chances of that are very slim. And he's the one guy who can probably be in the bullpen for a period of time and come back and pitch and not have to go 2-3-4 (days without throwing) because his arm is conditioned to throw so much. ''In the meantime, we're going to try to use him when he can help us. At some point, it wouldn't shock me that he's back in the rotation.'' Top prospects Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier give RubberDucks potent one-two punch A one-two punch at any level of baseball is enough to make a manager smile. What Dave Wallace has to begin 2016 with the RubberDucks has the coach itching to start the season Thursday at Bowie. At first pitch, he’ll have Bradley Zimmer — the No. 1 prospect in the organization, according to Baseball America — starting in center field and Clint Frazier — the No. 2 prospect — starting in left. “I’m really excited and not because they’re No. 1 and 2 in the organization, but because they’re good ballplayers and good teammates,” Wallace said. “That’s one thing I’ve been extremely fortunate to have so far, starting with Francisco Lindor. Not only were he and these guys extremely talented players, they’re good teammates. “… Obviously, they’re good baseball players, but they’re men of character as well. That makes my job easy. Sometimes you deal with the prima donna first-rounder, but that’s not going to be the case here. I think both of them, along with everyone else, will push each other.” While both are primarily center fielders, Wallace has said the two will rotate at the position with Zimmer playing mostly center, while also playing right. Frazier will get the nod in left and play center field as well. It won’t be the first time the two have played together as they were in a handful of games in Lake County in 2014 and played in Lynchburg in 2015. “As you see what’s going on in Cleveland with [Michael] Brantley being down, being able to play multiple outfield positions is a huge advantage,” Wallace said. “It’s something that helped Collin Cowgill and those guys make the team. That was a strong advantage they had. They were able to play multiple positions. We want to make sure those guys get time at each spot in the outfield.” The fact the two are comfortable with each other makes for an easy transition. Zimmer was selected 21st overall out of the University of San Francisco in the 2014 amateur draft and played 49 games with the RubberDucks last season. While his .219 average, six home runs and 24 RBI don’t jump out, he played with a hairline fracture in his right foot and is fully recovered. In 652 career minor-league at-bats, the 23-year old is hitting .281 with 22 home runs, 95 RBI and a .377 on-base percentage. He also has 56 stolen bases. He dominated the Carolina League last year, hitting .308 with 10 homers and 39 RBI at Lynchburg. Frazier was taken with the fifth pick out of Loganville High School (Ga.) in the 2013 amateur draft. He’s a career .279 hitter with a .364 on-base percentage. He has 34 home runs and 150 RBI. The 21-year-old played in Lynchburg last season and led the Carolina League in hits (143) and doubles (36). He also led the Indians farm system with 88 runs scored. “I think it’s going to be great,” Zimmer said. “Getting to play with each other last year, we have a good connection. We have a good vibe. We complement each other well and communicate well. We know each other as players since we’ve had some experience together. We’re just hoping to carry that into this year and have fun with it.” That’s the most important piece. While both have the end goal of making it to the show, they know healthy competition makes each of them better and helps them become great teammates as well. “Just to be able to go out there and play all three positions is something I want to do every day,” Frazier said. “I want to make sure I can help benefit the team anyway I can, whether that’s here, Triple-A or the big leagues. I just want to go out there and better myself every day.” They aren’t the only ones excited to get things underway. Opening Day pitcher Adam Plutko has seen firsthand what the two can do in the outfield at the lower levels. With the two manning Canal Park to start the season, Plutko is ready to welcome both to the outfield.

“That’s something I had in Lynchburg for the six weeks I was there,” he said. “They saved a lot of balls for me, especially Zimmer. He looks like a gazelle when’s tracking a ball down. It’s something I really appreciate. Good defense wins a lot of ball games.” Dave Wallace excited to return for third season as RubberDucks manager with top Indians prospects Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier The 2016 RubberDucks Opening Day roster is heavy on highly touted players. Outfielders Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier are the Indians’ top two minor league prospects according to mlb.com, Baseball America, Athlon Sports and the Sporting News, and both are scheduled to suit up and start at 6:35 p.m. Thursday when the visiting Ducks play the Bowie Baysox. Zimmer and Frazier are not the only players that impress scouts. Ducks right-handed starting pitcher Adam Plutko, left-handed starting pitchers Shawn Morimando and Rob Kaminsky, and infielders Yandy Diaz and Nellie Rodriguez are also ranked in the top 20 of the Tribe’s minor- leaguers, according to mlb.com. “Throughout our whole lineup we have got some power, some depth and some speed, so we want to make sure that these guys are growing and developing in each of those areas,” Ducks manager Dave Wallace said Wednesday at Canal Park. “I like having Plutko and Morimando back at the top of the rotation. That is something where both of those guys threw well enough last year in this league to warrant promotions to Triple-A, and I think we would be comfortable with both of them in Columbus. It just happens with offseason signings and other stuff that they are just right now in the spot where they are, which is a good thing overall organizationally. “I am happy to have them back. For their sake, I would love to see them continue to perform the way they have in this league and win a spot in Columbus when one opens up or shoot in Cleveland for that matter.” Wallace said his Opening Day batting order will likely be infielder Eric Stamets, Frazier, Zimmer, Diaz, Rodriguez, designated hitter Bryson Myles, outfielder Jordan Smith, catcher Jeremy Lucas and infielder Todd Hankins. “I am excited,” Zimmer said. “I really had a good time here last year, and I am looking to build off of last year and improve in every aspect of the game.” Frazier said he wants to “have a healthy year, and trust in the work that I put in in spring training and in the off-season.” Plutko and Morimando are slated to be the Ducks’ top starting pitchers with right-hander Michael Peoples, Kaminsky and right-hander Dace Kime rounding out the rotation. Plutko said he likes what he sees on the team and is “honored to be starting Opening Day.” Catcher Alex Monsalve and infielders Yhoxian Medina and Joe Sever are slated to play reserve roles. The bullpen will feature right-handers Justin Brantley, Jordan Cooper, J.P. Feyereisen, Perci Garner, Louis Head, Ben Heller, Antonio Romero and Grant Sides. The Ducks are scheduled to play at Bowie for four games, then travel to play at the Altoona Curve for three games before hosting the Baysox at 6:35 p.m. on April 14 in the home opener. “This is a nice city,” Kaminsky said of Akron. “I am more of a city guy. ... The stadium is beautiful. The atmosphere is great in the clubhouse and I can’t wait to get started.” Baseball | Clippers preview: Well-stocked roster By Mark ZnidarThe Columbus Dispatch • Thursday April 7, 2016 5:19 AM Clippers manager Chris Tremie had an all-business expression as his picture was being taken by the team photographer, and after a couple of takes, he was ready to get back to work. “Did you get it? Is that it?” he said. Who could blame Tremie for wanting to roll up his sleeves? The Clippers will have no fewer than 14 legitimate major-league prospects on their roster when they open the season against Indianapolis at 6:35 tonight at Huntington Park. In 2015, Columbus tied the Indians for first place in the International League West and defeated them in five games to win their third Governors' Cup championship in six seasons and 10th overall. Tremie, who is back for his fourth season, didn’t have to give many players a tour of the stadium. “We have some players with major-league experience and guys who have had triple-A success, so it’s going to be exciting watching these guys play,” he said. “Everybody is ready to start the season.” The Clippers clubhouse stayed united last season despite a number of call-ups by the parent Cleveland Indians, which included shortstop Francisco Lindor, third baseman Giovanny Urshela and relievers Kyle Crockett and Jeff Manship. “We do have a lot of fun, but we do get our work in and go about our business,” Tremie said. “It can be difficult at this level (to maintain cohesiveness), but that’s indicative of what kind of people we have. We have guys who are good teammates. They work to get their opportunities, but they work together.” With Indians outfielders Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall expected to come off the disabled list soon, the Clippers' roster again will be fluid. The pitching staff is so stocked that Toru Murata, who led the IL with 15 victories last season, is in the bullpen. The rotation is T.J. House, Mike Clevinger, Ryan Merritt, Will Roberts and Jarrett Grube. House went 5-3 and started 19 games for Cleveland in 2014. Clevinger won two Governors’ Cup playoff games, which included 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball against Norfolk in the semifinals. The infield is stout with Urshela, catcher Adam Moore, first baseman Jesus Aguilar, second baseman Michael Martinez and prize shortstop prospect Erik Gonzalez. Aguilar led the IL with 93 RBI and hit 19 home runs last season. He wants to be in the big leagues but is not sulking in Columbus. “I’m playing to be in good position for when Cleveland needs me,” he said. “I know what I have to do to get better. I can’t get down. I’m also working for this club to win games. It’s your job to do that because we have a great team and you also play for your guys.” Two-thirds of the season-opening outfield will be major-league quality: Chisenhall is on an injury-rehabilitation assignment, and Joey Butler played 88 games for Tampa Bay last season.

Moore said the Clippers are thinking championship. “Absolutely, we’re a hungry team,” he said. “For the most part, this is a lot of the same team from last year. On paper, it’s an impressive roster.” Martinez could be one of the Indians’ first promotions because of his versatility, but his eyes are on the job at hand. “I feel good when I play with these guys because there is a lot of respect,” he said. “We do help each other. That’s how our team goes. It’s not surprising that we won the championship.” Jeff Schudel: Cleveland Indians will have to manufacture runs until injured Michael Brantley returns

By Jeff Schudel, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal

Injuries will be part of any season for any team. But the Indians, scoring-challenged when the lineup is healthy, were exposed in the opener when the entire outfield was different than it would have been under normal circumstances.

Marlon Byrd started in left field on April 5 instead of Michael Brantley, who is on the 15-day disabled list recovering from shoulder surgery. Rajai Davis started in center field in place of Abraham Almonte, who was caught using PEDs and was suspended for the first 80 games of season. Collin Cowgill started in right field in place of Lonnie Chisenhall, who is on the disabled list with a wrist injury.

Davis (0-for-4), Byrd (0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts) and Cowgill (0-for-2 with two strikeouts), had to make hard-luck starter Corey Kluber long for his normal outfield, although of course he didn’t complain about a lack of run support.

Byrd was in the lineup on April 6 against Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz. Cowgill was on the bench because Tribe manager Terry Francona wanted to use left-handed hitting rookie Tyler Naquin.

Jose Ramirez started in center and roped a single to center in his first at-bat. A single in his second at-bat after Naquin advanced to second on a groundout gave the Indians a 5-2 lead in the second inning.

The Indians know they’ll have to stitch together runs by moving station to station as they did for their fifth run.

The Tribe took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a three-run home run by Carlos Santana. Indians first baseman Mike Napoli crushed what proved to be a game-winning home run into the left field bleachers in the bottom of the seventh to break a 6-6 tie. Still this lineup without Brantley cannot always depend on big bats to win games.

The Indians tied the game, 6-6, after coughing up a 5-2 lead in the top of the sixth, in the bottom of the sixth when Yan Gomes walked and moved to third on a single to right by Byrd. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Juan Uribe. That has to be the norm more than the exception for the Indians to win consistently.

“We’re going to have a good offense,” second baseman Jason Kipnis said after the 6-2 opening loss. “It was Day One. That’s all you guys have to talk about and that’s all we have to look at, but we’re going to get better.”

The Indians are putting pressure on themselves to play better in April than they did a year ago when they were 7-14. They looked much more relaxed and patient against Buchholz than they did against Boston ace David Price, who can make any team look bad. Price also benefited from the cold weather.

Francona insists there is no timetable for Brantley to return to the lineup. Brantley is eligible to come off the DL on April 9, but there is no reason to be optimistic about him playing that soon. At minimum, he will do a rehab assignment in Columbus before he rejoins the Indians.

Brantley was in the clubhouse on April 5 with a giant ice bag taped to his right shoulder. I’m no doctor, but it seems his progress has stalled after making steady improvement during spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. He is determined to get back as quickly as possible, but he and the Indians trainers are wise not to rush anything.

Chisenhall is eligible to come off the disabled list on April 12. But he should be back sooner than Brantley.

Francona is steering the Indians’ ship through some rough waters so early in the season. If he gets to port safely without Brantley, and to a lesser extent Chisenhall, it bodes well for the summer and maybe even October.

Lake County Captains pitching coach believes strikeouts aren’t that special

By David Glasier, The News-Herald

Know this about the Lake County Captains pitchers this season under the guidance of veteran pitching coach and former major-league pitcher Steve McCatty.

As young and as powerful as their arms are at this early stage of their careers, McCatty will be focused on outcomes achieved by his pitchers and not on strikeout totals as the Captains play their home and season opener April 7 against the Fort Wayne (Ind.) TinCaps. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

“Strikeouts weren’t that important to me as a player, and they’re not that important to me as a coach,” McCatty said.

Which isn’t to suggest McCatty doesn’t place value on opposing batters walking back to the dugout on the business end of what goes into the scorebook as a “K.”

He does, especially when the strikeout comes with a runner or runners in scoring position and the game hanging in the balance. McCatty also pays close attention to strikeout-to-walk ratio.

But the equating of strikeout totals with a pitcher’s effectiveness makes little or no sense to the 62-year-old, lifelong resident of the Detroit area. It’s a mindset he’s maintained in 17 years as a pitching coach, six of them with the Washington Nationals (2009-15).

“Everybody wants to be Randy Johnson or Nolan Ryan. But not many pitchers can be,” McCatty said.

McCatty, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander, pitched nine seasons in the big leagues with the Oakland A’s. He compiled a 63-63 record and 3.99 ERA in 221 appearances, 161 of them starts, between 1977 and 1985.

In the strike-shortened 1981 season, while finishing second in the American League Cy Young Award race with a 14-7 record and 2.33 ERA in 22 starts, McCatty notched 95 strikeouts in 185 2/3 innings.

“I wanted to have (opposing batters) put the ball in play and let my guys pick it behind me,” McCatty said. “My thinking was, the fewer pitches I throw, the longer I’ll be in the game. What’s the value in throwing four, five, six or more pitches to get an out when I could get the job done with one or two pitches.”

The philosophy worked well for McCatty, who had 45 complete games in 161 career big-league starts.

On this Lake County staff, McCatty said, he sees “ mix of guys who throw it in there firm and guys who work the ball.”

Thomas Pannone, the 21-year-old left-hander who’ll get the start against Fort Wayne in the home opener, falls into the “firm” camp.

In 27 appearances at Lake County last season, 20 of them starts, Pannone was 7-6 with a 4.02 ERA . He had 120 strikeouts and issued only 37 walks in 116 1/3 innings.

Casey Shane, the likely starter against the TinCaps on April 8, posted 41 strikeouts in 60 innings last season with the short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

Indians 7, Red Sox 6: Tribe slugs way past Boston for first win by Chris Assenheimer - The Chronicle-Telegram CLEVELAND — Offensively speaking, the Indians were just fine Wednesday night at Progressive Field. A team that entered the season with question marks in the hitting department slugged its way to a 7-6 victory over the Red Sox, overcoming a disastrous sixth inning to notch its first win of the year. Mike Napoli’s solo home run in the seventh inning was the difference. “That’s a really good win, especially getting up early and they make the come back and take the lead,” Napoli said of the victory over his former team. “We were able to scrap out that run to tie the game, and ultimately I hit that homer that took the lead. “It was a great team win overall. That was nice.” The Indians had the early control, scoring four times off Boston starter Clay Buchholz in the opening inning — three on Carlos Santana’s first home run — then adding another run in the second. But Boston erased a 5-2 deficit with four runs in the sixth inning — two of them credited to Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco served up consecutive homers to David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez before giving way to left-hander Ross Detwiler, who allowed a double to pinch hitter Chris Young on a ball that was misplayed by left fielder Jose Ramirez and center fielder Tyler Naquin. Detwiler walked the next two hitters to load the bases, then allowed a sacrifice fly to Jackie Bradley Jr. that tied the game at 6. The Red Sox forged ahead on Mookie Betts’ grounder to Uribe, who neglected to look back the runner at third and threw to first. Carrasco lasted five-plus innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, including three home runs for the third time in his career. “(Boston) hit some balls pretty hard and the ballpark, uncharacteristic for this time of year, was playing pretty small tonight,” manager Terry Francona said. “Balls were flying all over the place. They squared up a lot of balls. We wanted to get (Carrasco) through two hitters in the sixth and he gave up two home runs. So much for that.” “There was some things that I learned today to take for my second start,” Carrasco said. “I think I fell behind today, everybody. I was just trying to throw a lot of strikes. I didn’t throw first-pitch strikes. It was something that I learned and something that I’ll take into the next start. “Ortiz on 3-2, I was supposed to go fastball inside, but it came back inside-middle. Ramirez, it was supposed to be down and away, but it went inside a little bit. I missed those spots right there. For the three home runs, I missed those spots.” The Indians, who scored just two runs, in one inning, of their season-opening loss to Boston on Tuesday, fought their way back immediately after surrendering the lead, tying it on a sacrifice fly from Uribe in the sixth. With one out in the seventh, Napoli located a 2-2 offering from Junichi Tazawa and drove it an estimated 414 feet into the bleachers in left field. A trio of relievers kept Boston from rallying back, with Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw and closer Cody Allen shutting out the Red Sox on two hits over the final 3 innings. Allen retired the side in order in the ninth, facing Xander Bogaerts, Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz. “We came out and swung the bats really well, and then you give it back,” Francona said. “But they kept playing. Nap with a really good swing. We put some pressure on them. That was good. We made a few mistakes, but we outplayed those.” Napoli’s first hit as an Indians player was a big one. “We’re all going to have to work together as a group,” Napoli said. “If we do the little things as a group, we’re going to be able to scrap out runs for our great pitching staff. As long as we come together and have tough at-bats where we can scrap some runs, we’re going to be good.” Indians notes: New leaders hoping to lead successful 2016 season by Chris Assenheimer - The Chronicle-Telegram CLEVELAND — There are a bunch of new sheriffs to keep peace in the clubhouse, and the Indians are hoping that leads to more success in the wild, wild American League Central Division. Corey Kluber, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes and Michael Brantley assumed the leadership role toward the end of last season after a host of veterans, including Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Brandon Moss were dealt at the trading deadline.

The new regime of leaders were joined by new veterans Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Juan Uribe, Marlon Byrd and others for the first time during training camp. “There was a lot more focus this spring than in year’s past,” Kipnis said. “I don’t know if that’s just from certain guys that have come in, I don’t know if that was certain guys leaving. I really don’t know what it was, but there really was just a better focus of just getting stuff done, getting the work done.” “The chemistry in our clubhouse is pretty special,” Napoli said. “I think we came together as a group during spring training. Everyone worked hard to get themselves into shape and feel good. It takes everyone as a group to be on the same page to be able to get out there and play together.” A rotation that is considered one of the AL’s best is expected to be Cleveland’s strength, but the team-first attitude is evident when discussing the starting staff with Kluber. “I don’t think we’re really concerned with being the best rotation in the American League,” Kluber said. “I think our goal is to be the best team in baseball coming into the year. We don’t have a goal as a rotation or a goal as a lineup. Our goal as a team is to be the last team that wins a game coming into the year.” Rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin made the team after his third trip to big league training camp and is looking forward to the learning experience. “This group of guys, I think we have something special here,” Naquin said. “(We have a) lot of good veterans that came in, and you got guys like Brantley and Kip. I could go around the whole clubhouse naming everybody, but there’s good team chemistry.” Bauer’s hour Trevor Bauer met with reporters prior to Wednesday’s game, discussing his move to the bullpen. Bauer thought he had the best spring training performance of his career, yet he lost out to Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin for the final two spots in the rotation. “He knows he hasn’t been banished to the bullpen,” manager Terry Francona said. “I think there’s a difference. I think we fully expect that he’ll helps us in one way or another. At some point, I think it’s just being realistic, you don’t go through the whole year with five starters. “He’s the one guy that can be in the bullpen for a period of time and come back and (start), and not have to go three, four innings, because his arm is conditioned. At some point, it wouldn’t shock me if he was back in the rotation.” Francona believes the move can be beneficial for Bauer’s career as a starter. “It helped (Carlos) Carrasco,” he said. “Corey Kluber took a step back going to Triple-A. Danny Salazar went to Triple-A. (Josh) Tomlin’s gone to the bullpen and Triple-A. It’s pretty much everyone. It’s not like he the only guy it’s ever happened to.” Better bunch? Kipnis thinks the Indians’ offense, an area of weakness last year, will improve this season. “We got different guys,” he said. “We got some bigger bats this year than we’ve had in years past. Nap, Yan, Marlon, these guys are putting balls off the wall (in spring training), hitting doubles for us and that’s going to lead to a lot more runs for us, when you don’t have to hit three singles in a row. When you got guys hitting extra-base hits, it scores more runs.” Star struck Plenty around baseball, certainly around the Indians organization, have shortstop Francisco Lindor pegged for stardom. The runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year, has his own thoughts on the subject. “I have my own expectations. People have their expectations of me, but I have my own,” Lindor said. “At the end of the day, if I play hard, if I have good at-bats and I help my team win, that’s what I want. I want to be in the playoffs. I want to be cold in April and cold in October.” Roundin’ third Naquin made his major league debut Tuesday, and was in the lineup Wednesday in center field for his first career big league start. … Lonnie Chisenhall (left wrist injury) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus tonight. … Tonight, 6:10, STO; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM. Salazar vs. Kelly. Cleveland Indians top prospects Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier expecting big things at Double-A Akron

By Mark Podolski, The News-Herald

For the record: Ranked by Baseball America as the Indians’ No. 1 prospect. ... Hit 16 home runs with 63 RBI and 44 stolen bases combined for Lynchburg and Akron in 2015. ... Baseball America says Zimmer “has true five-tool potential and is capable of impacting the game in many ways.”

Clint Frazier

Position: Outfield

Born: Sept. 6, 1994

Drafted: First round (No. 5 overall) in 2013.

For the record: Ranked by Baseball America as the Indians’ No. 2 prospect. ... Hit 16 home runs with 72 RBI and 15 stolen bases for Lynchburg in 2015. Also led the Carolina League in hits (143) and doubles (36). ... Baseball America says Frazier “stands out most for his power, which his exceptional bat speed helps to create.”

AKRON >> Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier won’t be difficult to spot for Indians fans this summer.

The organization’s top two prospects according to Baseball America (Zimmer is No. 1, Frazier No. 2), will be playing about 30 miles south at Canal Park for Double-A Akron.

Video: Indians top prospect Clint Frazier on starting the season with Double-A Akron

For those planning to attend a game or two — or maybe more — simply gaze out to the outfield, where the future of the Indians will be roaming.

Zimmer stands out at 6-foot-4 with speed that makes him look like a “gazelle” when he runs, according to his teammate and pitcher Adam Plutko.

Frazier can’t be missed with his wild, bushy red hair that will likely make him a fan favorite on a team loaded with talent.

Joining Zimmer and Frazier on the RubberDucks in 2016 are No. 1 starter Plutko, first baseman Nellie Rodriguez, the 2015 Carolina League MVP, and third baseman Yandy Diaz, who hit . 315 with 150 hits last season for Akron.

The biggest names at Akron, though, are Zimmer and Frazier. David Wallace, a former manager of the Lake County Captains, knows it.

“I’m excited for both of them not because they’re (the) 1-2 prospects in the organization, but because they’re good players, good teammates,” said Wallace.

Wallace said Frazier will bat second in the order and Zimmer third when the RubberDucks open the season April 7 at Bowie.

In 2013, Frazier, 21, was drafted out of high school in Georgia with a big-time arm. A year later, Zimmer, 23, was drafted out of the University of San Francisco, with lanky strides that make his play look effortless.

Together, they will cover a lot of ground in the outfield playing all positions, although Zimmer will be the team’s primary center fielder.

“They’re in different spots in their development,” said Wallace. “It’s fun to watch their dynamic. They are different people, different players. But I think they push themselves well.”

Zimmer’s ascent through the minors hasn’t been a surprise. Last year, his first full season in the Indians’ organization, he started with High Single-A Lynchburg and dominated. His .308 average with 10 home runs and 39 RBI in 286 at-bats, along with 32 stolen bases, earned him a promotion to Akron.

A late-season foot injury limited his production when he got there, but Zimmer said he is fully recovered and ready to go.

“I want to steal more bases this year,” said Zimmer on April 6 during the RubberDucks’ media day. “I want to hit for more power. Everything.”

Everything is a good word to describe Zimmer’s potential. Baseball America’s scouting report of Zimmer said he “is capable of impacting the game in many ways.”

Said Wallace: “He’s about as five-tool of a player as I’ve seen.”

Frazier joins the RubberDucks as the only position player on the roster without experience at the Double-A level, so the interest to work with the 2013 Baseball America High School Player of the Year up close is high for Wallace.

“Definitely excited to work with him,” he said.

Frazier played with Zimmer in the final weeks of the 2014 season in Lake County. Zimmer joined the team for the last three games of the regular season and then the Midwest League playoffs. They played together at Lynchburg for the first half.

“Clint and I have developed a good relationship, and hopefully we’ll be playing together for a long time,” said Zimmer.

Before the 2013 draft, Frazier was known for his big-time power and bat speed, and he hasn’t disappointed with 29 home runs the last two seasons, but he will always stand out because of his long red hair.

“Everyone has their preference. I like (my hair) long,” said Frazier. “I’m not going to let my hair be bigger than my game. This is a team sport, and I’m not trying to be a guy that says, ‘Look at me.’”

Frazier also has a knack for extra-base hits. In addition to his home runs, he has 54 doubles and nine triples the last two seasons.

He also showed an improvement in plate discipline from his first full season to the next. In 2014, he struck out a whopping 161 times in 120 games with the Captains, then cut that figure to 125 in 133 games with Lynchburg.

“I’ve had an immature approach going to the plate, trying to hit home runs,” said Frazier. “The thought of hitting a home run every time I was up in high school is what I kept reverting back to. I realized this isn’t high school anymore. So I had to adjust and mature.”