Napoli brings the boom in win over Royals By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:37 AM ET CLEVELAND -- The fans in the left-field bleachers seats need to be ready when Mike Napolisteps to the plate. Even if the Cleveland slugger goes down swinging, which he did in his first two at-bats on Saturday night, the next hack he takes might be a different story. "Next thing you know, boom," Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said after the Tribe's 7-1victory over the Royals. The boom arrived in the sixth inning on Saturday, when Napoli launched a solo home run over Progressive Field's wall for his 13th long ball of the season. The first baseman's showing against the Royals, who are now looking up at the first-place Tribe, served as a microcosm of his season to date: One home run, one walk and a pair of strikeouts. Napoli's combination of patience and power can be frustrating, because there are peaks (he has five homers, 11 RBIs and a .781 slugging percentage through nine games on this homestand, for example) and valleys (like when he struck out in eight straight at-bats from May 20-22). Cleveland knew the risk when it signed the veteran to a one-year pact over the winter, but the club also knew the potential reward. So far, there has been enough of a feast to overcome the occasional famine. "He's smart enough to know that he's going to strike out," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He swings hard and he's trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, which is what he's supposed to do. He can have an at-bat where he strikes out, but he knows one good swing can change a game. Fortunately, he's taken a lot of those." On the season, the 34-year-old Napoli has hit .238 with the third-highest strikeout percentage (34.9 percent) in the American League through 50 games. The slugger has countered those categories with a .503 slugging percentage and 41 RBIs, which are tied with Mike Trout for the sixth-most in the AL. Napoli also entered Saturday with baseball's best rate of pitches per plate appearance (4.72). For all the Indians fans who have clamored for Cleveland to find a right-handed power bat for the heart of the order, Napoli has provided as much to date. As of right now, he is on pace for 36 home runs and 114 RBIs, if you project across 600 plate appearances. "You hate to ever sound surprised or anything," Francona said, "but he's been a pleasure in every aspect. I had already heard so many good things about him, but I would say he's probably exceeded it just by the way he's carried himself." Napoli's teammates offer similar reviews. "His presence alone is huge," Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin said. "He wants to win. Whatever it takes to win. I love being around him. I know all the other guys love being around him. He's just kind of brought that veteran leadership to us that we've kind of needed. He's a guy that wants to win and you can tell that. You can just kind of see it in his eyes." And, Napoli wants to bring the boom. In the first inning, Lindor doubled to right field and watched Napoli strike out to end the inning. In the third, Lindor doubled to right again and saw Napoli go down swinging. In the sixth inning, memories of those whiffs were swiftly erased when Napoli drove a pitch from Kansas City's Ian Kennedy out to left field. The blast ignited a four-run rally in the inning and helped Cleveland pull away with the win. "Why would I doubt a guy like that?" Lindor said. "Every day, it's got to be someone different and Napoli just happens to be a guy that comes out every day and he lives in those moments. He's a great hitter, clutch hitter, and he's a professional." Home runs back Tomlin's gem vs. Royals By Jordan Bastian and Scott Chasen / MLB.com | 1:04 AM ET CLEVELAND -- The Indians overtook the Royals for first place in the American League Central on Saturday night with a convincing 7-1 victory at Progressive Field. Josh Tomlin led the way with a strong start and the Tribe offense backed him up with three home runs. "It feels good, but we have a long way to go," Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said. "We have a lot of work to do. But, the guys are doing good. We're playing the game the right way. We're pushing each other, moving runners, running the bases great. Tomlin with another great game tonight. Overall, the guys have done a great job and I'm blessed to be a part of it." Salvador Perez had a pair of hits in his return to the lineup for Kansas City, but that was the only bright spot in a loss that helped Cleveland move a half-game ahead in the division standings. On the hook for the loss was righty Ian Kennedy, who surrendered two of the Tribe's long balls on the evening. More > Indians first baseman Mike Napoli continued his hot homestand (five home runs and 11 RBIs in nine games) with a home run in the sixth, marking his 13th shot of the season. Rookie Tyler Naquin followed suit with a homer in the same inning, giving the young outfielder two home runs in as many games. Lindor added a two-run homer, his fifth, in the seventh off Royals reliever Scott Alexander. Tomlin improved to 8-1 on the season after limiting Kansas City to one run on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander struck out four, walked one and held the Royals off the board until the seventh. In that inning, Kendrys Morales doubled and later scored on a single by Reymond Fuentes. "He's really good, and what he does is he's really good at moving your eye level," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Tomlin. "He pitches very effectively with his fastball, up and down." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Power up: Napoli and Naquin each went deep in the sixth inning to give Tomlin more than the 1-0 cushion he had for the first five frames. Napoli sent a hanging knuckle-curve from Kennedy over the 19-foot wall in left for a one-out solo shot. Later, Naquin used an easy swing to belt a 1-1 changeup to deep center for a two-run blast. More > Better Call Sal: After missing six games with a left quad contusion, Perez wasted little time in getting his first hit. In the top of the second inning, he singled to left field, getting his first hit since May 27. He followed that up with a double in the fourth inning and would finish the day 2for-4. "I felt great today," Perez said. Perez was originally slated for a day off tomorrow, but after the game, Yost said he may end up playing tomorrow. He said they'd look at how Perez felt in the morning before making the final decision.

Lindor-to-Ramirez: Lindor has dazzled with his defense all season, but he teamed with third baseman Jose Ramirez for a jaw-dropping gem in the ninth. Moralez chopped a pitch to the right of second base, where Lindor made a diving stop while in the shift. From the ground, the shortstop flipped the ball to Ramirez, who fired to first baseman Carlos Santana to complete an incredible out. "Ramirez, before that play happened, told me, 'If I catch the ball, I'm going to give it to you,'" Lindor said. "I said, 'All right, if I catch it, I'm going to give it to you.' As soon as it was hit, I knew I was going to give it to him." More > Fuentes stays hot: After hitting 3-for-4 in the series opener against the Indians, Fuentes knocked in the first run of the game for Kansas City with an RBI single in the top of the seventh. That single also gave Fuentes his fourth multi-hit game of the year in eight appearances with the club. "He's always been a good kid with the bat," Yost said. "He won a batting title this year in winter ball." QUOTABLE "It's funny, because you see that we've got a one-run lead and you know Salvador Perez is coming up. He was going to play tonight [even] if he was in a wheelchair. And, finally, J.T. struck him out. I don't know if [Perez] was just tired." -- Indians manager Terry Francona "That's unbelievable. That's instincts. That's not something you learn or you teach or anything like that. It's just the instincts that he has in the game. It's unreal. Josey being right there ready for it is pretty instinctual, too. I enjoy watching stuff like that." --Tomlin, on Lindor's diving stop in the ninth SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS When Whit Merrifield stole second base in the first inning, it marked his third theft of the season, but it was a rare heist with Tomlin on the mound. It marked the first successful steal attempt against Tomlin since June 22, 2014, when Ian Kinsler swiped a base off the righty. In fact, Kinsler's was the lone steal off Tomlin across the 2013-16 seasons (teams only attempted four total), entering Saturday. With a pair of doubles and a homer, Lindor became the first Indians batter to have at least three extra-base hits in a game this season. WHAT'S NEXT Royals: Right-hander Chris Young (2-5, 5.94 ERA) will take the mound for the series finale against the Tribe at 12:10 p.m. CT on Sunday at Progressive Field. Young will be making his first start since going on the DL earlier this month. He's made two relief appearances since then, allowing two hits and no runs through four innings. Indians: Cleveland will counter with right-hander Corey Kluber (4-6, 4.15 ERA) to conclude the four-game set against Kansas City. Last time out, Kluber allowed a season-high six runs on eight hits over seven innings against Texas. He is 5-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 career starts against the Royals. By glove and by bat: Lindor impresses again By Shane Jackson / MLB.com | 12:21 AM ET CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor could not help but laugh as he received a high five from third baseman Jose Ramirez near second base. Even though the two had schemed it beforehand, the Indians shortstop was still in disbelief that it actually worked. In the top of the ninth of the Tribe's 7-1 win over the Royals on Saturday night, Lindor initiated a gem in the field that was extraordinary even by his own lofty standards. The shortstop's teammates are rarely surprised by Lindor's defensive wizardy, but this one caught everyone off guard. "He surprised us again," Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin said with a grin. "You never know what he's going to pull off. He's a special player. I'll keep saying it. He's fun to watch." With nobody out in the final frame, Lindor shifted over to the first-base side of second base for the left-handed-hitting Kendrys Morales, who smacked one up the middle. The shortstop had little time to react as he dove to his right to stop the ball from getting to center field. He then flipped the ball to Ramirez, who quickly threw it over to first to complete a 6-5-3 putout. Believe it or not, Lindor said the play was actually Ramirez's idea. "Ramirez, before that play happened, told me, 'If I catch the ball, I'm going to give it to you,'" Lindor said. "I said, 'All right, if I catch it, I'm going to give it to you.' As soon as it was hit, I knew I was going to give it to him." The flashing of the glove in the ninth added another element to what was already a stellar night for Lindor with the bat. The shortstop went 3for-4 with a pair of doubles and a two-run homer. He became the first Indians player to record three extra-base hits in a game this season and the first since Aug. 8, 2015. Lindor's three-hit game marked was his 10th of the season, tying him for first in the Majors. The shortstop ranks near the top of multiple categories among big league shortstops, but his name was absent from the first American League All-Star vote-getting leaders, which was released earlier this week. "To see him not even on the top list for the shortstops for the All-Star Game, it is disappointing," Tomlin said. "He's a special player and he needs to be there." Lindor shrugged off the early snub. The shortstop has more than highlight-reel plays or personal awards in mind for this season. "I don't play for any awards, I play for October baseball," Lindor said. "The biggest accomplishment anyone could have is to win the World Series. You can see the Kansas City team. They've got Gold Glovers, All-Stars and Silver Sluggers. And you can ask them, 'What was the best part of your career so far?' They will say, 'Winning the World Series.' That's what I want." Kaminsky among top prospect performers Saturday • In what turned out to be the duel of the day, Orioles' No. 9 prospect Jason Garcia andRob Kaminsky (Indians' No. 10) combined to allow three hits over 11 scoreless innings in Double-A Akron's 2-1 win over Bowie. Kaminsky recorded a season-high six strikeouts over five one-hit frames for the RubberDucks, while Garcia fired six innings of two-hit ball, walking one and fanning five, in his best start of the season for the Bowie. "Tonight was one of the first times I felt I had my command back," Kaminsky told MiLB.com. "Everything started to click, especially with the offspeed pitches. Sinker felt really good tonight, and [catcher Jeremy] Lucas called a great game. It's great when the defense plays an awesome game behind you, and it was good for the team to come out with a 'W.' "

Healthy again, Joba set to come off DL By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | June 4th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Joba Chamberlain fired an inside pitch to Michael Martinez, whose attempt at a swing resulted in a broken bat. The Indians reliever began laughing on the mound and shouting at the utility man, barking that he warned him what was coming before Saturday's simulated game. "I said I was going to take one," Chamberlain said with a laugh after his workout prior to Cleveland's game against the Royals. "I go, 'You might want to bring a couple, because I'm at least going to get one.'" In what might be the final step before being activated from the 15-day disabled list, Chamberlain worked through a 20-pitch mound session on Saturday afternoon. The right-hander mixed in all his pitches and worked to both sides of the plate, doing all he could to prove to the team's medical staff that he is over the strained left intercostal that sidelined him on May 22. Chamberlain is eligible to be activated from the DL on Monday and the reliever is hopeful he will be ready to rejoin the Tribe's bullpen at that point. "From the get-go I'm just trying to have a plan in effect," Chamberlain said, "and hopefully not try to miss more than the 15 days, and get on top of it. We made sure that we did that. Just to be out there and know everything feels good -- both sides of the plate -- and be able to get on some stuff and still have good spin, everything was positive." Through 14 appearances this season, Chamberlain has posted a 1.93 ERA with 15 strikeouts, six walks and a .133 opponents' average in 14 innings. The reliever did not feel quite right in his outing against the Red Sox on May 21 and alerted Cleveland's medical staff. Having dealt with a similar issue in the past, Chamberlain did not want to take any chances, especially with a doubleheader looming on May 23. "I guess as I get older I start to listen to myself a little more," Chamberlain said. "I felt that little thing and [hoped to] just to be able to cut it down to two weeks instead of making it a month. I've had it before, so I know it can linger." Indians manager Terry Francona indicated that a Minor League rehab assignment probably is not necessary, meaning Chamberlain might be cleared to be reinstated Monday in Seattle. "He really hasn't been out very long," Francona said. "I actually hope maybe this will help. I know you have to shake off a little bit of rust, but giving a guy [some rest] with his arm when he has something else could actually really help him, because he's throwing the ball really well. "We'll see how he feels [Sunday], for sure -- make sure there's not setbacks or ramifications of throwing. I think he's raring to go." Kluber looks to rebound after rough start By Shane Jackson / MLB.com | June 4th, 2016 The Indians and Royals will conclude a four-game set when right-handers Corey Kluber and Chris Young take the mound for their respective teams on Sunday at Progressive Field. Kluber (4-6, 4.15 ERA) has gone six or more innings in nine of his 11 starts this season. He has gone at least seven innings in three consecutive starts, striking out 21 batters over 21 1/3 innings. Last time out, Kluber matched his season-high of six runs on eight hits over seven innings. He recorded six strikeouts and did not walk a batter in the loss to the Rangers. In fact, Kluber has not surrendered more than three free passes in a start this year. Young (2-5, 5.94 ERA) will make his 10th appearance for the Royals and his eighth start. It will be his first start since May 9. Young has made it through six innings in just one outing this season. In May, he posted a 1-1 record with a 5.56 ERA in four games, two of which were starts. In a relief appearance on May 31, Young threw three scoreless innings. The right-hander allowed just two hits with five strikeouts and two walks against Tampa Bay. Young threw 57 pitches and is expected to be around 80 pitches in Sunday's start, according to Kansas City manager Ned Yost. Three things to know about this game • Young has appeared in nine games (six starts) against the Tribe. He is 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 37 1/3 innings of work. • Kluber is 5-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 career starts against Kansas City. Eric Hosmer is hitting .256 (10-for-39) with three home runs and 12 RBIs against Kluber. • Royals catcher Salvador Perez is expected to be off on Sunday. Yost says he will play Perez every other day to help his return. Lindor homers, leads Indians past Royals 7-1 By STEVE HERRICK (Associated Press)6 hours agoAP - Sports CLEVELAND (AP) -- Big hits and big plays on defense. Francisco Lindor did it all for the Cleveland Indians. Lindor hit two doubles, belted one of Cleveland's three home runs and started an outstanding defensive play, leading the Indians into first place in the AL Central with a 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. The switch-hitting shortstop's highlight-reel moments have become a daily occurrence for his teammates. ''It's every night,'' winning pitcher Josh Tomlin said. ''He's a special player, that's for sure. Tonight, he surprised us again. You never know what he's going to pull out there.'' Lindor, whose two-run homer came in the seventh inning, became the first Indians player to record three extra-base hits in a game this season, However, it was his defense in the ninth that grabbed everyone's attention. Playing in a shift near second base, Lindor made a backhand stop of Kendrys Morales' hard-hit grounder and flipped to third baseman Jose Ramirez, who was playing behind second. Ramirez threw to first for the out. Lindor pumped his fist and exchanged a hand slap with Ramirez as the crowd of 23,258 gave him a standing ovation. ''If I react the way I react when I make a play like that on a home run, people are going to think I'm hot-dogging it,'' he said. ''You've got to know your place. I love it when a pitcher makes a good pitch to get the guy out and I help him to make the play. It's huge.'' Lindor's two doubles came batting left-handed off Ian Kennedy (4-4). The home run was off left-hander Scott Alexander. ''Lindor is real good hitting right-handed, but really, he's just a special player,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''He does so many things well.'' The Indians will go for a sweep of the four-game series Sunday, and have won five of six against the Royals this season.

Tyler Naquin, who hit his first big league home run Friday, hit a two-run homer in the sixth. Mike Napolistarted the four-run inning with a solo homer. Tomlin (8-1) bounced back from his first loss of the season and allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. Tomlin, who lost to Texas on Monday, was pulled after Rey Fuentes' RBI single. ''They were swinging the bats pretty well the whole game, stuff just wasn't falling,'' he said. ''We were playing great defense behind me. We were having good at-bats and finally broke through.'' Royals catcher Salvador Perez returned to the lineup after missing six games with a bruised left thigh. He had two hits off Tomlin and is 13 for 20 in his career against him. Kennedy allowed five runs in six innings for Kansas City, which had won six straight overall entering the series. THE GREATEST Indians manager Terry Francona recalled meeting boxing legend Muhammad Ali in 2005 when the Red Sox played an exhibition game in Arizona. ''He came to our clubhouse and took some pictures with us,'' Francona said. ''I had a good picture where I'm putting my hand up like I was going to jab and he was having fun with it. He was very gracious to everyone. It was pretty cool.'' TRAINER'S ROOM Royals: RHP Kris Medlen (rotator cuff inflammation) will throw to batters Monday at the team's training facility in Surprise, Arizona. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since May 11. Indians: RHP Joba Chamberlain (left intercostal strain) could be activated from the 15-day disabled list early in the week. He threw a 20-pitch simulated game Saturday. UP NEXT Royals: RHP Chris Young (2-5) makes his first start since May 9. He has made two relief appearances since coming off the 15-day disabled list with a sore forearm May 28. Indians: RHP Corey Kluber (4-6) allowed six runs, including two homers, in seven innings Monday when he lost to Texas. He's 5-5 in 14 career starts against Kansas City. Indians 7, Royals 1: Ryan Lewis’ 20 Walk-Off Thoughts on Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli, Josh Tomlin By RYAN LEWIS Published: June 5, 2016 Here are 20 Walk-Off Thoughts on the Indians’ 7-1 win against the Kansas City Royals Saturday night. 1. The Indians took back first place by a half-game in the American League Central with Saturday’s win. They’re now 4-0 in June, 5-1 against the Royals this season and 17-7 within the AL Central. They’re also six games above .500 (30-24) for the first time since the end of the 2014 season. 2. Josh Tomlin delivered another strong outing and Mike Napoli, Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor each hit home runs. But first, the play Lindor and Jose Ramirez made in the ninth inning stole the show. 3. With Morales at the plate and the Indians in a shift to the right side, Lindor made an out-stretched, diving play to his right to field a hard grounder. Without time to get up, he flipped it to Jose Ramirez, who fired to first in stride to complete the out. 4. It was arguably the best defensive play by the Indians this season, which for Lindor, is saying something. And, amazingly, Ramirez pretty much called for it. 5. Said Lindor, “Ramirez before that play happened, told me if I catch the ball, I’m going to give it to you. I said, ‘Alright if I catch it I’m going to give it to you’. As soon as it was hit, I knew I was going to give it to him.” 6. Tomlin had come back out to the dugout. Of course, a play like that is a pitcher’s best friend. Said Tomlin, “Yeah, I saw it. That's unbelievable. That's instincts. That's not something you learn or you teach or anything like that. It's just the instincts that he has in the game. It's unreal. Jose being right there ready for it is pretty instinctual, too. I enjoy watching stuff like that, because it's just a baseball play. It just kind of happens. It's instinctual and it's fun to watch.” 7. It seems like Lindor makes some highlight-reel play every other night, and we’re always in the clubhouse waiting to talk to him about it. But, he’s still coming up with ways to surprise the Indians. 8. “Apparently,” said Tomlin. “Tonight, he surprised us again. You never know what he's going to pull off. He's a special player. I'll keep saying it. He's fun to watch. That’s for sure.” 9. Lindor was better at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles, becoming the first Indians hitter with three extra-base hits in one game this season. 10. Currently, he’s not in the top-5 among AL shortstops for the All-Star Game. But hey, at least that game doesn’t mean anything (except home field in the World Series). 11. Where was Lindor’s response when told he wasn’t in the top-5: “I didn’t even know. That’s fine. Whatever happens, happens. I don’t play for any awards. I play for October baseball. That’s what it’s all about. The biggest accomplishment anyone could have is win the World Series. You can see the Kansas City team. They got gold glovers, all-stars, and silver sluggers. And you can ask them ‘what was the best part of your career so far’? They will say winning the World Series. That’s what I want.” 12. Napoli’s home run was his team-leading 13th of the season and fifth of the home stand. He’s now on pace for 39 home runs and 123 RBI. It’s unlikely he reaches those marks, but he’s been solid this season as the Indians’ leading run-producer. 13. He’s also struck out 75 times, but the Indians knew to expect some misses to go with the hits.

14. Said Indians manager Terry Francona, “I think he’s smart enough to know that he’s going to strike out. He swings hard and he’s trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, which is what he’s supposed to do. He can have an at-bat where he strikes out but he knows one good swing can change a game. Fortunately, he’s taken a lot of those.” 15. Francona spoke in Chicago about how much he’s loved having Napoli in the clubhouse. Tomlin echoed that Saturday night, talking about Napoli’s mentality. 16. Said Tomlin, “That's hard to describe. His presence alone is huge, but he's a guy that's come to the ballpark every day, prepared and ready to play. He just has that winning mentality. He wants to win. Whatever it takes to win. I love being around him. I know all the other guys love being around him. He's just kind of brought that veteran leadership to us that we've kind of needed. He's a guy that wants to win and you can tell that. You can just kind of see it in his eyes. He's trying to take good at-bats, trying to do whatever he can to help the team win. If he's not swinging the bat that well that day, he's playing defense and trying to impact the game on the other side of the ball. That's fun to watch and it's contagious.” 17. Tyler Naquin waited his whole life to hit a major-league home run. He finally did it Friday night. Then he did it again Saturday night. 18. Josh Tomlin is now 8-1 with a 3.54 ERA. He’s also making an All-Star case. He’s also won five of his last 18 decisions since making his 2015 debut in mid-August following shoulder surgery. In other words, since he’s been healthy, he’s been rock solid. Win-loss record isn’t a great stat, and Tomlin has gotten plenty of run support. He’s also been as steady as they come. 19. Said Tomlin, “Absolutely, yeah. I feel healthy. And I'm able to throw strikes and I'm able to command the ball whenever I need to. There's going to be games like happened the other day, but to be able to bounce back and be able to execute some pitches tonight, and let the defense work again, was pretty fun.” 20. The Indians and Royals wore 1976 throwbacks Saturday night. It was navy blues vs. royal blues. And really, neither team should need an excuse to wear them more often. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.05.2016 Indians 7, Royals 1: Josh Tomlin shuts down Royals, Indians grab first place in AL Central By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: The Indians had already taken first place in the American League Central away from the Chicago White Sox. Now, they’ve done it to the Kansas City Royals as well. Josh Tomlin earned his eighth victory of the season and the Indians beat the Royals 7-1, putting the Indians a half-game ahead of the Royals for first place in the division. Tomlin (8-1, 3.54 ERA) continued his case for an All-Star selection. He pitched 6 innings, allowed just one run on seven hits and a walk and struck out four. He didn’t run into trouble until the seventh inning with the Indians ahead 5-0. Kendrys Morales doubled, Paulo Orlando singled and Reymond Fuentes singled home the Royals’ only run of the night. From there, reliever Jeff Manship extinguished the only dangerous scoring threat the Royals (30-25) had Saturday night, getting Alcides Escobar to ground out and Whit Merrifield to line out to Francisco Lindor. Most of Tomlin’s outing came with a 1-0 lead thanks to Chris Gimenez’s sacrifice fly in the second inning, though the Indians (30-24) broke it open in the sixth and won for the third consecutive time against the Royals with the final game of the series on Sunday. Facing Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (4-4, 3.44 ERA), who shut the Indians down earlier in the year, Mike Napoli turned on a knucklecurve and belted a solo home run to left field with one out in the sixth. It was his team-leading 13th home run of the season, which puts him on pace for 39 for the year. Lonnie Chisenhall doubled two batters and later and just beat Orlando’s throw home on a single to right field by Rajai Davis. Rookie Tyler Naquin, who hit the first home run of his career Friday night, made it back-to-back nights with a two-run home run to center field to extend the Indians’ edge to 5-0. Lindor tacked on two more in the seventh with a two-run shot to the Home Run Porch off reliever Scott Alexander, his fifth of the year. He also had previously twice doubled in the game, making him the first Indians hitter this season with three extra-base hits in a game. Lindor then played a role in arguably the best defensive play for the Indians this season. With Morales at the plate and the Indians in a shift to the right side, Lindor made a diving play to his right to field a hard grounder. Without time to get up, he flipped it to Jose Ramirez, who fired to first to complete the out. The Indians are now 4-0 in June, 5-1 against the Royals this season and 17-7 within the AL Central division. And, for the second time this season, they have sole possession of first place. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.05.2016 Indians notebook: Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall producing; Danny Salazar among AL’s best; Terry Francona on Muhammad Ali By Ryan Lewis CLEVELAND: Following Marlon Byrd’s 162-game suspension for failing a test that revealed performance-enhancing drugs, the Indians need right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall to produce offensively. Somewhat quietly this season, he has. Chisenhall entered Saturday’s game hitting .280 with a .357 on-base percentage to go with one home run, six doubles and a triple in 34 games. Per FanGraphs, he has a wRC+ of 111, which is above league average. He’s also collected five hits — three for extra bases — in his 13 at-bats against left-handed pitchers this season. That’s an extremely small sample size, but Indians manager Terry Francona does think it’s good for Chisenhall to face some left-handed pitchers at times. He’ll likely have to now that Byrd is done for the season and Michael Brantley is still rehabbing his shoulder.

“I think at times it’s good for him. I also think there’s probably certain styles of left-handers that he actually has really good swings against,” Francona said this week. “And I think when he’s swinging the bat well, it probably doesn’t matter as much. Depending on how the roster shapes up or stays, we can pick our spots as much as we can, but I do think it does him some good, especially after facing a lefty, and then seeing some right-handers.” Chisenhall thinks the increased exposure to left-handers keeps him “honest” with his mechanics. The result, he said, has been better at-bats. “I think my quality of at-bat has [improved],” Chisenhall said. “I’m not even sure what the splits are, so I don’t want to comment. I know I hit well against lefties one year, at least, maybe two. The splits are what the splits are, but I feel like my quality of at-bats and approach are much better against lefties.” Near the top Danny Salazar threw sparkling innings in the Indians’ 6-1 win against the Royals on Friday night. It was another strong start, and through the first two months of the season, he’s firmly in the top 5 in several key categories in the American League. His 2.13 ERA is second only to Chicago’s Jose Quintana. His 3.01 FIP ranks fourth, per FanGraphs. And his K/9 rate of 10.67 tops all AL starting pitchers. As a complete pitcher, he’s arguably only behind Chicago’s Chris Sale this season. When asked if Salazar thinks he can consistently dominate, he gave a confident, “Yes” after Friday’s start. “I think working with [pitching coach] Mickey Callaway every day before I pitch and in between starts has been helping me a lot,” Salazar said. “And being aggressive, attacking the zone, throwing strikes. I think I have to give him the credit for working with me.” The Greatest Legendary boxer and sports icon Muhammad Ali, who passed away Friday night, is revered as one of the most influential athletes of all-time for what he accomplished both inside and outside of the ring. Indians manager Terry Francona met Ali when he was managing the Boston Red Sox. “I think it was ’05,” Francona said. “We were going to open the season in New York and we flew out to the Diamondbacks to play two exhibition games and he came into our clubhouse, took some pictures with us. I had a good picture — I have to find it — where I was putting my hand up like a jab and he was having fun with it. I just don’t know where it is, but he was very gracious to everybody.” Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.05.2016 Major League Baseball PED penalties not enough to outweigh the potential benefits By Ryan Lewis Major League Baseball has made significant strides in its crusade to increase performance-enhancing drug testing and punishment in recent years. But as we’ve been reminded several times this season, the issue is far from resolved. Chris Colabello of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins’ Dee Gordon — one of the slimmer, speedier players in the league — were both slapped with suspensions for failed drug tests that revealed performance-enhancing drugs this season. Then Indians outfielder Marlon Byrd was suspended 162 games by the MLB on Wednesday for failing a drug test in May. It’s the second suspension in Byrd’s career, and it’s probably a career-ender, as he told teammates when he addressed them in the clubhouse. Byrd claims it was a “tainted” supplement that triggered the failed test, and that he did not knowingly take anything to enhance his performance. That’s what they all say, and he’s had to essentially do it twice. Byrd will leave the game of baseball as tainted as that alleged supplement he allegedly didn’t knowingly take. But in the end, he won, didn’t he? Byrd was suspended for 50 games in the 2012 season. Since that time, he made a total of $17 million in the major leagues until being caught a second time. That’s nearly half of his total career earnings, and it came with the PED-user tag. And that’s the problem. As the league and its 30 teams have shown, the potential financial earnings have been worth the risk of suspension. Look at former Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta. He was suspended for PEDs in 2013 while with the Detroit Tigers and then signed a fouryear, $53 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. The public scrutiny can be tough. You might have a tough conversation with your kids. But if a major-league player is told, “You can make an extra $10-20-30-40 million if you take this risk, and even if you get caught, you can make more money later,” how many would turn it down? The higher-profile cases — such as the fringe hall of famers who get caught — are awarded most of the public spotlight. But the bigger problem involves the young minor-leaguer who starts to see his only shot to make the big leagues diminishing, or the major-leaguer who’s nearing a demotion back to Triple-A and needs to reach that next contract. Or, in Byrd’s case, the aging veteran looking to hold on just a little longer. It’s a difficult problem to truly resolve. But it’s certainly one that’s still tilting baseball’s culture. Many players around the league — most vocally Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander — have voiced their frustration with so many of their colleagues playing outside of the rules. After all, every team has a small army of trainers and medical personnel to ensure nothing banned by the league is accidentally ingested. Still, the punishment absolutely does not outweigh the possible benefits right now, even when coupled with the potential health risks. Will it disqualify a player from making the hall of fame? At least right now, probably yes. Will it keep players from making millions and increase their chances that they can reach that level in the first place? That answer is no, and that’s the problem. Not looking at it strictly through a baseball lens, it’s one person roughly between the ages of 20 and 40 making a calculated financial risk that affects the rest of his life.

If the penalties related to searching for the buried treasure aren’t severe enough, some will gladly go hunting. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: 06.05.2016 'You never know what he's going to pull off': Francisco Lindor teams with Jose Ramirez for highlight-reel defensive gem By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before they retreated to their normal positions, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez shared a laugh and slapped hands. They executed their plan to perfection. Lindor, the shortstop, shifted toward second base and Ramirez, the third baseman, played near the shortstop position as Kendrys Morales battled Tribe reliever Dan Otero in the ninth inning of Saturday's game. Prior to the encounter, Lindor and Ramirez discussed the possibility of flipping the ball to each other on a grounder up the middle. Morales obliged, as he smacked a sharp grounder to the right of second base. Lindor snagged the baseball on a back-handed stop as he plunged to his chest on the outfield grass. With his momentum carrying him away from first, Lindor had no choice. "As soon as it was hit," Lindor said, "I knew I was going to give it to him." Lindor plucked the ball from his glove with his right hand and completed an underhand toss to Ramirez, who was charging toward him. Ramirez threw the ball to first to record the out. "That's unbelievable. That's instincts," said Josh Tomlin, who logged 6 1/3 strong innings. "That's not something you learn or you teach or anything like that. It's just the instincts that he has in the game. It's unreal." Carlos Santana squeezed the baseball at first base for the out. He then fired the ball back to Ramirez. The diminutive infielder flipped it to Lindor, who nodded at his teammate in approval before the two slapped hands. "That was fun to watch," said Tribe manager Terry Francona. "Not only was it Frankie being athletic, but Jose being heads up. That was fun to watch. You can see their enthusiasm behind it, which makes it even better." Lindor also collected two doubles and a home run at the plate. He notched his 10th three-hit game of the season, which is tied for the most in the majors. "He surprised us again," Tomlin said. "You never know what he's going to pull off. He's a special player. I'll keep saying it: He's fun to watch." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.05.2016 Mike Napoli, Tyler Naquin, Francisco Lindor flex as Cleveland Indians handle Royals again: DMan's Report, Game 54 By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Righty Josh Tomlin allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings and Mike Napoli, Tyler Naquin and Francisco Lindor homered as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, 7-1, Saturday night at Progressive Field. Naquin's second career MLB homer occurred one night after his first. Here is a capsule look at the key aspect(s) of the game, which was televised by Fox 8 (national crew): Tito's Fun Bunch: Manager Terry Francona's Indians have won four straight, including the first three of this four-game series that wraps Sunday afternoon. The Indians (30-24) moved back into first place in the AL Central. They hold leads of .5 on Kansas City (30-25); 2.0 on the White Sox (29-27); 3.5 on Detroit (27-28); and 14.5 on Minnesota (16-39). The defending world champion Royals entered the series having won six straight. Interestingly, the Tribe is a combined 15-3 against Kansas City (5-1 -- all in Cleveland), the White Sox (4-2 -- all in Chicago) and Detroit (6-0) but has gone 2-4 against Minnesota. Impressive stuff: The Indians are in first place on the morning of June 5 despite outfielder Michael Brantley having played in just 11 games and righty Carlos Carrasco having made five starts. Brantley's right-shoulder issue continues to sideline him; Carrasco returned to the rotation Thursday after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered April 24. Pace of play: With the conclusion of Saturday's game, the Indians reached the one-third mark of their season. A math degree was not required to compute that they were on pace to finish 90-72. Recognizing that the season is long and there are no guarantees, here are some paces for select Tribe position players: Lindor -- .308, 198 hits, 111 runs, 30 steals. Napoli -- 39 homers, 123 RBI, 111 runs, 60 walks, 225 strikeouts*. Jose Ramirez -- .317 average, 42 doubles, 51 walks, 48 strikeouts. Jason Kipnis -- 21 homers, 30 doubles, 87 RBI, 90 runs. Carlos Santana -- 27 homers, 75 RBI, 75 runs, 99 walks. Yan Gomes -- .174 average**, 21 homers, 81 RBI. *The Indians will accept the strikeouts from Napster if they come with 39 homers, 123 RBI and 111 runs. **The Indians will accept a low average from their catcher, who happens to be a quality receiver and game-caller, if it comes with 21 homers and 81 RBI.

Little Cowboy dealing: Tomlin (8-1, 3.54 ERA) gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out four. He rebounded from his worst start of the season, May 30 vs. Texas (3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 4 ER; L, 9-2). Tomlin relied on a fastball/cutter/changeup/curve repertoire. He and catcher Chris Gimenez kept the Royals guessing as to which pitch was coming when. It helped that Tomlin kept almost everything out of the middle of the zone. The Royals swung and missed just five times against him but rarely made solid contact. They hit 30 fouls. Kansas City's run scored when No. 9 Reymond Fuentes blooped a single to left to drive in Kendrys Morales in the seventh inning. The Royals pulled within 5-1. Francona signaled for righty Jeff Manship, who inherited runners on first and second. Manship retired Alcides Escobar on a grounder to third and Whit Merrifield on a liner to short. Not this time: Tribe bats did a superb job, on balance, against a good starting pitcher. Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy (4-4, 3.44 ERA) allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. In Kennedy's other start against the Tribe this season, May 7 in Cleveland, he gave up four hits in seven innings as the Royals prevailed, 7-0. On Saturday, the Indians managed one run off Kennedy through five. With the bases loaded and one out in the second, Gimenez hit a sacrifice fly to center. Gimenez drove in Lonnie Chisenhall, who scored easily when Lorenzo Cain inexplicably did not attempt to throw home. The Indians erupted for four in the sixth to make it 5-0. With one out, Napoli smoked a first-pitch curve (76 mph) over the left-field wall. In his previous two at-bats, respectively, Napoli struck out looking in the first and swinging in the third. With two outs, Chisenhall doubled to right. Rajai Davis singled to right, Chisenhall scoring with a nifty fingers-first slide to beat catcher Salvador Perez's tag by an eyelash. Davis had been down in the count, 0-2, and put a 1-2 fastball in play. Lefty Naquin took a fastball down and away and swung through a changeup. Kennedy doubled-up with the change piece, only this one was not nearly as good. Naquin stayed compact and let backspin do the work; the ball sailed over the wall in right-center. Young and hungry: First-year MLB player Naquin went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run and one walk from the eight-hole. He played center field. Naquin's walk, in the second inning, was made possible by the discipline to lay off tempting 2-2 and 3-2 pitches. The next batter, Gimenez, hit the sacrifice fly. Lindor log: Lindor doubled twice off Kennedy and socked a two-run homer off lefty Scott Alexander (seventh inning). Lindor, who finished 3-for4 in 12 pitches, became the first Indian with three extra-base hits in one game this season. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.05.2016 How badly did Marlon Byrd, Cleveland Indians gamble and lose? Rant of the week By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com on June 05, 2016 at 5:00 AM, updated June 05, 2016 at 5:05 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio – I have no sympathy for steroid cheats. If you get caught juicing, you've got to do the time. The fact that Manny Ramirez was a multiple offender still irritates me. He was the best right-handed run producer I've ever seen. He should be headed for the Hall of Fame, but he'll never get there unless there is a big shift in the mentality of the voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. So I'm wondering why I feel no righteous anger over Indians outfielder Marlon Byrd testing positive last week and essentially ending his career by doing so. Byrd said he took supplements that weren't on MLB's approved list and one of them was tainted with a growth hormone. Believe what you want. Most players who get caught have a similar story. Abraham Almonte, scheduled to be the Indians opening day center fielder when spring training opened, tested positive in February for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid used on cattle and horses. Almonte took responsibility for his actions and accepted the 80-game suspension, but said he didn't know how the steroid got into his body. Boldenone, to be most effective, is usually injected. Again believe what you want. Byrd fit the definition of a guy willing to take a chance and pay the consequence. He already had one strike against him for a positive test in 2012. He knew a second would bring him a year's ban and because of his age – he turned 38 Saturday – would almost assuredly end his career. Then there was the fact the Indians were the only team who showed interest in him this spring and that wasn't until mid-March. They were his version of the Last Chance Saloon. Tribe needs to make trade after Byrd's PED suspension Put yourself in Byrd's shoes. Do you do everything possible to make a big league roster one more time, including taking non-approved supplements? Or do you just step away from a good, but not great career? We know how this went down for Byrd and the Indians, who seemingly both took a gamble and lost. But what choice would have you have made? Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.05.2016 Josh Tomlin wins No.8 as Cleveland Indians power past KC into first place in AL Central By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio â “ Two sides of Mike Napoli were on display Saturday night at Progressive Field.

Side one saw Napoli strikeout twice after Francisco Lindor set the table for him with doubles in the second and third innings. Napoli came into the game ranked second in the American League with 73 strikeouts. Side two saw Napoli start a four-run rally with a homer in the sixth inning to lead the Indians into first place in the AL Central with a 7-1 victory over Kansas City. The Indians, 5-1 against the Royals this year, lead them by a half game in the division. Napoli entered the game tied for third in the AL with Mike Trout with an RBI in every 4.8 at-bats. Nine games into this 10-game homestand, Napoli has hit five homers with 11 RBI. Josh Tomlin, working with 1-0 lead until the sixth, pitched 6 1/3 innings to improve to 8-1 with a 3.79 ERA. He's 2-0 against the Royals, 6-0 in the AL Central and 4-1 at home this year. Tomlin allowed one run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one to improve to 8-5 in his career against Kansas City. Ian Kennedy (4-4, 3.44) started the sixth by striking out Lindor. Napoli changed the course of the game by sending Kennedy's next pitch into the left field bleachers for his 13th homer of the season. "He's smart enough to know that he's going to strikeout," said manager Terry Francona. "He swings hard and he's trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. That's what he's supposed to do. "He can have an at-bat where he strikes outs, but he knows that one good swing can change a game. Fortunately, he's taken a lot of those." Lonnie Chisenhall kept the inning going with a two-out double to right. Rajai Davis made it 3-0 with a single to right and rookie Tyler Naquin hit his second homer in as many nights for a 5-0 lead. The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by No.9 hitter Chris Gimenez with the bases loaded. It was the first run the Indians scored off Kennedy in eight innings this year. He beat them, 3-0, with seven scoreless innings on May 8. The Tribe loaded the bases on a singles by Chisenhall and Davis and a walk by Naquin. Gimenez sent a 2-0 pitch to center field to bring Chisenhall home. The Indians made it 7-1 in the seventh on a single by Jason Kipnis and a two-run drive to the Home Run Porch in left field by Lindor. It was Lindor's fifth homer of the season and the Tribe's third in the game. Tomlin is the first Indians pitcher to start a season 8-1 since Cliff Lee went 11-1 in 2008. "I thought JT was really good," said Francona. "Early, especially, he was really crisp with all his pitches." What it means The Indians, with four straight wins, are 17-7 in the AL Central and 16-12 at home. They have won six straight against AL Central foes. The Royals, who arrived in Cleveland on a six-game winning streak, have lost three straight. The pitches Tomlin threw 69 percent of his pitches (69-100) for strikes. Kennedy threw 70 percent of his pitches (67-96) for strikes. Three by three Lindor, with two doubles and a homer, became the first Indians with three extra base hits in one game this season. 6-5-3 The Indians threw a little razzle dazzle into the victory in the ninth inning. Kendrys Morales scorched a hard grounder to the right of second base. Lindor, shifted to the right side of the infield, made a diving stop. He flipped the ball from his knees to third baseman Jose Ramirez, stationed at shortstop, and Ramirez threw out Morales. "That was fun to watch," said Francona. "Not only Frankie being athletic, but Jose being heads up. You could see their enthusiasm behind it, which makes it even better." Lindor on ninth-inning gem Shortstop Francisco Lindor said third baseman Jose Ramirez was the brains behind the 6-5-3 play they turned against Kendrys Morales in the ninth inning Saturday night. Said Tomlin, "That was unbelievable. That's instincts. That's not something you learn or you teach. The instincts he has in the game or unreal. Josie being up there ready for it was pretty instinctual, too." Thanks for coming The Royals and Indians drew 23,258 fans to Progressive Field on Saturday night. The Indians' attendance this year is 431,323 in 28 dates. First pitched was at 7:47 p.m. with a temperature of 72 degrees. The start of the game was delayed for 32 minutes by a rain delay. What's next? Indians right-hander Corey Kluber will bring the curtain down on this four-game series against the Royals when he faces RHP Chris Young (25, 5.94) at 1:10 p.m. Sunday. SportsTime Ohio, WTAM/1100 and WMMS/FM 100.7 will carry the game. Kluber, coming off a loss to Texas, is 5-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts against the Royals. Hosmer is hitting .256 (10-for-39) with three homers and 12 RBI against him.

Young will be making his eighth start and 10th appearance of the season. He's made two relief appearances since coming off the disabled list on May 28. Young is 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in nine appearances, including six starts, against the Tribe. On Sept. 27, Young threw five hitless innings at the Indians in a 3-0 victory. Cleveland Indians reliever Joba Chamberlain close to coming off disabled list By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If all goes well Sunday, it sounds as if right-hander Joba Chamberlain will be activated sometime early this week. Chamberlain threw a 20-pitch simulated game Saturday afternoon. He faced utility man Michael Martinez and staff assistant Ricky Pacione. Michael Brantley was supposed to track pitches (look, but don't swing), but he was working with the trainers when Chamberlain pitched. While Chamberlain was pitching on the mound at Progressive Field, a wedding party was posing for pictures above the bullpens in center field. When told he could be in somebody wedding album, "There's nothing wrong with that. It could be worse. I've crashed a wedding before." Chamberlain has been on the disabled list since May 23 with a strained left intercostal muscle. He can be activated on Monday. "Everything went well," said Chamberlain, who threw 20 pitches. "Hopefully, our innings don't last that long, but everything went well. I threw all my pitches to both sides of the plate. "Right now it feels great, but the big test will come Sunday to see how I feel." Chamberlain has a 1.93 ERA in 14 appearances for the Tribe. Lefties are hitting .111 (2-for-18) with six strikeouts and four walks against him. Righties are hitting .148 (4-for-27) against him with nine strikeouts and two walks. Manager Terry Francona didn't think Chamberlain would need to go on a minor league rehab appearance. "We'll talk to him, but I don't think so," said Francona. "It hasn't been real long (since he's pitched). I think he's raring to go." The Greatest: Francona, following the death of Muhammad Ali on Saturday night, recalled meeting the former three-time heavyweight champion in Arizona. "We played the Diamondbacks in two exhibition games before opening the season," said Francona. "I've got a good picture of me throwing a jab and him having fun with it. I just don't know where the picture is. "He was very gracious with everybody. He took pictures with everybody. It was pretty cool . . .Everybody is doing tributes today and watching some of the highlights is incredible." Francona on Ali Terry Francona talks about meeting the late Muhammad Ali. Walk the walk: Francona is judicious with his use of the intentional walk, especially in the first inning. But he intentionally walked Eric Hosmer with two out in the first Friday night after Lorenzo Cain went to second base on a Danny Salazar's wild pitch. Salazar struck out Kendrys Morales to end the inning, but not before Morales lined a pitch down the right field line that hooked foul. No dramatics, just a win for Tribe "After Morales took that second swing I almost called him (Hosmer) back," said Francona. "We don't do that very often because you can pay a price. If you walk enough guys, you probably will pay a price. "It's just that Hosmer has been swinging the bat so well and he has history off of Danny. I just didn't want one swing to put us at a deficit." Hosmer started Friday's game hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and six RBI against Salazar. He entered Saturday's game hitting .471 (16for-34) with 14 RBI in his last nine games. Old look: The Indians wore their uniforms from 1976, featuring blue tops, white pants and caps with the crooked C, for Saturday night's game Tribe will wear 1976 turn back the clock unis Saturday night vs KC. pic.twitter.com/O4TeMlDF6o — paul hoynes (@hoynsie) June 4, 2016 Finally: Catcher Salvador Perez was back in the Royals' lineup Saturday night. He has not played since May 28 when he suffered bruised quadriceps muscle in a collision with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert in pursuit of a foul pop. Perez was MVP of the 2015 World Series. . .Yan Gomes is tied for the AL lead among catchers with seven homers. His 27 RBI lead all AL catchers. . .Former Tribe manager Mike Hargrove filled in for Tom Hamilton, Indians play-by-play announcer, Saturday night. Hamilton was attending his daughter Katie's high school graduation. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.05.2016 Since when do we blame ushers for poor Cleveland Indians' attendance? Hey, Hoynsie By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com Hey, Hoynsie: Don't you think that the Indians, last in the majors in attendance, would be teaching their ushers some tolerance and customer service? We were one of the chosen few who attended Monday's game against Texas and watched in amazement all evening as the ushers ejected one person after another from the lower third base sections. Yes, people should sit in the ticket they paid for. But when there are 30,000 empty seats, should management really care where people sit or should they be grateful that those folks paid some amount of money for a ticket and encourage them to come back? – David Feigenbaum, Aurora. Hey, David: I think the Tribe's attendance problems run deeper than ushers doing the jobs they're paid to do. Hey, Hoynsie: Your most recent rant of the week was about the Tribe's lousy attendance. One of the reasons you cited was that "no one likes the owner." I follow the Indians closely and don't understand just what Paul Dolan has done to alienate fans. Owners in markets like Cleveland have to be smart with how they spend their money. Progressive Field is still a damn nice park to view a MLB game. Terry Francona is an

outstanding manager and the Indians farm system seems to produce some good talent. So what is the beef with Dolan really about? – Tim Corbett, Ladera Ranch, Calif. Hey, Tim: When Larry and Paul Dolan purchased the Indians, they were coming to the end of one of the best eras in franchise history. The team was old and expensive and the Dolans knew it would eventually have to be torn down and rebuilt. The trouble is they've never been able to duplicate the team's success from 1995 through 2001. Fair or not, I think that's what fans hold against them. Hey, Hoynsie: Last week you accurately gave some reasons for the small crowds coming out to see the Indians at Progressive Field. Here is another: big screen, high definition televisions. They're near the bathroom and refrigerator and the temperature is always just right inside your own house. In other words there are thousands of folks, like me, who watch every inning of every game. We buy merchandise and support our team (but don't go to the park). By the way, the Dolans should be thanked for keeping the Indians in Cleveland. They're not cheap, they're good people – John, Parma. Hey, John: There's nothing like going to the ballpark, but it's hard to resist a sofa and a big screen TV to watch the Tribe on a chilly April night. Hey, Hoynsie: Why in the world is Carlos Santana playing regularly? The Indians sent down Tyler Naquin and he was hitting pretty good at the bottom of the order. Carlos has hit in the middle of the order for a number of years and never lived up to his billing as a great hitter. He's never hit for average and except for one year has not hit for power. – Jeff, Willowick. Hey, Jeff: Santana has not hit for average as you point out, but last year he led the Indians in homers (19) and RBI (85). In five full seasons, Santana has averaged 22 homers and 80 RBI a year. Twice he's hit 27 homers in a year. Santana has a high onbase percentage and is always among the league leaders in walks. It's one of the reasons manager Terry Francona has moved him into the leadoff spot against right-handers. Overall, I think Santana has been a solid player for the Indians. Hey, Hoynsie: Attended the KC-Indians game Friday night and the Indians intentionally walked Eric Hosmer in the first inning. Wow! Are any records kept on how often this occurs? I am sure it happened with Barry Bonds, but otherwise don't remember it happening before. – Brad Glazer, University Heights. Hey, Brad: Not sure what the stats are on it, but it happens probably more than you think. I remember former Indians manager Manny Acta doing it to Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. Here's the situation you were talking about. There were two out, first base was open after Lorenzo Cain took second on a wild pitch by Tribe starter Danny Salazar. Eric Hosmer, a left-handed hitter, was at the plate. Hosmer came into the game hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two homers and six RBI against the right-handed Salazar. After first base opened up because of the wild pitch, I imagine manager Terry Francona felt Salazar was better suited to walk Hosmer and face DH Kendrys Morales. The switch-hitting Morales, who was also batting left-handed, came into the game hitting .214 (3-for-14) against Salazar. The strategy worked as Morales struck out to end the inning. Danny Salazar on win over Kansas City Danny Salazar said the homer he allowed to light-hitting Drew Butera in the second inning Friday upset him and caused him to pitch more aggressively. Hey, Hoynsie: With Chris Gimenez as Trevor Bauer's personal catcher, what will the Indians do when Roberto Perez returns from his injury? – Peter Appenheimer, Bay Village. Hey, Peter: Gimenez has played well in Perez's absence, but I'm not sure what will happen when Perez is ready to play again. I do know there will be plenty of time to make a decision. Perez fractured his right thumb on April 30. He underwent surgery and the Indians said he'd miss eight to 12 weeks. He probably won't be back until sometime after the All-Star break. Hey, Hoynsie: How much bubble gum does Terry Francona chew in a nine-inning game? – Mark Schroeder, Middleville, Mich. Hey, Mark: Last time I asked it ranged from 80 to 90 pieces a game. Hey, Hoynsie: How much longer do Indians' fans have to put up with Yan Gomes? He hit .231 last year, .174 this year. The Tribe should move Jose Ramirez to third base, trade Juan Uribe for a good left-handed reliever and call up Tyler Naquin. That would make them a better team. – Dennis Wright, Findlay. Hey, Dennis: Take it easy on Gomes. His batting average needs a boost, but he's third on the Tribe with 27 RBI and tied for third in homers with seven. He's also hitting .325 (13-for-40) with runners in scoring position. As for your other suggestions, somebody must have been listening because Naquin and lefty Tom Gorzelanny were promoted from Class AAA Columbus on Wednesday. Hey, Hoynsie: A few years ago, Lonnie Chisenhall lit it up, batting near .400. At that time he was not an everyday player, but when he hit his way into the lineup he became the same old Lonnie. Is there any statistical info available that suggests Lonnie just thrives on spot duty as opposed to everyday duty? – D. Vorisek, Billings, Mont. Hey, D: Terry Francona, since he became manager, has used Chisenhall mostly in so-called spot duty. He's faced mostly right-handers and select lefties. When he rejoined the Indians in late July last year and moved to right field, he was platooning with Ryan Raburn and did well, hitting .288 (45-for-156) with three homers and 25 RBI in 54 games. This year Chisenhall is once again playing mostly against righties, but in the wake of Marlon Byrd's suspension, he could see more action against lefties. Chisenhall is hitting .280 overall and .385 (5-for-13) against lefties.

Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' Marlon Byrd, Jose Ramirez and scoring runs -- Terry Pluto By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer on June 04, 2016 at 9:45 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To the Cleveland Indians, losing Marlon Byrd is a very big deal. Byrd tested positive for the human growth hormone Impamorelin. The former Tribe outfielder's statement said it came from a "tainted supplement." That same "tainted supplement" led to an 80-game suspension last season for Braves pitcher Andrew McKirahan. He came back this spring, injured his elbow and has had the second Tommy John surgery of his career. Byrd flunked a steroid test in 2012, and was suspended for 50 games. He cheated, and he got caught. His new suspension is 162 games, pretty much ending the career of the 38-year-old outfielder. Here's the problem for the Tribe: No one on the active roster can come close to replacing Byrd. I'm not counting Michael Brantley, still recovering from shoulder surgery. He is an All-Star when healthy. After two comeback attempts that ended quickly, Brantley is out. He is making some progress, but not facing any pitching. Byrd was batting .270 (.778 OPS) with 5 HR and 19 RBI. He was belting lefties at a .368 clip. He was part of the reason the Tribe had an 8-7 record vs. lefties this season. Byrd had been regularly tested for steroids since being suspended in 2012. Not sure what he was thinking after passing them for three years, but he blew a chance to revive his career. There were question marks about Byrd heading into spring training. That's why no one offered him a guaranteed contract. The Tribe signed him in the middle of training camp to a $1 million, non-guaranteed deal. It was a good gamble ... for six weeks. In terms of money, they lost little and received a short-term return. But as manager Terry Francona said when the suspension was announced, "It's like a kick in the stomach. ABOUT THE TRIBE OUTFIELD Among Tribe outfielders, Rajai Davis has five homers. The rest of the outfielders have only four homers combined: Lonnie Chisenhall, Jose Ramirez, Tyler Naquin, Michael Martinez and Brantley. Most of time, the Tribe outfield will look like this: Ramirez (LF), Davis (CF) and Chisenhall (RF). Naquin will also play a lot. I hear Brantley is still several weeks away from returning to action. Here are some surprising facts about the Tribe outfield: 1. In the American League, the Tribe outfield ranks third in batting average (.278), seventh in RBI (81) and eighth in OPS (.757). 2. The only area where the outfield falls short is power, ranking 13th with 14 homers -- five belonged to Byrd. 3. Jose Ramirez has been producing Brantley-type stats in left field. Ramirez entered the weekend batting .325 (.866 OPS) with 3 HR and 20 RBI. 4. Ramirez leads the team, hitting .400 with runners in scoring position. Next is Brantley (.385), Davis (.350) and Chisenhall (.333). 5. I thought Chisenhall would be in for a miserable season based on how he performed in spring training and in April. But he went into the weekend batting .280 (.767 OPS) 1 HR and 10 RBI. His right field play isn't as spectacular as last season, but still above average. 6. The Indians know Naquin won't hit for much power. He hit his first big league homer Friday. He has only five extra base hits in 69 at bats this season. He has only 4 RBI. But they want Naquin to have more than 3 walks (compared to 22 strikeouts) in those 69 bats. He is hitting .319, and that batting shows he has real promise. 7. Can Francona keep juggling this group and squeezing out production as they wait for Brantley to return? That's a huge question. 8. For now, the Tribe is feeling no major pressure to trade for an outfielder. WHERE IS THE HELP? Abraham Almonte returns from his steroid suspension in 28 games. Yes, he'll bring some depth ... but he's a very marginal big league starter. Almonte was an upgrade in center field over Michael Bourn last year. He batted .264 (.776 OPS) with 5 HR, 20 RBI and 5 triples in 196 plate appearances. It was the first good year in the Majors for the 26-year-old. The failed drug test does put an asterisk next to it. Is that why Almonte took a step forward in 2015? Can the Indians count on him to produce at the same level? Will he be ready to play in July after having been suspended for three months? The Indians have two Class AAA Columbus outfielders with big league experience. But Joey Butler (.239) and Collin Cowgill (.235) are doing nothing to merit promotion. WAIT UNTIL 2017 The top prospects are with Class AA Akron. Clint Frazier is second in the Eastern League with a .314 batting average. He has 6 HR, 22 RBI with a .933 OPS. That's very impressive for a 21-year-old in a league that is generally very tough on young hitters.

Also at Akron, Bradley Zimmer is batting only .238. But he has 9 HR, 35 RBI, 19 stolen bases with an .882 OPS. He is 23. Zimmer is batting .286 vs. righties, but he's only 3-of-39 (.077) vs. lefties. He is a lefty batter. Frazier and Zimmer are not big league ready yet. Next year is more reasonable. At some point, the Tribe is expected to move them up to Columbus, but at least not for a few more weeks. For years, the Indians have been searching for outfielders to play with Brantley. It's why they spent a combined $104 million to sign veterans Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher before to 2013 season. Both fell apart after one season, then were traded to the Braves. Both have been cut by Atlanta. The Tribe made Frazier (2013) and Zimmer (2014) first-round draft picks. They look like good selections. But it makes no sense to rush them to the Majors too soon. ABOUT THE TRIBE 1. Can the Tribe really expect Mike Napoli to continue doing his Jim Thome imitation. Napoli has 12 HR and 40 RBI on June 4. That projects to more than 30 homers and 100 RBI. Napoli has hit 30 HR only once (2011) and never driven in 100 runs in a season. He is known to be slumpprone, and could be expected to cool off at some point. 2. Napoli has been a major asset to the Tribe, and not simply because of his power in the lineup. His leadership is strong. He plays a solid first base. The Indians have a lot of young players, and they respect Napoli. 3. Trevor Bauer is 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA since returning to the rotation. In seven starts, the most runs he has allowed is four (only once). The Indians have been pleased with how Bauer is staying out of disastrous innings. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: 06.05.2016 'You never know what he's going to pull off': Francisco Lindor teams with Jose Ramirez for highlight-reel defensive gem Print Email Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before they retreated to their normal positions, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez shared a laugh and slapped hands. They executed their plan to perfection. Lindor, the shortstop, shifted toward second base and Ramirez, the third baseman, played near the shortstop position as Kendrys Morales battled Tribe reliever Dan Otero in the ninth inning of Saturday's game. Prior to the encounter, Lindor and Ramirez discussed the possibility of flipping the ball to each other on a grounder up the middle. Morales obliged, as he smacked a sharp grounder to the right of second base. Lindor snagged the baseball on a back-handed stop as he plunged to his chest on the outfield grass. With his momentum carrying him away from first, Lindor had no choice. "As soon as it was hit," Lindor said, "I knew I was going to give it to him." Lindor plucked the ball from his glove with his right hand and completed an underhand toss to Ramirez, who was charging toward him. Ramirez threw the ball to first to record the out. "That's unbelievable. That's instincts," said Josh Tomlin, who logged 6 1/3 strong innings. "That's not something you learn or you teach or anything like that. It's just the instincts that he has in the game. It's unreal." Carlos Santana squeezed the baseball at first base for the out. He then fired the ball back to Ramirez. The diminutive infielder flipped it to Lindor, who nodded at his teammate in approval before the two slapped hands. "That was fun to watch," said Tribe manager Terry Francona. "Not only was it Frankie being athletic, but Jose being heads up. That was fun to watch. You can see their enthusiasm behind it, which makes it even better." Lindor also collected two doubles and a home run at the plate. He notched his 10th three-hit game of the season, which is tied for the most in the majors. "He surprised us again," Tomlin said. "You never know what he's going to pull off. He's a special player. I'll keep saying it: He's fun to watch." Cleveland Indians notes: Terry Francona remembers his encounters with Muhammad Ali By David Glasier, The News-Herald Indians manager Terry Francona added his voice to the many singing the praises of Muhammad Ali. The former heavyweight boxing champion died June 3 at the age of 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and other ailments. Meeting with reporters June 4 before the game against Kansas City at Progressive Field, Francona was asked if he had ever crossed paths with the once outspoken athlete and cultural icon who was robbed of his distinctive voice by the debilitating disease. Francona said the first of his two meetings with Ali came in April 2005. He was about to begin his second season as manager of the Boston Red Sox, having led the Red Sox to the franchise’s first World Series title since 1918 the previous season.

“We were opening the season in New York (against the Yankees) and stopped in Phoenix to play two exhibition games against the Diamondbacks,” Francona said. Ali and his family had moved to the Phoenix area from his native Louisville, Ky., several years earlier. “He came in the clubhouse and took some pictures with us,” Francona said. “I had a good picture, I’ve got to find it, of me putting up my hand like I was going to jab. He was having fun with that. He was very gracious. Took pictures with everybody. It was pretty cool.” Seven years later, after losing his job in Boston, Francona signed on with ESPN as a studio analyst for its Major League Baseball studio show. The new gig produced Francona’s second meeting with the man known to millions of fans simply as “The Great One.” “Everybody is doing tributes now. You watch those highlights. He was incredible,” Francona added. “That’s a bad disease, man. Just a bad thing.” The roster of sports notables weighing in on Ali’s passing included professional golfer Tiger Woods and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Woods tweeted (@TigerWoods): “You’ll always be The Greatest for more than just what you did in the ring. A champion to so many people in so many ways.” Tyson also took to Twitter (@Mike Tyson): God came for his champion. So long great one. RETURNING SOON Relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain, on the disabled list since May 23 with a left intercostal strain, could be activated as soon as June 6, according to Francona. Chamberlain had a supervised workout June 4 in the Indians bullpen. “It was just 20 pitches, but he hasn’t really been out very long,” Francona said. “He’s throwing the ball really well. We’ll see how it feels (June 5), to make sure there are no setbacks or ramifications. He’s raring to go.” The 30-year-old right-hander with nine years in the big leagues made the Indians out of spring training after agreeing to a minor-league free agent deal in December 2015. In 14 appearances covering 14 innings, he is 0-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Francona said he doesn’t think Chamberlain will be sent out for a minor-league rehab appearance before he rejoins the active roster. LOOK BACK The Indians were in much better shape through 53 games this season than at the same juncture one year ago. Last season, they were 26-27 and in fourth place, six games behind the front-running Royals. This season, they were 29-24 and in second place, one-half game behind Kansas City. FAREWELL, FOR A WHILE After finishing a 10-game homestand June 5 against the Royals, the Indians embark on a 10-game trip consisting of four games against the Seattle Mariners (June 6-9), three against the Los Angeles Angels (June 10-12) and three against the Royals (June 13-15). They have an off day June 16 before starting a six-game homestand June 17 against the Chicago White Sox. Royals continue slide in Cleveland, lose 7-1 to the Indians Rustin Dodd In a corner of the clubhouse at Progressive Field, Salvador Perez stood near a Coke machine and began the unwieldy process of slipping a giant ice wrap off his left leg. He began by loosening the wrap, slipping the yards of athletic gauze down his left thigh. He continued by disposing of a large bag of ice.Moments later, he turned back toward his locker, his gait unencumbered. It was late Saturday night and Perez had returned to the Royals lineup after six days of healing, finishing 2 for 4 in his first game since suffering a quadriceps contusion May 28 at Kauffman Stadium. The presence of Perez buoyed spirits in the clubhouse. On the whole, it did not help generate the high-powered offense that sustained Kansas City during a six-game winning streak. On a rainy and overcast night in downtown Cleveland, the regression persisted for another night. The Royals’ offense was curtailed by another Indians starter, the starting pitching handcuffed by another blowup inning.

When the night was over, when the Royals had suffered a 7-1 loss to Cleveland, they had lost for the third straight night and dropped out of first place in the American League Central. “I think most teams in our division have been a little streaky,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s baseball.” The spiral had begun two nights earlier, in a defensive-led collapse on the opening night of a four-game series. The lethargy carried over to the weekend as the Indians starting rotation took turns shutting down a previously scorching Royals offense. On Friday, it was Danny Salazar, unleashing 96 mph fastball and filthy splitters. On Saturday, it was right-hander Josh Tomlin, who kept the Royals off balance with a diet of 88 mph fastballs and 85 mph cutters. The arsenal was different, the result the same. Tomlin (8-1) allowed just one run while scattering seven hits over 6 1/3 innings . His performance bested Royals starter Ian Kennedy, who settled into a groove in the middle innings before coming apart in the bottom of the sixth. “We faced two great pitchers the last two nights,” Yost said. “We let one get away the first night. We faced two pitchers on top of their game.” The Royals, 30-25, are closer to whole again, after adding Perez back to the fold. In the long run, that could count as a victory. Yet the loss still burned. They opened a 10-game road trip with another loss, falling to 11-18 on the road this season. They let the Indians take over first place. They will play one more game in Cleveland before finishing the trip with series in Baltimore and Chicago. “We’ve got a tough road trip,” Kennedy said, “and I think this will be a good test for us. But it’s still June 4 today. So we still got a long way to go.” For Kennedy, the night was a lesson in frustration. For five innings, he offered an extended glance of his best self. His fastball was working. He found his curveball after a minor hiccup in the second. His change was locating, too. And then it all fell apart. Beginning in the bottom of the third, Kennedy had retired nine straight batters before designated hitter Mike Napoli devoured a hanging breaking ball with one out in the sixth. Napoli powered the homer out to left-center field, stretching the Indians' lead to 2-0. The Indians continued to nip at Kennedy as the Royals’ bullpen remained idle. After another double and a single, Indians rookie Tyler Naquin delivered a kill shot, hammering a 1-1 changeup into the seats in right-center. Kennedy, who had allowed one run through five innings, could not navigate the Indians a third time through the order. His final line — eight hits and five runs in six innings — represented his worst outing since allowing seven runs in a loss at New York on May 12. “It was just that last inning,” Kennedy said. “I had three big mistakes.” Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor poured it on in the seventh, hitting a two-run blast off left-hander Scott Alexander. Lindor, the Indians’ 22year-old shortstop, was brilliant all game, adding two doubles against Kennedy and terrific diving stop in the ninth. In three games, he has racked up six hits, showcasing his All-Star potential. “He’s just a special player,” Yost said. The Royals dropped to 1-5 this season against the Indians. Right-hander Chris Young will return to the mound Sunday in his first start since May 9 in New York. He will match up against Indians ace Corey Kluber as Kansas City tries to avoid losing all four here in Cleveland. The Royals’ offense had averaged seven runs per game during a six-game winning streak, a number that was as unsustainable as it was incredible.But the regression here in Cleveland has been stark. In three games, the Royals have managed just six runs. In the last two nights, they have scored just two against Indians starters. In the moments after the loss, Yost attempted to credit Tomlin. “He’s really good,” Yost said. “And what he does is, he’s really good at moving your eye level. He pitches really effectively with his fastball, up and down. When he’s pitching up in the zone, it’s not an accident, it’s on purpose.” The Indians opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, loading the bases with two singles and a walk to rookie Tyler Naquin, the Indians No. 9 hitter. Kennedy escaped the inning without allowing serious damage. He coaxed a sacrifice fly from Chris Gimenez before retiring first baseman Carlos Santana to end the threat. Kennedy appeared to find comfort after the second, breezing through the fourth and fifth innings. In one sense, the Kansas City bench may have been lured into a false sense of security. In another sense, Kennedy said his night crashed on just “three mistakes.” “I was just one pitch away from getting out of it with just one run,” Kennedy said. “And it’s frustrating.” The Kansas City Star LOADED: 06.05.2016 Royals’ Salvador Perez returns in loss, could play Sunday Rustin Dodd The Royals outlined a tentative workload plan for Salvador Perez as the All-Star catcher returned to the lineup Saturday for the first time since sustaining a left quadriceps contusion. Emphasis on tentative. Before Saturday night’s 7-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians, Royals manager Ned Yost said he planned to give Perez two more days of rest over the next four days, including a day off on Sunday. In the moments after the loss, he backed away from that statement. “We definitely need to give Lorenzo Cain a day off,” Yost said. “I think he’s had one day off the whole year. So we’ll probably give him a day. It’s hard to have both of those guys out of the lineup at the same time. “If Sal feels good tomorrow, we might consider catching him.” Perez missed just six games following a collision with third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert last Saturday. Whether he plays Sunday or not, Perez is expected to receive some rest as the Royals head to Baltimore for a three-game series starting Monday. The Royals also have an off day on Thursday before concluding the road trip with a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox.

During a brief interview following Saturday’s loss, Perez said his left quad held up while playing nine innings. “Awesome,” Perez said. “I feel great today.” The Royals initially estimated that Perez could miss seven to 10 days after the injury. But Yost was reluctant to put Perez on the disabled list, hoping that Perez could be back within a week. On Friday, Yost said he conferred with Royals trainer Nick Kenney, who endorsed Perez’s return. “After [batting practice] yesterday, I had a good chat with Nick, and Nick felt good about it,” Yost said. “Salvy is feeling good about it. He’s gone through his drills the last three days and has progressively felt better and better.” Medlen departs to Arizona Right-hander Kris Medlen flew to Surprise, Ariz., on Saturday as he continues his recovery from a 15-day stint on the disabled list. Medlen is expected to face live hitters in Arizona before departing on a rehab assignment if all goes to plan. The Kansas City Star LOADED: 06.05.2016