CLEVELAND, Ohio – The murky image of the Indian Garden is beginning to clear up. In fact, field manager Terry Francona started Monday night against the Pirates, he could be the one to open the 60-game regular season on Friday night against Kansas City at Progressive Field.
Monday’s outfield had Oscar Mercado in the center, Tyler Naquin on the right and Bradley Zimmer on the left. No wonder with Mercado. The receiving office has been saying since the end of last season that he would be a starting outfielder. They just didn’t know in what position.
Naquin on the right was a bit of a stretch because he underwent ACL surgery on his right knee in September. But it has been clear since spring training I that if there was a way to get his field work back on track, he would find it.
The real surprise is Zimmer. It should be noted that the team has not made any announcements about its final list of 30 men, but the tea leaves are there to be read. If this were a normal season, Zimmer would be in Class AAA Columbus on his way to 400 at-bats to make up the time of nearly two seasons lost due to injury.
This season, however, is anything but normal. The minor leagues have been closed and Zimmer has been on fire in Spring Training II. He is hitting .555 (10-of-18) with four home runs and seven RBIs in eight games within the squad heading to Monday night’s game against Pittsburgh.
“We have been waiting,” said Francona. when asked about Zimmer’s performance. “We’ve said all along that we love what’s there. It can impact the game almost anywhere. We were concerned about his number of at-bats. He hasn’t played much in two years. That still worries some of us. But I don’t know how to fix that this year. We are leaving what we are leaving ”.
Two other developments made garden management easier. Daniel Johnson was reassigned to Classic Park in Eastlake on Monday along with right-hander Daniel Hernández. Meanwhile, Jordan Luplow was slated to play the last four or five innings on Monday night. Luplow missed last week with lower back pain and was concerned that he might not be ready for the season opener. If all goes well, Luplow will start outfield against the Pirates on Wednesday at PNC Park.
Johnson hit .294 (5-of-17) with two home runs and four RBIs in Spring Training II. At Spring Training I he hit .267 (4 of 15) with three RBIs.
“We told him that when he entered spring training this year at Goodyear, we had him behind a significant number of other guys just for his career,” said Francona, who met Johnson on Monday. “After coming to this camp, he made it really difficult. We try to explain that sometimes you’re sending guys and it’s overwhelming. Other times, you’re just informing them that this might not be their time yet, but it could be right on the horizon. I didn’t want him to get lost in the disappointment of not making the club how impressive it has been. “
Franmil Reyes, Domingo Santana, Jake Bauers and Greg Allen are among the other gardeners who are still in the camp. Delino DeShields is expected to open up on the disabled list while recovering from the coronavirus.
The list has been reduced to 34. It should be at 30 noon on Thursday.
Francona also told reporters that wide receiver Beau Taylor would not join the major league club. He will stay in the major league camp and serve as the recipient of the Tribe’s taxi squad on road trips.
Indians third baseman José Ramírez.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
No.1: the Indians are not going to change their change hitters
The Indians have used four breaker hitters on top of the order for most of Spring Training II. Francona said it will not change now.
“To start the season, that’s probably what we’ll do,” he said. “I know you can take some balance off when the bullpen guys come in. But the idea is to beat the starter.” They’re probably our top four players considering everything, whether it’s speed, on base, power. It probably locates us the best way to win a game. “
The top four hitters in the lineup will be César Hernández, José Ramírez, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana. Francona said that if there is a problem, you can always shuffle the lineup.
Indian Right Mike Clevinger.AP
No. 2: How much rope does Mike Clevinger have?
Francona said she would like to see Clevinger go five innings Monday night against the Pirates in their last start before the regular season. Clevinger, still working on some delivery issues, needed 80 pitches to go through four innings in his last start.
“We are trying to get over five, depending on the length of the innings and things like that,” Francona said. “Some pitchers were a little bit more advanced than others, but I think five is a good brand for him.”
The Indians are nearing the end of their pitching team, but Francona said they had another meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Clevinger is online to start the second game of the season on Saturday.
Indians manager Terry Francona.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
No. 3: What will be the quality of the game at the start of the 60 game season?
Francona felt that it would be easier on the weather because summer is here. MLB was originally going to open the season on March 26.
“We are not going to fight the first four weeks of bad weather,” said Francona. That said, it is a different atmosphere. When we talk to our group about when these real games start, with or without people, the speed of the game increases. And without replays, teams will make mistakes, so we want to make sure we handle the bases hard and smart, and don’t try to do too much on defense, get us out. Because as I said, when the game speeds up, the boys will make mistakes, especially that first week. “
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)
New Indian face masks for sale: This is where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed facial liners for coronavirus protection, including a mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charities.
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