Carlos Santana isn't going anywhere, but Chris Antonetti is keeping his phone lines open regarding just about everything else
The weekend wasn't a total writeoff, as the Tribe managed a dominant win at KC to avoid the sweep yesterday. Will that provide the momentum needed for a second-straight magical playoff run?
Yesterday's game: Indians 10, Royals 3
Carlos Santana put on another showcase performance to silence the CleCommers, while Danny Salazar didn't pitch totally terribly. Yan Gomes and, gasp, Ryan Raburn got in on the fun, too! The Indians ended a five-game losing streak and a nightmare roadtrip with a resounding win.
Indians news & notes
Indians exploring options as trade deadline nears | Indians.com - The Shaptonetti regime's trade success has arguably been its greatest strength. Can they pull a rabbit out of their collective hat to spark a surge in late 2014? Chris Antonetti refuses to talk specifics, but reassures Jordan Bastian that the FO is leaving no stone unturned:
"We're exploring a wide variety of things... Big, small. Anything and everything at this point."
Salazar finds form with 7's K's against KC | Indians.com - Danny Salazar 2014 looked a lot like Danny Salazar 2013 yesterday, and a step closer to the pitcher we were all hoping for. His solid performance left Yan Gomes and Terry Francona, among others, impressed and encouraged.
Santana's homerun tear continues | Cleveland.com - Look, you know Carlos Santana is having a helluva hot streak when even the CleCommers ackowledge it. Carlos credits a lot of his improvement to settling down and playing just one position. It's hard to say how much the 3B experiement really cost us in terms of his production earlier this year, but this seems like one of those things that had an obvious effect yet will never show up in the stats.
Cabrera returns, Kipnis rests, Chiz sick, and Bourn's rehab | Cleveland.com - There's still no timeframe for teh return of Michael Bourn, but it will almost certainly involve a rehab assignment. Meanwhile, Lonnie Chisenhall missed his second game in a row with "intestinal turmoil."
Tidbits from around MLB
- Over at Fangraphs, Hall of Famer Paul Molitor talks about the physical and psychological aspects of the shift
- Sports On Earth waxes on the end of an era of longevity for pitchers and managers, and also discusses the downfall of a Phillies team built to dominate (with a focus on the potential trade of LGFT Cliff Lee)
- NBC Sports collects a photo set of the new plaques for the 2014 Hall of Fame class, including Jason's favorite and least favorite players of all time
- Also at NBC Sports, Chris Archer is the latest to comment on how much of a jackass David Ortiz is after admiring a third inning homer
- The Blue Jays are "monitoring" the market for Asdrubal Cabrera
Whatever interest #BlueJays had in Rios was fleeting, sources say. Jays monitoring market; #Indians’ Cabrera an option.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 27, 2014