CLEVELAND r12; The Cleveland Indiansr16; injury-riddled pitching staff will go into the second game of their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday missing another arm.
Reliever Evan Marshall was removed from Mondayr17;s game in the eighth inning with right elbow soreness.
r0;The way he termed it Shon Coleman Jersey , he flicked the nerve in his elbow. Those were his words. Wer17;ll know a lot more (Tuesday),r1; Indians manager Terry Francona said.
Itr17;s possible Marshall may have to be placed on the disabled list on Tuesday, which means the Indians would have to recall another reliever from Triple-A Columbus.
On Sunday, the Indians placed starter Carlos Carrasco on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow contusion. The Indians on Monday also signed left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski to a minor league contract, with an eye toward eventually adding him to their banged-up bullpen.
With a 6-2 win Monday in the first game of the series, Cleveland is 6-2 this year against the White Sox, who go into Tuesdayr17;s game with a five-game losing streak. The White Sox (24-47) are a season-worst 23 games below .500.
The pitching matchup Tuesday night will be identical to the one when the same two teams faced each other on Thursday in Chicago: White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon vs. Indians right-hander Mike Clevinger.
In that game in Chicago last week, the White Sox won 5-2, although Rodon (0-1, 3.60) did not figure in the decision. He pitched five innings, giving up two runs on two hits, with four strikeouts and three walks, throwing 100 pitches.
r0;I donr17;t want to make that excuse. When you show up at this level Todd Gurley Jersey , itr17;s time to compete,r1; Rodon told reporters, r0;A little inconsistent today. A little everywhere. Try to get that back on track. Fastballs in, thatr17;s the key for me. I have a good fastball, just have to throw it.r1;
Clevinger (5-2, 3.15) took the loss but he pitched well, working seven innings, giving up one earned run on five hits, with 11 strikeouts and one walk. He threw 99 pitches.
Last year, Rodon started one game against the Indians, a 3-1 Chicago win on July 30 in which Rodon did not get a decision. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits, with nine strikeouts and two walks. In 11 career appearances against Cleveland Rodon is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA.
Clevinger has pitched well lately.
In his last four starts he is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA and an opponentsr17; batting average of .206. In six career appearances against the White Sox he is 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA.
The Indians did get some good news Monday on Carrasco Johnathan Joseph Jersey , who left Saturdayr17;s game against the Twins in the second inning after getting hit in the right elbow by a line drive. An MRI done on Carrascor17;s elbow Monday showed no serious damage.
r0;Everything came back negative. We dodged a huge bullet,r1; Francona said. r0;They are treating it as a contusion. Once we get the swelling down the hope is her17;ll come back quick. Itr17;s just a bruise.r1;
The Indians on Monday also activated first baseman Yonder Alonso off the Family Medical Emergency List, and they optioned outfielder Greg Allen to Triple-A Columbus.
With left-handed relievers Andrew Miller and Tyler Olson on the disabled list, the Indians signed Rzepczynski to a minor league contract and assigned him to Columbus. Rzepczynski, who pitched for the Indians from 2013-15, was designated for assignment by Seattle on June 1.
r0;Her17;s a guy we know and like, and he enjoyed his time here,r1; Francona said. r0;Her17;ll start pitching (Tuesday). Wer17;re down one left-hander in the pen now, so her17;s a guy who could help.r1;
The Colorado Rockies are finding their stride behind a shortstop whor17;s cutting down on his strikeouts, a converted first baseman whor17;s rediscovering his swing and a rotation thatr17;s turning in quality start after quality start.
On top of that, third baseman Nolan Arenador17;s turning in an MVP-caliber season yet again.
An NL wild-card team a year ago, Colorado is pushing to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. The Rockies trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games in a tightly bunched NL West race. Riding a five-game winning streak, the Rockies open the second half Friday by traveling to Arizona and facing a Diamondbacks squad thatr17;s 1 games ahead of them in the standings.
r1;Guys are really stepping up Miles Killebrew Jersey ,r1; said Arenado, whor17;s hitting .312 with 23 homers and playing the hot corner so expertly that a sixth straight Gold Glove looks like a formality. r1;Everyone has been contributing.r1;
Leading the way of late is shortstop Trevor Story . Her17;s fresh off his first All-Star Game, where he delivered a solo homer for the National League in an 8-6 loss to the American League on Tuesday. Story is hitting .292 with 20 homers. Even more, his strikeout rate is gradually dipping. After leading the National League in Ks last season, he worked on his swing in the offseason and is now putting more pitches in play.
First baseman Ian Desmond has found success at the plate in recent weeks, boosting his average from .173 on May 26 to .235 with 18 homers at the break. He hit seven homers in 2017 r11; the first season in his five-year, $70 million deal.
Really, though, the noticeable difference has been on the mound. Colorador17;s starters boast a 2.23 ERA with 10 quality starts over the past 15 games.
Opening day starter Jon Gray showed flashes of returning to form after he was recently sent to Triple-A Albuquerque to hone his mechanics. In his return Coors Field last weekend, Gray threw a season-high 7 1/3 innings and allowed one run.
r1;Therer17;s no secret that everybody in this place knows the ability and the tools that he has,r1; outfielder Carlos Gonzalez said.
Things to know as the Rockies chase after their first NL West title:
BUYERS OR SELLERS: Manager Bud Black could always use another arm for the bullpen. Although, Adam Ottavino and closer Wade Davis have been lights out. Ottavino and Davis are both holding hitters to batting averages below .200. Offseason acquisition Bryan Shaw struggled early, went on the disabled list with a calf strain and hasnr17;t surrendered a run in his last two appearances.
The names that could be mentioned in trade rumors are Gerardo Parra and Gonzalez Denzelle Good Jersey , given that David Dahl is on the mend from a broken right foot and there will be a log jam in the outfield. Gonzalez has heated up in recent weeks and is hitting .331 since May 27.
r1;Even when Ir17;m hitting .190 or .200 my confidence level is always high,r1; said Gonzalez, who was brought back in mid-March on a $5 million, one-year contract. r1;I feel like I have a lot in the tank and games to contribute to this club to reach our goals.r1;
STORYr17;S TIME: Story was just named the NL player of the week after hitting .400 with three homers, including a walk-off blast against Seattle last Sunday. Her17;s hitting .378 since June 8.
r1;Her17;s been swinging the bat great,r1; Arenado said. r1;He looks so good up there, so in control.r1;
ROLLING ALONG: Colorado has captured five straight series against teams at or above the .500 mark for the first time in team history.
r1;Wer17;re playing the way wer17;re capable of playing,r1; Story said.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: The first inning has been friendly to the Rockies r11; and unfriendly, too. Theyr17;ve scored a league-leading 80 runs in the opening inning and allowed a league-leading 82. In addition, theyr17;re outscoring teams 318-226 over the opening five innings but have been outscored 239-145 in innings six through nine.
POWERING ALONG: Charlie Blackmon, Desmond, Story and Arenado have all hit at least 18 homers. The last team to have four players hit that many before the break was the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.
