Indians send wayward pitchers to training site
Cole keeps rolling as Yanks rout Red Sox
CLEVELAND — After hearing Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac explain their actions, the Cleveland Indians sent the pitchers to their alternate training site on Friday after the two broke team rules and Major League Baseball coronavirus protocol last weekend in Chicago.
Clevinger and Plesac drove to Detroit separately with their baseball equipment on Thursday for an “open forum” meeting at the team’s hotel before the Indians opened a series with the Tigers.
Indians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti said following “the discussion” that he met with manager Terry Francona, general manager Mike Chernoff and decided it was best to option Plesac and Clevinger to the alternate training site instead of allowing them to rejoin the team.
“We had a chance to meet as small group and decided this would be the best path of action for us,” Antonetti said.
So before the opener, the Indians activated Clevinger and Plesac from the restricted list and optioned them to Lake County.
It’s a stunning slide for the right-handers and close friends, both considered important pieces for the Indians. There’s no indication when they may be back on Cleveland’s roster. They’ll have to be at Lake County for at least 10 days.
“For clarity, this isn’t punitive in any way,” Antonetti said. “This is us reflecting and thinking, ‘OK, given all that’s happened, how do we put together the best team right now to go out and win games?’ And given what’s transpired and how people are feeling, we thought at least for the time being, this is the best thing for us.”
Last weekend, the pitchers broke the team’s code of conduct implemented during the pandemic by leaving the team hotel and having dinner and socializing with friends of Plesac’s and risking contracting the virus.
While the Indians got a car service to take Plesac back to Cleveland, Clevinger flew home with the team after not telling the
Indians he had been out with his teammate.
Although both players have twice tested negative for COVID-19 this week, the Indians aren’t ready to have them back.
Earlier this week, pitcher Adam Plutko said he felt betrayed.
“They hurt us bad,” Plutko said after Cleveland’s lost 7-1 to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. “They lied to us. They sat here in front of you guys and publicly said things that they didn’t follow through on.”
YANKEES 10, RED SOX 3: In New York, Gerrit Cole posted his 20th straight regular-season win, becoming the sixth pitcher to reach the mark by throwing seven sharp innings to lead the Yankees over Boston.
Cole (4-0) allowed one run and four hits. He struck out eight, walked none and threw 95 pitches.
Gary Sánchez homered for the second straight game and Gleyber Torres had four hits. Mike Tauchman drove in four runs and started in right field for Aaron Judge, who landed on the injured list with a mild right calf strain.
MARLINS 8, BRAVES 2: In Miami, Jesus Aguilar drove in three runs, Jon Berti stole home and NL East-leading Miami won its long-awaited, coronavirus-delayed home opener, beating Atlanta.
Miami returned to Marlins Park following a 23-day road trip, interrupted when 18 players and two coaches tested positive for the virus.
Pablo Lopez (2-1) allowed two runs, seven hits and struck out a career-high eight in six solid innings.
PHILLIES 6, METS 5: In Philadelphia, Bryce Harper’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Philadelphia to a victory over New York.
Roman Quinn led off the inning with a single off Seth Lugo (1-2), and Andrew McCutchen followed with a single. After Rhys Hoskins struck out, Harper ripped an 0-2 pitch to right. Quinn slid headfirst ahead of Michael Conforto’s throw.
Walker Lockett started for New York after two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom was scratched because of neck tightness.
BLUE JAYS 12, RAYS 4: In Buffalo, N.Y., Teoscar Hernández hit two of Toronto’s six home runs, Bo Bichette connected for the fourth straight game and the Blue Jays beat Tampa Bay.
Along with their seven homers in a 14-11 loss to Miami on Wednesday night at Sahlen Field, Toronto became the fourth team in major league history to hit at least six homers in back-to-back games. The Blue Jays joined the Dodgers (1996), Angels (2003) and Washington (2012).
Randal Grichuk hit a tying homer in the sixth, Bichette added a three-run drive and Hernández connected to cap the five-run inning that made it 8-4.
REDS 8, PIRATES 1: In Cincinnati, Jesse Winker had his first career two homer game and Sonny Gray continued his torrid strikeout pace as Cincinnati broke open a close contest with five runs in the last two innings in a win over Pittsburgh.
Gray (4-1) struck out 10, raising his season total to 45, a franchise record for a pitcher’s first five appearances.
ORIOLES 6-3, NATIONALS 2-15: In Baltimore, Washington overcame an injury to Stephen Strasburg, rebounded from a defeat that took five days to decide and weathered a lengthy rain delay before using a 19-hit attack to beat the Orioles after the teams earlier completed a suspended game.
Strasburg left after throwing only 16 pitches in his second outing of the season and the Nationals provided no immediate update on his condition.
The Orioles had won six straight after beating Washington in a game suspended five days earlier because of a tarp malfunction at Sunday at Nationals Park when rain halted play. The grounds crew failed to get a tangled tarp out in time to prevent the infield from becoming unplayable.
INDIANS 10, TIGERS 5: In Detroit, Franmil Reyes homered and drove in three, and Cleveland beat Detroit for a club-record 18th consecutive time.
The Indians’ previous longest winning streak against one opponent was a 17-game run against the Baltimore Orioles in 1954.
Domingo Santana hit a threerun homer for the Indians.
RANGERS 3, ROCKIES 2: In Denver, Lance Lynn allowed two hits in the first inning on the way to his first complete game in six years, Nick Solak hit his first homer of the season, and Texas beat Colorado.
Lynn fanned six, struck out the side in the eighth before closing out his first complete game since Sept. 11, 2014.
BREWERS 4, CUBS 3: In Chicago, Christian Yelich hit a threerun homer and Milwaukee beat major league-leading Chicago.
Yelich hit his fifth homer of the season off Alec Mills (2-1) to rightcenter field, erasing Chicago’s 3-1 lead in the sixth inning.
ASTROS 11, MARINERS 1: In Houston, Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season, sparking a nine-run first inning that lifted the Astros to an easy win over Seattle.
Josh Reddick had three hits for Houston.
DODGERS 7, ANGELS 4: In Anaheim, Calif., Clayton Kershaw allowed one hit over seven innings, Cody Bellinger hit a pair of two-run homers and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Angels.
Anthony Rendon homered in his fourth consecutive game for the Angels amd drew two walks but he was the only Angels hitter to reach base against Kershaw.
DIAMONDBACKS 5, PADRES 1: In Phoenix, Merrill Kelly pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Kole Calhoun hit a solo homer and a run-scoring single, and Arizona pulled away late to beat San Diego.