Chisenhall happy to be ‘ feeling normal’ again
Lonnie Chisenhall had just finished playing his second game in an injury rehabilitation stay with the Clippers when he was bombarded with burning questions that Cleveland Indians fans would have wanted to ask.
How does the right calf feel? Can he get up to speed quickly enough after five weeks on the disabled list to get back into the playoff race? How frustrating has it been sitting out?
Chisenhall kept it simple, like his runproducing swing.
“I’m just happy to be on the field,” he said. “It’s great to be part of the game again and feeling normal.”
Chisenhall grounded out to third, had a sacrifice fly to the warning track in right and flew out to the warning track in left in three trips to the plate in the Clippers’ 4-1 victory over the Rochester Red Wings on Thursday afternoon at Huntington Park.
Clippers manager Chris Tremie said Chisenhall would not play Friday per instructions from trainers.
Indians manager Terry Francona said management wants Chisenhall to play all three outfield positions with the Clippers. He played right field Tuesday and left Thursday.
Cleveland put Chisenhall on the disabled list July 14 because of a right calf he strained on July 9. At the time, he was batting .305 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI. Nine RBI came on pinch-hits.
“There is no magic formula (to hitting like that),” he said. “If there was, everybody would be doing it. You try to put good swings on the ball. I have just tried to be consistent, and it’s as simple as that.”
This is his secondlongest stay on the disabled list since a broken arm kept him out nine weeks in 2012.
“We haven’t picked out one event that happened to cause this,” Chisenhall said. “It just flared up on me and now I’m here. It seems the team always is on the road because you aren’t playing. You get the itch to play, but you want to be sure you are ready to go.”
On the other side of the clubhouse, infielder Erik Gonzalez was putting his bats in a canvas bag waiting to hear whether Cleveland would call him up. Three days ago, the Indians optioned Gonzalez to the Clippers. On Thursday, he singled, stole second and scored in the third and led off the fifth with a home run.
“I know I just have to stay ready,” he said. “I didn’t play too much up there, and the first thing I had to do was be ready to play every day. I have gotten stronger — I was in the gym every day. It was hard to be in that (reserve infielder) position last year. This year, I know my role.”
This stint with the Clippers gives him a chance to play daily.
“I’m in the moment here and feel great,” he said. “You know you are going to play every day, not once or twice every week to 10 days.”