The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Will Salazar be a starter or a reliever for Indians?
Danny Salazar is 28 and should be in his physical prime, but his injury history makes it unlikely he will start every fifth day for a full season. Plus, Jeff Schudel weighs in on the Cavs and Browns.
One of the burning questions Indians manager Terry Francona is trying to answer this spring is what is the best way to get the most out of righthanded pitcher Danny Salazar? Does Francona keep Salazar in the starting rotation? Does he make the Dominican fireballer a relief specialist?
It is a riddle difficult for Francona to solve.
Salazar is 28 and should be in his physical prime, but his injury history makes it unlikely he will start every fifth day for a full season. He started 30 games in 2015, 25 in 2016 and only 19 games last year.
Salazar was on the disabled list from Aug. 2 through the end of the season in 2016 with right elbow inflammation. He was on the DL twice last year.
Salazar reported to spring training in Goodyear, Ariz., with right shoulder inflammation. He is making progress but won’t be ready for the season opener March 29 in Seattle.
A reporter covering spring training suggested making Salazar a long reliever. One of the problems with that is a long reliever usually enters the game early in a mop-up role when the starter falters. That seems a waste of Salazar’s talent; he was 1410 in 2015 and 11-6 in 2016.
“It’s certainly something we could visit if we need to,” Francona said. “I don’t know if cautious is the right word, but the same things that maybe have entered into him not making 30 starts, if you put him in the bullpen — on a routine I think Danny would be great. I don’t know if you could have a routine once the season starts.
“If you could tell him, ‘We’re going to pitch you Monday, Thursday and Sunday,’ he might be lights out. I don’t know how you do that.”
The Indians’ top three starters are set with Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer. Mike Clevinger has earned a spot in the rotation. Josh Tomlin is the fifth starter.
Complicating the situation for Francona is deciding what to do with lefthander Ryan Merritt.
Merritt, 26, is out of options, meaning the Indians have already sent him back to the minors three times. They could not send him to Columbus again without exposing him to waivers.
Merritt has appeared in only nine games with the Indians, but being a lefthanded starter makes him valuable. The Indians could use him in the bullpen to keep him for insurance in case one of the starters is injured, but finding a niche for him among the relievers when the 25-man roster is set won’t be easy.
“That’s a hard one,” Francona said as he removed his Indians Block C ballcap and rubbed his forehead. “The last thing you want to do is get caught short where you don’t have starting depth. Those are all things we’re thinking about.”
Merritt is 3-0 with the Indians. He has a minorleague record of 56-36.
The Indians could trade Salazar or Merritt, but that is something they are reluctant to do.
• Michael Brantley continues to make progress from right ankle surgery. He is starting to catch batted fly balls and running to first base, Francona told reporters in Goodyear. He said he expects his left fielder to be ready soon after the season begins if he isn’t ready for the opener.
“We’re thrilled with how he’s doing and kind of leaving it at that,” Francona said. “He’s such an important guy for us. He’s the heart and soul of our team. Even when he wasn’t playing, he managed to be a leader.
“You put him out there, you know that position is covered. Just let him go play. He uses the whole field. He’s a really good baseball player.”
Brantley played in 156 games in 2014, 137 in 2015, 11 in 2016 and 90 games last season.
Injured Cavs returning
On Jan. 31, a column written here after a broken hand sidelined Kevin Love carried the headline: “Kevin Love gets a bad rap, but not from Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.”
The Cavaliers are 1010 since Love was injured. They have also been without Tristan Thompson for two weeks. Larry Nance Jr. missed the game in Portland with a hamstring injury and is day to day.
Love is targeting the home game against Toronto on March 21 or the home game against Phoenix on March 23 for his return. Thompson should be back by then too, if his two-week timetable for a return from a sprained ankle holds true.
“It’s been a long time since I haven’t played with another All-Star on my team,” LeBron James told reporters after the 113-105 loss in Portland dropped the Cavaliers to 2-3 on their current road trip. “Not having Kev out has been very challenging for all of us. Kev has a big usage rate on our team. He’ll get the ball when things get tight, chaotic; we can throw it to him in the low post and get some things going.”
The Cavaliers are in a battle with Indiana for first place in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference with 14 games left in the regular season for the Cavs heading into their game in Chicago on March 17. They play eight games at home and six on the road. Six of their final 14 opponents have winning records. Two of them are at home against the East-leading Raptors.
Trade down for tackle
All the glowing tributes for Browns retired left tackle Joe Thomas are well-deserved, but now the Browns have to find someone to play the position.
The hot rumor is the Browns will trade the fourth pick to the Bills for picks 12 and 22 in the first round. The Bills would use the pick on a quarterback. The Browns would not trade down if they don’t take a quarterback first.
The 12th pick could be the perfect spot for the Browns to draft 6-foot-8, 312-pound offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey of Notre Dame.
“McGlinchey started every game in 2016, displaying the quick feet, athleticism, and brute strength to be a very good NFL starter,” the scouting report at NFL.com says.
On March 17, the Jets, also eager to draft a quarterback, got in a preemptive strike on the Bills by trading ahead of the Browns to get the third pick from the Colts. The move from six to third cost the Jets picks six, 37 and 49 in 2018, plus their second-round pick in 2019.
With the Jets almost guaranteed to use the third pick on a quarterback, the Browns would be assured of having defensive end Bradley Chubb from North Carolina State or running back Saquon Barkley available with the fourth pick, assuming the Browns take a quarterback No. 1 overall. Chubb or Barkley might be too tempting to pass up, but that still leaves a hole on the line if the coaches aren’t confident Shon Coleman can fill it.
All General Manager John Dorsey has accomplished in the last 10 days will be minimized if the Browns don’t shore up left tackle.
• Tackling is a lost — or a never found — art for NFL cornerbacks. Instead of wrapping up the receiver or running back with their arms, they try to knock the runner down with a shoulder tackle and often miss.
New Browns cornerback T.J. Carrie is an exception. He made 84 tackles with the Raiders last year. That is 19 more than Jason McCourty made last year, and he was the leader among Browns defensive backs.
“That’s something that cornerbacks these days are going to have to start doing more often,” Carrie said in Berea on March 15 in his first news conference as a Browns player. “It used to be that we just come into this game and are built to cover. The game is evolving consistently, year after year. They are expecting cornerbacks to do a lot more than just covering.
“Tackling is definitely a strength and an ability that I feel like I bring to the table, within the defensive scheme to count on me and to depend on me to come up and make that tackle versus the running back or the fullback or a tight end out in the flat. I think that brings an asset of value.”
Carrie is projected as the starting right cornerback. He is one of three additions in the secondary along with safety Damarious Randall (Packers) and cornerback Terrance Mitchell (Chiefs).
“I thought that we could use a little bit more speed in the defensive backfield,” Dorsey said. “I think we are going to get some speed in the defensive backfield.”
The Browns might not be done fortifying the secondary. They could decide to stay with the fourth pick and choose Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward after trading for Randall.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap:
Light can travel around the Earth nearly 7.5 times in one second. … Walruses can go without sleep for 84 hours. … Famous artist Michelangelo wrote a poem about how painting left him in despair. … Ten million bricks were used to build the Empire State Building. … A single lightning bolt packs enough energy to cook 100,000 pieces of toast . ... Newborn babies cannot cry tears for three weeks.