Cleveland Indians Win; Jerry Sands Optioned; Salazar Notes

The Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles; Jerry Sands optioned to Triple-A; and assorted Danny Salazar notes

Yesterday was a pretty solid day for the Cleveland Indians, as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-1. Nick Swisher had a nice day, going two-for-three with a walk and an RBI. Also worth noting is Yan Gomes, who went two-for-four with a double. Hopefully the Brazilian native can continue this success as he returns from injury.

The big story from yesterday is Danny Salazar. He flat-out dominated the O’s, striking out 10 batters across seven innings to support his league leading strikeouts per nine inning stat. Just a year ago, Salazar was struggling mightily, but now he appears to be back to 2013 form: his strikeout and walk rates and xFIP are all nearly identical.

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Salazar has always shown great potential. Armed with a fastball that averages 97 miles per hour and can reach triple digits – it maxed out at 101 miles per hour in the 2013 Postseason – it’s easy to see why many dream on him. Salazar, however, has yet do establish another great pitch. PITCHf/x rates his slider as being two runs worse than the average slider per 100 pitches; and of all his breaking pitches, only his changeup receives a positive run rating.

In other news, Jerry Sands cleared waivers and returned to Triple-A. The right-handed hitter played very well across 10 games for the Tribe, although his .471 BABIP can probably be thanked for much of the assistance. The 27-year-old brought power potential to the lineup during his brief tenure on the big league roster, and he slammed 35 minor league home runs in 2011.

More from around the AL Central:

Cleveland Indians News: Jerry Sands Clears Waivers, Heads Back to Columbus – Wahoo’s on First

Kansas City Royals Five Best Draft Picks in Team History – Kings of Kauffman

2015 MLB Draft: Minnesota Twins Mock 1^st Round Pick – Puckett’s Pond

Chris Sale Starting to Find All-Star Rhythm – Southside Showdown

Fantasy Baseball: Five Coldest Hitters in the AL Central – Motor City Bengals

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