A.M. Wahoo’s: Indians lose, magic number shrinks to 13

Taking a look at the news surrounding the Cleveland Indians and the rest of the MLB on the morning of September 14, 2016.

The Cleveland Indians lost to the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night, but the Detroit Tigers also lost, dropping the Indians’ magic number to win the AL Central down to 13.

Dropping two straight to the White Sox at this point in the season, especially when the games are blowouts, is a bit concerning, but the Indians have struggled on the road all season. The good news is that the Tigers lost, but the road troubles have to be cleared up if the Indians want to not only advance to the playoffs, but deep into the playoffs.

Josh Tomlin is making his return to the mound tonight as he is replacing the injured Danny Salazar, and it is hard to predict how the outing will go. Tomlin was solid to start the year, only to collapse in August and become a liability. Time off may have helped, but we will not know until tonight.

Before the game, let’s take a look at the news surrounding the Indians and the rest of the MLB in today’s edition of A.M. Wahoo’s.

Cleveland Indians News:

Cleveland Indians: A Title May Mean Mike Napoli Leaves Town

"The Cleveland Indians made a steal of a deal when signing Mike Napoli to a one-year, $7 million contract this past offseason. He became the latest player signed in the search for a legitimate power hitter, especially from the right side of the plate, and he has not disappointed."

Four Minor Leaguers Named to Baseball America All-Star Teams

"On Monday morning, Baseball America released its 2016 Minor League Classification All-Star teams, and the Cleveland Indians are represented by four players. The teams, which separate players by level of minor league ball, differ from an earlier all-star team selected by the publication that lumped all MiLBers together."

Danny Salazar Likely Out for Rest of Regular Season

"The Cleveland Indians are in a great spot with just 20 games left in the regular season. The Indians are owners of a seven-game lead over the Detroit Tigers and are one game back of the Texas Rangers for the best record in the American League."

Can the Indians Win a World Series Without Salazar? (Let’s Go Tribe)

"The Cleveland Indians have lost star pitcher Danny Salazar for the remainder of the regular season, and in all likelihood, a good chunk of the postseason. Sure, by the most optimistic estimates he could return for the ALDS or ALCS, but would Terry Francona just hand the ball over to a guy who struggled for months at a time and is coming off yet another stint on the disabled list, or what would be the disabled list without expanded rosters?"

Yan Gomes Expected to be Activated This Weekend (cleveland.com)

"The Indians are expected to activate catcher Yan Gomes this weekend when Detroit comes to Progressive Field for what could be the start of a critical seven-game home and away series in the final 17 games of the regular season."

MLB News:

MLB Awards Watch: Mike Trout and Everyone Else (FanSided)

"The stretch run is officially here. We’ve consumed more than 140 games from each and every team in the league and, with the calendar landing in mid-September, the race to the finish line is very real. That is doubly true for the league’s individual award races, and the majority of MLB honors are very much up for grabs."

Andre Ethier Returns After Five-Month Recovery (Call to the Pen)

"Andre Ethier entered Saturday’s game against the Miami Marlins as a pinch hitter. It was the first time he has played all season after suffering a freak injury in Spring Training earlier this year. Sunday was his first start of the season, though it was in left field. Ethier went hitless in both appearances."

Twins Dent Tigers’ Postseason Plans in Rout (MLB.com)

"The surprising summer of Matt Boyd took a mid-September downturn Tuesday night, and the Twins took advantage of a chance to play spoiler to the Tigers’ postseason hopes. Jorge Polanco had three hits and four RBIs as Minnesota built a big early lead and cruised to an 8-1 win at Comerica Park."