If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. When you talk about the Cleveland Indians, it seems like not only are they taking the heat, they're bringing it.
"People don't realize, but this team is really, really good. They're a tough team to face," Indians starting pitcher Logan Allen said following his start in the club's intrasquad game Saturday. "I wouldn't want to face our team ever if I was an opposing team."
The offense put on a show Saturday night, with home runs from third baseman Jose Ramirez, outfielder Greg Allen, first baseman Carlos Santana, and infielder Yu Chang.
Guess Who's Back... Back Again...
For Indians outfielder Delino DeShields, it's been a long road to this season since he last played for the Texas Rangers in 2019. DeShields, who was traded to Cleveland with pitcher Emmanuel Clase in December for Corey Kluber, tested positive for the coronavirus prior to summer camp, but on Saturday, he officially rejoined the team and took batting practice as well as began his running, per manager Terry Francona.
#Indians OF Delino Deshields began workouts with the team earlier today, per Terry Francona. Deshields hit in the cage and ran, but it'll take time for him to get back due to being quarantined for a couple of weeks.
— Mac Robinson (@MacRobinson95) July 11, 2020"He's been [quarantined> for close three weeks so it's going to take him a while to get back rolling," Francona told reporters in a Zoom call prior to Saturday's intrasquad action. "Today was the first day of that, so it was good to see [him back on the field.>"
DeShields hit for a .249 average and stole 24 bases with the Rangers in 2019. With him back in camp, the club is hoping to get the speedy outfielder back into action soon.
Yu got what I need
The Indians have the infield starting spots all lined up, but that hasn't stopped young utility infielder Yu Chang from standing out and making an impact on offense. Chang, 24, has hit a home run five times this week, including two against Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco this week.
"This guy is killing me, man!" Carrasco joked with reporters after the action Saturday, in which he gave up a home run to Chang. "He's really good. You can tell he's got some power. He's been seeing the ball really well." Chang is battling for the utility infielder spot on the roster with veteran Mike Freeman and prospect Christian Arroyo.
"I mean I know you don't expect to hit a home run every night, but to this point, he has," Francona said laughing postgame. "I love watching our guys do well, regardless when it is or where. He has certainly swung the bat really, really well." The second-year pro has now hit home runs off of Carrasco, Zach Plesac, Mike Clevinger and Scott Moss.
Cookie's Ready
With any possible questions about Carrasco's return to the rotation and the brief summer camp to prepare his arm for the rigors of the 2020 season, the right-hander was confident in comparing where he's at currently compared to his return this time last year.
"Last year at this point, I would try to throw a few innings and the first inning [would feel> great, second inning [I would> feel so tired," Carrasco said. "That's [what I was looking at> today. First inning [felt> good, second inning [felt> good, so that's where I'm at right now."
Carrasco had a 5.29 earned run average along with 96 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched in 2019, and looks to regain his dominance as he returns at full strength in 2020
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