April 8: Tito’s pregame minutiae
Highlights from Indians manager Terry Francona’s Q&A with reporters prior to Sunday’s game with the Royals.
On the extent of Lonnie Chisenhall’s right calf injury:
TF: “The way it was described, it was a mild strain. Now, it’s the same area as last year. The way they termed it is four-to-six weeks until they think [he can] return to play here. We’ve seen before, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what it’s going to be. It could be shorter. It could be longer. We’re not going to slow him down, but we need to let it heal and there’s steps along the way that he’ll have to do. I think there was a small hope at the beginning that maybe, because it was the same area, maybe it was scar tissue. It hurts like crazy and a couple days later you’re OK. But, we had it read here and then we had it read in California by the same people so it’s consistent, and I just think they felt like there was, like I said, a mild strain.”
On whether it was a scar tissue problem when the calf flared up on Chisenhall during Spring Training:
TF: “I’m not sure you ever fully know. I mean, there’s certainly some pretty well-educated people that do it all the time that are really good at it. But, I think it’s also difficult at times.”
On Tyler Naquin (optioned Friday and recalled Sunday) having a chance to get regular at-bats:
TF: “The hope is that when he went back to Triple-A, he made some adjustments. (laughter) You know what? He’s going to get a chance to play and he’s played here before and he’s actually helped us win before. So, it’s a nice opportunity for him. Hopefully, he can help us win a few games.”
Asked if Naquin actually made it to Columbus:
TF: “Yeah, he packed yesterday morning and left. And I think he was going to play in the game last night. He turned right around and came back.”
On the way the innings have been distributed between Yan Gomes (47.1) and Roberto Perez (25) through the first eight games:
TF: “You want to play guys enough where hopefully they start to get some rhythm, not just hitting, but catching, everything. If you play one guy three or four in a row the other guy is going to sit too much. Especially early. So, we’re trying to play both of them enough where we can keep them both feeling good about themselves. It’s not the easiest thing to do. I’m just being as honest as I can about it. We just usually kind of look 3–4 days ahead of time and kind of look at things and see maybe why we play a guy here or try to have good reasons for doing it, and knowing you may have to adjust if a guy gets a foul tip or something like that.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or a week from now. But I think, if you let one guy sit too much, you open yourself up to maybe having a problem down the road — whether it’s a guy not being ready to play or even physically. I think you’ve got to kind of keep both of them going, just because we don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s going to play out.”
On the silver lining of the cold weather being that the Indians are at least getting games in right now:
TF: “That’s why we played yesterday. I know there’s teams that are [dealing with it, too]. I mean, Minnesota played. I know it was worse than here. Stacking up games isn’t good. Sometimes it just happens. The whole East coast seems like it’s freezing. But, you make a good point. You need to play. As long as you’re not putting guys at risk, you’ve got to try and play the games.”
On Rajai Davis showing his speed out of the gates and even in the cold:
TF: “We were talking about that this spring. It’s really something that he [is always ready to run]. And, in fact, yesterday is a good example. He’s not starting. He comes in for Lonnie and the first ball he hits — he’s always ready to run. And it’s not just by luck. He prepares so well and, man, it’s really something we respect and admire about him.”
On Trevor Bauer taking issue with the time limit to warm up between innings:
TF: “We’ve talked to our pitchers a lot. Like, we had a meeting about it in Spring Training. With the rule changes the way they are in-between, if a pitcher wants to throw more, they’ve got to get out there. Because, the umpire’s responsibility is to start this game at a certain point, and they get graded on that, and we kind of explained that to our guys. So, it’s on our pitchers to get out there, if they want to throw more. So we need to, as the rules change, we need to adapt with it, because that’s just the way it is. It was explained to us and the players understand. We need to do better.”
On whether there should be more flexibility in poor weather conditions:
TF: “Again, I don’t know that. I wasn’t out there. I saw Trevor kind of talking to him. I try to put myself in everybody’s shoes. The umpire has a responsibility that when it hits that [25 second mark], you know, get them going. I don’t think that they were combative to each other, you know what I mean? I just think the pitchers know, if they want to throw more, they’ve got to get out there. So, that’s why we try to make sure we have a catcher always around, so somebody is not waiting.”
On Jose Ramirez’s early-season slump:
TF: “I think the first road trip, and even some of Spring Training, he hasn’t gotten his legs under him enough yet where, like you say, he has been hitting some fly balls to left field with not a ton of authority. I actually thought yesterday he took more aggressive swings than he has. I use the term ‘hitter-ish,’ I thought he looked that way. The other thing that, I think we talked about it the other day, when guys get out to a bit of a slow start and then they come back east for like a 10-game homestand [in the cold], you’re going to have to be strong enough mentally to know that maybe you’re not going to get back. Because guys always get back to their level — I always believe that and always will. But, you got to work to get [back]. It’s hard to string good at-bats together. In the summer when it warms up and guys feel where they’re really in a good comfort zone, you can start to get some momentum with your at-bats. When it’s cold, every single at-bat is like an event. They’ve got their bat handle in front of the fire, they’re trying to warm up their hands and it’s just really hard to get any carry-over momentum going.”
Asked if Ramirez is strong enough mentally to grind through the slump:
TF: “I know he is. I think he’s a little bit irritated that he’s [off to a slow start], because he’s so good. But, I also think he’ll be just fine. He’s a really good hitter. Team-wide, we’re not where we want to be. That will change. Like I said, we’ve got to be strong enough mentally to look up there for a while, see what you’re hitting, and realize that you’re a really good hitter.”
On hitters needing to focus on good swings and not necessarily the results during a slump:
TF: “What can hurt, and Yonder is a good example, because he has squared up four balls, I mean really squared them up, and you get nothing to show for it. So, sometimes what happens is guys, it’s human nature, you try to do something different. You try to do more. That’s when you get in trouble. That’s also easier said than done, but he’s a good example of that.”
On if the poor weather is worse for the pitchers or hitters:
TF: “I would say the hitters. Actually, the fielders, because they’re standing. I think the pitcher is the one guy that is continuing to move, and as long as they can grip the ball. I think that’s the one thing. If you can’t grip the ball, all bets are off. As long as they don’t lose the grip, I think they have the advantage.”
On Ian Kennedy saying getting a new baseball was like trying to grip an ice cube:
TF: “No, I mean I get it. I think Trevor used the word ‘cue ball,’ but it can kind of feel slippery. It’s nice when you feel like you can… you’ve got a little sweat going and you can grip the ball. It helps.”
On the fielders dealing with the cold:
TF: “That’s what I’m saying. They’re standing there. I think that’s the hardest thing. I think Brant was even saying his eyes were watering. Just got to fight through.”
On Francisco Lindor’s aggressiveness on his stolen-base attempt with one out in the eighth inning on Saturday:
TF: “I don’t think I can sit here and say that you love a guy’s aggressiveness, and then when he’s out say, ‘Oh, no.’ I mean, we’re trying to do whatever we can to tie that game, so you know, I thought [Drew] Butera made a great throw. That’s part of the trust I think with guys, and I know he’s thinking in the right [direction]. And he was talking to Sandy. I think the pitcher was 1.41 on that, so in most instances, he would be safe. It was just a great throw.”
— JB
