Cleveland Indians Roundup: Trevor Bauer Apologizes; Minor Transaction Notes; Series Preview

The Cleveland Indians opened a new series against the New York Yankees and were promptly pummeled

The Cleveland Indians added lefty reliever Colt Hynes on a minor league contract the other day, and I noted that he makes a nice depth addition for the Tribe. While the move may not be that flashy, he has pitched quite well in the minor leagues over the past few seasons, and he offers the Tribe another cheap left-handed relief option. The Indians have been cycling through these relievers, so perhaps he could receive a chance at the major league level as the season nears its close. 

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In other minor news, Joey Butler accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus yesterday. The veteran outfielder had been designated for assignment to clear space for Andrew Miller, but he will remain with the team in hopes of making an appearance in the Indians’ thin outfield. This, however, may not be too likely since he is slashing a pitiful .238/.306/.360 in Triple-A this season. On the other hand, the 30-year-old has shown promise in the past, but it remains to be seen if this will carry over to the major leagues.

Back to the major league team, Trevor Bauer angered manager Terry Francona by throwing a red flag onto the field during the Cleveland Indians’ 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The right-hander had been tossing a homemade red flag onto the field when the Indians would challenge a call this season, but this particular incident caught some negative attention when third base umpire Manny Gonzalez confiscated the flag.

Bauer proceeded to step onto the field and ask for it back to no avail. Francona did not find any humor in the encounter, and he stated that this will not happen again in the future. Bauer has come out and apologized, saying that throwing a red challenge flag was “intended as purely a joke”.

Finally, the Cleveland Indians opened a new series against the New York Yankees last night in a somewhat unfortunate manner. Allowing seven runs and leaving the game before the end of the fifth inning, Josh Tomlin imploded in what had appeared to be a likely win for the Tribe. Michael Pineda was not much better for the Yankees, and the Indians did manage to knock in some runs of their own. Still, Shawn Morimando and Kyle Crockett allowed even more runs, and the Indians ultimately lost by a final score of 13-7.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians Add Michael Martinez, Avoid Sweep – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians: Colt Hynes Is a Nice Depth Addition – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians Travel to the Bronx for a Weekend Series Against the New York Yankees – Wahoo’s on First

Terry Francona Sees Red When Trevor Bauer Throws a Challenge Flag for Cleveland Indians – Cleveland.com