AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Indians spring training morning briefing

• Spring training countdown: Day 12, Feb. 23, Goodyear, Ariz.

• Tribe agenda: Majestic, MLB's uniform maker, is visiting the Indians today to take jersey, pants and jacket measurements for all players and coaches. Pitching coach Carl Willis, third base coach Joel Skinner, first base coach Luis Rivera and outfield coach Jeff Datz will go over the Tribe's signs with the players before practice. Willis will discuss signs between catchers and pitchers. Skinner will go over the signs that he gives batters from third base. Skinner, Rivera and Datz will review the team's defensive signals.

Game time: The Indians will play an intrasquad games Tuesday before opening the Cactus League season with three straight home games at Goodyear Ballpark. They'll face the Giants on Wednesday, Diamondbacks on Thursday and Padres on Friday. SportsTime Ohio will televise all three games at 3:05 p.m., while WTAM-1100/AM will carry Wednesday's opener. Friday's game will be on WMMS-100.7/FM on delay at 7 p.m.

• Do it again: Travis Hafner is scheduled to take batting practice on the field again today as he continues to recover from right shoulder surgery. He took BP on the field Sunday for the first in spring training.

"We're going to get him out in back-to-back days," said manager Eric Wedge. "We'll get him out on the field more. Those are all good things."

• Looking ahead:
On Sunday Wedge and Willis set their lineups and pitching rotations through Saturday's exhibition game against Oakland.

Wedge isn't that precise during the regular season, but he has an idea of what he's going to do three or four games in advance.

"We don't play it all out like this, but we look ahead in the regular season and have a pretty good idea of when guys are going to play and who they're going to play against," said Wedge.

Wedge said he bases it on pitcher-hitter matchups, lefty-righty matchups, who the Indians are pitching on certain days, what kind of defense helps those pitchers the best, what players need a day off and who hasn't played or pitched in a while.

"It's definitely not a day-to-day thing," said Wedge.

As an example, Wedge said he talked to utility men Jamey Carroll, Ryan Garko, Tony Graffanino and Josh Barfield on Sunday about where they'd be playing in the first three exhibition games.

"They're going to be bouncing all over the place," said Wedge. "I just wanted to give them a chance to prepare a little bit."
 
Travis Hafner takes batting practice outside with the team for the first time this spring training.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Travis Hafner emerged from the tunnels Sunday morning to take batting practice under a cloudy but endless Arizona sky. It was the first time he's been in a normal spring-training hitting environment since he reported to Goodyear in January.

To some, hitting 50 mph to 60 mph fastballs from coach Danny Williams might not seem like much, but to Hafner and the Indians it was a big step in his return to the lineup.

During last season, Hafner's right shoulder hurt so badly that the smallest movement would set it afire.

If he went out to dinner, and reached for the salt and pepper shakers, or cut his steak, Hafner said the shoulder would start "burning."

Don't worry, he didn't starve.

"I could always pick it up by the bone," said Hafner with a laugh.

After nearly four months of rehab, and a brief return to the lineup in September, Hafner knew that he didn't have a "normal shoulder."

Dr. James Andrews performed surgery on Hafner's right shoulder joint on Oct. 4. The Indians have been waiting to see the results ever since.

Hafner never lost his sense of fun last season even when his shoulder burned. Sunday was the first sign he could really enjoy himself this year.

"It was a good first day," he said.


Travis Hafner takes batting practice outside with the team for the first time this spring training. Video - cleveland.com
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 2)