The relievers Perez -- setup man Rafael and closer Chris -- have been locked in since June 1. Rafael Perez entered Friday having allowed four earned runs in 29 1/3 innings of 32 appearances, lowering his ERA from 7.20 to 3.25. The lanky lefty finally has regained the feel for his nasty slider. Just as importantly, he has been...
The relievers Perez -- setup man Rafael and closer Chris -- have been locked in since June 1.
Rafael Perez entered Friday having allowed four earned runs in 29 1/3 innings of 32 appearances, lowering his ERA from 7.20 to 3.25.
The lanky lefty finally has regained the feel for his nasty slider. Just as importantly, he has been able to command the fastball early in counts, thereby giving him more options late.
View full sizeThings of been looking up of late for Tribe reliever Rafael Perez.
"He has gradually improved since the beginning of the season," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "It has a lot to do with strike one. There's no magic to it: Every major-league hitter becomes a little weaker when he's behind in the count. Get ahead, and you can get hitters to chase pitches outside of the zone."
Righty Chris Perez had allowed five earned runs in 28 innings of 28 appearances, lowering his ERA from 3.44 to 2.33.
"A little luck, a little skill and a lot of fastballs," he said. "I've been able to run the fastball away from lefties and in on righties. The pitches haven't been straight. And I've made better pitches after I've fallen behind in the count; they're on the corners instead of over the plate."
Big-league Choo: Tribe right fielder Shin-Soo Choo does not want to answer questions about his .335 average.
Why? Because it is only half the story.
If Choo explains how he was hitting .335 at home in 188 official at-bats entering Friday night, he needs to explain the .241 average in 191 at-bats on the road.
Where Choo stands, no explanation is necessary.
"I'm the same player," he said. "Nothing's different when I go to the plate at home or on the road. It's just one of those things."
Choo is a student of the game and stats junkie, so he is well aware of the disparity.
"I hear about it and see it on the websites -- they write about it in the newspaper in Korea -- but I'm not worried about it," he said. "I can't worry about it. If I do, it's going to affect how I play."
Choo was hitting .288 overall after going 1-for-13 in a three-game series against Baltimore at Progressive Field.
"How did that happen?" Choo said with a smile. "How did I only go 1-for-13 at home? The answer is, that's baseball."
Choo escaped serious injury Thursday night. He feared he had broken a bone when a pitch from Orioles righty Kevin Millwood struck him on the back of the right hand. Choo stayed in the game, iced the hand afterward and returned to the lineup Friday against Seattle.
"Just a bruise," he said. "Everything's OK."
Acta said: "That would have been a big-time blow. It would have left us pretty much naked. I know he was scared because of what he had been through."
From July 4-22, Choo was on the disabled list because of a right-thumb sprain. Choo and the Indians initially feared he might be sidelined 6-8 weeks.
Even with the missed time, Choo entered Friday leading the Tribe in multiple categories, including homers (14), doubles (23), RBI (55) and steals (14). He is the only Indian with double-digit homers.
Choo also is a quality defender. Acta made it a point Friday afternoon to rave about Choo's work in the field.
"He's been money in the outfield," Acta said. "I'm very, very happy with his routes, his jumps. It seems like every time he dives for a ball, he comes up with it, which is not easy to do. It takes a lot of hand-eye coordination and concentration. And word has gotten around the league that his arm can affect a ball game."
Pronk update: Designated hitter Travis Hafner, who has been on the disabled list since Aug. 3 because of right-shoulder inflammation, took batting practice Friday.
"He looked fine," Acta said. "He swung the bat well."
Hafner will have another BP session today, after which he and the bosses will decide when he rejoins the club. Hafner will have a short rehab assignment or accompany the team on a trip that begins Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.
Hafner's DL stint is retroactive to July 29.
Laffey matter: Aaron Laffey threw a bullpen session Friday afternoon. He has been on the disabled list since July 23 because of shoulder fatigue. Odds favor a return as a reliever.
King Felix: Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez, who starts Sunday, is a Cy Young Award candidate despite a losing record (8-9). In 25 starts, he has allowed 157 hits, walked 48 and struck out 165 in 182 1/3 innings. He has given up three or fewer earned runs 22 times.