Jason Knapp has missed much of this season following 2009 surgery on his right shoulder, but the 6-5, 225-pound right-handers appears to be healthy now.
Updated: 6:59 p.m.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the Royals tonight in the final game of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
Kauffman Stadium's dimensions: Left field line 330 feet, left field power alley 387 feet, center field 410, right center field power alley 387, right field line 330.
Pre-game notes:
Game 121: The Indians have taken right-hander Jason Knapp off the lift and rolled him out of the garage. One of the key players in last year's Cliff Lee trade,
Knapp will start at Class A Lake County on Friday night after missing much of the season recovering from surgery on his right shoulder shortly after the deal with the Phillies.
Knapp has made five starts for the Indians' Arizona Rookie League club. He's 0-2 with a 1.46 ERA. Left-hander hit .059 (1-for-17) against him, while righties hit .160 (4-for-25).
The 6-5, 225-pound right-hander struck out 18, walked four and allowed two earned runs on five hits in 12 1/3 innings. The opposition hit .119 against him.
"He was throwing in the high 90s -- from 96 mph to 98 mph," said Ross Atkins, Indians director of player development. "He showed a good breaking ball and a change up. He overwhelmed that league."
Knapp, 20 on Aug. 31, is expected to make four to six starts for Lake County and then go to the Arizona Instructional League.
"This has been great news for us," said Atkins. "He's throwing better now than he was before the surgery. His commitment and worth ethic during his rehab blew us away. He showed the discipline of a big leaguer, far beyond his chronological years.
"Emotionally and physically, during the rehab, he showed great maturity."
The Indians acquired Jason Donald, Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and Knapp for Lee and Ben Francisco last year. The Indians said they wouldn't have made the deal without Knapp, who was on the disabled list at the time of the trade for biceps tendinitis.
Quick hits:
-Manager Manny Acta held a team meeting before Thursday's game. He didn't rant or rave, but said, "I was taking the temperature of the ballclub. I wanted to let the kids know we have a month and a half to play and we're going through a rough stretch right now.
"Yes, we're young, but I have the right to tell them I'm not happy with the way we have played over the last 12 games. We can't sit here and say we're a better ballclub without the guys who have left -- Carlos Santana, Austin Kearns, Jhonny Peralta, Jake Westbrook and Kerry Wood. But still we have to get out there and play and compete.
"I told them to take advantage of this opportunity because we're not going to be rebuilding forever."
-Aaron Laffey allowed one run on a solo homer in one inning for Lake County today as he continues his rehab from a tired left shoulder. His next appearance is scheduled for Saturday at Class AA Akron.
-Friday is the deadline for the Indians to acquire a player from the Yankees to complete the Kearns deal. Look for it to be a minor league pitcher.
Lineups:
Indians (48-71): CF Michael Brantley (L), SS Asdrubal Cabrera (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), DH Travis Hafner (L), 3B Jayson Nix (R), LF Trevor Crowe (S), 1B Matt LaPorta (R), 2B Jason Donald (R), C Lou Marson (R) and RHP Mitch Talbot (8-10, 4.25).
Royals (51-69): CF Gregor Blanco (L), C Jason Kendall (R), 1B Billy Butler (R), DH Kila Ka'aihue (L), 3B Wilson Betemit (S), LF Alex Gordon (L), RF Mitch Maier (L), SS Yuniesky Betancourt (R), 2B Chris Getz (L) and LHP Kyle Davies (6-7, 5.22).
Umpires: H Chris Tiller, 1B Doug Eddings, 2B Kerwin Danley, 3B Dana DeMuth. DeMuth, crew chief.
Quote of the day: "They used to say, 'If we find a good black player, we'll sign him.' They was lying," Hall of Famer and Negro League star Cool Papa Bell, from the Baseball Almanac.
Next: Indians open three-game series against Detroit at Comerica Park on Friday. RHP Justin Masterson (4-11, 5.23) vs. RHP Armando Galarraga (3-5, 4.53) tonight at 7:05 p.m.