Cody Allen, Tito Francona melt down in clutch

Indians 3, White Sox 4

You all know what happened by now, but if you aren't depressed enough already then have at it:

Cleveland Indians blow lead in 9th inning, fall into Seventh Circle of Hell | Let's Go Tribe (Jason Lukehart)

Out pitch eludes Allen in difficult setback | indians.com

Cody Allen blows save, Michael Bourn stays on bench in 4-3 loss | cleveland.com

When asked why Aviles was stiill playing CF in the 9th, Tito said: "I thought about it, but it's hard to take Aviles out of a game just the way our bench is situated. And I think Mikey does a good job in center.'' Scary.

Indians news & notes

Nick Swisher, Zach Walters to begin rehab assignments for Cleveland Indians | cleveland.com

Reinforcements may be on the way. Walters is going to the Clippers on Wednesday, where he will be joined by Swisher later this week (exact date TBD). A position player can rehab for 20 days before they need to be "permanently" assigned.

Lindor not bothered by slow start for Clippers | MiLB.com

I doubt if much fazes Francisco Lindor, so I don't see why he'd be troubled by a .212 batting average so far this season: "I feel I'm not in a slump because I'm having good at-bats. I'm working counts and I'm putting the bat on the ball. When I'm in a slump, I'm striking out a lot. If I'm not having good at-bats, that's when I'm in a slump."

Tidbits from around MLB

Rays designate Grant Balfour for assignment | HardballTalk

One "proven" closer for sale, heavily abused. Former Tribe bullpen coach Kevin Cash obviously didn't like what he saw from Balfour, whose velocity has dropped from 93-94 MPH a few years ago to 89 MPH this season. After giving up three runs on three walks and a HR on Saturday, Balfour was DFA, with the Rays on the hook for his $7MM salary.

The new #2 hitter | Beyond the Box Score

Apparently, No.2 is the "new" No.3 spot in the line-up. Scott Lindholm investigates one of the latest trends in line-up construction. Not that anything would ever stop Tito from batting Aviles second up (like last night), of course.

Justin Verlander's MRI exam confirm what Detroit Tigers already believed | MLive.com

Verlander has a strained right triceps, and has been shut down for the time being.

A profane Bryan Price vents frustration | cincinnati.com

The Reds manager (not the Columbus pitcher!) launched a foul-mouthed tirade against the media yesterday: "The final tally was 77 uses of the "F" word or a variant and 11 uses of a vulgar term for feces (two bovine, one equine)."

With the Mets ailing and Yanks struggling, look west for power | SportsonEarth.com

Anthony Castrovince's weekly take on the hot topics shaping the week ahead.