Cleveland Indians find even more ways to lose

Indians 1, Cubs 2

Kris Bryant walks off as offense lets down Kluber | Let's Go Tribe
Kluber-Lester battle lives up to hype| MLB.com
Cleveland Indians battle back, then lose, 2-1, on a walk-off home run to Chicago Cubs | cleveland.com
This team is certainly adept at finding different ways to lose.

Indians news & notes

Lindor on hot streak for Indians (video only) | MLB.com
In this video Jim Duquette explains how Francisco Lindor is putting it all together for the Indians.

Chris Antonetti discusses SP prospect Rob Kaminsky | MLB Trade Rumors
"Chris Antonetti tells Jim Ingraham of Baseball America that he likes Kaminsky’s fastball life, groundball tendencies, command of the zone, and overall pitch mix. Cleveland is not concerned about Kaminsky’s light frame, and intends to give him every chance to reach the big leagues as a starter." Kaminsky is still on the DL, having made just two starts in Lynchburg so far.

Fresh start, changes helping Mike Clevinger break out | news-herald.com
Acquired in the Vinnie Pestano trade last summer, Clevinger has been a revelation this year. Justin Lada sits down with the Tribe's fast -rising No.15 prospect (according to MLB Pipeline's rankings).

Tribe closer Cody Allen trying to stop chasing his own tail | cleveland.com
The Tribe's closer explains to Zack Meisel how he manages his workload and irons out the kinks.

Jhoulys Chacin is back in the majors | HardballTalk
Chacin was a strong contender for the Tribe's No.5 spot earlier this season while he was with the Clippers. However, he opted out of his MiLB deal when Cody Anderson was called up and this move has finally paid off. The former Rockies starter gets the start for the Diamondbacks against the Cardinals tonight.

Drew Stubbs signs with the Rangers | HardballTalk
Having been released from his $5.8MM contract by the Rockies, LGFT Stubbs has agreed a MiLB deal as he seeks to resurrect his career.

Tidbits from around MLB

Relationship between spending and winning remains low | FanGraphs
Craig Edwards demonstrates that "payrolls in 2015 have not translated to wins, just as it has been for the last several seasons." Hopefully, this augurs well for the 2016 and beyond!

10 quiet MLB offseason acquisitions that are paying off big | Sports on Earth
Andrew Simon examines some of the best low-profile winter moves, including the Rangers' acquistion of Delino DeShields in the Rule 5 draft and the Giants' bargain signing of Nori Aoki.

Moneyball 2.0: Keeping players healthy | The Washington Post
Rick Maese looks at the ways in which sports scientists and sabermetricians are working to assess (and reduce) player injury risks.

In baseball, the times are changing | The New York Times
The "pace of game" changes seem to be paying off. Apparently, MLB games are eight minutes shorter than they were last season, whereas AAA games are 15 minutes shorter since the introduction of the pitch clock.

A’s fire Mike Gallego, name Ron Washington third base coach | HardballTalk
This is the second time this month that a former manager has been brought in as a replacement third base coach, following Ron Roenicke's hire at the Dodgers. If only Tito would replace Mike Sarbaugh, who leads the league in allowing runners to perish at home plate.

Mariners designate Fernando Rodney for assignment | MLB Trade Rumors
Yet another high-priced "proven closer" bites the dust.

Mets set franchise record with eight home runs in blowout win over Phillies | HardballTalk
Now if the Tribe could play the Phillies 19 times per season...