Tribe bids Johnson adieu, sends Guthrie to Buffalo

He was designated for assignment after Monday's awful performance.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jason Johnson, one of the bigger disappointments in a season of them for the Cleveland Indians, was designated for assignment Tuesday by the club, closer to last place than first in the AL Central standings.
Cleveland also optioned right-hander Jeremy Guthrie to Triple-A Buffalo, recalled right-hander Edward Mujica from the Bisons and purchased the contract of utility man Joe Inglett from its top minor league affiliate.
The Indians' patience with Johnson finally ran out following the club's 12-8 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday. The right-hander, signed as a free agent in the offseason, allowed six runs -- three earned -- and six hits in five innings to drop to 3-8.
But more troubling was the three-run homer he gave up to a .203-hitting Henry Blanco in the fourth inning, which came just after the Indians had tied it 3-3 on Travis Hafner's two-run, 461-foot shot in the third.
Warning
Afterward, manager Eric Wedge hinted at Johnson's demotion.
"It's important for our starting pitchers to keep us in the game and give us a chance to win," he said.
Since opening the season 2-0, Johnson is 1-8 with a 7.38 ERA in his last 10 starts. Cleveland is 4-10 in his outings. The team has 10 days to trade or release him.
The Indians entered Tuesday's game having lost four straight and 11 of 13. They trail the Detroit Tigers by 15 games, which matches their biggest deficit in 2005 when they rallied but couldn't catch the Chicago White Sox.
Johnson signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with a club option for 2007 in December. The Indians were hoping he and free agent right-hander Paul Byrd could offset the loss of Kevin Millwood, who signed with Texas.
Home-run fever
But while Byrd (5-5 in 14 starts) has been serviceable, Johnson has been serving homers regularly.
The shots by Jacques Jones and Blanco in Tuesday's loss were the ninth and 10th long balls surrendered by the 32-year-old in 77 innings.
The 22-year-old Mujica has not allowed a run in 382/3 innings (24 appearances) at Double-A Akron and Buffalo this season.
The Venezuelan went 1-0 with eight saves for the Aeros, and since joining the Bisons, he is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 12 outings.
Inglett, 27, has spent most of the season at Buffalo, where he has batted .299 with one homer and 13 RBIs while playing second base, shortstop, left field and center for the Bisons.
Guthrie made seven relief appearances with Cleveland.