TRIBE ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Back in relief: Jason Stanford is learning that pitching in long relief is a whole new world. A starter throughout his career, the Indians left-hander made his first major league relief appearance since 2003 in Wednesday night’s 13-7 loss to Oakland. Instead of beginning with a clean slate, Stanford found himself in a more difficult situation when he relieved Fausto Carmona in the second inning. “You look at the scoreboard and we’re down 6-0,” he said. “There are runners on second and third and nobody out and you’re pitching out of the stretch. There’s a big difference between that and starting.” Three more runs scored in the inning after Stanford entered the game. He gave up three runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. “I tried to minimize the damage as much as I could,” Stanford said. “I felt like I made some good pitches, but I also made some bad pitches. I gave up two of Fausto’s runs and three of my own.” Since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on June 14, Stanford is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in three appearances. For the moment, he realizes his only way to stay in the majors is to pitch in the bullpen. “I have to go with it and make adjustments on the fly,” he said. “I have to keep the ballclub in the game as long as I can.”

More adjusting: Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, who has been seeing more playing time, is trying to adjust to American League pitching. Like Stanford, he’s learning on the fly. “I’m trying to see pitches,” Gutierrez said. “I don’t know too many pitchers up here and I’m trying to figure out what they do.” So far, Gutierrez’s adjustments have gone well. He’s batting .273 with four homers and nine RBIs in 55 at-bats. “It’s hard when you’re seeing pitchers for the first time,” he said. “You have to know what they do when you go to the plate, whether they like to go inside or outside and how they go after hitters.”

Farm updates: Right-hander Adam Miller pitched two scoreless relief innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday night. He’s being groomed for a relief role and could join Cleveland’s bullpen after the All-Star break. Miller, one of the top pitching prospects in the minor leagues, missed about six weeks with a strained ligament in his middle finger and was moved to the bullpen when he returned. He’s 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA in nine games. In other minor league news, right-hander Matt Miller (forearm) has been activated at Triple-A Buffalo and right-hander Cliff Politte (shoulder) has been activated at Double-A Akron. Meanwhile, first-round pick Beau Mills hit a grand slam in his debut for Class A Lake County on Thursday night. He started the season with the Scrappers.

Associated Press