A.M. Wahoo's: Indians drop opener to White Sox

The Cleveland Indians are in a great spot with just 20 games left in the regular season. The Indians are owners of a seven-game lead over the Detroit Tigers and are one game back of the Texas Rangers for the best record in the American League. This is a reason for fans to be happy, but some bad news came out this afternoon, regarding starting pitcher Danny Salazar.

Since rosters expanded on September 1st, the Cleveland Indians have not been shy about calling players up to the big leagues from the minor league affiliates. The active roster now stands at 36 players, and includes the most recent call-ups of Ryan Merritt and Jesus Aguilar after the Triple-A Columbus Clippers were eliminated from the International League playoffs.

Let’s go back to August 28. The Cleveland Indians dropped to 73-56 after a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers, finishing off a 2-5 road trip, which caused the Tribe’s division lead over the Detroit Tigers to drop to 4.5 games. Fast forward two weeks and all that seems like a distant memory.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is unlikely to return for the regular season, according to estimates following an MRI Monday afternoon. The 26-year-old was diagnosed with a mild strain to his flexor muscle and will not be able to throw for 10 days. He is expected to return to game action in 3-4 weeks.

Has a Rookie of the Year ever hit eighth? Tyler Naquin does, but you can’t judge his value to the first-place Indians by Terry Francona’s lineup card. He hit .341 in April, began to mix in some power in June and has emerged as a key player down the stretch.

The Chicago Cubs are going to the playoffs. Whether they lock up the National League Central this Wednesday in St. Louis, or later in the week at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, the Cubs are heading back to the postseason for a second consecutive season.

Stephen Strasburg strained his flexor mass in his right elbow in his first start back from the disabled list on September 7. He was previously on the DL for soreness in the elbow, which is the same one he underwent Tommy John surgery for in 2010.

The Chicago White Sox were unable to win its series against the Royals on Sunday, but ace Chris Sale pitched another strong start. Unfortunately for Sale, he received no run support from the Sox offense as they were shutout in a 2-0 loss.