A.M. Wahoo's: Indians Set to Begin Series Against Marlins

The Cleveland Indians have announced that Josh Tomlin will have his next start skipped after he struggled yet again Tuesday night. After starting the year extremely well going 11-3 with a 3.43 ERA through the end of July, he’s seemingly hit a wall in August.

The Cleveland Indians returned to Progressive Field Monday night after a brutal trip out west. The 2-5 record during the trip had fans nervous about the team’s dwindling lead over the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings, but the return to Cleveland helped ease those concerns.

Back in Goodyear, Arizona during spring training, it seemed the Cleveland Indians could have filled their 40-man roster with relief pitchers on minor league contracts trying to stick with the big league ballclub. Guys like Joba Chamberlain, Ross Detwiler, and Tom Gorzelanny were among the former major league pitchers looking for a chance to revive their careers with the Tribe.

The first wave of reinforcements hit the beach at Progressive Field on Thursday. There were no surprises on the day teams could expand their rosters to 40 players. The Indians recalled right-hander Cody Anderson and Joe Colon along with infielder Erik Gonzalez. They purchased the contract of Adam Moore, giving manager Terry Francona a much-needed third catcher.

In the last week of July, the teams on top of baseball’s Central divisions tore two late-inning relievers from the Yankees’ seemingly decomposing carcass. The Cubs acquired Aroldis Chapman, who’d handled New York’s ninth-inning duties; the Indians added Andrew Miller, who’d been the Yankees’ backup closer and had pitched primarily in the eighth after Chapman’s return from a season-starting suspension.

The Chicago Cubs and the MLB would be pretty different if Jake Arrieta decided to quit baseball. According to CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney, he almost did. In 2012, Arrieta was the opening day starter for the Orioles but was one of the worst pitchers in the league.

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will pitch in a Minor League rehab game for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, most likely on Sunday, according to a baseball source. The club hasn’t confirmed the news. Kershaw and any player in the Dodgers’ organization as of Wednesday — including outfielder Yasiel Puig, who will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City this weekend, according to a source — would be eligible for the postseason roster.

These rumors come from a tweet from former NFL player, and current ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley.I don’t know about Wiley’s source. Maybe, Tim Tebow told him something. Wiley seemed a lot more impressed by Tebow’s performance than most scouts.