CLEVELAND, Ohio — Aaron Civale’s next step in recovering from right wrist inflammation could include getting on the mound Sunday to throw for the first time since being sidelined July 14 with the injury.
Guardians manager Terry Francona said Civale continues to work with trainers on his recovery.
“If everything goes good today and tomorrow, he’ll throw off the mound Sunday,” Francona told reporters prior to Friday’s game at Tropicana Field.
First baseman Josh Naylor, who appeared to aggravate a nagging back injury during an at-bat Thursday in Boston, was out of Francona’s lineup on Friday after the team’s late flight into Tampa Bay.
“His back is kind of sore today,” Francona said. “We kind of knew that when you’re moving and you’ve got adrenaline and then you cool down and sit on the plane for three hours. I think we knew he might be a little sore today and he is.”
True reflections
When asked about the young Guardians’ ability to stay in contention this season season under the direction of his friend Terry Francona, Rays manager Kevin Cash said that it’s not too surprising because he thinks both clubs go about their business in a similar manner.
Francona said he agrees.
“I kind of get on (president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff) all the time and tell them ‘We’re never going to make a trade with (Tampa), because you guys are identical,’” Francona said. “And that’s a compliment. But I see a lot of similarities.”
The similarities between the two teams extends beyond the front office, as both clubs lack the kind of power that lineups in New York and Los Angeles regularly feature. So Tampa and Cleveland have to find other ways to win games.
“We know, like they do, the ball had better end up where it’s supposed to because they’re going to be aggressvie,” Francona said. “They pitch really well, even though they’re beat up and they’ve lost a lot of players. It shows you that if you pitch, you give yourself a chance.”
Familiar faces
One of those pitchers is former Cleveland great Corey Kluber, who is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against Zach Plesac. Francona said seeing Kluber, who pitched nine seasons under Francona in an Indians uniform, will probably not carry the same emotional weight as it did the first time Kluber was in the opposing dugout when he pitched for the Yankees last season.
“I don’t know if it’s so weird anymore,” Francona said. “You get used to it. You move pretty quickly. It doesn’t mean your fondness for guys leaves. But you’ve got your guys (here) that you kind of spend your worries on.”
Another ex-Cleveland player on the Rays roster is Yandy Diaz. The slugger is batting .294 with an .807 OPS, but just four home runs and 31 RBI out of the leadoff spot for Cash’s club.
Diaz spent parts of two seasons with Cleveland, and Francona recalled that even as a young hitter he controlled the strike zone “unbelievably well.”
“He could hit a lot of balls on the barrel,” Francona said. “At the time he was still young and wasn’t really getting them in the air a lot, but you kind of knew that with experience he’d turn into a pretty good hitter, and he has.”
Hangin’ around
Anybody who has spent time around Francona knows his affinity for Cash and the good-natured ribbings that the two exchange through the media. When informed Friday that both he and cash are the two longest-tenured managers in the American League, Francona was certain about what it meant.
“One, for me, I’m getting old,” he said with a laugh. “Cashie, God, I didn’t think he was that good to begin with.”
But when pressed about how Cash has grown as a manager in the last eight years, Francona was unabashedly biased.
“Last year at the All-Star game, watching him talk to the team, I sat back there and was like ‘Damn, man,’” Francona said. “As you do stuff, you get more confident, just like as a player. You handle things, and when you become a manager sometimes it’s the first time. But then as you do it over and over again, you get more confident in what you’re doing.”
“I know I’m biased, and I don’t apologize for it. I think he’s really good, and he’s proven that out.”
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