 was struck by Brian Anderson's liner in the fifth inning.''It looked ugly,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said.Kluber's arm was placed in a cast, and he'll be re-evaluated in Cleveland on Thursday. The Indians will have a better idea at that point of how long he might be out.''It stinks, you know?'' teammate Roberto Perez said. ''He's our ace. We're going to miss him.'' The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner allowed eight hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings, which left his ERA at 5.80. The Indians were already without starter Mike Clevinger, who is sidelined until at least June by a back injury.Caleb Smith (3-0) struck out eight in seven innings to help Miami stop a four-game slide. He allowed one run on Perez's third homer in the third inning.Anderson's infield hit caromed off Kluber, and the ace's arm dangled at his side as he chased down the ball. He swatted it toward first base with his glove rather than throwing it.''It happened so quick, I couldn't tell where he got hit,'' said Perez, the Indians' catcher. ''I saw him holding his arm. It was tough.'' Kluber briefly visited with a trainer and Francona before walking off the field.''Tito kept asking him, `How do you feel?' and he was just numb,'' Perez said. ''At that point you start thinking the worst.'' Miami center fielder Rosell Herrera, who came into the game batting .148, had a career-high three RBIs to double his season total. Herrera also made a diving catch to rob Carlos Gonzalez of a hit.Cleveland's Carlos Santana homered in the ninth off Sergio Romo, who regrouped to earn his fifth save. The Indians, last in the AL in hitting, had just two at-bats with a runner in scoring position.UP NEXTMarlins: RHP Jose Urena (1-4, 5.08 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday in the opener of a three-game series against Atlanta. It will be Urena's first appearance against the Braves since he was suspended for six games for intentionally hitting Ronald Acuna Jr. on the arm with a pitch last August, triggering a melee.Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (2-1, 3.68 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday when Cleveland opens a homestand against Seattle.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine)
Kluber, Indians look to pick on lowly Marlins The calendar turns to May on Wednesday, when the Indians play the host Miami Marlins to conclude a two-game series, and Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber hopes the new month brings better luck.Cleveland won the opening game of the series on Tuesday, beating the Marlins 7-4 thanks primarily to a three-run homer by Carlos Gonzalez and a homer and two RBIs from Carlos Santana.Kluber, an All-Star in each of the past three seasons and a two-time American League Cy Young winner, is off to a sluggish start with a 2-2 record and a 5.81 ERA.With just two quality starts in six tries, Kluber has been very hittable of late, giving up 13 runs in his past 14 2/3 innings.In his most recent start, a 6-3 Indians win over the Houston Astros last Friday, Kluber got a no-decision after surrendering seven hits, three walks and three runs in five innings. He also struck out six."He gave us a chance to win," Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters. "His stuff played up a bit." Kluber, who will face the Marlins for the first time in his career on Wednesday, said his mechanics had been "out of whack," but he added that he felt better lately.Miami will counter Kluber with left-hander Caleb Smith, who is 2-0 with a 2.17 ERA. The Marlins have won each of his past three starts, and he has allowed just two runs in 18 innings while striking out 22 in that span.Just as impressive, he is in the top 20 in the majors in terms of allowing the least amount of hard-hit balls (21.5 percent), according to baseballsavant.mlb.com.This will be Smith's first start against the Indians. However, while he was with the New York Yankees in 2017, Smith pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief against the Indians. He did not get a decision but allowed three runs.Smith has been a bright spot for the last-place Marlins, who have lost four games in a row. The Marlins have been so inept so far that even though this season is barely over one month old, they have already endured four losing streaks of at least that duration.Miami's poor play has come with repercussions.Marlins center fielder Lewis Brinson -- the key player in the January 2018 trade that sent eventual 2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers -- was demoted to the minor leagues prior to the Tuesday game.Brinson was hitting just .197 with no homers, four RBIs and 28 strikeouts in 76 at-bats this year. He hit .199 as a rookie last year, but he said on Tuesday that his confidence is intact."I'll be back soon," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind I can play up here. I can be one of the best players in the big leagues. I just have to go down and find myself again." Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said he doesn't believe Brinson, 24, was pressing due to the fact that the Yelich trade has been so slanted in Milwaukee's favor."It wasn't a one-for-one deal," Hill said. "There were other players (still in the minors) that made up the deal."We're still immensely confident in Lewis. We think he will help our organization in the long term. We just felt it was best at this time to go down and clear his head." The Marlins replaced Brinson on the roster with first baseman Garrett Cooper, who missed the previous 25 games due to a calf injury.However, Cooper got hit on his left hand by a 95 mph Trevor Bauer fastball on Tuesday. Cooper left the game, and X-rays were negative. His status was listed as day-to-day.--Field Level Media
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