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Local News

Indians notes: Hafner could be lost for season

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

CLEVELAND — Another injury-plagued season could be over for Travis Hafner.

Hafner, who was placed on the disabled list Monday with a strained tendon in the bottom of his right foot, is expected to miss at least the next two weeks.

According to head trainer Lonnie Soloff, season-ending surgery is an option for Hafner. Soloff said the Indians would make a decision on the surgery over the next few days.

Hafner injured the foot earlier in the year and missed a handful of games without landing on the injured list. He aggravated the injury Sunday while running to second base.

“He was adamant about his desire to continue to play and support the team,” Soloff said. “Then he injured it again Sunday.”

Hafner, who is batting .281 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 82 games, also spent time on the DL this season with a strained oblique muscle. If he does undergo year-ending surgery, he will have played in an average of 88 games in each of the last four seasons.

The Indians had plenty of other injury news:

**A lingering wrist ailment will sideline outfielder Michael Brantley until at least Friday. He missed both games of the doubleheader Tuesday.

“Michael can’t swing the bat,” Manager Manny Acta said. “Unfortunately, he’s not getting any better.”

Brantley will be examined Friday and if he is not ready to play, he will likely be placed on the DL.

**Grady Sizemore tested his injured right knee Tuesday with increased running and agility drills. He said Monday that he expects to begin playing in minor-league rehab games next week, but Soloff didn’t sound as certain.

“I trust Grady’s self-evaluation, but that’s not outlined as of yet,” Soloff said. “We have a lot of hurdles to get over.”

**General manager Chris Antonetti said Monday that he was optimistic that second baseman Jason Kipnis (hamstring) would return before the season is complete. The GM is hopeful that Kipnis will be activated around the time he is eligible to come off the DL, which is Monday.

**Soloff said right-hander Carlos Carrasco (right elbow inflammation) would not be able to pitch again until Sept. 1. If and when Carrasco is activated from the DL, he will still have to serve a six-game suspension.

Comings and goings

As was expected, Shelley Duncan rejoined the Indians from the family emergency list, with reliever Josh Judy optioned back to Triple-A Columbus to clear room on the roster for Duncan.

Right-hander Zach McAllister was officially recalled from Columbus to start the second game of the doubleheader. Infielder Luis Valbuena was sent back to the Clippers to clear room for McAllister.

Big league Choo

It was an eventful 24-plus hours for right fielder Shin-Soo Choo to say the least.

Choo was out of the lineup Monday for his wife’s birth of the couple’s first daughter, which occurred at 12:05 p.m.

He was still at the hospital Tuesday morning, arriving at the park at around 11 a.m. before hitting the game-winning home run in the first game of a doubleheader with the Mariners.

“I feel a lot of drama, like a movie,” Choo said. “I’m not an emotional guy, but running the bases, I was really thinking of my family. It’s the best present for my daughter, right?”

Choo was questionable for Tuesday’s first game. He said he received a call from the Indians at the hospital, then after clearing it with his wife, called them back and said he wanted to play.

“We didn’t even know if he was going to make it,” Acta said. “I’m glad he came.”

Minor details

Right fielder Travis Buck went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI Monday in Columbus’ 6-4 loss to Buffalo. Buck, who has spent the majority of the season with the Indians, entered Tuesday batting .258 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 29 games for the Clippers. … Shortstop Juan Diaz had two of Double-A Akron’s three hits Monday in a 9-1 loss at Bowie. Diaz, who was acquired last year along with Ezequiel Carrera in a trade with Seattle for Russell Branyan, entered Tuesday hitting .255 with eight homers and 54 RBIs in 122 games for the Aeros.

Roundin’ third

Indians pitchers entered Tuesday walking the fewest number of batters (332) in the American League. … Entering Tuesday, the combined winning percentage of the Indians’ remaining opponents stood at .476. … Today, 12:05, No television, WTAM 1100-AM. Tomlin (12-6, 4.03) vs. Hernandez (11-11, 3.38).

Check back for more Tribe coverage.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

UPDATED: 5.9 magnitude earthquake felt in Ohio

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

COLUMBUS — Office buildings swayed near the Statehouse and the press box shook at a Cleveland Indians game Tuesday when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake in Virginia reached Ohio.

Tremors were felt in the state’s Appalachian region and stretched as far west as Dayton and to the north along Lake Erie.

No damages or injuries were reported in the first minutes after the quake in central Ohio or statewide, said Kelly Blackwell, spokeswoman for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

In Cincinnati, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, along the Ohio River, was briefly evacuated after tremors were felt.

Spokeswoman Stephanie Creech said a small group of elderly people from a nursing home were among the some 50 museum visitors and staff who moved outside for 20 to 25 minutes after the building’s floors shook.

“It was felt. Things moved on people’s desks,” she said. Among them: a bobblehead of Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, which began nodding vigorously.

“We took everybody out as a precaution. We’re very safety-conscious.”

She said she didn’t believe any of the museum’s artwork and photos fell from walls and there appeared to be no damage to other artifacts in the building, which shows the history of the network that helped Civil War era slaves escape.

The quake was felt sporadically in Columbus. Some visitors to the nearby Statehouse didn’t feel a thing, and nor did residents in the city’s northwestern suburbs a few miles from downtown. But southeast of the city, in Lancaster, people temporarily evacuated Fairfield County Municipal Court house.

A few dozen office workers were evacuated from a 13-story downtown Columbus building, but most were back inside in a few minutes. Some on the upper floors reported windows popping and ceiling tiles cracking.

One of the workers, banking assistant Amy Gentry, was going through email when she felt the quake, describing it as if “like a bulldozer might have hit it or something might have hit the building.”

“Nothing scary, just something out of the ordinary,” added Gentry, 25, who is from Columbus but hadn’t felt a quake before.

“It just doesn’t happen here,” she said.

In Sandusky in northwest Ohio, office employees at Cedar Point amusement park felt the quake, but none of the rides had to be shut down, said Robin Innes, a spokesman for the park along Lake Erie in Sandusky.

In Cleveland, the Indians and Seattle Mariners were in the first game of a double header when the press box above home plate and the third-base line moved left and right and some fans headed toward the exits. Play was not interrupted at Progressive Field, and the Indians reported no structural damage.

“I thought it was the wind. I know the stadium is made to move, but I didn’t know what was moving it,” said fan

Route 511 open

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

State Route 511, just south of US Route 20, is now open. The road was previously closed for a bridge replacement project.

Mariners 3, Indians 2: Tribe drops series opener

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

The Indians lost the opener of a four-game series with Seattle, falling 3-2 at Progressive Field on Monday night.

Closer Chris Perez allowed the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of a non-save situation.

The Indians tied the game with two runs in the second and the teams went scoreless until the ninth.