Carrasco to DL with right elbow contusion

Olson placed on disabled list; Bieber, Marshall recalled

June 17th, 2018

CLEVELAND -- The Indians placed right-hander on the disabled list with a right elbow contusion Sunday.
The Indians recalled right-hander Shane Bieber from Triple-A Columbus. Bieber, the Indians' No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will get the start Sunday against the Twins.
Carrasco was struck on his throwing arm by a line drive from Joe Mauer to lead off the second inning at Progressive Field during the Tribe's 9-3 loss to the Twins on Saturday. Carrasco immediately kneeled over and grabbed his injured arm before he was quickly checked out by the team's training staff and exited.
Carrasco was originally diagnosed with a right forearm contusion, but after being taken to Lutheran Hospital during the game, X-rays revealed that the injury was to his elbow. He will be evaluated again Monday morning.
"He'll get a scan tomorrow, and then we hope to know exactly what's going on in there" manager Terry Francona said, "or what isn't going on. But for the next two days, he'd be treated the same anyway."
Carrasco's outing lasted 1 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits and four runs in the first, while also walking and hitting a batter. He recorded two strikeouts.

This isn't the first time Carrasco has been struck by a comebacker. He was hit on the right side of the face by a liner off the bat of on April 14, 2015, in a game against the White Sox. Carrasco also left a game against the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2016 -- two pitches into his start -- when he took a liner by off his right hand. He missed the rest of the season.
"I think it's just chance," Francona said. "I mean there's a lot of balls that come back at pitchers. Some guys are in a better position to either get out of the way or field them than other pitchers."
Carrasco took the loss Saturday and is now 8-5 on the season. The shortened outing raised his ERA from 3.90 to 4.24 over 91 1/3 innings. The Indians have lost four of their last five games and five straight to the Twins for the first time since 2012.

Bieber made his Major League debut against the Twins on May 31. He allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking one.
Francona believes the experience Bieber obtained in his big league debut helped the rookie immensely, but Bieber will still need to bring his best stuff to get the Twins this time around.
"I think the experience of a first start -- regardless of who it was -- is beneficial to him," Francona said. "I think any information can be good. On the flip side, you can say they've seen him also. If he makes good pitches, he's probably gonna be OK. If he doesn't, probably won't be."

LISTEN: Morning Lineup Podcast on Carrasco's injury
Left-handed reliever was also placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left latissimus dorsi strain. The Indians will recall 28-year-old right hander from Columbus.
In nine Major League appearances this season, Marshall has a 6.75 ERA and 2.10 WHIP.
The last time the Indians lost six in a row to Minnesota was June 2-August 7, 2017, when the Twins took seven straight. The Tribe is 3-8 in its last 11 games in the series and 2-6 against the Twins this season.
Worth noting
• Francona said will likely slide into Carrasco's spot in the starting rotation. Plutko threw two innings Saturday and gave up a solo homer to in the eighth. He finished the outing having allowed one run on two hits with a strikeout.

Given the short notice, Francona was impressed at the outing.
"I actually thought he did a really good job," Francona said. "I think sometimes it helps guys. They don't have time to worry. I thought he maintained his stuff real well. Probably had an extra mile or two on it."
• Francona also said he expects first baseman to be activated from the family medical emergency list on Monday. Alonso has been out since Friday for an undisclosed reason and is allowed to miss between three and seven days. Alonso is slashing .248/.323/.446 through 63 games this season.