Smoke signals

• Indians manager Terry Francona pays attention to pitch counts, especially during long, high-stress innings, but he does not let the figure alone dictate his decisions. Francona said there are many factors to keep in mind when determining if a pitcher has reached his limit.

"I would say that it's one of a lot of different ways of protecting your pitchers," Francona said. "Pitch counts, they can be a little false. If a guy is out there over 100 and he's not coming out of his delivery and he's comfortable, he's fine. A guy can be at 40 pitches, and he's flying open, he's in a lot more danger.

"Pitch count can be overrated. I'm not saying it is, but it can be. I think some of it is how strenuous those pitches are. If a guy has a 35-pitch inning, I'll always make sure I note it on my little scorecard, because that's a lot of stress on a guy for a game."

• The Indians have allowed reliever Matt Capps, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee this spring, to open camp on a more gradual throwing program than other pitchers. Manager Terry Francona said Capps has been throwing bullpen sessions every third day, considering he endured some right shoulder issues last season with the Twins.