Smoke signals
• Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs, turned 100 years old on Wednesday. Francona played 86 games for the Cubs in 1986. Asked about the ballpark, Francona said, "If you like going to church, it's like going to St. Peter's. It's Wrigley. ... It's the way baseball, I think, is supposed to be."
Francona also recounted a time when former Cubs general manager Dallas Green chewed out the team during a meeting in Chicago's old clubhouse down the left-field line.
"That's what the grounds crew is using now," Francona said. "I remember, I had only been there about a week and I was like the first one there, sitting in the front row. It was Jody Davis and Keith Moreland and Leon Durham. They were like, 'Hey, man, you might not want to sit there.' I didn't know. I thought maybe it was like being disrespectful, because I hadn't been there.
"They said you might want to get in the back. After about five minutes, I was like, 'Boy, am I glad I'm not in the front.' I have never witnessed a meeting like that."
• Both Francona and Callaway indicated on Wednesday that Salazar's pitch velocity is not a concern. The right-hander is averaging 93.5 mph this season -- down from 96.2 mph in 2013 -- but the pitcher's velocity is on par with where it sat last April. On Tuesday, Salazar averaged 95.2 mph with his fastball.
"His velocity is identical to what it was last April," Francona said. "You've got to remember, we got him in, what, August? And he was in midseason form, even though he wasn't going deep in games. ... That probably means that, as the season progresses, he'll build into more."
• Pitching prospect Trevor Bauer allowed one run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday, finishing with three stikeouts and three walks. On the season, Bauer is 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 18 2/3 innings, during which he has piled up 21 strikeouts against six walks.
• The Indians and Tigers announced on Wednesday that they will play a split doubleheader on July 19 at Comerica Park to make up the weather-postponed contest on April 15. The games will have scheduled start times of 1:08 p.m. ET and 7:08 p.m. ET.