Smoke signals

By Jordan Bastian

May 16, 2014

• Tribe left fielder Michael Brantley returned to the lineup for Friday's game against the A's. Brantley left Wednesday's game in Toronto in the fifth inning due to mid-back tightness and was given Thursday's game against the Blue Jays off as a precaution. Brantley entered Friday riding a 12-game hitting streak at home.

• Heading into Friday's game against Oakland, Cleveland's offense ranked third in the American League and the Majors with an average of 4.00 pitches seen per plate appearances. Only the Twins (4.14) and Red Sox (4.07) ranked higher than the Indians.

• Class A Advanced Carolina outfielder Anthony Gallas entered Friday leading Cleveland's farm system with a .346 batting average. On Monday, the 26-year-old Gallas was named the Carolina League's Player of the Week. Gallas led the Mudcats with six homers and a .989 OPS.

Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, and follow him on Twitter @MLBastian.