There should be concerns about Cleveland's rotation after Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar went down because of injuries, but the Indians have assembled a bullpen that can shorten games to six or even five innings and take pressure off the starters to pitch deep into games. Cleveland relievers entered Saturday with a 3.29 ERA, easily the best in the American League.
One of many decisions Kansas City needs to make over the next year is whether to bring back Edinson Volquez. He is 10-11 with a 5.25 ERA. There's a mutual option for $10 million for 2017. But the pitching market this offseason is not strong, and $10 million is not that bad for a back-of-the-rotation veteran.
Detroit might not get third baseman Nick Castellanos, above, back in the lineup before the end of the regular season. Castellanos is recovering from a broken left hand and is still experiencing discomfort when he tries to swing a bat. Erick Aybar, Andrew Romine and Jacoby Jones have filled in for him at third as the Tigers fight for a wild-card spot.
White Sox star Jose Abreu caused a stir Monday when, after a loss to the Royals, he said that the Royals have the desire to win and to be good. When asked if the White Sox have those traits, he said, "No." He backtracked some the next day, but catcher Alex Avila said Abreu had the right to question his team when it doesn't meet expectations.
